Comments on: Mark Olson & Friends Cost Republicans a Senate Seat http://www.residualforces.com/2008/11/05/mark-olson-friends-cost-republicans-a-senate-seat/ A Stream of Consciousness by Andy Aplikowski on His Life, His Politics, His Dogs, His Truck, and Whatever Pleases His Fancy Sun, 21 Mar 2010 02:15:45 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: clef http://www.residualforces.com/2008/11/05/mark-olson-friends-cost-republicans-a-senate-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-43346 clef Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:06:31 +0000 http://www.residualforces.com/?p=5971#comment-43346 Ken, I'll tell YOU where the shame lies; it lies in putting words in other people's mouths! Nowhere did I say that voters should be ashamed of their votes! The voters have to live with the consequences of their actions, as those Republican voters will have to be represented with the Democrat they put in office, but I never said they should be ashamed! Mark Olson should be ashamed of duping people into believing he had a chance to win this thing when he knew he didn't. Mark Olson accomplished his goal; that of derailing the Krueger candidacy and being able to throw his had in the 2010 ring. Mark Olson had no regard for the good of his district or the conservative cause. Mark Olson did this for Mark Olson, plain and simple, and he should be ashamed of it. Don't put words in my mouth again, asshole! ......and another thing; who gives a crap about how many ba's, masters or doctorates someone holds? Just look at American academia today; who's it run by? Who holds and is giving out these degrees? I'll tell you; the hard left! The holding degrees is a poor reflection of a person's judgment, and Quintin's judgment has been found lacking in many circumstances. However, I will say that house painting, or whatever honest endeavor a person chooses to involve himself with is an honorable endeavor. Only the very insecure would criticize that. Ken,
I’ll tell YOU where the shame lies; it lies in putting words in other people’s mouths! Nowhere did I say that voters should be ashamed of their votes! The voters have to live with the consequences of their actions, as those Republican voters will have to be represented with the Democrat they put in office, but I never said they should be ashamed! Mark Olson should be ashamed of duping people into believing he had a chance to win this thing when he knew he didn’t. Mark Olson accomplished his goal; that of derailing the Krueger candidacy and being able to throw his had in the 2010 ring. Mark Olson had no regard for the good of his district or the conservative cause. Mark Olson did this for Mark Olson, plain and simple, and he should be ashamed of it. Don’t put words in my mouth again, asshole!

……and another thing; who gives a crap about how many ba’s, masters or doctorates someone holds? Just look at American academia today; who’s it run by? Who holds and is giving out these degrees? I’ll tell you; the hard left! The holding degrees is a poor reflection of a person’s judgment, and Quintin’s judgment has been found lacking in many circumstances. However, I will say that house painting, or whatever honest endeavor a person chooses to involve himself with is an honorable endeavor. Only the very insecure would criticize that.

]]> By: Ken http://www.residualforces.com/2008/11/05/mark-olson-friends-cost-republicans-a-senate-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-43330 Ken Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:42:31 +0000 http://www.residualforces.com/?p=5971#comment-43330 I'm sure then you'd also tell each of those voters they should be ashamed of those votes. I'm telling you where the shame lies- It lies in telling any voter or candidate they should be ashamed of their votes. Shame on you, Clef. footnote: Quintin holds a masters degree in business administration from Easton College and a masters in missions and intercultural communications from Wheaton College. Source: http://unioneagle.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=894&Itemid=5 for what its worth, such things in no way prevent an individual from preferring to make their livelihood as an entrepreneur in any sort of business, successfully or not- or even driving a bus for the elderly & handicapped while dabbling in independent politics as in the case of Mr. Barkley, despite holding a JD. To each his own. I’m sure then you’d also tell each of those voters they should be ashamed of those votes. I’m telling you where the shame lies- It lies in telling any voter or candidate they should be ashamed of their votes. Shame on you, Clef.

footnote: Quintin holds a masters degree in business administration from Easton College and a masters in missions and intercultural communications from Wheaton College. Source:
http://unioneagle.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=894&Itemid=5
for what its worth, such things in no way prevent an individual from preferring to make their livelihood as an entrepreneur in any sort of business, successfully or not- or even driving a bus for the elderly & handicapped while dabbling in independent politics as in the case of Mr. Barkley, despite holding a JD. To each his own.

]]> By: clef http://www.residualforces.com/2008/11/05/mark-olson-friends-cost-republicans-a-senate-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-43322 clef Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:32:35 +0000 http://www.residualforces.com/?p=5971#comment-43322 Ken, if I were Mark Olson, I'd be ashamed of every one of those 1500 or so votes he got in the general election. Those were, by and large, Republican votes; votes the Republican on the ballot needed to win! They, like you, seem utterly unconcerned SD16 is under DFL control. I don't understand that! Then again, my motivation for political involvement is conservative representation. I know it's not the same for everyone. Ken, if I were Mark Olson, I’d be ashamed of every one of those 1500 or so votes he got in the general election. Those were, by and large, Republican votes; votes the Republican on the ballot needed to win! They, like you, seem utterly unconcerned SD16 is under DFL control. I don’t understand that! Then again, my motivation for political involvement is conservative representation. I know it’s not the same for everyone.

]]> By: Puffer http://www.residualforces.com/2008/11/05/mark-olson-friends-cost-republicans-a-senate-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-43321 Puffer Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:49:02 +0000 http://www.residualforces.com/?p=5971#comment-43321 Ken, The whole thing was a joke. It was kicked off by 20 minutes of Paul Vollkommer telling one of his tales of hear say. No facts, Just Bull! Quintin? Two Masters? Doesn't he paint for a living? From (Princeton Union-Eagle,2008): Looking at business, Reece, a painter himself, said he favors new business in Baldwin, so long as it is the right type of business, one that will come and keep Baldwin’s identity. “The people must decide what to preserve in Baldwin,” Reece said. “Do they want section eight housing? No they don’t.” Reece said he won’t support any business that leads to section eight housing, nor will he support any business that leads to increased crime or diminishes Baldwin’s identity. Ken, The whole thing was a joke. It was kicked off by 20 minutes of Paul Vollkommer telling one of his tales of hear say. No facts, Just Bull!

Quintin? Two Masters? Doesn’t he paint for a living?

From (Princeton Union-Eagle,2008):

Looking at business, Reece, a painter himself, said he favors new business in Baldwin, so long as it is the right type of business, one that will come and keep Baldwin’s identity.

“The people must decide what to preserve in Baldwin,” Reece said. “Do they want section eight housing? No they don’t.”

Reece said he won’t support any business that leads to section eight housing, nor will he support any business that leads to increased crime or diminishes Baldwin’s identity.

]]> By: Ken http://www.residualforces.com/2008/11/05/mark-olson-friends-cost-republicans-a-senate-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-43320 Ken Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:29:12 +0000 http://www.residualforces.com/?p=5971#comment-43320 One last thing- there has been some personal mud slung about here, and Quintin Reece has caught some of it. Now I'm probably as guilty as anyone of getting a chuckle or two out of this man's extraordinary zeal but there are a couple things that need to be said: First of all the man is one smart cookie as his pair of masters degrees imply, even if knowing when to speak up and when to hold the peace might not be right atop his list of personal strengths. Nevertheless you can't help but admire the guy's zeal and appreciation for what it means to be an American citizen. Wish I could bottle up a bit of what Quintin has (I said a bit, mind you-) and pour some of it into each and every complacent American who takes their country and their rights for granted despite their ongoing erosion. We'd all be better off for that. In fact if I had to make a stand in a political dogfight with the country's future directions on the line, reaching into SD16 I could do a whole lot worse than having gentlemen like Mark & Quintin on either side. They're not the sort of men you'd have to keep an eye on or worry about in the face of prevailing political winds. You know beyond any shadow of a doubt that they'll stand their ground in the face of the storm. One last thing- there has been some personal mud slung about here, and Quintin Reece has caught some of it. Now I’m probably as guilty as anyone of getting a chuckle or two out of this man’s extraordinary zeal but there are a couple things that need to be said: First of all the man is one smart cookie as his pair of masters degrees imply, even if knowing when to speak up and when to hold the peace might not be right atop his list of personal strengths. Nevertheless you can’t help but admire the guy’s zeal and appreciation for what it means to be an American citizen. Wish I could bottle up a bit of what Quintin has (I said a bit, mind you-) and pour some of it into each and every complacent American who takes their country and their rights for granted despite their ongoing erosion. We’d all be better off for that.

In fact if I had to make a stand in a political dogfight with the country’s future directions on the line, reaching into SD16 I could do a whole lot worse than having gentlemen like Mark & Quintin on either side. They’re not the sort of men you’d have to keep an eye on or worry about in the face of prevailing political winds. You know beyond any shadow of a doubt that they’ll stand their ground in the face of the storm.

]]> By: Ken http://www.residualforces.com/2008/11/05/mark-olson-friends-cost-republicans-a-senate-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-43316 Ken Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:44:10 +0000 http://www.residualforces.com/?p=5971#comment-43316 Like it or not, the post-primary endorsement went to Olson again, and this time by a much stronger margin of over 3-1. It wasn't even close. Paul didn't command that local delegate loyalty to Mark. It was already there, and it was earned over time. Mark was not listed on any general election ballot with any designation of any kind, the write-in line was blank as it was for any other office on the ballot. The people who wrote him in chose to write him in, their prerogative. Whoever the endorsement goes to in SD16 in '10, I'd strongly recommend those outside the district just let it be. It's the choice of those delegates. Plain and simple. The actual Olson write-in numbers will go over 1500 if the remaining two precincts that haven't separated the Olson write-in ever get around to doing that. From there it'll be interesting to see how many Mark Olson write-ins went uncounted due to being simple write-ins without the filling of the circle to tip off the scanner. Word is there is are a good number of those as well, though I don't know if the recount will choose to recognize those or not. I'd also be curious as to how many write-ins were placed by mistake in the race for his present office rather than the senate seat- there are about a half percent write-ins there and that's an unusually high percent even when there is a publicized write-in, which there wasn't in that 16B race. Bottom line, though- write-in efforts in a multi tens of thousands race almost never garner even a half-percent, not being on the ballot; over a full percent is almost unheard of. This was a pretty remarkable effort by a lot of dedicated volunteers, and my best wishes out to Mark, Heidi, and all of their supporters in their future endeavors. Like it or not, the post-primary endorsement went to Olson again, and this time by a much stronger margin of over 3-1. It wasn’t even close. Paul didn’t command that local delegate loyalty to Mark. It was already there, and it was earned over time. Mark was not listed on any general election ballot with any designation of any kind, the write-in line was blank as it was for any other office on the ballot. The people who wrote him in chose to write him in, their prerogative. Whoever the endorsement goes to in SD16 in ‘10, I’d strongly recommend those outside the district just let it be. It’s the choice of those delegates. Plain and simple. The actual Olson write-in numbers will go over 1500 if the remaining two precincts that haven’t separated the Olson write-in ever get around to doing that. From there it’ll be interesting to see how many Mark Olson write-ins went uncounted due to being simple write-ins without the filling of the circle to tip off the scanner. Word is there is are a good number of those as well, though I don’t know if the recount will choose to recognize those or not. I’d also be curious as to how many write-ins were placed by mistake in the race for his present office rather than the senate seat- there are about a half percent write-ins there and that’s an unusually high percent even when there is a publicized write-in, which there wasn’t in that 16B race.

Bottom line, though- write-in efforts in a multi tens of thousands race almost never garner even a half-percent, not being on the ballot; over a full percent is almost unheard of. This was a pretty remarkable effort by a lot of dedicated volunteers, and my best wishes out to Mark, Heidi, and all of their supporters in their future endeavors.

]]> By: clef http://www.residualforces.com/2008/11/05/mark-olson-friends-cost-republicans-a-senate-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-43314 clef Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:42:04 +0000 http://www.residualforces.com/?p=5971#comment-43314 Ramone brings up an important fact; that of post-primary endorsement. A post-primary endorsement is designed to endorse the winner of the primary election, had that person not been endorsed previously. Anybody who would even think of endorsing a write-in campaign over the conservative Republican who won the primary either A)has ulterior motives, B)has an enormous ego with a bruise on it the size of Alaska which will not allow him/her to do the right thing, or C)has no common sense whatsoever. In any event, yes absolutely the "leadership" needs to go. Their actions are beyond the pale. As far as the comment about the "grassroots" are concerned, ego has a lot to do with this. The convention delegates and leadership view themselves as the "grassroots". They dismiss the primary election voters (people who do not get involved to the level the delegates are) as ignorant, stupid, and uninformed. As a rule, I think that people who are going to get involved to that level are generally more informed than most people. However, when you have a circus act take over the process, this is what you get...... a conservative district in the hands of the liberal Democrats, and those responsible taking no blame for it. Ramone brings up an important fact; that of post-primary endorsement. A post-primary endorsement is designed to endorse the winner of the primary election, had that person not been endorsed previously. Anybody who would even think of endorsing a write-in campaign over the conservative Republican who won the primary either A)has ulterior motives, B)has an enormous ego with a bruise on it the size of Alaska which will not allow him/her to do the right thing, or C)has no common sense whatsoever. In any event, yes absolutely the “leadership” needs to go. Their actions are beyond the pale.

As far as the comment about the “grassroots” are concerned, ego has a lot to do with this. The convention delegates and leadership view themselves as the “grassroots”. They dismiss the primary election voters (people who do not get involved to the level the delegates are) as ignorant, stupid, and uninformed. As a rule, I think that people who are going to get involved to that level are generally more informed than most people. However, when you have a circus act take over the process, this is what you get…… a conservative district in the hands of the liberal Democrats, and those responsible taking no blame for it.

]]> By: Ramone http://www.residualforces.com/2008/11/05/mark-olson-friends-cost-republicans-a-senate-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-43312 Ramone Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:38:11 +0000 http://www.residualforces.com/?p=5971#comment-43312 The damage is done. They are content with destroying the conservative movement in Sherburne County. All that matters is that they get their own way. They complain about the state party trying to force the grassroots into obeying them. Well, the 16B BPOU is guilty of the very same thing. They chose to ignore the voters, who chose Allison in the Primary Election. They endorsed Olsen after the election. They went against the will of the grassroots and forced their own will on the election. This cost the Republican party a Senate seat and a house seat. The BPOU from 16b will try to spin the truth and manipulate the numbers in order to ease their guilty minds. Just like they did with the endorsement. They found a loop hole and exploited it. They said. "we will only support the endorsed candidate", because that's what the state constitution for the party says. The law says, the person who wins the primary is considered the party nomination and will be the person listed as the REPUBLICAN candidate. So, what is the difference between the terms ENDORSED or NOMINATED? These guys will cheat, lie and guilt their way to get anything they want. Shame on all of them! The BPOU leaders from SD16 and especially hd16b should all be thrown out of the party. They pushed through a candidate who was thrown out of the party. Their candidate, Olsen, was listed as a independant write in. He was not listed as a Republican. The 16b leadership all chose to leave the party when they did this. They are not REPUBLICANS anymore. Do not call them Republicans. They are RINOs! HD 16B RINOs, RINOS, RINOS, RINOS, RINOS, RINOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY ARE THE BEST THINGS THAT EVER HAPPENED FOR THE DFL ! The damage is done. They are content with destroying the conservative movement in Sherburne County. All that matters is that they get their own way. They complain about the state party trying to force the grassroots into obeying them. Well, the 16B BPOU is guilty of the very same thing. They chose to ignore the voters, who chose Allison in the Primary Election. They endorsed Olsen after the election. They went against the will of the grassroots and forced their own will on the election. This cost the Republican party a Senate seat and a house seat. The BPOU from 16b will try to spin the truth and manipulate the numbers in order to ease their guilty minds. Just like they did with the endorsement. They found a loop hole and exploited it. They said. “we will only support the endorsed candidate”, because that’s what the state constitution for the party says. The law says, the person who wins the primary is considered the party nomination and will be the person listed as the REPUBLICAN candidate. So, what is the difference between the terms ENDORSED or NOMINATED? These guys will cheat, lie and guilt their way to get anything they want. Shame on all of them! The BPOU leaders from SD16 and especially hd16b should all be thrown out of the party. They pushed through a candidate who was thrown out of the party. Their candidate, Olsen, was listed as a independant write in. He was not listed as a Republican. The 16b leadership all chose to leave the party when they did this. They are not REPUBLICANS anymore. Do not call them Republicans. They are RINOs!
HD 16B RINOs, RINOS, RINOS, RINOS, RINOS, RINOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY ARE THE BEST THINGS THAT EVER HAPPENED FOR THE DFL !

]]> By: clef http://www.residualforces.com/2008/11/05/mark-olson-friends-cost-republicans-a-senate-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-43311 clef Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:33:26 +0000 http://www.residualforces.com/?p=5971#comment-43311 I can answer that. Paul Volkommer is the chair of the Sherburne Co. Republicans, which is basically the same thing as HD16b. He was a lot of the wind behind Mark Olson's sails to run against the Republican on the ballot, Alison Krueger. General consensus is that he is a very incompetent BPOU chair, as he really does NOTHING that's contained in the GOP BPOU manual. Just look at the finances over in HD16b; they don't even really raise money for their candidates! His motivation to be a BPOU chair is the power that goes along with the job, that of "kingmaker", which he is not afraid to wield. He and a few other eccentrics (read; Quintin Reece) were the ones who helped Olson collect the 1462 votes (3%) votes for Mark Olson, which was way over the mere 85 votes that it took to hand the seat over to the Dems. Some think he did this to set himself up to make a run at the Senate seat in 2010. I can answer that. Paul Volkommer is the chair of the Sherburne Co. Republicans, which is basically the same thing as HD16b. He was a lot of the wind behind Mark Olson’s sails to run against the Republican on the ballot, Alison Krueger. General consensus is that he is a very incompetent BPOU chair, as he really does NOTHING that’s contained in the GOP BPOU manual. Just look at the finances over in HD16b; they don’t even really raise money for their candidates! His motivation to be a BPOU chair is the power that goes along with the job, that of “kingmaker”, which he is not afraid to wield. He and a few other eccentrics (read; Quintin Reece) were the ones who helped Olson collect the 1462 votes (3%) votes for Mark Olson, which was way over the mere 85 votes that it took to hand the seat over to the Dems. Some think he did this to set himself up to make a run at the Senate seat in 2010.

]]> By: zim city jimmy http://www.residualforces.com/2008/11/05/mark-olson-friends-cost-republicans-a-senate-seat/comment-page-1/#comment-43310 zim city jimmy Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:08:11 +0000 http://www.residualforces.com/?p=5971#comment-43310 Who is Paul Vollkommer? Who is Paul Vollkommer?

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