I am finding it hard to see Jeff Johnson as a Trump Republican... However one must remember that this is a national news guy stating an pre-determined view. My guess he had no idea the conflicted views Minnesotans had regarding Pawlenty.
Even VOX was tracking our results... Thoughts?
Even VOX was tracking our results... Thoughts?
The DFL will work very hard to persuade people that Johnson is a Trump Republican. But I do think he was the Trump Republican in the race. The GOP base voters who turn out in primaries did not like the fact that Pawlenty had distanced himself from Trump in the past. His efforts to link himself to the Trump agenda did not seem all that sincere.
ReplyDelete--Hiram
We will see how much J Johnson is a Trump republican by the ads that he runs. The anti immigrant ad Pawlenty ran was not enough to help him win. My advice to Johnson is don't run as a Trump republican because I think that would lose more votes than he gains. I would advise him to tell Trump to stay away. I don't think Trump is all that popular in our state
ReplyDeleteWe saw the same pattern here that we've seen around the country. In safe seats, you're seeing bolder, more progressive candidates and in winnable seats, you're seeing Democrats pick candidates who are perceived as the most electable.
ReplyDeleteLaurie,
ReplyDeleteThe trick seems to be getting voters from the Tribes to show up... I am sure Trump will be here if it excites the base.
Sean,
It seems the GOP folks do the same thing...
"In safe seats, you're seeing bolder, more conservative candidates and in winnable seats, you're seeing Republicans pick candidates who are perceived as the most electable."
The tribes seem to behave in similar manners. I just wish all the regions had fewer tribe member voters. And more thinking voters... :-)
Didn't the MNGOP just pick the Trumpier, more conservative candidate for governor, like, yesterday?
ReplyDeleteTurning out the Trump base counts more in a primary. I hope Trump does come here and campaign for JJ as I feel quite sure it would cost him more votes than he gains. The Trump base is likely to turn out either way and lots of women do not like Trump, especially suburban woman, and they will cast their vote for Walz, who comes across as quite likable.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the Democratic side of the Primary?
ReplyDeleteAnd maybe GOP voters think Jeff is the more electable ... Many people seem to have bad feelings regarding Pawlenty. It is hard to be a Governor during the Great Recession...
I think Johnson may be more electable than Pawlenty, but I am very optimistic about Walz winning. I just did a quick glance at Johnson's positions on the issues and he looks too conservative to win a statewide race to me.
ReplyDeleteTo me it looks like they are both playing to their Tribe Members... The question will be who shows up to vote in this non-Presidential year... And what fence sitters choose to do...
ReplyDeleteJeff Johnson for Gov
Tim Walz for Gov
I was wondering if I could be on the fence, but no...
ReplyDeletePer Walz's web site he seems even further Left than Dayton...
I think Walz will take campaign advice from the guy who said, "if you can fake sincerity, you've got it made." Pawlenty dissed the Republican base; I heard it over and over. That's not the way you win a primary. The DFL at least picked their least wacko leftist candidate.
ReplyDeleteOh, BTW, how many blond Native Americans do you know? Is that a DFL targeted demographic?
I think Walz has the problem. If he tacks left, he loses the outstate. If he tacks right, he loses the Metro. And the middle of the road contains all the roadkill. JJ, OTOH, has been working with HenCo liberals for years.
ReplyDeleteBut JJ also lost to Dayton last time...
ReplyDeleteLaurie is correct that it will be hard for a GOP candidate to win State office, especially with Trump pissing of educated women...
VOX Trump and Women
ReplyDelete"JJ, OTOH, has been working with HenCo liberals for years."
ReplyDeleteI ask this sincerely because I don't live in Hennepin County: what, specifically, has Jeff Johnson accomplished on the board -- or has he just been a guy losing a bunch of 6-1 votes?
minnpost
ReplyDeleteI find JJ sincere when he articulates a winning message like this:
ReplyDelete"My message is not partisan. Regardless of ideology, Minnesotans know that government is not working. We all see the dysfunction at the end of every legislative session, the power of special interests and the string of government failures. And most Minnesotans know that government is wasting too much of our hard-earned money and making too many decisions that we should be making for ourselves.
The contrast with Tim Walz could not be more stark. His vision for the future is to dramatically grow government, raise taxes, ignore the rule of law, give government control of everyone’s healthcare and further stifle Minnesotans’ pursuit of the American Dream.
Bottom line: St. Paul is broken, the status quo has failed everyday hardworking Minnesotans for too long and together we will change that starting in 2019."
St. Paul, like Washington, is broken because Republicans don't believe in good government. They don't believe in government at all.
ReplyDeleteMoose
Moose: How would you know what Republicans believe?
ReplyDeleteSeems to me that Republicans believe in good government, but that good government is not that which taxes the most and spends the most-- "wasting too much... money" as JJ says.
Oh, and just to be helpful, any time anyone ascribes a certain view to ALL Republicans or ALL conservatives, you are almost certainly wrong. We may be tribal, but many of us live on the outskirts of the village.
Moose,
ReplyDeleteI am with Jerry on this one...
"good government" is in the eye of the beholder.
I want excellent government !!! (ie cost effective, efficient, provide useful services and infrastructure, excellent performance in doing so, maintain law/order, provide defense, etc")