Opinion: Republicans come to Iowa bearing big ideas

We’re waist deep into caucus season folks, and Republicans presidential hopefuls are dropping in to share all their good ideas.

One candidate you may or may not have heard of is Viveck Ramaswamy, a 37-year-old biotech entrepreneur from Ohio who is what we call in horserace journalism a “long-shot.” Sounds like the sort of candidate who might attract some young voters.

Naturally, one of his big ideas is to potentially stop them from voting.

Ramaswamy is advocating “duty-based voting,” which would raise the legal voting age to 25. Younger adults could vote if they serve in the military for six months, work as a first-responder or pass the U.S. citizenship test.

“When I think about young Americans today, I see a deficit of national pride because I see a deficit of duty,” Ramaswamy said during a campaign stop last week in central Iowa. “You don’t value that country you inherited. You will only value a country you have a stake in building and knowing something about.”

Of course, this isn’t going to happen. It would take a constitutional amendment to raise the voting age and potentially deny the vote to 30 million Americans ages 18-25. And Ramaswamy probably won’t be a president leading the charge.

The citizenship test isn’t exactly difficult, but it strikes me there are probably plenty of people older than 25 who would struggle to pass it. Why target young voters?

It’s all about duty. Or maybe it’s all about last year’s midterms.

During the 2022 elections, 18-29-year-old voters went heavily for Democratic candidates. Democratic House candidates, for example, had a 28-point advantage among young voters, according to exit polling. Young voters came through in critical swing-state races in Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan. They’re a big reason why a predicted national “red wave” never materialized, and why Democrats salvaged a Senate majority. Abortion rights played a large role.

It seems like young voters did their duty. Too well, as Republicans see it.

So Ramaswamy’s idea seems like just another proposal by a Republican seeking to suppress voting among constituencies that tend to vote for Democrats. Instead of dazzling young voters with their big ideas, Republicans would rather reshape the electorate through cynical strategery – gerrymandering, restrictions on mail-in voting, limits on early voting, etc.

We’re seeing new efforts to deny votes to college students who just aren’t patriotic enough to recognize a Republican crackdown on abortion rights, academic freedom, LGBTQ inclusion and diversity will make America great. What is wrong with these kids? Bunch of lazy socialists.

A New York Times profile said Ramaswamy wants to be the “new face of intellectual conservatism,” but some of his ideas are retreads. He wants to use the U.S. military against drug cartels on the southern border, not a new idea. Get rid of affirmative action? It’s been on the GOP wish list for ages. He also wants to dismantle the Department of Education.

in 2011 former Texas Gov. and presidential hopeful Rick Perry wanted to get rid of Commerce, Education and Energy departments. He forgot that last one in a debate. “Sorry, Oops,” Perry said. Soon, his campaign was eliminated.

Watch for more big ideas coming to a Pizza Ranch near you.

(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@thegazette.com

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