Dakota Beacon

Actually, mostly I love them.  But get enough of them together and, every time, someone will opine that there’s no difference between the two major parties – Republicans are as bad as Democrats and they sell you out.  Someone will complain that invariably the Republicans nominate worthless or dangerous Progressive candidates and “we’re supposed to get in line and get them elected.”  Then they call for an Independent or third party candidate and swear they’re done with voting for “party”.  It has been the vogue for years to disparage “party politics”.

I must admit they get my attention, especially when our last Republican candidate was John McCain,  when Michael Steele stands behind Mark Kirk, when George W. wants to extend Mexico all the way up to Wyoming and do away with capitalism in order to “save” it, or when I see Newt Gingrich mugging it up with Nancy Pelosi in their campaign to “green up” America.  Or any time I hear the name, “Lindsey Graham”.  And there is such a tempting buffet of options – Libertarians, Constitutionalists, Conservative Party – all of which offer tremendous appeal to an American patriot. 

But you tea party folks who don’t find Republicans good enough aren’t getting it.  The two party system was made for representative democracy.  True, the Founders didn’t anticipate or want it, but it evolved quite naturally.  One party results in something like the old Soviet system – an oppressive oligarchy.  Three or more parties result in a sort of chaotic mix where often the best we can do is a plurality, which is a fancy way of saying “minority” rule. European nations have this and it devolves into government by some uneasy, unstable coalition or by a minority.  It seems when we look at them they end up mostly socialist.  But a two party system, properly utilized by the people, provides contrasting approaches to government, one of which will be the majority view at any given time.  Thus it becomes responsive to the electorate.  So why the animosity toward the two party system?  The people who complain say the parties don’t listen to them.  (It isn’t strictly a Republican problem – remember McCarthy/McGovern/Humphrey?) 

Saying the two party system doesn’t work is like saying republican democracy doesn’t work, or free enterprise doesn’t work.  They do work, but only if the people use them. Elections work if the people vote.  The free market works if the government doesn't interfere.  The two party system works if the people participate in it.

Doesn’t it seem a bit childish?  Here are grownups upset because while they were at a Tupperware party or watching football, a group of Progressives showed up at their local caucus and elected delegates to the next-level convention who leaned toward the Progressive agenda.  What?!  These guys didn’t show up to advance our Conservative platform?  If you, as a Conservative, found yourself among a majority of Conservative Republicans would you all get together to help get Progressives elected as delegates?  Does this make any sense?

A couple of months ago, our good friend from Pennington County, Barb Chervestad, came to our Valley Tea Party meeting with dates for Minnesota caucuses and suggested we turn out as many Conservatives as we could.  This way we could strongly influence the direction our party took at this critical juncture.  We could put forward our platform, hear and support the best candidates.  We could become a positive force for good.  I heartily seconded her suggestion. 

I recall a long-ago district convention in Grand Forks. I was there, then a Precinct Committeeman, and a few party faithful came.  But before the meeting commenced, some new people poured in.  People I had never seen in my own 15 years of work with Republicans.  I didn’t know them, but I knew their names from years of typing canvas sheets and poll sheets.  They were Democrats, members of the local teachers’ association (read, “union”) and they were there precisely to take over the district.  They had the numbers and they did so.  Obviously these people had held their own meeting the day before to lay their plans.  It was perfectly legal. All they had to do was show up in numbers sufficient to control the event and it was theirs.  The results?  In essense, TWO parties, both functioning essentially as Democrats. You can guess what they did with the political agenda in the next few years. This happened in other districts as well.  We still have the residue. This was a textbook study in impacting the process.  If you have 20 interested bona fide Republicans at a district convention and 23 new guys show up from who knows where, those 23 new guys have taken control of your district.  It’s as simple as that.


So if tea party people want to have something to say that COUNTS in the end, they need to quit complaining and chanting the mantra that there’s no difference between the parties and we need a third one.  A third one won’t be any better because the same complainers that don’t like the two parties we have won’t show up for the third party either.  If you want the Republican party to nominate better candidates don’t tell THEM to do it – YOU do it!

To bring the Republican Party back under the influence of the Right, all we needed to do was turn out in numbers sufficient to the task.  Not that hard to accomplish.  I emailed everyone I knew and asked them to come out to the caucus.  I phoned those whose numbers I had. I went on Scott Hennen’s radio show to promote the caucuses and urge people who wanted to make a difference to come.  When 7:00 rolled around the only tea party people there were myself, my three kids and one other person.  And I know for a fact that the Democrats had less participation than the Republicans. The people who stayed home could have made a great difference.  In fact, the people who stayed home did make a difference. 

I do love tea party patriots because when they find out we’re about to crash and burn they come out fearlessly and strive mightily to turn us away from disaster.  They CARE when the chips are down.  But they hobble themselves by not exercising their rights to direct one or the other of our two major parties.  It should be obvious that a system with more than two major parties would carry the problem of rule by a plurality rather than a majority, or constant run-off elections, in which no one will be satisfied either. 

For better or worse, the Republican and Democrat parties in North Dakota have held their conventions.  If you participated, you are to be thanked and congratulated.  If not, and if you don’t like what you’ve got that’s too bad.  Now the decision you will have to make is which of the two major parties do you want to support?  What we need is some input into the system we have.  Let this be the last year you patriots sit out the process.  You’ve been protesting now for a year.  In that time you could have taken over one or both parties (many Democrats feel the same disconnect Conservative Republicans feel) and been on the road to recovery for this nation!  Instead, too many of you have taken the attitude that neither party is “pure” enough. Just ask yourselves why.