My friend and occasional contributor to these pages, Mike R., who lives in Wisconsin, offered these thoughts to Dan Maes:

Dear Dan,

As one of Ross Kaminsky’s very very very few friends (I think I have known him for about 18 years or so) I am forced to conclude that you don’t know him very well or you would avoid picking a fight with him given your circumstances and what I would assume are your future political aspirations in Colorado. While I live in The Land of The Protesters just outside Madison I enjoyed following Ross’ detailing of the Colorado political scene and debating with him in private, and some publicly, about the rise of the Tea Party and whether it was really a significant political movement. I tend to be more cynical than Ross and about as skeptical but he does a lot more boring factual gumshoeing and analysis on such things whereas I tend to observe from a distance and process things viscerally to formulate my opinions on a macro level. I rely on Ross quite a bit to ground my thinking and funnel me into concrete rather than abstract modalities of thought particularly with regard to my writing and activism.

When Ross says he has been studying/following politics for 25 years I think he is being modest and somewhat gentle with you. Ross introduced me to The Heartland Institute and the Libertarian school of thought many years ago when I mostly just scoffed at them as an ‘outsider’ fringe group of non-practical idealists. I can assure you that in all my experience of Ross he is the most unaffiliated person I have ever met and supports only individuals (and even then reservedly) who adhere to rigorous principles of sound limited and effective government and free market capitalism. If there were a church of such things Ross would at least be one of its Bishops.

Now more to the point; I assume that you are not finished and don’t want to be finished in politics. I also assume after following the play by play in Colorado this last season almost as closely as I followed the Packers run up to the Superbowl that you are a ‘Not Ready for Prime Time Player’ yet but may still have a future in politics given some hard work and determination. With that being said I would suggest that this is a time for you to study, learn, refine, listen network and reach out to as broad a group of potential supporters as possible with an eye to the future. Even people with so very very very few friends and followers as Ross Kaminsky are still potentially pennies in your piggy bank of the future and you might even learn something and develop some sophistication and effective strategies for coalition building along the way.

Lashing out and projecting/deflecting blame for some perceived slight on/to Ross and others in such a petulant fashion to avoid taking responsibility for your dismal showing would seem to work at cross purposes to your future in politics. Rather, it is a time to regroup, reach out and build allies in preparation for the future, a time to listen with humility to all the voices around you who at least share a general vision of governance. As an old friend used to offer me in times of distress, “when your pockets are empty, it’s a good place for your pride.”

Alienating even Ross Kaminsky and his very very very few friends and followers would seem a grave error, especially given the multiplicity of platforms to speak and opine from which seem to be at his disposal. I have never heard of a successful farmer who, faced with a bad crop yield went on to salt his fields for their affront to him.

Regards,

MikeR (one of Ross’ very very very few friends)