George Pillsbury and the Revival of the Republican Party in Minnesota

A significant story about the virtual collapse of the Republican Party here in Minnesota appeared in today’s local newspaper – front page bottom: STATE REPUBLICANS FORESEE MAJOR CHANGES. Rachel E. Stassen-Berger, one of the few people I follow on Twitter, wrote the piece and it’s very worth reading if you’re from Minnesota (or if the Republican Party is having similar problems in your state).
by Charlie Leck

To me, it sounds like the whipping the Republican Party took here in Minnesota in this year’s election will turn out to be a good thing for Republicans and not a bad thing. It’s forcing that Party to take a careful look at itself and see some of the problems with which it has failed to deal over the last decade or two.

One of my favorite, grand, old Republicans here in Minnesota was the late George Pillsbury. I’d played a number of Wednesday afternoon rounds of golf with this fine gentleman and that had given us plenty of opportunities to chat politics. More recently, Mr. Pillsbury, knowing, from some of our chats on the golf course, that I was a committed Democrat, was willing to converse occasionally about his disappointments with the direction his Party had taken over the last decade. I had recent conversations with him about the subject; however, I also remember having such a conversation with Mr. Pillsbury and my father-in-law, Lyman E. Wakefield, Jr., over twenty years ago, when they both foresaw the developing problems that would eventually mire down their great party here in the state.

Mr. Pillsbury recognized that right-wing radicalism was not conservatism and he worried a great deal about the way his Party was inching ever-further to the right. The movement rightward reached its climax two years ago, when the state GOP nominated an unreasonable, far right-winger to run for governor and the party made it clear there was no compromising on their hard-core positions. At lot of Republicans, like Mr. Pillsbury, looked for an alternative and ran a sensible, reasonable conservative (Tom Horner) for governor as an independent. Many of the most distinguished Republicans in the state turned away from the Party’s nominee and that allowed the Democrats to take over the Governor’s Mansion for the first time in many, many years. The fiasco dealt the Republican Party a very damaging blow (including bankruptcy) from which it has still not recovered.

Shortly before the most recent election, Mr. Pillsbury died (13 October 2012). However, he foresaw what was going to happen in this autumn’s election. He knew there were so many ways for the Republicans to win and they were, instead, choosing the one route that would cause them to crash and burn (that is, the position of ultra-conservatism that locks out too many moderates and intellectual conservatives).

After his death, Mr. Pillsbury’s friend and co-author (of his book, The Pillsburys of Minnesota) wrote this of the fine gentleman’s hope for the renewal of his Party…

“His final political act said much about his abiding concern for his state and nation. Pillsbury was a Republican for most of his days. But since leaving the state Senate in 1982, he has not been a happy one.

“He strived mightily to reform today’s Republican Party, to widen its philosophical tent to include reproductive freedom for women, same-sex marriage, and wider distribution of the fruits of capitalism. He reasoned that aiding the defeat of Sixth District U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, a culture warrior and Tea Party founder, might hasten the transformation he sought.

“At age 91, Pillsbury knew he would not see the fruits of his effort. But as one whose Minnesota frame of reference reached back to Gov. John S. Pillsbury’s arrival at the Falls of St. Anthony in 1855, his sense of stewardship for his state included a long view.”

Mr. Pillsbury believed that Minnesota was a great, great state. He thought it was a fair state that gave everyone, of whatever background, a fair and just chance to succeed and find happiness and prosperity. One of the routes to such success was fair, just and reasonable politics and political discussion and debate. You’d never hear this gentlemen utter an unkind or insulting word about a Democrat. He just simply disagreed with them in some of the slightest ways you’d ever imagine.

Racial and gender justice was not a question for Mr. Pillsbury or a matter of political difference. Why, both parties stood for that! There were just different ways to get there!

Mr. Pillsbury was pleased that I was so committed to my party – and, with a broad smile on his face, he called it a good party “by-and-large!”

Now the state’s Republican Party is looking at the crash that wrecked it on Tuesday night, November 6. Reasonable party leaders are assembling and analyzing what happened. As they do, they are recognizing what George Pillsbury had been trying to tell them for the last decade or two; that is, that the Party must be an open and inclusive one and cannot take hard-core positions that exclude the brightest and best people in the state.

Stassen-Berger quotes the leader of the current state Republican Party as saying, “It was ugly, from the top of the ticket to the bottom, and all across the country. It was a bad night. We have to learn from Tuesday night and move on because the cause is important and there is no time for self-pity.”

As I read through the article I could see that the light has finally come on for many of the outstanding and upstanding Republicans. I want to say to them that they should begin by reading The Pillsburys of Minnesota and then chat with the folks who knew George Pillsbury best. Then rebuild the Grand Old Party of Minnesota the way Mr. Pillsbury had been advocating for so long. The Republican Party here must be grander, bigger, more inclusive, more compassionate, more positive and more hopeful!

There’s deep concern yet, among old-time Republicans, that the Party has fallen into the control of a very small subset of extremely conservative party members who control the endorsement process. Now, to loosen things up again, Republicans are beginning to indicate their willingness to test candidates through party primaries – something they’ve avoided like the plague for the last twenty years. This would help weed out the endorsement of quack candidates who cannot stand up under the pressure of an election campaign.

Though I certainly like the taste of victory, there is nothing I would more exuberantly cheer for than the revival of the real Republican Party in Minnesota – not the crazy one of Michele Bachman, but the reasonable and compassionate one of George Pillsbury of Minnesota.

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Some references to George Pillsbury (just in case you are interested):

George Pillsbury in the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library

A Minnesota Matters post by Lori Sturdevant (who co-authored with Mr. Pillsbury their book, The Pillsburys of Minnesota): George Pillsbury: Always a Minnesota steward

A book review by Chuck Leddy, in our local newspaper, of The Pillsburys of Minnesota.

Listen to an interview on Minnesota Public Radio with Lori Sturdevant, George Pillsbury’s co-author of The Pillsburys of Minnesota.

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The Republican Party or the Tea Party

Here in Minnesota we find the Republican Party, at the moment, acting like the Tea Party or, perhaps, like a lynch mob.
by Charlie Leck

The local public radio station reports that the Minnesota Republican Party is punishing three of its grand heroes from the olden days. What a bunch of jerks!

In a 59-55 vote last Saturday the GOP’s State Central Committee banned 18 tried-and-true Republicans “from party activities” (including the 2010 Republican National Convention) for supporting the Independence Party candidate for governor in the just passed election. Among the dozen and a half are three near-legends of the Party – former governors Arne Carlson and Al Quie and former U.S. Senator David Durenberger.

Our state’s Republican Party is now under the control of an interesting guy named Tony Sutton. Sutton is claiming loudly that the Independent Party candidate tore a victory from the Republicans, and Tom Emmer, and gave it to the Democrats (Mark Dayton). If that’s true, well okay! However, I sat in a couple of meetings with crowds of big-time, big-supporting members of the Democratic Party who also said they were leaning toward voting for the Independent Party candidate.

My old man always told me that it was important to vote your conscience. Don’t follow any party blindly. When your party goes and backs an idiot, you’ve got to step back and think seriously about not supporting him. That’s what happened when the Republicans endorsed Tom Emmer. On the day they did that, when I heard about it in a radio news report, I called a dear friend here in my town, who knows Emmer well (as I do), and expressed my utter disbelief.

“He’ll never get elected,” my friend said, “so don’t worry about it.”

Well, Tom Emmer came within a half-percentage point of victory. Thank goodness for those who bolted the Republican Party, refusing to vote for such a dumb duck. Among them were plenty of friends of mine. A few of them, like George and Sally Pillsbury, extraordinary citizens of our community with plenty of smarts, stood bravely up and declared their inability to support such a guy. George is one of the 18 who was censured by the party last weekend.

If the Republican Party had any guts, it would censure people like U.S. Representative Michel Bachmann for being such an idiot and send her on over to the Tea Party where her followers really hang out.

I worked closely with Arne Carlson in my younger days. He started out in politics as a Democrat. As a matter of fact, he was on Hubert Humphrey’s staff for a time. Arne’s feet have never been welded into any political party’s framework. He’s an open and free thinker and he couldn’t imagine Tom Emmer actually being the governor of our state.

My old man also liked to say that “one shouldn’t cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face.”

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A Camel through the Eye of a Needle

Some of the rich are even better than we could imagine or hope. Thank goodness!
by Charlie Leck

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a need, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24)

“A wealthy person who uses his wealth generously is also likened to a fertile field in which rice grows abundantly for the benefit of all.” (Most Venerable Dr. M. Vajiragnana Nayaka Thera Sanha Nayaka, a Buddhist)

Bernie Madoff stands as a symbol of the greedy rich – people who just can’t seem to get enough and who want more and more and more. It is sad!

Here in Minnesota, there is a similar story right now. A young man, who seemed to have the world in his hands and was handsome, popular, articulate and bright, and made many, many millions of dollars, wasn’t satisfied and had to push it to billions. Tom Petters crossed way beyond the line between ethical and unethical and then went way over to totally dishonest, immoral and illegal. Like Madoff, he created a wild Ponzi scheme that bilked huge amounts of money out of innocent investors. Like Madoff, he now sits in prison awaiting his punishment. Too bad!

Another local fellow, who didn’t cross the line as far as Petters and Madoff, went too far nonetheless, when he post-dated stock options he signed and drew off nearly 200 million dollars in bonuses from a HEALTH CARE DELIVERY COMPANY… Let’s talk about why health care is too expensive.

Anyone remember Ken Lay – yes, that Ken Lay – of Enron fame?

We’ve gone far enough down that corrupt and ugly trail. What we need to be thankful about is that not all the rich are corrupt and that some of them are downright creative about the way they use their wealth to benefit society and people in need. There are so many good examples and thank goodness there are.

Locally, I am so proud of so many of our rock solid, wealthy families. John Andrus and his family put together the Surdna Foundation (Andrus, spelled backwards) and I have been intimately enough involved with the Andrus family to know how deeply important that work is to them. The MacMillan family, founders and heirs to the Cargill fortune, have been equally involved in the community and shared their wealth generously both here in our state and around the world (see the Cargill Foundation). The Crosby family (General Mills) and the Pillsbury family (Pillsbury) have also been incredible examples of giving and sharing with the community. There are dozens of local families who could be mentioned.

Nationally, Bill Gates, who recently returned to the top of the list of the wealthiest people in the world, is a prime example of sharing one’s abundance. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is active all over the world and donates fantastic amounts of money to vital causes. It’s a treat to spend time browsing through this foundation’s web site.

Timothy Egan recently wrote an interesting blog about the father of Bill Gates and his daily efforts to distribute the fortunate accumulated by his son [read Greed and Need by Timothy Egan]. The senior Gates is a child of the depression. He doesn’t look at all like his son. I was amazed when I saw him once on a golf course in Palm Springs. He towered over me in height. I’ve been in the company of his son a number of times and he’s far shorter than I. However, the senior Gates is big in other ways also. He regularly lobbies for fair tax laws that won’t so favor the rich and will relieve the burden on people of little income. He favors the retention of estate taxes and thinks family accumulation of wealth (“economic aristocracy”) is unfair.

Warren Buffet, who until very recently was considered the world’s wealthiest human being, is of like mind with the Gates approach. He wants fairer income taxes that don’t so favor the rich and will unburden the middle classes. He also opposes the elimination of estate taxes. He’s committed the bulk of his wealth to the Gates foundation mentioned above.

Egan quotes Andrew Carnegie, an American philanthropist of another era: “No idol is more debasing than the worship of money!”

I think there are likely as many good examples of the wealthy using their fortunes in generous ways as there are of the Bernie Madoff type. I hope so.

This 2007 San Francisco Chronicle story about the founder of Gap is a good one. A billionaire, this 80 old gentlemen uses both his wealth and his clout to improve education, health services and the status of the not-so-well-off.

There are many, many dozens of stories like this to be found all around the nation.

One scholar has written that Jesus was trying to be funny when he made the comment about a rich man trying to squeeze through the eye of a needle in order to get into heaven. Perhaps so, but the comment emphasizes the struggle that the wealthy have to turn away from greed and the temptation to accumulate just for the purpose of accumulating.

There are ways to use wealth to produce a better world and I am anxious for the day when more of the wealthy will step up and lay out plans to make life better for all people, whoever and wherever they are on Mother Earth.

“The purpose of wealth is to facilitate the development of the highest human potential. Wealth is only a means to an end, not an end itself; it creates the conditions under which spiritual progress may flourish. If the creation of wealth is regarded purely as a selfish occupation, then the results will often lead to unhappiness because this activity is self-centred, based only on ideas of "me" and "mine". We should, however, regard wealth as something to be shared with other people. If human beings could expand their love to all other people, irrespective of their class, colour or creed, rather than confining it to their own people, then they might be able to part with things without expecting anything in return, and experience more satisfaction in doing so. This satisfaction comes not from tanha, a desire to obtain things to make ourselves happy, but from chanda, a desire for the well-being of others. In decisions dealing with every sphere of economic activity, whether it is production, consumption, or the use of technology, we must learn how to distinguish between the two kinds of desire and make our choices wisely.” (Most Venerable Dr. M. Vajiragnana Nayaka Thera Sanha Nayaka, a Buddhist) [click here to read entire address]

Will America Vote for Hatred or Hope?

The Republican Party is damaged and now controlled by bullies and hate-mongers!
by Charlie Leck

The Republican National Convention was pure Karl Rove, pure nasty and completely divisive. It tells us a great deal about the once proud Republican Party. It’s been taken over by hate mongers who believe that one should do what it takes to win – whatever it takes.

Jay Rosen, in the Huffington Post, calls the Republican Party “a damaged brand.” The longer it remains damaged, the easier for the mavericks and bullies to control it. It’s amazing how the jerks who control the Grand Old Party can bring Christian conservatives and the spirit of hatred together! Amazing!

As the NY Times, in an editorial, said of the convention, “Mr. McCain allowed the practitioners of the politics of fear and division to run the show.” The Times got it right – probably better than they know.

John McCain is not in charge of this campaign. As a matter of fact, it is out of his control. The big-nasties in the Republican Party believe McCain is not up to the task of organizing and directing a national campaign. They don’t believe he is even up to the task of controlling those who do organize and direct it.

If John McCain is incapable of controlling those who direct his campaign, how can he run a nation as complex as the USA? The simple answer is that he cannot. If McCain is elected President, the job will be done by the powerful, repugnant people who will surround him.

The recent convention was a massive attack on Barack Obama’s patriotism – McCain called it an attitude of “me first and country second!” Mr. McCain should apologize, but he won’t. I think this will be the basic theme of his campaign and that’s why they chose the running mate they did. She’s capable of grasping such a simple concept and she’s mean enough to repeat the mantra over and over again.

The next two months will be a time of vicious and unprecedented attacks by the Republican Party on all the devils they have created in the minds of the America people.

Here is what I hope Americans will vote against! I hope they vote against meanness, divisiveness, negativism, and hatred. I hope they will vote against bullies.

Americans should vote in a spirit of hopefulness. Americans should believe we can be a great nation again.

I remember a day in America when Democrats and Republicans did not fear losing an election. They knew, win or lose, America was going to be governed well and that it would remain a beacon of hope and pride for all the nations of the world. How sad that that day is past and appears irretrievable. How sad!

Sally and George Pillsbury (yes, of the famous doughboy family) are colossal Republicans – as deep-seeded as they can be. They are also great and important Minnesotans who have given massively to the good of this state they love so much. Mrs. Pillsbury speaks of her party being taken over by conservatives and she’s not happy about it. Yet, she still believes a comeback is possible because the people who have left the Party can be lured back if the GOP can return to its roots – “small government, personal freedom and individual responsibility.” And, those great old Republicans believed that government, though small, should be exceedingly effective at what it does. Mrs. Pillsbury hoped the revival would take place right here in Minnesota, at the Republican National Convention. I don’t think she foresaw an ultra conservative like Sarah Palin being put on the ticket. Nor did she foresee John McCain slip/sliding toward the very far right.

I’m afraid the dream that George and Sally Pillsbury have for a reform of their party has been put on hold. If the McCain-Palin ticket wins this fall, I don’t think the couple will see the return of the GOP to its former place of dignity in their lifetimes.

There’s not going to be a return to small government under McCain/Palin. They promise it, but it won’t happen. Just as George W. Bush promised it and then ran up a massive debt that will take generations to pay off. Just as Bush grew government to its largest size in history, so will McCain continue that trend in his attempt to rebuild America’s military might. And, George and Sally Pillsbury won’t see a return to personal freedom either. Under McCain there won’t be the right to choose for women; and neither will gays gain the freedoms for which they dream. And don’t hold your breath for an increase in individual responsibility either. But, here’s what you can look forward to – more and rapidly growing deficits.

Mrs. Pillsbury, bring you family on over to the party of the people. We’ve got much more in common with you than does John McCain and Sarah Palin. I promise! By just speaking up and asking Republicans to vote sensibly, you could put Minnesota on the Obama victory list.

I have two brothers who are loyal Republicans. They’re loyal because they remember the Party of our father – the Grand Old Party of Ike, Tom Dewey and Barry Goldwater – even the Party of Dick Nixon and Ronald Reagan. They can’t admit to themselves that that Party is gone and the Grand Old Party is really out of existence. They are not hateful and mean guys, but they choose to continue their loyalty to a Party that is controlled by such people.

In recent days I’ve stumbled upon an interesting blog that I want to keep checking out for a while, to see where it goes. It’s called ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE and it’s written by Charlie Quimby a Minnesota guy who spends a great deal of time in Colorado as well. The purpose of the blog is to investigate “how people can disagree and still build a decent world?” I suggest you spend a week or two looking at the blog with me and we’ll give it a review sometime later this month. Let me hear your reactions to it after you’ve read a few postings.

Come on back, you hear?