There’s still a month until the primaries. Tom Emmer’s been crisscrossing Minnesota, doing what he does best – meeting people. In his bio with Bill Salisbury in the PiPress, he estimates he’s met 100,000 Minnesotans. I’d imagine that translates to 80,000 votes.
And the DFL still has a solid month before they have their coronation for Mark Dayton. They are mired in an epic passion deficit, and (this has to be the most depressing part of all for the DFL rank and file) at the end of it all they have a Mark Dayton candidacy to look forward to.
And so the DFL has their minions pecking away at Emmer, trying to make electoral mountains out of molehills (which explains the heavily-contrived furor over Emmer’s off-handed remarks about wages for tipped workers); without Tom Emmer to kick around, all Dayton, Margaret Anderson-Kelliher, Matt Entenza and Tom Horner (remember him?) have for material is each other.
A few weeks ago, we talked about (and conclusively shredded) the DFL’s other contrived controversy – the Dems’ harping on Emmer to release his plan for fixing the deficit (before they do it themselves, naturally).
And like an old pair of birkenstocks, it’s baaack. Mark Dayton wants Emmer to cough up his plan.
Dave Mindeman at mnpACT shocks the world with a candid admission:
I have to say that I am with Mark Dayton on this one.
Someone check the space-time continuum.
The 2010 election for governor is too important to not start laying the cards on the table. We should be demanding some detailed options for balancing the next budget.
Demand away!
But Emmer, being the underdog in this race, is smart enough to know that he gets one shot at getting through to the mass of Minnesota voters. It”ll be after the reality of a Mark Dayton candidacy has sunk in. It’ll be when people outside the wonk class start thinking about this election.
Dayton’s tax plan is certainly open to criticism. That’s fair. But to me, the criticism is never going to ring true unless alternatives are put out to the public.
The problem is that nobody cares if Emmer’s plan “rings true” right now, because it’ll be released to a roomful of pundits and party hacks.
No – coughing up details right now is what those who are running behind do. Entenza – stuck in third and on electoral life support – came up with some “details” a few weeks ago – something about green jobs and unicorns. It seems not to have lit his campaign on fire.
And in perhaps the best symptom yet that the DFL endorsement remains the kiss of death, Kelliher is dipping a toe in:
Margaret Anderson Kelliher is getting closer to some specifics. She laid out an outline in a presser today:
“As Governor I will make those earning more than $250,000 to pay their fair share. I will demand an end to sweetheart deals that shelter tax dollars overseas, and close foreign corporate tax loopholes. “As Governor I will fight waste, fraud and abuse against state government. I will make necessary budget reductions while protecting students from cuts in the classroom, senior citizens in nursing homes, and basic essential services for Minnesota’s most vulnerable. “And as Governor I will use temporary budget tools to transition our state to long-term economic stability.
(Bonus question: Find any item in that list that pertains to anything but the government and its institutions. Jobs? Tax Burden? Regulation? Stick a fork in it, Kelliher. It’s over).
Emmer is doing what he needs to do to have any hope of prevailing against the voters that matter – the ones that don’ t write for newspapers or blogs – against a full-court DFL and media press in less than four months.
The demand for “details”, today as a month ago, has nothing to do with informing the public, and everything to do with tactics in a race where the DFL knows it’s going to need a lot of public relations hocus pocus to cover a deadly drought of ideas.
Don’t forget, MAK boldly went on record last week in favor of raising the minimum wage. Warms your heart, it does.
“something about green jobs and unicorns”
Most excellent!
The demand for “details”, today as a month ago, has nothing to do with informing the public, and everything to do with tactics in a race where the DFL knows it’s going to need a lot of public relations hocus pocus to cover a deadly drought of ideas.
Captain Renault, “Round up the usual suspects.”
I never really thought about it this way, that LOSERs are the ones long on specifics. Reagan never gave us much beyond strong defense and limited government and both sides knew exactly what he meant. Obama was the ultimate tabula rasa yet most knew what he meant. But Kelliher et al (and Pawlenty at times) talk about “jobs” and we have no idea what they mean.
His principles clear, we all know what Emmer means, and that is all the people need to know as Baron von Raschke would say.
MK is going to raise taxes on the rich but realistically acknowledges that won’t be quite enough so she has pledged to made the drastic cuts needed to achieve fiscal success, but without imperiling any essentials.
The paperclip budget at Mn/DOT will be slashed – slashed, I say. Right to the bone. And if that’s not enough, look out Revenue Department – your paperclips are next. We’ve got to get a handle on this thing Right Now and she WILL! Decisive Leadership – that’s the ticket.
So, Emmer. What’s YOUR plan?
.
at the end of it all they have a Mark Dayton candidacy to look forward to.
My FB “friend” from high school who is on Big MAK’s campaign staff (not sure how OFFICIAL it is, but she’s gone out door knocking for Big MAK) is doing everything she can to A) show that her campaign is as strong as ever (dismissing the disgruntled campaign story on MDE a week or two ago with a very swiftee-ish “pfffft”), and B) still has her head firmly in the “MAK will be the next governor” clouds. Watching her put on a facade of support for Sir Robin the Brave on 8/12 will be entertaining to say the least.