News Release: Carney almost files as a Republican for State House District 60B

 

Contact: Robert S. Carney Jr., bob@RepublicanContract.com

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For immediate release

No New Texas!

Carney almost files as a Republican for State House District 60B

 

    Carney told: "now you sign your life away" -- stops in mid-signature.

    "'Sign your life away' isn't in either of my Contracts," Carney says.

Minneapolis, MN, July 17^th, 2006 – On Thursday, July 13^th, 2006, Bob Carney Jr. went to the sixth floor of the Hennepin County Government Center to file as a Republican candidate for State House District 60B, in Southwest Minneapolis. But it was not to be.

“I was signing my name, when the clerk said to me: 'Now you sign your life away,'” Carney said. Carney completed his signature up to the “S.” in his middle name, and stopped.  The partially completed Affidavit of Candidacy is available for inspection.  Carney is also available to go to the Government Center office to attempt to locate the clerk.

“I've been promoting two Republican Contracts, one for Governor, and the other for State Legislature, but neither one has anything in it about 'signing your life away,'” Carney said. “This kind of reminds me of the old Jack Benny skit, where Benny was being robbed, and the stick-up man told the stuck-up Benny 'your money or your life,' and Benny replied: 'I'm thinking... I'm thinking... don't rush me,'” Carney said.

The previous day, Carney had spoken to Senate District 60 Republican leader Clarence Carlson, and told Carlson of his plans to run for the 60B seat. Carlson assured Carney he would have Senate District 60's full support, and invited Carney to the executive committee, to be held Thursday evening. Carney accepted, and told Carlson he planned to file Thursday. Carlson suggested filing at the Government Center rather than the Secretary of State's office, since it would be closer. Carlson also told Carney something to the effect that Carney would have a chance to learn more about the “inner party,” and cited one local connection with the Bush family. “I was not enthusiastic about this,” Carney said. “I don't think I want to get in touch with my 'inner party.' It seems the outer Republican party has enough problems as it is,” Carney said.

Maybe (of course) it's all for the best

Carney called Carlson Thursday afternoon, recounted his experience at the Government Center, and was reassured by Carlson that “I think she was joking.” Nonetheless, Carney told Carlson of his intent not to proceed, and asked Carlson if another candidate would be available. Carlson said “there have been some rumblings.” Carney said he would be at the meeting that night.

Carney thinks Carlson's theory (“joking”) is the most likely explanation. “However, it's interesting to consider that this clerk appeared to me to be someone who has probably seen a lot of people file for office. There's often an underlying truth behind humorous remarks. In any case, I think she knows of what she speaks,” Carney concluded.

Carney did attend the Executive Committee meeting, and was a listener for about 10 minutes before his agenda item came up. One information item presented to the committee before Carney spoke was an account of some interest in running for 60B seat by a younger candidate, about age 24 or so, who apparently has been active in either College Republicans or Young Republicans. Carney also heard of plans for all Republican candidates emerging from the September 12^th primary as nominees to meet a couple of days after the primary, apparently for the purpose of coordinating activities heading toward the general election.

Carney spoke to the committee for about ten minutes, recounting his experience at the Government Center earlier that day, giving an account of what progress he thought he had made in moving the party in a more moderate direction, and presenting as background for the committee some highlights of a constitutional theory on impeachment Carney developed in book form in 1999-2000. Regarding progress at the state level, Carney handed out an information packet including a two page summary of House Speaker Steve Sviggum's reactions to the individual points on Carney's Minnesota Republican State Legislator's Contract with Voters, an article on a Minnesota Constitutional amendment Carney has drafted to address the problem of judicial activism generally, obviating the need for a so-called “marriage amendment,” and a summary of Carney's overview of the amendment, and Speaker Sviggum's largely favorable reaction to it.

Carney concluded by telling the committee that he thought his current differences with the Republican party at the national level were so great that this factor had to be taken into account in his decision not to be a candidate. Carney noted that Bush was the first “MBA” president, and characterized the operation of the Republican party at the Federal level as “operating like one big corporation,” in stark opposition to Carney's view of how the independent branches of a republican form of government should operate. This elicited only one comment from a committee member, to the effect that the committee member was glad the party was operating like one big corporation at the Federal level.

“The executive committee, and many active Senate District 60 Republicans, know that I have strong differences with the Republican party at the Federal level,” Carney said. “I have told them I am not a Bush supporter. I passed out several hundred information sheets at the State Republican Convention stating: 'Due to the need for checks and balances at the Federal level, I am disassociating myself generally with Republican Federal candidates. I hope Congressman Ramstad is re-elected.' At a combined precinct caucus meeting earlier this year, with Clarence Carlson in attendance, I introduced a resolution opposing torture. I have an article on my RepublicanContract.com web site considering the impeachment (“firing”) of Secretary Rumsfeld based on the impeachment theory I developed in 1999-2000,” Carney said. Carney has advocated impeaching Secretary Rumsfeld since 2004.

Carney continued: “My final assessment was that even if I were to be endorsed by the appropriate Republican committee in Senate District 60, three serious problems would remain. First, given my views on the recent Republican record, especially at the Federal and the State level, such an endorsement would probably not be representative of the views of Republicans in SD 60 who participated in the 2006 precinct caucus and convention process. It would be one more 'top-down' decision in a Republican party that is already plagued by far too much top-down decision making.

“Second, the level of Republican participation at the grass roots level in 2006 is so low that the legitimacy of the entire endorsing process has to be called into question. It appears to me that the small band of 'active Republicans' in SD 60, and throughout the party, comprises a cadre of people culled from a relentless, organized screening and recruitment process run at the national level, a screening process that is designed to bring in people with a narrowly defined set of views and approach to politics, and a screening process that is designed to drive others away. This simply isn't a 'grass roots' process by which 'the people' choose their representatives. I admire the dedication and desire to serve of current 'active Republicans,' but at the same time I think they are being subjected to a program of systematic psychological conditioning and behavior modification. I think it is possible to work with these people, and to inform them of things being done at the Federal level that they would agree are wrongful, but that they don't know, or don't believe, are happening. Education about how a republican form of government should function will also be helpful. Since many of these people are Christians, as I am, reading The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis would probably also be helpful. Lewis' book is a very insightful examination of the dangers of psychological conditioning and behavioral modification.

“Third, there is not much time remaining this year to raise money, and organize and run an an effective campaign, with the prospect of effectively communicating to 60B voters a relatively complex and nuanced approach to politics,” Carney observed.

“In addition to these prospective problems, there was also certainly the possibility that had I filed for 60B, I may not have been endorsed, and/or I would have faced a primary challenge by a more 'party line,' candidate, who might have secured the endorsement, and who would have been likely to have significant resources. In this scenario, I think I would have been faced with a demand to conform to the 'party line,' particularly regarding Federal races. As I would have refused to do that, I think my efforts to move the State Republican party in a more moderate level would have been severely undermined,” Carney concluded.

Carney's plans for 2006 and 2008

For 2006, Carney plans to complete his video documentary on his effort to move the Minnesota Republican party in a more moderate direction, based on the two contracts. “I will ask moderate Republican State Legislative candidates, including incumbents, to endorse my Minnesota Republican State Legislator's Contract with Voters, and I will make my documentary available as a campaign tool for them. I will also continue my efforts to do a video interview with Governor Pawlenty, on both my Governor's Contract, and on the possibility of some other commitment on his part to continuing the more moderate approach he took in the most recent Legislative session,” Carney said.

Carney also plans to begin exploratory activity toward running for the District 60B seat in the 2008 election. “I don't plan to officially announce at this time,” Carney said, “but I plan to start organizing the district, and preparing the way for myself, or another moderate Republican candidate, to run and win in 2008. One additional advantage of this approach is that it avoids a situation where current Republican activists feel someone was 'forced down their throat.' There will be plenty of time to encourage current activists to rethink the issues I'm raising, and possibly to come to agree with my view of both the State and the Federal political situation. There will also be time to reach out to people who I believe have been 'filtered out' of a 'Republican party' whose very name is increasingly becoming a misnomer,” Carney said. “Of course, there may be an endorsed 'party line' Republican for 60B in 2006, but frankly I think it is very unlikely such a candidate would win the seat this year, and of course the upshot is that the seat is open for Republicans to contest in 2008,” Carney observed.

Carney also plans to announce some times and places, mostly outdoors on sunny days, for conducting video interviews of anyone who wants to participate, regarding both his two Republican Contracts, and more generally, regarding what people see as the most challenging and most difficult problems confronting us today.

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