Saturday night’s MOB party was a blast. I got to see some old friends and a ton of new faces. The MOB is still growing and Keegans could barely handle us. 

During a couple, well most, of the conversations I had, they revolved around the MNGOP leadership races. I was a human fact checker, verifier, as well as recipient of opinions. One of the most common opinions was about how desperately we need someone else to step into the Chair’s race. Right now we have the party establishment’s (IE status quo) pick, Tony Sutton, running unopposed. That is a terrible sign given the desperate shape the party is in. Again, this was something a lot of people said. By far an early vote of no confidence for Sutton. 

Another common theme for people in attendance was about the Deputy Chair’s race. I am so glad to hear that I am not the only person who has had to deal with Darth Brodkorb, well not glad, but at least I know the guy doesn’t hate me. I heard many others’ stories about the unhinged phone calls with a foaming at the mouth Brodkorb dictating to them exactly how they should think and behave, complete with the repeating of his talking points 3 times. Factually inaccurate, factually inaccurate, factually inaccurate. Small world, or one trick pony? 

As I told many people who were concerned about Sutton being unopposed for chair, it is more important to me now, to stop Brodkorb and make sure Dorothy Fleming wins. There is no one who has been more divisive and dismissive to the new media world than Brodkorb. He picks and choses what blogs get to receive the lamo press releases from the party and candidates and has done more to discredit some GOP activists who blog than he has to expand the impact of new media as a whole. More on this at a later date. 

The man does not have the temperament nor the people skills to be Deputy Chair of the party. He is simply being repaid by the party establishment for his years of waging war against us uppity conservatives. He led the war against Sue Jeffers at the direction of the Party staff. He led the charge for the hand picked Conservative Delegate team in 2008 in Rochester. He assaulted the character of many of us whenever party leadership time or state wide endorsements came along, or just flat out shut down debate so we couldn’t speak our peace. 

Everytime the conservative grassroots was trying to send a message to the establishment, Brodkorb was the henchman that was sent to deal with us and quell our vocal rebeliion to the status quo. Those are not the actions of a man who seeks to unite this once great party. 

Look folks, in the last Chair’s race, I had to deal with Brodkorb first hand, so I am speaking from first hand experience. I am one of those who he has spent time fighting against, a lot of time, so much time that my boss told me I was not allowed to take his calls during business hours anymore. He has tried to destroy my credibility, character, and has gone way out of his way to make sure no one reads this blog. He’s called me “worst Republican ever” and many of his angry rants on his former radio gig were aimed  at or near me and those like me who are trying to get this party back on track. 

I said I didn’t want to get into this kind of stuff this year on the MNGOP leadership races on this blog because I am tired of the party hacks and clingers on attacking me, but the stakes are too high. Brodkorb sent out an email last night with this bolded and underlined line in it, “Our party is at its strongest when we work together.” Besides Chairman Carey’s divide and conquer ineptness as Chair, I don’t think there is any more divisive person in the party right now than his number one henchmen, Michael Brodkorb. 

Brodkorb’s actions during the 2007 Chairman’s race, as Carey’s campaign manger, were the actions of a tyrant. I know, harsh, but the stakes are too high not to bring the real Brodkorb into the light of public knowledge. I used to think the guy just had a passion to shut me up, but I learned Saturday night that I was not alone, and I was in some pretty good company. Some of the best political minds in Minnesota have had the dishonor of being seen as an enemy to the Brodkorb agenda.

Some of the best activists, political/campaign workers, and bloggers in MN politics have had similar experiences that I have had with Brodkorb. How can we have someone be our Deputy Chair when they have a widespread record of trying to silence critics and bully people into doing what he (more importantly, the party establishment and powerbrokers) wants? 

If you want more top down, take the grassroots for granted, intolerance for dissent within, and more of the same from the Republican Party that has led to 4 years of losing elections and a discontent grassroots who feels disconnected with our candidates and elected officials, Brodkorb is your candidate. I can’t stress this enough, Brodkorb is part of the problem of this party. He can’t be allowed to ascend to party leadership. 

Now what makes this a risk for me to speak to the facts of the race?

I’m running for the state executive committee in the 6th CD again. You may remember the last time I did so, someone in the Republican party sent out an anonymous hit piece to the Delegates. The establishment is no fan of me, nor me of them. That’s why I am running for this position, to bring accountability and conservative grassroots passion and ideas to the party’s highest levels. We’ve been sorely represented on the state executive committee of late, and the few who do want to get this party back on track are out voted too often.

This post will very likely lead to the below the belt attacks against me to resurface, but the stakes are too high for those of us who know the real Brodkorb to sit back and say nothing. These people play for keeps and I guess if no one stands up to them, they will win. I just can’t sit back and let that happen.

(how many people think I can get to work before my cellphone rings?)

This entry was posted on Monday, March 9th, 2009 at 8:21 am and is filed under MNGOP Reform, Minnesota, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.