Current Events and the Psychology of Politics
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Apr 14th, 2010

Summary: GOP activist Luke Hellier, in an apparent attempt to taint the reputation of Michele Bachmann’s Republican challenger, Aubrey Immelman, posted a misleading report on the “Minnesota Democrats Exposed” website. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on April 14, 2009, Aubrey Immelman reported that the three-judge panel in the Coleman v. Franken U.S. Senate recount trial issued its final judgment, ruling that Democrat Al Franken won the most votes in his 2008 Senate race against Republican Norm Coleman and is therefore entitled to an election certificate.


Sep 6th, 2009

Summary: Opinion polls show support for President Barack Obama and his policies dipping sharply, though he remains personally more popular than his policies. How will these dynamics impact the 2010 election and what do they tell us about President Obama’s personal qualities and leadership style? … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 54th day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, volunteers handed out campaign literature in downtown Forest Lake (Washington County) and at the Old Creamery Arts & Crafts Show in Rice (Benton County), while Immelman had a meet-and-greet at the Saint John’s University football season opener in Collegeville. He also featured information from the WCCO voters guide regarding his campaign platform and issue positions.


May 13th, 2009

Summary and evaluation of remarks by Dr. Maureen Reed on May 12, 2009, at a special DFL Minnesota Senate District 14 meeting in St. Joseph, Minn. Reed is challenging 2008 Democratic candidate Elwyn Tinklenberg for the Democratic and Independence party endorsements in the 2010 Sixth Congressional District race for U.S. Representative against incumbent Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann.


May 9th, 2009

Summary: Can U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) be defeated in the 2010 U.S. House of Representatives election in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District? Yes, but not by a Democrat in the general election. Rep. Bachmann is most vulnerable in the primary election against a more moderate Republican challenger. The trump card for Bachmann opponents is Minnesota’s open primary system. With no party registration in Minnesota, self-identified Democrats and Independents are able to vote in the Republican primary against Bachmann, joining forces with disaffected Republican voters. The fact that Bachmann did not receive a majority of the votes in either the primary (47.2%) or the general election (46.4%) in 2008 underscores her vulnerability.


Nov 19th, 2008

Summary: At a November 2008 forum at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) leveled harsh criticism at the GOP, the lack of intellectual curiosity among some Republican members of Congress, the Bush administration’s handling of nearly every aspect of governance, and the conservative radio voices that dictate the GOP agenda (“We’re educated by the great entertainers like Rush Limbaugh”). But Hagel offered praise for Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.


Nov 7th, 2008

Summary: Lincoln Chafee, a former Republican senator from Rhode Island who endorsed Obama, predicted a bloody struggle for the soul of the party. The election results demonstrated that the party had hit rock bottom, Chafee said, but he feared that socially conservative party activists — “the Rush Limbaughs, the Bill O’Reillys, the Sean Hannitys” — were incapable of changing course.


Sep 10th, 2008

Summary: On the first day after the Sept. 9, 2008 Minnesota State Primary Election in which Aubrey Immelman challenged U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, he reported and analyzed the election results, thanked his supporters, and congratulated Rep. Bachmann on her win.


Jul 22nd, 2008

Summary: On the eighth day of his 2008 campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman reported being inundated with questionnaires from special interest groups. He also commented on the dim prospects for the Republican Party in the upcoming election and the bleak outlook for the foreseeable future.