Contrary to the opinion of his opponents, being young is an asset rather than a liability when running for the U.S. Congress, Weston Wamp, 24, told Chattanooga Pachyderms Monday.
"Young people change things," he noted, "and when you're talking about the federal government change cannot come too soon."
Mr. Wamp, who won't hit the 25-year age requirement for the job he is seeking until March, said his experience as the son of longtime Congressman Zach Wamp provided him with behind-the-scenes familiarity with how the federal government works - and doesn't work - that his opponents don't have.
His political savvy is already showing. He plans to celebrate his birthday by throwing -- what else? - a fundraiser for his campaign.
Although it had been reported that he would present his platform at the Pachyderms meeting he chose not to do so, he said, because "platforms don't work."
Instead, he unveiled a seven-point plan titled "Enough is Enough" in which he revealed the reasons he decided to run and what he would do if he won and wound up in Congress.
The first bill he would introduce, he said, is one that would begin the long-overdue process of reforming Congress itself.
He also stressed the importance of controlling spending by the federal government, and letting future generations worry about how to repay the massive debt.
"My generation doesn't want to just keep kicking the can further down the road," he told the Pachyderms.