In The Blog House, the Star Tribune's Tim O'Brien notes how Minnesota's netroots have helped change perception of the congressional race in Minnesota's Fighting First:
Gutknecht vs. Walz
On paper, this race shouldn't be as close as it apparently is. Granted, Tim Walz -- a Mankato teacher and coach who served in Iraq in 2005 with his National Guard unit -- is an attractive candidate, but he is facing a six-term incumbent who hasn't received less than 60 percent of the vote since 2000.
OLLIE OX 7/28 UPDATE: A Navy veteran active in the DFL Veterans Caucus emailed us a note about Tim O-Brien's misinformation about Walz's military service. Good catch. The Strib's O'Brien gets paid, and should know enough to fact check. Tim Walz served with his battalion in Italy in support of troops in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom). Back to the Blog House:
But things got a little strange. MnPublius (3) reported that "A very credible source ... 'Was talking to a Canadian MP last night, who said that he met Gutknecht last week at some conference, and that Gil told him, "I have a real fight on my hands right now, I might not be seeing you at this time next year..." ' "
Then, after a trip to Iraq, Gutknecht told the Washington Post that conditions in Baghdad were far worse "than we'd been led to believe" and called for immediate troop withdrawals. Combine that with Walz's impressive fundraising, and you have a competitive race.
Gutknecht's change of heart was just crying out for Lapis' response at Broken Nails (4). "What was that? Flip Floppers? Surely, those must be Democrats! That is the favorite term GOPers have for Dems. That and cut-and-run ... Yep, Cut and Run Democrats! But wait ... It isn't a Democrat at all! It's Gil Gutknecht!"
Mr. Sponge at Minvolved (5) said that Gutknecht's change of heart was an attempt at political survival. "Gil is losing the race for Minnesota's 1st CD. We believe that Mr. Gutknecht has conducted internal polling that told him not only did he need to begin talking about Iraq, but that he needed to adopt a stance that is further away from the President's position than anything else that he had previously expressed."
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