Adventures In Politics

In Minnesota and elsewhere, the campaign season is in full swing with the three gubernatorial candidates duking it out and the Tea Partiers winning primaries.  A rundown:

• In the governor's race, it's all about what to do with a deficit that's strangling the life out of the state.  DFL candidate Mark Dayton found out that his "tax the rich" proposal was two million dollars short of putting a dent in the problem.  Republican Tom Emmer doled out his economic plan in dribs and drabs, but it doesn't say much beyond reducing the size of government with no new taxes.  And Independence Party candidate Tom Horner favors a sales tax on clothes and services, a plan that's sure to go over big with financially strapped families and retailers.
• Horner, whose poll numbers still lag far behind Dayton and Emmer, won what amounts to a major endorsement from former Governor Arne Carlson.  Given that Carlson represents an endangered species--he's a moderate Republican--does anyone in the modern-day party still listen to him?  Also, Horner got a glowing editorial write-up (NOT an endorsement) from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, who urged its readers to at least consider the guy come November.  Does this mean Horner actually has a chance?
• The Sixth Congessional District race between Republican Michele Bachmann and Democrat Tarryl Clark has been marked so far by the ads that have been appearing on local TV in the Twin Cities.  Bachmann's ads feature an actor portraying "Jim the Election Guy", who tells us how "Taxin' Tarryl" as a state senator was responsible for helping make State Fair food and back-to-school items more costly.  Clark responded with "Regular Jims" who say they live in Bachmann's district and contend that she favors big business.  Currently, Bachmann's campaign is running GOP boilerplate ads tying Clark's record with President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  That's not exactly thinking outside the box.  As for Clark, she's challenging Bachmann to cut her salary by five percent just like she did.  Clark may be smiling a lot in her ads, but it's a struggle to compete against Bachmann and "Jim the Election Guy".

Christine O'Donnell:  Paging Julia Louis-Dreyfus

The Republicans continue to make headlines with Tea Partiers beating more mainstream candidates in the primaries.  The latest (and most prominent) is Christine O'Donnell, who won her contest against Rep. Mike Castle for a shot at the U.S. Senate seat in Delaware once held by Vice President Joe Biden.  She will face Democrat Chris Coons in November.

The GOP isn't exactly thrilled with O'Donnell because of her extreme-right positions and thin political resume, but they'll probably bite the bullet and support her anyway.  They should have known never to underestimate the power of a Sarah Palin endorsement.

Shortly after the polls closed Tuesday night, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow ran a clip of O'Donnell appearing on an MTV program on sex in the 1990s.  In it O'Donnell, then a member of a Christian abstinence group, talked about steering clear of sex--either with another person or by yourself--until after marriage.  Watch the clip on http://msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/#39183087.  (Viewer discretion is advised)

This may sound like a tacky multiple choice question to some of you, but here goes:  Did the good people of Delaware vote for O'Donnell because (A) they liked her positions on the issues, (B) they wanted to see a fresh face in the Senate, (C) if they're Democrats, they wanted an easier opponent for Coons, or (D) because she's attractive?

O'Donnell and the other TPers are making noise with fed-up voters that could end up with some of them heading to Washington.  The Democrats would be making a big mistake if they take these pitchfork-wielding, mad-as-hell outsiders as pushovers.