I got an interesting e-mail yesterday from CQ reader Chris S, who works with Project Deliver The Vote, a Houston PAC dedicated to grassroots get-out-the-vote efforts for Republicans nationwide. Chris wrote:

Hello Captain, I have been a *big* fan of your site ever since I got into the blogosphere. I know you live in Minnesota, and I was wondering if you could give me any advice. I’m a member of Project Deliver the Vote PAC, an offshoot of the Houston Young Republicans. We have a team of 80 volunteers coming to the Minneapolis / St. Paul area next weekend (Thur – Sun) to help swing the state in our favor!

We are divided into several teams covering various counties. What’s the political climate like up there (other than the race being very close)? What should we expect?

That's a question that I and my fellow Northern Alliance colleagues have been sweating for a number of weeks. Minnesotans have a reputation for being exceedingly polite; "Minnesota Nice" is a long-standing catchphrase in the Upper Midwest. We're the kind of people that even when we disagree with each other, we just keep finding other topics to discuss. That can make it difficult to get a good read on the political temperature. Usually.

This election cycle appears to be different. When AFL-CIO thugs burst into GOP campaign headquarters to terrify volunteers and scare off people looking for tickets to a Bush campaign rally, we probably have lost Minnesota Nice. When campaign signs get defaced and stolen on a regular basis, it's gotten more tense than a lye shortage at a lutefisk festival. (Don't ask.)

I think you'll find that you won't get overt hostility from people, except in certain neighborhoods in Minneapolis and St. Paul proper. In the exurbs, you'll find more sympathy and support -- just like anywhere else. Those are the votes we need to get to the polls on November 2nd. Good luck, and let us know where you'll be!

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry is