Almost three years after having stepped into the periphery, Minnesota politics still leave me confused as hell. They eat their young here. With all the talk of needing new faces, new voices, and increased community participation, infusion into the old guard is still almost impossible to accomplish. Unless those new voices contribute nothing beyond echoes of whats been said before, theyre threats to be ridiculed, drowned out, and ultimately silenced. And the attacks come from seemingly nowhere, unprovoked, and are for the most part accepted without challenge. You people know me. While I may drop eff bombs like a longshoreman, Im neither combative nor cruel. I live my convictions, Im generous, honest, encouraging, and I love to laugh and coax others to laugh with me. Im also forgiving, knowing that the person most burdened by a grudge is the one holding it. Show of hands? You know this is the truth. So imagine my surprise, and yes, Ill be honest, dismay, when I found out this spring that I was that old hag. What? The person who made the pronouncement was someone I didnt even know, and it was delivered by a high school acolyte whose interpretation of living in a Christlike manner apparently differs exponentially from mine. Never having had prior interaction with either of them, I can only assume the fatwa was issued over my choice of friends within the party. So it goes. I know good people, and am charmed all the more when playfulness is mixed in with their sense of discernment. My choices stand. That said, sure it hurt. Its been many years since Ive felt attacked, and especially with my early history, thats never easy to deal with. True to form, I turned it into a joke, and tried to project an image of not caring. Behind the scenes, I extended a tentative olive branch or two via private message. They bore no fruit. And I still just do not understand. It had been my intention to walk in parades this summer, lit drop, and do everything I could to help get my candidates elected. Instead, since the Convention in Rochester, a deep sense of discouragement has led me into almost complete withdrawal from the political scene. In that regard, at least one MNGOP campaign this election cycle was a rousing success. What brought this on so many months after everything was said and done? The spouse of the person who pronounced me as that old hag is running for political office. A couple of days ago I received an invitation to a fundraiser for the campaign. WHAT? Only a fool would venture into territory where one is persona non grata. Im not combative, Im not tremendously confrontational, and Im certainly not a fool. For the life of me, I do not get it. I do not get it at all.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 03:06:37 +0000
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