The Scorpion Dance

While there are a number of decent and even principled Republicans of prominence (Tom Heffelfinger comes most readily to mind), the collective leadership of the Minnesota Republican Party has for many years reminded me of a group of scorpions all looking out for the main chance. And now, even as their lead scorpions in the Minnesota House and Governor’s Mansion gloat about throwing up roadblocks to decency and progress, the foundations of their house are rocking just a teeeensy widdle bit as the scorpions inside it fling each other back and forth:

At least two staff members have left the Minnesota Republican Party since February after they complained that the party misused employee retirement money, improperly reported its finances and ignored and retaliated against staff who reported the problems.The departures included former finance director and GOP stalwart Dwight Tostenson. He wrote in a Feb. 15 confidential memo that state GOP chairman Ron Carey fired him after he repeatedly pressed the chairman to address what he regarded as serious financial problems in the state GOP office.

“Since I started reporting these suspected violations, I have felt increasing harassment and other types of retaliation,” Tostenson, the party’s chief fundraiser, wrote in the memo to the party’s executive committee.

[...]

The controversies arise as the party is gearing up for the 2008 election season, when it will play host to the 2008 Republican National Convention and attempt to reverse its setbacks of last November, when the GOP suffered heavy losses in legislative contests and a drubbing in a U.S. Senate race while narrowly reelecting Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Carey, who’s running for reelection this week as party chairman, blamed the leak of Tostenson’s memo on political enemies within the Republican Party who are out to get him on the eve of the Republican state central committee meeting.

[...]

A key element of Tostenson’s memo deals with his accusation that the party appears to have violated federal law by repeatedly delaying the deposit of employee payroll contributions into their retirement accounts. He said the “misappropriation” helped cover party expenses before the money was deposited.

“As reported on our payables at the state executive meetings last summer there was as much as $12,000 not deposited at any one time,” he wrote. “This represented months of paycheck withholdings by the Party which had not been deposited within the 30-day legally required time limit.”

The party offers Simple Individual Retirement Accounts for some employees. Federal law requires that money deducted from employees’ checks for those accounts be deposited as soon as possible, and in no case later than 30 days after the month when it was withheld.

Oh, yeah: Speaking of that big ol’ GOP convention — guess who’s going to get stuck with the tab for that $50 million extravaganza, now that Pawlenty’s vetoed all the big state budget bills? You guessed it — the City of Saint Paul. Residents of the Saintly City will be watching their tax bills shoot through the roof, all because Smilin’ Tim, Marty “Soap Suds” Seifert and the rest of the Republican state caucus put placating David Strom and the (Rich) Taxpayer’s League over fiscal sanity and decency. With the 50-MM cost divvied up between St. Paul’s 112,000 households, we’re looking at a minimum bill of $450 per household. Thanks, Timmy!