Showing posts with label Marty Seifert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marty Seifert. Show all posts

Did They Call It The GOP Felony Forum?
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So did you catch these tweets from our good friends Marty Seifert and Paul Kohls this past weekend?

Well that seems pretty innocent, another gubernatorial forum hosted by some candidate running for the state legislature.

Yes, but it was hosted by JEREMY LINDMAN!

So?




Oh, perhaps you didn't hear that this particular Republican candidate for the state legislature is also a CONVICTED FELON.

WHAT, A CONVICTED FELON YOU SAY?

Yes, a convicted felon. Didn't you read about it in the Star Tribune and on the blog of Dusty Trice?

Jeremy Lindman is running for the Legislature, hosting a Republican gubernatorial forum and trying to get a felony removed from his record.

Let me get this straight, the Star Tribune broke this story on Friday and a full two days later Paul Kohls and Marty Seifert were tweeting about being in attendance with a CONVICTED FELON?

Yep.

So does their attendance at said forum mean that they have also ENDORSED a convicted felon?


That's a good question. Perhaps Ms. Stassen-Berger will do a follow up and find out whether the Republican Party of Minnesota is in the business of allowing convicted felons to run for office as official Republican candidates. While she is at it, perhaps she can do more than simply repeat Mr. Lindman's version of events...


Do you also wonder if they called it the Felony Forum?
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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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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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Representative Seifert Twitter FAIL
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8:29 PM | Posted in
I went to the Twitter page of Representative Marty Seifert to follow because I DESPERATELY wanted to hear more about the DFL members he is currently stalking. What I found was a bit of a FAIL...

Hooray, Marty Seiefert!
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Legislative Update: Larry Hosch
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A while back I had the opportunity to exchange a few emails with some local representatives in order to find out about their priorities for the upcoming legislative session. Representative Hosch (DFL) made it clear that his primary focus is improving health care and that it is from that that other problems and issues could be addressed.

He currently is working with Representative Seifert (R) and Representative Thissen (DFL) to, as I understand the legislation, provide oversight to rural health care cooperatives whose goal is controlling costs and improving access to vital health services.

I sent off some questions to Representative Hosch so that he might explain this legislation:
*Is this legislation addressing a specific problem in the health care system?
*How, specifically, does this legislation improve access to health care in rural areas?

Typically, I am of the opinion that we need large scale reform of the health care system whether through single payer or universal health care. However, I am also a pragmatist and realize that if the choice is between fixing part of the problem or fixing nothing because we can't come to an agreement over the solutions, then we need to be fixing the parts that we can agree upon.
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Marty Seifert As Dr. NO
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12:06 PM | Posted in ,
It looks increasingly likely that the budget deficit this year will be solved without the help of Republican Marty Seifert. I posted earlier today comparing the DFL and Republican Caucus press conferences this past week. During those press conferences it was clear that the DFL would be open to any and all ideas to solve the overwhelming budget deficit. To be fair, it appeared as though Senate Minority Leader Senjem was ready and willing to work towards a solution.

Unfortunately, the problem will be House Minority Leader Seifert. On Midmorning with Kerri Miller, Seifert made the following claims in reference to the budget and budget cuts:

"I probably will not be voting for any of these cuts"


So, he is prepared to vote against any budget long before those budgets have even been developed? Miller did ask about this statement, and his response:

"The budget bills come up I will be giving suggestions, ideas and the like on how to balance the budget but I can tell you that the political road is littered with the bodies of house republiacns who made tough decisions on balancing the budget and, both in the house and senate caucus, I would say that in the last 20 years and this is going to sound partisan to people but the Democrats did not have to make the difficult decisions on balancing these budgets, like in '03. We lost 13 people in '04 and lost 19 people in '06 with the rhetoric of all the aweful cuts and fee increases that we put in place. I will be helpful in trying to put suggestions out there but with 87 members of their caucus and 68 needed to pass a bill the voters put those folks in charge and I ... we will help, we will get ideas out there, we will give suggestions and amendments and the like, but we will be the loyal opposition." [Emphasis Mine]


So, let me get this straight, Seifert is going to offer suggestions but then vote NO on the budget anyway because (in his mind) the last time he and other Republicans voted to make cuts they were "punished"? This is perhaps the most juvenile and unhelpful stance I have ever seen any politician take on the issues. With pouty foot stomping rhetoric like this the Republicans deserve to be ignored and left out of the process because it is clear they have no interest in coming to a solution. The anonymous source who directed me to the interview takes a more generous tone:

During these unprecedented times, we need bipartisanship and a sense of cooperation to address our challenges, not obstructionism, politics, and road blocks. I also think any GOP member who campaigned on working with others should be asked if they support their leaders vow to vote no on everything.


That goes for both Republicans AND Democrats! I truly hope the current work together to find a solution and everything is on the table mantra of the Democrats will be followed. Unfortunately, they appear to already be up against Dr. NO and his Republican House Caucus. If the Republicans have already made up their minds to vote NO with their fearless leader, then it becomes very difficult to find a meaningful compromise.

The full interview:
[The above exchange occurs at roughly 48:00 in the broadcast]
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A Tale Of Two Caucuses...
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This week the projected budget deficit for the state of Minnesota was released and stands at nearly $5 billion. The DFL Caucus from the House and the Senate gathered for a press conference and the Republican Caucus from the House and the Senate gathered for a woe is me session with the press.


Senator Senjem (R) expressed a willingness to work with the DFL to solve the issues but he was quickly followed by Marty Seifert who spent the rest of the time blaming the DFL and whining about how his party had been beaten down because they made "tough" decisions.

The 25 minute DFL press conference revolved around jobs and working families and what it would take to get the state back on track. Time and time again the phrase "everything is on the table" was uttered by the leadership.

The 11 minute Republican press conference revolved around how government is bad and the DFL is bad yet offered few solutions apart from gutting the health and human services budget. Is it any wonder why their caucus has diminished so dramatically over the past few years? When you offer no solution other than gutting government people start to look for some middle ground.
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Progressive Dosen't Always Mean Liberal
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8:49 AM | Posted in ,
After a nice little break, I'm back to moving my fingers on a keyboard and putting my thoughts in electronic form. I'm blogging again...

I've read some of the other liberal blogs discussing the meaning of being progressive. I've also seen some arguments about where the "middle ground" really is and that progressives shouldn't "sit on a fence".



You don't need a tricked out name tag to be Progressive!

Progressives are forward thinkers, those who seek out new ideas and opportunities to solve the problems that face us. Progressives aren't necessarily liberal.

Mark Satin wrote a book back in 2004 called "Radical Middle: The Politics We Need Now". It's an interesting read. I caught the reviews on the back cover and stumbled across something rather interesting.
"In tone and content, Radical Middle is an antidote to the Al Frankens and Ann Coulters who dominate contemporary political discourse. This book is an intelligent and optimistic contribution to the future of American politics"
He also has a website that touches upon some of his thoughts and ideas.

A radical middle or center is just as progressive as liberal or conservative progressives.

Tenets of a radical center movement include:

Maximize citizen choice, individual empowerment, and overall human potential
Facilitate greater involvement in the political process
Build character by promoting conscious moral choices
Possess a foundation of traditional values and common sense
To me, these are the most important pieces of a radical middle foundation. While I may not necessarily agree with "traditional values", I think the common sense aspect fails in contemporary liberal and conservative ideologies.

Take for example, the debate over energy policy.

Conservatives touted a policy of "Drill Here, Drill Now". (On a side note, why the hell did Bruce Anderson and other local legislative candidates have these "Drill Here, Drill Now" billboards up along I 94 and other major roads?)

Liberals tout energy policies that exclude nuclear energy options.

A radical middle approach looks at near and long term stability and embraces an inclusive parallel energy path. This includes a stronger focus on conservation, while mixing renewable (solar, wind, hydro sources), clean coal technology, natural gas, hydrogen, nuclear, biofuels, and working to create a more efficient energy grid.

Nuclear power is becoming more safe. Workers are being exposed to less and less radiation and plants are becoming more efficient. A new generation scientists and engineers are working to make nuclear power even safer and more efficient and are dedicated to overcoming some of the well known problems of nuclear power.

A radical middle approach is a centrist approach.

There is a middle ground on health care, a middle ground that can help working and middle class Americans.

There is a middle ground on abortion.

There is a middle ground on energy policy.

There is a middle ground on terrorism and the war in Iraq.

Last year, House Minority Leader Marty Seifert led a charge to tar and feather the "override six". These elected leaders strongly believed that it was in their constituents best interests to increase a gas tax that hadn't been raised in nearly 2 decades and provide some real solutions to our transportation woes.

Oppose Al Franken and his US Senate run? You're shunned as a Democrat, hence my move towards Independence.

Today, I stand firmly in the middle. Don't worry, my tail won't be hurt by sitting on any fences (at least no more than getting it in the tail by Democrats and Republicans)

As a radical independent progressive, I'll make choices, choices that are good for the majority of us, without the tricked out name tag.


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Marty Seifert: Look Everyone, We Have Women Candidates...
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3:55 PM | Posted in , ,
Minnesota House Republican, Marty "Luke Skywalker" Siefert contends that he and his party can take back the Minnesota House of Representatives this fall:

"we lost the majority in once cycle, we can take it back in one cycle."


I suppose that Seifert can hope in one hand and, well you know the rest. So, what is the magic bullet to winning back control of the chamber that they lost in spectacular fashion over the last two election cycles?

Seifert says there are more women candidates on the Republican slate than ever before with at least 30 of them. Democrats now have 35 women now serving in the House.


So, let me get this straight, Mr. Seifert: You believe that having fewer female candidates than the DFL has ALREADY SERVING will get you back in the majority? First, isn't that kind of like a quota system that you virulently chastise Democrats for having? Second, could you please continue putting out awesome quotes such as this one because there is nothing better than a good belly laugh to brighten ones day.
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Marty Seifert: "I Am Luke Skywalker"
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10:21 PM | Posted in , ,
Speaking at his press conference on Friday, Representative Marty Seifert likened himself to Luke Skywalker of Star Wars. Now I am certainly not an expert of the movie but if he is Luke Skywalker it appears he needs to be checked for early onset Alzheimer's.



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...

Legal questions arise such as how Mr. Seifert paid for his light saber and whether or not he has been funneling money from state coffers to make repairs on the millenium falcon.

Perhaps someone else can explain this one because I am at a loss for words when the leader of a political party whose claim is that the other side isn't bipartisan enough but in the same breath refers to them as some sort of evil empire. The only thing I have to respond with is sarcasm and mockery of such a foolish statement.

So many questions, so few answers...
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Seifert Demagoguery
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10:35 PM | Posted in
On the floor of the House of Representatives, Marty Seifert (R) chose to take the opportunity of tragedy in Cottonwood to demagogue what he terms a "hot" issue. The Seifert amendment, skillfully written for "germaneness" strips local government aide from those cities that are trying their best to balance the need for trust from the community and enforcement of federal laws that overburden their ranks with responsibilities ceded by the federal government.

The Seifert amendment:

No aid for cities with sanctuary ordinances. Notwithstanding subdivision 8 and 9, no city may receive aid under this section if the city has, at the time the aid is certified, an ordinance prohibiting public safety officials from undertaking any law enforcement action for the purpose of detecting the presence of undocumented persons, or to verify immigration status. Any aid that would otherwise go to a city under this section shall be redistributed to other cities under subdivisions 8 and 9.

At worst, this amendment smacks of the demagoguery so prevalent in many parts of the Republican Party (and even in parts of the Democratic Party). It demands of the police, a policy to check anyone who doesn't LOOK "American" and verify their level of "Americaness". As I often do, I wonder what an "American" looks like and how one verifies one as an "American".

This is no strawman, as some have claimed, because there is no truly "American" characteristic that distinguishes "American" from "Non-American". Thus, the question becomes, what group are we targeting to "verify immigration status"? Let's be honest, because we are talking about anyone who appears to be of any Latino/Chicano stock. Little has been explained from the supporters of such amendments on how to determine the immigration status of this population without an outright check of every single person of Latino/Chicano heritage. Until an effective determination can be explained, we must take these measures for what they are and protect the thousands of law abiding Latino/Chicano citizens who would be adversely affected by such actions.

At best, this amendment represents an ineffective diversion of resources away from public safety to immigration enforcement that is rightly the venue of the federal government. If the federal government cannot enforce its own laws, that burden should not be disproportionately placed upon already overburdened police officers.

Seifert rightly received the scorn of these DFLer's:



The Minneapolis Ordinance is as follows:

Minneapolis
19.30. Public safety services. (a) To the extent permitted by law, in providing public safety services, employees of the police and fire departments, and the city attorney's office - criminal division, (collectively, public safety officials), shall be governed by the following requirements:

(1) Public safety officials shall not undertake any law enforcement action for the purpose of detecting the presence of undocumented persons, or to verify immigration status, including but not limited to questioning any person or persons about their immigration status.

(2) City attorney's office - criminal division employees shall be permitted to:

a. Inform persons of the possible immigration consequences of a guilty plea.

b. Question and conduct cross-examination of a witness or defendant regarding immigration status.

c. Inquire about immigration status for purposes of bail or conditional release.

d. Investigate and inquire about immigration status when relevant to the potential or actual prosecution of the case or when immigration status is an element of the crime.

e. Take immigration status and collateral effects of possible deportation into consideration during discussions held for the purpose of case resolution.

(3) Public safety officials shall not question, arrest or detain any person for violations of federal civil immigration laws except when immigration status is an element of the crime or when enforcing 8 U.S.C. 1324(c).

(4) Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit public safety personnel from assisting federal law enforcement officers in the investigation of criminal activity involving individuals present in the United States who may also be in violation of federal civil immigration laws.


Simply put, this ordinance takes immigration enforcement out of the hands of local police and places it where it rightly belongs. The federal government is responsible for such enforcement and the ordinance makes it clear that the Minneapolis Police Department will assist with any such investigation. It provides no such "sanctuary" for illegal aliens.

The St. Paul Ordinance is as follows:

Sec. 44.03. Public safety services.

(a) To the extent permitted by law, in providing public safety services, employees of the police and fire departments, and the city attorney's office - criminal division, (collectively, public safety officials), shall be governed by the following requirements:

(1) Public safety officials may not undertake any law enforcement action for the sole purpose of detecting the presence of undocumented persons, or to verify immigration status, including but not limited to questioning any person or persons about their immigration status.

(2) City attorney's office - criminal division employees shall be permitted to:

a. Inform persons of the possible immigration consequences of a guilty plea.

b. Question and conduct cross-examination of a witness or defendant regarding immigration status.

c. Inquire about immigration status for purposes of bail or conditional release.

d. Investigate and inquire about immigration status when relevant to the potential or actual prosecution of the case or when immigration status is an element of the crime.

e. Take immigration status and collateral effects of possible deportation into consideration during discussions held for the purpose of case resolution.

(3) Public safety officials may not question, arrest or detain any person for violations of federal civil immigration laws except when immigration status is an element of the crime or when enforcing 8 U.S.C. 1324(c).

(4) Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit public safety personnel from assisting federal law enforcement officers in the investigation of criminal activity involving individuals present in the United States who may also be in violation of federal civil immigration laws.

The St. Paul ordinance is ostensibly the same as the Minneapolis Ordinance. In neither case can you find "sanctuary" for illegal aliens and in both cases the city vows to assist the efforts of the federal government in the investigation of such aliens.

An interesting story from last May illustrates my point quite clearly:

U.S. Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents struck at the heart of Minneapolis’s Latino community Saturday, with a high-profile presence and apparent collaboration by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Minneapolis Police Department. Though law enforcement officials claimed the operation targeted identified suspects involved in human trafficking, activists say they also stopped Latino pedestrians, demanding identification and verification of immigration status. The high-profile operation sent people running in panic, emptying some stores in the middle of the week’s busiest shopping day.


Given the rhetoric offered by Mr. Seifert, perhaps he should be reminded of stories such as this that highlight the very essence of the ordinances in question. When asked to assist a federal operation, this city did its part to enforce immigration law.

In other interesting news (h/t Ollie Ox), it seems as though the residents of the mourning community that Seifert purports to be doing this for are less concerned about wedge issues than they are about healing the wounds of a tragic accident.

By and large, there has not been much public outcry or outrage in this area over the woman's immigrant status, and that says something about the intelligence and decency of this area. But there has been plenty of complaint and discussion in other areas — notably the Twin Cities, the blog-o-sphere and, apparently, talk shows.


Perhaps Mr. Seifert should get back to the business of punishing the ranks of his own party rather than trying to punish the populations of entire cities.
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Perhaps THIS Is Why You Keep Losing Elections!
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It is one thing for local bloggers and non-elected members of a given party to create snarky material meant to exaggerate the negatives of your opponent. However, it is completely another when the elected representatives of your party spend their time creating such material. Why? Our elected representatives should be staying above this type of foolishness and find ways to get their agenda moved forward through either compromise or coalition building. Conservatives are quick to point out that Liberals have not offered a "plan" and that when they have it has been only one of attacking the "plans" of others. It appears as though the opposite is true here in Minnesota, where Conservatives have spent much of their time attacking the DFL while coming up with such "original" goals as Common Sense.

Gary Gross has a wonderful piece entitled "Decoding Liberalspeak". Had he created the definitions for the decoder dictionary he highlighted I might have giggled at a few and not thought anything of it. However, it was not Gary who created the dictionary, but rather appears as though it was created by House GOP Leader Marty Seifert. One has to wonder, if House GOP leadership spent less time creating these materials and more time actually governing they might have a better shot at holding onto or building a majority.

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