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November 9th, 2018
Quote of the Week: “The biggest problem, for me, is not as much gender as it is that in politics today, it’s really a mark against you if you know what you’re doing.” Claire McCaskill (D-MO), soon to be a former senator from Missouri Editor’s Note: This, of course, is the election wrap-up issue. It was a fascinating election, to say the least. In This Issue:
FACTS AND FIGURES For the first time since 1914, only one legislature has split control, that being Minnesota. For the first time since 1875, Florida has two Republican senators. Republicans experienced the following losses Tuesday night: Around 35 House seats 7 governorships 330 state legislators A GAIN of 3 U.S. Senate seats For comparison, here’s what Barack Obama lost in 2010, his first mid-term election: 63 House seats 6 U.S. Senate seats 700 legislative seats Since 1862, the president’s party has lost an average of 32 House seats and two Senate seats in mid-term elections. All told, Democrats and allied special interest groups are estimated to have spent in excess of $2.5 billion on the federal mid-term races. With all precincts reporting, turnout in Minnesota reached 63.66%, nearly 2.6 million total votes. Keith Ellison won only 14 of 87 counties, yet still won the office. On average, the party opposite the president’s picks up 17 seats in the Minnesota House in mid-term elections. The GOP lost 18 seats Tuesday night, with one recount pending. THOUGHTS AND ANALYSIS After this election, there are two things we never again want to hear from Democrat politicians. The first is, “We need to get money out of politics.” Democrats raked in piles of special interest cash both in Minnesota and across the nation. They hypocritically spoke in worried tones about “money” in politics, while their hands couldn’t move fast enough to grab the cash from billionaires like Bloomberg, Steyer, and Soros. We will be watching to see what measures Minnesota’s DFL federal delegation introduce to reduce money in politics. We’re especially watching Angie Craig, who made the most of this issue. The second issue is the “Me Too” movement and the associated faux sympathy and outrage associated with it. After the Brett Kavanaugh character assassination and the support for Keith Ellison, it’s clear that “Me Too” is nothing more than a cheap political prop for DFLers. It’s nothing more than a false narrative to generate voter sympathy. The Kavanaugh attack will go down as one of the most shameful chapters in American political history. At the end of the day, the allegations against a man deemed “well qualified” by the American Bar Association were at best uncorroborated and at worst outright fabricated. How interesting that Democrats in Washington haven’t lifted a finger after the nomination to “get justice” for the Kavanaugh accusers. What is the bigger crock of horse manure? Dems continuing to investigate the claims against Kavanaugh or OJ continuing to look for the real killers? The election of Keith Ellison is one of the most shameful chapters in Minnesota political history. Ellison has a long and proven history of associating with virulent Jew haters. Ellison stands today as a credibly accused abuser of women. We now have as our chief law enforcement officer in the state a man who has admitted to calling a woman “bitch.” We’re so proud. It will be interesting to see how candidates who won congressional seats in the suburbs navigate the inherent conflict between their campaign promises to find compromise solutions and the natural inclination of the leaders they will empower to do little more than attack the president they hate. In other words, how will Angie Craig and Dean Phillips handle the impending clash between legislating and investigating? Despite all sorts of campaign promises about repudiating Nancy Pelosi, the first betrayal for many new members of Congress will be their vote make Pelosi Speaker of the House. In short order, the U.S. House of Representatives will be led by radical liberals like Pelosi (CA), Maxine Waters (CA), Adam Schiff (CA) and Jerry Nadler (NY). This Insane Clown Posse (ICP) of politics couldn’t care less about the high-minded, idealistic campaign promises of no-rank freshman colleagues representing Flyover Country. They are on a mission to seek and destroy. Their coastal districts reward ideological excess and insist upon dogmatic victory over the conservatives they deem enemies. It is quite likely that many of the 35 or so newbies who won purplish, suburban swing districts will come home empty handed in 2020, forced to abandon the ramparts of pragmatic compromise and dive head-long into the gutter of partisan blame. The ICP would have it no other way. At the state level, the big take away from the night is that Minnesota has undergone a political re-alignment. The Metro area continues to trend blue while Greater Minnesota is now firmly in the GOP orbit. That trend was confirmed across the board Tuesday night. The Metro-based Second and Third districts flipped blue while the First and Eighth flipped red. In the state Senate, a rural red district stayed red in a special election, giving the GOP a whopping 15-point victory and keeping that body at a 34-33 spilt in favor of the GOP. By the way, the Senate DFL should consider firing their pollsters. Sources insisted to the Watchdog throughout the campaign that DFL candidate Joe Perske was within or close to the margin of error in polling. To the contrary, the GOP was privately adamant that their candidate, Jeff Howe, was ahead and would stay there. In the House, 16 of 18 flipped seats were in the Metro. Of the two rural seats, one wasn’t contested as the GOP candidate suspended his campaign to deal with a family issue. The other seat, centered on Bemidji, saw the Republican incumbent lose by 4 votes. A recount is pending. For sure, the GOP is going to have to find a way to regain footing in the suburbs, where women with college degrees have drifted into the DFL camp. The GOP must also find a way to move the needle in the urban core, if that’s at all possible, given the radical insanity that prevails under our skyscrapers. On election night, some Minneapolis House districts saw the DFL legislator win with over 90% of the vote. The GOP will have to find a way to at least move the needle, primarily to give state-wide candidates a fighting chance. It’s a real black eye that the GOP hasn’t won a single state-wide race in this state since 2006. Conversely, the DFL has a big rural problem. For all his ballyhooed “One Minnesota” message, Walz lost 66 of 87 counties. This for a guy who hails from rural Minnesota. Keith Ellison fared worse, losing 73 of 87 counties. Of their incoming caucus of 75, only 15 House DFLers represent a district outside of the Metro. Of those 15, seven represent a regional center like Duluth, Rochester, Saint Cloud, and Mankato. While the media would never focus on the story, there are scores of legislative districts across the state that are firmly in GOP hands that the DFL used to outright own for generations. RUMORS A great album, but even better as political fodder. There’s a lot of speculation that state Senator Tony Lourey will be named Health and Human Services commissioner. There’s credence to this rumor as Lourey is a universally acknowledged expert on HHS issues and has long political experience. Plus, there’s the boost in pay. If Lourey left, it would trigger a special election, forcing the DFL to defend the seat and giving the GOP a chance to pad their thin majority. Lourey’s rural district is a classic swing district, with the “A” side more DFL and the “B” side more Republican. If that happens, current state Rep. Jason Rarick is the dream candidate for the GOP. House Republicans meet today to pick their minority leader. Look for Kurt Daudt to continue leading the caucus. Not a rumor but fact that Paul Gazelka has been re-elected Senate Majority Leader and Jeremy Miller the President of the Senate. Congratulations to those two! Republicans are cautiously optimistic they can work with Walz. At least in style, Walz will be a far cry better than Dayton. Frankly, Dayton lacked the skills required to be a successful governor and simply resorted to juvenile attacks and incessant flip-flopping regarding critical compromises. Sources tell this publication that Walz is interested in achieving results and knows that he needs to work with Republicans to make it happen. The first test will come with staff and cabinet choices. If Walz chooses people known more for partisanship than policy, it will be a bad start. On the other hand, choosing well-qualified and respected people will auger well for getting things done. It also doesn’t hurt that Walz feels no allegiance to the radical left. They denied him the endorsement and forced him into a primary. The rumors of various Lefties like Erin Murphy assuming cabinet positions seems more aspirational on their part than actual consideration on the part of Walz. We will see. |
 Harold Hamilton
Welcome to my web site!
I created this website in response to governmental waste and abuse in Anoka County. Many taxpayers don’t know that our local governments spend millions of tax dollars every year on things like public relations teams, lobbyists, and junkets to places like Hawaii. Since there seemed to be no place to turn for the “other side” of these issues, I created the Anoka County Watchdog. My intent is to create a one-stop-shop where concerned taxpayers can find fact-supported information and other resources to counter the governmental machine. Many people want to confront their elected officials regarding waste and abuse but feel they don’t have the information they need to make an effective argument. This web site offers that information. Some of our elected officials in Anoka County have become arrogant and unresponsive, forgetting that they work for the very people who put them in office. It’s high time to hold them accountable for their decisions. Sincerely, Harold E. Hamilton (harold@anokacountywatchdog.com) Email: harold@anokacountywatchdog.com
US Mail: Anoka County Watchdog 7956 Main Street NE Minneapolis, MN 55432 (Anonymous submissions accepted!) |
