Conservative pundit George Will in WaPo:
When Democrats are done flirting with such insipidity [aka Beto O’Rourke], their wandering attentions can flit to a contrastingly serious candidacy, coming soon from Minnesota. The Land of 10,000 Lakes and four unsuccessful presidential candidates (Harold Stassen, Hubert Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy, Walter Mondale) now has someone who could break the state’s losing streak. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is the person perhaps best equipped to send the current president packing.
Really? Hey, I love Amy as our Senator, but there are some Minnesota-specific reasons she blew out her opponent in her re-election last year, and it all starts with her public appearance. She is absolutely reflective of Minnesota introspective/passive-aggressiveness. Hell, we’re the home to a passel of generations of Finnish immigrants, who’s favorite joke is …
How do you know a Finn likes you? He’s staring at your shoes, not his own.
She’s not a polished speaker, much like our termed-out Governor (and former Senator) Dayton, neither of whom could inspire a pack of squirrels to squabble over a bunch of rotten apples, and because of that she connects with most of us Minnesotans at a subconscious level. For us, she’s the one sacrificing herself so the rest of us don’t have to. She appears to acquit herself well, hasn’t stepped in any horseshit, offended any minorities, and appears to be well on her way to a respectable, but not standout, career in the Senate, and that’s no mean thing.
But that doesn’t mean she’s Presidential timber. How is she going to connect with New Yorkers who expect and respect constant aggressiveness? With rural voters who are suspicious of the Congressional crowd because they don’t speak their language? She hasn’t yet presented that campaign-organizing Presidential goal, such as what eventually became the ACA for Obama, or the Wall for Trump, or finishing the Cold War for Reagan. While not necessary, it’s an immense help to a campaign to have that campaign point to discuss, to enlighten supporters and inflame critics.
I’d be happy to be proven wrong. But I don’t think her communications skills are up to the job, at least from what I’ve seen. Maybe she has hidden reserves. Maybe she’s been sand-bagging us all, and soon we’ll learn to fear the might of President Amy.
Nyah. She’s too mild-tempered for that.
