Blue city in a red country

"To crack those codes, a Republican or Libertarian candidate will need to understand how to crack the DFL Group-think which permeates the Twin Cities."

In the op-ed section of the paper this morning, there was an excellent article by one of the paper's better writers. He addressed the issue I have been trying to get my arms around for years now. And he did a much better job that I could have hoped to do. He addressed why the political climate in Minneapolis is so much different than out state Minnesota. Or even the outer suburbs. He believes folks in Minneapolis might suffer from Group-think. 

We first started to hear about the term Group-think from George Orwell's classic book, 1984. Sociologists have grabbed on to this term, as it truly is a cultural phenomenon in some parts of our society. One article I read said a couple of traits which show classic Group-think are "pressure towards uniformity" and "closed mindedness". Ladies and gentlemen, I have just described Minneapolis and to a lesser degree, St. Paul. 

Some of the Gen-X and Millennials living in Minneapolis remind me of mind numbed robots. DFL Group-think has prevented them having the ability to think outside the box. To be a different shade of gray. Nope - monotone in their thinking and homogeneous in the way they live.

The article in the paper this morning went on to explain how just about any poll taken to explain how Minnesotans feel or think is somewhat invalid. Why? Because the same question asked in Minneapolis as compared to out state Minnesota have wildly different answers. In fact, the only question asked which had similar answers was the favorability of Amy Klobuchar.

I do feel bad for those trapped inside this bubble called Minneapolis. Many in the bubble wear rose colored glasses and take their "blue pills" (as in the Matrix), once a day. Those in Minneapolis daring to proclaim themselves to be Republicans or conservatives, do it at their own peril. Their popularity among the masses would be something less than herpes.

Welcome to Minnesota - a land divided. Signs of "Realville" start as soon as you leave the Minneapolis city limits, and gets better each mile out of town you drive. My wife and I both notice it when we venture into the Mill City. Rather than welcoming, we feel like round pegs in very square holes. Once we leave and are on I-35 heading north, it is like a fog has lifted.

I have said this before. To win state wide offices, Republicans need to learn how to crack the Hennepin County code. Ramsey County would be helpful also. Failure to crack the codes of those two counties will probably result in a failure to win a state wide office.

To crack those codes, a Republican or Libertarian candidate will need to understand how to crack the DFL Group-think which permeates the Twin Cities. Good luck with that one.