Learning the ways of their fathers

Sometimes the irony is so thick that it ceases to be irony. One might call it a case of single entendre. The University of Vermont College Republicans club has been shut down by the Student Government Association for defaulting on a loan.

Fiscal irresponsibility by Republicans….hmmm.

It gets better. The young conservatives borrowed $7,000 to pay for an appearance by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, but attendance at the event was far less than they expected. They were left with a balance of $6,548. Apparently there were few people willing to pony up real money to hear Mr. Family Values talk about how he cheated on his wife while pursuing the impeachment of Bill Clinton. The real irony about this, however, is that Gingrich was one of the advocates of an amendment to the Constitution requiring a balanced federal budget. Of course, the Bush administration has been swiping the national credit card in a frenzy that exceeds even the Reagan years.

What adds richness to the story (published by the Vermont Cynic) is the president of the College Republicans, Heather Baldyga, speaking in a feckless, no-fault, passive voice:

"We were not able to pay back SGA because there was little or no effort to fundraise in the past few semesters. It is also difficult to fundraise for a Republican organization around here, because we don't have many fans in this area," Baldyga said. (H. Note: Governor Jim Douglas managed somehow)

The derecognition did not come as a big surprise to Baldyga. "I was aware that we would more than likely be derecognized some point during the semester," she said.

"It is upsetting because alumni worked very hard to get this club started less than six years ago, and now it no longer exists due to a lack of funds. It is a shame that we were not able to repay the debt," Baldyga said.

Aw, gee, and whose fault was that? Apparently, nobody’s. As they say at the Attorney General’s Office, “Mistakes were made.”

And where will the defaulted $6,548, now in the pocket of Newt Gingrich, come from? It will be involuntarily extracted from the pockets of every student on campus, of course.

Let’s review the process:

1) Borrow money
2) Pay a wealthy Republican to perform a service for other Republicans
3) Let the debt slide
4) Ignore warnings
5) Deflect responsibility
6) Make everybody else pay for your mistake

The UVM College Republicans should get an “A” in Neoconservative Management Practices 101. Too bad for them that the market for that skill set is starting to diminish.