Nature Abhors A Vacuum

In my post last week about the MNGOP leadership battle, I noted three things:

  1. I don’t do endorsements. I mean, if I did, who’d care?  I’m small potatoes. It’d be the height of misplaced ego to think my “endorsement” would matter to anyone.  And not only am I not a Central Committee voter, but I think I only know one or two Central Committee voters personally.
  2. I think Tony Sutton will do a good job as party chair – which is a good thing, because due to the nature of the State Chair race, he’s got a huge electoral leg up.
  3. Nonetheless, I’m givign a loud “attaboy” to Dave Thompson, if only to send a (tiny) message to the party; the status quo is not working.

Ironically, I’ve gotten more flak about the Deputy chair race; I’m told that I (among a few others) was removed from the running to MC a candidate debate because of my alleged allegiance to one candidate or another in the Deputy Chair debate.  To be perfectly honest, I barely knew what a Deputy Chair was before this go-around, and wasn’t entirely sure why it mattered until fairly recently.

Which isn’t to say I don’t have a dog in the fight.  Michael Brodkorb’s a friend and former Northern Alliance colleague.  I have a generalized sense he’ll do a good job, if only because he’s a butt-kicking “make-things-happen” one man political wrecking crew, and if for some reason the MNGOP administration were called upon to, say, build a bridge across the Minnesota River, Mike’d have the cars rolling early and under budget.

But I have no grounds to “endorse” anyone in the Deputy Chair race since, duh, I haven’t really formed a coherent opninion.

But Pat Shortridge has:

I didn’t intend to become involved in the MN GOP leadership races. I helped Brandon Sawalich frame his ideas about reforming and modernizing the state party when he was considering a run for Chairman. But, until now, that has been the extent of my involvement.

But, having read and heard many of the, what I consider to be, unfair criticisms of Michael Brodkorb, I decided to share some of my thoughts. The conservative blogosphere has been particular disappointing in its treatment of the Deputy Chair race. I find the analysis, from people I generally respect, lacking.

But to use my own criteria, I’m going to talk about what I’m for than what I’m against.

He makes the case for Brodkorb.

The Central Committee votes tomorrow.  I’m hoping we can get the results as close to real-time as possible on the NARN.

20 thoughts on “Nature Abhors A Vacuum

  1. I concur, Thompson is a fine guy, one of the best, fairest-minded and least vitriolic/exclusionary conservatives I’ve ever heard.

  2. However, and conversely, you may like Brodkob, that’s your choice, but it’s this man’s opinion that in his public persona he’s a patently dishonest, mendacious, viscious, and foul-tempered attack-dog. I don’t have any faith he can get people behind him at all other than MAYBE some of the extreme end players. He’d be bad for the MN GOP in that role.

  3. Reader’s digest version, from my perch on the periphery:

    I don’t know Michael Brodkorb personally, but my impression is that he an operative and a very effective one, which is why Penigma hates him. He’s also a very good tactician and theoretician. I’ve met Dorothy Fleming. She is none of those things, but Dorothy is well-loved by the rank and file, because she (a) listens to their concerns and (b) walks the walk. If there’s a BPOU meeting or event going on, no matter where or when, Dorothy will usually find a way to get there. The people who are doing the hard work of building the party at the grass roots appreciate that. A lot.

    Frankly, the party needs both of them, because they both bring valuable skill sets. That’s what makes this such a dilemma.

  4. D – First, I don’t hate him, that’s something you don’t know, and stop the idiotic exageration. I’ve read him, seen his actions, and think he’s a professional scumbag – nuff said. If you like scumbags, fine.

    Kermit, I guess that means you’ll be opposing Thompson then, same question to you MoN? Apparently you prefer divisive, abusive jerks… wow, what a shocker!

    BTW – speaking of divisive..

    Sarah Palin – your preferred VP candidate said:

    Palin said Friday that it was time for people to rise up against Letterman’s form of humor.

    “No wonder young girls especially have such low self-esteem in America when we think it’s funny for a so-called comedian to get away with such a remark as he did,” she said. “I don’t think that’s acceptable.”

    Gee, make excuses much? How is this different than the folks who excuse away criminal conduct because of an abusive childhood? Except of course, abusive (physically) childhoods ARE pretty profoundly impactful, whereas Letterman’s jokes are pretty f-in mild. But then again, the GOP of today seems bound up in making one excuse after another for it’s conduct – including making excuses for being intolerant of other people’s challenges while making excuses for it’s own.

  5. And just so you tools get it – I actually am trying to offer you some advice. Your hate-filled, attack-dog approach has failed, is bad for the state and country, and your exclusionary, kick their teeth in approach makes you a pariah. It’s not good for the country for their to not be an effective opposition. I’d rather the GOP return to some sense of sanity, which guys like Thompson reflect, rather than the ugly, smeer-driven drivel of the likes of Palin and/or Bordkorb.

    Get it?

  6. Penny, you do not find jokes about RAPING 14 yo girls offensive? Never been funny, not even close, don’t care who says the joke. I sure you liked the Conservatives who should be raped in Playboy funny too. Then again you though Frankens jokes about rape as beeing ok too. And you claim to want us to come to our senses. loser

  7. And just so you tools get it – I actually am trying to offer you some advice.

    Oddly, most people aren’t especially interested in the advice of individuals who refer to their prospective counselees as “tools.” You can consider that advice, Penigma.

  8. And also, I wasn’t aware that Sarah Palin was running for chair or vice-chair of the Minnesota GOP. More advice to you, good sir — try to stay on topic, por favor.

  9. “If you like scumbags, fine.”

    Heh….More insightful commentary from a mongrel that pulled the lever for Porn-O-Rama Franken.

    HAHA!

  10. Nice thread-jack, Peev. Sadly (for you) the days of Democrats picking GOP candidates are over. You say “divisive”. What you know, deep down is the word is “effective”. And that scares the shit out of the bullies in the DFL.

  11. ““tools” seems like such a divisive word.”
    Tracy said it was an insult, oh my, the horror, an “insult”.
    And here is something insensitive: lol lol lol lol lol lol lol

    Quite impressive when the left-wing moon bats like Peev tell us to change our ways and be more like them, and they say it with a straight face!!! Very impressive.

    Like chester the mole tellin them kids that all he wants to do is give them some candy, just hop in the van.

    Or Wile E telling the roadrunner to stop and wait below the big rock.

    Mitch, these are part of the problems with the Republican Party, we cave in and actually listen to Dems tell us how to run the party. We also cave in and are not allowed to unabashedly criticize the opposition, we are no longer allowed to point blank tell anyone it is utterly stupid to support Liberal Fascist policies. We are being told to respect the people that are changing our country for the worse when we should be mocking them.

    No more snark! No more sarcasm. Be nice and listen to the Democrats, they won so be more like them and respect them for instituting policies that will ruin our capitalist way of life.
    I hear they are singing Kumbaya over at the Anti-Strib.
    Now is not the time to pick up the fiddle and sing Kumbaya with the liberals.

  12. Apparently you prefer divisive, abusive jerks… wow, what a shocker!

    So Tony Sutton is “abusive and divisive?”

    Hmm.

    BTW – speaking of divisive..Sarah Palin – your preferred VP candidate said:

    Palin said Friday that it was time for people to rise up against Letterman’s form of humor.

    Peev,

    Did you hear what Letterman said about Palin’s 14 year old daughter?

    If I ran into that desiccated old pervert, I’d smack him one. Rhetorically, anyway. He deserves it.

    But I see your point: because Palin is not only an unapologetic conservative, but a woman (ergo apostate), anything and everything she says is “divisive”, even if it’s ethically absolutely correct.

    Gotcha.

  13. penigma said:

    “I actually am trying to offer you some advice”

    Oh really?

    “Your hate-filled, attack-dog approach”
    “your exclusionary, kick their teeth in approach”
    “Letterman’s jokes are pretty f-in mild”
    “he’s a patently dishonest, mendacious, viscious, and foul-tempered attack-dog”

    Wow. That totally convinced me. That you couldn’t advise your way out of a wet paper sack.

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