Yestrday, I wrote about Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s budget proposal, which attacks an awful lot of spending that directly impacts the public. As I wrote yesterday, I suspect that’s the goal; to scare people into demanding more taxes at all levels.
In the meantime, property taxes are up sharply – 40-50% in many cases, and slated for more – even as services are slashed, crime rises,and vacant homes spatter the cityscape.
So what do we do about this?
Well, if you’re a Saint Paul Republican, the traditional answer is “grit your teeth”. The GOP in the Fourth District doesn’t really do a whole lot. And in all of Saint Paul, there is precisely one elected Republican official – School Board member Tom Conlon.
Living in a one-party city causes all sorts of problems for any “opposition” parties in town. Leaving aside the obvious – one party controls all levers of city government – the big problem is that the public discourse is entirely framed, in the citizens’ minds, by the arguments one side makes. The opposition never even registers on the radar.
Now, the GOP in Saint Paul and the Fourth District tries,after a fashion; they run candidates for Congress (Ed Matthews thrashed Betty McCollum in the debates) and for most state legislative races – but it’s all very perfunctory. The most demoralizing part? Legislative district conventions kick off, frequently, with a stirring call from one state party functionary or another to…
…try to make a showing, to soak up DFL money and effort so it can’t go to challenge Republicans in stronger districts.
Who can’t get behind that?
The fact is, the GOP needs to do a couple of things.
- We need to form coalitions with other groups in Saint Paul, which are not necessarily Republican. Property rights is a huge issue in Saint Paul; many property activists are Democrats. We need to find the obvious common cause.
- We need a coherent message. That can be hard for Republicans; we are the nation’s only big-tent party, which makes message discipline difficult. I’m going to suggest finding the things we agree on and hammering on them, and softpedaling the disagreements rather than trying to bash out acquiescence. To an extent, that means the Saint Paul GOP has to come to terms with the huge number of Ron Paul supporters that showed up last year. And by the way…
- The Ron Paul supporters will need to deliver. Running a guy for President is fun and all, but 99% of politics is local. Do you really want to see Rep. Paul’s message of civil liberty and low taxes implemented? Then you’re going to have to get together with enough other people, and find enough common ground,to make it connect with people who aren’t members of any party. Which means using that boundless energy you devoted to Rep. Paul, certainly. It also means compromising – something your experience on the Paul campaign didn’t teach you much about. So whaddya say?
- We’ll need to make a point of running conservative candidates for every single community council. The community councils are a traditional hotbed for of DFL-centric politics, and a breeding ground for DFL politicians. They are also where all the community development money in Saint Paul gets spent – and that is some serious political clout. In 2007 Republicans took over the Highland Park Council; last year, we got Republicans elected to two or three other councils. It’s a start – but we need to follow through. This means in every district, we’ll need people who volunteer to run for office, sure enough. It ALSO means we’ll need to get people to come out and vote for Republicans. These seats are winnable. And we need to, because this is where we develop talent for the next stop:
- In 2011, we’ll need to run credible candidates for City Council in all seven wards. Not just warm bodies on the ballot, mind you – we’ll need to find people who can take a campaign to the street; find people who can put in the shoe leather to help that battle; raise money to run seven serious campaigns; most of all, to get noticed, and noticed positively.
- In 2013, we’ll need to take a credible shot at the Mayor’s office.
To make it a real challenge – the Saint Paul GOP will need to do this, it seems, without any help from the State or CD4 GOPs.
So how does this happen?
More later this week.
“”we are the nation’s only big-tent party, which makes message discipline difficult. “”
You kill me *laughing* it hurts it hurts *laughing some more* I can’t hold my gut in anymore *laughing*laughing* Make it stop!! *laughing to the point of belly cramps* owie owie owie!!
“”I’m going to suggest finding the things we agree on and hammering on them, and softpedaling the disagreements rather than trying to bash out acquiescence.””
Kind of like what those mushy spineless Democrats do all the time!
“”In 2011, we’ll need to run credible candidates for City Council in all seven wards””
Read: Make sure we don’t tell anyone they are actually Republicans
“”In 2013, we’ll need to take a credible shot at the Mayor’s office.””
Why wait, this mayor is as vulnerable as he will ever be. But anyone to the Right of Coleman would want to close all the libraries and shutter every rec center, so I don;t think that would be an improvement.
You missed the fun last night Mitch. I showed up to Hizonners “Woe is us!” donkey show, and pinned his ears back on his pointy head.
There is nothing better than asking a stinking liberal what manner of lunacy leads him to decide to ax fire and police protection to protect a Human Rights Division which is located within three blocks of two other Human Rights Divisions…all of which are competing for customers.
It’s especially sweet to ask that question when the room is choked, floor to ceiling, with firemen and cops!
It also doesn’t hurt a bit to be able to point out that it’s nice to be able to reward your long time staffers (Luz Maria Frias) with fat Directorships, but maybe an economic meltdown isn’t the time to be handing out rewards?
But the best part is being able to look a moonbat in the eye and ask him if he didn’t feel just a wee bit “disingenuous” (see how nice I am?) to be issuing press releases blaming the Governor for the cuts to public safety *his* decisions are driving.
Getting pats on the back from firemen on the way out is just frosting….
Listen.
The Moonbat Precision Asshat Dancing, Drum and Bugle Corps are thankfully entertaining themselves with their “retrobution for RNC campaign”, which mostly consists of shredding the most viable Democrat candidates to shreds.
If ever there was a chance for a moderate, common sense Republican to take the Mayors seat in Saint Paul, now is that chance. I guarantee that with a minimum effort, a guy could cut liberal crap out of the budget that no one would ever miss, and reopen rec centers, rehire cops and firemen and put librarians back on their fat asses behind the checkout counters.
BTW Flash.
Effective mocking laughter shouldn’t come across as the transcript of your cornhole entertainment last night. You’re way out of your league, sport.
BwwwaaaaaHAHAHAHAHahahahAHAHAHAHAHA!
So what do we do about this?
Pack the bags and abandon them to their inevitable conversion to Detroit West?
swift, don’t be silly. We need the human rights staff more so then anyone else. Do you expect our police or fireman to attack stuffed bunnies or dago sam’iches? Nooooo, it takes a well trained human rights director to handle those crucial tasks.
There needs to be a strong educational outreach included. You can talk freedom & property rights until you are blue in the face, but if no one understands the underlying philosophy, the message will not be received.
Chuck, you just justified existance of human rights division. Expect a summons to grill you what you meant by using the word “dago”.
Mr. Shirt, how do you suppose we educate? Has to be an alternative channel. I doubt Education Minnesota will allow truth and consequencies to be taught in classrooms.
“But anyone to the Right of Coleman would want to close all the libraries and shutter every rec center,”
Do you ever use facts and truth to attempt to backup your rhetoric and left wing talking points, Flushy?
“a guy could cut liberal crap out of the budget that no one would ever miss, and reopen rec centers, rehire cops and firemen and put librarians back on their fat asses behind the checkout counters. “
You’ll never make it as a Liberal Fascist, Swiftee.
JPA,
That is something I’ve been thinking about for about a year. Education MN might not, but individual schools might. It seems right up the alley of Boy Scout groups. There needs to be a curriculum of sorts with lesson plans & stated goals.
I’m open to suggestions.
Just thought of this…
Maybe adult fraternal organizations would be open to programs for their members younger family members. Let’s become “community organizers!”
😉
Flash isn’t a Republican, but apparently someone said he couldn’t be a Republican, so he became a Democrat, even though he’s not a Democrat, and complains (incessantly) that he can’t be a Republican.
Really???
Your vast experience negates everyone else, I guess.