Archive → November, 2010
Emmer fought hard, but now it’s time to pack up
I admire Republican Tom Emmer’s tenacity in fighting to make sure Minnesota’s state election laws were followed in his 8,755-vote loss to Democrat Mark Dayton in the Minnesota governor’s race. It’s stage two of a battle fought and lost in the Al Franken-Norm Coleman Senate election.
There are serious flaws in Minnesota’s voting system, and the possibilities for voter fraud are quite real. But at this point, the best thing Emmer could do is concede the election and come back stronger next time. And I say this as an Emmer supporter.
There’s no smoking gun of trunkfuls of uncounted ballots in this election, as there was in Franken-Coleman. And while losing by less than 10,000 votes is tough, the only way Emmer could win at this point is if all of Minnesota’s lakes are given a chance to cast a ballot, and they all throw in for Emmer. That’s not gonna happen, except maybe on Cyber Monday. The deficit of votes is just too great. If it were a matter of a thousand votes or less, I’d be all for a trench war on this.
But let’s keep in mind that the GOP took over both the Minnesota House and Senate this time out, by historic margins. While Dayton is, by his own admission, completely incompetent, he’ll have a more conservative state legislature reigning him in, and that will lead to stricter controls on tax hikes and budget bloat.
Let’s capitalize on that and focus on the long term.
Palin hints she will run
Sarah Palin has made it clear that she is considering a presidential bid in 2012, and that if she runs, she believes she could score a knockout punch to the Obama Administration. Despite her personal convictions, though, some in her party remain unconvinced, preferring long-time party loyalists like Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and others.
The landscape has changed somewhat since Palin ran as the lifesaver of the doomed McCain ticket, making the race closer than it otherwise would have been. One such change is that Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal’s stock has dropped without much explanation, while New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s stock is soaring due to his tax-cutting, budget-slashing, plain-spoken ways in a largely blue state.
The main problem is that party loyalists types like Romney still control the party, despite the advances made by Tea Party activists like Palin. If Tea Party support were key, though, Texas Governor Rick Perry would likely top the list over Palin, despite the fact that he has never indicated interest in a demotion from being Texas Governor to being US President.
So ultimately, Palin’s blatant water-testing is interesting, but much remains to be seen. If forces like Christie, Perry or Jindal enter the race, Palin would likely fade as a favorite. But if compromising John McCain types like Romney, Huckabee and Gingrich remain her stiffest competition, Palin could easily become the next GOP presidential nominee, just due to a lack of other energizing conservatives on the scene.
But it’s early; one’s time is better spent on designer furniture shopping than prognosticating 2012 political results.
Recounts galore
Never mind the prominent recount set to begin between Democrat Mark Dayton and Republican Tom Emmer over the Minnesota Governorship being vacated by incumbent Republican Tim Pawlenty. There are currently eight U.S. House races too close to call that still haven’t been cleared beyond doubt.
As it stands now, it appears the GOP may take as many as three of those eight seats; if that’s the case, the GOP re-taking of the House of Representatives would sweep all the way to an impressive 63-seat shift in the balance of power.
Maybe some of these recounts could be sped along if the prize for finishing accurately and honestly and quickly was something cool and fun, like Branson Missouri vacation packages. Then again, maybe it’s best to keep incentives out of it.
