Twice Blessed at Conservative Cravings is a confident and able writer who wonders Will Minnesota have more Conservative Representation in 2009? She sees Congressman Walz as tacking rightward in recent votes:
So I have hope that with Paulsen and a more center leaning Walz that 2009 will shape up to be a more conservative voting year for our Minnesota delegation.
Since the only remaining Republican state legislator representing Rochester after years of GOP control is the genial state senator Dave Senjem, we'll not quarrel with her assessment of the "modest constituency of Republicans in Rochester and the southern border counties around Sioux Falls" nor do we disagree that the quality of 2008 Republican candidates in the 1st and 7th might have had something to do with the lopsided votes in these non-metro districts.
Walz's ideology continues to be a subject of debate, with conclusions often depending on which rating system one favors. The National Journal ranked him among centrists, while his colleagues in the NRCC most certainly did not. The blogger isn't alone in her assessment of Walz as more centrist than other DFLers in Congress.
We do feel compelled, however, to point out a flawed assumption underlying her analysis. She writes:
We're told by the Clerk of the House that there's some connection between redistricting and that Census thingie which will be conducted in 2010, but maybe people in Edina are smarter about this sort of thing than blogging bovines.
Despite our rustic brainpower, we do have a sneaking suspicion that redistricting will not have a "profound impact" on the 2010 elections. Just a hunch we got when we hit the button to expand the question, "What is the process for the reapportionment of seats in the House of Representatives?" at the link in our last paragraph.
Writing about profound impacts made us recall a favorite Dead song, covered here by by Jane's Addiction. We don't care much for match of GD & JA graphics used to accompany the song, but Perry Farrell's voice is lovely on this up-tempo version of classic Robert Hunter lyrics. We dedicate it to all of our friends who've tossed their lots into Minnesota's rural waters:
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