Good Thursday morning.At earlier stages of his U.S. Senate candidacy, Mike Ciresi had indicated that his pledge to abide by the endorsement process was conditional.
He told me back then that while he planned to abide, and had a strategy to get the endorsement, if the calendar changed and he didn’t have time to execute his strategy, he would revisit the question of mounting a primary challenge.
So this week, when the DFL finalized the plan to move the precinct caucuses up to Feb. 5, I wondered whether Ciresi might be thinking about invoking the escape clause from his pledge (especially given the conventional wisdom that Al Franken is ahead in intraparty circles).
But no.
At my request, Ciresi’s helpful deputy spokester Mary Bradley checked with the candidate out at the Great Minnesota Get-Together (that’s the State Fair for you newcomers), and he reaffirmed his now abiding pledge to abide.
Smart move. The shifting of the caucus dates changes the whole equation.
It is, however, politics, and “it ain’t over till it’s over.”
Ciresi impressed me at a District Convention in - was it 2000? - when running for nomination as Senatorial candidate when he pointed out that Social Security was the only government program actually funded for 75 years! Too bad we live in a celebrity culture. Al Franken serves us better as an ankle-biter than a Senator. But why be embarrassed twice? I can see Ciresi’s point.
Contrasted to the five active articles under the heading “A Modest Scoop,” this article seems to be the shortest and perhaps the most modest.
It seems that the scoop part comes in taking a temperature shortly after the changing of the dates.
It doesn’t fall under the category of “Breaking News,” however, it could also fall under the category of “A Good Question” for the other candidate(s).
One important thing that this forum offers is that “short substantive” questions get asked, and that the U.S. Senate candidates seeking endorsement from their respective parties, provide “short substantive” answers.
So far….it seems as though [Eric] Black [Ink] and [Mike] Ciresi have done that.
The Democrats have a good chance of winning Sen. Norm Coleman’s senate seat but they won’t do it unless the win rural Minnesota. Al Frankin’s fun to listen to but his potty mouth and long stay out of state won’t carry well in the Land of Love and Lutefisk. Ciresi ice fishing experience should help him outside of the seven county area.