Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Quick Hits: Volume CCCLXXXIII

- The long awaited Minnesota political announcement has finally occurred

Tim Walz launched a third bid for the governor’s office on Tuesday, putting an end to months of speculation about whether he would seek another four years in the job.

Walz enters the race with more than $1 million in the bank and the power of the incumbency. But the two-term Democrat is also facing headwinds after his support has eroded in greater Minnesota.

Before he was first elected governor in 2018, Walz served six terms in Congress representing southern Minnesota.

If he prevails, Walz would become the first person in Minnesota history to win three four-year terms as governor.


What's fascinating (if not downright stupefying) is that Walz is still above 50% in approval rating, yet the majority of the same people surveyed also believe he should not seek a third term. Obviously he's undeterred by the latter sentiment. 


While Walz is certainly ripe for defeat, the Republican Party of Minnesota is (SURPRISE!) still a gong show. Whomever emerges as the GOP candidate to oppose Walz has to know there won't be a competent party apparatus behind them. So now more than ever is it imperative that the Republican candidate with the best chance to win a general election is elevated as the nominee. Unfortunately, the most formidable general election candidate has rarely been given the nod over the past 20 years. 



- It never ends with this franchise. 


 



So if history is any indication, the Vikings, with a veteran quarterback on whom they took a flier, will gallop ingloriously to the NFC Championship Game (see: 1998 with Randall Cunningham replacing an injured Brad Johnson and the 2017 season with Case Keenum supplanting Sam Bradford)! 


OK, in all seriousness, that's not likely to happen. But it will be interesting how coach Kevin O'Connell navigates the situation if Wentz plays well and the Vikings go 2-1 or 3-0 over their next three games before the bye week. By that point, McCarthy will likely be ready to play. Do they delay his development yet one more season if the team is on an upward swing thanks in large part to Wentz? I'm glad I don't have to make that call.



- So this is the U.S. Attorney General in a Republican presidential administration. 





"Charlie" of course is in reference to the recently assassinated Charlie Kirk.....who would be in vehement disagreement with Bondi here.  

 




Bondi later doubled down.




This is reminiscent of the Biden administration looking to coerce social media companies into flagging posts containing "misinformation," which in this day and age is totally subjective. 


One silver lining: AG Bondi appeared to unify the left and right against her ridiculous (and flat out wrong) notions. 


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