Residual Forces

This one came in this morning too. I have not the time to address the points, but in the interest of letting my readers know the scorn and disrespect some have (for loud mouths like me)  in the GOP, I give you brevity is not an option, from the usual detractor.

Andy,

I read your latest post about getting out of politics.  If you do go, I wish you luck.

I think the reason that you keep butting your head against the “machine” is because your gruff and naive approach to politics is what turns many, who think just like you, off.

First, I really think that you have absolutely no understanding of how party politics works.  You chastise the MN GOP for not going after Republican candidates and office holders who stray from the platform.  You want the chairman to call the governor on the carpet for not upholding Republican ideals.  Let me settle this once and for all, the purpose of the Republican Party is to elect Republicans.  It is the job of the BPOUs, congressional conventions, state conventions to nominate candidates.  If you don’t like the candidates or their positions on the issues, then you should be made at the delegates who picked them.  And if you want change you need to start at the grassroots level and get delegates that agree to support candidates who support the platform.  All of your rants about the “Party” not doing their job are moot given the fact that you are ignorant about what their job is.  Granted, Carey did not do a good job as chair and I wish that he did not run for a second term, but it is for performance issues, not because he does not hold Republican candidates and office holders’ feet to the fire.  The bottom line is that if you cannot get your delegates elected to support more conservative candidates, then you are out of luck.  Theodore Roosevelt had this problem, but understood the issue and supported the Republican candidate for president in 1884, even though he didn’t see eye to eye with him politically.

Second, what is even scarier is that you want fairly substantial reforms to the MN GOP by-laws without understanding why certain by-laws were originally put into place.  Have you ever asked why party officer elections were held in the year after the general election?  No, you don’t ask those kind of questions, all you want is reform and you want it now.  The truth is that the election has been held in the year after the general election so the new chairman would not be saddled with a large amount of election debt.  That is logical, isn’t it?  No conspiracy theories, black helicopters, or government cover-ups.

Third, the reality is your candidate lost the election for chairman and now you are thinking about leaving politics.  That smacks of being a sore loser and says a lot about your character.  Sure, you say that you are too busy, but I think there is a deeper reason for leaving.  I think it is because you thought everyone would love you and your ideas without question, that you would be promoted through the ranks and you would be some sort of savior.  None of that has happened and I think you are bitter.  Further, I think it is lousy to run for office and then step down because you are “busy”.  you should have thought of that before you ran.

Fourth, you can blame the “spin”, the “power brokers”, heck you can even blame the tooth fairy, but the reality is that you lost and your candidate lost because you didn’t win the hearts and minds of the delegates.  You just seemed very angry and people don’t like that.  You say that you “speak my mind, no matter the consequence, and that makes many people nervous, but others respect my courage.”  It reminds me of an old saying; “it is better to keep you mouth shut and be thought a fool, then to open it and remove all doubt.”  I think that people are not nervous because you speak your mind, but because you sometimes seem like the fool.

So go back to being “conservative” instead of fighting the good fight and changing the Republican Party for the better.  Go sit in the corner and whine that after two years in politics the entire state party didn’t come around to your way of thinking.  I think it is pathetic that you don’t realize that anything worth doing will take time and effort and at certain points you may want to give up, but that is not what leaders do.

Finally, the peron who sent you the e-mail that said “evil men prosper when good men do nothing!” is pathetic.  Using their logic, they are saying you are good - that assumes that Ron Carey and crew are evil.  Like I said, pathetic.  Ron Carey may not be a good leader and there are Republicans who this person does not agree with, but that doesn’t make them evil.

If you leave, I say good riddance.

It might be worth pointing out Carey only mustered something like 55% or 56% in his reelection, the remainder was to his opponent. Hardly a mandate that all is well or for people like me to shut up.

I have been kicking this around for a few weeks, and made to throw a post up before the election to deal with this sour grapes notion. My pondering is based on 2 main points.

The power brokers did smear my and other Delegates in order to get Carey elected. Carey helped them, or at the least did not denounce the lies being spread about me. He or rather his campaign and supporters used it to help get him elected. I love the Republican party so very much, and would do almost anything to help it prosper, but when major power players with in it inner circle lash out and seek revenge or retribution for my opposition to the status quo, I feel the party is not worth saving. It pains me to see such power hungry and mean spirited people running this party with an anything to win attitude. I truly mean it if these same people had done what they did during Carey’s election on behalf of the entire slate of GOP candidates in 2006, the results would have been better.

In the end, a lot of my angst with Carey was that he himself said he was going to do what this emailer said is not the party’s role. I know that, Carey knows that, but still he ran to oust the former chair on that notion. that is what the Delegates want done. There are other State Parties who hold their principles above the politicians. I believe that I heard Arizona’s GOP is raking in the money with anti-Amnesty fundraising calls. (ahem, McCain’s homestate)

But the biggest thing for me to consider is the time commitment.  In 51, there was no one else running, despite me letting people know I was likely not to seek reelection. Going into the SD51 election, and even CD6, work was pretty slow. since then, the flood gates of projects and tasking at my day job have required more and more time. In the past, I was able to accomplish a very large portion of the volunteer work when free at work or on my breaks. That is no longer the case, as I am usually putting in 10 to 12 hours now, with barely the time to refill my water bottle and grab a bite to eat.

Even if I can set aside the concerns that party officials and candidates could forget the past disagreements, and not hold my words, thoughts, statements, and actions against SD51 it is still in the back of my mind. Anonymous letters were sent out to smear me from with in our ranks. Delegates were called on behalf of Carey to say I was the leaker to the Strib, a known lie. And Carey’;s closest confidants are supposedly preparing to bar me from entering the Convention next year, something I don’t really care much about.

So, when you get down to it, could I kill myself a few more years and fight what I believe is the good fight to make SD51, CD6, and the State Party better from with in? Sure. But since there seem to be so many who feel I am the dunce (that’s the emailer) or someone worthy of destroying, I just don’t feel the passion anymore to save the Party as a whole at this time.

Why stop the building from collapsing if it is filled with people who hate you and have barred the doors to prevent your entry?

As i said, I will be seeing some of the people I would be working with tonight. My biggest concern is not having the time to do the job right. As for the nit picking with in the email, well, at least you put your name on it. Frankly you seem to be the kind of guy who says, shut up kid, we’ve been doing it this way for ever, it works. And well, you are part of the problem with this party.

I do love the Republican party, but yes, I am a conservative first. So if the powers that be desire yes man to fill the ranks, well, I may not be well suited for membership anymore. I do speak my mind, and right now it is more focussed to winning the hearts and minds of voters than some suits in St. Paul with the keys to party success.

Frankly unless the party becomes filled with passionate people who fight for the cause on a daily basis, we’re destined for failure. Quotas cannot win elections. There is no way to motivate tens of thousands of volunteers with the idea that they must l;eave their agenda at home and support these people for the next 2-4-6 years, because those hundred or few Delegates endorsed them last time.

Frankly sir, you are the problem. I see we probably agree on many many issues, and maybe you are just a party guy. But this party can be better, that is all I ever wanted, and still hope takes place. The MNGOP of today is not at all ready for what lies ahead. It needs more bright minds and loyal critics to improve upon itself.

The smaller the circle of trust gets, the less room for improvement there is.

You say leaders don’t quit. You’re right. Unless I am asked to leave, I don’t plan to, but I want to make sure that I can live up to the expectations that those I will be fighting beside have. If they need someone who can give them hours and hours of time a day or week, I physically cannot take it. Sure I could skip sleep, but you can’t do the kind of stuff needed then. I can’t work at night. And I do have some home and family commitments.

In the end, I may end disappointing you on your final good bye, but then again, for someone who seems to disagree with me so vehemently, I have to ask why you keep coming back and reading? If I am so naive as you say, why do you keep coming back.

As for your attack on the emailer from last night. You have no idea who you are lashing out at. You couldn’t even carry this person’s jock strap pal. But then again, I don’t expect you to understand that some of the same people who support me and stand by me are some of the best and brightest with in this party and do more in one month than many do to get Republicans elected in a whole cycle.

Seriously, why do you keep coming back to RF? Just walk away if I am so bad. pay me no attention, and don’t give me the time of your day.

To the rest, thank you again for all the words of encouragement.

(Well there went my lunch hour. I guess i did respond. No time to edit now, and I will not have time til tomorrow morning, so here this post is in raw form.)