The Texas Congressman built some of his strongest support here in Minnesota. But at the Liberty Movement Forum in Minneapolis, Paul supporters said the party abandoned small government principles, and hurt the GOP brand in Minnesota with divisive social issues.
Paul’s Minnesota campaign manager, Marianne Stebbins, says the marriage amendment pulled focus away from real issues.
“People who support Republicans support Republicans because they think they believe in small government, and…they believe that they’re strong on the economics. But then when the Republican Party goes out there and runs on the marriage amendment, people are thinking, ‘Well, where’s the small government party?’” Stebbins said.
Apparently the event is over, it was this Saturday, e.g., reporting here, here and here.
That last Faribault Daily News item gave the link:
http://www.sd61gop.org/forum
The dailypaul.com item gave a link, (the second one above), carrying the above Stebbins quote, and ending:
Dr. Paul’s active, deep Minnesota supporters are winning Republican Party local offices and elected posts as well.
Stebbins says she will not run for state Republican Party chair, but says other Paul supporters will.
“We are the ones who can grow the party. We are the ones who can get the Republican Party back to that small government message,” Stebbins said.
The Minnesota Republicans will elect a new State Chair of the Party next April.
The Paulistas' takeover aim seems to make Republican inner party play interesting, as if they might carry the day. Yet, if they cave in to other factions within the inner party, good luck, but don't claim liberty or freedom if you compromise on liberty and freedom. Then, you are nothing but the Taxpayer League, talking as if bigger and broader in outlook; i.e., trying to co-opt liberty, rather than understanding the concept, and then standing for it. Simple to understand? Yes, but remember these are politicians, who'd rather obfuscate than adhere to "liberty" in its many aspects. The pressures to want to run the GOP may mean that appeasing clerly anti-liberty factions may not be simple to resist. Ron Paul himself deviates from principles of freedom and individual liberty, when it comes to reproductive issues, and that path is his to take if he wishes, but it's a political minefield to do so and still posture as if the embodiment of wishing for "liberty."
Denying that the family planning choice issue exists is no answer for the Paulistas. Face it or face ongoing marginalization, folks. It's that simple. Same for freedom of movement, which gets into the immigration policy thicket. Are you for freedoms, or only some freedoms as if it is a buffet table choice?
There is a http://libertyeducationforum.org/
which is largely single issue, but how will the Paulistas deal with its agenda? Merely saying back-burner such stuff, as Stebbins says, is fundamentally disingenuous and probably, for the Paulistas, counterproductive.
The reporting I could find has all been about the "upcoming" Liberty Forum, i.e., from before Saturday, and the event is now over. If any reader knows of any follow-up coverage of what transpired when the Pualistas convened, please put a link in the comments. I am most interested in how this faction intends to keep hold of the GOP in Minnesota, something they appear to have captured, at least temporarily, by aggressive caucus activism. So any follow-up on the event, THAT'S REAL NEWS.
__________UPDATE___________
On that sd61gop.org site, went to the website and the website said, feed them babies pablum:
Agenda & Speakers
[...]
4. Take Action: Organizing and running campaigns to win.
Steven Sutton V.P. of Development, Morton Blackwell’s Leadership Institute and former Chief of Staff to Congressman John Kline and Senior Advisor to Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.
[links in original, bolding omitted]. Okay, Paulista folks, where are you collectively on militarization and imperial war mongering abroad? Ron Paul opposes it, but bringing in a Col. Klink and Crazy Bachmann person, one educated at one of the military academies, how does that square with consistency? With "small government" when the military is the biggest ticket item in federal spending?
Reconcile things, please. Or just be Taxpayer League, falsely saying "Liberty."
Finally, this screen shot of the above-linked bio-contact page for Steven Sutton, and is there a name in that agenda-speakers item 4 absent from what Sutton wants to say of himself; check it out. Click and read.
That is right, Paulista folks. You will have to resolve how you intend to control and lead the GOP along with having to recognize and face Crazy Michele factions.
Good luck, on both coherence and unity. If you Paulista people can meld that pairing into something not a complete fraud, you may actually drive the car for a while. If not, you shall be only another passenger with Bill Cooper and Norm Coleman back driving. UPDATE: Still driving?
__________FURTHER UPDATE__________
I erred. Some of those links were from after the "Liberty Forum" but were so content thin, nothing but the Stebbins sound-bite really, and that caused me to believe they were in anticipation of the event. The one item from before, Joe Kimball's MinnPost item, had as much relevant content as the post-event non-coverage:
Much to the chagrin of establishment Republicans, the Paulites dominated the state's delegation to the RNC and cast 33 of Minnesota's 40 votes for Paul.
Said Mark Johnson, chair of the state Senate District 61 Republicans:
"We planned the Liberty Forum before the election because, win or lose, the most significant debate in Minnesota politics is taking place within the Republican Party between the ‘Liberty Republicans’ and the party establishment.
"Even had Republicans captured the White House and held its majorities in the Minnesota House and Senate, the Forum would have been valuable. Given the results of the election, it is more important than ever that Republicans have grounding in, and understanding of, what the Liberty Movement is all about as we discuss the future of the MNGOP."
[italics omitted]. Yes, so what is the Liberty Movement all about? Check mainstream media to find out? Ho, ho, ho, on that. My guess, it is about how to politically dissemble to try to keep a diverse coalition together and be able to count to 50+% elsewhere but in MN 6, which is a gerrymandered locale that is easy prey to the GOP and always has been. Yet if Stillwater had been kept in, Crazy Michele might have been ousted by moderate-conservative, Jim Graves, who is much, much more than a publicity junkie. Stillwater is where Bachmann is from, and they know her.