Okay, its clear now that we're going to have to start playing offense to win back Congress. It is also clear that before we can do that, the first task is to shore up what we have. The 2006 Senate cycle is much more favorable to us than 2004. We will only have to defend one Southern seat, Florida's Bill Nelson, who won handily in his last race. Indeed, if one looks closely at the map, there might be only one battleground race this cycle for us to defend.
The Race: Minnesota.
The Challenger: Mark Kennedy (R-MN6).
Our Man In Minnesota: Mark Dayton.
For those who are unfamiliar with Dayton and his record, let me give you a few more than just good reasons why we should support him. First off, Dayton has worked tirelessly for real prescription drug reform and goes so far as to donate his entire salary to fund buses that go to Canada with Minnesota seniors to buy discount drugs. Say what you want about him, but the man puts his money where his mouth is. He's fought for lower emissions of mercury, tracking the outsourcing of jobs, and energy independence from the Middle East. He's pro-choice, pro-equal rights, and is a huge advocate for healthcare for ALL Americans. In short, he's a progressive who's worked his butt off for us. Now, I feel it's time for us to work our butts off for him.
I know that its much more fun to send money to fight against the Rick Santorums of the world. Trust me, there will be plenty of opportunities for such efforts once we've got our slate of candidates. I want Rick gone just as much as you do. But our first task should be to make sure that progressives like Mark have the tools they need to finish the job. Because, let's face it, we really don't want Norm Coleman V 2.0, do we?
Therefore, I urge you folks do donate whatever you can to Mark Dayton, because progressives don't leave progressives behind. We fight for them.
Beyond this race, if one looks at the rest of the races, it's filled with potential for us to look at knocking off more than a few Republican seats, as well as giving us a chance to test our new message in key battlegrounds like Ohio (Mike DeWine), Missouri (Jim Talent), Nevada (John Ensign), and most deliciously Pennsylvania (Rick Santorum).
But let's start with Minnesota first.
http://www.markdayton.org