Out of My System
Posted by Andy on September 21st, 2007
I just left this comment over at MDE’s site. Been building up for a while. And feels loverly to get off mny chest.
Sue I agree. having the courage to attack someone with your name on it speaks volume for your own credibility and character.
I’ve said many things, smart or stupid, liked or disliked, etc over the years. but my name has been on it every time, so the people who didn’t like it, at least know from where it came from.
I know a lot of political operatives and smear merchants love to work in to shadows and throw bombs from where no one can see. Heck, for a short time, I too was fed the bombs to go throw on behalf of so and so and such and such…. Of course you prefer to do that same thing, Lash out from behind the cover of anonymity, rather than try to sit down and get to know me, or look at the progression my blog has taken over the same years, and decide for your self if maybe I am not the worst thing out there, but more importantly, allow people to come to their own conclusions. Anyways….
What people like the fractard hate me and my blog for was something that happened a long time ago. Some of the more current stuff stems from where I took on the Party leadership and top officials on leadership and policy issues.
I chose to opine on my principles and that of the conservative first movement, and I did attack those who have strayed from the values and principles that matter most to me. Also, they are the values you’ll find carried forth on the Party Platform, a document far too overlooked by officials once the get the endorsement by us, the base of the Republican party.
I chose to stand for what I believe, not what people want me to or tell me to, and a lot of people, Brodkorb and the Carey campaign team included, did not like that.
But, in the end, do you know what, people could simply choose to avoid my blog, which many have. They could try to discredit me and my blog, which a lot of people have done, and Michael’s “unmoderated comments section” and how he ran the Chair’s campaign, and his monologues on his radio show, along with the smear merchants like you have pretty much done taken care of that and made me and others like me irrelevant in Republican politics. Kudos. The party is getting smaller.
Thanks to asshats like you, people now think that Andy Aplikowski is not credible. Sure I have said things based on emotion and passion at times, but who hasn’t. I’m a volunteer in this political world, not a paid operative who makes their living off of it and how it all pans out for the person I am backing.
Oh and we do know that I has an awful lot of enemies, most of them in the Republican Party leadership circles. This is the insulating group and victory for victory’s sake level of GOP politics, where principled conservatives are usually the worst nightmare. Look I know that there are people who don’t want my blog read, sadly most of them are Republican leaders and officials. You sure seem to be a Republican praising Michael the way you do. There is a division in the party. The sides are being drawn up. There’s the people like me who stand for principles first, and there are the people like you who believe in smearing the enemy and burying them beneath enough mud that no one will dare see them.
I’ve said lots of things. Made, as most humans do, lots of mistakes. But there is one thing, I feel I can hold my head up high above the rest and say….
I’ve had the honesty and integrity to put my name on my opinions and statements. And they are my opinions. Unlike some bloggers out there, Michael included, my blog is just that a blog and nothing more. It is not a news site. It is not something where everything is fact checked by the teams of people who feed most political bloggers.
I’ve made a lot of friends doing what you and others so clearly hate, so much so that you seem to have opposition researched me, and are very likely one of those behind that cowardly smear letter during my Vice Chair’s race. By the way did you know that you turned more stomachs off with that and really pissed off a lot of people with that cowardly attack. In fact, a lot of people came up to me and told me to hang in there and that attacks like that really made them angry. Heck, I only lost that race by 5 votes.
In the end, I care far more of the opinions from those I have been elbow to elbow with in the trenches and looked in the eyes when things went well or failure rained down upon us. The volunteer activists and other bloggers who I have gotten to know along the way is what matters far more than whether you or Michael, or Pawlenty, Coleman, Bachmann, or Carey like or read me.
By them touching and sharing with me, or my blog giving them inspiration that there is still someone out there fighting for what they came to this party for…..
conservative principles….
I’ve done enough already to feel it was all worth it. I’ve tried to draw people to this party through pushing ideas and visions, not to bog down the other side with mud slinging.
So in the end. To the readers of MDE who have seen variations of my name, blog, and what not I think you should make your own decisions. Go read my blog and decide for yourself. If I am the hack that people like this fracktard think, you don’t ever have to go back. But think for yourself. Come to your own conclusion. Don’t take an anonymous cowards’ word for it, heck the person can’t even put their name on what they say.
Please just remember that I will always be the one who puts my real name on my opinions, and yes AAA is real, those are my initials. I won’t cower in the shadows and throw bricks and smear someone from the darkness where no one can see who I really am.
And you can also be rest assured, that if there is someone who is actually someone you shouldn’t read, I would likely tell you to go read their blog and make the same decision for your self. Unreadable pap, is pretty easy to spot and I’d have confidence you could figure it out.
When one has to dictate to never ever go read that …. well it seems they might just possibly be afraid of what you will find if you do get there.
If I am the fracktard this anonymous coward says I am, the readers will easily figure that out for themselves and never ever come back.
Why don’t you let them come to their own conclusions? Why is it that some in this party feel shutting people like me up is their #1 mission?
that’s better. Have a good weekend all.
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September 21st, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Andy the saint.
I find the great irony in that you response is to Sue Jeffers, a candidate that you yourself worked tireless to shut up.
Look back at your blog over time and you will see that you are a guilty as any party leader you attack at defending the status quo over principals.
When you do make a stand you assume anyone who disagrees with you must be part of some great coordinated attack against you. When in truth, there are folks who agree with your stated principals (conservative values) but disagree with your choice of implementation, such as your support for Joe “trash the party” Repya.
And if you think anyone takes comments on MDE seriously - the only people who read MDE are the lefty blogs so they can respond to his posts about their blogs.
Take a reality break.
At church, at coffee shop even at the next caucus ask them how many read any of the politics blogs.
Do the same for Rush Limbaugh, Jason Lewis, Fox News, any news.
Then you will realize how little importance they are.
September 21st, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Re: the Jeffers stuff, I am pretty sure I never intended to shut her up. I played ZERO role at the convention in trying to bar her from addressing the crowd or in that fact being considered in the endorsement. There’s someone else who led that charge.
I guess it was from that sort of experience of saying Sue Jeffers is a libertarian…. as how I think I remember my stance on her at the time, that I learned that principles do matter and sometimes winning isn’t everything. I sold my soul, if you will, to support the Governor, and well, look what happened. I’m not all that happy with him, as most people know. But few of thosee people remember I was in support of his reelection. So maybe I made a mistake, who knows, but I think a lot of people learned from the experience. I know I did.
And Jeffers and I have gotten to know each other a bit since then. Surprise surprise we seem t agree on an awful lot. I’m guessing this will mean someone will try to not let me address the next convention too.
Considering there are more than lefty trolls who read MDE, I do have a problem with people pseudo impersonating me, and smearing me. You might want to think twice about throwing talk radio and blogs under the bus friend. Times are a changing. When’s the last time the conventional Republican Party ever got 7000 people to show up at the State Capital?
The potential of the blogs is huge. Talk radio is the key to the alternative to the newspapers and TV bias.
Why the party and some with in it feel we’re the worst of the worst is beyond me.
Anyways, someone just emailed to say that a “residual fractard’s gay lover” comment has arrived on MDE’s site now. I’ll take your advice, and not go read it, since I am not a lefty troll.
But I digress.
September 21st, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Andy,
I think many who read hear remember your support of the Gov.
And people were trying to let you know that he was going to do what he ended up doing and were concerned that you appeared to sell principal to win.
As Rush would “See I told you so” but that is past and I think you now have joined the many who fell that just getting a “R” elected does no go.
My other point was not that blogs and talk are not important, but that the audience is small.
7000 people at the capitol. So what?
Look at how many people will be at a K102 broadcast of Rascal Flats.
You have been at the rallys. It is the same group of people. Who are we really reaching?
It is similar to blogs, a lot of people get together talk about how they all agree and then ….
Nothing.
My point is too many are not willing to stand up where it counts.
It is easy to show up at a rally, post a comment on the blog but when is the last time you saw anyone really do something to make a difference. (The last time I remember is those few brave souls who allowed Sue to speak at some of the conventions.)
Look at the State Central meeting.
Lots of people talked big about wanted to stand up to Ron and others but at the convention, what did they do?
Wear a Joe button? I think you were one of the few to really do something.
Lots of posters here supported you but the sat silently at the convention.
While I disagreed with your choice, what was even sadder was to see people who supposed supported Joe on principal and then sat by meekly and did nothing.
I see lots of complaining on the blog, but rarely any action.
I predict now that lots of folks will complain about the party, then do nothing between now and February (
besides post lots of blogs, comments and maybe send an email to five of their friends).
Then when conventions come around and the same RINO get reelected they will wonder why.
I still believe the only people who read MDE are lefties to find out what we know.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:10 am
“I think many who read hear remember your support of the Gov.
And people were trying to let you know that he was going to do what he ended up doing and were concerned that you appeared to sell principal to win.”
I think Andy addressed that clearly in his post. He acknowledged his complicity and also expressed that he’s moved past that party machine rhetoric. Life is a learning process. I bet anyone confronted by the evolution of their political thoughts would be horrified by some of the stages they’ve gone through. It just happens that Andy has documented the last few years of his political thinking for the world to see. He could, of course, delete old portions, but has the courage and honesty to own up to his words and not run away from them.
“Look at the State Central meeting.
Lots of people talked big about wanted to stand up to Ron and others but at the convention, what did they do?
Wear a Joe button? I think you were one of the few to really do something.”
This bothers me — a lot! Personally, I campaigned like crazy (and I have this unfortunate irrational fear of public speaking that I was forced to overcome over my passion on this issue). We got elected degegates. We attended. We campaigned. We saw some things happen that gave cause for concern. We lost. Barely. Repya’s supporters didn’t just bitch and moan. We worked hard for the privledge of voting, suffered through a botched convention with votes thrown out, recast and recounted - for hours.
Something I learned a while back is you can’t win against the gavel.
“I see lots of complaining on the blog, but rarely any action.”
This also bothers me - a lot. you want Andy to type up some self-promoting articles so you can revel in his amazing deeds? You don’t see it, so it doesn’t happen? As a BPOU leader, he’s done more than almost anyone who claims to be a Republican “activist” (which means blog-bitch most of the time, and little else). How dare you?
September 22nd, 2007 at 12:21 pm
“Look at the State Central meeting.
Lots of people talked big about wanted to stand up to Ron and others but at the convention, what did they do?
Wear a Joe button? I think you were one of the few to really do something.
Lots of posters here supported you but the sat silently at the convention.
While I disagreed with your choice, what was even sadder was to see people who supposed supported Joe on principal and then sat by meekly and did nothing.”
Well said Sam. I agree 100%. Few of us were willing to “lay it on the line”, but those that did, did so proudly (I was one of the signatories on Joe’s “petition” to be on the ballot).
“I see lots of complaining on the blog, but rarely any action.”
Again, I agree….but then again there are bloggers like Andy, Mitch and I (and many many others) who are trying to get people off of the couch now. Maybe by caucus time, some of those sideline complainers will get involved if for no other reason that to shut us up.
“I predict now that lots of folks will complain about the party, then do nothing between now and February (besides post lots of blogs, comments and maybe send an email to five of their friends).
Then when conventions come around and the same RINO get reelected they will wonder why.”
While I hope you are wrong, I fear you are absolutely correct. Then again, we have 5 months to change that….
LL
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Dan,
You misunderstood my point (thought LL got it sort of).
I said “I think you were one of the few to really do something”, meaning Andy.
It was a complement. While I don’t always agree with Andy, ever since he saw the light on the gov he has been willing to stick his cahones on the line.
He is a stand up guy, even if it means getting his head shot off for standing up on the battlefield.
But it is the guy who gets shot a few times and keeps on going that gets things done.
And more importantly is the guy who gets things done that gets things done.
My fear is that too many people think that blogging and talking to Jason changes things.
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:25 pm
“He is a stand up guy, even if it means getting his head shot off for standing up on the battlefield.”
Right again Sam. Andy is a stand up guy. He sometimes wears his heart on his sleeve - usually at the wrong time and he can certainly be a bit of a drama queen but his heart IS in the right place - he really is trying to get out there and do the right thing.
“My fear is that too many people think that blogging and talking to Jason changes things.”
Again agreed! I know more than a few down in my neck of the woods. I email them weekly with things that they can do to make a change (call the Governor, call your rep, write a letter to the editor that kind of thing). Most of them delete the messages unread but I send them anyway. Again….I figure one of these days they’ll do something just to shut me up!
LL