Rudy Takala's Columns
Minnesota Republican Party
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Sunday, January 01, 2012 11:18 PM
 As reported in the media, Pat Shortridgeis the new chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota (RPM). He was elected with 224 votes, or 66% of the total delegation.Terry McCallreceived 103 votes.Todd McIntyrereceived just nine votes. What I found interesting is that, while legislative leaders and party operatives (paid officials or people who are seeking to become paid officials) supported Shortridge, members of the Republican Party’s State Executive Committee and leaders within the party supported McCall by a slight edge. |
Kurt Zellers, Matt Dean, Minnesota Republican Party, Terry McCall, David Fitzsimmons, Rick Weible, Todd McIntyre, Pat Shortridge, Adam Weigold, Bill Jungbauer, Dan Hall, Dave Senjem, Jim Taylor, Marco Rubio, Margaret Cavanagh, Steve Perkins, Ted Lovdahl
|
|
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Monday, December 05, 2011 3:11 AM
 After the State Central Committee meeting of the Minnesota Republican Party (RPM) held on December 3, some of the issues that presently define the RPM were made evident. The State Central Committee is a body made up of approximately 350 delegates governing the RPM. Though I am presently in Washington D.C., I am a delegate and have spoken with countless people who did make it to the meeting. To recap: Kelly Fentonwas elected deputy chair of the RPM on the second round of balloting, with 173 votes out of about 350. |
Michael Brodkorb, Pat Anderson, Tom Emmer, Tony Sutton, Minnesota Republican Party, Michael Cummins, David Fitzsimmons, MNGOP, Kelly Fenton, Marty Seifert, Pete Nelson
|
|
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Friday, December 02, 2011 9:59 PM
 According to a letter by state GOP Chair Tony Sutton that appeared in the Star Tribune today, he is stepping down as chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, less than seven months after being re-elected. You can view the letter byclicking here. Several things about this are notable. I will list them here in summary format and expand upon it more within the next couple of days. As those involved in the party already know, the State Central Committee is meeting tomorrow and will hold a special election to fill the position of deputy chairman. |
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Friday, August 05, 2011 5:42 PM
 This is a piece authored by Charley Shaw of the St. Paul Legal Ledger/Capitol Report. He graciously included my analysis in the piece. You may access it byclicking here, or, if you are not registered to access full pieces on the Politics in Minnesota Website, you may simply scroll down.____________________________________________ If you hear political activists calling for change in the 2012 state House and Senate elections, you won’t be faulted for thinking that the rhetoric must be coming from DFLers. |
Minnesota Budget, Minnesota Legislature, Good Legislators, Sue Jeffers, Bad Legislators, Liberal Republicans, Taxes, Kurt Zellers, Michele Bachmann, Michael Brodkorb, State of the GOP, Minnesota Republican Party, John Kriesel, Jim Abeler, Pat Garofalo, Tea Party, Mitch Berg, Politics in Minnesota
|
|
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2011 1:09 PM
 The 22-person list of congressional memberswho voted againstSpeaker Boehner's budget legislation deserve to be thanked. (Two of them were from my own state of Minnesota: Michele Bachmann and Chip Cravaack. South Carolina had us beat, though, as all five of their Republicans opposed the legislation.) I would not have necessarily voted against his final product, which included a balanced budget amendment. However, if those 22 members believe that Republicans could get a better end result by proposing an even better package, I am happy to stand behind them. |
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Friday, July 22, 2011 10:42 AM
 From an unfiltered political perspective, the $35.7 billion budget signed by Governor Dayton on Wednesday served a purpose desired urgently by both Republicans and Democrats to claim some sort of victory. That appeared to be the most admirable quality of the legislation for both sides. Yet what is notable is that only Republicans are touting the legislation around, calling it a "victory." The Minnesota GOP went so far as to issue a press release on Thursday titled, "Republican Party of Minnesota Hails Budget as a Victory for the MNGOP and the People of Minnesota. |
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Friday, June 10, 2011 11:07 PM
 Attorney & blogger John Gilmore wrote an excellent analysis of the Minnesota budget situation and the Republicans' handling of it.Click hereto find it on his Website, Minnesota Conservatives, or scroll down to read it. I have bolded his best points for your reading convenience.____________________________________________ The Budget: How Republicans Failed Themselves The early warning sign that dealing with GovernorMark Dayton would not be as easy for the republican legislative majority as it assumed came early on: at a signing ceremony to foolishly opt in to federal Obamacare funds, he let the leaders of the assembled opposition speak. |
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Friday, June 10, 2011 6:28 PM
 The following is an article by Briana Bierschbach with Politics in Minnesota. You canclick here to read iton PIM's Website if you have a subscription, or scroll down if you do not. It provides a good who's who of which Republicans are most likely to vote with the Democrats in raising taxes during the upcoming special session. House Republican commitee chairsJim AbelerandRod Hamiltonare rightly pointed out as being the most likely to break. They both voted to override Tim Pawlenty's veto in 2008 of the transportation budget; they are also the only two of those six Republicans who were not thrown out of office that year as a result. |
Minnesota Budget, Minnesota Legislature, Bad Legislators, Liberal Republicans, Michael Brodkorb, Minnesota Republican Party, John Kriesel, Mark Dayton, Jim Abeler, Pat Garofalo, Rod Hamilton
|
|
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Wednesday, June 08, 2011 3:46 PM
 Terry McCall, a friend with whom I would almost always agree, wrote an eloquent commentary that appears in the Red Wing Republican Eagle. Terry sits on the board of the Republican Liberty Caucus with me and is the chairman of Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District Republicans. You mayclick here to view in the newspaperor scroll down here._______________________________________________ Don’t be intimidated, stick to principles I am one of those people who try to live my personal life by a set of principles — principles that infuse my political beliefs. |
Minnesota Budget, Minnesota Legislature, Good Legislators, Bad Legislators, Liberal Republicans, Taxes, State of the GOP, Minnesota Republican Party, Mark Dayton, Republican Liberty Caucus, Terry McCall
|
|
|
|
Rudy Takala: Posted on Wednesday, June 08, 2011 11:44 AM
 In order to decrease the gap between budget proposals from the GOP and Governor Dayton, the GOP agreed to raise spending on education and the courts by another $110 million. However, the governor still wants the GOP to raise spending by another $1.7 billion.Unfortunately, the GOP's choice for legislative leadership right now is not very adept at dealing with the media, and they are too fearful of losing their political positions to be effective. They are virtually guaranteed to raise spending by the full $1. |
|
|
