Thoughts about the MN Independence Party

Four years ago Dr. Maureen Reed was the IP candidate for Lt. Governor on the Hutchinson ticket. Today she filed to run in the DFL primary against the DFL-endorsee Tarryl Clark in the 6^th District where US Representative Michelle Bachmann is also seeking third term.

It is too bad an individual cannot vote in multiple primaries as I would vote for her, actually I might write her in on my ballot when I vote in the IP Primaries. I realize that Bob Anderson is the endorsed candidate in District 6, I however believe that Dr. Reed has the best opportunity to defeat Bachmann.

There are several reasons for this, first, the DFL has run extremely poor campaigns in the 6^th District over the past four years. When your entire platform is "Beat Bachmann" that isn't going to win. Tarryl Clark has a more reasonable platform; however as a liberal leaning DFL member in a moderate to conservative district she isn't sitting in a position to pull the votes away from Bachmann, as evidence by Bob Anderson's shoe string campaign two years ago. To beat Bachmann you need to be a conservative leaning DFL or IP with the money to run a successful campaign, and it is the money that Bob doesn't have that stops his chances extremely cold.