Marshall University's school newpaper declined to publish my response to a letter to the editor that slammed the Marshall University College Republicans as racists and suggested we rename our group to " We Hate the President Because He is Black." I normally do not pay much attention to such uneducated drivel, yet the issue has become heated on campus. Therefore, I will print our response in as many avenues as possible.


As I was attending to my daily routine of flipping through the Parthenon, I turned to the opinion section and focused on the letters to the editor. The Marshall University College Republicans were accused of promoting racially charged advertising strategies in order to gain members by using the phrase “College Republicans: Serving Kool-Aid so you don’t have to drink Obama’s.” I was amused at the response, but also concerned about the implications of such accusations.

The historical context of the political term “Kool-Aid” originated with the mass suicides of the Jim Jones’ cult where members drank poison Kool-Aid. Since then it has been popular in political circles as a term to describe a political message that supporters blindly believe without investigating the truth.

In Washington lexicon, this type of rhetoric has been applied to presidents of several administrations, regardless of their political party. President Obama should not be sheltered from political attacks solely based on the color of his skin. Our President has policies that affect everyone, and supporters of him should understand the historical tradition of dissent.


Given the significance of having the first black president in our time, it is unfortunate that widespread political terms are being misinterpreted to mean something that is racially charged. These types of accusations limit intellectual debate by labeling common political vernacular as taboo, and do not serve to provide a rational counter-argument.

I reject the notion that the Marshall University College Republicans promote or endorse racially insensitive messages; this goes against our Republican ideals of judging people based on their character, not on their race.


Perhaps we should not get all “wee-weed up” over a lack of understanding, as President Obama recently coined. Thinking before we speak leaves a better taste in all of our mouths, more so than any cup of Kool-Aid.