David Newquist thinks I suck.
Well, he didn't say it in so many words, but I'm getting the feeling he might think it from his writings. Tonight, the Headline over at the Northern Valley Beacon reads " Do you really have to be mean and stupid to win an election?" and the point of it is to disagree with me.
Not that I want to give advice to the lite side, but I'm not saying that Democrats need to completely eviscerate each other. What I am hinting at, is the fact that I think in a primary you need to stand out from the opposition.
Governor Rounds did it by taking the high road and rising above the fray in the 2002 GOP Primary. Now in the 2006 Democratic Primary, the choice of ice cream flavors seems to be the difference between Homemade and French Vanilla.
They both look the same. They both taste the same. I suspect they both get soft and mushy when exposed to heat. But can anyone say why one is better than the other?
I'm not suggesting the Democratic Candidates need to enter a steel cage and bash each other in the head. What I am questioning is their passion to be Governor. Because to me, it doesn't seem that their hearts are in it. It doesn't seem that either of them want it that badly.
Sure, they're going through the motions. They're campaigning, going through towns, making some campaign stops, etc. But as they do that, neither one seems to be saying why they are the better choice.
That's not "a Jerry Springer-like brawl." It's simply called debate. It's differentiation. It's explaining to the voters why french vanilla might be a better flavor choice than homemade vanilla. The candidates have the choice of making the drawing of distinctions between each other as cordial or as nasty as they care to. But the key here is that they articulate a difference.
I think it goes back to my contention that they just don't seem to want it badly enough. I've worked with candidates who have won, and those that have lost. Those that win have one trait in common - they want to win. They want it badly and the goal of achieving that office dangles out in front of their nose like a carrot continually driving them.
Those that don't put their soul into it are the first to say "I'm not spending more than $500 on that race." And then it becomes "I'm not going to give up my Sunday to campaign." And then it keeps devolving until everyone out there can tell when they're just going through the motions.
I'm not saying the Democratic Primary is in that sort of that state yet, but I just don't see the passion.
Yes, I am of the party that will have the pleasure of handing one of these two their rear-ends in November. But before that point, it would be nice to see if either one of these guys at least wants the job.
...
On another note, I'm not seeing the ads, either. It's three weeks out from the campaign, and the guys running for Governor are hardly running any advertising? How do they expect the voters to make a decision? A last minute blitz by carrier pigeon?
I know I'm not seeing them in the newspapers. There are ads for primary candidates all over the place but if you're looking for a Billion or Wiese ad, you're going to be S.O.L.
Like I said. I'm not seeing the passion.
The Republican blogger at South Dakota War College opines that Democratic candidates for governor Jack Billion and Dennis Wiese have to give up their gentlemanly good-will and resort to a Jerry Springer-like brawl in order to "differeniate" themselves from each other.I think he meant me by that savant comment. And as usual, I'm being misunderstood.
The assumption behind this contention is that voters are too stupid to discern differences in policy and approach unless the contenders degrade into vicious ad hominem assaults on each other that render them unfit to hold democratic office. It happened four years ago in the Republican primary, and look what we ended up with.
Jack Billion and Dennis Wiese have appeared in this county on multiple occasions at the same meetings and have managed to convey their individual talents and approaches without acting like idiot brats fighting over the big Teddy Bear at the day care. But to those savants who presume to comment on politics and the arts of human communication on blogs, reasoned rhetoric, good will, and benevolent purpose are beyond their experience and comprehension.
Not that I want to give advice to the lite side, but I'm not saying that Democrats need to completely eviscerate each other. What I am hinting at, is the fact that I think in a primary you need to stand out from the opposition.
Governor Rounds did it by taking the high road and rising above the fray in the 2002 GOP Primary. Now in the 2006 Democratic Primary, the choice of ice cream flavors seems to be the difference between Homemade and French Vanilla.
They both look the same. They both taste the same. I suspect they both get soft and mushy when exposed to heat. But can anyone say why one is better than the other?
I'm not suggesting the Democratic Candidates need to enter a steel cage and bash each other in the head. What I am questioning is their passion to be Governor. Because to me, it doesn't seem that their hearts are in it. It doesn't seem that either of them want it that badly.
Sure, they're going through the motions. They're campaigning, going through towns, making some campaign stops, etc. But as they do that, neither one seems to be saying why they are the better choice.
That's not "a Jerry Springer-like brawl." It's simply called debate. It's differentiation. It's explaining to the voters why french vanilla might be a better flavor choice than homemade vanilla. The candidates have the choice of making the drawing of distinctions between each other as cordial or as nasty as they care to. But the key here is that they articulate a difference.
I think it goes back to my contention that they just don't seem to want it badly enough. I've worked with candidates who have won, and those that have lost. Those that win have one trait in common - they want to win. They want it badly and the goal of achieving that office dangles out in front of their nose like a carrot continually driving them.
Those that don't put their soul into it are the first to say "I'm not spending more than $500 on that race." And then it becomes "I'm not going to give up my Sunday to campaign." And then it keeps devolving until everyone out there can tell when they're just going through the motions.
I'm not saying the Democratic Primary is in that sort of that state yet, but I just don't see the passion.
Yes, I am of the party that will have the pleasure of handing one of these two their rear-ends in November. But before that point, it would be nice to see if either one of these guys at least wants the job.
...
On another note, I'm not seeing the ads, either. It's three weeks out from the campaign, and the guys running for Governor are hardly running any advertising? How do they expect the voters to make a decision? A last minute blitz by carrier pigeon?
I know I'm not seeing them in the newspapers. There are ads for primary candidates all over the place but if you're looking for a Billion or Wiese ad, you're going to be S.O.L.
Like I said. I'm not seeing the passion.
Comments
I also think it's OK for the two candidates to be light on the campaign advertising right now. First, they can rely on newspapers to carry some of the message for them. The more metro areas are where the Dems are, the major population centers are covered with daily newspapers, and the more educated a person is, the more likely they are to be a Dem, and the more likely they are to read the paper.
If you know you are going to eventually run against a Governor with an insane amount of money in the bank, wouldn't you wait until your advertising can help make the bigger decision.