Terry, a second observation: Flanagan has been hammering Craig over having voted for the Laken Riley Act, saying, in essence, that it's *not* OK to change your mind later, after the vote "looks bad" - you have to get it right the first time.
I think that Primary race now looks a lot more interesting.
If Craig's campaign is smart - and I think it is - they will make a mirror-image claim against Flanagan's having openly supported Platner and having stayed on his bandwagon WAY past when it was time to get off. So now they EACH have one "issue" that, for a large number of persuadable voters, will be a "Well, THAT proves she's just crazy!" -type issue. Which, as I've said before, is absolute campaign gold. I think we can expect to get really tired of the ads that each will run on repeat...
Terry, you're coming around to something I settled on several months ago. In spite of all the wishful thinking in the non-Fox segments of the legacy news media, the Dems are NOT going to have a good November. Among many other things, analysts (even ones who know better!) continue to gloss over that the Michigan Senate seat is CURRENTLY Dem, so losing it just about crushes any chance for the Dems to get to 51. And El-Sayed is as sure a General Election loser as one can get - the GOP could not ask for a better opponent to run against! The GOP is running a guy who is pretty much a nothing-burger, but, it looks like the Dems are going to make that work out just fine for the GOP by selecting El-Sayed, who will have intentionally antagonized 70% of Michiganders by November. He's close to that now. I'm beginning to think that those of us who are practical-minded Dems are just going to need to ride this out until it bottoms out, and then pick up the pieces. Kinda like '72, which I lived through as a politics-fascinated 17 year old. There's no prospect, in any quadrennium soon, of a Presidential Electoral Vote slaughter like '72, because the times have changed so much. But the degree of miscalculation on behalf of the left wing of the party, regarding what "regular people" want, and what they simply won't tolerate, is very reminiscent. This is gonna hurt.
So much phoney baloney stuff happened with candidates here in Mpls too. About time to watch how these candidates ( now CMs) actually live, instead of the false, manufactured picture they work hard to present, especially during campaign season.
Just one example... the Chugleys/the DSA aligned voting block on the Mpls City Council dismisses property owners, as some "entitled" class of residents, as they tout themselves as " Renters" (that preferred class of down and outers) despite their very high salaries, and all of the expansive benefits afforded to them.
The truth is, at least two live in homes they purchased or their DSA partner did. This group displays indifference, and even disdain for people and families who own a/ any property, while the other part of their voting block lives in high end, security and amenity laden apt complexes, ( that most could never afford).
These CMs lay in wait, now that the election season is over, as they try to find a way to get into their own/ bought homes, without looking like the master deceivers and liars that they are.
Clearly Platner was a Socialist party pick for a Main Senator. What I don't understand is why everyone thinks he was not properly vetted. He was the perfect candidate, someone who had to say yes, no matter what. Platner was not all that different than our own self labeled DSA candidates, unskilled for the job, a good distraction from real events and necessities and most likely guilty of something.
We have been applying our own morality and goals to the Socialist side of the party when they have had their own agenda all along. I don't think the Socialist party cares at all who is elected as long as it is someone they can control. Most of the Socialist candidates supported Platner, the rest simply refused to say he was a joke. Looking at our own election process, they enstalled rank choice voting, fund several candidates and promote a don't rank the popular candidate hoping to get anyone in that says yes. The problem is we don't know who is running the show and we have not for years. We had Dayton for years, he would dissappear for weeks or months with no questions from the Press. Now we have Waltz who chooses to tour the country spewing hate instead of negotiating with our split congress. Even Biden could not have been running our country for the last couple of years. Why are we not terrified?
It's even possible that they don't care that Platner had to resign, perhaps he started saying no. Either way it's more than possible for them pull a rabbit out of a hat by electing his replacement because after all, isn't Trump evil encarnet? Aren't all Maga racist, Capitalists pigs hell bent on destroying our world? Won't we all die if they stay in power? The Socialists have been instilling this hate and fear for years. Teaching the Democrats to trust them, despite not knowing who they are, borrowing the Democratic history of caring and the promise to do good.
It is time to call out the Socialist party for what they are because it is not Democratic and it is not caring. It's very likely they want our society to fail to prove to the world than capitolism always fails, never mind how painful this transition would be. Yes we should be vetting our candidates but the question is how do we get people interested. I can't even get friends to hear that the local corruption is bad and should be prosecuted, they refuse to listen.
Locally, For our Senate race I want to support Rebecca Whiting the libertarian candidate instead of the Angie Craig/Peggy Flanagan DFL types .
However, few people know she is running. And frankly I do not think she is a super strong candidate. I can vote my heart and vote with (I anticipate) 1% of Minnesota voters. At least Rebecca does not seem to have glaring character flaws.
So then what are my choices? The slightly more moderate candidates for the major parties would be Angie Craig or Michelle tafoya. The less moderate choices would be Peggy Flanagan or Adam Schwarze.
None of these choices really work for me.
Luckily I still have a few months to figure it out. The governor race is even worse... There's no candidates there at all that interest me. But I'm not going to not vote.
I think we have to look and separate out the Socialist side of the party, Craig and Flanagan are both there. It could be intentional that both are running. Flanagan being more socialist may be more easily tied to fraud funds meaning they need an alternative.
The issue is, that due to his/ their actions, and by the hour it seems, Trump and his MAGA adherents cannot, and will never be, the answer to the DSA wreaking havoc with the DFL and the Democratic Party.
The MAGAs are not going to be the way forward. And at some point, Trump will be gone...thankfully, but the damage to the Republican Party, all self imposed, may last for many, many years, and maybe even decades. Which is really quite unfortunate.
I think if the Republicans can trace any missing funds from fraud back to the DSA they may actually succeed in cleaning house at the DFL. They are prosecuting much faster than the state which says a lot as it is. Don't underestimate the Republican party, it is not as broken as is sounds.
For the Republican Party, it is not a place, in my life time, that I would ever look to, thanks to Trump and his supporters. Too much damage has been done, and is continuing today, and at hyper speed. Equal parts, horrifying and embarrassing.
Much appreciation though for those like Adam Kinzinger, who tried to fight the good fight, in his love for his party and the country. I feel for them.
Terry, a second observation: Flanagan has been hammering Craig over having voted for the Laken Riley Act, saying, in essence, that it's *not* OK to change your mind later, after the vote "looks bad" - you have to get it right the first time.
I think that Primary race now looks a lot more interesting.
If Craig's campaign is smart - and I think it is - they will make a mirror-image claim against Flanagan's having openly supported Platner and having stayed on his bandwagon WAY past when it was time to get off. So now they EACH have one "issue" that, for a large number of persuadable voters, will be a "Well, THAT proves she's just crazy!" -type issue. Which, as I've said before, is absolute campaign gold. I think we can expect to get really tired of the ads that each will run on repeat...
I wish you would imply a stronger support for voting than “if you plan to vote…”
Terry, you're coming around to something I settled on several months ago. In spite of all the wishful thinking in the non-Fox segments of the legacy news media, the Dems are NOT going to have a good November. Among many other things, analysts (even ones who know better!) continue to gloss over that the Michigan Senate seat is CURRENTLY Dem, so losing it just about crushes any chance for the Dems to get to 51. And El-Sayed is as sure a General Election loser as one can get - the GOP could not ask for a better opponent to run against! The GOP is running a guy who is pretty much a nothing-burger, but, it looks like the Dems are going to make that work out just fine for the GOP by selecting El-Sayed, who will have intentionally antagonized 70% of Michiganders by November. He's close to that now. I'm beginning to think that those of us who are practical-minded Dems are just going to need to ride this out until it bottoms out, and then pick up the pieces. Kinda like '72, which I lived through as a politics-fascinated 17 year old. There's no prospect, in any quadrennium soon, of a Presidential Electoral Vote slaughter like '72, because the times have changed so much. But the degree of miscalculation on behalf of the left wing of the party, regarding what "regular people" want, and what they simply won't tolerate, is very reminiscent. This is gonna hurt.
So much phoney baloney stuff happened with candidates here in Mpls too. About time to watch how these candidates ( now CMs) actually live, instead of the false, manufactured picture they work hard to present, especially during campaign season.
Just one example... the Chugleys/the DSA aligned voting block on the Mpls City Council dismisses property owners, as some "entitled" class of residents, as they tout themselves as " Renters" (that preferred class of down and outers) despite their very high salaries, and all of the expansive benefits afforded to them.
The truth is, at least two live in homes they purchased or their DSA partner did. This group displays indifference, and even disdain for people and families who own a/ any property, while the other part of their voting block lives in high end, security and amenity laden apt complexes, ( that most could never afford).
These CMs lay in wait, now that the election season is over, as they try to find a way to get into their own/ bought homes, without looking like the master deceivers and liars that they are.
Clearly Platner was a Socialist party pick for a Main Senator. What I don't understand is why everyone thinks he was not properly vetted. He was the perfect candidate, someone who had to say yes, no matter what. Platner was not all that different than our own self labeled DSA candidates, unskilled for the job, a good distraction from real events and necessities and most likely guilty of something.
We have been applying our own morality and goals to the Socialist side of the party when they have had their own agenda all along. I don't think the Socialist party cares at all who is elected as long as it is someone they can control. Most of the Socialist candidates supported Platner, the rest simply refused to say he was a joke. Looking at our own election process, they enstalled rank choice voting, fund several candidates and promote a don't rank the popular candidate hoping to get anyone in that says yes. The problem is we don't know who is running the show and we have not for years. We had Dayton for years, he would dissappear for weeks or months with no questions from the Press. Now we have Waltz who chooses to tour the country spewing hate instead of negotiating with our split congress. Even Biden could not have been running our country for the last couple of years. Why are we not terrified?
It's even possible that they don't care that Platner had to resign, perhaps he started saying no. Either way it's more than possible for them pull a rabbit out of a hat by electing his replacement because after all, isn't Trump evil encarnet? Aren't all Maga racist, Capitalists pigs hell bent on destroying our world? Won't we all die if they stay in power? The Socialists have been instilling this hate and fear for years. Teaching the Democrats to trust them, despite not knowing who they are, borrowing the Democratic history of caring and the promise to do good.
It is time to call out the Socialist party for what they are because it is not Democratic and it is not caring. It's very likely they want our society to fail to prove to the world than capitolism always fails, never mind how painful this transition would be. Yes we should be vetting our candidates but the question is how do we get people interested. I can't even get friends to hear that the local corruption is bad and should be prosecuted, they refuse to listen.
Locally, For our Senate race I want to support Rebecca Whiting the libertarian candidate instead of the Angie Craig/Peggy Flanagan DFL types .
However, few people know she is running. And frankly I do not think she is a super strong candidate. I can vote my heart and vote with (I anticipate) 1% of Minnesota voters. At least Rebecca does not seem to have glaring character flaws.
So then what are my choices? The slightly more moderate candidates for the major parties would be Angie Craig or Michelle tafoya. The less moderate choices would be Peggy Flanagan or Adam Schwarze.
None of these choices really work for me.
Luckily I still have a few months to figure it out. The governor race is even worse... There's no candidates there at all that interest me. But I'm not going to not vote.
I think we have to look and separate out the Socialist side of the party, Craig and Flanagan are both there. It could be intentional that both are running. Flanagan being more socialist may be more easily tied to fraud funds meaning they need an alternative.
The issue is, that due to his/ their actions, and by the hour it seems, Trump and his MAGA adherents cannot, and will never be, the answer to the DSA wreaking havoc with the DFL and the Democratic Party.
The MAGAs are not going to be the way forward. And at some point, Trump will be gone...thankfully, but the damage to the Republican Party, all self imposed, may last for many, many years, and maybe even decades. Which is really quite unfortunate.
I think if the Republicans can trace any missing funds from fraud back to the DSA they may actually succeed in cleaning house at the DFL. They are prosecuting much faster than the state which says a lot as it is. Don't underestimate the Republican party, it is not as broken as is sounds.
For the Republican Party, it is not a place, in my life time, that I would ever look to, thanks to Trump and his supporters. Too much damage has been done, and is continuing today, and at hyper speed. Equal parts, horrifying and embarrassing.
Much appreciation though for those like Adam Kinzinger, who tried to fight the good fight, in his love for his party and the country. I feel for them.
A great piece, following along the same thread, through both parties.
"Something is wrong if vice is all them and virtue is all you."
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/12/opinion/paxton-talarico-platner-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xFA.rN_3.qen4w_SwaLMI&smid=em-share