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Recruiting Republicans on College Campuses
Aired October 17, 2003 - 15:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Since the 1960s, political activism on college campuses has usually meant causes popular with the political left. But College Republicans are mounting a new effort to increase their numbers among college students, one person at a time.
Reporter Yangi Denise (ph) has more from San Diego.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
YANGI DENISE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Generation Y.
CINDY GONZALEZ, COLLEGE REPUBLICANS: Hi. Are you a Republican by any chance or interested in joining the College Republicans?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
GONZALEZ: No?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not too much.
DENISE: Informed.
GONZALEZ: Hi. Would you be interested in helping start a chapter of College Republicans on campus?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe later.
DENISE: Involved.
GONZALEZ: So none of you guys are voting?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Sorry.
GONZALEZ: None of you guys care?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
DENISE: OK, this might take some work.
(on camera): So what is this?
GONZALEZ: This is my car, sadly, that I have been living out of. I've become like the bag lady. I have like 1,000 plastic bags in my car.
DENISE: It's almost like you're on this extended road trip. GONZALEZ: Pretty much. I've been traveling since about weeks ago. My name is Cindy Gonzalez. And I'm a field representative for the College Republican National Committee.
To see like a Hispanic like myself, they're like, oh, she must be confused. Spreading the word of the Republican Party is something that I want to do, because a lot of people don't know what it's about, and just changing the stigma.
DENISE (voice-over): Cindy and seven other college Republicans are recruiting on campuses nationwide.
GONZALEZ: Twenty-five, 30, 35, 40.
DENISE: They're on fire, 28 new chapters in two weeks.
GONZALEZ: We're also doing a lot of minority outreach. We're also doing...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Minorities, woo!
GONZALEZ: The vote that the minorities have is going to be a huge on the election. And so, therefore, they don't want people to think that they're just rich white men anymore. It's about everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you not heard that Republicans are for abortion?
GONZALEZ: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pro-abortion?
GONZALEZ: No.
(CROSSTALK)
GONZALEZ: No, no, no, that's completely the opposite. The Democrats are very pro-abortion.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, no, I'm not. I'm Republican.
DENISE (on camera): When you're getting paid much less than minimum wage, what makes it worth it?
GONZALEZ: Well, you've seen it. I converted one Democrat to being a Republican today.
DENISE (voice-over): One conversion at a time, the College Republicans have tripled their chapters in the last three years. Meanwhile, the college Democrats are lagging. They have half as many chapters and expect students to start clubs on their own.
GONZALEZ: Hi. Are you interested in being a College Republican at all?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. GONZALEZ: No? Thank you.
DENISE: And with perseverance like this...
GONZALEZ: Hey, are you guys interested in being College Republicans?
DENISE: ... so-called liberal campuses across America could be turning out an army of Republicans.
Yangi Denise (ph), CNN, San Diego.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 17, 2003 - 15:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Since the 1960s, political activism on college campuses has usually meant causes popular with the political left. But College Republicans are mounting a new effort to increase their numbers among college students, one person at a time.
Reporter Yangi Denise (ph) has more from San Diego.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
YANGI DENISE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Generation Y.
CINDY GONZALEZ, COLLEGE REPUBLICANS: Hi. Are you a Republican by any chance or interested in joining the College Republicans?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
GONZALEZ: No?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not too much.
DENISE: Informed.
GONZALEZ: Hi. Would you be interested in helping start a chapter of College Republicans on campus?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe later.
DENISE: Involved.
GONZALEZ: So none of you guys are voting?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Sorry.
GONZALEZ: None of you guys care?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
DENISE: OK, this might take some work.
(on camera): So what is this?
GONZALEZ: This is my car, sadly, that I have been living out of. I've become like the bag lady. I have like 1,000 plastic bags in my car.
DENISE: It's almost like you're on this extended road trip. GONZALEZ: Pretty much. I've been traveling since about weeks ago. My name is Cindy Gonzalez. And I'm a field representative for the College Republican National Committee.
To see like a Hispanic like myself, they're like, oh, she must be confused. Spreading the word of the Republican Party is something that I want to do, because a lot of people don't know what it's about, and just changing the stigma.
DENISE (voice-over): Cindy and seven other college Republicans are recruiting on campuses nationwide.
GONZALEZ: Twenty-five, 30, 35, 40.
DENISE: They're on fire, 28 new chapters in two weeks.
GONZALEZ: We're also doing a lot of minority outreach. We're also doing...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Minorities, woo!
GONZALEZ: The vote that the minorities have is going to be a huge on the election. And so, therefore, they don't want people to think that they're just rich white men anymore. It's about everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you not heard that Republicans are for abortion?
GONZALEZ: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pro-abortion?
GONZALEZ: No.
(CROSSTALK)
GONZALEZ: No, no, no, that's completely the opposite. The Democrats are very pro-abortion.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, no, I'm not. I'm Republican.
DENISE (on camera): When you're getting paid much less than minimum wage, what makes it worth it?
GONZALEZ: Well, you've seen it. I converted one Democrat to being a Republican today.
DENISE (voice-over): One conversion at a time, the College Republicans have tripled their chapters in the last three years. Meanwhile, the college Democrats are lagging. They have half as many chapters and expect students to start clubs on their own.
GONZALEZ: Hi. Are you interested in being a College Republican at all?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. GONZALEZ: No? Thank you.
DENISE: And with perseverance like this...
GONZALEZ: Hey, are you guys interested in being College Republicans?
DENISE: ... so-called liberal campuses across America could be turning out an army of Republicans.
Yangi Denise (ph), CNN, San Diego.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
