| Dear Mr. Sutton,
Congratulations on becoming the latest version of Minnesota's Baghdad Bob ... er ... the Chair of the MN Republican Party. You have very small shoes to fill. Not because outgoing Chair Ron Carey didn't oversee an epic failure for your party, but because he has small feet.
I'm not sure how you're going to lose 65 more seats in the State House like Carey did. Do you even have 65 House members left? In the Senate, there is already a veto-proof majority of DFLers -- good luck finding a way to lose more seats. You'll have a tough road ahead of you.
"We've got to get back on track philosophically," Sutton said. "The party of fiscal responsibility was spending like crazy in Washington. We've got to regain credibility with folks for whom fiscal issues are important."
Sutton will be responsible for recruiting and backing candidates, organizing grass roots support and turning out the vote in elections. 2010 is a critical year because there's an open race for governor and every legislative seat is on the ballot.
(MPR)
As you assume the duncecap helm of your beleagured party, I have a few suggestions ... friendly, helpful suggestions ... on how you can improve on the party that Ron Carey helped ruin. |
| First, you have an excellent Assistant. There is nobody more divisive and polarizing in Minnesota politics than Michael Brodkorb. He's certainly going to push for the same old mudslinging, wedge issue politics that got you into the mess left you by Carey.
Second, since the Republicans always promote those who fail, your experience as Treasurer will serve you well. You obviously learned from Mr. Carey who also had serious problems with the finances of your party.
The allegations are serious - among others, illegal transfers of party funds from state to federal accounts and failure to properly account for employee retirement monies. Now, it appears that since last Thursday, the Republican Party of Minnesota, under republiCon Ron's "stewardship", has filed 38 Amended Reports with the Federal Election Commission. Just how deep does the incompetence go? Criminal, perhaps?
When there are Amended Reports, to Amended Reports, as many of these new Amended Reports are, it makes it difficult to track what, exactly, the State Republican Party was up to. In other words, these corrections to previously corrected reports opens up more questions than they answer.
(mnblue)
These amendments to the amended reports were on your watch as Treasurer. Obviously, your failures groomed you perfectly for your new role.
Third, getting "back on track philosophically" is all well and good. But don't let anyone convince you that the party has swung too far to the right. Be sure to listen to the knuckle-dragging mouth-breathers activists in the base who believe the party has lost ground because it isn't conservative enough.
This sounds about like the best direction.
Speaking further to rebuilding trust with the public and attracting new voters, Sutton said, "Going forward we must be unashamed and unabashed liberty-loving conservatives - we must have confidence in our ideas and agenda and promote them loudly and boldly. Only then will we regain the confidence of the voters with whom we have lost credibility over the last few years."
(The Political Animal)
It's not that your party has been wrong on things like keeping bridges standing and running MNDOT. It's not that your no-new-taxes fiscal policy at the state level has driven people's property taxes through the roof. It's not that your party hates gays and immigrants. It's that you haven't promoted those beliefs strongly enough.
You don't need to stand on any rooftops with a megaphone, just talk to your Assistant Duncecap Party Chair, Mr. Brodkorb. Many of the reporters at the Avista Capital Partners owned Star Tribune get their stories directly from him.
Fourth, fiscal responsibility isn't all it's cracked up to be. Continue promoting the irresponsible borrow-n-spend, credit card fiscal policy that has gotten Minnesota into it's current mess. Unallotment is your friend, embrace it and all the lay-offs it entails. Also, be sure to ignore the polling which indicates that majorities of Minnesotans are in favor of the wealthy paying their fair share. Always defend the wealthy and at all costs.
Finally, don't ignore the inspirational leadership provided by RNC Chair Michael Steele. If there is anyone who is so obviously a natural born leader of the Republicans, it's Mr. Steele. However, if his bold, dynamic and thoughtful leadership isn't enough, there's always the overweight druggie Boss Limbaugh. That guy is classy. |
