And so we hear the latest in the DFLer's continuing
obsession with Rene LaVoi. Please remember that she
ran for congress under a different party tag in 2000.
She is an ex-Republican.
Mr Bonham is entirely correct in pointing out that
some of the recent Republican candidates were not good
candidates. And I agree - good candidates find a way
to get themselves elected. But I wish that the DFL
candidates were as good at governing as they are at
getting elected.
Consider this list
No Republican voted for the Target subsidies
The police who trashed the genetics protesters are led
by a police chief appointed by a Democrat.
The City Council that voted to stop emptying trash
cans had no Republicans and one independent.
Our current half hearted snow plowing has been
administered by Democrats, not Republicans.
This list could go on. It depresses me. I grew up
elsewhere and have seen other cities. I chose to live
here and continually decide not to move to the suburbs
because I like Minneapolis. This city has a great
heart and everything required to shine is
present...except a council and mayor with a will to
run the city.
Rich Chandler - Ward 9
Secretary, Minneapolis Republican Party
These words are my own, not the Republican Party's
=============
From: Tim Bonham
I think much of the reason for this is the poor
quality of the republican candidates recently. "Poor"
as in being unrepresentative of the voters in the
city. The Minneapolis branch of the republican party
has been taken over by extreme, hard-line
conservatives -- such that any republican that might
have a chance of winning an election in Minneapolis
will never be endorsed by them.
There is a solid block of republican votes in the
city, but they are mostly moderate republicans. A
republican candidate starts out with a solid
15,000-20,000 votes in the city, nearly half of the
total needed to get elected. All they would have to
do is attract another 20,000 votes from independents
or wavering democrats to get elected. A candidate
running as progressive on social issues, but
conservative on fiscal matters would have a fair shot
at those swing votes. (Isn't that mostly what Lisa
McDonald is aiming for?)
But the republicans persist in endorsing far-right
candidates who don't appeal, don't even attempt to
appeal to those swing voters. (Remember the last
election where one republican said something to the
effect that blacks come from the jungles are are
genetically more pre-disposed to animal behavior? And
she was running for school board in a city with over
50% minority students in the schools!
She came in dead last -- didn't even get the standard
15,000 republican votes.)
As a DFL party activist, I kind of like not having a
republican opposition. But since the DFL party then
has to cover the whole range from moderate to radical
liberal, it results in the battles being internal
fights in the DFL party. And we all know that fights
in your own family are more vicious than fights with
outsiders. This seems to contribute to constant
turmoil & fights within the DFL party, with grudges &
bad feelings held afterwards. Sometimes I think we
DFL'ers would be better off if we had a common enemy
in the form of a strong republican candidate -- just
not strong enough to get elected.
Tim Bonham, 12th Ward
=============
From: List Manager
Steve Brandt brings our attention to a sign of the
political times:
http://startribune.com/viewers/qview/cgi/qview.cgi?story=84338466
David Brauer
List manager
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