READERS PLEASE NOTE: The "FURTHER UPDATE" at the end of this post is reassuring - indicating that the sd56 people are intending to give Maureen Reed an equal opportunity within a reasonable time of the Tarryl Clark event. This is very good news, and hopefully soon, this page, will be updated for the Dec. 10 event. While this moots much of the post, rather than pull it I am putting the good news at the front and the end. Enjoy.
I was distressed last cycle to see the DFL leadership close ranks early, "it was Elwyn's turn," with Bob Olson frozen out before he had much of a chance to say boo.
Now, neither Maureen Reed nor Tarryl Clark appears to have the Elwyn Tinklenberg approach and doubtful appeal, each being in my view more promising, but again it looks as if there is an early closing of ranks and a freeze out. That is not good, since the caucus process, if it is to work, should not be biased early, by leadership's according blessings months before the first whiff of caucusing. That will start next year. It is counterproductive to an open party, and open options, to close things among party insiders before the voting folks even show up. I say that favoring Tarryl Clark at present over Maureen Reed, because Reed and her people have been floating the negative message that Clark is "too liberal" to win the district. That suggests either Reed is less liberal than Clark, who after all is a middle-of-the-road moderate and not much of a liberal at all, or that Reed and her advisers are playing games misrepresenting the goods. With either GOP-lite or misrepresentation suggested I am uncomfortable.
Reed has not explained fully the Hutchinson-Reed IP ticket and its opposition to the Hatch-Dutcher hopes progressives had to unseat the Pawlenty disaster and not see it continued. A Hatch win was something many wanted but something that narrowly did not happen.
The Reed camp has merely contended that Hatch-Dutcher blew the thing by a last minute blow-up, and that even Hatch people will say so. Well, I have not seen any such comment from either Mike Hatch or Judi Dutcher, and while Leslie Sandberg was a Hatch communications person now apparently retained by Reed, and might say something like that, if that is the basis Reed relies upon, it would be the opinion of a paid advisor and subject to scurtiny as such.
So I am favoring Clark as so far having a voting record and appearing less of a GOP-lite offering, but feeling Reed should be accorded fair chances to voice what is wrong with Michele Bachmann and what she could do better based on her expertise, experience and beliefs - something that can easily be done without any negative comments about a moderate opponent being "too liberal" which does not resonate at all well among those knowing a moderate when they see one.
Now - as someone who still feels that Bob Olson could have defeated Michele Bachmann had he merely been given the chance, and that he got little if any chance by being frozen out before caucusing, there is this - a screenshot of the webpage lead-in, here, as the first item listed on the site homepage.
That triggered my sending the email, shown below [please ignore the grammatical gaffe in the middle, I was in a hurry].
I sent that because everything there is sincerely felt. Featuring Clark is good. It informs people in the opposite end of Minnesota's Sixth Congressional of who Tarryl Clark is, giving them a chance to meet and greet and assess "the cut of her jib."
All good. Clark should be doing that since she's from the St. Cloud area and needs to have visibility throughout the district - the chance to face-to-face convince likely caucus goers that she is the better choice. Information and informed caucus goers is a positive thing. And that is precisely why Maureen Reed should be accorded the identical opportunity, and within a reasonable time from when Clark appears and listens and talks. Yet the webpage homepage has an sd56 events calendar on the top menu bar, and after the Clark appearance and opportunity, into next year and through the end of January, I see no comparable Reed opportunity and appearance booked.
What is happening, and is it good or bad? My email simply suggests that Reed and her people might enjoy a comparable opportunity. Implicitly, I contend that norms of fairness suggest she should be allowed that. Less is questionable conduct by sd56 insiders. Certainly, if Reed has that opportunity she surely could bury her chances by her and entourage showing up and going negative with the "too liberal" thing which plays into the hands of Bachmann and the GOP, and if that were to happen I expect the attendees would weigh that in decision making. They would be stupid not to.
So let Reed attend and discuss the last run for Lt. Governor, and other considerations, and how her healthcare background in Congress would be better than Bachmann because the legislation likely to be passed now will be full of bad compromises and likely will prove disruptive and unworkable, including poking a sharp stick in the eyes of those favoring reproductive choice, so that one skilled in healthcare matters AND WITH THE PROPER VIEW AND ATTITUDE should be worth listening to and talking to, in order to better understand the cost containment dimensions that might well be lacking in legislation that would be signed next year. Reed deserves that opportunity, and if instead she and folks blow it by talking of "polling" that might suggest Clark is "too liberal," well they make their campaign choices and I do not make choices for them.
But give Reed a fair shot - everbody in boss positions in the DFL. It is only being fair. Now is far, far, far too early for a freeze out.
___________UPDATE_________
I believe this is relevant. "Deeds proves you can’t run for office standing for nothing." A quote from a comment about last Tuesday's off-year election outcomes; this link.
Does that suggest a new version of an old saying - You can hide, but then you cannot run? Only a thought. Candidates hesitant to publicly define themselves early and often either have opponents define them, or become viewed as empty of passionate content. Now, it might be different for front runners, but trailing, why let a gap widen? Jesse was unusual, but he won by defining himself and defining his opposition. Yet none of that was within his own party, an intra-party contest. How that intra-party situation plays out will be most watched in both GOP and DFL governor races.
______FURTHER UPDATE_________
Very good news. Marc Drummond, on behalf of sd56 sent an email:
Eric:
We will be having a similar event with Maureen Dec 10.
Thanks!
Marc
This is very good to see. Hopefully the sd56 calendar page will be updated soon, to avoid confusion. I was in error, this corrects a wrong premise. It makes me happy to have been proven wrong, in such a way.