Young Americans for Freedom: Its Time for the YAFers to Make a Comeback.
By
Young Americans for Freedom is an organization that etched its mark on American political history throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. The Sharon statement authored at Bill Buckley’s estate in Sharon, Connecticut in 1960 is still — almost 50 years later — one of the best and briefest restatements of American conservative political thought you can find.
We don’t see “YAFers” depicted in popular culture as frequently as we see “hippies” and “yuppies,” but they were there and they were important. Some of the biggest names in the establishment GOP movement began their politicking in the ranks of the Young Americans for Freedom. Here’s a handful of familiar names who got their start as YAFers:
- ACU Chair and CPAC Organizer David Keene
- Vice President Dan Quayle
- SEC Chairman Chris Cox
- Congressman and Presidential Candidate Tom Tancredo
- Congressman Dana Rohrabacher
The organization has been rocked by political infighting for many years and squandered much of its early success in the 1990s by splintering into factions. Nevertheless, it has continued to be influential — especially in California. As late as 2000, it launched one of the more successful early internet advocacy campaigns against Janet Reno after the United States reversed policy and deported Elian Gonzales to Communist Cuba. The name of the site coordinating that effort was impeachreno.org, and we now consider it an early case study in effective online advocacy from a conservative or libertarian perspective.
We’re hearing more and more about the Young Americans for Freedom, lately, from college students and people who visit Daily Uprising.
We wish all the young people involved in the resurgence of Young Americans for Freedom all the best in their efforts.
