Jenny Berg of the Litchfield Independent Review has a crafted a fabulous profile of Kaytlin Bemis, a Bethel University student, recent intern for Representative Dean Urdahl (R, Grove City), and 2-12-2013 Miss Litchfield in Not ‘House of Cards,’ but still partisan politics.
A current committee member for the Republican Party of Meeker County, Bemis minces no words about her opinions or experience. On same-sex marriage:
The Republicans Party’s stance on many social issues is hurting the party, Bemis said. For example, how people view gay marriage is changing with each generation, she said.
“I think that’s a generational thing. I’m not going to go protest with signs. I just don’t care and think people can go and do what they want with their lives,” Bemis said. “If the Republican party wants to see themselves grow and attract young people in the future, they need to get over it. But we haven’t really talked about it.”
Bemis said social issues are not as important to her as issues such as keeping taxes down, cutting spending and protecting Second Amendment rights. Bemis noted she considers herself more of a Republican than a Libertarian, because she agrees with many conservatives that government is necessary for some things such as roads, schools, and fire and police services.
And then there's her experience as an intern in Urdahl's office:
Bemis said she always figured witnessing politics up close would reveal the extent of the partisanship, but the extent of the divide between the two parties surprised her.
“I kind of got — I don’t want to say turned off because I still love it — but I got frustrated with the things that they do. It becomes more about party lines and less about the people,” Bemis said.
The heavy-handed partisanship came more from party leadership and not from Urdahl, Bemis said. Urdahl spent much of the session working to get Meeker County a portion of the bonding bill money – for projects such as a community center in Cosmos and new electric generators for First District Association in Litchfield.
The $846 million bonding bill passed in May includes $600,000 for the Cosmos community center, which will contain a library and offices for a new city hall. . . .
Read the whole article at the Independent Review. At some point, Bemis wants to run for office, and provided that the Eric Luceros and Sheila Kihnes of the right aren't the future of the MNGOP, we might be seeing more of her--and young Republican candidates like her.
She wouldt be the first woman from Litchfield to make her mark in recent Minnesota politics; Minneapolis Ninth Ward City Council Member Alondra Cano was born in nearby Cokato, but moved back to Mexico, before she and her family settled in Litchfield in when she was ten.
Photo: Representative Dean Urdahl and Kaytlin Bemis.
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