BPOU Truths

"Back in the 19th century, Louis Pasteur said his famous quote: 'Chance favors only the prepared mind.' It is time for all of us to prepare our minds. The local BPOU is a fantastic tool for all to use and benefit from."

I have told this story earlier this year. My political year started off with caucus night. I was a convener for the precinct we live in. Two years ago on precinct caucus night, there were only 18 folks which showed up. I told that fact to my wife. It helped me talk her into helping me this year. She was the secretary, which can be a huge amount of work it a ton of people show up. This being a Presidential year, I figured maybe 35 - about twice as many as two years ago. That would be manageable. We had 104 citizens show up. Besides being chaos and hullabaloo all rolled into one, it was wonderful!

Before we started the straw poll, I told the folks in our precinct how nice it was to see all 104 of them. I was impressed beyond words with the turnout. I reminded them that we all don't need to get together on only one night every two years. We have monthly opportunities to meet and greet. I mentioned the Tea Party Association, the Liberty Tea Party Patriots and of course, the BPOU.

As a reminder for those unfamiliar with what a BPOU is, it is a Minnesota term for Basic Political Organization Unit. It is the roots of grassroots politics. It is the hometown for your Representatives and State Senators. It is also where your most local politics is formed. You become aware of the issues in the cities, the counties, the school boards, the commissions, the state and the nation. A BPOU run well, can be a wellspring of information. Plus (and this is a big one), it is a chance to meet and know your neighbors better. Not just socially, but politically.

I know, many are saying "Enough all ready! Can't we just get the state and national legislatures sworn in on January 3rd and then the President on January 20th?" Yes we can. But reality is as follows - the election cycle for 2018 has already begun. Minnesota has state wide races which are three degrees more important than critical coming up. We will be electing a new Governor, new Secretary of State, new Attorney General, new State Auditor and a new United States Senator. To really build on our successes in 2016, we need a clean sweep of these positions.

And guess what? This all starts in the BPOU. This is a critical time going forward in any BPOU. If your BPOU has become either non-existent or a social club - change it, and change it now. If you were not involved in your BPOU in the past, get involved next month. If you have been involved in the past, get deeper involved next month. If you don't know when and where your BPOU meets, go on the internet. Most are listed there.

Back in the 19th century, Louis Pasteur said his famous quote: "Chance favors only the prepared mind." It is time for all of us to prepare our minds. The local BPOU is a fantastic tool for all to use and benefit from. 2018 will be here before we know it. Time to get busy. The stakes are still sky high and the other side is not going to sit still and just let us win. They are going to make us work for it - just like this year.