A different kind of campaign

There seems to be basically two ways that a politician can go about running for a big office. They can take the safe road, and only take positions on simple, non-controversial issues. This is the road that Lee Fisher is on. His website lays out his positions in terms that almost every Democrat can agree on, and avoids the more hot button issues such as gay marriage, etc. He came out against the troop surge in Afghanistan and the Stupak amendment only after he realized that those had became mainstream Democratic causes. Running a campaign this way is an insult to the people who actually pay attention, but it is smart politics.

Another, less politically wise option for candidates is exemplified by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who wants to be President in 2012. Pawlenty, and many other Republicans, are overly eager to take a position on everything. When Obama bowed in Japan, they were out with a statement. When Obama wanted to have a beer with Gates and the Cambridge police officer, they were out with a statement. Every single debate that comes up in Congress, they put out a statement, as if what the Governor of Minnesota (or the former Governors of Arkansas and Massachusetts, etc.) thinks matters to the people of every other state. Doing this shows nothing but a desperation to stay relevant.

And then there is what Jennifer Brunner is doing. Rather than simply releasing statements, she puts forth thoughtful, well-informed, detailed proposals on matters of policy. And she does so not only on topics that are politically advantageous, but on ones that she believes in, from her opposition to the troop surge to her opposition to capital punishment. Perhaps Jennifer Brunner is the underdog because she is not nearly as shrewd of a politician as Lee Fisher. But that is exactly the reason that she will make a better United States Senator.

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