[Speed Gibson,
Tuesday October 17, 2006 at 11:31pm]
Fear of Failure?
If the Minnesota Poll is to be believed, the DFL will handily defeat the GOP for Governor, U.S. Senator, the State House, and pick up two U.S. House seats, leaving only Kline and Ramstad.
So what's with all this DFL spying and false advertising, even repeated, blatant lying in one race? Don't they know they're ahead? The strategy is working! Smile, take no stands, and stay on message: "I'm running against George W. Bush!"
The hardest question I had with the Watergate story when it unfolded over 30 years ago was why? George McGovern was God's gift of the century to the Republicans, as the election showed. What was the point of the plumbers and the break-in?
Is that same level of paranoia now besetting the DFL and its friends at the Minneapolis Star Tribune? I agree with Scott Johnson at Power Line who posted that "All in all, the McEnroe and Olson story on Fine's expunged 1995 arrest may be the shoddiest story ever published in the Star Tribune." The story has no relevance to the election, and shouldn't be necessary in one of the 10 safest districts for Democrats in the country. Yet not only did they print it, they grossly distorted it against the GOP candidate.
Here's my theory: they don't believe the Minnesota Poll either. Oh, they do in general, but each player is worried about their race. What if they lose? More specifically, what if theirs is the only major DFL candidate who loses? On TV you see Amy smiling, Hatch beaming, and a big cheer goes up when they announce that the DFL has retaken the Minnesota House.
But no balloon drop for the Wetterling camp. (I used her campaign as the example, but it could be any major candidate.) Michele Bachmann is gracious in her victory speech, but you want to kick the TV set in. What did they do wrong? What's not to like about Patty? How stupid are these voters?
Only a rookie TV reporter, maybe a stringer or two are live at your glum party, which is fine, you don't want to be on TV anyway. You look wistfully at your watch, then the coverage of the other celebrations, wincing when they throw you a "good effort" bone. It's the greatest night the DFL has enjoyed since Humphrey and you're on the outside looking in.
That's my theory, for what it's worth: fear of failure when everyone else wins easily.
So what's with all this DFL spying and false advertising, even repeated, blatant lying in one race? Don't they know they're ahead? The strategy is working! Smile, take no stands, and stay on message: "I'm running against George W. Bush!"
The hardest question I had with the Watergate story when it unfolded over 30 years ago was why? George McGovern was God's gift of the century to the Republicans, as the election showed. What was the point of the plumbers and the break-in?
Is that same level of paranoia now besetting the DFL and its friends at the Minneapolis Star Tribune? I agree with Scott Johnson at Power Line who posted that "All in all, the McEnroe and Olson story on Fine's expunged 1995 arrest may be the shoddiest story ever published in the Star Tribune." The story has no relevance to the election, and shouldn't be necessary in one of the 10 safest districts for Democrats in the country. Yet not only did they print it, they grossly distorted it against the GOP candidate.
Here's my theory: they don't believe the Minnesota Poll either. Oh, they do in general, but each player is worried about their race. What if they lose? More specifically, what if theirs is the only major DFL candidate who loses? On TV you see Amy smiling, Hatch beaming, and a big cheer goes up when they announce that the DFL has retaken the Minnesota House.
But no balloon drop for the Wetterling camp. (I used her campaign as the example, but it could be any major candidate.) Michele Bachmann is gracious in her victory speech, but you want to kick the TV set in. What did they do wrong? What's not to like about Patty? How stupid are these voters?
Only a rookie TV reporter, maybe a stringer or two are live at your glum party, which is fine, you don't want to be on TV anyway. You look wistfully at your watch, then the coverage of the other celebrations, wincing when they throw you a "good effort" bone. It's the greatest night the DFL has enjoyed since Humphrey and you're on the outside looking in.
That's my theory, for what it's worth: fear of failure when everyone else wins easily.