Jim Ramstad has always been an aggravating case.
On the one hand, I have some residual home-town loyalty going on. Ramstad and I are both natives of Jamestown, ND.
On the other hand, he’s the kind of Republican that makes Lori Sturdevant coo and giggle with girlish glee; a Republican that, when the chips are down, is as likely to vote with the Dems as with the GOP. You know – one of those “responsible” Republicans (to the local media) who don’t bother with all of that “stiff-necked adherence to party principles” stuff. (Oddly – for those of you from out of state – they don’t have any similar guideline for DFLers; to the Strib, John Kline is an “irresponsible extremist”, while Keith Ellison is mainstream).
Ramstad is retiring. And little birds are telling me that the Third CD Republicans want to endorse another “Moderate”, so scared are they of the district’s alleged purplish trends (even though the Third voted for both Bush and Pawlenty).
Note to my readers in the Third District: Rubbish. This is the time to be bold. To stand up for a strong message – for prosperity, security, and our culture.
Now is the time for you – the conservatives in the Third District – to turn off Rush and get out in the street to work for an actual, first-principle conservative.
Remember the Sixth District last year; the party orthodoxy preferred Jim Knoblauch (and to be fair, Jim would have made a great representative; indeed, any of the four candidates would have been better than Patty Wetterline). But Michele Bachmann won by organizing, by getting her people out to the caucuses and voting for her in droves.
Conservatives in the Third CD need to do the same thing, or they’ll get stuck with another “moderate”. And they need to do it soon. While the Third, by all rights, should be solid conservative country, the party district establishment is a throwback to the old “Independent Republican” era. Between Ramstad and Jim Frenzel, the district has been represented by “Moderates” – which in Minnesota GOP parlance means “people who missed the Reagan Revolution” – for a couple of decades now.
You – the conservative in the Third – can change that. We’re going to spend the next few weeks talking about exactly how.
I actually sent Ramstad a rather angry voice mail last February. I was responding to the fact that he was one of 17 GOP House members to vote “yea” on that asinine nonbinding measure entitled Disapproving of the decision of the President announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.
He actually sent me a letter the next week explaining his rationale for that vote. I appreciated his candor but I told him that I would still be shopping for another GOP candidate for District 3 in 2008.
I had no idea how prophetic that statement would be!
How does the nominating process work? I’ve lived in the 3rd for 11 years and have never had to deal with a nomination. Not to mention not being old enough to vote. Are there primaries? When are these possible primaries?
Have you thought of purchasing some land in Edina, Mitch?
Well Jeff, we all get together in a smoke-filled room and draw lots.
Sounds great, I’ll bring the cigars.
We’ve got cigars. Bring scotch. Single malt, 12 years old.
As somebody the Rammer used to represent, I’m glad to see him finally honor his solemn pledge to serve no more than 5 terms. Oops.
But if he was winning with 65% or even 75% of the vote, as I just learned, then there is plenty of room to his right for a good conservative to get 51%.
The way it works, BTW, is that you attend your caucus, get elected as a delegate to your BPOU convention, and there get elected as a delegate to the Congressional District convention (and State Convention). Then at the CD convention, a “nominating committee” brings forward the names of people they have found acceptable (and sometimes detailed information about each of these candidates), and the delegates endorse. Any candidate unhappy with that process can then run in the official State primary, regardless. (I consider that a flaw in the process, BTW). From there it’s on to the general election and you know how that works– Lots of money, lots of lies, and lots of frantic activity by all involved until most people paying any attention at all just want it to be over. Then one side cheats to win, goes back on all promises, and gets re-elected telling the same lies all over again. It’s enough to make you a cynic.
Kermit advised: “We’ve got cigars. Bring scotch. Single malt, 12 years old.”
Also, you’re Republicans. Bring 12-year-olds.
I don’t recall anyone saying there would be clowns there, AC.