In 1993, disgusted with the GOP’s pusillanimous acquiescence on the Clinton Crime Bill (as gross an imposition on civil liberty as this country’s ever seen), I left the Republican party in disgust.
“What the hell was wrong with the GOP”, at that time, was that it had completely abandoned the notion of small government, and stampeded with a herd of Democrats to the left on a slew of privacy and civil liberties issues.
I figured that if the party actively subverted what I believed, and I didn’t have the capacity to change it myself or find enough people who believed as I did to change it, I shouldn’t be there. So I joined the Libertarians. I skipped the Gingrich Revolution (although I approved of it). I even ran for office. It was worth it; I developed an appreciation for what major parties are for; organization, mainly.
And in ’98, I came back. I figured I wasn’t going to win every battle, but it was worth fighting for in exchange for having a shot at getting what I believe actually in office.
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So after eight parts, I’ve said…what?
That the Minnesota GOP needs a message, one that attracts people.
Of course – as someone involved in party operations noted the other day – the party doesn’t put out messages. The party works the people who do – the candidates and the groups of supporters who put them into contention. The state party chairperson and the other officials elected by the Central Committee and, least of all, the party’s paid staff have very little to do with the message that candidates put out, other than making sure they don’t completely violate the platform.
All that’s true.
But there’s still a problem in the MNGOP.
As we all know, Norm Coleman trails in the “recount” process by something like 300 votes. Leave aside for a moment the byzantine nature of the recount, or the patchwork of “standards” (isn’t that an oxymoron?) that led to the 500 vote swing, or the danger this sort of uncertainty provides to democracy itself, what with not one in 100 voters being able to explain how we got here, and probably not one percent of those able to define the standards themselves.
Why is Norm Coleman behind by 300 votes?
Because he’s “too conservative?” Please. He was a DFLer. He nominated Paul Wellstone in 1996. He won two terms as mayor of Saint Paul as a moderate DFLer.
Because the opposition was so strong? Well, it was a bad year for Republicans. But the fact that such a relatively large number of people voted for Dean Barkley – the prickly wonk thrust into prominence by Jesse Ventura’s caprice and Paul Wellstone’s death – shows how little Barack Obama’s coattails were worth, even here.
All that is true. But Coleman also lost because several “Republican party” factions actively campaigned against him, because of some of his votes (ANWR, among others). Did these factions bring up a viable alternative within the party? Of course not. But they did actively sway people against Norm Coleman. Was it 300 votes worth? We will never know, but it’s not unreaonable.
These groups’ reasoning? “The GOP needs to learn its lesson”. So what did we get for it? If this recount wends its way to a Franken victory, we get an even more veto-proof Dem majority in Washington, to further grease the Obama Administration’s path, lubing up the skidway to hell.
So one of the things that’s wrong with the MN GOP is Minnesota Republicans themselves. The party is crowded with people who are in it for a single issue (pro-lifers, God bless ’em, in many cases), or a single candidate (Ron Paul). That’s good, as far as it goes – but here’s a suggestion: if you’re in the GOP, then by all means try to influence the GOP in the direction you want. That’s what caucuses and primaries are for. And an organized, well-motivated group can have quite an effect on the party, there; the Ron Paul supporters made quite an impact last year (and if they have the attention span, they can extend that impact into some real gains).
But if at the end of the day you call yourself a Republican but find yourself actively subverting the party’s candidates, you should ask yourself – is this where I belong? Is the damage I’m causing to what I believe in by, de facto, helping get Democrats and their entire agenda into office really the goal I had in mind?
No, I’m not saying “your party, love it or leave it”. Far from it; I applaud the Ron Paul crowd for the organizing and work they’ve done.
But I am asking; if you find yourself subverting the GOP after the caucuses and primaries, from either side – whether you’re a Coleman-hating paleocon or a Sturdevant-hugging Override-Sixer – then why are you in the GOP? Don’t you belong in the Constitution, Independence, DFL, Libertarian or Natural Law parties?
You’ve got a little over a year to think about it.
Monday: Summing up. I think.
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