How many times have we mused about the “good old days” when
our political system understood the role of compromise and measured success in
terms of the positive impact it had on the common good.
Those days did not come about by accident but rather by
truly hard work on the part of so many citizens who committed to the values of
community espoused by the “greatest generation”. In Word War II, everyone
pitched in from front-line fighting to kids collecting tin cans. It was “our “
war and hence “our” responsibility. That philosophy carried over into the life
of leaders such as Nancy Brataas and we were the benefactors.
State Senator Nancy Brataas, who passed away this week, was
a pioneer in building what became a broad-based and highly successful
Republican Party from the 1960’s into the turn of the century. Many will
remember her progressive record as an early leader in civil rights, the passage
of the ERA, budgetary prudence and defining the role of government in
environmental concerns. Others will recall the marvelous role she played in
representing Rochester with her tireless pursuit of a University of Minnesota
branch and building a strong relationship between the state and the Mayo
Clinic.
When she passed, I received a lovely email from an old and
dear friend, Mahlon Schneider, who led the fight on behalf of business for
workers compensation reform. His observations of Nancy Brataas are meaningful,
“Despite her party’s minority status for her entire 17 years in the Minnesota
Senate, she was enormously effective because no one was better prepared on
issues, consistently sought allies on the other side of the aisle and was passionate
in her commitment.”
With the efforts of leaders like Mahlon Schneider of Hormel,
Senator Nancy Brataas (R-Rochester) and Representative Wayne Simoneau
(DFL-Columbia Heights) our administration was able to gain passage of this
bi-partisan achievement. Those leaders knew how to move mountains.
But if I were to choose her most significant contribution it
would be when she chaired the Republican Party and initiated a program known as
“neighbor-to-neighbor”. This was an interesting approach whereby local
Republicans organized on the precinct level and rang doorbells around their
neighborhood seeking donors and identifying voters. Everyone was involved from business executives
to students. It was truly grassroots democracy at its best because it
ultimately broadened the party and built the party from the bottom up. It made
the party more responsive and caring for the well being of friends and
neighbors.
Politically, this new party enjoyed enormous success. It was
not just the victories it enjoyed on the state level with GOP governors from
Elmer Andersen to Al Quie and into my administration nor the successes on the
Senate side including Dave Durenberger and Rudy Boschwitz, but heavily
democratic areas like the city of Minneapolis even had a few Republican
dominated City Councils.
Compare this approach of broad-based participation to
today’s heavy reliance on bundled monies from the very few most of whom live
nowhere near the candidate’s district and the resultant purchasing of public
policy.
Nancy Brataas understood that the essence of democracy involved
everyone having a stake in it with the expectation that candidates would be
elected on the positive quality of their ideas and their genuine commitment to
the well being of their community. This impacted not only the Republican Party
but the Democratic Party as well because it compelled both parties to compete
for the best and the brightest. It was that sense of purpose that allowed
elected officials to work together to achieve positive and intelligent results
for the people they served.
Nancy, thanks. We all
owe you a lot.
