Campus Clash is the current Tour Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens of Turning Point USA are undertaking. On October 22 they brought their perspectives to Rutgers University in New Jersey.
It was a pleasant surprise to find not a single protester either inside or outside. Although some did shake their heads during the presentation, Charlie and Candace were both professional and compassionate in their opinions. They even requested anyone with a different opinion come to the microphones first with questions. Classy!
Convention of States was represented at the event by New Jersey District Captain Jonathan Godin, while Janis Gregory and I took the road trip from New York to attend.
The conversations ranged from healthcare to the economy and beyond. The crowd was large and enthusiastic for the pair, applauding frequently and giving them a five minute standing ovation!
Charlie related his experiences with crowds at other schools they had visited, the troubles they had on campus's across the nation, and the growing movement for conservatism at each school.
Candace was outstanding, especially when she spoke about being empowered by her conservatism and the challenges she faced being accused of belonging to White Power and Nazi groups by Antifa.
She was more amused than mad, citing the obvious reasons why she couldn't possibly be accepted by either group.
After the show we were granted a five-minute interview with Charlie Kirk. We asked him why he supported Convention of States. He spoke of how we bring attention to the Constitution and our inalienable rights.
He believes, as we do, that Article V is the only answer we have to stop judicial overreach, impose fiscal responsibility on the government, and term limit the career politicians.
As to a "runaway convention," he laughed and said that it has been shown that the convention cannot be hijacked, since all that can be voted on are the proposals passed by each state for that particular Article V Convention.
Knowledge is power. The more we educate the public, the faster we'll get our resolutions passed.
I also asked him what we could do to attract more of the millennial crowd. Charlie thinks we are already doing a great job in that department. He encouraged us to visit schools and spread the word.
As to the violence faced by many because of their political affiliations, Charlie was very sympathetic. He has experienced this violence first hand, as has Candace, and believes that we must use knowledge and the Constitution to fight back.
We'd like to thank Taylor Hubbs of TPUSA for arranging the interview. Ms. Hubbs was very attentive to COS after the show and made sure everything went smoothly.
We also spoke with a few of the representatives of the Rutgers Conservative Union, who are open to COS doing a presentation in the future.
