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Anyone who's watched enough "Law and Order" is familiar with the notion that a district attorney can easily manipulate a grand jury to indict anyone, even, as Sol Wachtler criticized in 1985, an inanimate object like "a ham sandwich."
After our recent midterm election, I looked over those results for southwestern, west central, and western Minnesota. It appears that the DFL candidates, regardless of their credentials, were doomed to receive only about a third of the votes cast. Those are figures that are usually matched in bastions of Republican strongholds such as Texas or Georgia or Kansas.
As a for instance, Erik Osberg campaigned impressively and aggressively for a year and a half, and his reward was to receive 35.03% of the vote.
I myself was cajoled and flattered into running for District 15B's seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives. After receiving that endorsement in April, I had to be suspended in primary purgatory for months, during which time I had to fundraise and parade around the district. After winning my primary, I enjoyed three months of door-knocking and phoning to promote myself.
On Nov. 3 I was rewarded for my anxiety, my time, and my financial investment by receiving exactly 34.28% of the votes from Cambria to Milroy and all that lies between them.
After Erik's "fish-frying" efforts to unseat Michelle Fischbach, he received only .75% more votes than did yours truly.
This is not to denigrate Erik for having poured his heart and soul into his campaign. He is to be admired for his commitment to a cause for which he felt so strongly. He worked so hard but came up short. He deserves enormous respect.
No, life's not fair.
So what's my point? In these parts of the state, candidates with Republican behind their names are going to win their elections with about two-thirds of the votes. Even if the name preceding Republican is "Ham Sandwich," we all know who's going to win that no-contest.
Yes, Greater Minnesota's election choices are so easy, even a caveman...
Keith R. Klawitter
Morgan