sliding into the final turn...

Now that the DNC / RNC festivals are behind us, it’s time for the candidates to separate themselves.  The separation can be from their opponent, their past, their party, their constituents, or common sense.  At the DNC, it seemed to be a separation from their past (Clinton Democrats were reduced to the ‘B’ list with Barak Obama officially took the party leadership; Bill and Hillary are seething still).  At the RNC, the separation from the current sitting President was aided by weather, local cops, and bolt from the blue (the blue ice of Alaska).  The Presidential race will be historic, but probably will nothing special 100 days into the next term. 

Meanwhile, the race for the Senate seat in MN is shaping up to be a case of history repeating itself.  Remember Ann Wynia?  Not really?  That’s OK.  She got hit by the ’94 Republican steam roller, a gigantic machine that attracted all sorts of ‘bandwagoneers’ like Rod Grams.  Remember Rod?  He was astute enough to hopscotch his empty suit from Congress to Senate, catching the ’94 wave juuuust right.  Too bad for him MN found out what a complete empty suit he really was and tossed him out (in favor of Mark Dayton, one of the emptiest suits EVER). 

Well, anyone who was bothering to look back in ’94 would have seen Grams for what he was, and dismissed him right away.  Unfortunately for the DFL, they picked some who had NO business running for that office, and lost a very winnable election.

Now let’s look at Patty Wetterling, another political ‘super-flyweight’ who ran, and lost, to another mind-bogglingly beatable hack, Michelle Bachmann.  How is this possible?  For the DFL to REPEATEDLY nominate political stiffs to run against VERY beatable opponents is the political equivalent of a championship-caliber sports team playing down to the level of their competition, and losing.

UNFORTUNATELY, the DFL is doing it again with Al Franken.  Think about what the DFL is doing.  If you, as a thinking person who is interested in removing Norm the Crappie from office, were to imagine your best candidate to do the job, would you envision Al Franken?  Would you immediately think if Mike Ciresi?  Honestly, who would you think is the best, THE BEST candidate to run for that office?  I think with some digging, you would come up with at least 5 names (OK, why isn’t Betty McCollum not considering the senate?  Isn’t there anybody in the MN state legislature who is ready?  I bet there are).  Instead, we have Al, who takes his policy directives from others (Oberstar, somebody out in Hollywood, the Clintons, who knows, it sure isn’t Al’s policies, just like it wasn’t all Al’s words his books).

So now we have Al playing the part of Ann Wynia and Patty Wetterling.  A foil that will be beaten in November by a weak candidate who should be sent back to the private sector.  One of these election years, maybe the DFL will put on their collective thinking caps and imagine, then secure, a candidate who will win.

Hack