Over the weekend, theStribissued its endorsements for the GOP primaries.<\/p>\n
And they were mostly utterly predictable – if you keep Berg’s Law in mind.\u00a0 In this case, “Berg’s 11th Law of Inverse Viability” (“The conservative liberals \u201crespect\u201d for their \u201cconservative principles\u201d will the the one that has the least chance of ever getting elected”), and especially the Huckabee Corollary to Berg’s 11th Law (“The Republican that the media covers most intensively before the nomination for any office will be the one that the liberals know they have the best chance of beating after the nomination, and\/or will most cripple the GOP if nominated”).\u00a0<\/p>\n
It’s largely the Strib’<\/em>s history of endorsements – endorsing the most moderate Republican for “reaching across the aisle”, but supporting the most extreme liberals for their “rock solid principles” – that ledShot in the Darkto the law in the first place.\u00a0<\/p>\n Race To The Middle<\/strong>:\u00a0 The Strib <\/em>endorsed Jim Abeler for Senate<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, I’ve got nothing against Abeler, a longtime House rep from Anoka.\u00a0 I’ve interviewed him more than any of the other Senate candidates.\u00a0 He’s a sharp guy.\u00a0 Too moderate for my tastes, of course – he was a member of the Override Six, among other things – but he states a good case for much of what he does.\u00a0 I disagree with him, but I respect him.<\/p>\n But he came in around the bottom in the endorsement race at the convention.\u00a0 The GOP left the moderate wing of the party (not that anyone’s told the moderates, like Dave Durenberger<\/a>).\u00a0 The Strib is doing its best to buff of the “moderate” wing of the party.\u00a0 But only the GOP, naturally.<\/p>\n Coming from the Strib<\/em> – which will surely endorse extreme liberal Al Franken for the race in November – how can this be seen as anything but trying to split their opposition?<\/p>\n Sivarajah<\/strong>:\u00a0 I like Rhonda Sivarajah.\u00a0 She’d make a spectacular Congresswoman.\u00a0 Had Tom Emmer, and his name recognition and money, not entered the race, I think she’d have been a walkover to replace Michele Bachmann, and\u00a0I’d have been happy to throw whatever I could offer behind her campaign (although that’s minimal, as is my impact on the race,\u00a0as I live in the Fourth CD).<\/p>\n A lot of Republicans are like that.\u00a0<\/p>\n