Bad week for Minnesota Republicans. A trifecta of arrogance that moved the political climate ever so slightly to the DFL's advantage.
Over in Bachmannistan, something's wrong, with staffers slipping across the border in search of plausible deniablity. It may be the dawning realization that Bachmann is in for the fight of her life, as Taryl Clark bounces into the national consciousness off Bachmann's own notoriety. That means big money in the stretch for Ms. Clark, and her campaign shows much more tenacity so far than Patty Wetterling's depressive fugue or Elwin Tinklenberg's smiling nice guy routine.
Tom Emmer emerged once and for all as an assclown. That ill-conceived "town hall" with a bunch of cranky restaurant workers was fine theater, but it made Emmer look like a total chump, as Michele might say.
And that unmanly flinch when a little alt guy threw a bunch of pennies on the table in front of him and his shrill and awkward attempt to make light of it by mentioning that he was a hockey player will be Tom's "Dean scream." Without the irony.
And that unmanly flinch when a little alt guy threw a bunch of pennies on the table in front of him and his shrill and awkward attempt to make light of it by mentioning that he was a hockey player will be Tom's "Dean scream." Without the irony.
Meanwhile, Tim Pawlenty drove Emmer's numbers down even more with this Fox j'accuse performance art piece wherein he asked whether Al Franken was made a senator by a conspiracy of felons, presumably black, since they apparently vote Democrat. He doesn't know, he's just sayin'. By the way, classic Fox noise, referring to a controversy that didn't exist prior to the questionI don't know that, but if that turned out to be true, then I'd be right, at Tim might say.
Maybe former Minnesota Republican Chair, Ron Carey, who resigned as Bachmann chief of staff, and Zandra Wolcott, her former campaign finance director, thought they'd landed an easy gig and realized that the next few months were really going to be the moral equivalent of war. Maybe the internal polling numbers scared them away.
And then it could be this, the burgeoning investigation of major Bachmann campaign contributor, Floridian Bobby Thompson, founder of the shady U.S. Navy Veterans Association. I don't know that, but if that turned out to be true then it might mean that an investigation of Bachmann herself is in the offing or has already begun.
--Loosestrife
I really find this post ironic. Perhaps because I am not a hardcore DFLer, but I never underestimate Republicans on the state and national scene. Very few considered the DFL losing majorities in Minnesota's senate and house, the only worry was about the governor's race. How wrong the DFL was and why Brian Melendez is no longer the chair.
Thankfully Mark Dayton won the DFL primary, or we would have Tom Emmer for governor. Dayton was the only DFL candidate who I felt would not waffle on the issues, especially those affecting working class Minnesotans.
Had DFL endorsed candidate Margaret Anderson-Kelliher won, she'd be giving in to Republican demands as she did with Pawlenty's unallotments last year.