Residual Forces

(Part 1 is here; 2 is here)

Sure Pawlenty was reelected in 2006, but only because Judy Dutcher was underwhelming and unqualified. Oh and Mike Hatch got tired of the nipping at his heels and lost his cool. The party and other groups spent something like $3 million dollars in the last weeks, and got lucky in my mind.

Who really caused what is something I don’t care to debate. What I want Republican leaders to think about, is what if it did not work? What if Dutcher wasn’t an idiot about E-85? There would have been no issue there? Hatch wouldn’t have had the chance to get “unhinged”. $3 million per single win is like a tennis player throwing all their effort into one single set in a best of seven match. You have nothing left for the other races. Pawlenty would not have won for not that one muffed question. That I feel is indisputable.

Frankly that was the only miracle of 2006. And given that we lost a Congressional seat, a chance at a US Senate pick up, the Majority in the MN House, and even more seats in the MN Senate, well, why should we follow the same game plan that has brought us to the precipice of irrelevancy? More of the same seems like a proven recipe for disaster.

(Note: I am so incredibly pleased Bachmann won, she did a great job, and is a shiny conservative star in Washington! But it was a conservative Republican District, so the idea that it was a long shot, held by many Party folks, is wishful thinking in my opinion.)

2008 is going to be a make or break year for Republicans. Nationally, someone needs to be nominated to lead the movement. It needs to be someone that not only does the base agree with, but that they can trust. Johnnie come latelys to the conservative cause are not going to do what the party needs to do.

Reunite it from with in.

It is the moderates in the party who have been tearing it apart, not us conservatives. Moderates and liberal RINOs have been setting the agenda, defining the party, and in far too many cases either sounding like Democrats or worse advocating for their liberal agenda items giving them credibility and creating riffs in this party.

This not only has driven wedges between the grassroots of the base and the leadership, but also damaged the ability to have prominent officials and leaders out in the market place of ideas fighting the good fight, and selling conservatism to the masses.

Instead leaders and officials scrape and claw to save their own skin. No one seems willing to fight the good fight, win or lose at the highest levels. When critics raise points of concern and question the truthiness of one’s own revisionist history, they are targeted for political assassination. Barring the “pillow talk” in the public arena will not solve the angst and lack of leadership both in Minnesota and Nationally.

Silence the critics is the number one mission of far too many. And as I have heard far too often, what far too many leaders consider to be the worst possible thing to do is to say anything negative about one of our own or our leaders. But some do deserve criticism. A perfect case would be how Pawlenty is trying to get out in front of a looming beduget shortfall that he himself created with a 9.5% plus increase in state spending squandering a $2.2 billion surplus and the opportunity to reduce the size of Government.

If we cannot discus who is and is not qualified to define this party and lead the party into electoral battle now, how in the world can we honestly have that battle later? But they only care about one thing, 50% + 1.

Current party leaders are doing what their predecessors have done. They are saying it is all about keeping the Democrat out of the highest office. Nationally, that is the “socialist” Hillary Clinton. It appears that you can just dust off the old ads about John Kerry and Al Gore, cut and paste Hillary Clinton’s name in, and run with it. That’s the gameplan of 2008.

The voters are flat out tired of this crap, and so are the conservatives within the Republican Party. We showed up for far more than 50% +1. We showed up for the issues. We showed up because there was something that inspired us to get involved. Whether it was a local candidate, single issue, or desire to limit the overall impact of Government burden in the daily lives of our families, we showed up and work for more than a November victory. We expect results.

In Minnesota we still have yet to really heal as a party following the fallout of the 2006 elections. It seems that the current leaders of the Republican cause and Party still don’t understand that there is no inspiration for the grassroots yet, and that the true principled conservatives who care more about the issues than November wins, don’t trust the Republican Party or brand anymore. If they do, they have yet to prove so publicly.
As a local leader with in the Party, it is my job to prove them wrong in my District. In many cases I agree with the criticisms local activists have for top elected Republicans or the agenda and message as a whole. I urge the fact that we can help change that from the grassroots not by focussing our angst simply on the top of the ticket, but my working for good principled local candidates. And for some die hards, it works, or they are just so invested, they carry on regardless. But for others of a growing number, those of us who got involved for the issues, it is really hard to overlook the gains Liberalism has and is making in Minnesota under the current crop of Republican leaders and officials.

The task of remaining focussed is incredibly hard especially when the top of the ticket candidates are supporting liberal issues and the expansion of the nanny state for pure electoral advantages. Conservative issues are not publicly part of the political agenda for the Republican party in Minnesota and top elected officials. There seems to be an all out ban on advocating for or against anything before the Legislature by the party. There is absolutely no public display of conservative principles, and what seems to be a ban on any talk on it if a Republican happens to be on the wrong side of the issue.

Instead you see the Party and surrogates attack attack attack both Democrats and principled conservatives. You see some more intent on throwing mud to bury the Democrat than you do see them display why people should vote for Republicans. And if you want to see some fur stand on end, tell that to party leaders, surrogates, and spokesters to their face. They don’t give a hoot that the grassroots is tired of this negative gotcha crap. I’ve tried, and it has fallen on deaf ears

Why?

Because when we go door to door, chat in the supermarket checkout lane, or around the water cooler (the arena of grassroots) all some people can say is how sick they are of the negativity and don’t even care who wins anymore. “Politicians, they’re all the same,” is a frequent response when one does try to explain the true differences.

Others end up holding every single Republican responsible for the negative attacks done by the party and issues surrogates, and hold that grudge for multiple cycles. And then there are others who say why in the world is the Republican party spending so much time, money, and resources on some silly little misstatement or flat out lie about a list, when in the end, it has nothing to do with changing policy for the benefit of the state or conservatism. He should resign, she should resign, tit for tat is for grade school disputes, not that of public policy. Honestly, our argument looks like nothing more than petty politics. Sorry.
I am of course referring to the Secretary of State’s flap over Mark Ritchie’s lie. Most of us in the conservative movement knew he would be terrible.We knew of the links to socialist organizations and support from the Communist party. But clearly the voters didn’t. Now 11 months after his endorsement seems a little late to the dance if you ask me.

Where was this dedication during the election cycle?

Look, the Republican party is on the ropes. it is make or break, and the only thing that can save it is embracing conservative publicly and principles. Rather than focus on why Democrats suck, we need to explain why our ideas and policies make sense, and make the case for them with voters. With that our candidates need to not only believe those issues, they need to fight for them.

We can’t correct the course of this party’s downfall by simply staying quiet. What ails this party is what has been ignored and shoved into the shadows. Not only does the base of this party question the agenda of the party as a whole but also the top leaders. We no longer trust this party. How in the world do you expect voters to do so?

So frankly my dear, I will not keep my discussions of what I feel has troubled this party in the shadows. Iw ill not shut up when I see the same mistakes that got us where we are today being made. I do care about this party far too much to sit back, shut up, and watch this party fall apart. I have no where else to go. That is a fact, whether you believe it or not, I am in the Republican party because I believe it is the last best hope to bring true conservative principles to the forefront of public acceptance.

The idea of the shining city on the hill Reagan spoke of is not something that can happen by simply focusing on winning one election. We need to get back to growing this party through making people realize they believe with conservative ideas and that only the Republican party can deliver on the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

This post is far from perfect. I have more in my head, and could clean this up to that perfection, but well, I blame Luggers. He has done a number on my laptop charger, and I am now faced with holding the cord end into my laptop to charge it.

My final point is this. What I am talking about in this series of posts is about that now is the time to have debates of internal nature. Now is the time ti debate the best vision the party should propel. We need to do this not only by party structure, messaging, focus, but also by who we select for top of the ticket positions.

Rudy and Romney are doing little to nothing to inspire me, and it really is sad that they and their campaigns are clinging to the 2 man race in order to silence the legitimate conservative ideals of the other candidates. It is those very issues and ideals that make up the principles that core conservatives are craving.

So what think? I know it was a lot. I would love the opportunity for debate and discussion on it.