College Republicans hold annual convention

GOP lawmakers discussed conservative values and the US Senate election.

By Trevor Eischen

Published April 6, 2009

Young Republicans from across Missouri gathered at MU's new student center Saturday for the annual Missouri College Republicans convention.

The convention allowed chapters of the Missouri College Republicans to collaborate and plan to help their party in the aftermath of the 2008 election.

"We want to transform the Grand Old Party into the Grand New Party," said Jonathan Ratliff, newly-elected Missouri Federation of College Republicans chairman, who until last week was MU College Republicans chairman.

Chelsea Maltagliati, Missouri College Republicans State Convention coordinator, talked about her party's conservative values.

"Republicans tend to be less outspoken," Maltagliati said. "But we vote."

Maltagliati said the 2010 election in Missouri is vital to the future of her party. Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., announced he would not seek re-election to his seat, and if Democrats are able to take the seat without losing any others, they would be able to have the 60-seat "super majority" in the Senate.

"Republicans have finally found their principles," she said. "Unfortunately, it's taken a long time. Hopefully we get some good conservatives into the House and the Senate. The Senate race for Sen. Kit Bond's seat is crucial. We have to keep that seat."

Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., has announced he will make an official bid for the seat, and former Missouri Treasurer Sarah Steelman has said she is willing to take on Blunt in a Republican primary, but has not made anything official. Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan is the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder was the first on the lineup of speakers. Kinder spoke to the College Republicans about what he said were striking parallels between his days as a Republican at MU and theirs.

"When I was on this campus in the '70s, we went through a bad election," Kinder said in reference to the presidency of Jimmy Carter. "In the two years after that, when I was a college Republican, it was about as difficult to be a college Republican here as you could ever imagine."

Blunt spokesman Rich Chrismer appeared at the event and presented a written statement from Blunt.

"National Democrats understand that if Missouri gives its U.S. senate seat to Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, they will have the 60 seats they need in the Senate to do whatever they want, spend as much as they want and treat taxpayers like an open ATM," Blunt said in the letter.

Blunt expressed the importance of the College Republicans and their influence on the upcoming 2010 election.

"I have always had a great honored respect for college Republicans," Blunt said in the letter. "You are a powerful network of young leaders on college university campuses that is critical to our Republican candidates."

Steelman completed the night of lectures during a dinner at Jack's Gourmet Restaurant, where she took verbal jabs at Blunt.

"A couple weeks ago, I asked Congressmen Blunt to join with me in saying no more earmarks," Steelman said. "And he came back and called me hypocritical because we have earmarks in Missouri."

She ended the speech by promoting conservative values of the party.

"America is not a bunch of wimps," Steelman said. "We are a strong country of individuals. Think about the pioneers who went west with their families and fought off Indians. They were willing to have some determination to figure out what it is that they wanted. They weren't waiting around for the government to take care of them. And that's the way America is. And that's why our party represents those people."