Posted on 07/08/2009 6:55:10 AM PDT by flattorney
As a military officer for 30 years, I came to recognize the necessity of good leadership. When I retired from the military in 1998, I became active politically in the Republican Party. Since that time, I've been elected to two National Republican Conventions, acted as a military spokesperson for the Bush/Cheney campaign in 2004, and served as national veterans coordinator for Fred Thompson's presidential run. In 2007, I ran for Minnesota GOP party chair as a reform candidate, and lost. Over the years I have raised tens of thousands of dollars for GOP coffers, donated many thousands of dollars to local and national GOP candidates, worked many hours at the grass-roots level and been asked repeatedly to run for state or federal office by Minnesota GOP officeholders.
So why on Earth have I decided to leave the Minnesota GOP?
Simple: When a political party becomes so dysfunctional that it no longer can operate without tyrannical domination over the grass-roots, it is time to stop enabling bad behavior from that party. I have come to the conclusion that a majority of Minnesotans and many Republicans no longer trust the message of the Minnesota GOP. After years of ineffective party leadership resulting in a record number of defeats, lack of transparency in party dealings, alleged financial impropriety by former party employees, and numerous Federal Election Commission problems, can you really blame the electorate for abandoning the Minnesota GOP?
On June 13, the party continued its death spiral by electing the same failed leadership that has lost the last two elections. The "old guard" network of the GOP State Central Delegates continued to imitate lemmings gleefully following each other over the cliff to the political abyss below. Possibly the last chance to reform and re-energize the Minnesota GOP before the 2010 governor's race has been lost. For me, it was the last straw. I refuse to enable poor performance any longer. In my opinion, the new party leaders are rabid, power-hungry ideologues and the former attack dogs of the previous party chairman. They will not provide a message of inclusiveness or willingness to discuss contrary opinions. Honest, open and transparent party operations will not exist. The party is increasingly controlled by a small group of major financial donors and lobbyists who demand that their hand-picked people maintain the leadership positions. Most elected GOP politicians don't dare support reform out of fear of retribution. When lobbyist and corporate money has this type of stranglehold on a political party, fresh ideas and quality leadership fail to rise to the top.
The Minnesota GOP is no longer capable of competing. If you need further evidence, you only need to look at these two examples: the decision of Gov. Tim Pawlenty not to seek a third term and the decision of businessman Brian Sullivan, long thought to be the party's hand-picked successor to Pawlenty, of declining to run. I'm convinced both men, after watching the abandonment of Sen. Norm Coleman by principled conservatives and the debacle at last year's state GOP convention, where Ron Paul supporters were attacked and shouted down, have read the party tea leaves and decided the Minnesota GOP is so divided it is in no condition to contend in 2010.
After June 13, I came to the conclusion that the Minnesota GOP is no longer capable of being saved. My detractors will attack me, anonymously, or claim that I have hard feelings or that I'm just taking my ball and going home. Wrong — I'm only doing what thousands of Minnesota Republican voters have done over the last two elections; it just took me longer to pull the plug. Somewhere is a political party that is inclusive and wanting of seasoned political grass-roots talent. Somewhere there is a political party that will stand on principle, not radical partisanship. Somewhere there is a political party that isn't bought and paid for by large financial donors or special interests. There must be a party in need of fiscally conservative, principled individuals who will work for the people of Minnesota and not for the blind political ambition of a few. I encourage like-minded Republican voters to join me. I'm sure we'll find that new home.
Lt. Col. Joe Repya, of Eagan, is retired from the U.S. Army after 30 years of service that included Vietnam, Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
quitter
(sarc)
Can’t blame the man.
The good news is that we will see who the true conservatives are as well as the RINOS, all out in the open for all to see. That is a good place to start.
“This is the typical wording of someone accusing the GOP of be too conservative.”
I think that he is suggesting the exact opposite. He mentions a leadership that refuses to listen to the grassroots conservatives, a convention that shouts down Ron Paul supporters, etc.
When a political party becomes so dysfunctional that it no longer can operate without tyrannical domination over the grass-roots, it is time to stop enabling bad behavior from that party.
Same in Maine. The GOP here is a rich boys insider club, run by Cohen, McKernan & Co.
because any organization that could not find a way to beat Al Franken does not deserve your support
“This is the typical wording of someone accusing the GOP of be too conservative. It’s just one statement in the announcement, but it’s leaving a seriously bad taste in my mouth.”
Dittos. That’s how I read it as well. We need a conservative MN. Freeper to give us the scoop.
First, describe a RINO so we will all know what is a RINO and then a bona fide RINO describe who you are afraid of on the other end of the teeter totter.
It is also a simple FACT, there are not sufficient votes to defeat the radical Democrat agenda without all the rest of us holding together.
I’d quit too if I worked my ass off for years and years only to see little or nothing change. I live in Illinois - I know full well what he’s talking about and how he feels.
The GOP in Minnesota, Illinois and a number of other states is little more than country clubs controlled by power brokers who are more interested in patting each other’s backs than winning elections.
I don’t blame him for leaving.
It is apparently a microcosm of the national party. Before, during, and after Reagan, the GOP was dominated by beltway boys and big government "moderates." Reagan was a dynamic, grassroots abherration. He was so successful and well-loved that for the next 2 decades the GOP moderates would try to wrap themselves in his conservative label.
But when we consider who Reagan's own VP was, and the GOP's next 3 POTUS candidates, we realize who really has always dominated the party. Look how quickly Gingrich's "conservative revolution" in Congress returned to form. Jeb Bush was correct when recently he said it was time for the party to forget Reagan-- he knew that was always a smokescreen for the benighted conservative minority. Wearing the "conservative" label is no longer a convenient ruse for the GOP, and it's once again admitting it's true nature.
Real conservatives are an impotent minority in the GOP. It uses them like useful idiots to pull the lever for "the lesser of two evils" candidates like Bush, McCain, and soon-to-be, Romney. We've been vocal but we can't change the majority.
And now the mask is off. The GOP is no place for conservatives. I intend to vote only principles from now on. I've finally realized that voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil.
(and btw, I'm a FL attorney too:))
A minority cannot do so.
I call in the exterminators and take the damn thing back.
I paid for it, it is mine.
Same with the GOP. I refuse to let the bastards win by running me off.
In 1860, the Republican party was a new party which won!
A new party could win but the trick is to paint the Dems and Pubs as one party in the minds of the voters. Seeing the behaviors of both parties, I’m convinced they are one party!
I doubt that I will ever find a political party that holds to all my political views, for I doubt that such a party could ever be elected. I also try to be realistic about things. This is a two party country. If you have two parties running against the dems, it will only insure that the dems will win.
A better suggestion would be to change the leadership in the GOP. Frankly, I don't believe that the current system is fixable. Neither party is worth saving. The political system and the MSM are broken beyond repair.
A cursory check of Pawlenty indicates he is conservative, so Repya's lament of Pawlenty not running for reelection agrees with your assertion that it’s the moderates running the party.
“Kick out the scum in the GOP, and revive it.”
What you don’t seem to realize is that the scum have always run the GOP. It was only during the Reagan/Gingrich interlude that conservatives got energized and had some influence (not enough imo) in the party.
Over the years, I have had many arguments with party regulars over liberty and free enterprise, as well as the current use of eminent domain as a violation of the Fifth Amendment. I know how they think.
They have pretty much succeeded in re-marginalizing conservativesin the party as an infuence. The nomination of McCain was the coup de grace.
Locally, York, PA, the party regulars ceded the city to the Democrats back in the 1980’s, and have actively undermined any Republicans running for city offices. Apparently they forgot to tell the Democrats about this arrangement, because the Dems actively attempt to gain county positions and sometimes succeed. Our Republican congressman, Todd Platts, has openly supported, and lent his troops to, the current Democratic mayor, as had the last crop of Republican county commissioners.
The only glimmer of hope is the GOP controlled state senate, holding firm against Fast Eddie Rendell’s plan to boost spending and taxes, but I fear that this dance will end as soon as the right pork goes to the right counties, and the taxpayers will once again be required to drop our pants and touch our toes.
GOP=Grand Old putzes
Do you feel good about advancing the radical Democrat agenda?
Excellent point. Looks like a lot of conservative Americans have taken the hint and are bugging out of the failed national (and some states) Republican party and into a different, new party that we hope will someday become a major party.
See, e.g. http://www.selfgovernment.us/platform.php
Yeah, but he is from Minnesota, the land of 10,000 loons, er, uh, I mean lakes....
Quibble time. At the end of the article it says he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. If he retired in 1998, then he cannot have served in OIF since it didn’t start until 2003. Also, I don’t know if a LtCOL (O-5) by law can serve for 30 years. Only an O-6 (or above obviously) can serve for that long. There may be some special circumstances, but usually O-5’s cannot go beyond 26 years. Was he National Guard? Anyway, it calls into question his credentials.
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