Posted on 05/22/2013 2:55:49 AM PDT by LiveFreeOrDie2001
Minnesota U.S. Sen. Al Franken leads all potential GOP opponents by comfortable double-digit margins, according to a Public Policy Polling survey released Tuesday. Among those tested by the Democratic polling firm was U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who he leads 55-38, a 17 point margin. Franken leads conservative talk show host Jason Lewis by the same 17 point margin (54-37), as well as state Sen. Julianne Ortman (52-35). Narrowing the gap slightly against the first-term senator were businessman Mike McFadden and Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, who came within 15 points apiece (both at 51-36). Sen. Julie Rosen trailed by 16 points (52-36). Overall, Franken weighed in with a 51 percent approval rating, while 42 of voters disapprove. (His approval rating is 6 points better than President Obamas in the state). One of the reasons for Frankens commanding lead in the early going is the low-profile of the potential GOP field. That is actually a sign of hope for the Republicans. Because of the low profile of the potential GOP candidates they do have a good amount of room to grow against Franken, the pollsters concluded, although he's certainly a clear favorite at any rate.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
Well, Craavack was a bit of a fluke upset in a district that hadn’t voted Republican for Congress since 1944. It’s unfortunate he couldn’t get a better hold on the seat (and the public problems with his wife didn’t help matters). That some elderly Watergate baby retread beat him was ridiculous. Hopefully the MN GOP can get a strong challenger to Nolan.
Maybe Louie Anderson can run against him? One good clown deserves another?
I’m in CD8 and voted for Craavack twice.
He was a target of downstate media from day one, namely in the form of the Minneapolis RedStar Tribune. He did take advantage both of the Tea Party wave and a supremely arrogant incumbent in “Jimmy Bikeshorts” Oberstar, but redistricting, media pressure and, admittedly, heavier Democrat turnout helped elect Nolan last fall.
The meat of CD8 is in the southern part of the district, the northern suburbs outside the Twin Cities metro area. That was what got Chip elected two years ago and what will hopefully help defeat Nolan next time around.
Yet both Coleman and Pawlenty, neither Conservative, ran against hard leftists and won (although Coleman clearly lost due to fraud and a 3rd party taking critical votes). Sadly, in the past umpteen decades, there's only been one Conservative win statewide, and that was Rod Grams in '94 (and he only barely won against a certified leftist moonbat). Believe me, I've been highly critical of Pawlenty and strongly opposed him for President, but getting Frankenstein out is paramount, and he looks to be the strongest person to do that. The talk show host mentioned might look and sound good, but even against a moonbat like Al, I can't see him pulling it off. They're going to have to raise a ton of money, too. I'm just a bit wary of our side blowing winnable races with unsuitable candidates.
Coleman was a former Democrat and ran largely on having “brought hockey back to Minnesota”.
If you don’t have principles and can’t articulate them, you aren’t going very far.
If you are saying that these descendants from Swedish immigrants tend toward socialism because it's in their DNA, I just can't buy that. They have to be mostly fourth or fifth generation Americans now and for the most part, don't have many cultural ties to the old country. Their ancestors who came over here were farmers who persevered against great hardship without any government handouts; they embodied traditional American "rugged individualism" for the most part and passed their work ethic down to their descendants.
Exactly. Coleman won the race when the ballots were counted the first time by optical scanning by several hundred votes. Then there were recounts after recounts lasting months by visual inspection of already scanned ballots using whatever criterion the individuals inspecting the ballots wished. As this was going on, new ballots suddenly were found and the 'Rat Secretary of State, who supervised the recounts declared Franken the winner.
This was almost replay of the Bush vs. Gore scenario that had occurred in Florida back in 2000. But in Florida, Bush was fortunate to have a GOP SOS who declared that Bush had won before the 'Rats ran out of time for more recounts. But Coleman had no such luck, because the recount procedure in Minnesota was totally under the supervision of cheating 'Rats.
Listen online @ jasonlewisshow.com
I don't think there's much of a correlation there. The fact that the state is still predominantly white should help the GOP, not hurt it.
Most of those people "with continental European ancestry" are probably third, fourth, fifth generation American and the large majority of those have little connection to the old country.
Their ancestors mostly came over in the nineteenth century and worked hard to overcome serious problems without any government handouts. For the most part they embodied the American ethic and they became sound American citizens. Socialism in Europe had little to do with them; it didn't really begin in earnest until after they had established themselves in the US>
Any affinity for socialism that today's descendants from continental Europe have is not connected to their immigrant forebears, but rather has more to do with propaganda they were exposed to in school and are still exposed to via the MSM.
Minnesota’s leftist politics far predates the anti-American propaganda in primary and secondary schools. It is related to European immigrants bringing socialism with them.
http://jcpa.org/dje/articles2/minn3.htm
...Minnesota is the archetypical example of a state informed and permeated by the moralistic political subculture — more so than any other in the Union or perhaps in the world...
Minnesota (and some neighboring states) was largely settled by immigrants from the Scandinavian countries and Germany. Minnesota became a state before the Civil War, before Marx had written the Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital. The historical timeline doesn't really mesh with the idea that the immigrants were predisposed to socialism.
Now of course there were socialistic or "progressive" ideas floating around the US from the Theodore Roosevelt era onward, but that would have probably affected later generations, after most of the earlier immigrants had passed on.
You are not familiar with the history of Minnesota’s radical politics.
There were socialists before Marx. Abolitionists were also frequently utopian dreamers. There was a spate of socialist upheaval in Europe around 1848. Many of those radicals ended up in the USA. The unmoderated Progressive Movement was more successful in Minnesota than elsewhere, and it became the Minnesota Republican Party. Minnesota’s north has many Italians, Serbs, Finns and Jews.
It’s not a mistake the Minnesota was the home of the American Communist Party, and that it is home to the most successful radical party in the 50 states.
“Among those tested by the Democratic polling firm....”
Nuff said!!!!!!
Pre-election propaganda and disinformation.
you people better get your act together...
you work to get your PURE candidate elected in the primary....whatever "pure" means to some "conservatives" out there...but if you fail, you support the greater good....
What specifically do you mean by that and when? The Communist Party USA began shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, and geographically had its greatest presence in Chicago and New York. Eventually Communist activity spread to other locations, so I wouldn't be surprised if there was some in Minnesota. Do you know of any well-known early twentieth century American communists from Minnesota? Can't think of any offhand.
Abolitionists were also frequently Utopian dreamers.
Maybe so, but they couldn't be called Marxists because they predated the publication Marx's works.
Stick to things you know about.
MN statehood: 1859; ‘’The Communist Manifesto’’, wasn’t that 1848?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.