Thursday, August 19, 2004
Odd political note
Sorry for the delay today -- many loose ends remain after travel.
Local radio host Dan "Ox" Ochsner said this morning that he was surprised that there was not more local DFL primping of a visit to a St. Cloud VFW post by former Senator Max Cleland and one of the Swift Boat vets who supports Kerry. (Here's the Times piece, but remember they move the archive daily, so you go to the homepage and fish for it tomorrow.) Now we're no St. Paul, so we don't usually get the likes of a big rally that our NARN brethren have. We're kinda the Medina Ballroom of political theaters (could be worse); we takes who we can gets. And frankly, Max Cleland is one of the bigger names we've had through here. (Hey, he got above the fold in the local section; Bush below.)
So Ox was asking why we did not see candidates such as Patty Wetterling standing alongside Cleland and the SwiftOne. I thought that was interesting. And indeed, when later in the day I saw the poster being used to advertise the talk, the name in big letters was Max Cleland's -- John Kerry's name was four points smaller, and only as a modifier to the identity of the Swift boat person. None of the other political lights of the local DFL were mentioned either, though occasional NARN caller Joe Repya made an appearance in the Times story:
When your own party elected officials can't even get their name in the article about your rally, maybe others aren't taking him seriously either.
Short note: The inclusion of Repya in the article suggests that some folks at the Times do take the concept of "balanced reporting" seriously. Bigger market papers, nota bene.
UPDATE (8/20): KAAL in Rochester indicates Wetterling did appear there with Cleland at the AFL-CIO convention.
Her full speech is up on her own site, which suggests she's moved ahead to want to be that big strong voice for unions, too.
This is why teachers need a better education in economics, because this is tripe. She even notes this in her own speech.
So her answer? Give more money to the Small Business Administration. She says this to the AFL-CIO, mind you, none of whose members work for small businesses. And who created SBA?
The Eisenhower Administration, in 1953.
Wetterling is still a novice at this.
Local radio host Dan "Ox" Ochsner said this morning that he was surprised that there was not more local DFL primping of a visit to a St. Cloud VFW post by former Senator Max Cleland and one of the Swift Boat vets who supports Kerry. (Here's the Times piece, but remember they move the archive daily, so you go to the homepage and fish for it tomorrow.) Now we're no St. Paul, so we don't usually get the likes of a big rally that our NARN brethren have. We're kinda the Medina Ballroom of political theaters (could be worse); we takes who we can gets. And frankly, Max Cleland is one of the bigger names we've had through here. (Hey, he got above the fold in the local section; Bush below.)
So Ox was asking why we did not see candidates such as Patty Wetterling standing alongside Cleland and the SwiftOne. I thought that was interesting. And indeed, when later in the day I saw the poster being used to advertise the talk, the name in big letters was Max Cleland's -- John Kerry's name was four points smaller, and only as a modifier to the identity of the Swift boat person. None of the other political lights of the local DFL were mentioned either, though occasional NARN caller Joe Repya made an appearance in the Times story:
"There are some very angry veterans out there about (Kerry's) anti-war actions. I am not one of them," he said from his home before Cleland's St. Cloud visit. "This is not about the Vietnam War. It is about who can best lead America in the war on terror, and based on his Senate record, I don't see how any veteran can take him seriously as a presidential candidate."
When your own party elected officials can't even get their name in the article about your rally, maybe others aren't taking him seriously either.
Short note: The inclusion of Repya in the article suggests that some folks at the Times do take the concept of "balanced reporting" seriously. Bigger market papers, nota bene.
UPDATE (8/20): KAAL in Rochester indicates Wetterling did appear there with Cleland at the AFL-CIO convention.
Wetterling is turning her own personal tragedy into a run for congress.
"I have worked for 14 years to advocate on behalf of children and families and to build a safer world for kids. I feel this is the next step where we can be that big strong voice for kids in our nation's capitol."
Her full speech is up on her own site, which suggests she's moved ahead to want to be that big strong voice for unions, too.
We all know that big corporations do not look out for the interests of working
families. And we all know that an unregulated, free marketplace does not
concern itself with individual workers.
This is why teachers need a better education in economics, because this is tripe. She even notes this in her own speech.
Half of our nation�s gross national product is generated by small businesses.
60 percent of the jobs in this country are created by small businesses.
So her answer? Give more money to the Small Business Administration. She says this to the AFL-CIO, mind you, none of whose members work for small businesses. And who created SBA?
The Eisenhower Administration, in 1953.
Wetterling is still a novice at this.
