Showing posts with label Election 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Election 2010. Show all posts

More On That Revealing Tweet...
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7:00 AM | Posted in , ,
On Sunday I posted an interesting tweet from Representative Tom Emmer indicating that he would have Minnesota not participate in a "federal health plan". From the statement, it was unclear as to which federal health plan he was referring and I patiently await an answer to clear things up.


There is another, slightly humorous, FAIL element to this story which I conveniently left out yesterday. Very quickly after this tweet and several others by Representative Emmer were sent out and I began questioning them, they disappeared. I was able to preserve them from my tweetdeck and they are featured on the left but why did they disappear? Was there something in them that Emmer thought twice about posting?

Aside from the idea of removing us from Medicare, Medicaid, and Vet federal health plans there wasn't anything I could see which was terribly offensive or inappropriate. What then could be the reason for removing all of these messages?

After some very serious searching and exhaustive investigative measures were taken (not really, but I like to sound like I was putting a lot of time into this) I discovered that it wasn't Emmer after all. Apparently, someone named Harry Niska had hijacked the Emmer account. OK, Maybe he hadn't hijacked it but I still am wondering why he has access to the twitter account of Tom Emmer. Are Emmer's tweets not his own?
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A Revealing Tweet...
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10:13 AM | Posted in , , ,
An interesting tweet scrolled across my screen yesterday from potential Republican Gubernatorial nominee, Tom Emmer, in regards to "federal health care plans":



What is not clear from this particular tweet is to WHICH federal health care plan Mr. Emmer is referring. Is Emmer referring to Medicare which is a federal health care plan? Is Emmer referring to Medicaid which is at least partially federal? Or, is Emmer referring to the federal health care plan for veterans?

One wonders how seniors, the poor, and veterans will react to the potential of having their federal health care plans pulled out from under them by a Governor Emmer in the name of states rights. 
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That's My Representative...
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Aren't we proud here in the 6th District of Minnesota? While Democrats came to the floor yesterday prior to the debate on Health Care legislation for simple procedural statements, our very own Michele Bachmann tripped over herself to object to each and every one. In some cases objecting before the speaker had even opened their mouth. Ah, the pride we feel about our freedom loving representative:



Interrupting the legislative process is not something new for Bachmann. Let us hearken back to when she was in the Minnesota State Senate:



You gotta love her definition of freedom...
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Mob Rule
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By Taxpayingliberal

Michelle Bachmann held a press conference on the steps of the Capital last Thursday. It was called a press conference because she failed to get a permit for a rally. Freedom loving Americans won’t allow legal technicalities to get in the way of their right to threaten anybody they see as un-American. This press conference was made to show the power of the mob.

Bachmann loves the mob. It’s this mob that gives her power and she feeds it and it feeds her. The mob is mindless, angry, and confused and in it Bachmann feels that the mob can give her the power that the democratic system has denied her. The mob sends her money and brings her fame. The mob is followed by TV cameras and Bachmann was made for TV. In Congress her vote is meaningless. She has yet to author, co-sponsor, or sign onto a single meaningful bill, a failure by any definition of the word.

But on the street she has power. The mob shouts that the President is both a Marxist and National Socialist and Bachmann smiles and tells them they are “beautiful” and they love her for it. The mob says the President is not an American and Bachmann tells them that they need to be armed and dangerous and they have been waiting years to hear that. The mob says the President is both a Muslim and part of the Jewish conspiracy and Bachmann tells them to go forth and spread the word.

Bachmann didn’t create the mob, that job was done by others most notably Fox News. But Bachmann saw that the mob had no leader and that opportunity was hers for the taking. History is filled with examples where the mob elevated the leader to power. The signs that the mob is carrying show two examples of the mob giving power, Hitler and Mao. The fact that they are using the same technique that elevated these tyrants is lost on them but not on her.

A mob feeds on hate and Bachmann is a master at channeling their fears. Turning the mobs anger towards minorities is her stock and trade and she wouldn’t be standing here today if she hadn’t mastered it. The teabaggers are the mother lode of modern mobs. It’s the first corporate sponsored mob in history since the 3rd Crusade. She’s brought them here under the pretext of opposing a bill. But she knows that they are here for a very different reason. They are here because they fear the future. They say they are here because the future will be controlled by a god hating Muslim, Jewish, Rev. Wright Christian, Maoist, Nazi, new world order liberal. They are really here because of racism. And in Bachmann's home district there is no problem with that.

Bachmann and her mob have no equal. There is no effective response to the mob because the opponents dismiss the mob. They continue to cling to the hope that sanity and reason will prevail and it’s that hope that allows the mob to grow unchecked. “Bachmann is crazy” they say, yet she has not lost an election since her first for school board many years ago. Bachmann knows that she will find plenty of demons for the mob to hate and feed on while her opponents will bank on moderation to inspire their campaigns. In the end as Bachmann knows, hate is her best bet to win.
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Demanding Apology From Bachmann...
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Representative Steve Israel is calling on Representative Bachmann to apologize for the use of Holocaust imagery during the rally she organized against health care reform on Thursday, November 5th.

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I Brought You Into This World...
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I can take you out!

I assume that most of us at one point or another growing up heard this phrase from our parents. It was that warning to you that you had better behave yourself and do what you are told or else you might be punished by those who created you. Unfortunately, some of us have not learned that lesson well.

It was nearly six months ago that this blog brought Maureen Reed into this world by announcing her candidacy publicly and creating buzz throughout the blogosphere. Without that announcement, her roll out might well have been quieter and thus less effective. At the outset, I was excited about this candidate whom I helped into this world and have held back in going full force in for Tarryl Clark who came later to challenge her for the DFL nomination. That is to say, until now...

It is time to take Dr. Reed out of this race. As of yet, she has added little or nothing of substance to the conversation of issues. A young man I spoke with on the phone the other night touted her lack of a voting record as the reason we should be supporting her over State Senator Tarryl Clark. That's right, support me because I stand for nothing thus cannot be attacked for anything. Reed has been so vague, in fact, that Eric Black made it the focus of his interview write up:

Dr. Maureen Reed, candidate for both the DFL and Independence Party endorsements for Congress in the 6th District, will not say whether she will abide by the endorsement process, says that on abortion it would be inaccurate to characterize her as either pro-life or pro-choice, and is unwilling to express a preference among the various ways to get to universal health care.

Being vague is perhaps something we could understand at this point in the game and claiming that a lack of voting record might make for a decent reason to claim you can avoid certain attacks (although I can guarantee that will not stop Bachmann). However, using the same playbook that one would find in the conservative blogosphere is entirely unacceptable:

Reed says Clark's electoral success is limited to one of the most liberal pockets of the district. Clark won her St. Cloud Senate seat in a 2005 special election. She won re-election in 2006, and is currently the assistant Senate majority leader.

So, if Dr. Reed has decided to go all in and use the classic conservative playbook which Bachmann would use against HER regardless of whether she is a conservative, moderate, or liberal Democrat then this blog and this Democrat are officially going to go all in for Senator Tarryl Clark.

So, I say to my friends who have been sitting on the fence with me patiently awaiting for this race to begin, it has begun and the opening attack was thrown by the candidate who has NEVER won an election and whose mere existence on the ballot in 2006 helped to re-elect Governor Tim Pawlenty. It's time to take her out and you can begin by clicking on the banner above to donate to Senator Tarryl Clark...
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The Future Governor
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10:14 PM | Posted in ,
By Jeremiah Liend

The future governor will be a creature evolved past politics. He who governs least governs most leaves us a governless people. The future will be commanded by pioneers, not by politicians. We have given them their chance and their system a fair shot, but we cannot survive without advancement. We live in a global society and in the eyes of nature we are all of us equals. The horizons will not be explored by a party member. The parties are not working.

For whatever reason, our fundamental craving for conflict has polarized us on a number of silly issues. We are being manipulated by agendas not our own. What is a Republican? What is a Democrat? Fail to sell them food and they are both of them starving. Global famine ravages the third world and I cannot imagine trying to explain the parties to the hungry.

“You see the Republicans have a modestly more conservative stance on civil liberties, and the Democrats fight, very casually, to get elected again.”

The party is going on even while we shoot people. The party is happening when you sleep. The partiers rally around the bullies in the playground and chide one another for whatever ill conceived wrong grown people can throw at one another. The American Dream is out there somewhere on the fringe. Waiting to see when the party will end. Looking at the clock and wishing everyone would go home. The party is rich men and women in expensive suits negotiating our ability to live. Who deserves to be healthy. The price we put on death. Over cocktails and sushi and steak they barter our freedoms while trying to contend with the surreal acceptance of it. The Status Quo of the party has mired us, as a people, and we need to begin electing powerful ideas, and idealists. Individuals with a Plan.

We are left to redefine the dream and resurrect it’s greatest tenants. How do you create business? America knows how to create business, it simply chooses not to. Industry has been given to the less developed nations to provide us with a variety of shoes. Our lavish existence has created a false covenant with materialism. Humanist pack rats collecting and trading things to get other things. Cast aside the wool Pepsi and Coke have placed over your eyes, blinding you as sure as diabetes one day will. How do you create business? You make things people like and then you sell it to them. The mystery is a fallacy! I have the solution!

We make factories to make factories. We harvest the only commodity that will matter in the future; Power, from natural resources and then sell it to people who need it. We will make electric car factories. Solar dirigibles. Colossal kinetic harvesting arrays. Not a series of plants building slightly different variations of last years models. Factories like we want to make things. The shipping containers will go the other way. We will ship them out of Duluth to anywhere, and by and through the grace of the global market we will be rich. I would work in an electric car factory, wouldn’t you? Get a living wage for once in your check to check existence? Wouldn’t it be nice not to worry about losing your home? Wouldn’t it be nice to provide your child with everything they need? Including a future?

The Republicans are partners to industry and the free market, and lack but ideas to lend form to their grand scheme of global financial dominance. He who governs least governs not at all. The Future Governor must lead both parties if we are to have an accord. The Democrats are champions of the people, and lack but the confidence to commit to a plan. Without the partisanship and illusory conflict between the parties we can fire into office and station an individual battling for the whole, the all, the everything. The Future Governor will Govern the Future and I will show you the way.
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Clark Counter Fundraising...
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Just received this in my inbox from the Clark Campaign:

Earlier this week, Michele Bachmann sent an emergency email to her radical supporters asking them to "send a message" to the rest of us. It raised more than $100,000 for her reelection campaign.

Now I’m asking you to send Michele Bachmann a message: forward this message to five friends and ask them to sign up for our campaign or to donate today. Ask them to join the thousands who have already stepped up to join our campaign, to finally bring an end to Michele Bachmann's brand of inflammatory politics and bring back common sense.

I've said all along, we're going to win this campaign on the ground, and that's going to take our own army of support. We're already well on our way - but we need your help. Join our campaign today, and ask your friends to join us as well.

Even with Michele Bachman’s national network pullling out all the stops, we're neck-and-neck in this campaign. In just 9 weeks we matched her nearly dollar for dollar and built a network of thousands ready to take her on. That's exactly what it’s going to take to win - so let's do it again. Please send Michele a message and make a contribution to our campaign today.

Seriously people, its time to step it up and get to donating...
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Send A Message To Bachmann
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I noticed today that Representative Bachmann sent out a fundraising blast (obviously because she was scared into it by the fundraising numbers of Tarryl Clark):

Send them a message they simply cannot ignore. Make a contribution today to the woman that drives the Left CRAZY. Please give what you can to show Washington that Michele Bachmann stands for the Constitution and she stands for the People! Help her stand strong against the Left’s march toward socialism!


As a member of the left I can assure you Representative, you don't drive me CRAZY. It's more like the look you get from people when you have done something so monumentally stupid that they can do nothing but stare in disbelief.


Anyway, my thought is, why aren't we countering this Bachmann fundraising drive by holding a Tarryl Clark fundraising drive? Come on people, you can visit either the Act Blue page set up for Clark or you can go directly to her website. We cannot allow this Bachmann fundraising push to go unanswered...
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Entenza Wins Ranger Straw Poll...
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5:47 PM | Posted in , ,
According to Aaron Brown of Minnesota Brown, the premier blog covering northeastern Minnesota, there was a straw poll held in Itasca County on Thursday, October 8. Given that we have two range candidates on the DFL side, you would think that one or the other would come away as the winner. You'd be wrong...

I was speaking in a different corner of the Range yesterday but heard this morning that the straw poll yielded an interesting result:

Matt Entenza won. Iron Range legislators Tom Rukavina and Tom Bakk finished second and third, respectively. Other candidates there included Susan Gaertner, Steve Kelley, Mark Dayton and Paul Thissen (though I don't know how the rest finished in the poll).


Brown adds a caveat...

Now this result is fascinating to me, but should also include an asterisk. The candidates who weren't there: Margaret Anderson Kelliher, John Marty and R.T. Rybak are all people I predict will carry some level of support in Itasca County and greater Minnesota in general (particularly Kelliher, with her farm roots, and Marty, with his support from progressive groups). Their absence affected the outcome.

While I would not necessarily disagree with Brown, it seems equally as likely that those candidates not there would have taken more votes from the other candidates and the Entenza victory would still have happened. Regardless, the support for Matt is out there. All he has to do is continue building...
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Severson For Secretary of State
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I caught this little piece of 2010 election news in my google reader today:

Severson ponders secretary of state bid

SAUK RAPIDS — Rep. Dan Severson of Sauk Rapids has filed the paperwork to explore a run for secretary of state.

Severson would be seeking the Republican nomination to challenge DFLer Mark Ritchie, who was elected in 2006.


While I hate to pile on this early, it seemed like a good time to take a little stroll down Dan Severson memory lane. What have I learned about Representative Severson in the past year and a half?
To top it off, there are the numerous reports that come to me from unrelated sources indicating that Severson is really just the face and his wife truly wields all the power from behind the scenes. So, we have a guy who appears to hate Mexican Americans, Arab Americans, and homosexuals and we are supposed to entrust him to keeping elections fair and ensuring that ALL Minnesotans have the right and opportunity to cast a vote? I don't think so...

Learn more about Severson and stop back from time to time as 2010 elections near...
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Entenza At Drinking Liberally...
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5:27 PM | Posted in , ,
While I have never been to Drinking Liberally (maybe someday), I notice that Matt Entenza stopped by last week and gave a great speech about why he is running and how we will solve a few of the problems we currently face in the state of Minnesota.



Check out his campaign site to learn more...
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Entenza For Governor
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6:00 AM | Posted in , , ,
If you had asked me this summer who I liked among the numerous DFL gubernatorial candidates and potential candidates, I would not have had a clear answer as I have been frustrated by the seeming lack of a viable out state candidate. However, there was one name in the group that I had a visceral reaction against and that was Matt Entenza. Between the stories I had read, the Entenza mythology associated with those stories, and the feeling that he was just another Twin Cities candidate, there was something there that made me count him out even more than others as someone I could support. That was until I had the chance to meet him and talk with him.

Now, to be clear, I have no preconceived notion that an endorsement from me or this blog carries any weight amongst DFL circles or even amongst the general population but I felt it necessary to speak out in favor of a man for whom I had previously negative opinions.

It was at the annual Divots for Democrats fund raiser that I was able to meet and talk with Mr. Entenza for an extended period of time. Rather than working a room filled with more important and more influential Democrats than I, Entenza stood outside the room with myself and a friend of mine to talk. We talked some politics but for the most part we just engaged in small talk. It was a comfortable conversation about home towns, my disdain for the tv show Scrubs vs. his love of that show (which still might make me vote against him), and a sprinkle of education policy. He didn't give me the fake canned talking points that so many politicians resort to when engaging in one on one interactions. I left that event with an entirely new perspective and new appreciation about who Matt Entenza is and about whether or not I could support his candidacy. The Entenza mythology that floats around out there just didn't appear to hold any water.

That isn't the only factor which has lead me to choose Entenza for 2010...

When it comes to issues there is no single issue more important to me than education. In fact, a large percentage of my vote is based upon who the best education candidate will be. Based on that criteria, Entenza immediately rose to the top of the pack even amongst DFL candidates normally known for their friendly public education stances. The think tank he founded, Minnesota 2020, is the gold standard for anyone looking to understand the reasons we need to invest in public education. I fully expect Entenza will bring this research and this policy perspective to the Governor's office.

With so many decent choices for Governor (I had a particularly enjoyable interaction with Tom Rukavina at the state fair) there really aren't any completely WRONG choices in my humble opinion. For my part though, I have decided that the best choice for education and therefore the best choice for the state, is Matt Entenza.
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Tink Disappointed He Has Competition?
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Eric Black reported this statement from Tinklenberg Campaign Manager, Dana Houle, in a piece about the seemingly imminent entrance of Tarryl Clark to the 6th District race:

[My question to Houle: Assuming Clark does get in, how does it change the race:]

“It would distract us from running full-time against Michele Bachmann, which would be unfortunate, but if we have to fight for the nomination, that’s what we’ll do.”

First, what do you mean by running "full-time against Bachmann"? As far as I can tell and as far as I have seen the only thing that Tinklenberg has been doing is sending out fund raising emails. In fact, there hasn't even been any official announcement that he is running for 2010. Now I recognize that I am not in the upper echelon of the DFL and you may be doing some networking of which I am not aware but at this point what I see is a nationally driven campaign without much local support.

Second, you already have competition in Dr. Maureen Reed so I am not sure I understand how one can claim that a third competitor makes your path to the DFL endorsement any more distracting. Are you planning to ignore Reed?

I see, apparently you are...

Finally, as a voting member of this district I find it somewhat offensive to suggest that choice is somehow a bad thing and that we ought to just all get out of the way and let the person who has previously lost the endorsement once and lost the general election once to try for a third time.

As I have indicated previously, I am not getting behind any candidate right now but if an attitude of entitlement is what Tinklenberg and his people are going to portray when it comes to the DFL endorsement then we can quickly cross him off the list.
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Seifert Concedes Defeat...
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4:50 PM | Posted in , ,
With the ascendancy of Tony Sutton and Michael Brodkorb to the top of the Republican Party in Minnesota, the promise appeared to be one of rebuilding the party and regaining a majority in the Minnesota legislature. Just recently, Sutton proclaimed that there were "hopeful signs" for the party as it heads into the 2010 election cycle. Perhaps someone should have told Representative Marty Seifert...



During one of his gubernatorial kick off events in St. Cloud, Seifert heralded the belief that Minnesotans enjoy political balance in their government. It was for this reason, he claimed, that we needed a Republican Governor (presumably the Republican he is speaking of is himself).

While it may be true that Minnesotans like some balance within their government which many of us believe leads to better results through compromise, it is also somewhat strange for the leader of a party to openly concede that his party will not regain a majority and that their only hope is the Governor's office. So, at this point the argument set forward by Seifert is because we are not going to win the legislature back we really need to elect ME as Governor in order to provide that balance. One wonders, if the legislature were to be retaken by the Republican Party, then would Seifert still be heralding balance and the need for a Democratic Governor?

Also, does anybody wonder if Tony Sutton and Michael Brodkorb have given up on the legislature for 2010?
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Overheard At Seifert Presser...
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2:39 PM | Posted in , ,
Yesterday I ventured out to the St. Cloud Public Library in order to hear and video one of a series of Marty Seifert gubernatorial kick off events. Given that it is relatively early in the process, the attendees were a collection of conservative party activists and officials ready to hear from one of their own.

Seifert, for his part, made a point to work the room before his prepared remarks by meeting and briefly talking with nearly everyone that was in the room. What resulted from this meet and greet were a couple of rather interesting overheard conversations.


First, there was the man pictured above who suggested to Seifert that if he ultimately gained the Republican endorsement that it would be a good idea to get Governor Sarah Palin to come to the state and campaign with him. A good idea? Perhaps among the base, a bring in Palin strategy would work but given her rather low standing among Independents and the nature of the Minnesota electorate it may lose more votes than it actually gains.

Second, was the interesting back and forth with someone else in the back of the room in which Seifert mocked the artwork of Lucy Slivinski. When told that it was actually a piece of artwork, Seifert chuckled and proclaimed that he would make sure not to bring it up.




From the Great River website:

Slivinski designed the screen of the art primarily of automobile exhaust pipes and lenses from traffic signals. The entire model is used from recycled materials and the display will incorporate vines draping over the complete piece of art. Slivinski assembled the entire sculpture in her Chicago studio; she then transported the art in four separate truck loads to St. Cloud.

"My art will enhance the existing architecture," said Slivinski, "by creating fluid energy on this corner of the building and being further enhanced through the course of the seasons with a growing vine."


It's amazing what you overhear when waiting quietly for a press conference to start...
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Maureen Reed: $230,000 In 8 Weeks
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From the inbox this morning, it appears as though potential 6th District candidate, Maureen Reed, has raised over $230,000 in roughly 8 weeks:

Congressional Candidate Maureen Reed announced today that she raised over $230,000 in the first eight weeks of her campaign. Reed’s announcement sets a sizzling pace for DFL fundraising in the Sixth District Congressional race.

“When I talk to residents in the sixth district, it’s clear they are ready for a change and want a candidate who has the energy, commitment and dedication to improve their lives,” said Reed. “When folks see a way they can change things for the better, they are generous with their time, energy and money. I am grateful that so many people believe I am the person who will change things for the better.”

Reed added that after traveling the district and talking to numerous people from all walks of life, she found that people “…want business expansion, job growth, increased home ownership and lower health care costs, and that’s exactly why I’m running for Congress.”

Maureen and her husband, Dr. Jim Hart, have lived near Stillwater for almost 30 years. They have volunteered with the Washington County Medical Reserve Corps for several years. As a member of the Medical Reserve Corps, Maureen was part of a team that provided medical care to victims in the aftermath of the I35W bridge collapse.

In addition to practicing medicine in the Twin Cities, Maureen served as President of Aspen Medical Group and Medical Director of HealthPartners, and chaired the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. Dr. Reed was born in southern Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota undergraduate and medical schools.

Reed is challenging incumbent Michele Bachmann and seeking the endorsement of the DFL and the Independence Party. The campaign will file its official results with the Federal Election Commission by July 15.

Reed continues to bring in impressive fundraising numbers. Time will tell whether those numbers translate into endorsement and a competitive race with Bachmann...
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Seifert Response To Smear Campaign
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12:04 PM | Posted in , , ,
Yesterday I noticed that potential gubernatorial candidate, Marty Seifert, would be appearing at the St. Cloud Public Library as part of the kick off for his campaign to replace Governor Pawlenty in 2010. As soon as I made it known that I would be there and hoped to ask questions of Representative Seifert, email messages and twitter messages came to me with potential questions to pose to the candidate.

One of the frequently suggested questions was about the growing story that Seifert and his allies may have been engaged in a smear campaign behind the scenes and throughout the blogs to discredit potential Republican competitor, Representative Laura Brod. For the backstory on these allegations, you can visit both Brian Falldin and Dusty Trice who have done some great work digging into this interesting series of events.

Seifert took very few questions at the event and indicated to me that my question would be next. However, on the sidelines Jim Knobloch began whispering with Steve Gottwalt and gesturing in my direction and as Seifert was about to call on me Knobloch abruptly ended the news conference and shuffled Seifert out of the room. Luckily, I was able to catch up to him out in the hall and get this response from him:



When I returned home I also learned that Representative Brod, due to health concerns, has chosen not to run for Governor. Does this only increase speculation that the smear campaign was ultimately successful or does it put this story to rest?

While I do not know Representative Brod, I wish her the best and hope for a speedy recovery...
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From The Archives: Seifert & Jungbauer
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With every passing day the field of potential gubernatorial candidates grows on both the left and the right. It is still far too early to predict clear front runners, but it is never too early to dig through the archives for potential footage of candidates.

First, we have top tier candidate, Marty Seifert, who has already gone through a bit of a firestorm with accusations swirling that he and his team are coordinating an attack on potential challenger, Representative Laura Brod.

From the archives, I dug up this little gem in which Seifert likens himself to Luke Skywalker and speculates that Larry Pogemiller could be his father. Who knows, in this convoluted little analogy Laura Brod might be Princess Leia but at this point it is clearly speculative.

Does Seifert truly believe that he is locked in a battle between good and evil and if so, has he been putting the moves on a woman who he later found to be his sister? Where does Steve Gottwalt fit into the picture? Is he Chewbacca or perhaps C3PO? Would anyone be terribly offended if we made Mark Olson Jar Jar Binks?

More importantly, who is yoda in the minority party? I'm taking suggestions...



Second, we have long shot candidate, Mike Jungbauer, who has barely registered on the radar thus far.

The only reason I have any knowledge whatsoever of Jungbauer is from a global warming denial forum he hosted in April of 2008 with disgraced representative, Mark Olson. Highlights of the event included the implication that Al Gore is, in fact, a Nazi propagandist and other such denial nonsense. You can read the full series of posts on this particular forum HERE.

Jungbauer didn't speak much apart from a brief introduction where he provided an interesting statement about never dreaming that he would get to the Capitol and be a major advocate for the poor.


what was particularly interesting was the constituency Jungbauer claimed to never think about working for in the state legislature. What might that constituency be? Gays? Liberals? Minorities? Nope, Mr. Jungbauer NEVER thought that he would be working for the poor when he got to the legislature.



So, on the one hand we have a candidate who sees himself in a mythical battle between good and evil while on the other hand there is the candidate who never thought that his public service would involve helping the poor.
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The Race To Be Governor: Do We Care Yet?
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5:56 PM | Posted in , ,
With the recent announcement that Governor Pawlenty will not be running for a third term, the race is on from the right to announce or announce that you are thinking about announcing. Even before the Pawlenty news there was already a slew of candidates on the left who are running or thinking about running.

Politics in Minnesota has a handy dandy chart for you to see who is officially in, who is thinking about being officially in, and who they believe is definitely out.

Here are the names on the Left either running or thinking about running:

  • Tom Bakk
  • Chris Coleman
  • Mark Dayton
  • Matt Entenza
  • Susan Gaertner
  • Steve Kelley
  • Margaret Anderson Kelliher
  • John Marty
  • R.T. Rybak
  • Paul Thissen

Here are the names on the Right either running or thinking about running:

  • Pat Anderson
  • David Hann
  • Paul Koering
  • Paul Kohls
  • Marty Seifert
  • Charlie Weaver

Honestly, my initial thought is one of unimpressed apathy with the entire field. What are your thoughts? Do you have a dream candidate? Throughout the summer my hope is to do some more detailed profiles on the various candidates who officially announce. Stay tuned...
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