This Saturday the Republican Party of Minnesota is electing the executive committee that will run the 2006 election effort. I have been very hard on the current leadership for the dismal performance in 2004. So have a lot of other people. There is a serious riff in the GOP, and most of it is deserved, but its going too far.

We’re tearing ourselves apart. Its one thing to be critical of fees or policy stances, but to get personal? Well that stinks of Democratics.

I’ve attacked Eibensteiner multiple times, but I attacked his job perfomrance not his personality. I’m gettingt so many lit pieces against all the different candidates for the party leadership, that I think it is worse than a regular election cycle. Here’s a few of my rants. GOP-KIA Et Tu Brute? Stupid Gullable and Useless GOP What’s Wrong with the MN GOP? A loss a Boob and Eibenstiener (my fav)

He said this she said that. It’s petty. Grow up.

I don’t know how I will vote on Saturday. I guess I’ll wing it, but this is what I will be thinking about.
This post is me going through the thought process. Enjoy the ride.

Continue on my mental journey with me.

What went wrong in 2004?

There was no unity as a whole. Each candidate was on their own. If they did combine forces, they did it on their own. The Party did not help them.

What was the message?
What agenda? No one was pushing the agenda. Each candidate had to do it ALL on their own. No one was getting camera time refuting the DFL attacks on all of us. You can’t go door to door and do it. You get 5 seconds top, that’s not enough time to override years of endoctrination.

Show me the money.
What really happened to all the money? The Presidential camps raised more money than ever, and they used it effectively. What about the MN GOP? Where did they spend the money? I can’t remember much media. I’m guessing a lot of it was funnelled to candidates, but the DFL (ahem Entenza’s $600,000 to 21st Century Dems) effectively ran message pieces crucifying the GOP. The GOP just stood there. I think the State Party has a duty to attempt to defuse the attacks. The DFL was not attcking a person, they were attacking our Party. Our Party needed to stand up and be heard.

Excuses!
The list of excuses for the 2004 loses is pathetic. No one is standing up to own what they did or didn’t do. I’m not asking for a fall guy, but enough with the finger pointing. How do we fix it? What do we fix? It won’t get better on its own.

A list of complaints is not a plan.
Bush said it about Kerry, now I am saying it about the GOPers. The 6th District Convention was full of distrust and criticism. We are a Party divided. There is a segment of the Party that says “its my way or the highway”. They distrust the leadership, and many are working against it. I agree with some of them on the issues for rebellion, but not their the rebellion itself. The mudslinging is terrible. I’m embarrassed. Look at what the Dems got with Dean, do we want that in our party? Do we want some guy who is so mad at one person, that he gets them kicked out and takes over? Once they are in, will they settle down and be able to unite. They would get the job by dividing the party, could they put it all back together again?

Next Year?
The 2006 election is HUGE. This election is by far more important than 2004. The Governor is the most important official in the state. We have the DFL, hell bent on raising taxes and growing government, that if they win will do exactly that. Under Republican leadership, State government has grown due toDFL pressure. I’m terrified to imagine how much it would grow if they actually had control. The Senate DFLers have refused to even consider cuts in spending. 4% growth is not enough for them. Minnesota as we now know it will become extinct under DFL leadership. Taxes will go up. Businesses that don’t rely on Government contracts will leave. The only jobs that will be created will be government ones. Education will get more money than it could even dream of. The state budget will hit $40 billion before the 2010 election (my prediction).

So what am I saying? The delegates and alternates going to the State Central Committee meeting on Saturday need to be level headed. The emotion has to stay out. We are not the DFL. We are not the Greens. It is crucial that we sit down together and talk this through. We cannot afford, literally, to self destruct. We must choose the Party leadership wisely not vengefully. I’d love to have the persons responsible for the 2004 mishap be held accountable, who ever that may be, but I will not give up the Party for my anger.

I don’t know jack about any of the candidates for the leadership. And I don’t believe a word of what is being sent to me in the mail or in emails. Accusations and complaints! So what, I can do that too. Does that mean I should be Chair.

Well maybe. Should I pull a Nihlist and nominate myself for Party Chair? Well … Nah.

Writing this did me no good in coming to a decision as I had hoped. I’m still just as confused as I was before. I just know that Republicans are on the brink in this state, and I am very worried about them. I’m seeing some of the same traits that the MoveON crowd used appearing in the GOP party. Have we been infestated? No, people are acting irrationally and not using their heads.

Here’s what the Party needs to do. Unite behind a message. Forget the stupid party platform and planks. The message is smaller government. Does any one else see that the DFL will not accept cuts? Why do we have to accept increases? Government reduction. Less entitlements. Government efficiency. Lower taxes. Less rgulations. More freedoms. Less spending. Smaller budgets.

Its simple, and it will work. It works for the Dems. Basically I just picked the opposite of what they want. Not that hard there folks. I’ve often jokingly said that sometimes you just do the opposite of your opponents. You don’t just oppose them, you counteract them.

The DFLers are brilliant negotiators compared to the GOP. They always get more than we do. They come in with their dream list of wants, and more times than not, they get most of them. The GOP comes into negotiations with what they think is a compromise, so once the talks begin, and common ground is found, they are even farther away from their dream than before.

I want conservatism to be tried in Minnesota. The 2002 elections was about that very thing. Conservatism. Its contagious! We lost in 2004 because we weren’t conservatives. Well, some were, but all of us were painted with the DFL/media brush as evil. We’re not and in fact we care more about people by wanting the government out of their lives. Everyone b & m’s about the Patriot act, and invasion of privacy. Its the one unifying thing we have here. Then why can’t they be convinced that government largess is just the same. The more, more, more, spend, spend, spend, is related to invasion of privacy. Its a message that can work given the chance, and structured properly.

We have the right people lining up for 2006.
Pawlenty
Molnau
Kennedy
Kiffmeyer
Anderson
6th District, GOPers can’t loose with any of them

But who will be the leader?
Will we continue to make Pawlenty carry the water? He’s up for election. He has enough to worry about.

The people running are too busy to unite the State. They can each do their little piece, but the Party is the key. If the party can actively work with and unite ALL the campaigns, BPOUs, and create enthusiasm at the grassroots level, the DFL are toast. But if its more of the same, high brow, private fundraiser, top down, you do this and like it, just send money, excuse for everything Party that it has become, the GOP will be DOA in 2006.

Well thanks for reading this. I still don’t know who to pick. Any input would be terrific.

I think I may have to seriously consider the Nihlist route.

Triple_a for Chair!
Big Dreams, Small Government!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 8th, 2005 at 10:20 am and is filed under Minnesota, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.