Meet the Next Michele Bachmann

[babylonsister]

Meet the Next Michele Bachmann
Her congressional seat will be filled by a wannabe Grover Norquist or a Bachmann 2.0. Which will the conservative Minnesota district choose?

—By Patrick Caldwell
| Mon Feb. 3, 2014 3:00 AM GMT



Tom Emmer Jeff Wheeler/ZUMA


Liberals rejoiced when Michele Bachmann announced her intention to retire from Congress at the end of 2014. Bachmann will no longer be around to carry the tea party banner in Congress. But she's almost guaranteed to be replaced by another far-right conservative. Minnesota's 6th District skews heavily Republican—voting 56 percent for Romney in 2012. Whichever GOPer emerges from the primary should easily waltz to a general election win in November. And that successor could either be a Bachmann clone or Minnesota's own version of Grover Norquist.

The race is between two candidates from diverging wings of the Republican Party: There's Tom Emmer, the social conservative who hews closely to Bachmann, and Phil Krinkie, a small-business owner whose mission in life is to block tax increases. A key vote for the nomination comes this week. Minnesota's primary isn't until August, but candidates are traditionally handpicked at summer conventions by the state party, while the primary is a mere formality. Local precincts will hold caucuses on Tuesday to elect delegates to the state convention, determining which candidate has the edge.

Emmer, a failed gubernatorial candidate from 2010, closely replicated the Bachmann model. For his first major bill after he entered the Minnesota House in 2005, Emmer proposed that the state medically castrate sex offenders. That was just the beginning of a career defined by extreme views. He's unsure when quizzed about evolution. He favors harsh immigration laws—Arizona's punitive 2010 law was a "wonderful first step." He thinks a minimum wage for restaurant staff is a silly concept: "With the tips that they get to take home, they are some people earning over $100,000 a year," Emmer said during his 2010 campaign.

snip//

His main opponent might present an appealing alternative for a state Republican Party trying to repair its image after major losses in 2012. Phil Krinkie, a fellow former House member, is equally conservative but emphasizes a different agenda. Where Emmer is the descendant of Jerry Falwell, Krinkie takes his cues from Grover Norquist—with his obstinate opposition to tax increases. (A third candidate, Anoka County Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah, has struggled to raise money and lacks Krinkie and Emmer's statewide recognition.)

"Krinkie is from the first wave of the rote right-wing Republicans, the first wave of people who voted the party line no matter what. And Emmer is just pre-tea-party," says Sarah Janecek, a lobbyist and Republican activist. "There really isn't much difference between Krinkie and Emmer on the issues. This is more about personality, reputation, past history."

more...

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/02/michele-bachmann-congress-emmer-krinkie-primary

[Scootaloo]

1. Any democrats running at the seat?

[dflprincess]

2. This is the guy Dayton beat in the gubenatorial race 4 years ago

though we needed a recount in that race.

Interesting year, the 'Pukes took over the state House & Senate but the DFL won all 4 of the Executive branch offices. For two years Gov. Dayton was all that kept us from going the way of Wisconsin. Fortunately, Minnesotans had the good sense to turn the House & Senate over to the DFL in 2012. The state Senate is not up for reelection in 2014 and, hopefully, we'll hold the House and the Governor's seat.

[Blue Owl]

3. Batter Up

As in Bat-Shit...