Kowabunga

Thursday evening was the first day of the Minnesota Republican Convention. This is a gathering of some 2,000 people from around the state, plus a number of volunteers, staff, guests and the media. It's an enriching experience to go to one of these events, for the speeches and party platform work, as well as for the after hours parties.

I arrived midway into registration, around 5PM, with the event scheduled to begin at 6:30 and run into the night.

While wandering aimlessly about with the words "gullible target" stamped on my head, I was interviewed by WCCO. I did not get to hear the results. Some of what I was asked was what I thought the GOP's prospects were like in '06, as well as issues. That's when I learned that Pawlenty signed the bill authorizing a Twins stadium with funding from a special sales tax that bypasses the referendum process that was set into law in 1999. The drill down question, why I thought this was a bad decision, came up with this response from me: it sets a bad precedent in that any county or project that wants to get funded via sales taxes can now expect to get it in place by bypassing the referendum process, especially in counties where the voters have shown a high likelihood to vote such a tax down. What I should have said s that I hope the people of Hennepin County come together and file a legal challenge in the courts to get this legislation overturned.

The main event for the first day was endorsing a candidate for the U.S. Senate. Two solid candidates had come before the delegation: Mark Kennedy (a sensible Kennedy, who'd have thought?) and Harold Shudlick.

Kennedy has served three terms in the House of Representatives and has developed a track record in winning elections, campaigning hard, and working hard in Congress.

Shudlick, a combat veteran of Vietnam with the Bronze Star, and a retired chaplain, is a new comer to the political arena. His message of solid conservative values, including on immigration reform, dealing with illegal aliens, border security, taxation, and so on, resonate well with many, including myself.

This made for a very tough decision for me, as they are both good men, and both would make good Senators.

Needless to say, Mark Kennedy carried the day with about 75% of the vote on the first ballot. Admittedly, I was not surprised by the outcome. Harold Shudlick has my respect and admiration for stepping up to the plate and running.

After recess, it was time for a little partying at the various hospitality suites at the Hyatt, where I ran into Scott of Freedom Dogs, and Larry of my Townhall Meetup group.

Stay tuned for day 2.

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Republican
Minnesota Republican Party
Mark Kennedy
Kennedy
Politics