A bold move from Patty Wetterling

Wow. Patty Wetterling has now officially made bringing the troops home from Iraq part of her campaign platform.

The war in Iraq is costing this country and Minnesota in lives, treasure, and opportunity, and we can no longer afford to continue down the path we're on.

Today I am calling for the Administration to end our involvement in Iraq by Thanksgiving 2006 and prepare for the return of our brave men and women by launching a new generation of programs to honor their service.

[...]

Let me be clear: from today until the last American has left Iraqi soil, we must spend every dollar necessary to arm, support, and protect our troops. But the time has come to bring them home. This is not a call to abandon our troops or their mission. It is a call to honor them, a call to respect them, and a call to bring them home.

We're spending too much money on the wrong priorities. Removing our troops by next Thanksgiving ensures that by the time the next Senate begins its session, we will be debating how to spend this money on health care, job creation, education, rebuilding our own Gulf in the wake of Katrina, and keeping America safe.

Facing underdog status in her primary race with Amy Klobuchar for the Democratic nomination for the MN '06 Senate race, it appears Patty has decided to risk it all by taking on a huge issue in America right now. "Bring them home"-- This is a position that few mainstream Democrats have been willing to take. In a prominent ad on Kos, aimed at tapping the fundraising power of the overwhelmingly progressive and anti-war netroots, Patty claims she is "the ONLY Senate candidate with the courage to set a date." And it's probably true. But is it the right thing to do? And will it pay off politically?

I will be watching this race closely. I had assumed that Patty, as much as I love her, was dead in the water against the better-connected, well-funded Amy Klobuchar. This is an attempt to tilt the balance. But will it be enough?

A new Zogby/Wall Street Journal poll shows that both Klobuchar and Wetterling have a slight lead on Republican candidate (and major dickhead) Mark Kennedy.

Klobuchar 49%, Kennedy 42.9%
Wetterling 48.1%, Kennedy 44.9%

Wetterling's website also has a poll from February that puts her 9 points ahead of Kennedy, while Klobuchar has only a 2 point lead. Her favorability rating and statewide recognition are obviously much higher than Klobuchar's, because of Wetterling's tireless work as a child advocate and the nationwide media frenzy over the abduction of her son Jacob, 15 years ago. I think she is a great person and a great candidate. The only reason I have to doubt her is a subpar speech she gave at the UDFL convention last spring. While Wetterling was forced to rely on her notes and stand at the podium, Klobuchar had her material down pat and was able to interact with the crowd while she spoke. Klobuchar also had much more of a speaking presence than Wetterling. However, that was months ago, and it could have been just a bad night for Patty. If her speaking act has improved, this new announcement could breathe new life into her campaign.

Also, Democratic candidates Mike Hatch and Mike Ciresi both have a tiny edge on sitting governor (and huge d-bagger) Tim Pawlenty.

Posted by smit2174 at October 6, 2005 7:26 PM | TrackBack