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Last week, the Republican Party of Minnesota replaced Tony Sutton with Pat Shortridge, who so far has — in contrast to the man whose behavior even the Tice-run StarTribune considered “boorish” — kept a decidedly low profile and low-key manner.
Interestingly, someone in the RPM, Ben Golnik, who is probably best advised to keep a low profile has been instead running around trying to boost his — even though the boosting has caused attention to be drawn to his role in the Minnesota GOP’s 2006 woes.
Hear, for instance, how in a recent appearance on “Look True North”, a sort of sheltered workshop for right-wing media lackeys, he tries to talk up his political expertise while dancing around any questions having to do with the origins of the scandals that have left the RPM devastated. He tapdances like frickin’ Gene Kelly — or the Artful Dodger, take yer pick — around the poor neglected question of the horrific messes Dwight Tostenson tried and failed to get RPM leadership (including then-executive-director Ben Golnik) to truly clean up. Lots and lots and lots of words that don’t really say a whole lot.
Ben Golnik’s refrain: “I was not a check-signer, I was not a check-signer”. Yeah, you were just the frigging Executive Director, with power enough to help Ron Carey end Tostenson’s career in the Republican Party of Minnesota.
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I love it. If it were a gathering of left-wing journalists, that would be just a media gathering, no need to be more specific. But there’s no bias in the media!
“I was not a check-signer, I was not a check-signer”.
Who is he kidding? I held a similar position in a non-profit and I damn well was a check signer and held the authority and the responsibility to delegate that task.
The buck stopped at my desk.
Find me a gathering of left-wing journalists working in the establishment media.
*crickets*
Yeah, didn’t think so.
By the way, can you debunk a single thing in this post?
*crickets*
Yeah, didn’t think so.
At the time of the 2006 scandal, Golnik’s job was one of the few that drew a salary. Sutton’s (either the treasurer’s job he had then, or the party chair’s job he had from June of 2009 until last month) did not.
In fact, it wasn’t until earlier this year that state party chairs were given salaries, which occurred shortly after Sutton lost his Baja Sol gig.
I never got a salary. Makes no difference. You accept the position and the responsibility.
Gad, I’m so old fashioned!
And we love you for it. Being old-fashioned, that is. :-)
I mentioned the salary angle because with a few exceptions (namely, until recently, the Chair job itself) the paid top-level RPM gigs tend to be the ones with the most actual power. Ben Golnik in 2006 had one of those jobs.