I have received scores of great messages and words of encouragement from people the last week or so as I ponder my political future, but this one seems worthy of posting. (more below)

Hey Andy,

As a liberal, I read your blog on a pretty consistent basis, I even agree
with you on occassion.

Those at the forefront of change are always harassed and attacked Andy. I
read your blog because it’s well written, sticks to your core values, and
offers a level headed perspective on some of the inside baseball politics
in Minnesota.

I think you are a valuable member of the Minnesota political blogging
community and definately want you to stay, even if your hard work keeps
people I won’t vote for elected.

You’re a true conservative blogger and not a sensationalist like other
bloggers like MDE and the such.

No ruse here Andy, I like your blog,like what you have to say about issues,
and think you should stay.

I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to reach out and say something positive about this blog and my political involvement. I also want to clear up an issue, this blog will not be stopping if I do take a leave from active politics.

The idea is that I am far too busy to perform the duties as SD51 GOP Chair and Anoka County Vice Chair in CD6 to the level they should be. Work and my new found desire to have some form of a real life is stretching me pretty thin. Blogging can come and go at the pace I decide or have time, and the blogging is, as it was when I started, therapeutic for me. It allows me to vent in ways that I can’t anywhere else. (with out driving my co-workers, family, dogs, and even girlfriend a bit nuts with the 10 minute monologues about how liberals (sorry emailer) suck, oh and RINOs too. I really should just do podcasts or get a radio gig)

Will I take a leave? Well tomorrow is a big night for that decision as I will be meeting with some folks at those levels politically to get their input on just how much of me will need to be there to do the job to their satisfaction. then i will decide if I can do them to my own. (hint: I am already doubting myself of that, but still look at it as a challenge worthy of trying)

But this blog, oh it will keep going, so sorry to disappoint some. I learned a lot last election of how blogging can matter. I learned a ton how it does matter following the ‘06 elections and during the MNGOP leadership election. And over the last 2 plus years, I learned how it took this college drop out who is full of ideas and opinions but no clue how to use them to levels no one could ever imagine.

If I do leave active GOP politics, will this blog have it’s same impact and meaning? I don’t fully know.

But will it free me up from feeling bound by other’s mandates and orders? You bet your arse, and oh boy is that a tempting thing.

In the waning weeks of the ‘06 elections I wanted to go back to be a conservative first and Republican second. I wanted to stand on the issues, not behind the candidates. That’s not a commentary on the candidates I worked and blogged tirelessly for, but rather the party side of things.

I “sold my soul” as many people said, most of whom I respect deeply. I wanted to go back to being a conservative pundit on the net telling you how I think it is, then the spin happened. I disagreed, and picked a fight I ended up not winning. In the end, I look back and have to say that if I hadn’t raised questioned and had the cajones to speak out, none of the potential reforms or debate would have taken place in the MNGOP.

Again I lost, I was defeated by the powerbrokers, but I was able to leave the Prom Center knowing I tried, and that matters more than you may understand.

The amount of work required by politics over the next 2 years is unending and frankly I need a break. I thought I could do it, but well, the paying gig (IE my day job) has gotten crazy and needs my undivided attention. All work and no play makes AAA a crabby asshat. I do still have the desire to do it, but I just don’t know if I am up to it after being treated so crappily by those I had trusted the last few months.

I’ve always believed that the way to win in politics is to convince people to think like you do, not disagree with the other guy. I think the sensational stuff has it’s place, but can’t be the sole angle of attack. When time permits, I do try to go out of my way to explain why I do or you should support or oppose someone or some issue, not just partake in the oh so popular gotchya crap.

I speak my mind, no matter the consequence, and that makes many people nervous, but others respect my courage.

As my Dad used to always say, “I am just telling it like I see it.”

I believe in true transperancy. that means putting your name on what you write, and standing behind it. Politics would be better if the debate would get there. I will continue to do that here on RF until …. for as long as I can.

I have some plans up my sleeves that may take poli bloggin to the next level. Me and a few other conservative bloggers have been debating on taking the MOB or parts of it to a whole new level. I think all this pondering the last week or so is for not, and I will stay involved. And frankly it is the people who reached out like the emailer above, despite the party affiliation, to rekindle my passion and desire to keep pluggin away doing my little part.

To let you know that it is not just DFLers who want RF to keep keeping on, here’s one from a high ranking GOPer.

Hey, the worst thing  you can do is to quit.  You keep doing what you believe in and don’t stop.  I know you don’t like John McCain, but he does the same and so do I.  That unsigned letter really urked many of us.

You are a useful person in the party.  Everyone can’t think the same and you have the courage to stand up for what you believe in…something that Minnesotans have a hard time doing….the old MN nice thing.   Stay in touch with me and I will be there for you and will many others.

Remember the vote was not an overwhelming majority and in two years, it things aren’t good….,who knows.  You are young with a lot of years to go yet.  There are many people who respect your work.  Evil men prosper when good men do nothing!

Thank you again to everyone who reached out and who I have had the honor to have an impact on or for along the way.

AAA

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Mitch has a post up about how to tell if you’re a babyboomer in response to a lefty troll’s attack line saying he was one, but Mitch is denying it with a test of wit. King is admitting he’s old as dirt.

Well in the interest of upsetting the muy-senior geriatric representatives of the NARN, I’ll take Mitch’s test.

You Might Not Be A Baby Boomer If…: you have more Clash, Springsteen and Sex Pistols than Beatles and Stones in your music collection.

What if I do not currently have nor have ever had any of the above? And at the time that they were popular or ‘hip’, thought people who listened to that crap were old as dirt?

You Might Not Be A Baby Boomer If…: you have never used the term “Camelot” unironically to refer to anything after the 13th Century. Or if the word “Camelot” to you means dancing knights who push the pram a lot, rather than Jackie Onassis.

I’ve never used the word, ever.

You Might Not Be A Baby Boomer If…: the Teheran Hostage Crisis is more prominent in your memory than Kent State.

What is he talking about? I think the first tragedy of my time was the Challenger.

You Might Not Be A Baby Boomer If…: you think Dennis Miller was a better Weekend Update host than Chevy Chase.

What’s Weekend Update? Is that the old MTV news show?

You Might Not Be A Baby Boomer If…: “Quadrophonic” and “Eight Track” mean the same thing as “Edsel”.

Are these the first Rappers or something?

You Might Not Be A Baby Boomer If…: “Woodstock” was a bird.

That one I know. I guess the old fart isn’t making schtuff up.

With regards. I was just visiting with my grandma earlier tonight, and seeing these posts made me think of her.

Back in my day…..

MPR has a story about the Strib and some Stribbers who are leaving the paper. In it, we learn Dane Smith has accepted a buyout and will be hanging up the typewriter, but we also get a glimpse of the entrenched hostility by journalists towards anyone who isn’t them with an opinion willing to share it.

Reporters at the Star Tribune talk all the time about how newspapers are struggling to adapt to increasing competition from news sources like the Internet, according to Dane Smith. “It’s a source of considerable anguish and discomfort among all of us in the newspaper business.

Anguish? They downright loathe the bloggers.

With the presidential election on the horizon, the University of Minnesota’s Kirtley says it’s the voting public who will likely suffer.

“If we’re going to have an eviscerated Pioneer Press and an eviscerated Star Tribune, I think we’re left with a big void,” she said. “And ultimately the public are really going to suffer because they’ll be left at the mercy of the partisan bloggers and campaign advertising, all of which is useful but ultimately has little to do with what the truth of the situation is.”

Ms. Kirtley’s comments should scare you, “Jane Kirtley, the Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota’s School of Journalism”.

This is the commonly held belief amongst journalists and educators. Ms. Kirtley is both, and thus doubling down on the hate. These people think they have a patent on opinions, and only they have the right to provide information to the public. Considering the Strib has become laughably known as a DFL mouthpiece it is funny Kirtley brings up the word partisan.

But the again, there is a war going on against bloggers, and it is being led by the MSM. Yes, we partisan political bloggers are trying to make a point and sway public sentiment, but how is that any different from any newspaper’s editorial board?

So the lads at MN Publius have yet another mole inside a DFL US Senate campaign. You may remember last year one of the bloggers, Zack, got hired by Amy Klobuchar’s campaign. Now they said there was no collusion with those poor contributors who were left behind, but come on. We all know they were getting fed information from their old blog compadre.

Now I pretty much despise the MN Publius team, even though I only met one of them in person. They deleted the old KennedyvMachine archives from the DaytonvKennedy blogger account, as a ‘practical joke‘. Months of great work gone, and all so these college lads could get their jollies.

The Klobuchar campaign didn’t exactly have a good record on digital hacking.

Hmm….. (its in the past, I’ll drop it)

Anyways, you can see I don’t exactly have high regards for them.

Well, this election cycle, Jon David of MN Publius has been hired by Al Franken’s campaign.

JD will be working on Franken’s campaign gaining exclusive access to the DSCC research against Coleman and the Franken strategy. Somehow, that information will end up in the hands of MN Publius, and appear on the net via Publius I am sure.

Call me old fashioned, or maybe a blog prude, but disclosure is not enough. This is what is wrong with the political blogs. Publius is a smear merchant of the left, the contributors are being paid, it is simply agitprop of the DFL. MN Publius is simply a website these political mercenaries carry out their warfare.

Say all you want about supporting candidates & issues, but being paid to blog for them, or smear their opponents is merely mercenary work. And when you add the fact that Matt is paid through a Soros political slush fund….. well, you get what you pay for.

It is one thing to do it voluntarily, like I do. I’m not at all saying I wouldn’t be doing what they are doing on the blog, but since it is purely spoon fed DFL talking points, opposition research, it is hardly their work. Remember the flap over a journalist being paid by the Bush admin to pimp for No Child Left Behind? What’s the difference here?

There should be a disclaimer in their header of MN Publius, “Paid for and approved by the DFL, all DFL candidates, and the George Soros slush fund known as Media Matters.”

Possible new name for Minnesota Monitor - “Minnesota Mercenaries”

I’m going out on a huge limb here, but it seems Paul @ Powerline may be going soft on conservatism.

On the front page of today’s Washington Post, we learn that “liberal bloggers” have made a “target” of centrist (sort of) Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher of California. This is the kind of story that some conservative bloggers used to argue shows the destructive influence of the liberal blogosphere on the Democratic party. But that was before some conservative bloggers started doing the same thing to Republican members of Congress.

But at least conservative bloggers don’t get quoted making bombastic pronouncements like this one from the power-crazed (but to-date impotent) “Subcomandante” Markos of the Daily Kos — “Absolutely, we could take her out.”

UPDATE: Just to be clear about this, there’s nothing wrong with bloggers on either side of the divide opposing incumbent members of Congress whose positions on key issues the bloggers deem unacceptable. Doing so, especially on a regular basis, will likely hurt the party the blogger generally supports, but bloggers can hardly be criticized for putting cause above party.

Sigh!

[AAA's Consciousness: Um, AAA, do you really want to bark up Powerline's tree?

AAA: Because I like "making bombastic pronouncements" about people I usually agree with when I think they stray from where I think they should be.]

I think the best way to explain the notion of “making bombastic pronouncements” is that there is a maturity on the center right of the blogs that works for most people (myself excluded) as a filter of not saying anything dumb that will hurt one’s credibility. The lefty bloggers don’t worry about that, because the Democratic politicians take blogs seriously.

Republicans fear the blogs and do all they can to only give notice to “the good ones” who “do no harm”. Our big bloggers know that to be given the privileged access, once saved for the impartial MSMers, they had to play nice. It is not often that you see the biggest center right bloggers lash out at wayward Republicans.

Now, I do know from last cycle that by being “nice” you are given far more access to Republican inner circles than with out. Since my return to conservatism first, party second, I have found I am treated as an enemy of the State Party and senior officials. (I understand, that is not out of line with how out of line I have been. I am not complaining, just saying.)

So I have to wonder what the point of the Powerline post is…. Is it to show how the Democrats are the whipping boys and girls by their netroots, or how the Republicans refuse to acknowledge the untrained monkeys ‘on their side(?) on most issues?

Powerline is widely held as the most influential of center right bloggers, and rightly so. They are bullet proof when it comes to facts and content accuracy. But just how involved are they in Republican party grassroots politics?

[AAA's C: You're going to blog hell.

AAA's C: So get to it.]

Speaking on Minnesota political blogs only, there is a very large politically active lefty blogosphere. They are given/fed/paid to cover politics as they see the world in largely the same hue as the Democratic party leaders and officials. Their mutual goal is shared, discrediting conservatism and accumulation of political power in the hands of socialist friendly Democrats. There is tolerance of diversion and dissension for the end goal on the left.

[AAA's C: The point?]

On the political right, we are treated as media. We are rewarded for good behavior and punished for poor, regarding on our postings/rantings. When we speak out of turn, editorialize on RINOisms, or refuse to regurgitate press releases we are treated as “the enemy”. There is little room for dissenting opinion, and incumbency is akin to sacred royalty.

[AAA's C: The point?]

I understand not having dissent around, trust me, it has its time and place. In the Summer of 06, I had many battles over what I dubbed the “hypocritic oath”, of doing no harm come election time. I still stand by that, and will have to make some tough choices next Summer in who I will and will not support through this blog.

But I see the pre-endorsement period as the cleansing time. Our candidates are busy making law, and we NEED to hold their feet held to the fire. Now is the time to discuss priorities and agendas. Now is the time to weed out the worthy, and those not based on their records.

Now is the time that those lucky enough in the Republican party, to have had base support and have won elections, to be making laws and setting policies that will have lasting affects to earn our blood, sweat, and tears. Now is the time to cleanse oursleves of bad ideas and political pandering not circling the wagons for the sake of electoral cycles to come.

[AAA's C: That point.]

Now, I’m sure Powerline is above the ‘paid to’ level that too many center right bloggers and pundits. OK, look, I have a running beef with them for their “ignore”-ance of the local blogs, and most of us have lived under their shadow ever since Rather-gate. That’s fine, they took down Dan Rather, what have I done for Republicans lately? ….. (don’t answer that!)

Long post short….

[AAA's C: Is this where you get to the point?]

…. are the big names on the political right beginning to play nice with political heavyweights like McCain, Romney, & party leaders, and hence forth squashing dissent for anything other than their own readership and sources? I see a mentality brewing amongst some, where they seem to think they are all knowing, and owed exclusivity.

[AAA: Hmmmm, that seems like they think they are above reproach, or holier than thou, just like elected Republicans.

AAA's C: You're an idiot.]

Now some (OK, most) the notoriety the Powerline’s get it is deserved. Most of us are hobby online keyboardists who are one flannel set of PJ pants and a computer upstairs short of the MSM stereotype. But a bunch of us are in the trenches, fighting the fight for conservatism door to door and face to face, not for readership and talking head appearances on Cable networks.

There is a war underway for this party & what it really stands for and it is going on between those who believe in conservatism to the bone, and those who use it for electoral (or readership) success but refuse to stand by it when times are dire or the polls say they are. I feel a lot of us on the center right perform a very valuable service with our “putting cause above party”.

With out us, our unprincipled candidates now elected officials and policy-lawmakers, who take conservatism for granted, would never know they are out of line. Besides, if our elected Republicans can’t stand for what the Republican party claims, what in the heck is the point of having the party in the first place?

[AAA's C: What the heck?

AAA: Isn't it clear?

AAA's C: No !!!!!!!!

AAA: grrrrr, I was going to relax tonight before I saw this post, but I had a memory of how my Dad used to always say,"just tellin' it like it is"...... ]

So, here’s the question, is Powerline hedging their bets that party above principles & conservatism is better for them blogtastically? Are they now joining the ever growing chorus of people on the center right who read the 2006 election as a referendum on conservative policies and playing nice to remain connected, rather than a failure of elected Republicans standing for conservative values?

[AAA's C: Just ask it and get this post over with!]

Is Powerline selling out conservatism to remain pertinent in who evers’ eyes they take more serious than us lowly “putting cause above party” bloggers on the center right, like the MSM and Republican newsmakers, so they may, themself, remain pertinent?

[AAA's C: happy?

AAA: I didn't expect air conditioning free Wi-Fi in blog hell.]

I am in the process of doing some blog maintenance. I just upgraded to Wordpress 2.1 and it seems like it was worth it. There’s a lot of admin side improvements.

The coolest of them is that the quick tag buttons now work on Apple’s Safari. There’s even a lookup feature now which seems useful.

Anyways. I am also going to be looking at new themes. I’m, getting tires of the white.

Bear with me as far as inconsistencies the weekend.

I may not be the best Catholic. Heck I may not have even been to Church since my Pastor told me to call my Legislator and ask them to raise my taxes, but I still believe in God, and my faith. If you doubt my Catholic-creds, rest assured, I spent 8 years in the nun run confines of the New Brighton Catholic school that was closed down for a Mercury spill this week.

I thought that the recent netstory of how Democratic Presidential candidate John ‘Tax their arses off for health care’ Edwards fired two anti-cathoilc bigots was a pretty cut and dry event.

Well, I was wrong. I didn’t follow the story one bit, because the hate and venom that I read on Mitch’s blog this morning is my stereotypical idea of how big time lefty bloggers actually think of the Christian right. They hate us, and usually spend their blog time trying to prove it. Vulgarity is the norm. It seems to just be the digital image of their reality based self. The rebellious daughter who is, well, a whore to get back at daddy for not buying her that pony, the gigolo trying to be hipper/weirder than his pops or big brother was, and such.

In the real world they lead risky and questionable lives in order to prove themselves anarchist to their upbringing or religion in general, or to draw attention to themselves. I used to be the died hair earring wearing, baggy clothed guy, but I left it at that. Since the advent of the blogs, their behavior has gone online. Pro-abortion, pro-promiscuity, pro-gay marriage, pro-whatever you want to call it has found a digital home and delivery vehicle.

You can call me a bad Catholic for never really wanting to go down that road. Sure I dabbled in it now and then on the marriage issue, but I could really care less what people do in their bedroom, but when it comes to the public square, I jumped in. I guess I never pushed religion here because it I just never wanted to deal with the anti-religion zealots and fever-swampers.

John Edwards hired a couple of well known lefty bloggers to help his netroots outreach. (and honestly I had never heard of them, because I don’t read too many lefty blogs, especially the national ones) It turned out these popular lefty bloggers were about as anti-Catholic as they come, and Edwards did the right thing in firing them. (AAA’s note: Folks, he’s a trial lawyer, he would have been able to sue his own ass off for hate speech or something.)

I think most people were willing to brush it under the rug, but not die hard lefty bloggers. The local ranks of the fever-swamp have worked themselves into a lather demonizing Edwards for his decision to relieve the 2 femme fatah bloggers of their duty. A few of them have now pledged opposition to Edwards for this very reason, and they were supporting him in the first place.

Brodkorb is questioning Fecke and the Wege for their decisions to change course on supporting Edwards over this very decision.

Fecke. (AAA’s Note: He is also on the payroll of one of the Soros media empire conglomerates here in Minnesota Monitor)

If this story turns out to be true, I will be supporting Barack Obama in the primaries.

It’s not so much the firing of Marcotte and McEwen–though that’s part of it. It’s doing so in the face of an obvious right-wing gripefest

[...]But if you can’t keep Amanda and Melissa around–forget it. You’re not the man I want fighting for us in 2008–because when the going gets tough, you will fold.

The Wege

Salon says they haven’t been fired, but any retreat in the face of specious quote-whoring is a step backwards in the bigger battle to reclaim the information superhighway for real news, and not just corporate-spoonfed faux news. You don’t judge campaign staff except by their previous campaign work. Everything else you have to assume is compartmentalized. You judge the candidate, not their staff, and if the hard right — no fuckit, they’re goddamned fascists so why sugarcoat it? — thinks they can mau mau our candidates into backing down from fights, well, then we need new candidates.

I guess I could care less what these lefties think on most issues. We’ll never see eye to eye on any political issue, and I am fine with that. I ignore them, and I hope they ignore me. That’s the beauty of having the blogs, you have to go to a website to read the stuff people write.

But it is telling to see them show the level of anger that I do about life and death decisions regarding the war on terror. It is rather interesting while the center right bloggers try to debate the varying nuances of which candidate to support trying to find the person that will best fulfill as much of one’s own beliefs as possible, the lefties fly off the handle over two anti-Catholic bigots being let go from a Democrat candidate’s campaign who is about as perfect a match for them as they could get.

Here we see lefty bloggers pledging opposition to one of their candidates not out of differences on major issues, but for refusing to stand by anti-Catholic bigots. Edwards is left (perfect for them) on the war, taxes, health care, unions, etc etc. But because he refuses to pay the right people, no matter the baggage, to work for his campaign, they are taking out the short swords.

Maybe the right side of the blogosphere is just more mature.

Like for instance, I oppose McCain for reason #∞ for his giving rights to terrorists trying to kill me and other Americans.

McCain said Wednesday that intelligence is needed to fight terrorism, but “the intelligence we collect must be reliable and acquired humanely, under clear standards understood by all our fighting men and women.” Torturing prisoners not only yields unreliable answers, but also endangers captured U.S. troops and allows “the cruel actions of a few to darken the reputation of our country in the eyes of millions,” he said.

“The enemy we fight has no respect for human life or human rights. They don’t deserve our sympathy,” he said. “But this isn’t about who they are. This is about who we are. These are the values that distinguish us from our enemies.”

I guess the left and right blogs can agree and disagree on what to oppose candidates over. I’m not for torture, but I am also not for going soft on animals trained specifically on how to deal with US interrogations if captured. McCain did everything he could to define exactly how far we could go, thus giving away how far the enemy needs to be able to go.

I oppose him for that among so many other issue related reasons. Besides, I don’t think he is stupid enough to hire a blogger with a wretched history of anti-Catholic bigotry.

I’m going to be doing a a blogtalkradio thing with Martin Andrade tomorrow evening at 6PM. Its a new thing I haven’t quite mastered the details of yet, so here is what Marty has to say.

Tomorrow at 6pm I will be having my first live blogcast thanks to BlogTalkRadio. The show is really live, you can actually call in and I’m pleased to announce that Andy Aplikowski will be joining me as we talk national politics. It will be short, we’re scheduled for fifteen minutes but we might (and can) go longer if we get on a roll. I will be posting up the phone number later on today. This first edition is more or less a test run and I’ll be working to get as many kinks out before I start using BlogTalkRadio regularly for the upcoming Twins Podcasts. If you don’t catch the show live you can catch a podcast of it later on. Stay tuned, more to come.

I will be squeezing this in before a civic duty, but Marty was a blast to work on the radio when I sat in a few times in St. Cloud last year. I will post a link to listen online when I get more info.

I just added a new feature to RF. A ‘Sphere It’ link now appears at the bottom of posts. If you click it, you can find other blogs that are discussing the same topic with no fuss.

I had seen this on Captain’s Quarters a while back and inquired about getting it for ResidualForces. They were ironing out the last details of a Wordpress plugin version, but they rushed a version for me to try out.

It is a pretty ingenious search feature that lets you find who else is posting on the same topic with out a lot of hassle, and seems incredibly faster than other search options.

If you want more information on it, go to Sphere’s website.