GOP Endorses, Kennedy Accepts
The endorsement vote wasn't suspense-filled but I'm sure that was just fine with Mark, now the officially endorsed GOP candidate for Mark Dayton's open U.S. Senate seat.
Gary at KvM says that we have the opportunity to "finally elect a good Kennedy to the Senate." I agree with Gary on that but I'd add that we also have the the opportunity to "finally elect a good" Mark to the U.S. Senate. Here's part of
the Strib's pontifications on the night:
As for who's part of the problem and who's part of the solution, how will 'Crimewave Amy' be part of any solution to protecting America from terrorists or criminals when she can't even get that right in Minneapolis? On the other hand, Mark Kennedy voted to cut $50 billion of federal spending this winter, helping to shrink the federal deficit. I think most Minnesotans would say that that's called being part of the solution.
Let's look at parts of Kennedy's speech:
If you think that Ms. Klobuchar will fight for small businesses' right to pool with other small businesses, you'd better rethink things because she wants government to run healthcare.
The final analysis of this race is simple. If you're partial to Daily Kos/MoveOn.org solutions, then vote for Klobuchar & prepare for some painful adjustments. If you prefer common sense solutions that are guaranteed to work, then Mark Kennedy is the only vote this November.
Posted Friday, June 2, 2006 2:39 AM
May 2006 Posts
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Facing what may be one of the closest races in the country, Rep. Mark Kennedy headed into the U.S. Senate campaign Thursday night with the rousing endorsement of his party, but as a bit of an underdog, thanks to the anti-Bush headwind all Republicans face this year and the emergence of a strong opponent in DFL frontrunner Amy Klobuchar.Expect the Agenda Media to use the anti-Bush mood meme alot this year. I frankly don't think that it'll play a significant role in specific races, especially in House races. I don't think it'll work in this race either. I'm not denying that there's a general tiredness with President Bush. I just don't think it translates to legislative races.
Sounding more like an outsider than an incumbent whose party controls all three branches of government, Kennedy said he would push for "change in Washington." He criticized the dominance of lobbyists, interest groups, pork spending and a government that he said "hasn't controlled our borders and didn't respond promptly to a major disaster."I've always thought that being an outsider had far more to do with not thinking like a Washingtonian than with geography. Mark Kennedy is still thinking like the CPA that he is. Washington insiders don't worry about pork-filled earmarks or lobbyists. They just see that as part of the political landscape and adjust to them as facts of life. I haven't seen a hint that Mark Kennedy's accepted earmarks or kowtowing to lobbyists as a fact of life. That doesn't mean the Klobuchar campaign won't try & paint him differently. (I use the term campaign very loosely with respect to Klobuchar.)
Ben Goldfarb, Klobuchar's campaign manager, said after the speech that "Mark Kennedy can try to run from his record and his close friend George Bush, but he can't hide the truth: For six years he's put big oil, drug companies and party leaders ahead of Minnesotans. As a Washington insider, Kennedy can't be part of the solution, because he's part of the problem."Ben isn't too bright, is he? If Kennedy is such a big friend of Big Oil, why did he vote just last week to keep ANWR off-limits to them? If he were in bed with 'Big Oil', that should've been the easiest decision he'd have to make. I think it's safe to say that Ben isn't ready for primetime if he's already resorting to lines that Democrats have been trying to pin on Republicans since 2002.
As for who's part of the problem and who's part of the solution, how will 'Crimewave Amy' be part of any solution to protecting America from terrorists or criminals when she can't even get that right in Minneapolis? On the other hand, Mark Kennedy voted to cut $50 billion of federal spending this winter, helping to shrink the federal deficit. I think most Minnesotans would say that that's called being part of the solution.
He faces the dilemma of Republican candidates nationwide, how to win despite the fading appeal of their president, a prolonged and increasingly unpopular war and a general nervousness about rising deficits.Does Ms. Lopez pay attention to the news at all? Hasn't she heard that they've refigured the deficit forecast for FY 2006 downward by almost $100 billion? It's being said that it might finish under $300 billion this year.
"All Republicans will be sailing into a very strong headwind this election," said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for Politics and Government at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute.Mr. Jacobs needs to rethink his pre-rehearsed lines before doing another interview.
Let's look at parts of Kennedy's speech:
We're not going to get the right kind of change by sending another lawyer to the Senate. How about a little diversity? How about someone with some business experience who knows how to get things done? How about a CPA who will find ways to save your money, not new ways to spend it? It's certainly not the right kind of change to launch more politicized investigations and partisan impeachment proceedings. Haven't we had enough of that kind of thing?
- How can a woman who says that she's for a Canada-style healthcare system be a fiscal conservative?
- How can a woman who's said that she wouldn't have voted to confirm John Roberts as the Supreme Court's chief justice be a solid vote for judges that actually believe in making their rulings based on the Constitution rather than a whim or a policy belief?
First, the tax code has become a full-employment program for lobbyists and lawyers who get paid millions to protect each and every loophole. The tax code is seven times longer than the Bible. As a CPA let me assure you, there is no good news in the tax code. We need real reform to make the tax code more simple, more fair and pro-jobs.To illustrate Mark's point, Rush said today that a major American company's tax return was 24,000 pages, which equates to a stack of paper 8 feet high. If you think that Ms. Klobuchar wants to clean up the tax code, don't bet on it. If that isn't bad enough, she's already said that she wants to raise taxes on anyone making more thatn $200,000.
You know, there are a lot of lawyers in the US Senate, but not one CPA...and it shows. We need to spend less in general. We need to reform earmarks.What has Amy said about earmarks? Has Amy said anything about eliminating pork, whether it's found in earmarks or elsewhere? If she hasn't, then you can bet that that isn't a priority with her. And if it isn't a priority now, I'll guarantee that it won't be in the land of lobbyists.
This job growth didn't happen by accident. It happened because we showed leadership and took action. We lowered taxes on families, on small businesses, on people who take risks and create jobs. We ended the marriage penalty and the death tax. We doubled the per child tax credit. Now some people, I won't mention who, [whisper] Amy Klobuchar, want to take away most of this tax relief.The current strong job growth is the result of the Bush tax cuts that Mark Kennedy voted for. The economy has been resillient, weathering a pair of major hurricanes, a mediocre world economy, with India & China being the exceptions to that. Would that economy stay strong if there was a huge tax increase? I wouldn't bet on it.
The other side talks about "universal" healthcare. That's politician speak for government run healthcare. They want more government involvement, more bureaucracy and more rules from Washington. One size-fits-all, universal health care is not the right kind of change. The government already hasn't controlled our borders and didn't respond promptly to a major disaster, and now they think it should be in charge of every single aspect of healthcare in America? What color is the sky in their world? Their ideas are backwards.Ms. Klobuchar can't avoid that charge after saying that she favors a single-payer system. In Canada, that single payer is the government. That's a failed system if ever there was one. Expect Mark Kennedy to tie that position around her neck from now through Election Night. Expect him to also tie that huge tax increase to Ms. Klobuchar too.
- If a big corporation buys health insurance for you, it's tax deductible. If you buy it yourself, you get no tax break. That's backwards.
- When big corporations buy insurance, they get a big discount. But, the government prevents small businesses from joining together to get the same kind of discount. That's backwards.
- It's easier to find information on the price and quality of hotel rooms in Cancun than for routine medical procedures at your local hospital. That's backwards.
If you think that Ms. Klobuchar will fight for small businesses' right to pool with other small businesses, you'd better rethink things because she wants government to run healthcare.
The final analysis of this race is simple. If you're partial to Daily Kos/MoveOn.org solutions, then vote for Klobuchar & prepare for some painful adjustments. If you prefer common sense solutions that are guaranteed to work, then Mark Kennedy is the only vote this November.
Posted Friday, June 2, 2006 2:39 AM
May 2006 Posts
No comments.
