Following up on my prior commentary, Congressman Walz’s supporters should see a great cause for concern from the Primary Election results. Overall, Walz underperformed from his 2006 primary performance by approximately 20 %. His opponent proved strong … his opponent being Apathy. Now, I know it’s only a Primary and everyone doesn’t participate ( as an Independent voter, I do not vote in partisan contests), but there was no doubt that Dr. Brian Davis was able to excite his core voters to go to the polls.
In the state’s largest county, Olmstead (Rochester) where Walz beat Gutknecht in the November election (by 1848 votes) after trailing him in the primary (195 votes), Davis tallied more votes in a contested party primary than Walz got running unopposed (add Dick Day who received in excess of 1900 votes in the Republican contest and the result indicates this county will be strongly contested.)
Another county that the Republicans showed strongly is Martin County (Fairmont). Gutknecht beat Walz by 1,195 votes in the General Election and Davis once again outpaced Walz (once again, add in Day’s votes and there are a lot of people preferring the Republican Party.) Walz can take some solace in that he actually increased the number of votes he received from the prior Primary Election (the school bond referendum may have brought more voters to the polls.)
For those that think that this is just a primary, are missing fact that the First District has been a Republican base for years.
The Republicans will attack the November elections by focusing on social issues (which will play well in the evangelical western portion of the district) while portraying Walz as “Pelosi’s Pawn in Washington”. As anyone listening to how Sarah Palin is portrayed ( Jet sold on eBay, earmarks, rejecting bridge funding, gas pipeline in progress, etc.) knows that the factual truth is not a perquisite for a campaign. Walz has voted against Pelosi on many issues – Iraq war funding, FISA, Alternative Minimum Tax, and pushed her on ethics and drilling legislation – but the Republicans will not acknowledge that.
The Republicans will not want to promote their economic philosophies based on privatization, deregulation, and lowering of taxes on the wealthy … best categorized as the misguided concept of "trickle down" economics.
Trickle-down, supply-side economic policy hasn't ever made sense: it has left the vast majority of Americans struggling just to stay even. The Labor Department now classifies 1.8 million citizens as "long term unemployed". August’s official unemployment numbers indicate 84,000 jobs were cut by employers in August meaning that 605,000 jobs disappeared for the year.
The median household income in Minnesota fell from $58,363 in 2001 to $55,802 in 2007 (adjusted for inflation). Hourly wages haven't kept up with inflation forcing more people to maintain multiple jobs (estimated to be 8.1 million workers or about 5.5% of the total employed population).
The Republicans will blame Walz and the Democratic controlled House as the problem without ever acknowledging the obstructionist and delaying tactics that they have employed.
To the McCain camp we are just being “whiners” and he proposed making the Bush tax cuts (which are especially beneficial to multinational corporations and the wealthy) permanent while proposing that employees with company provided health insurance pay $2870 more per year in income taxes.
Our problem is the not that we need a tax cut, but we need tax fairness.
Voters in the First will have a choice of a neophyte ideologue versus a Congressman who has extended himself to everyone throughout the district.
Voters need to remember Walz efforts on behalf of Veterans, Seniors, Farmers, SCHIP, and working families.
Dr. Davis has not only embraced the Bush tax cuts (not surprisingly for someone making $411,780 salary) but also permanently ending the estate tax.
With this being a Presidential Election year, the Republican base will be engaged and strongly supporting Dr. Davis.
The question for the Walz supporters is, will you educate the apathetic voter ?
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2 comments:
Are you surprised that McSame wouldn't want to talk about the economy. Last December in New Hampshire,McCain said, "The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should." And at a January town hall meeting in Concord, N.H., McCain told the crowd, "I am not an expert on Wall Street."
McCain is 4 more years of the same.
Where did you get the $2870 tax increase ?
Thanks for reading my blog and commenting.
The $2870 is based on the tax rate (25%) and the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust estimate that the annual cost of a family health insurance premium in 2006 was $11,480.
The actual rate would be dependent upon your company’s actual health care cost and your actual tax rate … but the 25 % rate would fit the average employee’s wage.
Note : Most companies will use a rate per headcount, so low income workers will see a higher impact than higher income workers …. And over time as employers grant wage increases the 3% given to an employee making $100,000 a year will recover that tax payment in one year … while the employee making $20,000 will take more than four years.
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