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My Point of View, By Robert Hoffman

This Thanksgiving, there’s a lot to be thankful for. As Aaron Farris outlined two weeks ago, Freeborn County voted for every single Republican on the ballot, fully rejecting identity politics, socialism and lockdowns. It was a historic win!  Congressman Hagedorn didn’t just defeat one of the nastiest campaigns ever overpaid for, but in his spare time he also beat cancer. Minnesota Senator-Elect Gene Dornink succeeded in flipping his seat red, consequentially keeping our state Senate under Republican leadership and saving the entire Minnesota state from total, unchecked Democrat control.  A close friend of ours is home after months away from his family, recovering from being shot in the face while serving in the line of duty as a police officer. Family members who contracted COVID from working at a local retirement facility are recovered and healthy.  Each are thankful for a lot this year and we are of them!

Reflecting on so much to be thankful for, I’m struck by the contrast of this message against that of the local Freeborn Democrat Party, who rarely focus on anything nice.  For years now we have heard from the same few people, and their message is consistently only attack after attack. The leaders of the Freeborn County DFL refrain from letting us know their positions in fear of us finding out exactly what they stand for. 

Sure, every Democrat in Freeborn County is not a socialist, far from. Our county (our country) has far different values than that. However, every leader in the Freeborn County Democrats board is a socialist. (It may not be a coincidence why every Democrat candidate lost in Freeborn County.)

Last Wednesday, Mr. Hinnenkamp of the Freeborn County Democrats started his weekly letter-to-the-editor rant with, “Finally, the end of authoritarian casino capitalism is just a few weeks away,” the same day Gov. Walz announced the shutdown of the state.

The aforementioned alone may be enough to point out how out of touch the DFL leaders are, but also in his four paragraph letter, Hinnenkamp mentions the “Green New Deal” six times, going so far as to say, “Once the Democrats begin the process leading up to a massive Green New Deal; there will never be any turning back. Rural Green New Deal jobs plus a trillion dollar infrastructure package will bring back DFL dominance in the rural areas.” A letter to the editor in the following edition of the Albert Lea Tribune was well-put, simply stating, “What are you talking about Ted?” 

In the same edition of the Albert Lea Tribune as Hinnenkamp’s letter, Jenny from the Freeborn County DFL said in her My Point of View column, “Republican leaders have repeatedly said it’s too much to ask everyone to give up a little personal freedom … ” (Didn’t Ted just call the Republicans authoritarians in the same newspaper?)

I’m not optimistic that Democrat leaders will understand the situation we’re in until it’s far too late. Under their preferred rules, lives and livelihoods are being destroyed, small businesses are struggling, mental health issues are being accelerated, students are falling behind, many elderly are facing spending possibly their last holiday season alone and authoritarianism is being normalized. If you dare question the wisdom of this approach, you are automatically labeled as selfish.

Perhaps someday the Freeborn County Democrats will again value our farmers, laborers, small businesses, students, law enforcement and the Bill of Rights, matching the values of our county. Until then, they’re making it easier for the Freeborn County GOP to be massively successful. And for that I’m thankful.

Robert Hoffman is the vice chairman of the Freeborn County GOP Party.