Deep Breath, but not really

This is a long one...
The state of the MN GOP has nothing to do with the actual Chair race. But the aftermath is very enlightening. The state of the MN GOP is sadly, widely intolerant.

There has been a lot of spitting on each other regarding the MN GOP Party Chair race. In fact, I will not support any state wide candidate that endorsed Eric The Crook Hoplin (who won as Deputy Chair). Because of the comments from some Republicans I will reserve my efforts and work to local races. I see that the MN GOP has a larger problem. I have fought for a long time for open discourse and the acceptance of differing viewpoints within the party. Especially at the BPOU, caucus and CD levels. After all, regardless of what those people believe they have a passion enough to show up.

While living in SD 44 I learned that the party I thought that a big-tent philosophy was wrong. That depends on what your goals are and what position you hold. I learned that after I got involved in SD 44. The first ring suburbs need moderate Republicans or else the GOP cannot win those districts. The inner cities need left-of-center Republicans or the GOP cannot win those districts. For a while the GOP understood that. Each district must choose for themselves, but a party person must understand that those people hold a role.

Similarly there are divergent viewpoints on the party platform. Since I moved out of SD 44 and out to "greater Minnesota" I have run into a very strong, active and ranking faction within the GOP. If you do not hold the exactly correct position on every plank of the party platform you cannot advance to higher levels of the party. If you do not support the candidates that they choose you will not be given a voice.

My friend, Dan Nygaard (chair of the 6th CD) is not like this. I have been hoping that this intolerance was limited just a few people that worked hard to advance within the district. I was hoping that the intolerance of differing views could be fixed while working with Dan and a couple of the other people in the district.

After reading Residual Force and Kennedy v Machine and Bogus Gold and quite a few others I realize my hope is for something very distant as the intolerance is likely more the norm in the MN GOP.

For the Party Chair race it came down to Ron Eibensteiner and Ron Carey. Carey won, but the blogs supporting RonE (for no real reason that has been articulated to this point other than 'he is there already') have been castigating the Carey supporters as being mindless thugs. Carey supporters do not know what is good for them...and I am surprised that the more bombastic ones (RF) did not say that we should not be allowed to vote next time. Remember, there was a movement at the convention to remove some of the Carey supporters from various positions. Their final analysis is that we all have an alterior motive. Well, you should read what we have said rather than treating us like mentally deficient people unable to articulate our views. Their final analysis is that we do not know what is good for the party. You arrogant jerks: why would we spend so much time working for a party in order to do something that we did not believe was good for the party? Again, lower yourselves from your pedestal of All-Knowing Pundits and listen to what we have said.

How intolerant is the MN GOP? Announce in any forum that you are not Christian. See if you can advance. I catch "Holy" hell for suggesting that a policy must have a secular foundation in order to win support with the public. That, it seems, is too blasphemous for a Republican to be allowed to make. Imagine what will happen in my BPOU when they find out a secret of mine: I'm a Dieist. I believe in A Higher Being but do not believe in organized religions.

While Judi Dutcher was a far left wakko, she was not far off when she said that the GOP has an unwritten rule that you must be ardently pro-life (which means also you must believe in life-at-conception) in order to succeed within the party. I am curious to find out what the reaction in the GOP will be when another secret of mine gets out: I believe that abortion laws should be at the state level. Oh my God? Worse than that, I think that the government's role in balancing one life versus another must be defined without Biblical justifications. I think that the correct definition is viability of the fetus. Anything before that is up to the states and anything after that is illegal. And it is all or nothing...it is 100% illegal regardless of rape, incest or life of the mother. Those exceptions are not defensible pro-life positions, but the GOP makes them.

Anyway, after reading the intolerance relating to Party Chair (relating to the selection of one Republican over another, not even anything directly related to public policy) it is with very great unease that I read and digest Kennedy v Machine's Deep Breath posting.

I wish you were right. I hope you are dropping the blatant intolerance. But it has already been revealed in the party. Basically, while (erroneously) accusing Carey supporters of this you guys all said that we are too stupid to have our own choices for Party Chair. (You sound like the losing party of the 2000 & 2004 Pres races, btw.) So, Kennedy had my support for '06, but the reaction within the party has chased me away from contributing time or money to any state race. If I do not know them personally they do not have my support. They can EARN my vote (I know, that is blasphemy too...it seems I'm obligated to vote for whom the larger bloggers tell me to), but they don't get the fruits of my labor. When this intolerance of differing views dissipates I will reassess that position.

I'm not saying everyone has to agree. I'm saying the MN GOP does not allow dissenting views...and that needs to change. Stop running people out...stop shaming people. For example, I disagree with the very crux of the Log Cabin GOP's existance (homosexuality), but I do not tell them to get out of the party. I do not try to prevent them from running for office. I support them being in the party. I support them being offered the chance to speak. The bulk of the MN GOP on the other hand would try to prevent any of that from happening. It is not that they are intolerant of gays, necessarily, but intolerant of anything differing from their own beliefs.

I'm ashamed.