Monthly Archives: October 2002

October 29, 2002 — Scott Johnson

According to the poll reported

According to the poll reported in the Washington Times this morning in the story Rocket Man links to below, the Mondale/Coleman race is a statistical dead heat. The story includes the following observation, consistent with Rocket Man’s (and Hugh Hewitt’s) take on the race: “‘What’s been lost in the coverage of this tragedy is the strength of Coleman’s candidacy,’ said Dan Allen, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. ‘Minnesota »
October 29, 2002 — John Hinderaker

The Republicans conducted a telephone

The Republicans conducted a telephone poll Sunday night, which showed Mondale with a narrow 45%-43% lead over Norm Coleman. The results were given to the Washington Times, presumably to deter a sense of inevitability–“coronation,” as the Trunk put it–about Mondale’s candidacy. This is anybody’s race, I think. »
October 29, 2002 — Scott Johnson

The New York Times this

The New York Times this morning has a piece on the impact of Senator Wellstone’s death on the three-way gubernatorial election, “Senator’s death reverberates in race for Minnesota governor.” »
October 29, 2002 — Scott Johnson

Among the signs of the

Among the signs of the return to something close to politics as usual this morning is the return to politics as usual on the news pages of the Star Tribune. The Strib discounts Mondale’s age as an impediment to his appeal to voters in “Mondale’s age not seen as big issue.” In the spirit of scholarship the story helpfully explains, “Historians note that the word Senate is derived from the »
October 28, 2002 — Scott Johnson

In Minnesota we are fortunate

In Minnesota we are fortunate to get Hugh Hewitt’s great drive-time radio show on 1280 AM The Patriot. The show is outstanding in many respects, all related to the respect with which Hugh treats his incredibly loyal audience. We are therefore especially proud that in order to keep his finger on the pulse of the fast-breaking political developments which we are in the middle of here, Hugh invited Rocket Man »
October 28, 2002 — John Hinderaker

More attention is being focused

More attention is being focused on the absentee voter issue in the Minnesota Senate race. Apparently the Secretary of State’s office is working on a system whereby absentee voters will be allowed to show up at the polls and cast a vote for Mondale if they had mailed in their ballots before Wellstone’s accident. This is, of course, totally contrary to the usual procedure with absentee ballots, and the mechanics »
October 28, 2002 — Scott Johnson

More on the Moussaoui connection:

More on the Moussaoui connection: On Saturday we noted the weird fact that the co-pilot on Senator Wellstone’s plane (Michael Guess) had worked at the same Eagan, Minnesota flight school that Zacarias Moussaoui attended. Here is the Star Tribune story on the overlap between Moussaoui and the co-pilot, “Co-pilot played minor role in story of Moussaoui.” »
October 28, 2002 — John Hinderaker

Now Jesse Ventura is saying

Now Jesse Ventura is saying that he expects litigation to arise out of the Minnesota Senate race. He objects specifically to the fact that under Minnesota law, as we discussed earlier, absentee ballots cast for Coleman will naturally be counted for Coleman, while absentee ballots cast for Wellstone will not count for Mondale. “That to me right there creates an unfair election,” Ventura says. Ventura has usually sided with the »
October 28, 2002 — Paul Mirengoff

Ramesh Ponnuru of National Review

Ramesh Ponnuru of National Review considers Mondale beatable. In fact, he predicts that after the first polls of the race are taken, the Republican party will increase, rather than decrease, its commitment to Minnesota. »
October 28, 2002 — Paul Mirengoff

Thanks for the response on

Thanks for the response on Jews in Minnesota, Rocket Man. You make what I think is an essential point — the absence, as of now, of meaningful bias against Jews in America’s heartland. Of course many on the left don’t see this as refuting the notion that America is a land of bigotry and prejudice because they see Jews as part of the “oppressor class.” But what of the Jews »
October 28, 2002 — John Hinderaker

John Eastman of the Ashbrook

John Eastman of the Ashbrook Center makes a good point (scroll down) that we haven’t seen anywhere else about the Minnesota Senate race. An unknown number of absentee ballots have already been cast; under Minnesota law, those cast for Coleman will count for him, while those cast for Wellstone will not count for Mondale. Eastman assumes a 2.3 million voter turnout, 30% absentee ballots (based on the nationwide Democratic efforts »
October 28, 2002 — Paul Mirengoff

Here is an excellent piece

Here is an excellent piece by Times of London columnist TIm Hames. Hames argues that “the War on Terror is proceeding far better than it is fashionable to acknowledge” because leaders who might have been inclined to provide refuge and resources to terrorist bodies have been obliged to abandon such ambitions. The exception, says Hames, is Arafat who “has a series of connections with armed fanatics that are not dissimilar »
October 28, 2002 — Scott Johnson

In his terrific National Review

In his terrific National Review Online Impromptus column this morning, Jay Nordlinger notes the Nazi-like anti-Semitism that permeates the mainstream of the Arab world: “I bring you good news from the Middle East! Egyptian television is airing a blockbuster series based on ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,’ that 19th-century czarist forgery that has acted so widely »
October 28, 2002 — John Hinderaker

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Minnesota’s Republican candidates will resume campaigning on Wednesday. The quotes from party chairman Ron Eibensteiner indicate that the Coleman campaign will emphasize Coleman’s youth and vigor, and the fact that Mondale has been on the sidelines for nearly twenty years. Curiously, the Republicans also intend to point out that Mondale is not as liberal as Wellstone. Coleman’s campaign manager is talking about pressing for »
October 28, 2002 — John Hinderaker

Real Clear Politics pointed us

Real Clear Politics pointed us to this piece in the Miami Herald, which nicely makes the point that the anti-war left isn’t so much anti-war as it is anti-Bush. »
October 28, 2002 — John Hinderaker

The Washington Times assesses the

The Washington Times assesses the possibility that al Qaeda may already possess various types of nuclear devices. »
October 28, 2002 — John Hinderaker

The Trunk would know this

The Trunk would know this exactly, but the Jewish vote in Minnesota can’t be over 2%. For those who persist in labeling America a land of bigotry and prejudice, it is noteworthy that, notwithstanding this tiny percentage, both of the last two holders of the Senate seat now at issue, Wellstone and Boschwitz, were Jewish, as were both of the contenders for the seat this year, Wellstone and Coleman–a fact »