More fundamentally, however, their vote went against the party platform. In voting the way that they did, those legislators thumbed their noses at one of the critical principles that define Republicans in Minnesota. It’s like being Catholic but not believing in the divinity of the Virgin Mary.

I think that we all agree that there are times and places where one should and likely must compromise in order to make the wheels of government work. It is unreasonable to expect people to dig in and fight every time. However, there are also times when a particular issue arises that goes against a core belief. An issue that defines you as a person or group. At those times, there can be no compromise, no surrender. In those moments, one must fight for those beliefs with all of the passion and heart they can muster.

If you are a Republican and believe in the platform, then this tax increase was one of those issues, one of those times. A number of Republicans stood their ground and fought for their core beliefs. Six of them betrayed those values when it came to taxation. How can they be called Republicans if they are so ready and willing to betray the core values of Republicans in Minnesota.

This has nothing to do with the stifling of free will in the Legislature. I know a few of the legislators that serve with Marty Seifert. I can guarantee that none of them are mindless drones of the Republican party. None of them had frontal lobotomies as part of their orientation. However, all of them are dedicated Republicans who are committed to upholding the platform of our party. I don’t know who these six people who betrayed our party are or what they believe. I don’t know what they were promised (if anything)to get them to turn against our beliefs and Republicans in Minnesota. I do know that they are not members of the same party that I am. I hope that they can find they have the integrity to leave the party that they just betrayed.

This whole thing is a joke! I’m entertained by the libs defending the rogue Republicans. Even the so-called independents or self proclaimed moderate republicans. If you have a team and members of the team go against the team on a major pillar of your being, they don’t retain their captain status and I’m surprised they aren’t simply given walking papers. And if those rogue Republicans feel they are so in the right, they should walk on their own perrogative.

I wish this was a joke.

Startribune
By Mark Brunswick, Star Tribune
Last update: February 26, 2008 – 5:20 PM

“These are people who are good Republicans who left the reservation on this issue. This was a critical watershed issue, this is the largest tax increase in the history of the State of Minnesota. To have Republicans not stand against the largest tax increase that’s really baffling. It should have been an easy vote for these Republicans to have taken.”

Rep. Bud Heidgerken, R-Freeport, said he would have stepped down if he believed he did anything wrong but believes he did right for his district.

“The message they are sending to me is that ‘We don’t want any independent minded people,’” Heidgerken said. “I’ll always stand up for what’s right. If that means my election than I don’t deserve to be here.”

Right.

You’re probably unaware but the Republican party has a thing called a platform. Shocking I know. Even more shocking, we expect our members to adhere to it.

Yeah, they’d rather have politicians who smile at them while they’re robbing them blind.

The GOP has played “DFL-lite” politics for the last four years and see what’s happened? When the GOP was on the rise, they were LEADERS in protecting the principles of the party. Now, they are lost.

Listening to you, Georgie, would only deepen the hole that they are in. Hence, please drop dead.

Please drop dead. Now. I’ll dig the hole.

Now, onto another little issue I have with the Override Six. Has anyone looked at how they voted on the Twins Stadium Porky gift to Smilin’ Carl? Oh, let me help you all out:

5 out of 6 voted IN FAVOR of the porky treat to a guy worth over $2 BILLION. I was shocked that Airhead Earhardt was NOT in favor of that.

So when you people hear me a-bitchin’ about that vote, just remember…5 of these six slimy slugs also rammed that sucker down our throat.

You have lost your compass. You are not “exposing” Democrats with this post are you? The right-wing wing nuts on here will say you are exposing Republicans that act like Democrats. But my point is the same.

MDE has lost it’s way. This site is now more about pushing an agenda then “exposing Democrats.” I thought the posts about the Jeff Johnson Hennepin County race were odd. Then you provided a stump from which Ron Carey attempted to blackmail Republicans on this issue.

Michael, you have taken your eye off the ball. In order to regain majorities here Minnesota, keep your US Senate seat, retain the White House and win majorities in Congress, you are going to haved to get back to what you do best.

All this action does is to help those six incumbents, because if their constituents hear about it they will be outraged, regardless of how they felt on the gas tax. They may be challenged for the endorsement, but come primary time they will triumph.

Instead of destroying his Caucus, Seifert should have sat down at the table to find a compromise, instead of throwing bombs and injuring everyone.

The party and the caucus can do whatever they want within the law to censure the mutineers. Doing nothing would hurt the party and caucus credibility. Especially since leadership told teh caucus that there would be consequences for voting to override.

At least one of those Representatives [who are Republican] voted to override the Republican Governor’s veto on February 25, 2008.

There were four (4) other Representatives [who are Republican] who also voted that way.

This party discipline thing that MDE is trying to impose [after 20 years of not having a raise in the gasoline tax] is exactly why Barack Obama has struck such a unity chord with the American people.

Americans are weary of the political parties holding the “We the people. . . ” hostage.

This goes to show that Carey and Seifert care more for their “unified image” of MNGOP leadership than the actual fissures that have been building over the years within the State party.

Those 6 D-bags already have a party, it’s called the DFL. Let them leave/kick them to the curb so that real conservatives can take their place.

I’m moving. i can’t stand this state anymore. the people who vote these retards in…why would i want to live here amongst a bunch of imbeciles?

How is it any better for these Reps to be bullied, threatened or bribed by Ron Carey and Marty Seifert than by lobbyists or one of the evil Special Interest Groups.

Regardless of your take on the gas tax hike (I happen to think it’s about time even though I am a Republican), how can you not have respect for elected officials doing what they believe is right despite all the personal ramifications?

We say we want elected officials who value service and integrity over their own careers – and yet when they show a little mettle and independence, the party beats them back into submission.

I read Tinglestad and Abler’s quotes in the Strib last night, and to be honest, I was really proud of them. These are two very socially conservative Republicans. They’re not McCains; they don’t regularly flaunt the party’s platform for headlines. They just believe we need to build more roads – that it’s a core function of government, an honest public safety concern, and they stood by their convictions despite the Party wielding its mighty sword and vowing to retaliate.

I say they’re good Americans. They have a right to disagree with the Governor and they have a right to vote their conscience. They ought not be shamed for taking into consideration more than the views of 30 delegates and Ron Carey.

This is precisely the outcome which works best for Pawlenty: he evades all blame for the taxes and directs the wrath of the “MDE constituency” towards the GOPers that actually did their jobs.

Besides, do you think Abeler cares? He can sleep well… and like he said, it’s not his career. Lose him and put in another dull ideologue, nice work, grassroots GOP. Your leverage will continue to wither.

Abeler, Tinglestad, Hamilton, all of them will be able to deliver huge benefits to their districts, which is their real responsibility. Face it, people: the Mary Liz Holberg ‘starve the beast’ transportation philosophy can’t deliver anything at all. Ideological rigidity is a recent and dumb development in your party. Have fun campaigning for McCain!

The Republican Leadership actually wished Pawlenty had not attended their caucus meeting about the veto override last week? WOW.