7:27 PM | Posted in , ,
This could be your year:



Over the last month, North Dakota moved once again in the direction of Barack Obama. This is a truly amazing shift given that the state last went for a Democrat in 1964 and George W. Bush won the state by a 30% margin. It is time to call anyone and everyone you know in North Dakota and get them out to vote!
In what has become an all too frequent mantra of the Bachmann tenure, the people of the 6th District will be without representation even on election night. Rather than celebrate in her own district, Bachmann will be partying it up in the farthest reaches of the 3rd District:

Please join us election night for the
BACHMANN TEAM
VICTORY PARTY

Tuesday, November 4th
8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sheraton Bloomington Hotel
7800 Normandale Boulevard
Edina Room
Bloomington, MN 55439

This is not at all surprising given that she decided not to be in the district for the 2006 election. However, it is another instance in a long line where people living in the 6th District are left to wonder, where in the world is Michele Bachmann? So, just in case you needed to know how far away from her district she will be, here is a handy dandy map:
10:06 PM | Posted in
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7:30 PM | Posted in ,
In a matter of two short years, Mark Olson has gone from being "God's Representative" in House District 16B to desperately clinging to the hope that a write-in campaign for Senate District 16 will keep him in the government he detests so much.

In his bid for the District 16 seat, Olson and his supporters are looking for a paltry 300 brave souls to become "write in fighters". Unfortunately, he appears to be only 1/3 of the way toward that goal:

How far have we fallen when "God's Representative" can only attract 100 people to spread his message? Come on people, you cannot let the triumvirate of Mary Kiffmeyer, Alison Krueger, and the state party deprive you of such a holy wife placing representation!
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7:00 PM | Posted in ,
Just a reminder to voters in the 6th District, if you like the ideology that gave us "water prevents cancer" and placing our wives on the ground, then you will LOVE Michele Bachmann.

I received this in my inbox today:

The good news is, though, that I now know which judge to definitely vote AGAINST!
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I really do wish that these people that keep throwing around words like socialist and communist would actually study them and gain even a basic understanding so that they can stop looking foolish by throwing them around so flippantly. For that matter, people on the left ought to stop throwing around the word fascist too but that is a topic for another post.

Sarah Palin and John McCain keep throwing around this threat of socialism and have earned themselves another PANTS ON FIRE award from Politifact.

So when Wurzelbacher brought up a flat tax, Obama responded by endorsing progressive taxation – the principle of taxing those with higher incomes at a higher percentage than those with lower incomes. And it is in that context that Obama said he wanted to "spread the wealth."

Progressive taxes do indeed spread the wealth a bit. But they do so much more modestly than government owning the means of production.

Few serious policy makers — including McCain — consider progressive taxation socialist. In fact, on the Oct. 26, 2008 edition of NBC's Meet the Press, McCain stood by a comment he made in 2000 that "there's nothing wrong with paying somewhat more" in taxes when you "reach a certain level of comfort."

If McCain would like to argue to the American public that progressive taxation is unfair I would encourage him to do that but to throw out terms like socialism to describe such a system demonstrates just how much the Republican Party has lost its way. You would think that even prominent local economists would recognize such a glaring fact!

So no, Obama's tax increase on those making more than $250,000 would not represent a transformation of the U.S. system of government. His desire to "spread the wealth" through progressive taxation makes him no less a capitalist than McCain, or Lincoln. Palin's allegation that Obama wants to "experiment with socialism" seems designed less to inform than to inflame. That's Pants on Fire wrong.
8:21 PM | Posted in ,
November 4th cannot come soon enough and if you, like me, are looking for ways to keep from going absolutely insane there is some help from 23/6:

Look, eight days is a long time and you're not going to help the cause if you get thrown in a mental hospital before you get the chance to vote. You need to hang on! 23/6 is here to help, with eight tips on making it through the next eight days without losing it.

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7:05 PM | Posted in ,
Only 8 days ago, Barack Obama drew an astounding 100,000 people to a rally in St. Louis. Once again today, at a rally in Denver:
NINE days to go! Let's not get complacent nor over-confident...
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8:36 AM | Posted in , ,
Rob Jacobs, DFL candidate running against Dan Severson (R) in District 14A, is running an aggressive campaign to unseat Severson. With a St. Cloud Times endorsement in hand, he was out in force yesterday to get out the vote.

In electing DFLer Jacobs, voters certainly will get a less-polished, more progressive legislator. Yet they also are more likely to have a voice in St. Paul who will listen to all sides and then act in a way that best serves most District 14A constituents.

Jacobs has a tall task unseating a Republican in a heavily conservative district but his moderate to conservative views on social issues coupled with the exposure of Severson as a far right ideologue and an increasingly anti-Republican climate could help him across the finish line into the legislature. An even better sign Jacobs is running an effective campaign is when you are being targeted by the local Republican echo chamber. You have to wonder what sort of perceived trouble Severson is in?
Chris Cilizza at his Washington Post Blog ("The Fix") examined the Bachmann non-apology ad and coins a new word, "Bach-pology".

Why does the ad feel strange? Because Bachmann is trying to do two very different things at once. For those people who are aware of the "Hardball" incident, she wants to express remorse for what she said. For those people who have no idea about the "Hardball" imbroglio, Bachmann wants to make sure it stays that way and so makes no direct reference to why she would be apologizing for not always using the right words to explain herself.


With all due respect to Mr. Cilizza, what feels strange about this ad is that Bachmann doesn't even come close to an apology for calling Barack Obama anti-American nor did she come close to an apology for calling on the media to investigate members of Congress to find out which are pro-America or anti-America. Furthermore, the implication of her statements in this ad are that Democrats are opposed to freedom and liberty given that they believe government can be used as a force for good. It is the continued black/white fallacy that Bachmann and other conservatives tend towards. The fallacy that they and only they represent freedom and anyone who goes against their beliefs is therefore against freedom.

Bachmann is currently caught between two worlds: The first is that of moderates and Democrats who see her comments for what they truly are (hateful & divisive) and the second is her base of support. They are proud that she has made these remarks and a full apology would cast her as a traitor in their eyes.

On a lighter note, we need a more detailed explanation of this new term coined by Mr. Cilizza. So, use the comments thread to properly define a "Bachpology".

Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann
7:16 PM | Posted in
8:10 PM | Posted in ,
Olson supporters are mobilizing against Alison Krueger with an aggressive write-in campaign. Yet, in his old House District, the Kiffmeyer Campaign has not drawn the same ire from the Olson people. Shouldn't Olson and his minions go to the root of their problems which is Mary Kiffmeyer who pushed them out of the district and forced him into this new fight for the Senate?

Kiffmeyer, on her website, slams Olson by referring to herself as the "trusted conservative" and stating that "integrity counts".

The only message to be gleaned here is that Kiffmeyer believes that Olson has no integrity (I cannot believe I agree with Mary Kiffmeyer on something!) and that he is not to be trusted.

For the Olson supporter there has to be a serious conflict of interest in voting for both him and Kiffmeyer who holds a very low opinion of Olson, is to blame for Olson losing his House District seat, and who put in place the woman that won the primary for the Senate District seat. Shouldn't you be actively trying to take down Kiffmeyer as well? Hopefully, someone in the Olson column will help explain this one to me...
SurveyUSA will be coming out with a poll tonight of the 6th District for KSTP-TV.

Let's call this a prediction thread. Will Bachmann tank? Do the inherently conservative leanings of the district keep her alive?
11:24 PM | Posted in ,
God's Representative (out of deference, I will no longer refer to him by his Earthly name) who is hoping to become God's Senator is full steam ahead with a new site to go along with his write-in campaign for Senate District 16. Coining the clever phrase, "write fighter" (like YOU could do better!), he is asking his disciples to go out and recruit others for this ambitious task.

A couple of quibbles:

First, I am somewhat concerned that people aren't going to take God's Representative very seriously when he is unable to spell the word "write" correctly. What is a Wright-In campaign? Shouldn't a future Senator ordained by the almighty be able to spell?

Second, God's Representative describes himself as "not being a career politician". Really? Let's see, after 16 years in government and a desperate campaign almost certain to fail in order to remain in that government is NOT a career politician? I would love to see a definition of a career politician if this one doesn't fit!

With yard signs popping up heralding the "Wright-In" candidacy of God's future Senator, we may yet see divine justice.
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How many more of these could she earn? Perhaps, if we are lucky, this will be her parting gift...
10:40 PM | Posted in ,


Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann
Given that her political world is crumbling around her, Michele Bachmann is trying desperately to dig herself out of the hole she currently finds herself. The new meme is that she was first trapped by that gosh darn gotcha media and second that she was completely misunderstood. If Michele wants to parse, I would be more than happy to play the parsing game. While I cannot hit all of her new excuses, let's take a look a few:

Bachmann is now making the claim that she did not use the term "anti-American" first and was only repeating the term presented to her by Gotcha media man Chris Matthews. Fine, let's parse:

It is true that Matthews was the first to use the term "anti-American". However, moments before that Bachmann is discussing various people who she claims have NEGATIVE views of America. Are the phrases, "negative views of America" and "anti-American" the same? Well, in the world of synonyms they cannot be far apart. The only way to divide them is to make the case that holding negative views of America means that you believe there are areas in which America could use improvement. Does anyone believe that Bachmann would claim that holding "negative views of America" makes them less than "anti-American"?

The second issue is that Bachmann is claiming that she did not MEAN that Barack Obama or members of Congress are "anti-American". Fine, let's parse:

Michele Bachmann said, "“Absolutely. I’m very concerned that he may have anti-American views. That’s what the American people are concerned about."

Obviously, she is hiding behind the qualifiers CONCERNED and MAY. With those words she can plausibly say that she didn't MEAN that Barack Obama IS "anti-American". However, she cannot take back that she is CONCERNED about his views and that those views MAY be "anti-American". So, the question needs to be asked, what happened between Friday when you were CONCERNED about his "anti-American" views and today when you made the claim that "He loves his country, just as everyone in this room does."?

Finally, and the most important reason for the tidal wave of support for Elwyn Tinklenberg, was her statement about an investigative report on the views of members of Congress. It is far more difficult for Bachmann to take this one back but she sure is going to try. Fine, let's parse:

Today, her claim: “Nor did I call for an investigation of members of Congress for their pro-American or anti-American views. That is not what I said.

Well, Michele, this IS what you said: “What I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating exposé and take a look. I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think people would love to see an exposé like that.

The only possible parse to be made here is that she called for an expose and never did say the word investigation. So, what is the difference? The only plausible difference that can be used by Bachmann is that an expose would be little more than a story while an investigation connotes some sort of solution to a problem would be put forward.

So, Bachmann can parse and backpedal all she wants but these are the undisputable facts:
  • She began the implication of "anti-Americanism" even if she didn't explicitly begin the use of the word.
  • On Friday, Bachmann was at the very least CONCERNED about Barack Obama being "anti-American". So, what changed?
  • She wants someone to define who is "anti-American" and who is "pro-American".
Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann
5:40 PM | Posted in ,
The Tinklenberg Campaign rolled out their first television ad:

A blogger who calls himself "The Admiral" and posts at a site called Lake Minnetonka Liberty has decided to throw his hat into the ring and support and defend the comments made by Michele Bachmann:

Look here you dummies. Barack Obama is a Marxist. The proof is right before your eyes, but you idiots choose to turn the blind eye, and be mesmerized by his smooth talk. I've had Josef Engels, Jr. figured out for quite some time, but not the shallow, ignorant simpletons that support this anti-American blundering idiot.

So, why is it important to highlight this fine fellow from the right wing blogosphere in Minnesota? Well, in early August, this blogger called openly for the assassination of Barack Obama.

Somebody please! Do a Sirhan Sirhan on this pompous ass, willya?

THIS is the support Michele Bachmann is currently getting. The support of those who without shame will ask others to kill another person. When will mainstream Republicans come out to support or repudiate these comments from their ideological brethren? Specifically, Erik Paulsen who appears to be endorsed by this site. To be honest, I would like to see Senator Dean Barkley come out to repudiate this fool as well given that this blogger has endorsed him.

Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann
In 2006, Michele Bachmann won a majority in the 6th District by a slim 308 votes. However, the minority was split between Patty Wetterling (D), John Binkowski (I), and various write in votes giving Bachmann a nearly 8% (24,104 actual votes) advantage over her nearest opponent.

This year, there are two factors that are significantly different than 2006 that could spell trouble for Bachmann more than any foolish statements ever could by themselves.

First, the Independence Party cross endorsed Tinklenberg over several other inside the party contenders. Bob Anderson won the Independence Party primary by default as he was the only person on the ballot and Tinklenberg was not allowed to be listed under both labels. Anderson has, as of yet, run a much quieter campaign than his predecessor, John Binkowski. This means, in all liklihood, that Tinklenberg will pick up a far larger percentage of people who voted for Binkowski last time which closes the 8% gap Bachmann enjoyed in the last election cycle.

Second, is the new write in candidacy of Republican Aubrey Immelman. This factor may hurt Bachmann even more than the lack of a viable Independence Party candidate as there is a large contingent of party line voters in the 6th District as expressed by the research of Jeff Rosenberg. In the primary, Immelman drew over 3,000 voters despite a relatively underground campaign and could potentially draw an equal number as a write in candidate. It is exceedingly difficult, especially with a less than commonplace name, to actually get votes to properly register in his favor but Immelman could still cut seriously into the base of support held by Bachmann. His hope is to have a referendum on the Bachmann tenure from a Republican perspective:

Immelman lost to Bachmann in the Republican primary in September. He says the one thing he will not do is ask Democrats to vote for him. He says he wants his candidacy to be a Republican referendum on Bachmann and the direction the party has taken the country.

The party line tendencies of the district make Immelman dangerous to Bachmann as those Republicans unhappy with her and the party in general have a party label candidate whom they can support.

Obviously, this all represents conjecture and theory but the recent statements made by Bachmann appear to have people on the right and the left lining up against her. It will take a ton of work on the part of the Tinklenberg Campaign to translate their cash flow into votes but the stars appear to be aligning themselves in his favor and against Michele Bachmann. If Anderson continues to run a relatively non-existent campaign and Immelman can get the word out that there is a less crazy Republican alternative out there the 6th District of Minnesota there is better than average chance that we will have Bachmann DUMPED.

Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann
Back in August, my friend Jeff Rosenberg who writes Twin Cities Daily Liberal ran a series of posts about each of the congressional districts in the state with fantastic mapping of voting patterns and thoughts on the state of each race. He brought back his 6th District analysis and I would encourage anyone interested in this race to give it a read.

The district voted overwhelmingly Republican in 2006, and has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+5. Almost all of the precincts in the district, except those in the southeastern corner, voted Republican in 2006. However, less than half voted heavily (60% or more) for Republicans, which may indicate an opportunity for Tinklenberg to pick up some votes. Bachmann’s diatribe may very well have neutralized the Republican edge in less-than-staunch precincts.

Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann
4:32 PM | Posted in ,
Daily kos has a video up comparing Bachmann today on WCCO where she tries to backpedal from her "anti-American" rhetoric to that of her appearance on Hardball with Chris Matthews on Friday.



Also interesting, is the article up right now on Dump Bachmann where the guilt by association angle is turned back on Bachmann. During her campaign against Patty Wetterling she decried the thought of guilt by association being hoisted upon her but was more than willing to use it on Wetterling.

12:39 PM | Posted in ,
One has to wonder if Michele Bachmann would like to take on Colin Powell over who is "anti-American"?

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Despite his role in the lead up to the Iraq War, I have long held the greatest of respect for General Colin Powell. In fact, if he were to run for President as a Republican I would cross over and vote for him in an instant.

That being said, he gave one of the most stirring endorsements I have seen in favor of Barack Obama for President. His rebuke of the current Republican Party was undeniable and should serve notice to everyone in the party that they are driving away more people than they are bringing into the party. Also, he said what needed to be said about the "he's a muslim" issue in a way that makes those that continue to raise it out to be the true bigots that they are by asking, so what if he is with a story following that inspires.



Update: In response to the Powell endorsement, Andy Aplikowski demonstrates the increasingly irrational nature of the conservative wing of the Republican Party. The response? Why, Powell is a LEFTY of course! At what point will we all be "lefties"? If the Republican Party continues to purge itself of every moderate they may find themselves with only a handful of members bickering amongst themselves about who is the most "staunch conservative". I for one encourage Aplikowski to keep purging until he is a party of ONE.

But his selection as Secretary of State may have been President Bush’s biggest mistakes. This was Powell’s first real big chance to let his own personal policies bleed through, and guess what. He isn’t a staunch conservative.
5:04 PM | Posted in ,
A rally in St. Louis, Missouri for Barack Obama drew upwards of 100,000 people today. WOW!
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If anyone following the Bachmann saga right now need evidence of the evangelical conservative nature of the 6th District, they need to look no further than to the saga of one Mark Olson in local Senate District 16. The convicted spousal abuser has, for the SECOND TIME, been endorsed by Republican Party leadership despite having lost the primary election to challenger Alison Krueger.

From the St. Cloud Times:

Delegates voted 61-18 on the first ballot to endorse Olson over Alison Krueger of Big Lake, who won the Sept. 9 primary and will be the Republican candidate on the ballot, said Dave Wilson, Senate District 16 Republican Party chairman.


God's Representative still has a lot of support in Senate District 16 and his candidacy does nothing more than hand this election to DFL candidate, Lisa Fobbe.
Within hours of making her divisive comments about liberalism equating to anti-Americanism, local Minnesota bloggers Blue Man and Ollie Ox have been asking the next question: Do other Republicans in the state (notably, Brian Davis in the 1st District and Erik Paulsen in the 3rd District) share the views of the Representative of the 6th District?

While this question remains unanswered, it is clear that other Bachmann apologists are coming to her defense. Andy Aplikowski of Residual Forces has decided to wade into the waters and implicitly support the views of Bachmann:

Don’t fall into the meme that the media and Obama campaign are desperate to have you bite on. Barrack Obama and many fringe liberals do not like what America is all about. Most just passively whisper it, some exercise free speech and protest, but others like Ayers and Wright, cross a line.

According to Aplikowski, liberals are either whispering about, openly protesting about, or crossing a line into anti-Americanism. It is unclear on what research his claims are based but his defense of the Bachmann attacks are perfectly clear. Furthermore, he tries to turn the tide and attack DFL Chair, Brian Melendez, for making the connection between Bachmann and McCarthy.

While Aplikowski is now on record as supporting the vitriol of Michele Bachmann, we have yet to hear from prominent Republicans in Minnesota who have long supported the rise of Bachmann nor have we heard from the McCain Campaign.

Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann
11:47 PM | Posted in ,
In reaction to the astounding comments by Representative Michele Bachmann in which she called on the media to investigate the "Anti-Americanism" of members of Congress, a new site (Censure Bachmann) appears asking viewers to sign a petition. The purpose of the petition is to demand that Congress take up a censure resolution against Bachmann.

On the October 17 episode of MSNBC's Hardball, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota claimed that Barack Obama and other members of Congress share anti-American views.

Bachmann thinks that anyone who disagrees with her personal political agenda is unpatriotic. But she is the one who has a lot to learn about what it means to love America.

Her fellow members of Congress need to take a stand and tell Michele Bachmann that her disgusting accusations have no place in our country. Tell Congress to censure Rep. Bachmann.


Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann
With her hateful remarks reverberating throughout the net and causing an amazing spike in the fundraising for her opponent, it appears as though Bachmann is prepared to defend her remarks. A story in the West Central Tribune taken from the Associated Press has a spokesperson giving this comment:

Michelle Marston, spokeswoman for Bachmann's reelection campaign, said it's "perfectly legitimate for the American people to want to know how all this informs his policy positions and what direction an Obama Administration would want to lead the nation."

It is perfectly legitimate to question the "Americanism" of a candidate based upon an association he had with a man who had 40 years earlier committed despicable acts? While it 's bad enough that she chooses to defend an attack that has been debunked time and time again but she goes further to suggest that liberal itself is tantamount to "Anti-American" even calling for an investigation of these liberals. How long will the Bachmann Campaign defend these remarks before issuing an apology? I will not hold my breath...

Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann
Michele Bachmann displayed her hateful nature on Hardball with Chris Matthews by claiming that both Michelle Obama and Barack Obama are "anti-American" due to the thoroughly debunked claim of William Ayers. She took it a step further by connecting liberals to "anti-Americanism" and suggesting that an in depth investigation should be conducted to discover who in Congress is "anti-American".

This is the result of an ongoing effort by many on the far right to demonize anyone with whom they disagree. I call on all conservatives to denounce this hateful rhetoric and to demand an apology from Michele Bachmann for sowing the seeds of hate.



Further, I put in a call to the Bachmann for Congress office ((651) 735-7512) and spoke with a young lady about these comments. She danced around the issue and finally took down my name and address. I encourage everyone to call her office and politely, I repeat POLITELY, ask if they too would be considered anti-American. Finally, you can help defeat this hatred by contributing to her opponent, Elwyn Tinklenberg.
11:18 AM | Posted in
Dean Barkley (Independence Party candidate for United States Senate) was featured on WCCO yesterday touting his independence and chastising both parties for taking their eye off the ball when it comes to the financial crisis.



The money quotes:
"They're both at fault," Barkley said. "This meltdown, they both did it. They're both asleep. Democrats wanted everyone to have a house whether they could afford it or not so they looked the other way. And Republicans, their Wall Street buddies were getting rich so they looked the other way. And look what we got. We got a mess."

At a recent debate, he hit Republican candidate Norm Coleman for many issues including the war in Iraq.

"I think that was his first trillion dollar mistake," said Barkley during the debate. "And the second was his failure to watch over the financial industry, so that was your second trillion dollar mistake. My question is how many more trillion dollar mistakes do we have to put up with?"
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10:35 AM | Posted in
More important than any 6th District debate that occurred yesterday or issues contained within that debate is that I made a brief appearance on the talking picture box. Fox 9 News had video of the debate with intermittent shots of the audience in attendance.
There I am, in my gray sweatshirt! It was a little sad, though, given that this shot exposes a developing bald spot which I have long denied and that my wife has lovingly pointed out. I blame the conservative smear merchants at Fox 9 for trying to bring me down! I will have my revenge!
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Posted below is the entire unedited version of the debate held this morning at the St. Cloud Library. I will have more commentary on the various pieces of this debate over the next few days but for now, you be the judge:

Opening Statement


Economy (Financial Crisis)


Foreign Oil (Energy Independence)


Employee Free Choice Act


Taxes (Bush Tax Cuts)


Immigration Reform


Health Care Pt. 1


Health Care Pt. 2


Oil Drilling


Closing Statements


Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann
Unfortunately, I was unable to get to Michele Bachmann after the debate to ask her questions as she was quickly surrounded by reporters and then promptly left. However, my initial reaction to this debate is that there was no clear winner. Bachmann, for all of her ideological faults, is an adept debater and came out swinging hard. I will have the debate up on my youtube page soon and you can be the judge.

Additional Thoughts:
  • Throughout the entire debate you saw an utter disinterest on the part of Bachmann. She rarely looked up unless answering a question and appeared preoccupied with a document in front of her. Towards the end of the debate you will see her check her watch and become nervous about the fact that the event might run over the schedule.
  • Either Michele is one of the most disciplined and on message politicians we have ever seen or she truly knows only a few talking points and repeats them ad nauseam. Nothing she said during this debate deviated even one word from previous statements she has made. Also, the same old attack lines of "tax and spend liberal" and big government is evil were heard to describe Elwyn Tinklenberg who by any honest assessment is not a liberal.
Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann
I will be attending the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce Debate between Tinklenberg and Bachmann tomorrow at the brand new St. Cloud Library.

In addition to video for the Youtubes, I will be twittering the debate. You can follow me on the left sidebar of Liberal in the Land of Conservative or directly on my twitter page (Political_Muse).

Also, you can join me in the official Liberal in the Land of Conservative chat room. Click on the image below and chat away (there is no sign up required).







Perhaps I will even try to get some questions answered by Bachmann. Do you have any? Leave them in the comments section...

I leave you with a little video from the archives:
1:57 PM | Posted in
It has been difficult to log posts during this heated election because I have been playing many roles in the electoral effort. Maybe this disqualifies me from being an effective blogger but I had to check in with some thoughts. The desperation in the McCain-Palin campaign is so apparent as to be white hot. The stretch involved in reaching for the recent attacks over Bill Ayers, ACORN, foreign donations etc. is worthy of the finest first baseman. With McCain's economic policy reading like a worn out shoe of standard and failed Republican ploys he has but little choice to attempt the stretch regardless. 

Palin's voice irritates me just slightly less than her whiny attacks and vapid attempts at stating policy. All in all, unless the covert calls to violence from the Republican candidate's campaign come to fruition we should see an Obama presidency elected Nov 4th and sworn in Jan 20th. However, the work will then start in earnest, as the economy is in shreds as is America's reputation in the world. Let me state it again, an Obama election is only the tip of the iceberg as far as the overall health of America is concerned and each and every one of us will have to do some serious soul searching over what we can do as individuals to help get us back on track. It will involve some sacrifice. We may, as the Minnesota Gophers football team has seen, have to take a few steps backward before we can go forward.

Practice starts now. 
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So, my 8 year old daughter and I are driving home from school today and she blurts out:

LOOK, it's a Tinkleberg sign!

I told her that his name is actually Tink-LEN-berg. Her response:

I know, but I like Tinkleberg better!

So, I asked if she would vote for Tinkleberg. Her response:

Of course, because he has a funny name...

How do you argue with that logic? We also discussed the Presidential Campaign and she informed me that she would vote for Hillary Clinton. I am fairly certain she is one of those dwindling PUMA voters!
7:43 PM | Posted in ,
On October 15th, I will be twittering the third and final Presidential Debate between John McCain and Barack Obama. While my second attempt at twittering the debate was thwarted by school meetings that ran longer than expected there are no such meetings tomorrow and am ready to rumble. As usual, my twitter cohort Jeff Rosenberg of Twin Cities Daily Liberal will join me.

Don't know what Twitter is? It is a social networking/short messaging service that you can sign up for and use to follow people.

You can follow me on Twitter at Political_Muse or you can keep track of comments on the left sidebar here on Liberal in the Land of Conservative. However, if you are looking for serious commentary of each candidate, then you have come to the wrong place. My Twitter is meant for mockery and high levels of sarcasm!

Also, you can join me in the official Liberal in the Land of Conservative chat room. Click on the image below and chat away (there is no sign up required).

Geesee CHAT
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Michele Bachmann has sent out an urgent message to her supporters begging for more cash in order to remain the absent representative from the 6th Congressional District:

Dear Friends:

We appear to be witnessing an October surprise here in MN-06 and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann needs your help now – before the reporting period ends on Wednesday, October 15th.

I know that the conventional wisdom has been that the Bachmann seat would be one of the safer Republican seats this year. And, for good reason: for months, things have looked extraordinarily good, particularly thanks to strong financial support from people like you.

In contrast, our opponent’s fundraising has been somewhat anemic. And, his inability to raise much on his own helped to ensure that outside money would find other more promising races to fund.

Apparently, he’s only been biding his time.

He released his 3rd Quarter report today and his fundraising has picked up phenomenally. In fact, in the five-week period between filing of the pre-primary report and the end of September, he raised $312,560. That’s double what he raised in the five-week pre-primary period.

In fact, it far exceeds anything he raised in any of the full quarters this cycle.

He’s already attracting outside money. Alliance for a Better Minnesota – a liberal front group – is running television ads smearing Michele Bachmann’s record. And, the NRCC is reportedly shifting money to cover Michele Bachmann’s race.

A Republican victory in Minnesota’s Sixth District is far from a done deal. In fact, this race has become the last line of defense for Republicans.

It can still be a strong win – but we need your help and we need it now! Please go online and make a secure online donation at www.michelebachmann.com or FedEx your contribution to:

Bachmann for Congress
6053 Hudson Road
Suite 360
Woodbury, MN 55125

The end of the Pre-General Reporting Period is Wednesday, October 15th. We need your help to make this a strong one and keep the 527s and DCCC from pouring millions into this race in a final push to turn it from Red to Blue.

Please do not hesitate to call me at 651-735-7512 if you have any questions. Thank you for your prompt reply.

Sincerely,
Zandra Wolcott
Finance Director
Bachmann for Congress


With Elwyn Tinklenberg being added to the DCCC Red to Blue list and Michele Bachmann beginning to show some panic, there just may be hope for the 6th Congressional District. Tinklenberg needs to keep hammering home her far right agenda as well as the fact that Bachmann has largely ignored the district in order to build herself a national reputation. Now is the time to ante up and donate to a Elwyn Tinklenberg who is starting to take the fight to Bachmann.

Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann
6:52 PM | Posted in ,
While some bloggers would like you to believe that sign vandalism is the domain of one political party, this is actually a bipartisan problem:

From my inbox
:

Attached is a picture of the handiwork of some of our domestic terrorists in Becker, Mn. This is the eighth sign I have had vandalized or stolen, as have several other neighbors. The McCain signs in the neighborhood have never been touched.
While there may be a prevalence of theft on one side or the other in different areas of the state, there is little doubt that folks on either side are guilty of vandalism. If you have any examples of sign vandals (whether they are liberal or conservative), you can send them to me and I will post them here.
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6:15 PM | Posted in ,
There was a pity party taking place in the St. Cloud Times today as an LTE asks voters (specifically, voters that disagree) to stop demanding contact with our representative in the 6th District and just accept that she will not be coming home.
Opponents seem to want Michele in the district constantly. Was she elected to go to Washington to represent the district or simply stay in the district?
No, sir, people don't want her in the district constantly but would like occasional contact with their elected representative. This does not have to be an either/or situation and as usual I direct you to take a look at Tim Walz in the 1st District. The fact remains that there have been no more than a handful of constituent contacts made by Michele Bachmann in her short tenure while Walz has held almost constant personal contact with constituents while holding down three times the committee assignments in Washington.

Opponents say she embarrasses them because she doesn't buy into the global warming. Have you heard or read that more than 32,000 scientists agree with her? Have you heard that global warming by humans cannot be proven, replicated scientifically?
Have you heard that those 32,000 "scientists" are really no more than 32,000 non-believers who have done exactly zero research in the field of climate science?

Opponents are upset about Michele affectionately kissing President Bush at a State of the Union address. Were they upset when Monica Lewinsky was under Clinton's desk? I think not!
Excuse me, WTF? I'm not even sure how to respond to the nonsense contained within this passage.

Opponents ridiculed Michele when she stated that drilling would drive down oil. If you uncover your eyes and ears you might notice oil prices going down. Speculation experts and economists familiar with the matter predicted that.
If you uncover your eyes and ears you might notice that the drop in oil prices had to do with the plummeting economy and not the imaginary "Drill, Baby, Drill" chants of Bachmann and Co.

Opponents ridiculed Michele for not supporting the bailout. Well, again I ask opponents to uncover their eyes and ears. The market is still going down and the underlying problems have not been corrected.

She, along with other Republicans and Democrats voted against the bailout because the adopted measure simply had not been thought through and contain real fixes to underlying problems. She, along with some Republicans and Democrats who opposed the measure, would vote for a good fix.

The problem is, sir, that Bachmann doesn't even understand what the underlying problems are and is more apt to blame poor people and the ever popular Bill Clinton for all of our ills rather than work together to find a solution.

Opponents have criticized her for her stance against earmarks. Earmarking has proved to be a corruptive practice, and opponents can't see that? Other legislators who agree surround Michele.

Opponents make ridiculous claims about Michele's voting record. Perhaps if opponents read the legislation along with poison pill amendments they just might just agree with her.

I have to wonder if this stuff is prepackaged from the Bachmann Campaign itself given the use of the EXACT same talking points used by them and this letter. Also, I would love to hear about some of these poison pill amendments that made Bachmann vote against everything from Children's Health Insurance to Mental Health Parity to the minimum wage.

In other news, the Tinklenberg Campaign has reported that they hauled in over $1 million dollars so far this cycle with over $400,000 this past quarter.

Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann

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5:15 PM | Posted in , ,
The last time I wrote about the polling being conducted in my birth state of North Dakota there was a strange phenomenon taking place with Barack Obama running in a statistical dead heat with John McCain. However, the addition of Sarah Palin had not been polled and as I expected, McCain surged ahead in the next few polls and it appeared that the strange blip was over. Within weeks Obama even pulled his campaign staff from the state and relocated them to other areas of the country.

New polling from Minnesota State University Moorhead looks as though the statistical dead heat has returned. Once again, I say that if McCain cannot hold onto a state like North Dakota that hasn't voted Democratic in over 40 years and that Bush won by over 30%, then he is in for an absolute beat down.

This image, from electoral-vote.com:
Both Dailykos and Talking Points Memo have begun noticing this blip and while it certainly could be nothing more than an anomoly it is an interesting phenomenon that has not been given much notice by the rest of the media.
9:58 PM | Posted in
On Saturday, we took the kids to the Corn Maze down in Shakopee. Each year they have a different theme and given that this is an election year, they created a White House with the names of the two Presidential contenders. You can click on the image to the left to view a larger image of the maze.

From the pit filled with dried corn to the hay bail maze to the actual maze a good time is a guarantee. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a family friendly outing...


Some pics from the day:
My middle child makes the big leap from one bail to the next.




















My father successfully found one of the markers. Give him a break, 1 out of 26 ain't bad!
Fun in the corn pit


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9:30 PM | Posted in ,
Dean Barkley gave a speech to a network of congregations scattered throughout St. Paul/Minneapolis and the surrounding area known as ISAIAH. Barkley spoke about hope and his accomplishments during the Ventura Administration. Some of those achievements included expanding Minnesota Care and transportation.

He expressed his worries about a country heading in the wrong direction and slammed both parties that have been bickering about blame rather than talking about solutions. While he offered no promises due to the near bankruptcy of the country but offered hope that we can turn things around and make a difference.

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9:25 PM | Posted in ,
Al Franken gave a speech to a network of congregations scattered throughout St. Paul/Minneapolis and the surrounding area known as ISAIAH. Perhaps I am missing something that a whole host of other DFLers see in Franken but this speech certainly wasn't it. By the end of the speech I was quite a bit more confused. There was no substance to this speech apart from a catchy tag line:

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9:20 PM | Posted in ,
Senator Amy Klobuchar gave a speech to a network of congregations scattered throughout St. Paul/Minneapolis and the surrounding area known as ISAIAH.


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3:06 PM | Posted in
I just arrived at the St. Paul RiverCentre and will be liveblogging the ISAIAH Time To Believe Gathering.

3:07: Reverend Grant Stevenson is giving his opening remarks...

What is ISAIAH?
ISAIAH is people of faith acting powerfully in the world, casting a stirring vision of a vital faith community that has the courage to declare, commit and act upon a set of values. Those values will transform the dominant culture of despair, scarcity and fear, replacing it with a vision of community, hope and God’s abundance for all people.

3:15: "All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing" -Edmund Burke
Various speakers give their perspectives on racism and injustice in their lives and in our country. The overarching message though, is to move beyond this situation and fight for the American Dream for everyone.

Also liveblogging this event is a group called My Main Street News.

3:22: "I've Got Work To Do" by the Isley Brothers
This is the theme of the gathering here today and is given by Reverend Kelly Chatman of Redeemer Lutheran Church.

We want affordable housing for everybody...
We want domestic violence to end...
We want health care for everybody...
We want immigration reform...
We want a transportation system that works for everybody...
We want living wage jobs...

All of these were responded to with the refrain, "I've Got Work To Do". We want a Minnesota that is equal for everybody.

3:36: Reverend James Thomas of Mount Olivet Baptist Church speaks about the division of his community by the creation of I94 and demands that this does not happen again with the creation of light rail.

3:38: Sarah Mullins of St. Thomas More Catholic Church speaks about racial inequity and transportation.

"I don't know how to get 100% of the people 100% of the transportation they need"
3:41: ISAIAH is committed to enough stops along Central Corridor to serve the community, maintaining bus service, and living wage jobs and contracts for neighborhood residents.

3:43: Bruce Koehn of Pax Christi Catholic Church is speaking about his difficulties providing insurance at his small business.

"I am committed to being part of the solution."

3:46: ISAIAH is launching a Healthy Communities Campaign to:
  • address health disparities across race and class
  • end domestic violence
3:52: ISAIAH is calling officials to:
  • end the raids that tear apart our communities.
  • comprehensive & just immigration reform.

Politicians in attendance: Amy Klobuchar, Dean Barkley, Al Franken, Margaret Anderson Kelliher, and a few others I did not hear...

Margaret Anderson Kelliher: The divides that we face can be broken down...
We must work together to build a better community. Everybody deserves a better and fair education. Everybody deserves universal health care in this state. We are committed to a healthier Minnesota. We cannot live in a society that does not focus on health.

4:17: I will have video up later of speeches given by Dean Barkley, Al Franken, Senator Amy Klobuchar.

4:28: Elected officials as well as attendants are breaking off to different areas for discussion about a racially equitable St. Paul.

I'm signing off for now but later I will have a review of this event and this organization as well as some video.

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The money line:

Joe Biden: "In my neighborhood, where I came from when you got to say something to a man you look him in the eye and say it to him"
I have been saying for some time that, in my opinion, the way to defeat Michele Bachmann is to hammer home the fact that she is notably absent from the district that she is purported to represent. Even now, during the height of a campaign, she prefers to conduct a campaign from afar. It appears as though the Tinklenberg Campaign is taking this advice to heart:



Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann
7:30 AM | Posted in
Those damn Harvard educated academics can really throw down!


WOW, the conservative base is going to LOVE this idea! I'm just curious John, are you trying to get zero votes?


Wait until these folks hear that his middle name is HUSSEIN! Scary middle names trump economic issues EVERY TIME!
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9:50 PM | Posted in , ,
A few days ago I posted the St. Cloud Times Editorial Board interviews for House District 15A & 15B candidates with some commentary on those particular races and a prediction about who will be given the endorsement. The St. Cloud Times also did interviews for its endorsements in the House District 14A and 14B races.

In House District 14A you have incumbent Dan Severson (R) going up against Rob Jacobs (DFL). This is a race that is absolutely winnable for Jacobs given his more conservative stances on social issues and the manner in which he has been running his campaign. When you couple that with the problems Severson has with blatant racism, spelling, imposing government even on "traditional" marriage, and perhaps being only the body put forward to fill the seat you have a candidate ripe for defeat.

In House District 14B you have incumbent Larry Hosch (DFL) going up against Jim Stauber (R). I haven't written anything about this race or even much about either of these candidates. However, I have met Larry on several occasions and I can attest to his absolute commitment to getting things done for his constituents and for Minnesota. One interesting thing to watch during these interviews is the number of times (especially during the YES/NO questions) Jim Stauber looks to Dan Severson in order to find out which answer is authorized.

I have cut the full interview into the subsequent questions. However, you will have to forgive the same introduction being added to each question so as to give proper source attribution. Also, it should be noted that the above maps come from Politics in Minnesota.

Candidate Introductions:


Question #1: What are your specific plans for education funding?


Question #2: What specifically (taxes? formula? bill? idea?) are you going to do to fix education funding?


Question #3: What are your specific solutions and what approaches would you support or oppose with regards to the budget deficit?


Question #4: Identify the two areas that you would look to for cuts.


Question #5: What is your position regarding the election and appointment of Minnesota judges?

Editorial Note: This seems like a very random question that will have little bearing on the decision most people will have in voting for an individual.

Question #6: What is your solution to overcoming the partisan divide?


This portion is a series of YES/NO questions:


Closing Statements:


My predictions, for what they are worth: In 14A, Rob Jacobs (DFL) and in 14B, Larry Hosch get the endorsement from the St. Cloud Times. Who do you think will be endorsed and why? Who deserves endorsement and why? Who deserves to be elected and why?