The problem here is who are the delegates that will elect the next state GOP leaders. They are in fact derivitative from the far right that took control of the party. You wont/can't see a change until the moderate majority of Republican thought mobilizes and takes over the caucuses in 2010 - if they do. Problem here is that moderates, while the majority in either party, are not as passionate and are really hard to mobilize.

Take a look at Edina where there were two GOP representatives who would have been re-elected hands down. the last 2 in any inner-ring suburb. Both were Pawlenty overriders, voting the overwhelming wishes of their constituients. Conservative groups packed district 41a&b caucuses to elect delegates to vote their way. Carey himself appeared at the endorsing conventions to help punish Erhardt and Peterson both of whom lost the GOP endorsement. As a result 41b elected a DFL'r and 41a got a far right republican who won with the larger 1/3 of the vote in a 3 way race - in a district that is no longer a republican voting stronghold.

The big result is party damage. Edina's senate district 41 WAS long Minnesota's #1 fundraising district. Huge money for the state. But party stalwarts were dumped. The new people aren't volunteering their time beyond their narrow election time goals and coffers are suffering badly.

Recovery will take years.

I agree with Dick. It's likely the next Republican Chair will be at least as, if not more conservative than Carey.

Those currently in control of the party still believe their problem is that they have not been sufficiently strident in their conservatism, nor sufficiently strident in their anti-government, anti-public sector, anti-poor and unfortunate, anti-tax rhetoric.

The rest of the population has turned back from this sad, self-serving, misguided journey on which the Republicans were attempting to lead us, but our Republican friends are determined to stay the course, no matter how far out into the wilderness it takes them, nor how lonely the journey becomes.

Moderation or so-called compassionate conservatism decimated the GOP. The same moderation that wrought No Child Left Behind, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefits, Ethanol, TARP, Bailouts, Dept of Homeland Security and The Patriot Act. Greg calls this a misguided journey I agree, however I don't think we've actually journeyed to the land of limited constitutional goverment. The federal government is there to protect my rights and property, not to take them from me.

As for Dick, good riddance to those RINO's in Edina. There is a better party for them to join it is called the DFL, but that doesn't let the GOP off the hook. We must have candidates and politicians that believe in principle over party, no more voting for a Republican just because they have an R behind their name. As for the big money donors, if their buying influence to control our life's or to pass more regulations so corporations can crush competition, I don't want them in the GOP. If they actually believe in liberty, then donate away.

The political class of both parties in Saint Paul and Washington DC are fat, clueless and arrogant. Talk of secession, sovereignty of states and revolution is quietly growing.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. Thomas Jefferson