Defining The HRAC

Harvard Republicans have come under a great deal of scrutiny during the last few days, and in that time some misconceptions have been created--misconceptions that I would like to dispel.

First, the Harvard Republican Action Council (HRAC) was not a reaction to last Tuesday's vote of the Harvard-Radcliffe Republican Club (HRRC), but rather the outgrowth of an unfulfilled need on this campus. HRAC is a club conceived on the principle of political activism. The HRRC debates policy and philosophizes over what it means to be Republican; the founders of HRAC want to stop talking, and start doing.

Second, HRAC was founded to help build the Republican party through political activism. The HRRC has consistently and consciously avoided involvement in local politics. This is not to say that talk is bad, but the HRAC wants something different.

Third, the goals of the two clubs, activism vs. philosophy, are incompatible within the same club but complementary within the same party. I find it incredible that HRAC has come under fire by members of our own party. I hope that all Harvard Republicans, both activists and philosophers, can work together in the future to build our party and our nation. N. Van Taylor   President   Harvard Republican Action Council