Down goes Walz!

I didnt want him to run for a 3rd term, so I'm actually pleased by this decision...We have lots to clean up in this state and big issues to solve above and beyond the fraud.

A new set of eyes, ears and voices will be a breath of fresh air - least for me.

I wish Dean Phillips would throw his hat into the ring!

purplefaithful wrote:
I didnt want him to run for a 3rd term, so I'm actually pleased by this decision...We have lots to clean up in this state and big issues to solve above and beyond the fraud.

A new set of eyes, ears and voices will be a breath of fresh air - least for me.

I wish Dean Phillips would throw his hat into the ring!

I wish we could prevent Walz from moving to our state... how about you all throw his dumb ass in prison and save us the grief of having him call our fair state home?  got to love these tax and spend liberal politicians that want to hide from the consequences of their careers by moving to states with no income tax.

JimmyinSD wrote:

I wish we could prevent Walz from moving to our state... how about you all throw his dumb ass in prison and save us the grief of having him call our fair state home?  got to love these tax and spend liberal politicians that want to hide from the consequences of their careers by moving to states with no income tax.

For me it will be interesting to see who the Dem backfill will be...Like I said earlier, I'd like to see an independent like Dean Philips enter the race, but I suspect he wont. 

A common sense dude who would appeal to both sides of the aisle. 

Team Blue did all they could to avoid another Biden disaster - a withdrawal at the 12 hour. Hence the resignation in January. 

To quote some commentaries: 

"Republicans will need to reshape their campaigns. They will try to blame the entire DFL for the fraud, but they’re going to need to come up with more than that now, to talk about consequential topics from immigration enforcement to rising health care costs and support for Trump."

None of those will be easy speak points in the bluest of blue states in the union.

purplefaithful wrote:

For me it will be interesting to see who the Dem backfill will be...Like I said earlier, I'd like to see an independent like Dean Philips enter the race, but I suspect he wont. 

A common sense dude who would appeal to both sides of the aisle. 

Team Blue did all they could to avoid another Biden disaster - a withdrawal at the 12 hour. Hence the resignation in January. 

To quote some commentaries: 

"Republicans will need to reshape their campaigns. They will try to blame the entire DFL for the fraud, but they’re going to need to come up with more than that now, to talk about consequential topics from immigration enforcement to rising health care costs and support for Trump."

None of those will be easy speak points in the bluest of blue states in the union.

whats funny about that blue state comment,  you get outside of the metro bubbles,   most of your state by land mass is not blue at all.  Hell it wasnt to long ago you had a bunch of western and central counties forming a group to try and leave MN due to the tax and spend politics of the metro bubbles.  honestly as big of a mess as this may end up being,  I am not sure you will find anybody wanting to be at the podium as this unravels and hopefully many many heads rolling as a result.

purplefaithful wrote:

For me it will be interesting to see who the Dem backfill will be...Like I said earlier, I'd like to see an independent like Dean Philips enter the race, but I suspect he wont. 

A common sense dude who would appeal to both sides of the aisle. 

Team Blue did all they could to avoid another Biden disaster - a withdrawal at the 12 hour. Hence the resignation in January. 

To quote some commentaries: 

"Republicans will need to reshape their campaigns. They will try to blame the entire DFL for the fraud, but they’re going to need to come up with more than that now, to talk about consequential topics from immigration enforcement to rising health care costs and support for Trump."

None of those will be easy speak points in the bluest of blue states in the union.

Like I said, I plan to become a little more up to speed with MN politics.  It's been fascinating for me figuring out what's going on up in Canada and how that logic works and is going for them.  (Not so well).  I think this fraud deal is going to open up some eyes and maybe get that middle 5% - 10% to start a transition to the right in an expedited manner.  This is kind of an event you can't unsee.  If I had to guess, Klobuchar comes in and acts like a liberal through the primaries and becomes more moderate to fix some of the mess and put herself in place as a viable presidential candidate.  Now, I don't believe for one second that she is, but I think she thinks she is.  We'll see.

JimmyinSD wrote:

whats funny about that blue state comment,  you get outside of the metro bubbles,   most of your state by land mass is not blue at all.  Hell it wasnt to long ago you had a bunch of western and central counties forming a group to try and leave MN due to the tax and spend politics of the metro bubbles.  honestly as big of a mess as this may end up being,  I am not sure you will find anybody wanting to be at the podium as this unravels and hopefully many many heads rolling as a result.

Yes, but land mass doesn't have a vote ;)

I agree that its the highest concentration of population counties that are bluest - and that are ethnically the most diverse too...The outstate used to be blue (especially up north in Da Range).

I dont think that changes the calculus going forward. Heck, team red has been weak in MN state elections forever; it's poorly run, poorly funded and hasn't won in 20 years. 

Walz vs Jensen was the last one and that wasn't as close as I thought it might be because of those same maps you are referring to. 

Things will be interesting going forward - maybe. Like I said earlier, I am glad Walz is out and out sooner than later.

Waterboy wrote:
Like I said, I plan to become a little more up to speed with MN politics.  It's been fascinating for me figuring out what's going on up in Canada and how that logic works and is going for them.  (Not so well).  I think this fraud deal is going to open up some eyes and maybe get that middle 5% - 10% to start a transition to the right in an expedited manner.  This is kind of an event you can't unsee.  If I had to guess, Klobuchar comes in and acts like a liberal through the primaries and becomes more moderate to fix some of the mess and put herself in place as a viable presidential candidate.  Now, I don't believe for one second that she is, but I think she thinks she is.  We'll see.

Nah, she's not presidential material imo...Honestly, I dont think the country is ready for a woman Potus yet. Much as I believe they could make a great president. 

Some of my smartest and best managers/directors I worked for and with were women.

But she would be a formidable candidate for Gov here. A lot of people dont know (or probably remember) she used to be a prosecutor herself. I know Andy Luger personally and he is a hard nosed, relentless (now retired) US Attorney who went hard early after fraud:

Former U.S. Attorney Andy Luger, who led prosecutions into the pandemic-era Feeding Our Future fake meals program, said Amy Klobuchar's experience as Hennepin County prosecutor gave her the prosecutorial muscle to crack down on the multi-headed social services fraud that has marred state government.

"She will know exactly what to do about the fraud problem," Luger said in a phone call on Monday. "She will take it on forcefully, and effectively, and we will not have this problem going forward."

State Sen. Grant Hauschild, one of the lone DFLers to represent a largely rural district, said a town hall he hosted in Ely on Monday was dominated by conversation of Klobuchar possibly filling in the running-lane vacated by Walz.

"She's somebody that greater Minnesota trusts," Hauschild said, noting her work on rural child care and health care topics, as well as her family's roots in northeastern Minnesota.

Strib

purplefaithful wrote:

Yes, but land mass doesn't have a vote ;)

I agree that its the highest concentration of population counties that are bluest - and that are ethnically the most diverse too...The outstate used to be blue (especially up north in Da Range).

I dont think that changes the calculus going forward. Heck, team red has been weak in MN state elections forever; it's poorly run, poorly funded and hasn't won in 20 years. 

Walz vs Jensen was the last one and that wasn't as close as I thought it might be because of those same maps you are referring to. 

Things will be interesting going forward - maybe. Like I said earlier, I am glad Walz is out and out sooner than later.

Nah, she's not presidential material imo...Honestly, I dont think the country is ready for a woman Potus yet. Much as I believe they could make a great president. 

Some of my smartest and best managers/directors I worked for and with were women.

But she would be a formidable candidate for Gov here. A lot of people dont know (or probably remember) she used to be a prosecutor herself. I know Andy Luger personally and he is a hard nosed, relentless (now retired) US Attorney who went hard early after fraud:

Former U.S. Attorney Andy Luger, who led prosecutions into the pandemic-era Feeding Our Future fake meals program, said Amy Klobuchar's experience as Hennepin County prosecutor gave her the prosecutorial muscle to crack down on the multi-headed social services fraud that has marred state government.

"She will know exactly what to do about the fraud problem," Luger said in a phone call on Monday. "She will take it on forcefully, and effectively, and we will not have this problem going forward."

State Sen. Grant Hauschild, one of the lone DFLers to represent a largely rural district, said a town hall he hosted in Ely on Monday was dominated by conversation of Klobuchar possibly filling in the running-lane vacated by Walz.

"She's somebody that greater Minnesota trusts," Hauschild said, noting her work on rural child care and health care topics, as well as her family's roots in northeastern Minnesota.

Strib

Dont vote but pay a lot of taxes and largely feel unrepresented in a state run by the left.  I think you are going to hear more and more from rural America when it comes to issues and they get more organized,  which technology is doing.   Grass roots campaigns are becoming more effective in today's political culture,  both for the good and the bad its becoming easier to get information to the voters that are changing elections.

JimmyinSD wrote:

Dont vote but pay a lot of taxes and largely feel unrepresented in a state run by the left.  I think you are going to hear more and more from rural America when it comes to issues and they get more organized,  which technology is doing.   Grass roots campaigns are becoming more effective in today's political culture,  both for the good and the bad its becoming easier to get information to the voters that are changing elections.

I have some idea how they feel cause the Mpls City Council makes me feel that way lol!

Rural has their representatives in DC (stooges like Emmer) but a few decent ones too. 

Like i said, a trifecta running a state aint good and that happened here. I think someone like Klobuchar has legit cred with urban/rural, I really hope she throws her hat in the ring, comes home from DC.

i'll watch what happens here with great interest, but honestly I have even more concern regarding Venezuela and ultimately Greenland.

purplefaithful wrote:

I have some idea how they feel cause the Mpls City Council makes me feel that way lol!

Rural has their representatives in DC (stooges like Emmer) but a few decent ones too. 

Like i said, a trifecta running a state aint good and that happened here. I think someone like Klobuchar has legit cred with urban/rural, I really hope she throws her hat in the ring, comes home from DC.

i'll watch what happens here with great interest, but honestly I have even more concern regarding Venezuela and ultimately Greenland.

change the channel bro,  all that smoke about the US running over countries is misdirection.  this is noriega 2.0  nothing more.  We removed him from power and panama didnt become another US state or territory, any more than we are going to be taking over venezuela or greenland.

as far as MN... the tail waging the dog is typically never good for the dog.

purplefaithful wrote:

I have some idea how they feel cause the Mpls City Council makes me feel that way lol!

Rural has their representatives in DC (stooges like Emmer) but a few decent ones too. 

Like i said, a trifecta running a state aint good and that happened here. I think someone like Klobuchar has legit cred with urban/rural, I really hope she throws her hat in the ring, comes home from DC.

i'll watch what happens here with great interest, but honestly I have even more concern regarding Venezuela and ultimately Greenland.

I truly don't think liberals understand the method to Trump's madness at times.  He is always going to up the ante and create the dialogue.  His dialogue on Greenland is simply to put himself in a stronger position for the ultimate negotiation.  He could take out the Colombian leader or the Iranian leader at some point in time given certain circumstances, but he will also try to persuade them to take the easier path.  He's not going to invade Greenland.  He could do that with one jet, one helicopter and 20 soldiers.  What he does want is preferred access to the critical earth materials, military bases, and a unified front limiting Russia and China who have advantages in icebreaker technology etc. at the top of the world.  And he'll get it because nobody truly owns Greenland and it isn't self-governed to any appreciable degree.  If we wanted it, it's ours, but when he has the situation resolved in a year or so, our country will be much better positioned throughout the Western Hemisphere strategically and moving forward.  There's methods to his madness and his supporters see it so easily while his detractors are scared shitless. lol

Waterboy wrote:

I truly don't think liberals understand the method to Trump's madness at times.  He is always going to up the ante and create the dialogue.  His dialogue on Greenland is simply to put himself in a stronger position for the ultimate negotiation.  He could take out the Colombian leader or the Iranian leader at some point in time given certain circumstances, but he will also try to persuade them to take the easier path.  He's not going to invade Greenland.  He could do that with one jet, one helicopter and 20 soldiers.  What he does want is preferred access to the critical earth materials, military bases, and a unified front limiting Russia and China who have advantages in icebreaker technology etc. at the top of the world.  And he'll get it because nobody truly owns Greenland and it isn't self-governed to any appreciable degree.  If we wanted it, it's ours, but when he has the situation resolved in a year or so, our country will be much better positioned throughout the Western Hemisphere strategically and moving forward.  There's methods to his madness and his supporters see it so easily while his detractors are scared shitless. lol

Hey, I get it...I agree 100% a Greenland aligned with US/West Europe is in our best interests. How they get to the ultimate goal is important to me.

JimmyinSD wrote:

change the channel bro,  all that smoke about the US running over countries is misdirection.  this is noriega 2.0  nothing more.  We removed him from power and panama didnt become another US state or territory, any more than we are going to be taking over venezuela or greenland.

as far as MN... the tail waging the dog is typically never good for the dog.

Its all about Oil and $$!!

I thought this was a pretty good take, this early on....Obviously a lot can happen between now and election time.

===============================================================

Republicans wanted Gov. Tim Walz gone, but an early exit from his re-election campaign presents its own challenges.

State and national Republicans — including President Donald Trump — hammered Walz over a series of fraud scandals in Minnesota’s welfare programs, which they correctly identified would be a serious political liability for the two-term governor.

Now, the “whole strategy has to change” for a fraud-focused campaign that may not have the same salience, said Marty Seifert, a former House GOP leader who ran for governor twice.

“The Republican dog caught the moving tire on the truck that they’ve been chasing,” Seifert said on Monday. “Now, everything has to be rebooted.”

Siefert said things will be “certainly more uphill” for the GOP than before Walz’s announcement. Plus, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar would be “extremely formidable” if she launches a campaign for governor to replace Walz, said former Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty. After seeing an opening to end a losing streak, the GOP may find those factors could make it harder for the GOP to win its first gubernatorial election since 2006.

“If Senator Klobuchar enters the race, many of the Republican candidates will be out of the race before the fishing opener or sooner,” Pawlenty said.
Still, many Republicans are bullish that Walz’s departure is proof of a wider DFL problem and that voters will recognize the issue doesn’t end with Walz.
Despite Klobuchar’s electoral strength, U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer summed up the mood of many Republicans celebrating Walz ending his campaign: “Good riddance.”

The drumbeat came to a head on Monday when Walz said that he was hard at work fixing the problem of fraud but felt he couldn’t take time to campaign while also “defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.”

Walz argued the GOP was involved in “political gamesmanship” to “score a few cheap points.”

Nevertheless, with Walz out, Seifert said Republicans will have to articulate a message that “the fraud is under the DFL watch” and that Democrats are just “going to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic with a different captain.”

“Fraud will remain a very potent and important issue because Minnesotans are understandably mad about it and the investigations, reviews, audits and criminal charges are just getting started,” Pawlenty said.

That’s exactly the case the GOP started making Monday.

House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican from Cold Spring running for governor, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that any Democrat who runs for governor will have to contend with headwinds Walz faced.

“The Democrats have never separated themselves from Walz whatsoever,” she said. “So really, whichever Democrat ends up running for governor is going to be running for Gov. Walz’s third term.”

Some of the candidates also have other issues they think will convince voters to pick the GOP. Attorney Chris Madel, another Republican candidate for governor, said on social media that “‘Tim Walz sucks’ is not a strategy” and that he would focus on supporting police and “restoring sanity to the state I love.”

When asked if Walz’s exit would help or hurt Republicans’ chances, Pawlenty said it depends on one person: Klobuchar.

Klobuchar has consistently won statewide elections with bigger margins than other Democrats. She blew out GOP challenger Royce White in her latest re-election campaign for U.S. Senate. Klobuchar also had no role in administering the state programs with identified fraud.

Seifert said a Walz campaign would have been “really intense” and faced heavy scrutiny, but now national Republicans will have to reassess the race to decide if they have a better or worse chance of winning.

Even without Walz on the ticket, national GOP groups may think it’s worth the spending because Minnesota is not a deep blue state and the Harris-Walz ticket didn’t win with an enormous margin, Seifert said.

“I think they may put more time and money into it actually,” Seifert said of national GOP groups. “It might have a reverse effect, that like ‘we might have a real shot here and we’re going to put more resources into this. We’re not going to let this fade away.’”

Demuth said Klobuchar’s possible entry doesn’t change her campaign calculus, and GOP voters are still enthusiastic about the upcoming election.

Pat Garofalo, a former Republican state representative, said GOP voters are “authentically fearful of what the Democrats having total control of Minnesota will mean again.”

He said Democrats “went off the rails” with total control of state government in 2023 and 2024, passing a flurry of progressive policies and spending a historically large $17.5 billion surplus.

Fear of a repeat “will continue to energize and fuel Republican involvement,” Garofalo said.

Still, at least one state lawmaker wished Walz had stayed in the race.

It would give voters “an opportunity to feel like they are holding him to account” for the state’s problem with fraud, said Rep. Cal Warwas, an Iron Range Republican.

“I think it’s going to be easy for the public to shift away from thinking about” fraud, Warwas said, imagining the problem disappears with Walz. “Which is nowhere near true.”

Strib