Peter Hutchinson on IMP

[Cross-posted at MNCR]
From the current update on Inside Minnesota Politics:

Peter Hutchinson likes to quote a December SurveyUSA poll that shows more people in Minnesota (38%) say they are independents than they are Democrats (31%) or Republicans (30%). He says that bodes well for his Independence Party run for Governor.

Despite that statistic, Hutchinson knows that if he is get elected Governor, he must engaged the "disillusioned" voters who are tired of politicians who are afraid to "speak the truth".

"You know the formula," says Hutchinson "Play to the extremes to get endorsed and then try to convince the middle that you really were with them all along."

Or, one might actually speak to Minnesotans about one's values, policies, and ideas, and through an honest approach to the political process, convince voters that they are a true leader for the future. There are already candidates in the gubernatorial race doing so. Note the plural - this isn't just favoritism.

I recently received Mr. Hutchinson's email update in which he quoted the poll mentioned by IMP, and it didn't resonate with me anymore than it does now. Polls like the one he mentions are useless, since he fails to mention the underlying truth in those numbers - yes, 38% of Minnesotan voters do not belong to either major political party, but that does NOT put them in the middle of the political spectrum - all it means is that they do not belong to either major party. Some are conservative, some are liberal, and some are in between, but all have voting tendencies. Some usually vote Republican even though they are not members of the Republican Party, and some usually vote DFL even though they're not members of the DFL. Very few, perhaps 10% in any given election, are truly "undecided" and "in the middle of the two parties" as it seems Mr. Hutchinson would like them to be. This is a standard feature of American elections going as far back as President Wilson and his close advisor, Colonel House.

How's that for a history lesson? Look it up, or better yet, read The Shield of Achilles, by Philip Bobbitt. Amazing book. Anyway.

The point is that the Great and Vast Middle of the Political Spectrum that Mr. Hutchinson refers to and is depending on simply doesn't exist. Yes, voters are angry with the major parties for letting the July government shutdown happen, but that doesn't necessarily translate into penalties for individual candidates at the ballot box, especially those who are running for larger offices than they currently hold.

Mr. Hutchinson is displaying a dangerous misconception of political tendencies here, and it speaks to a larger problem with third-party candidates nowadays. Start small, stick to your values and policies, and someday, if you work hard, you can make real inroads into the political system - the Populists did it. Instead of tossing barbs at both major parties, perhaps Mr. Hutchinson would be game to answer this question, without references to DFLers or Republicans: What makes you better-equipped than anyone else to lead the State of Minnesota? I've heard him try to answer this question a couple times, and I have to be honest - I haven't been satisfied with his answer. Kelly Doran may not be the ideal DFL candidate in my mind or political heart, but at least he has decent reasons for running other than "everyone else sucks".

Quick Hits

Lori Sturdevant has a new piece on an interview with Kelly Doran, centrist DFL candidate for Governor, and Mike Hatch got some coverage in Bemidji recently. Becky Lourey has decided that it's the Southwest office or Bust - she won't seek another term in the Senate under any circumstances. Steve Kelley has been attacked recently by MDE, and my other blog has been pulled into the fray. Good times had by all.

Campaign Finances and opinions

[Cross-posted at MNCR]

From Holly Ladh at the MN Daily (http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2005/11/30/66390):

Just because the rallies, debates and fliers for the 2006 state elections have not appeared yet, that does not mean the campaigns have not started — the race for money is already on. Potential and current candidates are dialing up for dollars, hosting fundraiser dinners and groveling for money to finance their statewide campaigns. All of this became very apparent with the recent announcement that both Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and DFL candidate Kelly Doran will most likely opt out of Minnesota’s partial public financing system. This decision is a terrible precedent because it will lead to a race saturated in money, leaving voters out of the decision process.

No word yet on Becky Lourey's fundraising efforts, but the Kelley and Hatch campaigns have both had good success in early fundraising. I wouldn't exactly call either one "worried" just yet, especially with an election year and its concurrent increases in fundraising limits just around the corner.