Rep. Paul Kohls has suspended his campaign for Governor.

“Although I have continued to gain political and financial supporters since our party’s October 3rd convention, it has become clear to me that the activists are lining up in much greater numbers behind some of the other candidates in the race, and there continues to be speculation about others who may enter the race. I certainly continue to believe that I’m the strongest Republican to take on the DFL candidate in 2010, but I also believe that this decision belongs to our party’s delegates, not to me.

In light of this and after much prayer and deliberation, I am making the very difficult decision to suspend my campaign for Governor.”

I know it is a decision that wasn’t easy for him. Kohls was a pretty genuine conservative, which is rare, but unfortunately he is running in a crowded pack and the people following the race closely all have pretty strong beliefs in who should win.

I’m going to take the liberty to opine a bit about where things seem to be from my obstructed view.

The establishment-pass-the-torch-TimPawlentyiswasandeverwillberthemostconservativeMNGovernor-evah! folks are lining up behind Marty Seifert, and he knows it and can’t help but brag about it. Some out here in commoner land are saying they are annoyed with how Seifert is acting like he has it wrapped up and his calls for everyone else to drop out makes more than this just this blogger’s eyes roll. I’m no fan of Seifert and I hope he doesn’t walk away with the endorsement as I don’t think I could support his campaign. I really don’t. And I am willing to bet he wouldn’t want my support anyways. Its a mutual thing.

Would I work against him? Depends on what the options are? A 2 party race between DFL & GOP, I work for Bachmann and local candidates and hope it all pans out up ticket. GOP, DFL, & a credible conservative 3rd party candidate? That is a bridge we’ll cross *if* we have to. Let’s home Emmer gets the nod and saves us all another ethical dilemma, if you know what I mean Al. Wait, who’s Al?

Tom Emmer is locking up movement conservatives. He has been a firebrand on the House floor that has caught the eye of many conservative activists and has earned great respect from many of his colleagues and their supporters for his work to get other members elected and spread a positive conservative message and goals, even when the Seifert led Caucus pulled the polling plug. Disclosure: I’m supporting Emmer. I love the guy, his passion, and his principles. I think he is the right person to be Governor right now.

Pat ‘Liberty’ Anderson is locking up the people who make sure that every press release or communique includes the word “liberty” in odd places or clumsily thrown in at the end in a closing. I’m talking about the hive minded Paulers who are, not all, but many, taking orders and not freely thinking. Westover and his Libertarian opining are going to be running her communications. I think she may be putting herself in a box with her focus on the Ron Paul wing. It is a large wing with some great ideas, but she may be overly focused on the Libertarian wing and not leaving room for post endorsement positioning. Look some Libertarian positions staked out during the Endorsement-Primary battle may alienate base conservatives and Paul-opposing Republicans. And another thing that I thought of from day one with Anderson: She was an incumbent who got her butt kicked in a statewide election. That is something that speaks volumes to regular voters. “Oh, she was already thrown out of office by voters? I’m taking the liberty of not voting for a loser. Next!” Might be negligible, but it was the first thing that came to mind for me. Liberty Anderson lost like 60-40 in 2006 to what’s her name. End of story for me, even with the Paulbot pandering.

There are others, but I think, as the story stands now, it is a 3 person race with these three above.

David Hann is a good conservative and I personally would prefer to see him get a promotion at his current occupation. I think some time as the Senate Republican leader would give him the exposure he needs to really make a run for statewide office. If Emmer wasn’t in this race, I would likely back Hann, but with him in it….

Its like with Kohls. Hann and Kohls are both great, but the choices are tough with Emmer in it. And many of us out in fly over land for the party elites fear that if we do diffuse the real movement conservative votes, we’ll end up with a squishy status quo Republican that is already crowned by the elites and powerbrokers. Look, you can’t have all the same people who made Pawlenty what he was, despite (dare I say because of) his gaps with his own party’s base, and not be beholden to them. Yes, with the purse strings come puppet strings folks. That’s the dirty secret of politics for both parties at this stage.

Would any of these Republicans be bad Governors? Probably not. Would just about any of the dozen or so running or thinking of running be better then the DFLers? Most decidedly so. But at this stage of the game, we can’t settle. We shouldn’t just say ok, so and so said I have to support candidate. Now is the time to pick the person who will lead the MNGOP and conservative movement back from the brink, and in doing so moving Minnesota from the fiscal disaster that it is to one of fiscal common sense. We can’t just settle for someone because of the names they already have on their steering committee. Grassroots is grassroots. Make up your own damn mind. Don’t be sweet talked. Don’t be bullied. And for the love of liberty, don’t be a lemming.

In liberty I submit this opinionated post for your reading.

It is my opinion. I don’t church things up for folks. Things in this will not sit well with some. Oh darn, maybe I won’t get a Christmas card this year. Shucks.

PS: Liberty

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 1:34 pm and is filed under 2010, A.R.O.R.A., It's The Spending Stupid, Know Thy Enemy, Lunacrats, MN Governor, MNGOP Reform, McPlenty, Minnesota, Minnesota State House, Minnesota State Senate, Politics, T.R.A.P, Take Your Cob and Shove it. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.