CHECK OUT TODAY'S PARTIES YOU MAY BE SURPRISED

You know I get invited to a lot of places and make time for what I can. Last month I decided to take advantage of 2 invitations to see the "other" side if you will. The first invite I accepted was to sit in on a Libertarian Party monthly meeting a couple of weeks ago. I have to admit I was surprised.

The Libertarians of today are no longer the "100%'ers" most grew to know years ago. What with the face of Donna Mancini being the most prominent one out there who could take them seriously? That is entirely different today. The Libertarian Party of today seems to be made up of seriously disgruntled ex Republicans along with the Libertarian faithful.

There efforts seem to be organized which in itself is a new development, or not since it has been so long since I checked into them, but with the addition of so many ex Republicans the Libertarians seem to be poised to be the 3rd Party many have been looking for. At least locally.

Time will tell but it would be worth the effort to listen to the Libertarian candidates and see what they have to offer.

Which brings me to the 2nd invitation I accepted.

I had a choice tonight of attending my very first Republican Party meeting or attending Joni Jenkins Community forum. No offense to Joni but the thought of spending a night with idiots like Councilman Rick Blackwell, Councilman Bob Henderson, and Councilwoman Vickie Aubrey Welch was not very enticing.

While Jenkins forum was a worthy one the facts are the idiots there to listen have nothing to do with education that they can change and quite frankly need to be educated themselves on what their job is. If they have not got that one right by now the chances they can offer anything substantive to the fight for better education are slim to none.

So with that in mind I decided to take advantage of an invitation from Wade Hurt, Ellen Reitmeyer, Kaven rumpel, and Jerry Miller to attend the local Republican monthly meeting tonight. It was standing room only.

I have to be honest here.

I have attended Democratic club meetings in the past and was not impressed they all seem to have their own agenda and rarely does it coincide with what was best for the people. It always looks like a free for all and you are constantly waiting to see which member will eat their young and turn on the other members.

This mentality is just one of many reasons I left the party. It no longer seems capable of being able to do anything that isn't self serving and probably one reason I decided to check out my other options this month.

In this instance I was surprised at the flow of the Republican meeting. Of course you had the usual we must win the seats garbage as both parties have that mantra but there was something inherently different at this Republican meeting.

It was organized, thoughtful, and well attended. Councilmen Hawkins and Fleming were in attendance and a few notable candidates such as Chris Thieneman, Republican candidate for Mayor, and Kaven Rumpel, District 19 Metro Council candidate.

The meeting itself was unique. The membership listened, paid attention, and got involved in the discussion. The meeting was not we are better than the Dems and we must beat them at all costs. It was one of here is where we are and operated like a well oiled machine.

That is the difference I believe in the local Republican party today versus the days of Jack Richardson IV.

Rather than spend their time decrying how bad the Democrats are they spent their time taking care of business and focusing on a message of unity.

One sign of that was a motion to overturn the edict by Jack Richardson that screwed Chris Thieneman within the Republican Party. The motion was to reinstate Chris as a good standing member and expunge all records by Jack Richardson IV that stated otherwise.

The motion carried unanimously and that is as it should be. It was a great show of reaching out for unity within the party itself and a sign that they may be finally getting on the right track.

The members were eager to talk about the issues and seemed very sincere in making sure they had credible candidates running for office who actually wanted the office for the right reasons not personal gain. The mix of attendees ranged from young to old and meshed well.

It seems the local Republican party is willing to acknowledge there have been mistakes and are willing to work on the problems to better the party which ultimately will lead to better representation for us. They seem to understand why some have left the party and they are eager to earn those folks back.

Bottom line. Regardless of where you stand in the upcoming elections it will be worthwhile to look into candidates from all sides in this upcoming election cycle. They are all catering to the wants of us all and there are good candidates there for the choosing in most cases.

If we get over the whole I am a (insert party name here) mindset and open our eyes to other people you may be surprised. The 2010 elections will prove to be pivotal in showing just how much we have learned from mistakes on both sides.

Get involved and make a difference today. Seriously the days of being passive and toeing the party lines are over. Open your eyes to the newcomers regardless of their party, or non party affiliation.

I was surprised at the Republican party meeting tonight. Hey if I can open my eyes I think you can too.

Just saying.................