It's Emmer for Governor in Minnesota

Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty is rated an A among governors nationally by the libertarian Cato. WSJ takes note, as does the blogosphere. The presidential stakes in 2012.

For his successor Dems are trying to push a John Kerry light in the person of Mark Dayton, once rated the worst U.S. Senator.

The Weekly Standard on the race:

Governor Pawlenty has consistently turned back DFL efforts to raise taxes in the state and initiated efforts to cut state spending drastically. While his personal popularity is mixed, the retiring governor has strengthened the significant constituency opposed to traditional DFL economic solutions outside the inner cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. This constituency includes not only Republicans, but many independents and some more conservative DFLers as well.

Tom Emmer is the Tea Party pick. With any luck he'll be Minnesota's in November.

Note to President Obama--Not in MY backyard!!!!

Taranto passes on a rant.

The president's efforts to "educate" the ignorant public have been unyielding. The Washington Post reports on the latest:

Obama was raised in a condominium apartment, and later he lived as an urban apartment dweller. Perhaps that helps explain his new favorite hangout: other people's back yards.

Read on and Enjoy. Another delicious post at Don Surber's place. Tasteful pix of sunflower in my backyard. Complete with flutterby. And just for fun, this one, snapped at a Palin rally in Tucson. Here's to you, Mr. President, from the BackyardConservative. P.S. Obama barbequed in the backyard by small businessman Ruby Slippers

--crossposted at BackyardConservative. Naturally

NRA Mucks Up in South Dakota

NRO.

South Dakota War College: From my mailbox: Kristi Noem Endorsed by South Dakota Sportsmen & Second Amendment Supporters :

While many from the group are members of the NRA, they will not be following the NRA endorsement recommendation and instead will support Noem.

“On many issues, the NRA is a strong voice for gun owners, but on the issue of who to support for South Dakota’s lone seat in Congress, we are supporting Kristi Noem,” the group said in an open letter to gun owners across the state.

In the letter the group explained why they are supporting Noem, “Kristi is a lifelong hunter. She was born, raised and continues to live today in rural Hamlin County, South Dakota. She grew up understanding the importance of the Second Amendment… Kristi also took her support for the Second Amendment to the State Legislature where she introduced legislation to strengthen our Second Amendment rights.”

Dakota Dreaming

Sen. John Thune on the cover.

Another common sense conservative. He has an MBA, challenged and beat then Dem majority leader Tom Daschle.

Seems like he's comfortable in his own skin.

Um, and the video:)

The Last Best Hope

November is coming. The video.

Fist Fight at Reid-Angle Forum at Lutheran High School

Via The Corner.

I think New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has it right on the dynamic.

...For years the center-right of this country has been polite, the pundits for power have deemed themselves our spokesmen, the left is disruptive and foul and are lauded--aided and abetted-- by the PC media.

No more.

The stakes are too high. Too high.

P.S. Hillbuzz: Every Republican should be like Chris Christie when they grow up

We the people.
--crossposted at BackyardConservative

South Dakota's Kristi Noem: Sorry Nancy

A message for Nancy Pelosi: Previous post: Herseth Sandlin Stiffs Truckers in South Dakota

Herseth Sandlin Stiffs Truckers in South Dakota

Noem keeps on truckin’. Herseth Sandlin…. Not so much

Maybe that snooty Dem Stephanie can make the pheasant hunt. Oops, too late.

SEIU Colludes with PC Media in Wisconsin

SEIU Activist: Local Networks 'Willing Partners' in Campaign Against Wis. GOP Gubernatorial Candidate

...Walker leads anyway, and in the Senate race Johnson pulls away from Feingold.

Meadow Mates

Palin in Iowa

• Live Blogging Iowa GOP Reagan Dinner With Sarah Palin - Caffeinated Thoughts

• Palin, in Iowa, Prompts More 2012 Speculation - WSJ.com: Washington Wire

Sarah Palin speech in Iowa keeps fans guessing - Des Moines Register

Fire from The Heartland

The Awakening of the Conservative Woman, trailer via Nice Deb.

Yes, and it's spreading. You have made the moms mad.

P.S. Hey Steve, you forgot the crazy, raaacist, Islamaphobic middle-aged women.

--crossposted at BackyardConservative

New Dem Logo Looks Like ACORN's

And why not? Some slight honesty from the DNC. A political machine that skims off the top and loots taxpayer dollars.

Treating honest Americans as the enemy.

A Big Government bullseye on our backs.

The DNC's new slogan? "Change that matters". Matters for the select few who benefit. A change from the old "change we can believe in".

Because almost no one believes The One's words any more. The economy is dead in the water, the Dem tax and spend uncertainty too high, the drag of impending ObamaCare too costly. It's not just small business, the only real job creators in the country, who are hit hard, it's seniors. And they vote.

The Tea Party is having an impact even in blue states, the battleground is shifting further into them as well.

All most Americans ask for is a level playing field, not equality of outcomes. Oh, but for leftist elites, rules are for other people--some are more equal than others.

This new logo is a womb to the tomb prison ring.

--crossposted at BackyardConservative

Tall Clouds

Electorally Critical Midwest

Daniels' successes in the electorally critical Midwest intrigue national Republicans who see the region as essential to their chances of beating President Barack Obama in 2012.

WaPo looks at Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' current team. One of his signature issues is healthcare. Obama won Indiana last time. How likely is it he can repeat?

Then there's Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who comes the closest yet to a direct challenge of the president on healthcare, wielding the machinery of his state in opposition. Via Reason:

“Obamacare is an intrusion by the federal government into personal health care matters and it’s an explosion of federal spending that does nothing to make health care more affordable,” Pawlenty said in a news release.

ABC brings in some more possibilities, also mostly ranging along the Mississippi River Valley:

The move is sure to put pressure on other Republican governors who are considering presidential runs to demonstrate their opposition to the law. Other Republican presidential contenders who now serve as governor include Indiana’s Mitch Daniels, Mississippi’s Haley Barbour, and Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal.

Romney's the outlier, of course--but California may go blue this year, too, and he has ties there:) Of course Romney was instrumental in turning Massachusetts Red with Scott Brown, pitting Massachusetts' state plan against ObamaCare.

Sarah Palin, flush with the success of candidates she's backed, is slated for the GOP Ronald Reagan dinner in Des Moines this month.

While the heartland has its urban centers which typically go Dem, a lot of independents mark the suburbs, while rural areas tend conservative. No surprises there. But vast swaths of many Midwest states are already underserved in terms of medical care, often due to exorbitant malpractice insurance costs--unrelieved by ObamaCare. The new law will bankrupt many rural hospitals, as government reimbursement rates won't keep pace with their costs.

Midwesterners will ask themselves if they're better off in November 2010 than they were 2 years ago. 2012 is still up in the air, but these blue states are already shifting red, and the region is yielding a crop of strong candidates for national office.

P.S. And then there's Paul Ryan:) From Wisconsin.

--crossposted at BackyardConservative