ICYMI: My 22Q Profile

April 30, 2013 1 Comment

Today I was featured in Leadership Institute’s The 22Q series about my activism and my work with the conservative nonprofit.

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Here’s more about the new series:

The 22Q is an informal interview series with young conservatives, connected to LI, who are working in the public policy process. The 22 questions ask them to explain what they do, and how they see politics and the next generation of the conservative movement. Their opinions are their own, and are not endorsed by the Leadership Institute.

An excerpt from my interview:

Part 1: What I do

How I describe my job in 10 words
Working with students to advance conservatism on campus is rewarding

My day-to-day at work…in three sentences
Checking my email; updating our database with student contacts; reaching out to students via phone call, Facebook, or email; eating; talking with co-workers; researching and finding liberal bias.

I couldn’t do my job without
Sunny optimism. I try to be positive and happy all the time. Challenging the left can be daunting, so I try to make the best of things handed my way.

Most important moment in my career (so far)
Being mentioned on the Rush Limbaugh Show for an interview I did for FoxNews.com on January 11, 2013. He mentioned my thoughts about payroll tax expiration. I was in disbelief! My dad, a huge Rush fan, called me the moment he heard my name on the air. It was amazing.

Unexpected skill that has helped me the most
I would say that multitasking has helped me the most. Juggling many things can be difficult at times, but it has proven to be beneficial in the work I do.

The best advice I have received
My dad once said, “In order to be equal, you have to be three times better than the rest.” My parents taught me to work hard, to enjoy the fruits of my labor, and to be the best individual I could possibly be.

Continue reading at Leadership Institute.

 

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‘There’s Some Good in This World…And It’s Worth Fighting For’

April 18, 2013 3 Comments

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Tomorrow I embark on a nine-day journey to the Northeast. I will traverse the region and visit students in Boston, New Haven, NYC, and Newark. Sadly, this territory isn’t kind to travelers of the conservative persuasion.  But in the name of freedom and liberty, we must do our best to reclaim it – especially universities there.

To quote Lord of the Rings: “…there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo… and it’s worth fighting for.”

Not all young people are goose-stepping Obamanites. The countless students I meet and work with are frustrated by this administration. Nevertheless their enthusiasm, their energy, and their indomitable spirit to advance conservative principles on campus will propel our movement in the right direction.

I couldn’t ask for a better or more rewarding job than this. My students in the Northeast give me hope. I empathize with them because I too was a conservative student in a heavily blue state. I know how difficult it is to advance a conservative message on campus.

That being said, we can and we must take back our campuses. Conservatism is still worth fighting for there. Don’t give up!

If I come across anything interesting or newsworthy, I’ll be sure to blog about it here. Be sure to follow my musings on Facebook or on Twitter at @Gabby_Hoffman!

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Jim DeMint is Right: Principled, Sound Conservatism is the Way to Go

March 17, 2013 4 Comments

We often hear a lot of talk about how “divisive” social issues are or how “extreme” conservatism is. Some individuals-either out of fear or sheer disdain for conservatism-feel inclined to tell us to abandon traditional values despite them being in line with limited government.

Pro-freedom, pro-life, and pro-family? Goodness gracious – you must be a fascist! (Thank you, revisionist history.)

Many conservatives like incoming Heritage Foundation president Jim DeMint have made the case for constitutional, sound conservatism.

What is sound conservatism, and how does it ensure our movement’s success?

Princeton University professor and renowned scholar Robert P. George observed that economic and social conservatism are synonymous. I discussed this topic in a November 2011 blog post:

Renowned conservative thinker Dr. Robert P. George of Princeton University expounds on this by presenting the case for sound conservatism in “No Mere Marriage of Convenience: Uniting Social and Economic Conservatives.”

He writes, “Sound conservatism, as a matter of principle and not mere pragmatism, will honor limited government, restrain spending, and provide honest money and low taxes — while at the same time upholding the sanctity of human life in all stages and conditions; the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife; and the innocence of children.”

During a speech at CPAC 2013, incoming Heritage Foundation president Jim DeMint had this to say about sound conservatism:

Economic and social conservatism go hand-in-hand. They’re natural allies. Strong families, churches and voluntary institutions build strong character and economic independence. And government must always remember we are endowed by our creator with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That is true for you and me, and it is true for the unborn. When government understands its limited role, it can be smaller, people can be freer and our economy can create prosperity for everyone. And when government grows larger with programs like Obamacare that consume so much of our lives, it tramples on both economic freedom and religious liberty. This has united conservatives of all stripes to fight to end Obamacare so we can all be free to live our own lives.

When people call for the removal of social issues from the conservative movement, they are essentially telling the majority of constitutional conservatives-including fiscal conservatives-to shut up and give into so-called pragmatism. This should cause you great distress…

Those of us who believe in sound conservatism cannot allow the dilution of values to take place. It is our duty to champion limited government, the sanctity of life, marriage,  fiscal sanity, strong national defense, American sovereignty, personal responsibility, reverence for the Constitution, and individual rights.

My fellow conservative Hobbits and wacko-birds: Principles, not pragmatism, always win.

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Covet the Youth: 14 Young Conservatives, Including Yours Truly, to Be Published in E-Book

February 20, 2013 2 Comments

I have excellent news: I’m going to be a published author! Well, sort of.

Don’t expect any full-length books from me anytime soon. I’m only 21 and still need more life experience before chronicling events, activism, and thoughts.  I still need to grow, adequately educate myself on history better, and become more well-read. But I digress…

Yesterday it was revealed that an e-book I co-authored with 13 other young conservatives entitled “Young, Conservative, and Why It’s Smart to Be Like Us” will be published this April 9, 2013.

The e-book features yours truly, RJ Moeller, Liz Thatcher, Liberty Betts, Kevin Eder, Allen Ginzburg, Mary Chastain, Daniel Webb, Brady Cremeens, Brandon Morse, Katelynd Shaw, Erin Brown, and Dina Fraioli.

Be sure to look out for it!

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Smart Girls Are Armed, Conservative, and Fabulous: My “Youth in Action” Interview

February 6, 2013 1 Comment

smart girl

Teen conservative and Smart Girl Politics activist Bethany Bowra (@bethanybowra) interviewed me for the latest installment of Smart Girl Politics’ “Youth in Action” series profiling young conservative female activists. Those of you who know me are familiar with my hold-no-prisoners approach to conservative politics, anti-Communist tendencies, and desire to lure in more young people to our movement.

I hope my thoughts and sentiments in this interview inspire other freedom-loving youngsters to speak out and reject collectivism. Without a doubt, we must encourage more young conservatives…especially young conservative females.

Enjoy!

While Planned Parenthood and Democrat women in Congress claim to speak for all women, these young women have something to say about that. Contrary to popular belief, those groups do not speak for all young women— many young women my age have views that are quite the opposite. Below is my interview with conservative activist, Gabriella Hoffman!

Why did you get involved in politics?

I got involved in conservative politics because of my parents. My mother and my father are Lithuanian immigrants who escaped from Soviet communism 27 years ago. The Left’s policies remind them too much of the Old Country, so conservatism came naturally to them. Their stories and perspective on life really brought me to conservatism. Both sides of my family suffered immensely in the former Soviet Union. I’m in this fight to honor their memories and remind people that freedom must be safeguarded for future generations to come.

How did you get involved?

In 2006 when I was 15, I started writing a column in a local Orange County, CA community paper, The Coto Voice, called “Teen Beat.” I maintained this column for three years. I primarily focused on topics ranging from volunteering in high school to upholding traditional values. After I graduated from high school and moved onto college, I began to write about politics for The California Review, the conservative paper at UC-San Diego. From there, I went onto running a YAF chapter and hosting David Horowitz on campus- an event which landed on national news. After the event garnered a lot of attention, I started working for The Rick Amato Show as an Executive Assistant and landed a coveted role at Eagle Forum of San Diego as the Director of Youth Outreach.  I also started blogging for various websites and publications.

What issues have you been focused on since you became active?

I’m a firm believer in sound conservatism (social and fiscal conservatism), and I also believe in strong national defense. During my time at UC-San Diego, I heavily focused on support for Israel (I have family there and support a healthy U.S.-Israel relationship) and exposing militant leftists on campus. I also exposed radical feminism and openly condemned the Vagina Monologues. Now, I concentrate on a plethora of issues ranging from traditional values to Israel advocacy to media/leftist/campus bias to free enterprise.

Continue reading at Smart Girl Politics Action.

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Earth to Generation Y: You’ve Been Cheated By Obama’s Administration

January 16, 2013 3 Comments

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Last Saturday, I had the privilege of speaking at Maryland Conservative Action Network’s “Turning the Tides” conference in Annapolis, MD alongside three other young panelists – Brandon Cooper, Brian Meshkin, and Trae Lewis.

Our generation will be hardest hit by Obama’s disastrous economic policies. Therefore, it’s imperative that conservatives bolster their numbers with more young people. Conservatism, not a diluted version of it, will entice people to our side. Any attempts to abandon conservatism will lead to more elections lost and less voter turnout.

Those in attendance enjoyed hearing from us on the panel. Everyone gave wonderful speeches.

My speech beings at the 19:28 mark.  Let me know what you think!

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” – Ronald Reagan

MDCAN 006

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The Power of Twitter: Why Young Conservatives Should Tweet

January 12, 2013 3 Comments

Some of you are aware that I’m quite the Twitterholic. I tweet under the handle @Gabby_Hoffman and am not afraid to say that I tweet up quite the storm. My Twitter musings range from conservative politics to historical events. On occasion, I also include fashion and animal posts. Whenever I’m traveling for work or for leisure, I tweet pictures of monuments or interesting points of observation. All in all, I’ve grown to like and rely on Twitter.

Why would a young conservative like me use Twitter, you ask? Easy: we’ve got to win the social media war against the Left.

January 12, 2013 will mark three years since I started on Twitter. (In twitterspeak, I’ll be celebrating my third Twitterversary.)

At first I was reluctant to tweet. This social media medium was extremely confusing and foreign to me. I was perplexed by the RT symbol, follow button, and hashtags. It was not until a young conservative conference in Summer 2010 that I started to use Twitter. Once I got the hang of Twitter, I couldn’t stop using it.

In the nearly three years I’ve been on Twitter, I’ve garnered almost 22, 000 followers. What’s the key to this? Playing hashtag games, helping tweets turn into news stories, and promoting friends and fellow activists. I’ve also used Twitter to promote my articles.

Due to my politically charged tweets, I’ve been mentioned by Politico, Twitchy, National Review, got linked on Drudge Report, and was interviewed by Fox News.

If you’re not on Twitter, sign up for it and start tweeting. We’ve got a country to save!

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Young People Should Be Thankful for Senator Ted Cruz

January 6, 2013 7 Comments

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The 113th Congress was sworn in this past week. Divided government still dominates in the nation’s capital (Democrats still control the presidency and the U.S. Senate), and President Obama promises to be more partisan and equally tyrannical in his second term. Nevertheless,  my generation should look forward to the addition of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) to the 113th Congress.

Cruz, a conservative champion and fearless defender of the Constitution, promises to be a much-needed conservative voice in the U.S. Senate. With Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) resigning to assume Ed Feulner’s post at Heritage Foundation, Cruz will likely take over DeMint’s role as the stalwart conservative voice in this respective chamber.

Earlier this morning on Fox News Sunday Cruz said, “I don’t think what Washington needs is more compromise. I think what Washington needs is more common sense and more principle.”

He also criticized the nomination of former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel to the Secretary of Defense post citing his long-track record of being anti-Israel and being a detriment to healthy U.S.-Israel relations.

If you haven’t watched the entire interview, you can view it below.

A few days earlier, Senator Cruz published a column in the Washington Post urging Republicans to promote “opportunity conservatism.”

He writes, “So let me suggest an alternative course: opportunity conservatism. Republicans should conceptualize and articulate every domestic policy with a single-minded focus on easing the ascent up the economic ladder.”

Cruz adds, “That does not mean adopting the wealth-redistribution policies of the left. Among other problems, collectivist approaches to our economy simply do not work. They fail to produce economic prosperity or to improve the material conditions of the populace. And they lead to bankruptcy and economic collapse, as Europe demonstrates daily.”

And then he finishes with this point: “Why do millions of people from all over the world come to the United States? Because no other nation has offered such opportunity. Nowhere else can so many come with nothing and achieve anything.”

Senator Ted Cruz understands the problems that my generation faces. As a first-generation American born to a Cuban father, Cruz notions that freedom and prosperity-not welfare and government handouts-best uplift people.

As a young person, I’m largely drawn to Ted Cruz and his conservatism because like him, I’m also a first-generation American born to immigrant parents. (My parents are from the Baltic Republic of Lithuania. They escaped from it before the USSR collapsed.) Additionally, Cruz knows how to articulate conservatism and win arguments by clearly stating the problems we face and how to solve them. If young people are looking for a serious leader, then Ted Cruz is the right guy to confide in.

Welcome to Washington, D.C., Senator Cruz! My generation is counting on you.

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College Students Launch “TheCollegeConservative” to Combat Political Correctness, Liberal Bias in Media

November 21, 2011 2 Comments

Cross-posted from TruthAboutBills:

Contrary to popular belief, not all young people are “skulls full of mush.” Although many of our Generation Y peers bow to Obama and have been coerced by the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, there is a silent majority of young conservatives ready to take back this country through media and journalism.

Conservative college students from all across the nation have come together to write for TheCollegeConservative (TCC)–an online journal for conservative college students, by conservative college students. The website states, “TheCollegeConservative was launched in November 2011 with one mission: to give young conservative activists a platform to be heard across the nation.  Our organization is comprised of conservative college writers from across the United States who are tired of being pushed around by “the ninety-nine percent” and the world of academia.””

Founder and Editor-in-Chief Zachary Freeman writes more about the publication’s mission statement:

On this basis, TheCollegeConservative was created:

a.) we believe that young conservatives across the United States have something to say,

b.) young conservatives need a platform to be able to get their message out, and

c.) the faithful conservatives in America need to see that there is a generation of conservative leaders that is preparing to lead our great nation back to prosperity.

Zach (freeman_zachary) is also joined by three assistant editors: Sydney Phillips (@sydphillips), yours truly (@Gabby_Hoffman), and Kevin Reagan (@O_JoseCanYouSee). Nearly 20 student writers have signed on, and that number is expected to grow.

Be sure to like TheCollegeConservative Facebook page and follow it on Twitter @Blog_TCC.

If interested in applying to write for us, inquire here.

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#OccupyDenver’s Shelby the Border Collie in Her Own Words

November 13, 2011 Leave a comment

My friend Justen Charters of DearCitizenTV made this video about the first official leader of “Occupy Wall Street.”

Shelby had a lot to say and reflect on…as man’s best friend would.

Enjoy!

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