Although Minnesota House Republicans lost more seats last election, caucus members express optimism, talk of harmony and a proposal-driven comeback.

"Those 47 members of our caucus were more positive and had more energy than at any time in the four years I've been in the Legislature,” said Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, of a recent caucus meeting.

House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, meets the press last session. 

(Photo by T.W. Budig, ECM Capitol Reporter)

by T.W. Budig
ECM Capitol reporter

Although Minnesota House Republicans lost more seats last election, caucus members express optimism, talk of harmony and a proposal-driven comeback.

"Those 47 members of our caucus were more positive and had more energy than at any time in the four years I've been in the Legislature,” said Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, of a recent caucus meeting.

Rep. Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, will again skipper the caucus — a challenge for the top slot by local lawmaker, Rep. Tom Emmer of Delano, came up short.

Known for his pithy phrase making and encyclopedia knowledge of the Legislature,  Seifert indicated that last session's spectacle of caucus members taking thumps for their floor votes will not be repeated.

Retribution last session was meted out  against "The Override Six,” a group of House Republicans who voted to override Gov. Tim Pawlenty's veto of the transportation finance bill.

"We've done a lot of soul searching about what happened last year,” said Seifert.

Marginalization over

"I made it very clear when I was re-elected leader that the marginalization of members based on how they voted on an override or anything else was over,” he said.

Everyone applauded, Seifert said.

Yes, the caucus could take actions against a member on account of their personal behavior, he noted.

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The House Republican Caucus this week elected its leadership team for the 2009-10 Legislative Session. Rep. Steve Smith, R-Mound, was elected Deputy Republican Leader. Rep. Dan Severson, of Sauk Rapids, was elected the caucus whip while representatives. Bob Gunther, of Fairmont, Randy Demmer, of Hayfield, and Sarah Anderson, of Plymouth, were elected assistant minority leaders.

Another assistant minority leader will be appointed before the session.

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"(But) the voters ultimately have a say in what happens in regard to you voting record,” said Seifert.

Rep. Kathy Tingelstad, R-Andover, who decided not to seek re-election in part because of the toxicity over her override vote — a Democrat won her seat — expressed a degree of satisfaction.

"Oh ya, but I think it came a little late,” she said.

Rep. Kathy Tingelstad, R-Andover, receives a hug from a colleague after completing her last term of service in the House.

"I think he (Seifert) really learned — a lot of people really learned — from that ordeal,” she said.

Double digit surge

Democrats wrestled away control of the House from Republicans in 2006 with a double-digit surge and the loss of two seats this year — a loss some Republicans view as a victory for Seifert, as Democrats failed to hit the magic 90 mark of a veto-proof majority — has House Republicans pondering the future.

Losing seats three election cycles in a row hasn't happened since the Watergate era, one House Republican mused.

But House Republicans are quick to point out that the battering they've undergone reflects national trends.

And that the goings-on in Washington do indeed seep down to the local level.

Conservatism in America is as popular as ever, Garofalo argued.

"But when you've got a Republican president who turns surpluses in deficits, who expanded entitlements and proposed a $700 billion bail out, people don't view that as conservative,” he said recently.

"And fairly or unfairly, I think people associate local Republicans with the actions of the president,” said Garofalo.

But rarely does a single problem steer a party's fortunes, he pointed out.

"I think another problem is that reasonable Republicans have let the conversation be dominant by those who tend to be anti-government,” Garofalo said.

Not anti-government

"Republicans are not anti-government. We are anti-lousy government,” he said.

Rep. Matt Dean, R-Dellwood, echoed some of Garofalo's themes.

"We definitely have a (party) brand that's broken,” he said.

But Republicans can, and indeed do, win in Democrat-leaning districts, Dean said.

Rep. Matt Dean, R-Dellwood, listens to a colleague on the House floor last session.

"We were encouraging candidate, ‘Don't run as a Republican legislator in you district — run as the mayor for your district,'” he said of the past election.

Localize the campaign, candidates were urged.

"To the extent our candidates could communicate that message I think they were far more successful than if they were just trying to say, ‘I'm on the same ticket with (Sen.) John McCain and (Rep.) Michele Bachmann,'” he said.

While not wholly dismissing the impact of an unpopular president, Emmer turned the magnifying glass on himself and his Republican colleagues.

"We've become very good as Republicans at tearing down the other guy's (Democrats's) ideas — it's not too difficult,” he said.

"But if the voting public has a choice between a government health care program and nothing, what's the choice,” opined Emmer.

You must have a product

House Republicans will be making proposals — health care, transportation, local government aid, Emmer stressed. "You're not going to have much of a message if you don't have a product,” he warned.

Rep. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, one of two returning "Override Six” lawmakers, views the fundementals of the Republican Party as sound.

But the coalition building has been weak over recent election cycles, he opined.

"It's unfriendly to people who are a little light on the money (budget) question. And it's unfriendly to people who light on the moral/social question,” said Abeler of the party.

"If the answer is you're weak on either one of those, it's not a friendly place to be,” he opined.

Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, in action on the House floor.

To an extent, Garofalo opined, the party has begun to pull itself together.

"Part of this, and I'll be honest, is absolutely self-inflicted,” he said of perceived drift.

"We now have proven beyond any reasonable doubt that if you marginalize the moderates, there's not of a whole heck of a lot of legislative seats you can win,” he said.

"On the other hand if you ignore the conservative base you're going to lose a lot of seats like we did in 2006,” said Garofalo.

"The key is for both the very conservative and moderate wings of our party to work together,” he said.

Emmer curtly labeled talk about battles between conservatives and moderates as so much"hooey.”

Either you're Republican or you're not

"I don't even like the term ‘conservative.' You're either a Republican or you're not,” he said.

Everyone needs to be singing from the same hymnal, Emmer insisted.

Asked about the party and social issues, several local Republicans opined that while abortion and same-sex marriage and other social issues have been and should remain important to Republicans, neither should they be the sole focus.

"I think our opposition has been fantastic (at depicting Republicans as driven by social issues) and frankly,  a great number of our social conservatives have been more than willing to step into it,” said Emmer of a perceived idea that the party is a party of social issues.

Seifert has shied away from social issues in favor of a focus on jobs, cutting regulations, he explained.

"During my tenure as minority leader if you counted the number of times I've talked about gay rights or Indian gaming you could probably count them on one finger,” he said.

Keep social issues in perspective

Seifert speaks of keeping the importance of social issues in perspective.

"There's certainly a lot of people who don't get up in the morning and say ‘This is the Number One concern of my family,'” said Seifert, recalling legislative battles over same-sex marriage of a few years ago.

"I think the focus the average middle-class family is worried about tends to be, ‘Do I have a job? Is the economy growing?” Seifert opined.

Still, the party, by accident or otherwise, tends to be identified with social issues, he opined.

"That's something they're going to have to take a look at,” Seifert said.

After all, did Republican lawmakers like Sondra Erickson or Tim Wilkin lose thier re-elections because they're too moderate? he rhetorically asked.

(Democrats constantly tuck social issue legislation into bills — they just don't talk about it, Seifert explained.)

Rep. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, speaks a past Capitol press conference.

The gripe of the social issue agenda has weakened in recent years, Tingelstad opined.

"I remember some of my few first terms, that really dominated — especially with the grassroots Republican activists,” she said. "I think it's really been replaced with tax issues, economic issues,” she opined.

"You really don't see that many people coming into the party now with just the Pro Life issue as their biggest concern,” she said.

How soon will House Republicans begins to see their numbers grow?

Political pendulum swings back and forth

The political pendulum in American politics has always swung back and forth, Seifert noted.

"We obviously can't just rely on history being on side with the pendulum swinging. We have to help push it,” he said.

Dean looks to an inclusive spirit, following Gov. Tim Pawlenty's lead about appealing to Sam's Club Republicans, as a pathway back to power.

"People who have voted Democrat might kick the tires a little bit and say, ‘Well, we like this about it,'” he said.

"‘But we also would like a little more balance,'” said Dean of the electorate's musings.

The speed of the party's political resurgence is linked to its willingness to open the tent flaps, build coalitions, Abeler opined.

"The more you appear to be willing to work on things and put the people first, the more that actually sells (to voters),” he said.

"For our party to prevail we have to ally with people which whom we agree with on five things out of ten  — constituents and fellow (caucus) members,” said Abeler.

"And until we can do that, we'll have a tough time in the wilderness,” he said.

(Photo by T.W. Budig, ECM Capitol Reporter)