Game On! – Minnesota Caucus Day Is Here – Here’s Some Info
Tonight at 7PM, Minnesotans will be going to their Precinct Caucus. We’ll be debating changes to our standing platform, electing local precinct leaders, electing delegates and alternates to our BPOU conventions, and voting in the Presidential straw poll. In this post I want to give some newcomers some tips and ideas on what things mean and what will happen. (If I miss anything, or erred, please add it in the comments.)
There are scores of platform resolutions out there. Some great, some very welcome, and others way too long to be truly meaningful. But still it is very important for this process to take place. Now 100% agreement is never possible, but sharing our collective ideas and visions in one document is critical. (I will also warn first timers that this can get a bit boring at times. Just remember you should not take more than 10 minutes per resolution. If it is dragging on past 10 minutes, ‘call the vote’.
Local Precinct leaders are the core of the party. These are people who will help organize and spread political information to your neighborhood. Be it getting your neighbors out to vote, for parades, or phone banks. This should also put you on your BPOUFull Committee (depending on your BPOU Constitution) which is the next the most important level of the Republican Party. This is where the rubber meets the road. You win and lose elections at this level.
Delegates to the BPOU conventions are who endorse Minnesota Legislative candidates. This is a 2 year term. This year that is Minnesota House candidates, and with 85 Democrats in the House, we need a lot of great solid candidates to take back control of the people’s House. At BPOU Conventions you will again debate any platform resolutions that were passed at Caucus. You will also elect delegates to your Congressional District conventions as well as to the state convention. At those levels you will endorse candidates and debate the platform resolutions again.
So you see, just getting your resolution passed in Caucuses does not mean it will be in the platform. It will eventually have to be passed by the state convention. And in many cases, it is merged with a similar one through the steps, so it may not get there verbatim. But if you truly care about it, you need to be sure you are a Delegate through the whole process.
In 2009 at BPOU conventions the delegates elected this year will debate changes to the BPOU Constitution, elect BPOU leadership, and elect delegates to the State Central Committee. The State Central Committee is the governing body of the party and one of its most important jobs is to elect the State Party Chair, Deputy Chair, and Secretary/Treasurer in the Summer of 2009. I strongly encourage anyone who is either happy or unhappy about the direction the state party is headed to get elected as a Delegate this year, so next year we can have a strong passionate delegation to debate the direction the party should take.
We can discuss more details on the varying levels of the process in the future if anyone out there would like more information.
The Presidential Straw Poll is non-binding on the Republican side. The Republican delegates to the Republican National Committee will not be bound by our results tonight, so our total Delegates will not officially be added to anyone’s national count like you have been seeing on the news. Our National Delegates are elected at our State Convention and they will be able to vote as they see fit. Delegates are representatives of the body that elected them, so it is wise to pay attention at all levels on just who you are voting for. How the national Delegates would vote will be vetted during their campaign at our State convention before they are elected by the state convention delegates. That is if it still matters.
Well, that is a basic quick primer of the Republican process. It is not complete, but it should help explain the coming steps so you can participate in an informed way tonight.
Please take a moment and thank your Precinct Caucus organizers and BPOU leaders. ou have no idea how much work goes into pulling this evening off. Countless hours of volunteer time have been put in by your local Republicans to make all the preparations and arrangements for tonight. And due to the Straw Poll, your BPOU Chair and Caucus coordinators will be busy even after you leave as we have to call in our results to the state party. There are 3300 precincts in Minnesota and we have to read off the results for each and every precinct by 9 PM.
Most importantly tonight, have fun.Â
Our National Delegates are elected at our State Convention and they will be able to vote as they see fit. Delegates are representatives of the body that elected them, so it is wise to pay attention at all levels on just who you are voting for.
I do believe that we elect 3 national delegates at each congressional convention and the rest at the state convention, so be careful who you elect as delegates to those conventions.
I think that there will be a lot of people tonight who will pay more attention to who they vote for in the straw poll than who they elect as delegates in their precinct. They will then be disappointed when their candidate does well in the straw poll, and then poorly in the delegate count.
Good point Brent. It would be a wise thing for caucus goers to pay attention to who they are voting for delegate.
I talked to one caucus first-timer who was initially going to just vote in the straw poll and leave. I think I convinced her to stay….
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I talked to one caucus first-timer who was initially going to just vote in the straw poll and leave.
The people who just vote in the strawpoll and leave are the same people who are going to be disappointed and angry in a year when their district has a special election and the moderates who stuck around endorse a moderate. I’m just saying, tonight is more then tonight for conservatives if they really care….
Aha!!!!! So Ray Cox was a moderate.
Which brings up a point where the party leadership elections in the next year is truly important. Now, if we can get to the point where people remember the reality and don’t buy the spin or fall for some “task forces” to make them think the party leaders actually give a rip what they think following the November elections……
But I suppose asking for honestly and integrity is something only us conservatives whine about. And when people circle the wagons around failure, and cling to it and resist even hearing the alternate point of view….. yeah, they don’t bother to fight for a party that isn’t offering them anything.
Your blame the delegates, the carey Doctrine, is partly what is wrong. No one is doing a good job educating the activists on how to be affective. they are told just to show up and that is it. No one is telling them how to be effective. Of course that is out of job security in most cases, but still. People are showing up, they are taking time out of their busy lives. But then they see how sausage is made and realize they have more important things to do.
It is a problem that we need to address. How do we get people to give when they have little time and money to spare? “well the moderates stuck around longer, so they get to control….”
Is this some sort of radio contest where whoever keeps their hand on the car longest gets to keep it?
If that is the plan, the party is doomed for the ash heap of history.
No one is doing a good job educating the activists on how to be affective.
Interesting….
So, if conservatives want to make a difference in the GOP they need to educate conservatives how to make that difference? Fascinating! I think that on a state level conservatives have many opportunities to educate and train activists. You’ve got Jason Lewis, the Free Market Institute, Pro 2nd groups, even bloggers. Don’t bemoan that conservatives have no way to create activists.
Is this some sort of radio contest where whoever keeps their hand on the car longest gets to keep it?
Yes. That’s how politics has always been and always will be. Every level of politics is won or lost based on who participates. It’s not going to change.
Conservatives have the same choice they had 2 years ago, and 2 years before that, and 2 years before that….
Make better sausage, or let the moderates make the sausage. What will their choice be?
Don’t got the timer to dispell your entire argument how the conservatives have driven the party into the ground….. or expose the fact that the current state party leaders and power brokers are trying to shut all the conservative groups and outlets you mention up and discredit us. they refuse to listen. It is just so much easier to be moderate. that’s right, always take the middle ground. You can give either way. No worries. If someone gets mad, just go ahead and change your positions.
For the readers, note that my main argument all along on why the GOP is failing right now is because it no longer inspires those who are most likely to support it. Moderates and independents are by definition people who could go with either party depending on the issue. Sure Brent is stubborn enough to keep showing up with only one goal, a November win, but =for so many more, they show up for more and longer lasting goals.\
The problem with teh GOP is that its leaders and elected officials are more concerned with buying the votes and support of people like Brent or McCain or Erhardt, or name your RINO, “so-called” independent voter, otherwise known as an IINO. (Independent in Name Only) that the real core base of support no longer cares enough to fight the good fight.
We’re volunteers and when our time, money, and effort are used to propel the ideas we oppose, we stop giving, showing up, and helping. You better hope the Pawenty/Coleman polster and strategists are right, and there are more moderates in this state then conservatives, because with your attitude the party will need them.
Have a good caucus.