So Long! It’s Been Good to Know You!

I may as well fold up the ollld blog. Who am I going to bash now that Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has decided to give up her seat in Congress – that is, when January 2014 rolls around? Unless, of course, she has other ideas!
by Charlie Leck

Now Congresswoman Bachmann is saying that eight years is good enough for anyone. It is not, she emphasizes, that she’s afraid of her Democratic opponent in an election next year. And, she also assures us, it has nothing to do with the possibility of charges of campaign misconduct having to do with her Iowa presidential primary activities in 2012.

No, dang it! Of course not!

I’ll tell you what!
If Michele Bachmann sticks to her guns and leaves Congress and stays out of politics, I’ll hang up my spurs as well. On her last day in Congress, I’ll write my final blog here. With Ms. Bachmann gone, my blood pressure will go down and so will most of my reasons to rant, rave and rage.

Unless, that is…
I have no idea who will ascend to represent Minnesota’s sixth district in Congress. Only the election of an idiot like Tom Emmer, who happens to live in the sixth district, could get me to renege on my promise to stop blogging. And, Emmer is being talked about as one of the possible candidates to replace the congresswoman. I’d like to think that Emmer is unelectable but I’m afraid it may not be true in the sixth district – and only in the sixth.

So, even though Bachmann has pledged to leave Congress, we need Graves to stick to his promise to run for the seat. I think he would have beaten Bachmann (and frankly, I think that’s why she’s retiring) and I think he can defeat Emmer in a head-to-head fight.

The two zaniest Republicans in the state…
You know, from what I’ve written here, that I have little regard for either Bachmann or Emmer. They are the two weirdest Republicans in the state. They are both equally flakey and they both lack any sort of cleverness. I think Emmer would end up being even a greater embarrassment to the state than Bachmann has been.

So, stay tuned and I’ll try to keep you up-to-date on what’s going to happen in Minnesota’s sixth congressional district. The first thing I’ll watch for are hints that Emmer might be making a run for it. I have reasonable Republican friends who will keep me posted on Emmer’s intentions.

Tom Emmer cost the Minnesota Republican Party the governorship in 2012 and if, by some strange set of circumstances, he should get to run for congress, I believe he’ll do the same thing in that race by splitting his party again.

If the Republican Party is smart they’ll look for some kind of moderately conservative candidate out there in the sixth district – for a person who will have a more reasonable approach than did Michele Bachmann.

Now, one final possibility…
Could it be? Would she dare? Has Ms. Bachmann the idea that she might take a run for the U.S. Senate and oppose Al Franken in his 2014 bid for reelection? OMG! That would mean intensifying my blogging efforts rather than discontinuing them. Is it possible? What we have learned is that with her anything is possible.

If you’d like to watch the You Tube Video of Ms. Bachmann’s statement about her retirement, you can do so here…

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Representative Bachmann Goes Silent

Stories in our local paper over the last few days seem to indicate that Representative Michele Bachmann has withdrawn into her shell and won’t be quickly coming out!
by Charlie Leck

Yes, it is the same woman, Michele Bachmann, who never seemed to know when to keep her mouth shut, who has now withdraw from public notice and we don’t seem to hear a peep out of her. What’s going on?

To that question, one can only guess! Perhaps she’s licking her 2012 election wounds and the wounds, perhaps, were more numerous than we ever imagined. She came within a whisker of defeat in her congressional district – even after said district had been redrawn in such a way that her election should have been more certain than ever. I have sources within the State Democratic Party who tell me that Bachmann could actually have been defeated had the Party been able to convince potential donors that her opponent was doing as well as he was. Jim Graves, who ran against Bachmann in the November election, had actually crept up on her in the polling and drawn sliver close to her. I didn’t believe it. I, like others, thought it was optimistic hopefulness and not reality. The local newspaper's polls were still showing Bachmann with a wide lead. Why, had I known Graves had really pulled nearly even with Bachmann, I would have been “in” in a second. I would have gotten the buggy out of the garage and headed for the Graves headquarters to find out what I could do – where I could beat on doors and to whom I could give money.

My sources, savvy and connected, are also telling me that Graves will run again in 2014 – this time with a more organized campaign and with solid backing from former non-believers (such as I).

Six months ago, I was championing the concept that Bachmann could not be beaten given the characteristics of that congressional district. I was certainly not responsible for Jim Graves’ inability to over-take the incumbent, but I was certainly no help either.

The Congresswoman’s district begins approximately one mile from my house (to the west). It wouldn’t have like killed me to mosey on over there, perhaps with checkbook in hand, to find out what I could have done to help.

Well, at the very least we put a scare in her, I’ll tell you what! It appears the old girl is still shaken up and she’s begun to wonder what she can do to repair herself as a candidate for reelection in 2014. It appears that someone has kicked over the tea kettle and there’s lots of embarrassment about the big dent that has been left in it.

Mr. Graves, I hope it is true that you will run again. I here and now pledge my support if you do. I do suggest, however, that you go ahead and buy a home just a mile or so west of me and settle in there so you can get to know your neighbors. You might just as well live in the district. You’ll still be close to downtown Minneapolis. And, I promise I’ll show you around and that you’ll fall in love with your neighbors.

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Minnesota’s Governor Carlson on Congresswoman Bachmann

Regarded by so many as the best Governor in Minnesota’s history, Arne Carlson’s opinion should be respected.
by Charlie Leck

I urge you – especially if you’re a Minnesotan – to read former governor Arne Carlson’s comments about Congresswoman Michele Bachman.

On this one, the Governor has hit the old, proverbial nail right squarely on the head.

“What has happened to Bachmann is common with the McCarthy types – they rise quickly as they step loudly and carelessly on the reputations of innocent people and they fall just as rapidly in accordance with the public’s insistence on truth and decency. Rising Republican criticism has clearly hastened her downturn.”

Carlson’s blog, Governor Arne Carlson, should be on your regular reading list – especially if you are from Minnesota. He posts new blogs about every three or four weeks.

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Bachmann v. Graves

Bachmann vs. Graves in Minnesota’s 6^th District is a race worth watching!
by Charlie Leck

My regular readers will not be surprised that I am keeping a close eye on the race in the sixth congressional district here in Minnesota (the seat in the House of Representatives now held by the illustrious and/or infamous Michele Bachmann). It’s a long-long-shot that a Democrat could unseat Bachmann in this very conservative district, but Bachmann did not do herself any favors this summer when she acted very much like Senator Joe McCarthy (of the mid-fifties) and began seeing boogey men everywhere on the hill and accused another Minnesota congressional representative (Keith Ellison) of being a tool of the Muslim Brotherhood. It would have been laughable had it not be so awful!

Bachmann is crazier than a hoot-owl, but she’s got a district that is custom tailored for her insanities. Jim Graves, a solid, reputable and successful businessman, with roots in St. Cloud, is challenging Bachmann. His campaign has announced that an internal poll shows that he has closed the biggest part of the gap that Bachmann has historically had in that district and numbers are now within the margin of error. Naturally, Bachmann’s campaign has pooh-poohed this. Graves’ poll was done by a very reputable firm, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, of Washington, D.C.. This is not a firm that is willing to put its reputation on the line just to deliver a client some phony numbers.

Now, it’s got to be remembered that Bachman is just now starting to crank up her campaign and she’s begun to hit Carver County and Wright County hard. This is gold territory for Bachmann and will deliver her overwhelming support. She spent a full day last week down in Waconia, a relatively busy community, just south of our farm.

Graves claims that his campaign is making solid in-roads into the district’s independent voters and they have swung over to his side this year. Though Bachmann has more than two million bucks in her campaign coffers, it has to be remembered that Graves is no piker and may be willing to spend his own money quite freely if it really looks like he has a chance to win. His treasury now has only a bit over three-hundred thousand in the bank.

It also has to be noted that the last two Bachmann campaigns had the advantage of running against a split ticket because of the presence of independent candidates. That’s not the case this year. Bachmann has to do it Mano-a-Mano. We’ll see if this might make the difference.

I’m not shilling for Graves, but he could use some contributions from those who would like to see him win this race. I’ve sent some money and I’ll send more today. Please, won’t you join in and send what you can to Jim Graves for Congress.

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Why not become a follower?
If you read my blog regularly, why not become a follower? All you have to do is click in the upper right hand corner and establish a simple means of communication. Then you'll be informed every time a new blog is posted here. If all that's confusing, here's Google's explanation of how to do it! If you don’t want to post comments on the blog, but would like to communicate with me about it, send me an email if you’d like.

Bachmann is Popular in District 6

I was at a political gathering again on Saturday, and I really shouldn’t have been there. I’ve been passed by and I should move on to other things.
by Charlie Leck

I was with a Minnesota Democratic Party wonk the other day, over a little breakfast at the wonderful Country Cupboard in Long Lake (for a real treat try Emily’s French Toast). Among other things, the sheer craziness of Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was a matter of conversation. We all had a few good laughs about the nutty dame, but grew pretty serious and forlorn when the wonk pointed out that she was probably unbeatable in District 6.

“They like her up there! What can I say?”

I could tell that at least one of us sitting in the little restaurant wanted to slay the messenger.

“How can it be?” I asked.

“Well, it's just that they’re a certain kind of people up there. It’s pretty easy to frighten them. They believe most anything. Of course, on top of that, it’s going to be a bad year for Democrats, period!”

“What can we do?”

“I wish I could tell you that there was something, but I don’t think there is. Look at the gaffe she made two years ago and how she opened the door for her opponent. She still won going away!”

I nibbled on my French-Toast in silence, withdrawing from the conversation to sulk.

The woman has been going around, lately, and telling people that Obama wants to put a complete ban on fishing. (I dropped my fork in my plate. The other guys looked over at me as if I’d keeled over.) Of course, she comes from a big sport fishing district. I sat there, pushing my breakfast around from one side of my plate to the other, wondering how people can just believe such flat out lies; and I also wondered how anyone can tell such falsehoods with a straight face.

From there we went on to a state senate district convention up at the high school. Most of the gubernatorial candidates were going to show up to speak, as were the two candidates for the Democratic endorsement to run for Congress in our district. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak seemed to be the strongest candidate for Governor among the delegates. I hope he gets endorsed. He’s energetic, a good speaker, bright and right on the issues as far as I’m concerned. He’s done a good job as a mayor. I think he’d be a good governor.

It’s almost like he was standing behind me, looking over my shoulder as I typed. The phone just rang. It was his honor, himself, calling. He said that it was good to chat with me on Saturday and that he appreciated my pledge of support. Of course, with that he said came some responsibility to pitch in. He said they were in a very expensive portion of the campaign and they needed some money to keep going.

“Of course,” I said, “I can understand that.”

He suggested a number. I suggested one a bit lower, but promised some more if things went well in the coming weeks.

He closes well. So, he’s a good salesman, too.

I was also impressed with one of the candidates for the congressional seat in our district, Maureen Hackett. I’ve written about her here before. She gave a whopping good speech at the convention on Saturday. She looks a little bit like one of the characters in Star Trek, but one, of course, can’t have everything, you know.

Politics is rolling again in Minnesota. I know I’ve pledged to stay away from it – to leave it alone – to heal my wounds; however, it is like the boozer who sees that unattended bottle of whiskey just sitting there for the taking. It’s hard to stay away from the lure of it.

I nominated myself for a state convention delegate spot. I was soundly beaten by a lot of young people. My heart wasn’t in my little campaign speech. I’ve got no fifth gear left on my transmission and things even get pretty shaky when I get into fourth. The kids who’ll go up there to the state convention will be like I was at my first – pretty uninformed and without knowledge of the ropes and strings and how to pull them. But, that’s all right. The Democratic Party in this state is in good hands. If only we could figure out how to do three things: (1) elect a governor; (2) defeat Michele Bachman; and (3) win the congressional seat in the 3rd district.

I’ll probably limit myself this year to writing a few letters on behalf of candidates and giving them a few bucks here and there. I’ll try really hard not to get so frustrated.

I’ve got a good idea for a short story. I think I’ll begin work on it this morning.