The First district's dailies have overwhelming favored Congressman Walz in their endorsements and the Walz campaign is running the lion's share of ads for the congressional contest. The papers are relatively quiet about the race, especially compared to 2006, when the Walz-Gutknecht contest was suddenly red hot. Election predictions in the state's blogosphere (see examples here and here) favor a Walz victory.
But as Mr. Garcia once wisely sang, "when life looks like easy street, there is danger at your door." We remind our readers that overconfidence doesn't win elections: strong GOTV often makes the difference. Walz's campaign and supporters mustn't get too sure of their candidate's chances and slack off or get distracted.
A story in this morning's PiPress, Republicans, Democrats mobilize Minnesota's biggest get-out-the-vote campaigns:
"The standard math is that a good get-out-the-vote operation can add potentially up to 4 (percentage) points to a candidate's totals," state DFL Executive Director Andy O'Leary said. "Four points in a year like this is the difference between winning and losing everything from the state legislative candidates all the way to the top of the ticket."
Volunteer to work on GOTV phonebanks and doorknocks. Volunteers receive training and, unlike our feline friend, probably won't have snowbirds' homes on their walking lists. Or stop by your local DFL office to connect with a phone bank or doorknock. It's incredible where offices are poppingup. There's even a DFL office opening in Kasson tomorrow, the Dodge County Independent reports.
Congressman Walz and other Democratic candidates will also be rallying supporters across the district. The Winona State College Democrats will host Congressman Tim Walz and Al Franken at WSU tonight at 7:30 p.m. Click on the link for more information.
A Korean War vet explains his support for Walz in an LTE in the Albert Lea Tribune. Another supporter tells Winon Daily News readers that Walz is wonderful.
A company salutes new legislation to help vets manage pain in Boston Scientific Welcomes Passage of Federal Pain Care Legislation to Help Military Members and Veterans. Broadcasting and Cable magazine notes Walz's watchdogging of telecom issues before the FCC in White Spaces Jockeying Continues. The issue:
Proponents and opponents of using unlicensed wireless devices in unused parts of the broadcast spectrum, the so-called “white spaces,” continue to vigorously lobby the Federal Communications Commission with only a week left until the commission’s vote on the issue.
Some 28 members of Congress have sent a bipartisan letter to the FCC urging the commission to delay its scheduled Nov. 4 vote and seek public comment on the white spaces rulemaking, citing unfavorable results in an FCC report on field testing of prototype devices this summer. The lawmakers expressed concerns over the devices’ interference with both wireless microphones and cable television systems, and said that
“further clarity on the report’s policy conclusions is needed,” as the prototype devices "failed to differentiate between an occupied and unoccupied TV channel nearly 33% of the time.”
An interesting question that's not on most people's front burner, but yet another story that illustrates Walz's commitment to the details of policy making.
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