Science tells us for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This weekend, 8th district Rep. Chip Cravaack reminded us the same is frequently true in the world of campaign politics.
On the eve of the eagerly anticipated Minnesota Fishing Opener, Michele Bachmann clone Cravaack had politicos from around the state on pins and needles over a so-called "major announcement" to be made at 5:30 pm Saturday. Speculation ran the gamut from a big endorsement to a hasty withdrawal from the race due to the outing of a long-rumored inappropriate relationship ala Brodkorb/Koch. But there was no such excitement for the ten people who schlepped all the way to the resort on the southern tip of Lake Mille Lacs on a beautiful afternoon, nor for the dozens more at home glued to the internet.
Indeed, Cravaack's announcement that he will introduce legislation removing Lake Mille Lacs from the Coast Guard's navigable waters list was such a snoozer it's a wonder that Cravaack himself didn't doze off in the middle of the press conference. Chip's decidedly underwhelming 'major announcement' on the all-important opening of fishing puzzled many and caused one political veteran to muse "his media team must be on acid."
Or perhaps they're just desperate.
The evidence shows that the catalyst for this lame press conference was an invitation issued to Cravaack on Friday from his Democratic-Farmer-Labor endorsed challenger, former Congressman Rick Nolan of Crosby:
It occurred to me that since Chip is not from Minnesota originally, and has since moved his family to New Hampshire, he might not be aware that tomorrow is the fishing opener. He also might not be aware how important fishing is to us up here. So if there is any chance he is actually in the district this weekend, I would be delighted to take him out fishing with my family and let him get a true Minnesota-experience on the lake... If for any reason, Chip is out of town this weekend, I’d like to extend an open-invitation to join me for a future fishing venture at any time.
Think about it a minute.
First, no one in their right mind calls a press conference on the fishing opener in Minnesota, especially when it is also Mother's Day weekend. Second, Cravaack issued the media advisory only hours after Nolan's invitation was released to the media and reported on Minnesota Public Radio and here on Daily Kos, giving less than his customary 24 hours notice of a press conference. Third, announcing that one intends to introduce a specific piece of legislation is so painfully mundane that even Cravaack didn't think it qualified as a "major announcement" until sometime Friday evening.
Nitti's Hunters Point Resort confirmed Saturday that Cravaack's staff did not contact them about the press conference until Friday night.
Gotcha Chip.
Cravaack's team obviously felt that Nolan, a northern Minnesota native and avid outdoorsman, scored a direct hit when he pegged Cravaack as an out of touch packsacker, and the "major announcement" at a lake resort on the fishing opener was clearly a red herring tossed to voters in a panicked reaction to Nolan's observation that Tea Party Chip might not even be in northeastern Minnesota for one of its most time honored and cherished traditions.
What an insult to the voters of the 8th district that Chip Cravaack doesn't think they are intelligent enough to see through such a self-serving act of deception.
For shame.