Last fall, before I decided to become a Democrat and challenge Oberstar, I thought seriously about running as a Republican against Mark Kennedy for the Senate. That would have been a futile campaign but that’s how unhappy I was. Kennedy is generally a good guy but he’s been a clone of every other Republican in Congress. If the Party was still a reasonable party it would be easy to support him for the Senate but the Party is not a reasonable party. Minnesotans seem to realize this as lags behind Amy Klobuchar in the polls.
My campaign manager found these two ads for Mark on his campaign website. The first is short and humorous and will soon be on the airwaves. The other is long, tedious and full of BS.
I wasted last night trying to make a video putting down the longer ad. If I had any doubts about how ba my video turned out my son made it clear. “Let me put it this way,” he told me after helping me shoot it, “If I saw that I wouldn’t vote for you.”
In the interest of exposing Kennedy’s BS I’m posting his ads dialogue with the portentous announcer’s words made bold, Kennedy’s words tabbed in and my jibes in italics:
There’s a new day dawning – and a new leader emerging.
I’m Mark Kennedy
He comes from humble beginnings where he learned the value of faith family and hard work.My passion is the American Dream. Because I’ve really had an opportunity to live the American dream and my parents taught me that America never promises us success but it gives us a chance. The rest is up to us.
He’s a fourth-generation Minnesotan the first of all those generations to go to college.
When I was in college I was an accounting major. I hated accounting I wanted to switch to being a history major. My Mother said if you can tell me a job that you want that you can do as a history major then you can change, otherwise you can’t. She sat all seven of us kids on the living room and read us newspaper clippings so that we knew how to apply the values that she and my Father taught us to the world around us. I’m a history teacher – that’s a job!
He’s an independent thinker He did what his Mother told himHow do you change Washington? you change Washington by saying I want to work with you on solutions that you that are important to families back home. I don’t want to work with you on solutions that are important to your party or your President. I want to do what’s important for families. That’s how you change Washington.
He’s a leader but not a politician He trashed Patty Wetterling – Wasn’t that political?
Spend money as its yours because that’s the way I was when I grew up.
He’s a CPA who strives for fiscal responsibility. Ten trillion $ deficit He’ll make sure you keep more of your own money so we can grow jobs.Growing jobs keeping the American dream alive requires us to reward hard work, innovation, risk taking. We need to make sure that we keep that American work ethic alive. In China!
He’ll fight to cut government spending and finally give us the line item veto.
It means keeping spending under control so that we don’t have to raise taxes. Ten trillion $ deficit
Take tax credits back from oil companies Mark hates Texans and develop alternative energy resources like ethanol. Wave corn cob (don’t ask me why but I had a plastic corn cob)
When I was running for Congress six years ago I set out a goal of doubling ethanol production we have doubled ethanol production and we passed an energy bill that sets a goal to double it again.
He’ll make sure patients and doctors are in charge of health care not government and insurance companies. 46 million uninsured Americans
He’ll keep us safe by securing our borders and protecting the homeland Wall off Canada
He’ll defend local control of our schools. Thanks for No child left behind Mark!
He’ll protect the values that make Minnesota Great
Improving the quality of education for our children is all about setting high standards expecting a lot from our students and making sure that we’re rewarding those that are doing an excellent job of delivering that great education. Mark for school board
And he’ll bring the right kind of change Washington needs.
People expect you to face the tough issues head on and vote based on your principles not part of your president or special interests that are moving you in one way one direction or another I want to be a leader that all Minnesotans can look to.
Kennedy votes 90% with Bush
Mark Kennedy the next Senator from the great state of Minnesota
Gee, and that was such a nice ad. You had to ruin it for me, Harry. It’s amazing how during a campaign, and in ads, people are everything one would hope them to be. But back on the job, it’s the same old “stuff.” Should we expect that Mark will be anything new or different as a Senator? I suspect he’d just continue to see the President as a mother figure, and continue to do what momma wants. A great example of why Washington and the country are where they are at today.