Mitch McConnell Came to Town

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Mitch McConnell came to Fargo today to tout the Senate candidacy of current Republican Governor John Hoeven. And I'm sure it's just a coincidence the Valley's been socked in with fog all day....

The way McConnell tells it to the small audience of Republican loyalists captured on video and in print reporting, all we have to do is elect Hoeven and nothing will change because McConnell has the power to put him on the Appropriations Committee and the Energy Committee.

Left unsaid but equally promised were the lollipops and rainbows and cute little puppies....

It was political grandstanding at its finest, just a day after the local newspaper quoted the former Governor and one-time Bush Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer touting how he led Hoeven back into the Republican fold.

Today's article prompted me to comment:

First Ed Schafer brags that he reminded Hoeven he shared Republican values. Then Mitch McConnell brags he can gaur-on-tee what committees Hoeven will be on. What's next? George W. Bush coming to town to tell us Hoeven shares the same banking values as Wall Street and AIG?

Hoeven's proving every day he's in it for the Republicans. Let's get a candidate who represents North Dakota's traditional populist roots. After the mess the Bush people left for the next president to clean up, the last thing we need is to send another Republican to Washington.

Now all we need to find out is which more senior Republicans has McConnell stepped on to make such a promise about committee assignments.

'Cause he sure wouldn't have, you know, blown fog in our faces here out of the limelight in little ol' Fargo, now would he?
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UPDATE: local weather reporting the fog expected to linger all week. Hmmmmm. Mother Nature sending us a message?
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crossposted at firedoglake's The Seminal

McConnell Coming to Fargo for Hoeven

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Prairie's Note: Campaigns are rolling out around the country. In the past, the Republicans have counted on operating under the radar state-by-state, but this year, we Democrats will/must keep a strong network of openness so all of America will know just how bankrupt are their ideas... and how hypocritical their professed values. One key race is North Dakota, with Dorgan's retirement, the Governor who's mastered the art of political opportunism is off and running. What's happening in your state?
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The Because We didn't Totally Wreck America during the Bush Lost Years and We Want to Finish the Job campaign is winging its way toward Fargo, North Dakota on Monday.

Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell will speak at a rally of Republican money donors and also he and Governor and Wanna-Be-Senator John Hoeven will meet with the Forum's editorial board.

Earlier this week, Hoeven dodged answering a Grand Forks talk show host (Dakota Huseby, Voice of Dakota) about which Senators he most admired. She put no boundaries on the question. Coulda been a current or past Senator. But hmmmm, in the grand tradition of "popular" Republican governors who ride on the coattails of Democratic policy while lambasting it, he ducked the question.

Guess we know now who's high on his list. Mitch McConnell, whose only contribution to governing is to obstruct and try to block anything that will bring America back from the brink of financial ruin that he and the rest of his Republican party worked so hard to create during the Bush Lost Years. He wants the President to fail, he wants America to fail. You'd think there'd be some sense of shame or remorse among Republicans at how deep runs their greed and selfishness.

Hoeven is making clear, from his announcement event at a Republican meeting, to his campaign kickoff event coming up, he's running for the Republicans. Not for all the people of North Dakota. Just the Republicans.

Will be interesting to see if the Forum's editorial board gets anything more out of Hoeven than parroted slogans "common sense," "family values," "Mikey and me," oh, and puppies ... truly, he likes puppies.

At least I think he does. I'm sure he'd say so if he didn't. Yeah. I'm sure he would.
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crossposted at firedoglake's The Seminal

Hoeven In....

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Well, everybody who follows politics in North Dakota was expecting this. ND AP is reporting that Governor John Hoeven will run for the Dorgan seat in the U.S. Senate. [Reported by the most reliable radio talker in the state; not yet available on the Forum website.]

Surprise, surprise....
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And may I say that the rollout of this announcement, complete with weeks/months of coyness, slow local newsday, staged leakage, primetime newshour scheduled announcement, pretty much perfect.
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So far, he's winnin'.
So far, he has no opponent.
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And former #1 Governor Sarah Palin is signing with Fox as a contributor, sources say. The surprises just keep on rollin' along....
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What Digby Said

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Still waiting for the first leak on the Hoeven announcement....

Meanwhile, what Digby said.

It's all about entertaining The Villagers.

Quinn of Tarts must be so happy this morning.
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Prairie's Reading: Gail Collins prompts ND

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I agree with Gail Collins. North Dakota Democrats will find a strong candidate among local ranks. We're a sturdy lot in North Dakota...just step outside...into the breeze of a typical North Dakota winter's day, and whoever's still here...we'll nominate 'im.

Of course, on the Republican side, the build the inevitability of Who???????????ven campaign has begun.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's the tactic any savvy consultant would advise. Pre-empt the opposition if you can.

'course it does beg the question: if Who?????????????ven's so inevitable, why has he not yet announced his candidacy? If the polling numbers were such a reliable forecast [and we do take our forecasts of all varieties pretty seriously hereabouts], then why was Who?????????????ven too gutless to announce while he still believed his opponent would be Byron Dorgan?

Just asking.
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crossposted at firedoglake's The Seminal
h/t Marion in Savannah for the milemarker