Penny Stocks - David Broder

Penny Stocks - David Broder in the Washington Post has issued a paeon to Minnesota Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Tim Penny.

It's fascinating to note that the article is set, initially, at the birthday party of John Anderson, the pseudoRepublican who ran for President as an "Independent" in 1980. Bear in mind, he was the same sort of Republican that Olympia Snowe or John McCain are today - Rockefeller Republicans, basically Democrats in GOP clothing.

The article illustrates, I think, a subtle media bias. The "Good Guys" are all Democrats who don't have to depart TOO much from their principles, or Republicans who completely abrogate those of their own party (principles that are subtly seen as ugly and base).

Broder says:

Penny will be a target of both parties, but his candidacy -- like King's -- is more proof that third parties can be more than protest movements built around charismatic figures.

If he appears as plausible and persuasive in November as he does in July, he won't have to borrow Ventura's cape and tights to win.

Perhaps he appears "plausible and persuasive" - Penny was always a DFLer who put some thought into his beliefs. His "Myths about Poltics" book actually had me thinking, for a while, that he had the potential to make "moderate" mean something other than "DFL Lite".

But he's scuttled away from all of the positions where he showed any principled difference from the DFL - retreated on his stances on guns and abortion, and embraced Speech Rationing ("campaign finance reform") with both barrels.

Broder, like most of the national media, misses a crucial point: Jesse Ventura didn't campaign as a mushy moderate! IN 1998, he led with a mass of libertarian-conservative rhetoric (smaller government, more responsibility, concealed carry reform) that is still fooling people in the national media. Penny isn't running as a libertarian-conservative, he's running as a DFL-lite wonk.

Broder all but declares Penny the winner-to-be. I think he'll take a lot of DFLer votes away from Roger Moe, and be the spoiler Tim Pawlenty needs.

Posted by Mitch at July 22, 2002 10:19 AM