The Top Penn Conservatives To Follow On Twitter
These five Penn undergraduates are transforming campus and breathing new life into a critical university movement.
When I first set up The Statesman with my friends Nick Zarra, Dillon Weber, and Justin Wong, we used to joke that our magazine was really a secret society — after all, there were so few conservatives on campus, we might as well have been part of some clandestine conspiracy.
Fortunately, that’s not quite the case anymore — Penn is becoming a place where conservative students can not only fight back against the status quo, but also propose new ideas and visions for restoring stability and personal fulfillment in the college environment. If all goes well, it may soon become a prominent birthplace for the great conservative statesmen of the future.
The following individuals are existing or up-and-coming influencers in the campus conservative scene. Please note this list is not exhaustive; only Penn students who have Twitter profiles are featured, and there are many more individuals who have made incredible contributions to Penn’s cultural turnaround.
Chris Lubanski
@ChrisLubanski
Chris is, quite possibly, one of the most interesting individuals you’ll ever encounter on Locust Walk. Selected by the Kansas City Royals as 5th overall in the 2003 MLB draft, he now works closely with Penn’s Population Studies Center and aspires to work in political research. Combining down-to-earth wisdom with the mindset of an AEI scholar, Chris channels conservatism as a force for personal development and success. Less of an activist and more of a role model, he nevertheless manages to stir up campus debate and get the ball moving on a host of topics, from Obamacare to the morality of free enterprise. And he’s set to do even more this fall: as head of the grassroots organization Penn for Walker, he’s poised to become a regional player in the 2016 Republican primaries.
Chris’ tweets talk baseball, Christianity, free market conservatism, and social trends. He retweets quite a bit from other thinkers and personalities, including Zak Slayback (a former Penn guy who dropped out to start Praxis, a 12-month program for young entrepreneurs) and Scott Walker Rapid Responder Josh Falzone.
Ben Fogel
@FogeldeChao
Ben really got his start in politics before coming to Penn. As a student at Friend’s Central in Philadelphia, Ben became the first-ever high schooler to intern with online “political junkie” site PoliticsPA, all while maintaining a weekly column on Policymic.com (now just Mic). His more recent accomplishments include a testimony in front of the U.N. on political repression in Belarus. While affiliated with The Statesman, Ben has established himself as a campus personality in his own right, providing penetrating (and occasionally eviscerating) commentary about public affairs and foreign policy in university publications and debates.
Ben’s twitter account is all personality, all the time. He keeps a good eye on recent national and international developments and hasn’t been afraid to take the Obama Administration to task on the Iran deal. Arthur Brooks and Bleacher Report are his feed’s frequent retweet guests.
Nathaniel Rome
@Rome4America
Nathan is another one of those can’t-miss campus personalities. A member of the Penn Political Union’s Conservative Caucus and one of the few Republican-leaning representatives in Penn’s Undergraduate Assembly, Nathan combines a passion for politics international relations, economics, and research with a good knowledge of the beat and vibe of campus life. He’s also on his way to becoming a DC politico: he currently interns with Grover Norquist & Co. at Americans for Tax Reform. He’s notably invested in the US-Israel relationship, and as an advocate and political coordinator for the Penn Israel Public Affairs Committee (PIPAC), he’s been influential in leading the fight against BDS divestment movements and other anti-Israel efforts that occasionally sweep across the Penn landscape.
Nathan tweets about tax reform, international events in the Middle East, the 2016 Republican primaries, and, most recently, the buzz (criticism) surrounding Dodd-Frank’s five-year anniversary. Never one to miss out on a good online challenge, some of his tweets simply scream unabashed awesomeness (just keep following him and the #TPP4USJobs hashtag on Twitter — over the next few months, you’ll see what I’m talking about).
Will Shirey
@billeshirey
Will Shirey is one of the most prolific Twitter users at Penn. He’s about 9,744 tweets into the business of wicked wit, randomly funny and sometimes enigmatic comments, and day-to-day life reports interspersed with a depth of historical knowledge rivaling Penn’s Department of History itself. Will is an interesting conservative because he is what many would call a “recent convert” who sees the modern movement as a work in progress, not an end unto itself. He’s written about progressive impulses within conservatism for The Statesman, extolled the virtues of moderation as an Independent in the Penn Political Union, and played the campus “gadfly” role to push back on what he sees as troubling extremities on the left and right.
A quick look at Will’s feed reveals both serious topics— American Conservative’s discussion of prison reform, for example — and, well, Grubhub, a live tweet of the song “Mandy,” and Iowa. Needless to say, Will’s twitter musings will both entertain and provoke, offering quirky philosophical observations with a satirist’s twist.
Varun Menon
@VarunKumarMenon
Varun Menon is a big name in Penn’s political world. A co-founder of the Government & Politics Association (GPA), many Penn students will credit him and fellow co-founder Louis Capozzi with revitalizing a moribund and one-sided campus political dialogue into something more inclusive and focused. Like Nathan, Varun has served on the Undergraduate Assembly as a strong conservative voice in student affairs, taking a principled stand on campus as an opponent of university divestment schemes and as a fiscal watchdog during an epic, several years-long funding crisis with the Student Activities Council (SAC). A history major, Varun has his sights set on medical school and, eventually, electoral politics.
Varun’s tweets are a mixture of American pride, Penn insider analysis, and retweets of articles from Washington publications such as The Hill. A perpetual optimist, Varun’s twitter reflects his cheerful spirits and his faith in the American conservative movement.
So, there you have it.
The five conservatives above are worth following not just because they are unique personalities, but also because they have breathed life into a movement too often written off as dead by most university students and scholars. As summer comes to a close and the next school year begins, chances are you’ll only hear more about these influencers. If you follow them on Twitter, you’ll also be able to track their successes as they carry the conservative banner forward after college.
