GOP senator to high schoolers: Move beyond ‘owning the libs’

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on Thursday encouraged an assembly of conservative high school students to seek leadership beyond “owning” liberals.

“Provocation for provocation’s sake will never win you any converts,” Hatch said. “I’ll say it another way: If you are owning the libs just to own the libs, your victory will be short. It will be short-lived and your audience will remain small.

{mosads}Hatch was speaking at the High School Leadership Summit hosted by Turning Point USA. His comments echo those from U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who addressed the event on Monday evening.

“I agree with what Nikki Haley said earlier this week on this very stage,” Hatch said. “Real leadership isn’t just about owning libs. It’s about persuasion.”

Hatch said the goal of winning is still available for those who go about their arguments methodically, emphasizing that in order for movements to survive, they need converts.

“Aim high. Focus on a strategic outcome. And make your case leading with real ideas,” he said. “And you’ll find you still have opportunities to own the libs.”

Hatch, who is retiring after this Congress, also used his speaking opportunity to drum up support for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

“The fight for Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation is about more than just him,” Hatch said. “It’s about our ideas and everything we stand for. Losing a fight like this means the party of substance-free theatrics wins.”

He slammed Democratic criticism of Kavanaugh, including Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-N.J.) comment that those who support Kavanaugh are “complicit in the evil.”

After Hatch read the comment out loud, he said he should start expecting “that kind of crap from the Democrats.”

Other speakers on the docket for Thursday at the High School Leadership Summit include two prominent allies of President Trump: former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.

This story was updated at 3:02 p.m.