October 25-26, 2018
Oct 25 00:05 Tina Smith's listening skills? Oct 25 03:21 Tina Smith's disappearing act Oct 25 10:59 Sinema's slide continues Oct 25 19:17 Ken Martin's moment of truth? Oct 26 03:37 Keith Ellison's trending trouble Oct 26 11:14 Bomber apprehended Oct 26 11:50 The 'politics of convenience'? Oct 26 18:34 John Sununu's perspective Oct 26 19:42 Disappearing Tina Smith?
Prior Months: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Tina Smith's listening skills?
In their Our View Editorial endorsing Karin Housley, the Duluth News Tribune included a quote from Tina Smith, Karin's DFL opponent.
In the quote, Smith said "Minnesotans are sick and tired of the partisan bickering. They don't have Republican problems or Democrat problems, and so my whole approach has been to listen really hard , to work really hard to do my best to solve problems for people. That's what I've been doing, and that's what I want to continue to do."
She couldn't have listened that hard on then-Judge Kavanaugh. Within minutes of President Trump nominating Brett Kavanaugh, Tina Smith had announced that she wouldn't meet with him and that she wouldn't vote to confirm him. That doesn't sound like listening to me. This is what listening looks like:
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This is the video of Tina Smith ignoring Minnesotans by not attending a debate with Karin Housley that was televised statewide:
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Karin Housley respected Minnesotans by showing up and answering questions. She has legitimate legislative accomplishments. Tina Smith is just another politician hoping you won't notice that she's ignoring you.
Minnesotans are smarter than that. I'm betting you'll notice and make Tina Smith pay for her elitism.
Posted Thursday, October 25, 2018 12:05 AM
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Tina Smith's disappearing act
Howard Root's counterpoint op-ed highlights the one big mistake that might sink Tina Smith.
In his op-ed, he wrote "When the Star Tribune endorsed Tina Smith over Karin Housley for the U.S. Senate special election ('They'll do nation's teamwork,' Oct. 21), its editorial board had a major advantage over the voters of Minnesota - they got to hear Smith answer questions. While Smith couldn't find 30 minutes the other evening to participate in the only publicly televised debate in this campaign, she somehow managed to find the time to sit down for a private interview with the newspaper."
By not participating in the debate, Tina Smith essentially admitted what Minnesotans are increasingly finding out -- that she'd her butt kicked in a substantive debate if she went up against Karin Housley. We also saw the terrible campaign being run by Tina Smith. The optics couldn't get much worse than this:
What campaign manager thinks that having an empty podium sends the right message?
Why was Smith a no-show for the Oct. 21 debate that was broadcast live statewide on KSTP and its four affiliates? Five days before the long-planned debate, her campaign cited " a complicated schedule " that precluded Smith from participating and cameras were left showing Karin Housley on stage answering questions next to an empty podium.
This was the only televised debate in which voters could see and hear the candidates provide impromptu answers to questions asked by an impartial moderator - yet the unelected senator refused to show up.
Let's state something fairly obvious. Tina Smith is pretending to know and/or care about parts of the state she knows nothing or little about. She doesn't know anything about pipelines. She knows even less about agriculture. It isn't like Tina Smith is winning over Trump voters in rural Minnesota.
If Tina Smith keeps running a terrible campaign and Karin Housley keeps running a positive, upbeat campaign, it's likely that Mrs. Smith won't go back to Washington.
Posted Thursday, October 25, 2018 3:21 AM
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Sinema's slide continues
When thinking about Kyrsten Sinema's sudden slide, I'm reminded of the ancient Hee Haw song line "If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all." This week, Sinema suffered the embarrassment of having an endorsement rescinded .
According to the article, "An Arizona union that represents state public safety employees withdrew its endorsement of U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema this week after its members said the executive board voted on the endorsement without their input." The article continues, saying "After members objected to the board's actions, the Arizona State Troopers Association polled its members in an email Monday, asking whether they wanted to endorse Sinema or stay neutral, the Arizona Republic reported. The poll indicated 'the membership has indicated a preference to stay neutral.'"
Things are spiraling out of control for Sinema. Here's what started that spiral:
The race has gotten ugly in recent weeks, with McSally asking Sinema to apologize for comments she made during a 2003 radio interview about American intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan at the end of a contentious Oct. 15 debate. The radio host made a comment about joining the Taliban, to which Sinema responded, "I don't care if you want to do that, go ahead." McSally, a former fighter pilot, accused Sinema of supporting treason and asked her to apologize.
During their recent debate, McSally went on the offensive against Sinema:
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Since then, Sinema's slide started and has continued.
On another note, NBC reports that early voting in Arizona favors Republicans this time.
Posted Thursday, October 25, 2018 10:59 AM
Comment 1 by Steve at 25-Oct-18 12:23 PM
What strikes me really odd about the article is that the rank and file members were given only two choices - endorse Sinema or remain neutral.
Was supporting the Republican candidate (McSally) not an option?
Apparently not.
Comment 2 by Liz at 25-Oct-18 01:15 PM
Gary, Can we please get you a like button? I like so much of what you write but do not have a comment as I do not see what I can really add to it. Thank you for all your work!
Response 2.1 by Gary Gross at 26-Oct-18 11:15 AM
Thanks Liz!!!
Ken Martin's moment of truth?
Ken Martin, the chairman of the DFL (Minnesota's Democratic Party), has just exposed himself as a two-faced liar. When Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford was outed by Sen. Feinstein, Democrats insisted that all women who'd claimed to be abused had to be believed . Mazie Hirono, (D-HI), said that Justice Kavanaugh was guilty until proven innocent.
Yesterday, Ken Martin said that he doesn't believe Karen Monahan , the ex-girlfriend of Keith Ellison. Ellison is the DFL candidate for Minnesota AG.
The chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) on Wednesday directly challenged the credibility of the woman accusing Attorney General nominee Keith Ellison of domestic violence, telling a reporter, "I don't believe her." Ken Martin said that he instead "believes our investigation," referring to a probe conducted by a partner at a law firm that donated more than $500,000 to Democrats since 1998, including $50,000 to Ellison.
It's stunning that the Twin Cities media hasn't laughed Martin out of the state after that sham investigation. Further, it's disgraceful that Martin would say he trusts the woman who can't corroborate her allegations from 36 years ago but doesn't trust the woman who contemporaneously told a doctor about her attack and has released medical documents identifying Keith Ellison as her attacker.
Ken Martin is a dirtbag incapable of telling the truth.
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Posted Thursday, October 25, 2018 7:17 PM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 26-Oct-18 05:31 PM
Democrats are morally and ethically bankrupt and the ends has always justified the means. How anyone can vote for them is beyond me.
Keith Ellison's trending trouble
This NYTimes article highlights in detail the difficulty Keith Ellison finds himself in.
It states "But in recent weeks, Mr. Wardlow has received one of the biggest political gifts of the midterm election cycle, in large part because of his opponent's fall from grace, after Mr. Ellison's former girlfriend said that he mistreated her . The charges, which Mr. Ellison denies, have snapped voters to attention across the state. The race has shifted dramatically in Mr. Wardlow's favor. Last month, Mr. Ellison had a five-point lead among likely voters, according to a Star Tribune/Minnesota Public Radio News poll. But the numbers have more than flipped: Mr. Wardlow has taken a seven-point lead, according to the group's new poll taken last week."
Clearly, Ellison's trend-line is working against him. That's the least bad news for Ellison. When I wrote this post , I noted this:
Voters in Hennepin and Ramsey counties preferred Ellison in the new poll, but Wardlow was ahead in every other part of the state . Wardlow's support also grew among voters aged 18 to 34. That age group went for Ellison by a wide margin in the September poll, and while he still leads among such voters, the percentage that backed Wardlow more than doubled.
That isn't the worst of it. Ellison has virtually 100% name recognition. There's still lots of potential voters who are undecided. If Ellison hasn't closed the deal with them, he isn't likely to.
Here's the big picture view of the race according to the Strib-MPR Poll:
Posted Friday, October 26, 2018 3:37 AM
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Bomber apprehended
The good news is that law enforcement got their man . It's been confirmed that "A male suspect was arrested in Florida on Friday morning in connection with the rash of suspicious packages sent to prominent Democrats nationwide, law enforcement sources confirmed to Fox News. A law enforcement source told Fox News that the suspect is a white male in his 50s, a former New Yorker, who lives in Aventura, Florida, who had prior arrests for terroristic threats. Several of the packages went through a U.S. postal facility in Opa-locka, which is less than 10 miles from Aventura."
From the start, law enforcement was confident they'd get their man. Their confidence was apparently justified.
The Miami-Dade County Police Department confirmed Thursday it was helping federal agents who were at the facility in Opa-locka as part of the ongoing investigation. The USPS operates an innovative imaging system that photographs each piece of mail processed throughout the country. Investigators were likely relying on that system to pinpoint where some of the packages were mailed.
Another key part of their quick apprehension of the alleged criminal was the forensic material they recovered:
A government source told Fox News the FBI was analyzing the stamps in Quantico. The source also said the investigation had progressed 'significantly' and that the FBI was reaching out to retailers to zero in on where the elements of the bombs were made and where they were sold.
The envelopes and packaging materials likely contained a treasure trove of DNA information. Tiny bits of genetic material, traces of sweat, skin cells, saliva, hair or fingerprints, are typically used as a roadmap to the suspect's door, investigators and bomb experts say.
From the start, this was a matter of when, not if, they'd catch the perpetrator.
Posted Friday, October 26, 2018 11:14 AM
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The 'politics of convenience'?
When the Democrats' target was Brett Kavanaugh, the #MeToo and #BelieveHer movements were urgent matters. The minute Justice Kavanaugh got confirmed, the Democrats' war cry died. When Keith Ellison became the focus, the DFL circled the proverbial wagons and started protecting the alleged sexual assaulter.
Harold Hamilton summed things up perfectly when he wrote "With no GOP targets on the front burner, the volume has been turned down, especially since the weapon is now focused on Democrats like Keith Ellison. In fact, the hypocrisy is shameless and appalling. The faces of Minnesota's feminist movement, including Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, and erstwhile gubernatorial candidate Erin Murphy (she of the corny and childish 'politics of joy' campaign) have all voiced their support for Keith Ellison and his campaign for attorney general."
Then he wrote "There is no shortage of photos and video of these leaders happily standing with this credibly accused assaulter and friend of anti-Semites. You also have the spectacle of a paunchy, bloated DFL chairman Ken Martin telling us he doesn't believe her. Instead, we are implausibly expected to believe the DFL's own 'outside' investigation of the matter. Yes, the fox has definitely concluded that there is no evidence he was in the hen house on the night in question."
The sad thing is that the DFL's defense of Keith Ellison won't save him. At this point, it isn't likely that he'll win the AG election. In fact, after he's defeated, it wouldn't surprise me if he was forced to resign as deputy chair of the DNC. Once that happens, Ellison's political career will essentially be over.
When this election passes, the DFL will have lost an important tool to affect progressive change. They will have lost the Minnesota AG's office to torment companies. That will really hurt when you add their loss against Justice Kavanaugh.
After that string of losses, will the DFL take the time to examine what they did wrong? Anything's possible but I wouldn't expect a major shift away from their insanity. That wouldn't be convenient.
Posted Friday, October 26, 2018 11:50 AM
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John Sununu's perspective
John Sununu Sr.'s perspective definitely doesn't match with the MSM's. Just watch this interview with Bill O'Reilly and you'll know what I mean:
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I was particularly fascinated when they got to the subjects of Kavanaugh and the "migrant march." Check out Sununu's perspective. He said that Kavanaugh will affect the hard-cord Republican voter who was going to vote Republican. Then Sununu said that the migrant march "is going to affect the marginal Republican and the independents. Those are the ones that the surprise data has a majority talking about how they want this march stopped. So those 2 things affect the Republican vote but with 2 different groups of voters."
I think that's exactly right. That's why I think the polling is missing what's happening. It's my theory that pollsters have misinterpreted suburban white women in a significant way. Every night, I hear how Democrats are leading with women, which I don't doubt. That being said, I'm highly skeptical of the theory that suburban white women don't worry about immigration.
They're smart enough to know that those illegal immigrants pile tons of extra costs on them by piling tons of additional expenses on school districts and safety net programs.
The other thing that Gov. Sununu said that makes sense is that he disputes the notion that the union worker who's voted Democrat "all his life except in 2016" will vote Democrat in 2018. Gov. Sununu thinks that Trump's economy has earned him tons of good will with union workers. I wholeheartedly agree. Here in Minnesota, the DFL doesn't have much of a chance of winning back the private sector unions anytime soon. That's why Pete Stauber will handily win in the Eighth District.
Posted Friday, October 26, 2018 6:34 PM
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Disappearing Tina Smith?
The closer we get to Election Day, the more Tina Smith goes into hiding. About 2 weeks ago, Outdoor News sent a questionnaire out to all 4 Minnesota candidates for US Senate. Of the 4 candidates that received the questionnaires, (wait for it) only Tina Smith didn't respond:
Sunday night, she didn't attend the KSTP debate . Smith insists that she's a great listener. That's impossible to believe when she consistently doesn't show up for debates or doesn't answer easy questionnaires. Not filling out that questionnaire is disrespectful. Does Tina think that she doesn't need to answer to the people? Apparently.
At some point, Tina Smith will be rightly labeled an elitist snob who doesn't thinks she has to answer to the people. It isn't difficult to argue that you aren't a listener if you ignore opportunity after opportunity to respond to constituents. That's what Tina Smith is doing.
Let's remember that she doesn't have a gigantic lead. Tina's lead is within the margin of error. Acting like she's got this wrapped up won't help her image. Frankly, I don't know why Gov. Dayton picked Tina to replace Al Franken. It isn't like she was the Democrat with the most impressive resume in the state.
This is a race to watch. Karin Housley is running a great campaign and is gaining ground fast. If Tina Smith keeps acting like she's already won, she'll soon be delivering a concession speech.
Posted Friday, October 26, 2018 7:42 PM
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