MINNESOTA CENTRAL: ON BUSH'S ISSUES VOTE WALZ
Somehow, we missed this post on Minnesota Central on Thursday. He begins:
President Bush responded to a question at Wednesday’s (10/25/06) press conference about the upcoming election :
BUSH: “I think the coming election is a referendum on these two things: which party has got the plan that will enable our economy to continue to grow and which party has a plan to protect the American people.”
He said he also will push the unfinished business of his second term -- reforming Social Security, overhauling the tax code and pushing for a broad immigration bill -- and is "more likely to achieve those three objectives with a Republican-controlled Congress and a Republican-controlled Senate."
The post then conducts a item-by-item review of where Gutknecht stands on these issues. Read the whole thing on Minnesota Central. He concludes:
CONCLUSION : Gutknecht is not running for another term … he’s running for a lifetime appointment. I, and the next generation, cannot afford a Congressman who so clearly uses taxess as a campaign slogan without consideration of our long term financial future. The question is not whether "you can spend your money smarter than the federal government"; the question is "why won't the Congress make others pay their FAIR share?"
I have read the Walz position paper (link) and clearly he gets it.
Eliminate the Democrat or Republican candidate label and it is clear who is the most fiscally responsible candidate.
MINNESOTA CAMPAIGN REPORT: GUTKNECHT STANDS WITH BUSH
Joe Bodell takes a look at how close in "MN-01: Gutknecht Stands with Bush":
At least according to CQ Politics, a non-partisan and generally solid publication. CQ has a new feature showing presidential support scores based on the judgment of CQ editors on dozens of votes in which there was a clear presidential position.
Gil Gutknecht clocks in at 94%, equal with such luminaries in the Republican Culture of Corruption as Richard Pombo (CA-11), Chris Chocola (IN-02), Tom Reynolds (NY-26), and Barbara Cubin (WY-AL), who allegedly told a Libertarian opponent after a debate that if he weren’t restricted to a wheelchair, she would slap him across the face.
As we've noted before, not quite the picture Gutknecht himself tries to paint when talking to the Twin Cities papers. Pay no attention to that president behind the curtain.
NETROOTS ON NEGATIVE ADS
The Wege scolds Wetterling for a negative ad, then notes that there is a proper way to create negative ads:
There is such a thing as a good negative ad, and Tim Walz is benefiting from one being run by VoteVets.org. The ad doesn't exaggerate and there are no actors.
Brian at A Day in the Life sees six political ads in one commercial break in "Only negativity please..." and only one is positive. Gutknecht's ads are described as "bemoaning."
That may not be good for Gil Gutknecht. Newsweek reports that negative Republican ads are making voters less likely to vote GOP:
Most worrisome for the GOP? As a wave of negative political ads from both parties takes to the airwaves in the final days before the election, voters so far judge the Republican ads more harshly. Overall, about two-thirds of registered voters say neither parties’ ads have made much difference in how they’re going to vote. Just 9 percent of registered voters who have seen Republican advertisements say the spots make them more likely to vote for Republican candidates; 24 percent say the ads make them less likely. The Democrats seem to turn off fewer voters with their commercials and win more over, but it’s still a wash. Fourteen percent of registered voters say they’re more likely to vote for a Democrat because of the ads they’ve seen; 16 percent say they’re less likely.
NETROOT REACTION TO WALZ ON RED-TO-BLUE LIST
MnPublius explains what it means. Kos thinks "it's a kick ass class" in The fourth wave of Red to Blue campaigns. The Hotline's blog notices in The Saturday Brunch.
WALZ REACTION TO RED-TO-BLUE LIST
We just received a press release from the Walz campaign about the candidate's reaction. A part:
“I’m proud to be a part of the Red to Blue program,” said Walz. “Inclusion in this program demonstrates not only that the national Democratic party believes my campaign infrastructure and fundraising are more than adequate to run a successful race, but also that our message of positive change is reaching voters across the district.”
About Red to Blue
The Red to Blue program is designed to provide financial and structural aid to the strongest Democratic candidates across the country. Red to Blue was a proven success in 2004 and has been an unprecedented success in 2006. So far, Red to Blue has raised more than $15 million for Democratic candidates across the country. In 2004, the Red to Blue program raised nearly $7.5 million for twenty seven campaigns across the country with an average of more than $250,000 per campaign. Red to Blue was also responsible for solidifying the structure of over 35 campaigns and making a real difference for Democrats across America.
FACEBOOK GROUP MEMBERS: WALZ 730, GUTKNECHT 58
When current Minnesota College Republican Chair Tyler Sunderman ran for the office earlier this year, he touted using Facebook as an organizing tool:
Operation Facebook.Com
In my tenure as executive director, I have seen the value of Facebook as a recruiting tool. It is literally possible to virtually recruit CRs through this valuable service. For example, Facebook has recently enabled MCRs to contact prospective CRs at MSU-Moorhead, Gustavus, St. Mary’s, and Martin Luther College. We must use Facebook as a political tool as we work to grow our clubs and increase our effectiveness on campus. Facebook will enable us to identify more Republicans, add more CRs to our lists, and communicate with our members. In my political plan for the 2006 election, Facebook will play a key role.
How's that key role working out? The Minnesota College Republicans Facebook group has 196 members. College Democrats have 247 Facebook members, and Stand Up Now Minnesota, created for this election, has 259 Facebook members.
In Minnesota's Fighting First, the gap is even greater. The Tim Walz Facebook group has 730 people signed up, while only 58 signed on with Gutknecht. BTW, Sunderman created the Gutknecht group. Tim Walz's group was created by students in the First.
On the Facebook Election Pulse, the margin isn't quite as big. There, Walz only enjoys 71.62% of this unscientific measure's share compared to Gutknecht's 28.38%.
Looks like a negative patient outcome to the MCR's Operation Facebook.
Stand Up Now Minnesota, on the other hand, looks likes it's having a great time. Today's Strib profiles four young political organizers. In Lydia Vilt's profile we read:
You might say student debt weighs heavily on Lydia Vilt's mind.
She spends many of her days as a campaign volunteer tending to the giant "debt rock" sculpture that has become a fixture at organizing events. The rock, which was made out of a bathtub, chicken wire and lots of papier-mâché, symbolizes the "crushing weight of student debt," explained Vilt, a volunteer with Stand Up Now, a DFL-affiliated group that focuses on college students.
Vilt and other volunteers often take the debt rock with them as they stump for DFL candidates on college campuses. "Students love to get their picture of themselves being crushed by debt and then post it on their Facebook page," she said.
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