Like herpes,too bad there isn't a pill for this.

Grams, admittedly, has little chance. Oberstar is a long time incumbent,mainstream in outlook, and adept at finding solutions to problems and helping the district. It is also a strongly DFL place. Grams record as congressman and senator was on the extreme right and his main claim to fame was being lapdog to Jesse Helms.His last campaign was painful to watch, and his insipid whining afterwards wuld have been comical if not for his history. Grams,a man who never met a dollar and a dirty campaign he didn't like, snivelling as he got buried. Pulling out the mom commercial at the bitter end was wonderful to watch....a desperate high schooler begging for approval.One would have thought that was the end.

He tried re-incarnating once before, but the republicans dumped him like a live skunk that time.


So why is he running?

Ego and a need for power, of course.

His first campiagn speech in the north was spent ranting about the blowdown to republican loggers, a pretty small straw to grasp at.

But why are the repubs backing him?

For them, it is a set up. Grams was a loyal pet, so he is trustworthy, and Oberstar won't be here forever. So with this campaign, they can test their slogans and methods, create some myths and plan for two years from now. They will survey and measure responses. They will study demographics. They will hand out talking points to local media. They will do this to the finest detail, a percentage here, a percentage there, hopefully to pull this off.

That is wha this is about.

They could care less about Rod Grams. They will do whatever it takes for this district, however.