Our perpetually petulant governor - Part MMCLVII

I admit I haven't been following closely this latest flap ginned up by Little Lord Fauntleroy Gov. Mark Dayton. Apparently he took issue with the Civil War paintings which had been hanging in the Governor's Reception Room at the MN State Capitol. Once renovations on the Capitol are complete early next year, Dayton suggested the art not be returned to its original spot unless accompanied by additional art work.

He stated his objections in a letter written to the Minnesota Historical Society.

While the paintings “portrayed one episode of Minnesota’s history and rightly honored the heroic sacrifices by thousands of Minnesotans,” he wrote that he believes the room should be filled with art that more completely depicts the state’s history.

“It should better represent the full complexion of our state and a more varied perspective on our history, geography and culture,” he said.

On Tuesday, there was a meeting of the Minnesota State Capitol Preservation Commission which Dayton attended. When it seemed clear that many on the Commission did not share the governor's perspective, this happened:

MN Gov Dayton angrily leaves meeting: He wants to remove Civil War paintings from his office, but many oppose. pic.twitter.com/FIuwIgX0Dn

— Patrick Kessler (@PatKessler) November 29, 2016

Before storming out of the meeting, Dayton decided to lob a rhetorical bomb at Rep. Matt Dean (R-Dellwood), a member of the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board who expressed a strong desire to keep the paintings in place.

Early in the Minnesota State Capitol Preservation Commission meeting, Dayton said that Dean, by previously sending an email to the members of the panel, attempted “to hijack the operation of this commission for your own political purposes, for your governor campaign in 2018.”

If that indeed was Dean's ulterior motive (highly unlikely), can ya blame him? He doesn't have a wealthy ex-wife to fund his gubernatorial campaign, so it would behoove him to get a little creative.

But I digress.

To be honest, I don't necessarily disagree with Dayton's stance. There is definitely a lot to Minnesota's rich history, so perhaps there is relevant art work which could be used to supplement the Civil War paintings. But the governor's downright petulance when things don't go his way is an utter embarrassment.

In what will be the final two years of his tenure as governor of Minnesota, Dayton is not going to get a lot of what he wants since the Republicans have a majority in both chambers of the Minnesota Legislature. If abruptly leaving meetings out of spite is now his modus operandi, he's certainly going to give that surgically repaired hip of his a heck of a workout.

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Go where the narrative leads

Sadly, it's become commonplace in this country to politicize high profile violent crimes while the critically wounded victims are en route to the hospital or the fatally wounded are not even in rigor mortis.

Like many, I was horrified when I first heard the news Monday morning of an "active shooter" on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus. As is usually the case in chaotic crime scenes, basic facts are not even 100% verifiable until said scenes have been contained. Ah, but that doesn't stop lefties and media (pardon the redundancy) from conjecture and subsequent demagoguery. 

Some time ago, Ricochet.com editor-in-chief Jon Gabriel constructed a handy media narrative chart which gives us an indication which direction a story will lead. 

Because it was reported early on that the "active shooter" was non-white, that would lead to the obligatory "gun control" demagoguery. 

Sure enough: 

How @voxdotcom covers an attack by an apparent refugee who didn't even have a gun: "America's gun problem..." https://t.co/OVxBxQKP7N pic.twitter.com/cLVqJ3moxH

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) November 28, 2016

US Senator & former VP candidate spreads fake news. Media quiet pic.twitter.com/E5Z2FoU2eB

— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) November 28, 2016

 Not to be outdone, Yahoo! news posted a piece with the headline "Ohio State Gun laws Are Some Of The Most Relaxed In The Nation."

As we know by now, a gun was not used by the attacker.

A Somali-born student at Ohio State University injured 11 people, one of them critically, on Monday when he attacked a crowd of pedestrians on campus in an incident one lawmaker said "bears all the hallmarks of a terror attack."

Authorities said Abdul Razak Ali Artan, 18, plowed a small gray Honda into the crowd outside Watts Hall, an engineering classroom building, just before 10 a.m. ET. Artan then got out of the vehicle and attacked people with a butcher knife before he was shot and killed by a campus police officer.

The officer, identified as Alan Horujko, 28, happened to be in the area because of a reported gas leak. Ohio State University Police Chief Craig Stone said Horujko arrived on the scene and shot Artan in under a minute. OSU Department of Public Safety Director Monica Moll said Horujko had done a "fabulous job."

In a statement, the university said that five of the victims had been struck by the car, five others had suffered lacerations or stab wounds and another person had orthopedic injuries. At least five of the victims were affiliated with Ohio State, either as faculty, students or staff.

So if the media is as predictable as Mr. Gabriel indicates via his "Media Narrative Chart for reporting violent crime," an attack by a self-identified Muslim on non-Muslims means it was a "Reaction to Islamophobia."

Via the International Business Times - Abdul Razak Ali Artan Was A 'Scared' Muslim: Before Ohio State Attack, Student Shared His Faith And Fears About Islamophobia

Q.E.D.

At the end of the day, the methodology utilized in jihadist killings is irrelevant. Whether it's homemade explosives, knives, vehicles or guns, the focus absolutely needs to be more on the motives of the perpetrators as opposed to the weapon of choice. But as long as we have an agenda driven media combined with the deep pockets of an anti-gun plutocrat, that basic fact will continue to be overshadowed.

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There must be some kind of way outta here.....

No Vikings today, so you can tune in to The Closer *live* at 2:00 PM Central Time.

There are no guests scheduled, so I'll devote time to the news of Fidel Castro's death, as well as the rose-colored glasses through which some view his legacy.

I will also weigh in on the latest in President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks and how he continually punctures media narratives.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics I plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio. If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast if you so desire. Check it out here.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Hoist by one's own petard

Over the past couple of weeks or so, Politico (among other leftist media outlets and pundits) weighed in on President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks with an all-too-familiar narrative.

Politico's headline:

White men dominate Trump’s early staff selections
The all-white, all-male lineup comes amid a major initial test of Trump’s pledge to be a president for 'all Americans.'


But just over the past week, Trump has selected Nikki Haley as U.N. Ambassador, Ben Carson as H.U.D. Secretary and Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary.

So within a mere seven days, the leftist media (pardon the redundancy) narrative pretty much resembled this:

I wouldn't put it past some of these outlets or talking heads to proclaim that their strenuous objections actually shamed Trump into making his most recent selections. After their 2016 election coverage, the reputations of the mainstream media and lefty pundit class may well be irreparably damaged, so they really have nothing to lose at this point. Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of folks, eh?

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Quick Hits: Volume CXXXIX (Thanksgiving edition)

- You know it must be getting close to Thanksgiving when elitist news/opinion sites start publishing those vapid "How to deal with your (obligatory conservative relative) on Thanksgiving."

This year it was Esquire who drew the short straw, specifically on how to handle your "Trump-supporting drunk uncle" this Turkey Day.

Last year it was the HuffPo and its guide to talking Syrian refugees.

Two years ago the L.A. Times stereotyped the conservative uncle.

Three years ago the Democrat National Committee itself encouraged its supporters to become insufferable douches by lecturing misguided conservative relatives on how wrong they were on climate change, immigration, Obamacare, etc.

Given that we are hosting Thanksgiving at our house, the fetching Mrs. Carlson and I will ensure that any attempts at such rhetoric will be met with a challenge for the pontificating progs to practice what they preach. That is, whatever heaping pile of food he/she has placed upon his/her plate will have to be redistributed equally among the 20+ other guests.


- Another Thanksgiving tradition is NFL games! With that in mind, it was four years ago today when perhaps the most bizarre play occurred in the history of Turkey Day NFL games.

Three words: The Butt Fumble.



 - I know many consider the Thanksgiving episode of WKRP in Cincinnati the gold standard when it comes to sitcoms commemorating the holidays. It has arguably the most memorable one-liner in the genre.




But since Cheers is, in my humble (but accurate) opinion, the finest sitcom in television history, it would stand to reason its 1986 Thanksgiving episode (specifically the epic food fight near the end) is also top notch. As such, a new tradition in my household (thanks to NetFlix) is to indulge in said episode before our Turkey Day meal.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving, all!

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They still don't get it.

You did! @cjwerleman Here are the results. pic.twitter.com/FABOIE6uLb

— Beef Supreme (@Supreme____Beef) November 21, 2016

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Happy Monday

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Just leaving this here

Scott Hanson, host of NFL Red Zone on NFL Network, with perhaps the best one-liner regarding San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick:

Scott Hanson throwing SHOTS at Kaepernick https://t.co/2XOD8VB2Ze

— Barstool Sports (@barstooltweetss) November 20, 2016

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315 channels of nothin' but bad news on........

Welp....winter is here. With that in mind, it would seem to be a good day to stay inside indulging in this week's edition of The Closer. The one-hour blitz starts at 2:00 PM Central Time.

I'll discuss charges being brought against the St. Anthony police officer who shot and killed Philando Castile this past July.

At 2:30 political wonk Matt Mackowiak will check in to discuss how Donald Trump pulled off his stunning election victory as well as analyze the the selections Trump has made for his cabinet.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics I plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio. If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast if you so desire. Check it out here.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Officer in Philando Castile shooting to be charged

A Twin Cities incident which made literal worldwide headlines is moving to the next phase.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said he has determined that the use of deadly force in the shooting of Philando Castile last July was not justified.

“Unreasonable fear can not justify the use of deadly force,” Choi said during a press conference Wednesday.

He is bringing second degree manslaughter and dangerous discharge of a firearm charges against St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez.

The case of the 32-year-old man black man who was shot to death on July 6 in Falcon Heights by a St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez has been in the hands of the county attorney’s office for review since the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension turned over its investigation findings to the prosecutors at the end of September.

At the time, Choi said, “Our office will work as efficiently as possible, while ensuring we conduct a diligent and thorough prosecution review.”

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said he has determined that the use of deadly force in the shooting of Philando Castile last July was not justified.

Just a few quick thoughts:

- For charges to be brought means there were some serious irregularities discovered in Officer Yanez's behavior. Law enforcement typically has a high liability threshold, so it's obvious that Yanez, in the opinion of investigators, grossly violated standard procedures.

- I'm wary of falling into the trap of making a knee-jerk assumption that this incident was merely the result of an officer's blatant racism. That said, I find it difficult (not impossible, but difficult) to comprehend that had it been a white man pulled over and he emphasized he had a permit to carry the firearm on his person, he would not have been shot dead.

- The politicization of these high profile police incidents has never made sense to me. If Yanez was indeed negligent, it doesn't mean criticisms levied towards him is a universal rebuke of law enforcement. Also, charges being brought against Yanez does not necessarily mean there was a miscarriage of justice in other high profile shooting deaths of black men. 

- Before the Castile shooting, there had been a well documented testimonial from a local man regarding a disturbing interaction with St. Anthony police in 2013. His warnings about the SAPD officers' behavior needing to be more closely scrutinized went unheeded. If the Castile incident doesn't drive home the point that there may be training issues, I don't know what it will take.



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Quick Hits: Volume CXXXVIII

- The Blair Walsh project has come to an end.

The Vikings this morning waived the embattled kicker after he missed three kicks and failed to execute a key kickoff the past two weeks. The team has not yet announced a responding roster move, but USA Today reports his replacement will be former Redskins kicker Kai Forbath.

Forbath was one of six kickers to work out for the Vikings last Tuesday.

Walsh in 2012 was named a first-team All-Pro as a rookie and had another strong season in 2013. After a down year in 2014, the Vikings gave him a four-year, $14 million contract extension, and he seemed to be getting his career back on track before he missed a would-be game-winner from 27 yards in the 10-9 playoff loss to the Seahawks this past January.

Walsh was a physically gifted kicker but quite obviously had occasional mental lapses. Despite hitting two field goals of 40+ yards in brutally cold conditions in the aforementioned playoff loss to the Seahawks, Walsh tightened up when it counted most. And while he never directly cost the Vikings a game this season, he just never seemed to find his mojo after that awful 27-yard shank in January.

I personally hope Walsh lands with another team and is able to resume a productive career. I know I'll be rooting for him.


- The collective temper tantrum multiple anti-Trump protests are seemingly dying down in the aftermath of Donald Trump being elected President.

One thing that some noticed about the protestors was many of them donned safety pins (cue the obligatory "to hold up their diapers?" joke). The reason being is the anti-Trump crowd is showing their solidarity with certain groups (i.e. Muslims, black people, Hispanics, etc.) they believe will be marginalized by a Trump presidency.

With that in mind, what symbol should people be donning to stand in solidarity with the small business owners whose places of business have been vandalized and ransacked by these protestors?


- We're only a week removed from the most recent Election Day but some local campaigns are already ramping up for the next one.

Community activist Nekima Levy-Pounds will run for mayor of Minneapolis, she announced on social media Monday.

Levy-Pounds, the former president of the NAACP in Minneapolis, announced via her Facebook and Twitter pages Monday her intent to run for mayor during the next election cycle.

“Friends, You heard it here first,” Levy-Pounds wrote. “I am running for Mayor of Minneapolis.”

Levy-Pounds has been a key figure in the city’s Black Lives Matter movement and an outspoken critic of police shootings such as the ones that killed Jamar Clark and Philando Castile.

I don't believe Ms. Levy-Pounds has ever sought political office, but she nevertheless has down the political grandstanding.

She will make an official announcement at a news conference at noon Tuesday across from the 4th Precinct police station. Tuesday marks one year since Clark’s death.

Since I have yet to hear anything to the contrary, I'm going to assume that current mayor Betsy Hodges will seek reelection in 2017. Between Hodges and Levy-Pounds, expect to see more proverbial bus tire tracks on the backs of Minneapolis police officers.

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Spot on

Aside from the part about writing in John Kasich for President, Ernie Johnson perfectly encapsulated everything I believed and felt about this presidential election cycle.







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Never turn away when the challenge is alive.....

It's post-election weekend, so a lot to go over on this afternoon's edition of The Closer. The broadcast kicks off at 2:00 Central Time.

No guests scheduled, so we'll spend much of the hour on how Donald Trump pulled off this epic win as well as how the leftist kooks continue to detach from reality. On a  local level, we'll look into the MNGOP gaining control of both chambers of the Minnesota Legislature.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics I plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio. If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast if you so desire. Check it out here.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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They're not taking it well

I remember Election Night 2012. My Northern Alliance Radio Network colleague Mitch Berg and I were broadcasting live from a MNGOP event that evening where we analyzed the election results. Going in to that Tuesday, I anticipated that our national government would maintain the status quo, in that Barack Obama would be reelected President and Congress would remain split (Dem majority in the U.S. Senate; GOP majority in the U.S. House). So when that became official, I was still disappointed but I had mentally prepared myself for that scenario.

What I was unprepared for in 2012 was the GOP losing majorities in both the MN House and Senate, as well as both ballot measures (Defining marriage as between a man & woman and Voter ID) being shot down. To add insult to injury, my home city of Ramsey elected a granola cruncher lefty mayor and an all leftist city council. I was devastated. I was in a catatonic state the entire 45-minute drive home. Thankfully I had already taken the next day off work since I knew I'd be up late. The next morning was appropriately damp and gloomy.

With that in mind, I decided to look back in my Facebook archives to recall what I had conveyed after what had been a calamitous night for my preferred political party.

I don't share this to give off a vibe of my being more magnanimous than leftists when my candidates lose. Quite the opposite in fact. I share this because I want people to know I can relate. I have leftist relatives/friends/acquaintances who are still enduring emotional pain. And I get it. I really do. I know how depressing it is when your preferred candidate comes up short despite working so hard on their behalf. So it never occurred to me to gloat when the GOP dominated the 2016 election. So if you too know people in that same situation, telling them to "get over it" is not helpful. Give them time and space.

But as far as those folks who are spewing incoherent statements, sucking their proverbial thumbs, disrupting the lives of innocent people (at the encouragement of a sitting mayor), vandalizing property and suggesting people have to die in violent acts all because they didn't like the outcome of the 2016 presidential election? Yeah, those people can go suck a brick.

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The obligatory "Holy crap, was I wrong" post

To recap my Election Day predictions from Tuesday:

MN Senate: I felt the MN GOP would fall just short of regaining a majority. And with Minority Leader David Hann losing and Dave Thompson's former seat in SD58 flipping DFL, it appeared as though I would (unfortunately) be right. Amazingly, the GOP flipped 8 DFL seats (including CD3 candidate Terri Bonoff's in SD44) to attain a 34-33 majority!!!! Since Republican Paul Anderson won SD44 by a mere 200 votes, that looks to go to a recount. But, for now, I'm glad to have been wrong!

MN House: I had an inkling that the GOP would keep a majority (they had a 73-61 edge going into Tuesday) but it would be close. Not only did MN Republicans retain the House but they increased their membership to 76 representatives. With House District 32B going to a special election in early 2017, the GOP will be up to 77 reps once our friend Anne Neu emerges victorious!

MN Congressional Delegation: As I predicted, Democrat incumbents won reelection in Congressional Districts One (albeit by 0.76%), Four, Five and Seven. I also correctly called GOP incumbents holding CDs Three and Six.

That means I missed CDs Two (Republican Jason Lewis defeated Dem Angie Craig in an open seat) and Eight (Incumbent Dem Rick Nolan once again withstood a serious challenge from Stewart Mills, this time winning by a minuscule 0.56%).

US House: As predicted, Republicans kept a healthy majority.

US Senate: The GOP had a 54-46 majority. I called three Dem pickups, leaving the Republicans with a 51-49 lead. Turns out the Dems got only two: Illinois (which I predicted) and New Hampshire (I thought incumbent Kelly Ayotte would win). I didn't believe Republicans Ron Johnson (WI) and Pat Toomey (PA) would be reelected. I'm thrilled to have been wrong there.

The final tally is 52-48, GOP.

President of the United States: I have doubted Donald Trump since the millisecond he entered the race in the summer of 2015.

Many of my sentiments included the following:

• No way Trump lasts past Christmas.
• No way he survives after his constant diarrhea of the mouth. 
• He won't have a majority of delegates going into the Republican National Convention in July. 
• He'll lose a contested convention. 
• OK, Trump's the GOP nominee but his inability to appeal to a more diverse electorate will sink him in the general. 
• Trump's not only going to get thumped by Hillary Clinton but he may well cost the GOP the Senate majority, possibly the House. His candidacy could be an Extinction Level Event for the Republicans. 

Yep. I was wrong. Not only did Trump win "bigly" on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning but his victory seemed to be a boost to Senators Johnson, Toomey and Richard Burr (NC). He also won typically blue states Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and may well have prevailed in Michigan.

Despite all that has been thrown at Trump over the past 16 months, he has weathered every proverbial storm. I can't say I'm all that enthused at the prospects of a Trump presidency, but for one to doubt him succeeding is to do so at one's own peril.

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No words.

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Tune in to our Election Night broadcast

Starting at 8:00 PM Central Time, my Northern Alliance Radio Network colleague Mitch Berg and myself will be on the air poring over the results of the 2016 election cycle! We will be live from MNGOP headquarters at the Radisson Blu Mall of America, which means we will likely be able to chat with a number of prominent GOP candidates.

As is custom with NARN election night coverage, it's also plausible we will be breaking some news during the live broadcast. In 2010, Mitch was the first media member to announce that the Republicans gained control of the MN Senate for the the first time since 1972. Then in 2014, just minutes before we signed off the air, Mitch had the scoop that the GOP regained a majority in the MN House. But perhaps the signature moment in our election night coverage occurred in 2012 when I was one of the first broadcasters (I believe) in the country to call the state of Florida for President Barack Obama (not news I was excited to deliver, but still....).


You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio. 

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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2016 Election prediction

Based on little more than gut instinct and aggregate polling data, here are my predictions for Election Day 2016.

MN Senate: The DFL currently holds a 39-28 edge in the upper chamber. I can think of a handful of  DFL-held seats (particularly SD1, SD2, SD 17, SD24, SD37, SD44, SD53 and SD57) off the top of my head which have a fighting chance to flip GOP. The Republicans need a net gain of 6 seats to attain a majority, so they have a small margin for error when it comes to losing any GOP-held seats.

I believe the Republicans will close the gap on the DFL majority but will fall just short of actually overtaking the Dems. But I'm ripe for a surprise.

MN House: The Republicans currently have a 73-61 majority. I'm afraid the GOP will suffer a net loss, but it has to be less than 6 in order to remain in charge. I believe the Republicans will hold the House, albeit barely.

MN Congressional District 1: Incumbent Tim Walz is once again receiving a challenge from Republican Jim Hagedorn. This is pretty much a swing district in presidential election years. However, since Walz was first elected in 2006, he has never won by less than five points. One thing which placates conservative voters in this district is that Walz receives favorable marks from pro second amendment groups. However, my friend and NARN colleague Mitch Berg has reported that Walz has been in meetings with the Bloomberg affiliated anti-gun crowd.

Hagedorn lost this race by more than 8 points in 2014, which was a strong GOP year. Can he somehow overtake that deficit in two short years? I tend to think not, but the fact he's throwing his proverbial hat back in the ring is a step in the right direction. Walz by about 7-10.

MN Congressional District 2: Yet another swing district which Barack Obama won in both 2008 and 2012. With longtime incumbent Republican John Kline not running this year, it is an open seat battle between DFL candidate (and former HR gal) Angie Craig against former right-wing radio host Jason Lewis.

The Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee targeted this district the millisecond Kline announced he was retiring. Once Lewis became the official GOP nominee, the DCCC dug up a treasure trove of bombastic comments Lewis had made during nearly three-decade long career as a radio host. Without any context or nuance, the clips were made to sound as though Lewis was pro-slavery and anti-women. Given that campaign ads are typically 30 seconds and debates between candidates aren't all that highly publicized, Lewis didn't have ample opportunity to provide context. As such, this seat will flip to the Dems with Craig winning by about 5.

MN Congressional District 3: DFLer Terri Bonoff left her MN state senate seat in SD44 to take on incumbent Erik Paulsen in this race. The good news? Paulsen will win by double digits. Even more good news? SD44 now has a legitimate chance to flip Republican with Bonoff out of the picture.

MN Congressional District 4: The shrill and unaccomplished Betty McCollum will (unfortunately) defeat GOP challenger Greg Ryan handily.

MN Congressional District 5: With zero precincts reporting, incumbent Keith Ellison is the projected winner over Republican Frank Drake.

MN Congressional District 6: GOP representative Tom Emmer easily reelected by 20-25 points.

MN Congressional District 7: Despite representing a solidly red district, incumbent Democrat Collin Peterson will win reelection in a walk.

MN Congressional District 8: Incumbent Rick Nolan barely defeated GOP challenger Stewart Mills in 2014 (final margin was 1.4%). With more name recognition and the fact CD8 is one district where a Donald Trump presidential candidacy is a net positive, Mills will take the sting out of the GOP losing CD2 by prevailing in this CD8 rematch!

US House: The Republicans have the largest majority they've had since the Great Depression. The Democrats would have to flip THIRTY seats to take over the House. Not happenin'. While I believe the Dems will pick up some seats, no way will it approach 30.

US Senate: The Republicans currently hold a 54-46 majority. With 24 of the 34 seats up for election in 2016 being GOP-held seats (plus being a presidential election year), it's inevitable the GOP majority will shrink if not flip to the Democrats.

Incumbent Republican Mark Kirk out of Illinois is going to lose by double digits. Despite being within the margin of error, GOP Senators Ron Johnson (Wisconsin) and Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania) will likely fall short.

That would put the GOP majority down to 51-49.

From there, you have awfully tight races in Republican held seats in Missouri, Indiana, North Carolina and New Hampshire. If the Republicans lose just two of those, the Dems have a majority. While it would absolutely make my election night if Harry Reid's Senate seat flipped to the Republicans, it appears the Latino voter turnout is reaching record numbers, which would spell doom for the GOP. As such, Republican Senate candidate Joe Heck will likely lose a close battle with Catherine Cortez Masto.

In the end, I predict the Dems will flip Illinois, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, which will leave the GOP with a razor thin 51-49 majority in the U.S. Senate.



President of the United States: Four weeks ago, I would have bet my house that Hillary Clinton would be elected President and that the GOP would lose the Senate. Now? Well, I still believe Hillary will emerge victorious tonight.......but I wouldn't bet my house on it.

My official electoral map:

Click the map to create your own at 270toWin.com

Trump still has a fighting chance in New Hampshire, North Carolina, Florida and Nevada. If he can win those states (in addition to the ones I've predicted he'll take), the electoral vote tally would then be 270-268, Trump. So he does have a realistic path to victory, but it's awfully narrow.

As always, happy voting!

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Countin' 'em down

On my radio program Sunday, I noted there will be one indisputably positive outcome after Tuesday's election day (other than the ceasing of constant political ads of course). That is the leader of the Senate Democrats, Harry Reid, will not be reelected. Yes, the most despicable demagogue in Washington D.C. over the past decade-plus (and that's saying something) announced last year he will not seek reelection in 2016.

As such, I took the final few segments of my show Sunday to list, in my view, the Top 10 most despicable and hack-tastic moments of Harry Reid's tenure as leader of the Senate Democrats (he was minority leader 2005-2007 as well as 2015-present; majority leader 2007-2015).

Here they are:

10.) Reid looks down his nose (literally) at Americans who tour Capitol Hill.

 9.) Hypocritical Harry believed the potential for the GOP Senate majority using the "nuclear option" in 2005 was a borderline abomination; He did a complete 180 on the issue in 2013.

 8.) One of his many instances of "McCarthyism," Reid accuses Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder of bribery.

 7.) For those American citizens who have endured issues with the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare)? Reid believes you are lying ( Gail Dunker was not available for comment ).

 6.) Mangled the context of radio host Rush Limbaugh's comments regarding individuals lying about their military service then took credit for Limbaugh using the controversy to raise money for charity.

 5.) When GOP Senator Arlen Specter agreed in 2009 to change his party affiliation from a Republican to a Democrat, Majority Leader Reid promised him he would retain his seniority when it came to committee assignments. Reid reneged.

 4.) From the millisecond Reid took over as majority leader in 2007, he declared the Iraq war as "lost." Upon President Bush changing course and thus ordering a "surge" of troops into the most unstable regions, Reid dubbed such an operation a failure before the full complement of troops were on the ground.

 3.) Reid the racist. It was revealed in the 2010 book Game Change that Reid talked about then 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama as being electable since he's "light-skinned" and has "no negro dialect." Then at a 2014 meeting with Asian Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas, Reid indicated he had trouble keeping his "Wongs straight."

 2.) Reid has a serious "Koch problem."



AAAAAAAND NUMBER ONE........


**drum roll**



 1.) In perhaps the most egregious example of Reid's McCarthy-istic tendencies, he accused then GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney of not having paid taxes for 10 years. A couple of years later, Reid seemed to be proud of his having possibly played a role in hurting Romney's electoral chances.


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There's some bad wheels in motion tryin' to run us down....

With an extra hour of sleep, I anticipate y'all will be fully refreshed when listening to the Northern Alliance Radio Network today. My radio program The Closer gets started at 2:00 PM Central Time.

No guests today, so there will be plenty of talk regarding the latest in the 2016 campaign given that Election Day is a mere two days away. If nothing else, Republicans can at least rejoice that Harry Reid will no longer be around. With that in mind, I will look back at the career of perhaps the most despicable hack Washington D.C. has had the dishonor of having around over the past decade (and that's saying something).


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics I plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio. If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast if you so desire. Check it out here.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Sums it up

Who can't relate, especially this election year?



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CUBS WIN!! CUBS WIN!! CUBS WIN!!

Re-live the final out!!!




via GIPHY


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Getting a read on the Senate

Long before Hillary Clinton made the word "deplorable" so en vogue, it was term I often assigned to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). In fact, I would not be the least bit surprised if upon looking up that word in the dictionary there would be a picture of Reid.....in HD!

Thankfully, Reid is not seeking reelection this year, meaning one of the most hack-tastic political careers will come to a merciful end.

Since I've long conceded that a Republican will not win this year's presidential election.....

Whoa, Whoa! Trump can still win. 

Ahem. Like I said, since a Republican will not win the 2016 presidential election, it is imperative that the GOP hang onto to both chambers of Congress, especially the U.S. Senate.

As of today, the Republicans hold a 54-46 majority in the upper chamber. However, it's pretty much a forgone conclusion that they will lose Illinois (Sen. Mark Kirk is the proverbial dead man walking). Also, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has been behind by a substantial margin for some time, so the Badger state looks to be returning that fossil Russ Feingold to Washington. That would put the GOP majority at 52-48. With Republicans hanging on for dear life in New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Missouri, there is little margin for error. If Republicans lose just two of those seats, it's all of a sudden a 50-50 Senate with a VP Tim Kaine breaking any potential vote deadlocks.

With that in mind, the GOP would have to flip a Democrat held seat in order to better their chances of maintaining a majority. What makes that tricky is of the 34 Senate seats up for election, only 10 are currently controlled by Democrats. Of those ten seats, eight are considered "safe" for Dems. Of the two not deemed "safe," one is Colorado, where incumbent Michael Bennet has recently opened up a double digit lead. The other state without a "safe" label? You guessed it. Reid's state of Nevada. As of this week, Republican candidate Joe Heck holds a slim lead over Democrat challenger Catherine Cortez Masto.

If the Republicans hold the Senate by virtue of flipping Reid's seat, it would absolutely make my election night. To me, it would be the most fitting way to end the career of this, as Dennis Miller once called him, vague, translucent, living shade.

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Game 7 of the World Series

As a sports junkie, I believe there's nary a more magical phrase.

The Cleveland Indians have not won it all in 68 years. The Chicago Cubs' championship drought is 108 years. It stands to reason that both fan bases will have to wait another 24 hours.

Let's get it on!

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