This part REALLY caught my attention!
At the 3rd CD convention, the person I was sitting next to told me she'd heard
from a Tink staffer (wouldn't say who), that Bachmann has been observed playing
footsie with another unnamed person (probably another rep) at her
committee meetings (Financial Services Committee).
Go check out Wonkette. The comments are worth the vist.
If Tinklenberg staffers are spreading this, what can we make of Tinklenberg's letter to the delegates saying his campaign was above the frey?
Regardless, it's going to get very interesting, very fast in the 6th.
7 comments:
And I read on another blog some people who used to be on Olson's team trashed Tinklenberg to a Republican blogger who wrote it on his blog...
These things are probably only true in part at best. If a few bloggers out there keep peddling third party rumors, it will have a chilling effect on all of our speech.
For those of us (at least in our own minds) cursed with great wit, it is a dangerous time to be in politics. I am scared to death I am going to make an offhand joke, a blogger will overhear part of it, and I'll be tagged in the blogosphere as the next unibomber.
So if you see me at the sixth cd convention pretending I have laryngitis, you'll know why.
Julie,
Nobody on Olsons team talked to republican bloggers. period.
We did have some republican bloggers who sent us a lot of stuff, none of it was used. The e-mails they sent went unanswered and not acted on. The e-mails they sent me also went unanswered and even though I had a blog I refused to use it for that. So I have a good idea what's comming down the road.
It should worry us some that so little has been posted on republican blogs about our candidates. It shows they are not worried.
What is important to note is that what a candidate says will be recorded. What he has said is on record and easy to look up. So I would advise any candidate not to say one thing at a meeting in Wright county and another in Stillwater. Say what you mean and mean what you say. The bloggers are a good thing for the most part. They vet a candidate far better than a party. Pallmeyer is not worried about bloggers because he is the real deal. Madia isn't worried about bloggers either.
Bloggers feast on half truths. It was bloggers who broke the story's about Bachmann and Iran. She is afraid of them because they expose her far better than the print media or TV.
El has nothing to fear as long as he stays on message and is truthful about who he is. Isn't that what we all want.
Tom Beckfeld.
I agree Tom, I'm sure no current Olson team members did - the post said it was former members in fact. And even on the legislative campaigns I managed, I saw all the garbage people send about your opponent. After wasting too much time trying to fact check what seemed to be primo dirt, I found most of to be untrue.
I'm not as concerned about candidate scrutiny - they know they are on stage. It's little shots like me who don't think they are being listened to. I teach seventh grade - I am not used to people paying real close attention to what I say.
Case in point: I made a joke on the floor of a convention quietly to a a friend a couple years back, only to find a blogger snuck on to the floor to eavesdrop. Thank God the guy didn't know my name and my embarrassing comment didn't stick to me.
I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but I'm just asking bloggers out there to have a little charity - especially for the rookies. I'd hate to see people shy away from politics, or hold back on honest debate because they are afraid of being vilified in a blog.
Julie, that unibomber thing.
If I ever get any mail from you I will find a robot to open it.
Thanks for the tip.
I will throw this one out - who cares what Bachmann is doing - except when she's not doing a very good job, or being divisive over one thing or another? Or making a joke of herself at Pastor Mac's. That's public theater.
But this latest wonkette thing - it is like her 25 foster children.
Whatever you make of it the foster parent thing is wholly irrelevant to whether she is qualified or not to be in Congress. It is not a litmus test for the job.
Barney Frank and Kieth Ellison - neither has had foster children.
Each has a good head on his shoulders. Each has sound trustworthy judgment. Each is qualified for the job. Shouldn't it end there?
Has Bachmann done a decent job?
Is what appears to be a high staff turnover rate something on a different plane?
That seems job related, to me. Tinklenberg - his lust for lobbying cash - that seems job related. If he or campaign people spend time worrying or spreading rumors about Bachmann's non-job proclivities, does it reflect badly on Bachmann, or on the rumor monger? And - wonkette does not say Tink staffer. This is local gossip.
Still, isn't it back sort of to what Julie said?
If it is not job related it is not news but gossip. If it goes at all to how you'd judge a candidate, favorably or badly as to job-performance or job related motive, that is different than who's possibly screwing who when, why and all.
And, I am getting tired of hearing about lightbulb choice.
Anyone else feel that way?
Saying wierd things about Iran as if fact and not speculation is a different kind of thing than yammering over relative merits of types of lighting.
One you jump. The other, ignore it.
Oh where to start...
Good comments Julie. I always enjoy it when you comment here. Your comments are always respectful and insightful.
In the 18 months Blueman has been around, I can only recall three persons outside of politics that have been vilified here.
Drew Emmer: Author of Wright County Republican. For exposing the personal information of a Veteran who opposed the Bachmann Vets for Freedom event in Forest Lake.
Luke Hellier: Governor Pawlenty sought to appoint a St John's graduate to the MnSCU Board of Trustee's position, despite the fact he has never attended a public college.
Matt Sanchez: Right wing blogger, former male gay porn star, for his extreme right wing rants about Iraq.
I myself have been vilified by the right for my work on some of these issues.
My point.
I don't know any blogger that will simply vilify the long time party activist or the political newcomer at their first DFL meeting. I know it's not me, but your concern is duly noted!
It's funny to discuss the flow of information. When the Olson/Tinklenberg stuff first started, you'd be amazed at the people crawling out of the woodwork sending tips my way.
Through due dilligence I was able to confirm about 90% BS.
Perhaps I should not have posted the Wonkette/Bachmann piece. Maybe not said a word about the Tinklenberg comment in the post.
But why is a Tinklenberg staffer supposedly talking about this? While this third hand gossip stuff is not good for the party, neither are individuals who are "acting well above their paygrade".
Tinklenberg cannot afford to have stuff like this coming out of the woodwork next fall.
Right or wrong, the info is out there. We can discuss it and dispel it, or we can pretend once again that the info does not exist.
The one thing I am most bitter about is that Julie Blaha spends more time commenting over here than she does over at my blog. ;)
PM- Julie should start a blog - about teachers' issues. It is not as if she's at a loss for words, and she's experienced.
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