Young (cowardly) conservatives

Posted by Evan Derkacz at 11:45 AM on July 14, 2006.

Campus Progress reporter and U. Penn student Julie Brinn Siegel was not only refused credentials to cover the Young America’s Foundation student conference, she was essentially told by spokesman Jason Mattera that even applying as a progressive was laughable. More on Mattera in a minute.

Here's the exchange from Siegel's story:

Mattera:

What news outlet do you work for?

Me:

Thanks for your quick reply. I’ll be reporting for Campusprogress.org.

Mattera:

LOL

Me:

Jason, I’m a little confused as to what that means. Could you please clarify?

Mattera:

L·O·L

1) Laugh out Loud

2) Lots of Laugh

Me:

Does that mean you’ll issue me credentials, or not?

I'll spare you the suspense. Not. He also said he wouldn't issue credentials to a Nation or AlterNet writer so you can plainly see the cowardice.

But Conservative cowardice runs deeper. And while I don't want to take this out on Mattera, he does represent the future of the conservative movement (quotes to that effect can be found on the YAF site).

So here's a VIDEO of Mattera squirming when asked by Chris Matthews why this able-bodied war supporter (see photo up top) doesn't want to enlist.

But wait, don't order now, it gets worse. Mattera was credentialed by Julie's organization to cover its conference two years running -- despite the negative write-up after the first year's affair. Last year's conference coverage was a doosie, as Siegel notes, "Mattera’s multiple errors in his piece on our conference were amply documented on [the Campus Progress] website by Asheesh Siddique."

So let's tally. Future of the conservative movement: Refuses to fight in a war he's so passionate about, afraid to allow progressive media to cover his conference, shamelessly pans progressive conference without acknowledging that they at least have the courage to let their ideas be critiqued -- something he and his conservative brethren do not.

Sounds like the current conservatives to me.

UPDATE: Commenter keto11 below notes that Mattera created a "whites-only" scholarship at his campus to illustrate a point about ethnicity-based scholarships while he himself received $5,000 from a Puerto Rican scholarship. (CampusProgress, C&L)

--> Sign up for Peek in your inbox... every morning! (Go here and check Peek box).

Evan Derkacz is a New York-based writer and contributor to AlterNet.