Peter Hutchinson

Word is that Peter Hutchinson will be announcing his running mate tomorrow.  Check back tomorrow for more information on this.

My best guess would be that his running mate will be in the same mold as him, a liberal in hiding.  Not very good hiding, however!

Attention Starved Bar Owner Can’t Get Any Love

The Libertarian party has withdrawn their endorsement of the attention starved bar owner.  I assume that they are doing this for the same reason that the GOP would not allow her to speak at the GOP convention.

So this leaves us to evaluate this situation.  The GOP does not like her, now the Libertarian's want nothing to do with her!!  What political stop will she be making next?  Possibly just back to the U of M to serve alcohol to underage College students? 

We await to see what else this disaster of a campaign does next to get more attention for their attention starved candidate.

To read the release from the Libertarian party go here.

Hatch and Education Minnesota

In the biggest surprise of the campaign thus far, Hatch has been endorsed by Education Minnesota!!!  Anyone who was really waiting to see who they would endorse is quite possibly a complete moron.  They are one of the top liberal special interest groups in Minnesota!!

Here is a release from the MNGOP:

“Today’s endorsement puts Mike Hatch further in the pocket of big labor and cements his position as the candidate who opposes real reform and accountability of our schools.  The world is changing and Mike Hatch and the union bosses stand firmly in the way of accountability and modernization of public education.”

Hatch’s Fly-Around

So Hatch did a fly-around of the state today.  I say it was Hatch's fly around even though A-Klo was on board because Matt "Entenza" Quam was not on the fly-around.  One would think that you would want to introduce the ENTIRE ticket to the voters of the state.  One is led to wonder if this goes back to the rift between the two have as reported on by MDE earlier last fall??

On second thought, maybe no one noticed that Lois went instead in his place.  She will be the one financing the campaign!!!

Hatch’s “Nice-Guy” Strategy

In what was perhaps the single most boring hour in the history of MPR, Mike Hatch appeared on Midday, sandwiched between pledge drives.

In a futile attempt to shake off the "angry" label the GOP bestowed upon him, Hatch claimed that he and Gov. Pawlenty actually get along quite well.  The only disagreement between the two is on policy.

Believing Hatch has to be more imbecilic than believing in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.

We'll see how long Hatch can keep up this nice-guy persona.  As the pressures of running an up-hill campaign builds, watch for Hatch to lash out.

Flip-Flop of the Week

It is Tuesday once again, and you know what that means!!  Yes, it is the flip-flop of the week.

Here it is:

Mike Hatch Flip-Flops On Arne Carlson's Record Supporting The University of Minnesota

1994 Campaign: Hatch Attacked Arne Carlson For Ignoring Problems At The University of Minnesota. "[Hatch] was critical of Carlson for endorsing a $759 million state plan to help Northwest Airlines and equally critical that Carlson has not gotten involved in investigations of financial and research scandals surrounding the University of Minnesota Medical School. 'If the governor can use budgetary and personal persuasion to get involved in a private company like Northwest Airlines, the governor certainly can do the same at the university,' said Hatch." (Robert Whereatt, "Ex-DFL Party Chair Mike Hatch Says He Will Run For Governor," Star Tribune, November 15, 1993)

2006 Campaign: Hatch Lavished Praise On Arne Carlson For Bleeding "Maroon And Gold." "Governor Carlson also used high quality education to bootstrap himself up to climb the ladder of economic opportunity. Governor Carlson proudly wore the maroon and gold as governor and he still bleeds maroon and gold today." (Mike Hatch Acceptance Speech At 2006 DFL Convention, Minnesota Public Radio Website, , Accessed June 13, 2006)

Exclusive: Hatch’s Running Mate

I am hearing from well placed Capitol sources that Hatch's running mate will be Judi Dutcher.  Now this has been talked of for quite some time now, but I am hearing from someone who has heard from inside the campaign. 

This is an obvious strategy (Dutcher is a former Republican and as a woman) to soften up Hatch's image and reach out to those voters feeling disenfranchised and wanting to vote for Peter Hutchinson.

We will wait and see if this tip is true, but I trust my source!

Jobs, Jobs, and more Jobs!!

New unemployment numbers are in!!!  It is extremely good news for the State of Minnesota.  It is also good news for the re-election campaign of TPaw!!!  The unemployment rate is at 3.7%, which is a FIVE YEAR LOW!!  The national average is 4.6%.

Here is a release from the Governor's campaign:

"Minnesota's job growth has gone from lukewarm to red hot. If Peter
Hutchinson, Mike Hatch, Ken Pentel or Becky Lourey had been Governor the
last four years, their tax-more, spend-more policies would have stunted job
growth across Minnesota."

- Michael Krueger, Campaign Manager

No word yet on what Hatch thinks of the numbers.  He will find some way to sue someone to make the numbers more favorable towards his campaign!!

MNGOP: They Said It!

The DFL'ers are not nearly as united as the GOP was coming out of their convention.

Just look at what delagates are saying:

 “Even with the endorsement, Hatch still has to win over some in his own party.
Minneapolis delegate David Moe wasn't enthusiastic about having Hatch atop the ticket.  ‘Mike Hatch has a lot of enemies out there that he’s made,’ said Moe, who entered the convention as a Lourey backer and later shifted his support to Kelley.  ‘I think it helps the third parties.’”  (Brian Bakst, “Their Candidates Blessed, DFL Sets Out To Get Them Elected,” Associated Press, June 11, 2006)

Sidenote: Becky Otto makes me laugh.  She is the only person I know that is somehow qualified for higher office when you lose a much smaller office.  Remember that Becky Otto was the ONLY incumbent DFL'er in the House to lose to a Republican in 2004.  I successfully drove her insane during that campaign and I plan to do the same this time around!!

This is Going to be Fun

So to no surprise, except maybe to Becky Lourey and Steve Kelley, Mike Hatch prevailed last night for the Gubernatorial endorsement.

Mike Hatch is a power hungry, angry man who has been running for governor as long as John Kerry has been running for president. 

Hatch claims to be the candidate who will talk about the meat and potato issues of the day.  Please Mike, will you?  When those issues such as health care, education reform, growing the economy, job creation, low taxes, less government spending, and immigration are talked about, we win every time.  Governor Pawlenty has a record second to none on every single one of those issues and this state leads the nation for the better in those categories!!!

Here is the statement from the MNGOP last night:

Republican Party Of Minnesota Statement On The Endorsement Of Mike Hatch For Governor

Rochester- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Ron Carey today released the following statement regarding today's DFL endorsement of Mike Hatch.

"Mike Hatch has been running for governor for nearly 20 years and broke his word this year by running for governor a third time.  During that 20 years, his fellow DFLers have called him a 'chameleon,' an 'opportunist,' and 'a man willing to sell his soul just to get elected.'  No matter how extreme the makeover Hatch attempts, Minnesotans aren't going to trust someone with that kind of opportunistic and inconsistent record."

Bring on the fight Mike, we will make your angry self implode on the campaign trail!!