I got an email (along with scores of others, including someone in Utah) from MNGOP Deputy Chair candidate Michael Brodkorb last night. The point of this piece was to attack current Deputy Chair Dorothy Fleming for saying the party should not be focusing on redistricting right now at an event over the weekend. (email is below the fold)

I have been working on different versions of posts through out the day but they get too long and devolve into rants. So here’s a different take. 

I think Dorothy Fleming is right. The most important thing for the next Chair, Deputy Chair, and other state level leaders is to win a ton of races in the 2010 elections. If we are going to worry more about what happens after that election, then we had better just tell all the volunteers and donors to just save their time and energy for the courtroom phase some time in mid to late 2010 and into 2011. We can’t be bogged down with Voter ID, issue advocacy, and electing Republicans, we need to be ready to argue with DFL lawyers in smoke filled rooms. 

No seriously, is Brodkorb so confidant we’re going to lose the Governor’s race, fail to pick up any Constitutional offices, and fail to gain seats in the Legislature that he is running on his record of what he will do after November 2010? 

I know Brodkorb is going to run on his resume of having worked in the last redistricting, but to me the most important parts of his resume are what he chooses to leave out of it. He has played a major role in some of the most divisive events in our party’s recent history. The 2006 convention, the 2008 convention, the 2007 Chair’s race, amongst numerous personal phone calls and other instances where he has left more than just me asking if he thought he owned this party or whether it was his duty to bar some from participating in it. 

When it comes to his previous involvement with Redistricting, can I hold Brodkorb accountable for my District being so dang screwed up? 4 cities, 2 counties, 3 congressional districts. Ha ha. 

(OK, this is turning into a rant again)

The point is, Fleming is going to focus on the 2010 elections if she is reelected as Deputy Chair. Brodkorb is saying we should pick him because he has experience that won’t be useful until after the 2010 election. 

No seriously, the work Brodkorb says he will be work tirelessly at, is work that can’t be done until after the next election in 2010. Shouldn’t the party be focussed on getting good Republicans elected?

Why should the party be focusing on redistricting? Simple, it helps Brodkorb. Another Ha ha. 

Seems like a desperate attack from the cocktail circuit against Fleming to me. 

(Dang it, another rant. Oh well. No matter how many times I rewrite this, it is going to be like this, so this is what you are going get.)

Again Brdkorb’s email is below the fold here. Let me know if I am just to biased against Brodkorb from all the headaches he has caused me in the past and others I know have shared the honor of having someone start a phone call with screaming at you – to see the value of worrying about something that comes after the 2010 elections in this current Deputy Chair’s race. Because I just can’t see how that is more important than winning in 2010 or why we should be focusing on redistricting at the cost of the 2010 elections. 

Seems to me to be an odd thing to launch the first attack on. Something she said over the weekend is an opportunity to talk yourself up, on a subject that isn’t germane for at least 2 more years…… 

I could go on all day here folks or rework this 100 more times, so I am just going to stop typing and see what y’all think in 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 

(Oh, Tennis reference in tittle means like in tennis, I have a tendency to hit back. This should make my campaign for the CD6 State Executive Committee spot real fun.) 

Brodkorb for Deputy Chair E-Update
Why Redistricting Is So Important
February 15, 2009
———————————————————————————

 

Dear Andy,
In 2010, the process of redrawing the political boundaries of every legislative and congressional district will begin in Minnesota. Democrats already have a coordinated message and strategy for the upcoming redistricting process.

At a recent event, after I spoke about the importance of getting organized about redistricting, my opponent for Deputy Chair said redistricting wasn’t something that our party needed to focus on right now. With all due respect, I couldn’t disagree more.

Just this week, Republicans in Washington D.C. raised concerns over the decision by President Obama to move the functions of the U.S. Census into the White House. The move gives Obama’s highly partisan Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, the role of overseeing the process.

In 2006, four years before the start of the 2010 redistricting process, Emanuel gloated about how “partisan and political” the next battle would be:

“If you think redistricting is always partisan and political which it is…it’s going to be on steroids this time.”
The “this time” Emanuel referred to is coming up very soon and Republicans in Minnesota need to get ready with our best redistricting team!

Imagine Rahm Emanuel and ACORN being given the chance, with our tax dollars, to determine how our congressional district lines are drawn for the next decade!

I served as the redistricting analyst for the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus from 2000 – 2002. In the last redistricting process, the Republican Party of Minnesota established a task force to keep the key players connected, ensuring Republicans were communicating with a consistent message.

As your next Deputy Chair, I will work cooperatively with activists and interest groups across Minnesota to ensure Minnesota’s political boundaries are drawn to reflect neutral population trends, not politically engineered districts designed by Democrats to keep us in the minority for at least the next ten years, if not for decades to come.

Sincerely,

Michael B. Brodkorb

 

This entry was posted on Monday, February 16th, 2009 at 4:48 pm and is filed under 2010, MN Campaigns, MN Governor, MNGOP Reform, Minnesota, Minnesota Attorney General, Minnesota Secretary of State, Minnesota State House, Minnesota State Senate, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.