Chris Matthews Interview with Tarryl Clark

... also....

Politics in Minnesota:

Tarryl Clark raised $30,000 over the weekend from 800 donors in order to air a commercial attacking incumbent U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann over her comments about BP and the Gulf Coast oil spill, according to the Democratic challenger’s campaign.

From the Comments:

Lady:

Lady
It is refreshing to see a candidate from CD6 that is dealing with reality. No wild "deer in headlights" look. No "my levels are out of wack" responses. No screaming conspiracy answers. Just calm, thoughtful statements of what type of representative she intends to be for the district.

Anna:

I'm in the district with ear to ground level. Anderson and Immelmann (especially Immelman, who ran as a Republican last time in the primary) will take some independent/swing votes but not as many as you think. Bachmann will lose more base voters to the two independents than Clark (moderate Republicans have had enough of Bachmann -- she's too far right-whacko for the district at this point. Yes, we are a district of Republicans but that doesn't mean they are all Libertarian Ron Paul followers/Palin lovers and Tea partiers like Bachmann). I'm guessing that with Emmer topping the ticket (also extreme right) there will also be many Republican voters who simply stay home this year. Heck, I'd stay home if I were a moderate Republican. The choices are scary and pathetic.

If Bachmann wins this will be her closest race yet. Clark is the best candidate the Dems have put up against her to date, and thanks to Bachmann's gaffes and national exposure the past couple years Tarryl Clark is raising money from a national base, something Tinklenberg didn't do much of until the last two weeks of the campaign in 2008 (just after Bachmann channeled McCarthy witch hunting on Hardball).

This will be a horse race. Emmer is polling behind all the DFL candidates at this point (Horner is taking a huge chunk out of him). MN Republicans have a big hill to climb this year. How do you convince voters that defending BP is the right thing? That's a Mount Everest for Bachmann.

Another thing that Clark is doing VERY effectively. Bachmann is running against Obama, and wants this election to be a referendum on Obama. Tarryl keeps bringing it back to what the race really should be about -- a performance review for Bachmann. Is she doing anything for her constituents? (NO) Clark is winning at defining what the race is about, the real issue of what a Congressional rep does and should be doing -- the people's work. This BP gaffe really put it in Clark's corner. The race is now about Michele Bachmann, not Obama. That's a huge win for Clark. HUGE. The dialogue will now focus on exactly what Bachmann was trying to distract the voters from thinking about -- her poor performance and useless ranting that did nothing to get jobs in the district.

Tarryl knows what the job of a representative is (working on policy, not ranting on FOX TV), and she does it (great record in state senate). We need more like her in Congress.