​Will Minnesota Give Bernie Some Much-Needed Momentum?

The latest on the race for Presidential nominations has the frontrunners keeping their grip on the leads. Bernie Sanders needs a good turnout from young voters and soon. Hillary Clinton has been beating him in most demographics, including blacks and Hispanics, which some feel it’s impossible to win the Democratic nomination without.

He acknowledged this following a loss in Nevada, saying he was disappointed in their turnout efforts. However he thought it was basically a victory because they came from very far behind to lose by only 5 points and said he felt it proves they can win anywhere.

But the excitement that the Bernie Sanders campaign appeared to have on the outside needs to translate to votes on the inside. There’s a difference between sharing pictures on Facebook and actually going out to the polls to vote, which young people have traditionally not done in high numbers compared to other voting blocs.

Could Minnesota be the state that energizes his comeback in the race with a large victory? He has attracted very large crowds in the state and was expected to do well there, so it could be something for him to hang onto moving into Super Tuesday.

Of course, Hillary has all the advantages and the establishment backing. But the one way I always thought he could beat that was by excited young people motivated to vote in droves that they normally don’t. It helped Barack Obama and I’ve felt there is more excitement for Bernie than Barack in 2008.

But now is crunch time. All you Minnesota voters get out and support your candidates. It’s one thing to tell your friends who you are going to vote for, but if you don’t actually participate in the process, it does no good.

Minnesota has always been a mostly liberal state, that votes for mavericks and people outside the mainstream, even for President. Maybe Minnesota will be the one to give Bernie some much-needed momentum. Some feel Bernie should attack Hillary more for her scandals. I say let them speak for themselves and concentrate all your efforts on turnout.

On the Republican side, at press time, Donald Trump was winning Nevada and starting to shore up momentum and hype that he was going to be the likely nominee. Is it inevitable?

The one difference between him and Hillary is that the establishment doesn’t want him, and with continual mistakes by Ted Cruz, this may turn into a two-person race between Trump and the establishment’s choice, Marco Rubio.

I always kind of thought Trump would have an easier time in a race for the nomination vs. running in the general election. In a general election, his unforced errors constantly running from his mouth will destroy him in a 24 hour news cycle. John McCain and Mitt Romney may have lost the Presidency because of their own unforced errors late in the campaigns, but even they didn’t commit as many as Trump.

People vote for the candidate they see as the adult in the room. I also think you need to win suburban women to win the Presidency. Trump will have a very hard time with both of those. But he could easily slip past a very untested Rubio.

Finally, if you need an illustration of just how powerful the gun lobby is in America and in our region for that matter, just take a look at the bill which passed overwhelmingly in 2011 to allow felons to petition to have their gun rights back.

Of all the things the North Dakota Legislature has to take up in the cause of hard working North Dakotans, this was a priority? I guarantee the gun lobby told them how to vote and forced them to throw common sense out the window.

We really aren’t sure this was the cause of how Marcus Schumacher got his guns legally. It could be another dumb state law which allows felons to possess firearms 10 years following a felony conviction. Either way, both these laws need to go -- and will, following Officer Moszer’s death.

It’s just unfortunate that the gun lobby in this country has the power to make legislators pass stupid laws that have consequences. Where is the felon gun lobby in North Dakota? I want to meet them!