RNC to Rock the Vote: Shut Up or Face the Wrath of the IRS

Posted on October 15, 2004

With American troops stretched thin on the ground in Iraq, and the activation of reservists and national guardsmen to active duty in Iraq, many experts are questioning where the troops are going to come from to continue the progression of the current administration's foreign policy. The L.A. Times quotes Elaine Kamarck, a public policy expert at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, saying that the rumors of the reinstatement of the draft "stem from a direction in foreign policy that is just beginning to sink into the consciousness of the country. Which is, 'Wait a minute, if our foreign policy is to go around the globe and take out bad guys, something's gotta give.'"

And although major newspapers and policy experts are talking about the realistic possibility of a draft in America's future, apparently, the Republicans don't even want the subject discussed. Why is that? Polling shows that young people believe that Bush is much more likely to impose a draft than Kerry would, although both candidates have said they will not impose a draft. But Kerry has said he will add two divisions to the Army and double Special Forces to cover the shortfall and end the backdoor draft. Bush keeps saying things are fine in Iraq and that the troops aren't stretched too thin -- which is why there is a credibility gap as large as the Grand Canyon between his comments and the beliefs of anyone who has bothered to actually read the Republican Party Platform.

Founded by liberal-leaning musicians, Rock the Vote is a non-partisan group which focuses on encouraging young people to get involved with politics and to vote. It has encouraged a discussion of the draft issue.

Enter Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie who, after reading about this in the L.A. Times, sent an astounding letter to Rock The Vote, demanding that they stop even discussing the issue of the draft or face the repeal of their non-profit status. The grounds for Mr. Gillespie's there will be no draft under President Bush, so an assertion that even raising the possibility of a draft is engaging in "malicious intent and a reckless disregard for the truth." And Mr. Gillespie's proof that there will never be a draft? Why, President Bush and Donald Rumsfeld said so!

I predict that this heavy-handed attempt by the RNC to stop free speech by Rock the Vote is going to backfire in a big way. Because young people just don't trust old men who promise not to send them to war -- especially when the old men pull stunts like this.