Let’s be clear on this right up front; Tom Emmer’s gonna win this thing. I still say three points.
Nothing I write below should be read in such a way as to imply I really think anything else. It’s just not true.
Some of my DFL acquaintances occasionally jibe “If you’d only picked Seifert, you wouldn’t be having the problems you’re having now”.
I’m a polite guy. I usually change the subject.
I need to.
Let’s backtrack in our minds for a bit. Say that Marty Seifert had carried his early lead in the GOP endorsement process through to the convention, and gotten the nomination.
Think for a moment: what parts of the DFL’s campaign against Tom Emmer aren’t perfectly transferable to Marty Seifert? Or Dave Haan? Or Pat Anderson, or Paul Kolls, or Sue Jeffers or Tim Palwenty or even Tom Horner, for that matter?
What has the DFL campaign been for the past five months?
- [fill in the blank] wants to slash infrastructure: Any conservative that favors dialing back state union construction jobs would get hit with this one.
- [fill in the blank] is for profits over people: Ihe DFL’s special little world, businesses are self-sustaining predators whose interests – profit – are always opposed to people.
- [fill in the blank] is anti-gay: Because conservatism itself, goes the left’s conventional wisdom, is anti-gay.
- [fill in the blank] will freeze the poor!: The DFL paints anyone who seeks sanity – even a little – in Health and Human Service spending as Ebenezer Scrooge, pre-ghosts.
- [fill in the blank] wants to slash education: Cutting the projected increase is a cut, by the way; if the union wants 2 billion more, and you give them a billion more, they’ll cry “you’re cutting us by a billion!”
- [fill in the blank] is against womyn: Because abortion is the sine qua non of being a woman. To the DFL.
- [fill in the blank] hasn’t given us all the details of his campaign yet: Because it’d be stupid to do when campaigning against someone with three times as much money as you’ve got, of course, but no matter.
There is nothing in the DFL campaign book that’s been used against Tom Emmer this past five months that couldn’t have just swapped in Seifert’s name and and unflattering photo.
The only differences? Oh, the personal attacks would be different; Tom Emmer had his careless driving convictions, but if Marty Seifert ever so much as jaywalked, you can bet Alliance for a Better Minnesota would have run a million dollars worth of ads; “Marty Seifert thinks Laws are for Other People”.
There is nothing in the DFL campaign book that’s been used against Tom Emmer this past five months that couldn’t have just swapped in Seifert’s name and and unflattering photo.
Yep. And if Marty were to decide to, say, run against A-Klo, that’s exactly what you’d see.
I’m voting GOP. I did not support Marty Seifert, because I saw him as the establishment, much like Ron Carey and Norm Coleman. The MN GOP makes some bone-headed choices. Emmer is not one of them. Marty Seifert would have been.
“[fill in the blank] is against womyn: Because abortion is the sine qua non of being a woman. To the DFL.”
No, dear. Being the person who has final control of what happens to our own bodies, instead of those decisions being imposed by ‘over-reaching intrusive government’ is the sine qua non of being a woman. To the DFL and a majority of independents.
I think we make too big a fuss over polls; it is still too far from the date of the election to get a solid read on what direction the vote will go.
I read yesterday that Emmer is losing support to Horner, especially from pro-business priority voters. I have no way of knowing if this is a correct assessment or baloney, but it does appear that Horner is eroding support for Emmer more than Dayton. It will be intersting to see if that trend persists.
Perhaps more important were the recent poll indicators that Democratic enthusiasm for this election is now equal to that of tea partiers, GOP voters, and conservatives generally, where it previously had been less.
There are four qualities I look for in a candidate – ideology, charisma, organization, and money. Marty and Emmer were basically tied on ideology – both are conservatives and proudly so. Emmer easily wins the charisma game, but Marty had a much better organization and fundraising. Emmer beat Marty because charisma is the most visible quality to delegates – and this was a clear advantage for Emmer.
Shortly after Emmer beat Marty, one of Emmer’s inside guys only half-joked they should bring in Marty to run the campaign – basically acknowledging that Marty had a real plan and organization – and knew where to raise the money. These are things that Emmer’s organization have been trying to learn on the fly all summer – the hard way.
Hopefully the lessons have been learned and Emmer’s organization and fundraising (his weakness) won’t hold him back from beating Dayton – and he can leverage his immense charisma advantage he holds over his general election opponents.
Overall Mitch’s point is correct – it wouldn’t matter which conservative ran. Hell, we saw that with non-conservative McCain. He went from the left’s darling – “a republican I could be proud to support” to villainous neanderthal.
“Being the person who has final control of what happens to our own bodies, instead of those decisions being imposed by ‘over-reaching intrusive government’ is the sine qua non of being a woman.”
And here I thought it was having a uterus.
Just remember Dog Gone, we probably would not have Barry Obama if abortion was as common when his 17 year old college freshman mother got knocked up a by a 26 year old visitor from Kenya, as it is now.
Dog, if “Being the person who has final control of what happens to our own bodies”, why do liberals and Democrats oppose showing pregnant women ultrasound images of the baby they are about to kill? Isn’t more information better than less?
This isn’t scientific by any means, but there are a lot of people I known who would have voted for Siefert but who will not vote for Emmer, the reason is a universal disgust with those two DUIs (even though they weren’t DUIs and they were decades ago). Rightly or wrongly, I agree. Seifert would be polling a little higher right now.
DG;
“Being the person who has final control of what happens to our own bodies, instead of those decisions being imposed by ‘over-reaching intrusive government’ is the sine qua non of being a woman.”
So, in other words, you want a get out of jail free card for being irresponsible, by failing to say no or at least practice birth control?
Sorry, but the increasing illegitimate birth rate, takes the wind out of your sails on that one, too.
Marty;
Isn’t it nice that those people, whom I sure NEVER made mistakes at some point in their lives, have to judge him solely on those incidents? Let’s not acknowledge that they occurred years ago and he’s had none since. And, let’s not credit him for not attempting to hide it.
Hell, that disclosure strategy was good enough for Dayton. His supporters don’t seem to have a problem with the fact that he is a recovering addict, yet they make a big deal out of Emmer’s past, which I am personally more comfortable with. Former druggies have a much greater chance of falling off the wagon when under stress and Dayton already looks like he’s on the edge.
Not that a DUI/DWI is minor, but if people that broke a traffic law didn’t get a second chance, the state would have a few more prisons.
Previous involvement with substance use/abuse sure didn’t seem to be an issue with this guy either.
http://www.obamapedia.org/page/Barack+Obama%27s+Drug+Use
Sure, Marty. An alcoholic, mentally unstable trust fund baby is a much better choice than someone who got a DUI in the 1980s.
Remember, Al Franken jokes about his cocaine use (“I did it to stay awake”), and Al Franken voted to reduce penalties for certain cocaine offenses. And that man wants to be US Senator?
Chuck;
“And that man wants to be US Senator?”
That cocaine use is nothing to liberats. After all, how do we explain all of the people that voted for the moron? They couldn’t possibly have been sober.
Apparently womyn can have more than one nervous system, as well as 20 fingers and 20 toes.
Sure, Marty. An alcoholic, mentally unstable trust fund baby is a much better choice than someone who got a DUI in the 1980s.
Marty isn’t saying that, Kerm. He’s just reporting what he’s hearing. And it makes sense to the extent that certain potential Emmer voters take that sort of thing seriously.
The job for the Emmer campaign, and those who wish Emmer well, is to remind people that the guy who got those DUIs (pleaded down) in his youth is running against an alcoholic, mentally unstable trust fund baby. When (if) people who are disgusted with the DUIs understand the alternative, at least some of them will swing Emmer’s way, especially as it becomes clear that Horner isn’t a viable alternative.
Two hearts, two nervous systems, four nipples…
And that man wants to be US Senator?
Actually, he is US Senator. Hurts, doesn’t it?
Hurts, doesn’t it?
More than you could ever know, stool….more than anyone without intact self-respect, moral integrity and honor could ever know.
But you-all enjoy yourself, hear?
Terry = BAM! Right between those bloodshot, beady little eyes.
For some reason liberals see nothing wrong with society okaying men wasting their lust on other men and women killing their babies.
A society that does that can’t survive.
Now that was just racist, Terry.
Oh, I can top him, Tom.
Chuck brought up the comment that we might not have our Dear Leader if abortion had been as common 49 years ago as today.
Of course, if his mother had been a
blackAfrican-American having that fling these days there would be a 1 in 3 chance he wouldn’t be born.There is no single time more dangerous in our darker skinned citizen’s life than to be in their mother’s uterus. They’re far more likely to survive a gun battle than to be born.
And I suppose it’s racist to think that a situation where the percentage of black babies killed is “only” half the fatality rate of the Holocaust is abhorrent, and that folks like DG are enabling that is sickening. I’d say that it’s decimating the population, but even in decimation the fatality rate was far lower.
I’m with you guys, I don’t want Dayton as governor and I happily support Emmer. I think it is sad and pathetic Daytons substantial flaws are being ignored but Emmer’s decades old mistakes are fodder for millions of dollars worth of commercials. But I can’t help but acknowledge reality.
What gets to me, Nerdbert, is pro-choice people who say they are making a scientific distinction between a fetus and and a baby when what they are really is making a philosophic distinction between person/non-person. The science-worshipers dearly want to make their judgment a “scientific” truth, because, I suppose, they think that will give them the last word.
society okaying men wasting their lust on other men
Isn’t lust always bad, no matter where it’s “wasted”?
science-worshipers
I’m not sure how to respond to this term. Just wanted to point it out.
DiscordianStooj said:
” science-worshipers
I’m not sure how to respond to this term. Just wanted to point it out.”
A ‘science-worshipper’ is a person who fails to recognize that “science” is an ongoing enterprise of knowledge accumulation by human beings, and foolishly regards its current state something worthy of worship.
I’m not sure how to respond to this term.
Because while Troy does a good job of describing it, he doesn’t go far enough.
“Fundamentalist Scientists” only vaguely and inconsistently accept that there are any answers to life, the universe and everything outside of (the currently-accepted version of) what science tells us, which must be accepted, as written, without question by the Believer.
“Wahabbi Scientists” actively attack anyone who disagrees with what (the currently-accepted version of) science tells us, seeking their conversion or destruction in a mission not all that different from the radical interpretation of “Jihad”.
Hope that helps.
and foolishly regards its current state something worthy of worship.
So you’re using the term “science worshiper” ironically, then. Got it.
DiscordianStooj said:
“So you’re using the term “science worshiper” ironically, then. Got it.”
Ah, the old “I know you are, but what am I?” never gets old. For some.
Someone who believes that science defines what is and is not a person is certainly a science worshiper in a non-ironic sense. They believe that science provides answers to metaphysical questions.