Tomorrow is caucus night in Minnesota.<\/p>\n
Republicans will gather at hundreds of community centers, schools, city halls, auditoriums and libraries around the state to vote for resolutions, local party leadership, and – most importantly – delegates to go to their House District (called “BPOU”, in curious MNGOP parlance) conventions, there to begin a process of delegate selections and candidate endorsements that will end at the State Convention<\/a> from April 29 through May 1; each round of conventions will, in turn, endorse state legislators and representatives, Congressional candidates, and candidates for Governor as well as the other constitutional offices, and any local races in play.<\/p>\n And if you have a vision for the Minnesota Republican Party, now’s the time to speak up.<\/p>\n I’ll be going, of course; I’m the convener for my precinct in the Midway.\u00a0 I’m hoping we continue the fantastic turnout from the 2008 cycle; that year, the hordes of energetic Ron Paul supporters stormed the gates, and in so doing energized the party, motivating it to actions that had eluded it for many years.<\/p>\n This year, the Tea Party movement – a cousin of the Paul campaign, but broader and not focused on any personalities or, indeed, any parties – will no doubt dominate the discussion at the conventions.\u00a0 While the Tea Party movements are, in fact, non-partisan, there is just no room for that sort of populist-libertarian philosophy in the DFL, and the Independence Party is a joke that will likely lose major-party status this election.\u00a0 (And yes, I have friends in the IP, so I know this’ll lead to an argument or two – but it’s the truth; the “Independence” Party, AKA “DFL Lite”, without Jesse Ventura, is just another self-marginalizing third party, existing only as a spoiler; even Minnesotans, as flighty as they are, are getting tired of the joke.\u00a0 Any party that can consider Dean Barkley a serious candidate deserves to fade, and quickly).<\/p>\n Who’s doing to be the winner?<\/p>\n We won’t know for sure until we get to each level of endorsing convention, of course.\u00a0 But the big ‘tater is obviously the Minnesota Governor race, along with the various Constitutional Office races (Secretary of State, State Auditor and Attorney General).<\/p>\n For governor, it’s a tough call this year.\u00a0 There are three great conservatives running for the nomination this year; Dave Hann, Tom Emmer and Marty Seifert.\u00a0 Each of them has a fairly impeccable conservative record (tempered by, yes, a few of the compromises that politicians always wind up making in a deliberative body like the legislature; the only people who can manage pure and uncompromising in their political records are those who have no political record at all).<\/p>\n The real question for me?\u00a0 Which is the conservative who will do the best job of going to “independents”, and convince them to move to “the right?”<\/em><\/p>\n That’s the thing I’ve gotta figure out by tomorrow night.<\/p>\n What’s everyone’s sense this time around?\u00a0 Leave a comment, and vote in the poll…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n