Back in 2002, a couple of unnamed conservatives walked into the State Green Party Convention on a lark, got themselves seated (because “credentials” were, at the time, an authoritarian paternalistic relic of fascism, apparently), and nominated former Marine fighter pilot Ed McGaa – a firebreathing property rights conservative and absolute anti-Green – for governor. Hilarity ensued; McGaa, who was not present at the convention, won the nomination. Afterwards, he got in on the joke, running an extremely tongue-in-cheek campaign while the Greens gradually realized they’d been had, went through a cataclysmic soul-searching, and finally tossed him and ran perennial pest Ken Pentel. McGaa, tongue in cheek or not, might have done better.
It was a joke that got out of hand.
It looks like the joke got paid back this weekend.
While I’m deliriously happy about Eva Ng – a genuine conservative and person with the kind of vision my city needs – running for Mayor of Saint Paul, it’s not all roses.
The Minneapolis GOP has endorsed “Papa” John Kolstad. Kolstad, a DFLer who left the party because “centrism” frustrated him, next ran for the Attorney General slot as a Greenie (note to pretty much anyone; the presence of “Papa” in a political stage name is always always always a bad sign).
And now – since the Greens have lost major-party status – he’s “running as a Republican”.
Kolstad has run for a DFL state senate seat and Atty. General (Green Party endorsed). His reasons for running for Atty General in 2006: http://dailyjam.blogspot.com/2006/06/minnesota-green-party-slate-of-2006.html
First, Becky Lourey has said she would bring the National Guard troops home from Iraq. Kolstad would use the attorney general’s office to assist her in that cause.
Second, as a strong supporter of Single Payer Health Insurance, Kolstad would continue the work Hatch has done in holding insurance company executives’ feet to the fire. He would also fight any legal challenges to Single Payer waged by the insurance companies.
Third, he would use the attorney general’s office to fight on behalf of the environment. If you are creating greenhouse gases by driving a gas guzzler, you should pay for it. He suspects collusion between coal companies and electric companies, and he’d like to investigate that. How can electric companies charge rate-payers to pay farmers not to use wind turbines to generate safe, renewable energy? He’d like to look into that.
Look, the GOP is a big tent, but this is lunacy.
And while I’ve led the Twin Cities’ punditry in trying to welcome the Ron Paul supporters to the party, we have to draw the line at nominating a crypto-maoist like Kolstad. Word has it that it was the Ronulans on the Minneapolis City Committee that pushed the decidedly non-conservative, non-Republican Kolstad through the process.
Rules is rules. Elections go to those who show up. Duly noted.
But it is time for actual Republicans to take their party back in Minneapolis. Somehow we in Saint Paul managed to incorporate the energy and vitality of the Paulbots, without losing our conservative souls. Minneapolis needs to do the same.
Minneapolis Republicans; you need to rise up and condem this theft of your party by – words fail me – enemies of what you believe in.
Minneapolis Republicans? Do you know his name?
What’s Flash going to
snark say about this?Sorry, I’m just a caveman. You’re tags and other blogging technology frightens and confuses me.
His little ‘un, Cadillac Kolstad, is quite the piano player and entertainer. Old man Kolstad is right out of 1968 though. An aging hippy.
Flush is still reading yesterday’s SorosMemo. He’ll get current as time permits.
Hey, what do you want for “a few pennies”?
This just opens the door to a primary challenge from a man far better suited to carry the GOP banner in Minneapolis…
…David Strom. He’s a little pale, hasn’t gotten a good night’s sleep in years, but he’s ready anyway. Run David run!
You guys are writing about something you know nothing about.
Number one (Chad the Elder) there are no primaries in Minneapolis, IRV.
Number two David Strom has been reached out to about the prospect of running by multiple people on the city committee, no response.
I could be called a Ron Paul Republican. I was a national delegate for him and I supported Papa John Kolstad. He has helped me and other (Ron Paul and non Ron Paul) Republicans and non-republican candidates prepare through speech training. We need all the help we can get and it is everyone against city hall.
During this speech training we realized how much common ground there was on city issues and we asked Papa John to consider seeking our endorsement. He was very reluctant, but agreed. If you were there, and I didn’t see you, and you heard John Kolstad’s speech you would understand why he got the endorsement. We asked him to run he is not a trojan horse in search of a party. He is a good man, with a small business who is tired of being bullied by the city.
As to your characterization of it as Ron Paul Republican’s pushing him through, it is not fair, some of us did and some didn’t. His main competition for Mayoral endorsement was a man, Bill Butler, whom I would consider to be a Ron Paul Republican. It is fair to say most of the Ron Paul Republicans cast their vote for him. He would make a great candidate, and probably the only thing that stopped him from getting the endorsement was his late entry and the strong case John Kolstad made, winning over a very skeptical crowd.
There were three candidates.
John Kolstad
Bill Butler (A Ron Paul Republican)
Bob Carney (A Norm Coleman Republican – Moderate)
The true story was the rejection of moderate Republicanism.
I don’t think too many people agree with John on his single payer health care issue, but we do have a lot of common ground.
I would caution people who continue to look at things in a conservative vs. liberal point of view.
It is more about liberty seekers vs. statists. We can find a lot of common ground on the left especially in local politics. The city government is the most oppressive level of government and no one is safe from the city.
In Minneapolis we have one party rule and it is everyone against the machine.
John Kolstad will not make a perfect Mayor, but he will be far superior to the current one. Most importantly he is principled and a good man.
Come live in the city and help us all, we need more Republicans in city or should I say freedom lovers.
Kris Broberg
Ward 13 City Council Candidate
Kris,
A fair point. I remain to be convinced, but your point is well taken.
However:
Come live in the city
I have enough to do in Saint Paul…
Come live in the city and help us all
I would rather have an appencectomy without anasthetic.
Appendectomy. Or a root canal.
I’m not necessarily sure that abandoning the conservative-vs.-liberal point of view will fix much.
Voters do have conservative points of view… others have liberal points of view.
I believe there are a few handy posts available here and elsewhere that speak on this matter.
I would rather have an appencectomy without anasthetic.
Agreed. You should stay out of the city AND have major surgery sans anesthetic. Win-win.
I thought the snark would end once the obamasiah was elected.
When you think of it, though, they got nuthin’ else. They can’t say he’s won any wars — no ‘mission accomplished’ banners, that’s for sure! Obama still hasn’t smoked Osama out of his cave! They can’t say he’s kept the economy from hemoraging jobs, or even kept the deficit under a trillion dollars.
Dear Kris, you write:
There were three candidates.
John Kolstad
Bill Butler (A Ron Paul Republican)
Bob Carney (A Norm Coleman Republican – Moderate)
The true story was the rejection of moderate Republicanism.
Thanks for Senator Franken, putz. Now run along and play with your krugerrand.
You can thank Norm Coleman for Al Franken.
He voted for the bailout and has embraced the Cap and Trade and Climate Change nonsense. He is not a Republican in the framework that I signed up to support. If anything he was a flag in the wind consulting public polling to determine that particular days “principles”.
(note to pretty much anyone; the presence of “Papa” in a political stage name is always always always a bad sign).
The “Papa” is a relic from his folkie guitar musician days. I met him during that period many years ago; a high school classmate (and a guy I’ve known since 1970) is married to one of his nieces.
So might fun to watch wingnuts fight with one another.
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Ha ha! Tim, Clownie called you a wingnut. Say, how’s your kevlar vest holding up, Timmy?
I already had the “live in the city” experience, and that’s why I don’t live there now.
Hey King, name calling is fun, but I don’t expect much from a government employee, who supported a career hack politician like Norm “ANWR” Coleman. Good thing Norm lost, because he would be ‘crossing the aisle too get things done for MN’, such as cap and trade and universal health care. Wow that wouldn’t be good for the old Republican party brand that the party hacks are so worried about.
Kris Broberg is furthest thing from a putz. He is for liberty first and will work together with people who are tired of the one party corruption and statism in Minneapolis. However he will not back down from his core principles, unlike Norm Coleman. Oh yah, I forgot Norm doesn’t have core principles.
Mitch Berg, thank you for the cordial response to Kris’s posting.
By the way, I would rather play with my pre-1964 silver coins.