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How is the Minnesota Republican party becoming un-Republican?

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To see how the Minnesota Republican party is becoming un-Republican, let's start with the word itself.  What does "Republican" mean? (if you think you're clear on this, skip to part two)
 

"Republican Form of Government," had a meaning that was clear, definite, and widely accepted.  You've had this in school, but it might not hurt to review it (or skip to part 2). The form's "bare bones" include three branches of government, each with a definite role.

The Legislature was the dominant branch, both in the Federal Constitution, and in the existing state government of the time. Both houses of the Legislature were designed and intended to be deliberative, although people knew that factions were inevitable. 

The Executive was for administration, carrying out the laws and policies of the Legislature.  At the state level, executives were typically very weak.  In the new Constitution the President was stronger, but was still far more accountable to Congress for oversight and direction that our current situation.

The Judiciary was an independent branch for a reason: to prevent the other branches from trying to control how judges applied the law. 

Checks and balances: The three branches are independent.  Often, one branch can be prevented from doing something by either, or both, of the other branches.  Today, we don't hear as much about the reason for this: people back then knew from experience that government power was dangerous.  Checks and balances was a way to try to prevent one individual, or group, from controlling the entire government -- a danger that James Madison quite bluntly described as tyranny.

The danger of faction.   George Washington warned about this in his farewell address.   It was recognized by everyone that factions would arise: the Checks and Balances system was designed in part to protect against this.  The worst case was seen as the danger of a dominant popular movement gaining control of both houses of a Legislature and ramming a program through on party line votes, with two bad consequences: lack of deliberation, and "winner take all" politics.  The Federal system itself, with power sharing between national and state governments, was also designed to reduce the danger of factions operating in this way.  Madison thought because most factional interests would be regional, it would be difficult for any faction to control the Federal government.

In the context of a "Republican Form of Government," here are six ways in which the current Minnesota Republican party is becoming un-Republican:

There is evidence that Republican and affiliated organizations are using both "focus groups" and polling to find the hot buttons  -- then running ads designed to translate those hot button issues into votes.  At the same time, the party is heavily financed at all levels by special interests.  Don't be misled by the fact a lot of this money is "individual" rather than corporate contributions.  Even in the 2000 nominating process, the so-called Pioneers who contributed $1,000 to the Bush primary campaign were being asked to write "tracking codes" on the memo lines of their checks, to identify trade associations and industry sectors (Newsweek, 1/16/00).  Of course, special interest money is a problem with both parties, and throughout our current system.  

When special interests and caucus discipline become dominant the deliberative function of the legislature breaks down.  A Legislature works best when many different people, with different backgrounds, insights, and interests, engage in a give and take discussion.   The result of this kind of a process is laws and policies that build on the best ideas that emerge from the discussion.  Unfortunately, today the process is dominated by party caucuses and party line votes, with party "leaders" brokering a last minute deal.  This process, and the massive attention directed to hot button issues, produces results that are far less than the Legislature is capable of.

Hot button and attack politics simply can't work unless you have a Legislative caucus that is "united" (by arm-twisting or otherwise) on your "hot button" and "attack" issues.  Here are the results:

- internal discussion and disagreement tends to be discouraged and suppressed. 

- independent thinkers become unwelcome "troublemakers."

- Legislators become "boots on the ground," needed primarily because the Constitution still requires people to actually be present to vote in the Legislature. 

In a Republican Form of Government, the Legislature is the source of lawmaking, policy and oversight.  This deliberate process needs to be allowed to work.  However, if the Governor's office is treated as just one more power center to be controlled, one more lever available to pull by a "united" party machine, the deliberative process is inevitably replaced by party-line votes and last minute deals by the leaders.  The result is a kind of "three house" legislature, where the Governor's office becomes the third house.  That's what we've had recently.  The solution to this is for the Governor to back off, and help the Legislature with its deliberative function.  That's the main idea behind the Republican Governor's Contract with Voters. 

Thanks to the FairData2000.com web site for permission to use this map.  There site is an excellent source for many different kinds of political maps.

Part Three: What's the cure?

I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a general Government necessary for us, and there is no form of Government but what may be a blessing to the people if will administered, and believe further that it is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in Despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic Government, being incapable of any other.

1) At the national level, we are so desperately in need of checks and balances that there must be a bias in favor of electing Democrats to the House and Senate.  This has nothing to do with the quality or merits of individual Minnesota Republican candidates -- it simply reflects the extent to which our Federal Government has ceased to function with deliberation and with checks and balances.

2) The federal system, with state and national governments and shared power, is another element of checks and balances.  At the state level, we need candidates who will support the Republican Governor's and Legislator's Contract with Voters.  This will result in both improvement of our state government, and an ability to check what is going on at the Federal level.

3) We must use the primary election system to advance candidates.  The primary election is both an opportunity for more moderates and independent thinkers to represent the Minnesota Republican party to voters, and an chance to put the current course of the Republican party up to a vote.

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