Lowering Expectations
The Campaign season is just beginning and surprise
surprise our candidates and the media are not talking about the important
issues and crisis of confidence our Nation faces but the same
worn out Debate on Debates.
Senator Tim Johnson’s campaign is reprising their
favorite tune of lowering expectations.
For many months following Senator Johnson’s brain hemorrhage
during his recovery Senator Johnson was hidden from the public. Despite many repeated
requests from the South Dakota media, other than a very select few friends and
political allies no one was allowed to see or hear Senator Johnson. Although we
learned later that ABC’s Bob Woodward did conduct several exclusive and what
were at the time confidential interviews.
The effect of this self imposed seclusion beyond
obviously aiding Senator Johnson’s recovery was to create wonder and wide
speculation he was recovering slowly. In
late August, Senator Johnson had his Welcome Home celebration and South
Dakotans were relieved to see that he was functioning far better than all the
silence led us to believe.
What is transpiring in the Debate on Debates (specifically
the Dakotafest forum in Mitchell next month) is just the reprise.
Senator Johnson’s campaign is doing two things.
Lowering expectations so that when the debate
that will happen happens, the story and political perception will be
about just the fact that Tim Johnson showed up – not what anyone says. In fact
the challenger Joel Dykstra will be lucky just to get into the story the fact
that he was there.
Republican activists are taking Jarding’s hook and
helping promote the lowered expectation with all their crying “Where is Tim
Johnson and Why won’t he show up?”
Republicans would be far better off in stating that
they are surprised considering he is a candidate for election to this important
office that he might not show.
They might even add that they were looking forward to
an explanation from Senator Johnson as to why Congress was on vacation for most
of the month of August when there are so many important issues that need to be
addressed.
There are timely and critical issues that deserve
discussion as we look forward to a new Government next year – they deserve
attention not how many debates, the format, the height of the podium, or other
claptrap. South Dakota voters deserve better.
South Dakota Straight Talk
in South Dakota Politics
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3 Comments
Reader Comments (3)
The Johnson campaign is doing exactly what any campaign would do under these fortuitous circumstances. They'll sit back and watch Dykstra flail and bellyache for awhile. Then they will have a debate in the format they choose at the time they choose as any safe incumbent does.
As to why congress is in recess for August, it's that way every year the same as when Republicans controlled congress. Purportedly, congress is now working 4 days/week instead of the 2 days/week they used to work when Republicans ran the show (at least when they are not on recess).