The Challenger - Sort of
Posted by Andy on December 21st, 2005
Here is what I can tell you. (No, not the name yet)
The person had something much more important come up last minute, so we had a 2 minute phone conversation, rather than our planned lunch hour meeting.
They have been waiting to see how certain things play out as far as the State Legislature goes, before they go public.
They are setting up a campaign team already, composed of people from all parties, independent, GOP, DFL. Truly non-partisan.
They will be trying to get the Republican endorsement, not just running in the general, like I had said.
This is not just a defeat Pawlenty mission as many in the blogosphere had feared, myself included.
The person strongly believes that they would be a breathe of fresh air in St. Paul.
From their years of experience in operating a business, they know how to make people work together which is definitely needed.
They do not want to defeat Pawlenty at the expense of getting a DFLer into office.
They actually want to win, and think they can.
I told them that I have been catching holy heck over this little secret, and that everybody wants to know and won’t stop asking me about it.
The person plans to make the formal announcement sometime next week.
Honestly, I do wish I could tell you more, but the person asked that I keep it to myself for the time being, and I must respect that.
As many people have said, endorsing battles can be very good for the Party because they correct candidates who have wandered away from their base from time to time on certain issues. I think I finally agree.
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December 21st, 2005 at 4:25 pm
If it scares Pawlenty straight, great. But will it? And will the chastened challenger, should s/he lose the endorsement, be able to swallow her/his ego and stand aside?
December 21st, 2005 at 4:33 pm
Is this person a new candidate or someone who has been active in politics before? After your first post I assumed it was an extreme right winger who was a known political entity. This post makes it seem as if that assumption is incorrect. I doubt a extreme right wing candidate with a long record would have much luck enlisting support among DFL or independent campaign workers.
Please let us know if it is a known entity or a new face.
December 21st, 2005 at 5:24 pm
…or if it’s just an early April Fools…
December 21st, 2005 at 8:22 pm
I got a shiny nickel with your name on it if you tell me the name.
December 21st, 2005 at 10:47 pm
It’s Brian LeClair or Pat Anderson.
December 21st, 2005 at 11:49 pm
It sounds like Brian Sullivan to me.
December 22nd, 2005 at 1:31 am
I really doubt it’s Pat Anderson. I don’t think she’s too loyal to Tim to do it, but doubt she believes she could really pull off the edorsement upset.
December 22nd, 2005 at 10:29 am
Andy, considering what you have said in THIS post, I would like for you to forward my contact info to this person and let them know I very likely would like to help the campaign. I am a strong supporter of almost ANY challenger of Pawlenty in the GOP endorsement.
December 22nd, 2005 at 4:55 pm
Anyone touting non-partisan support with DFLers in the mix is not likely to be more conservative than Pawlenty. This sounds too much like that former guv with a pink feather boa.
It is sad to see some Republican supporters so quick to throw out the baby with the bath water when the baby lets us down. Perspective folks, PERSPECTIVE! Give Pawlenty heck for those issues with which you disagree, but to jump ship when perfection is not achieved is foolhardy.
December 22nd, 2005 at 7:26 pm
It is sad to see some Republican supporters so easy to keep bad leaders for no reason.
I could accept Pawlenty having differing positions if they were the positions he ran on. Let’s just start the list, though. Health Impact Tax; Racino; Pro-Stadium suddenly; tells the fiscal conservatives to brace themselves…there is no baby in the bath water. He IS the dirty bath water and the more he flips on his own campign issues (and the platform he claimed he held as he ran against Sullivan) the dirtier the water is.
Just like in 1976, Ford needed to go…just like 1994 Judi Dutcher (GOP candidate) needed to be defeated…I say to you: Simply having the “R” behind their name does not make a conservative. While we need moderate and liberal “R”s in the inner city we should not settle for someone like Pawlenty in the executive. If we can get someone better we should take them. And there are many, many, many electable Republicans that are better than Pawlenty, more conservative than Pawlenty and a better bet to hold to their campaign promises than Pawlenty.
Not all DFLers are bad. As far-right as I am there are many DFLers who I would invite to be on my campaign. There are some that I would have on my campaign to hold us balanced…you really should listen to the utter crap that comes from people when noone checks their work. (My last posting on torture being one of those examples.) I could easily pass for more conservative than Pawlenty and on top of that I would not be afraid to have a good person that happens to be DFL on my team. My 2 best friends would be among them.
Such easy discounting of a person (DFLer) or such blind support for a person (Pawlenty) based solely on their party is the thing that is more freightening in the political discourse.
Crap…this was long. I might have to put this on my blog too.
December 23rd, 2005 at 10:04 am
Wow, looks like Tony is the one who is running…for someone to be that pissed off at Pawlenty they must really hate their lives…or smoke 6 packs a day
December 23rd, 2005 at 2:43 pm
Gee, isn’t Rudy Boschwitz getting a little old for this kind of thing?
December 26th, 2005 at 9:51 pm
I love my life, Pawlenty sucks and I do not smoke. I guess getting one out of three keeps you from being a complete moron.
Perhaps if you actually read what is written you would not sound like the baffoon that you seem to.
Alas, I expect that when my position is based in such reason attacks like that happen. It just lets me know that I’m correct…in addition to being right.