Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Public Service

Running for public office is a daunting task, especially when one decides to challenge the established way of doing things. This election cycle I decided to run for the Minnesota legislature. I did not, however attend our party's nominating convention, so I am currently running as the un-endorsed candidate. The decision to run was made late in the process, but within the State deadline for filing. As a member of the Republican party for the past 20 years I have worked on many campaigns. I have tried to be faithful to the party platform and to my Libertarian way of thinking. I have watched our party struggle to maintain credibility over the last couple of election cycles as we continue to nominate RhINO's as candidates. We watched the head of our party, Tony Sutton, try to bankrupt the party with a fools errand when he decided to pay for an election re-count. We watched our party vice-chair get involved in an extra-marital affair with one of our Senate leaders. We watched our party struggle to pay the rent on our offices in St. Paul. The time to step forward as a candidate, a Republican candidate, would seem rather tenuous.

Running as the un-endorsed candidate offers a great sense of freedom and separation from the party leaders and their past struggles. I was asked by many long time party supporters why I didn't run as an independent? Good question. But the fact remains, that in the current political climate, we are ruled by the two party system. You have to run as a Democrat or a Republican. And after investing 20 years, why not try to change the party from the outside, since they seem unwilling to change from within. One way to change the system is to reduce the influence of special interest groups and money. I have tried to do this by placing a self imposed limit for campaign contributions of no more than $100. Another way to change the system is by not seeking an endorsement of any kind, from any special interest group. It is my hope that by doing this, I can remain accountable to the people I will hopefully be fortunate enough to represent.

Representative government should be about the people. Government should provide the basic structure for people to prosper, with a minimal amount of interference. Our founding fathers felt strongly about trusting people, rather than government. I am a firm believer in the wisdom of many of our founding fathers, most especially Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. These men had the courage and foresight to do something wonderful, something that challenged the established way of thinking. I am honored to follow, even if in a minor fashion, in the footsteps of giants.

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