TO: Dean Barkley
cc: Names redacted
FROM: Bill Hillsman
RE: State of the Race/Closing Weekend
DATE: 10/30/08
Here’s where we believe the campaign stands entering the final weekend:
According to all the indicators we are looking at, Dean is between 22%-25% and rising. This comes from reviewing the available poll data and from key indicators like the Democratic primary vote, analysis of the Wellstone swing vote and the Ventura vote, the last two independent gubernatorial votes and Dean’s federal electoral performance.
It will be tough to win, but it’s possible if the campaign and the party pull out all the stops this weekend and on Monday-Tuesday to get out the vote and tell people why Dean is the right choice.
STATE OF THE RACE
We’ve seen this movie before. While the press and the other two campaigns seem to have concluded that Dean cannot win (and some have tried to portray him as a spoiler), independent Minnesota voters like underdogs and don’t like being told what is going to happen before any of them have cast a vote. So the reality right now is: Norm could win. Al could win. Dean could win.
Here’s why:
1. Historically, traditional polling has underrepresented independent voters in MN, especially in high turnout elections. Self-identified Independent voters approach 40% of the electorate in this state, with a baseline of at least 24%. So I wouldn’t put too much stock in any current polling, because their models have yet to reflect this reality.
2. Ten years ago, exit polls and our own analysis showed Ventura topping out in the high 20s or at 30%, maximum. But high turnout pushed him to 37%. And we know there will be not just high turnout, but incredibly high turnout this election.
Ten years ago, voters were angry at their government for what seems—in retrospect—to be no good reason. Today we have an economy in shambles, a continuing two-front war, one of the most unpopular Presidents in history, Congress with a 9% approval rating, more dysfunctional partisanship than ever, and a real demand for responsible, accountable change. There is a lot for people to be angry about.
So this is definitely a change election. Our fate rests in whether people want responsible, accountable change or if they simply decide to trade one partisan politician for another. If the candidate, the campaign, and the party can communicate that Dean represents the former, we have a solid chance at pulling off this upset despite the obscene spending deficit we are working against.
There remains a lot of elasticity in this race. Coleman, because of his ties to the Bush Administration and because of the damaged Republican brand, can’t rely on absolute solid support of much more than 28%-30%. A better Democratic candidate could count on close to 40% in these times in this state, but Franken is demonstrably not there. Al is having big problems closing the deal, and his true real core support is probably not that much higher than Skip Humphrey’s total in 1998.
There is also attack paralysis benefiting us, just as there was in Ventura’s race. One of the lessons we thought Coleman took away from 1998 is that he would attack Ventura if he had to do it all over again. In that race he was doing what he is doing now—which is to sidle up to the independent candidate and try to get rub-off from them to appeal to independent voters. That’s happening again. He will praise much of what Dean has to say, try to show how much they have in common, and then tell voters “… but Dean can’t win.”
Neither Coleman nor Franken really knows what would happen if they were to attack Dean in their ads, so they are frozen. Norm won’t attack Dean, which leads me to believe their polling shows that we have taken a lot of votes from Norm that they think they can get back late. The DSCC is attacking Dean (falsely, on Social Security privatization), and trying to tie him to Coleman and to Republican ideas, which indicates to me that their polling shows Al is getting very little support from Independents (certainly compared to Obama) and that Dean is siphoning votes from Al and continuing to do so, especially among older traditional Democrats. Al just can’t close the deal: independents and traditional outstate Democrats don’t like him or trust him. (More on the weaknesses of Franken below.
Dean has also found a message that is resonating with voters: that we have lost faith and trust in our government, our institutions, our elected officials, our economy, etc., and that it is in the hands of the people to restore that faith. Also that he is truly middle-class and most like the voters and their families.
OTHER IMPORTANT FACTORS
The debates have been important to and informative for voters.
Dean has done very well—arguably winning all of the debates to date—and we need to do well on Sunday. Coleman was much better in the Almanac debate, and Franken did not do all that well. Franken looks like he is sitting on the ball, hoping not to make a mistake in the final days, and counting on Obama’s coattails in the state and their GOTV effort to pull him through. But he is far behind both Obama and Wellstone in earning trust and winning votes among Independents and traditional Democrats; and he has looked ill-prepared for the job in many of the debates, reduced to mouthing partisan Democratic talking points. Norm knows he needs to look independent of his party to win; the same is true for Franken, but he hasn’t seemed to realize this yet. And for Dean to win, he has to continue to remind people that he is the true nonpartisan independent in the race. One of Franken’s weaknesses is that he is sharing a stage with two people who are prepared for the job—who have actually done the job—and he has been diminished in recent debates to looking more like a partisan trained seal, dodging questions and continually returning to party-approved talking points. He’s a smart guy who often comes across as too smart, so he’s been reined in, and he’s become repetitive and evasive in many of his answers. And his insistence that he will constantly “fight” for people is something that worked well for Wellstone—who had a long history of community organizing and political activism—but comes across as strained for someone who’s never been that politically active or run for office before.
The continuing onslaught of negative ads by both sides has gone far beyond the point of diminishing returns. Pulling his negative ads was a good move by the Coleman campaign, but probably too late to do him much good. Especially because the NRSC keeps hammering away at Franken, and because both the DSCC and the Franken campaign are up constantly with some of the most out-of-bounds attack ads I’ve ever seen or heard, there is strong potential for a big voter backlash. The message we have to deliver is that the only thing these two parties understand is victory: if Minnesotans never want to see this kind of campaign again, the only way to send that message is a vote for Dean Barkley.
Fear of 60. The national Republicans have moved to this messaging and it could benefit Dean’s campaign. Basically, the Republicans are arguing that if Democrats control the White House, the House, and have a filibuster-breaking 60 votes in the Senate, we will see unfettered socialism and liberals gone wild. It ignores how different many members of the Senate are, but it could be effective messaging for a desperate party in desperate times. We need to tap into this. Dean is an ideal candidate to act as the independent senator who could be a leader in bringing together the moderate, common sense centrist Senators into a bipartisan, decision-making swing vote group, and in doing so wield real power in the Senate. Senators from Maine, Arkansas, North Dakota, Nebraska, Virginia, Colorado, Montana and other states are ideal prospects. I’ve said for years that if someone could do this in the Senate, that group would control everything that goes on for at least two decades.
CRITICAL WEAKNESSES OF THE OTHER CANDIDATES
Contributing to the competitiveness of this race are the weaknesses of the other candidates:
Al Franken. It’s hard to be less authentic than Norm Coleman, but somehow Al and the Franken campaign are managing it. There is a palpable sense among independent voters and swing voters in MN that Al is not a candidate who is being true to himself—that he is being manufactured, manipulated and handled for public consumption. And the machinery is pretty visible. This is at the heart of why he is running so far behind Obama’s numbers in the state. While they can’t articulate it—and while this may seem like an odd comparison—the last time voters got sold a high-profile manufactured candidate in this way it was George W. Bush in 1999-2000. And we all know how well that turned out.
Independents and swing voters want a candidate to be himself. They prize character, individualism, and personal integrity. Al continues to try to be Paul Wellstone, and well… he’s just not. I knew Paul pretty well, especially as a candidate for office, and Al Franken is not Paul Wellstone. Paul knew how to demonstrate his independence, he knew how to resonate with traditional Democratic voters in greater Minnesota, and his swing vote (which is the independent vote in MN) would often vote for him in spite of many of his stands on the issues, just because they had a high regard for his sincerity and his personal integrity. Wellstone would be thriving in this sort of political environment; Franken continues to not get traction. Al’s a good enough guy, but Minnesotans just don’t seem to connect with him personally or trust him, certainly not in the way they did with Wellstone. He almost diminishes himself in the comparison, at least among swing voters.
We need to remind voters that Minnesota has a tradition of sending some pretty impressive people to the U.S. Senate, and for most voters, Al just doesn’t fit that mold. Minnesota deserves a Senator who is more than a performer who knows how to cry on cue or has to be told—repeatedly—when to apologize. Al hasn’t shown he can demonstrate the independent critical thinking or the good judgment that Minnesotans expect in their senators—lately he just looks like someone who is pandering to win an election, and that’s costing him with independents and older, more traditional Democratic voters.
Al is going to have to depend on the Obama coattails and a Wellstonian GOTV effort to win. If Obama came to the state, he would probably be tripping over Al trying to hold onto his coattails at every step. But I think the Obama campaign recognizes that getting too close to Franken might hold back their vote, so I wouldn’t expect to see him in the state to help Al. It’s remarkable—and confusing-- that traditional Democratic voters in this state are supporting in such great numbers an (obviously qualified) African American candidate (think Alan Page’s election) yet stiff-arming someone who has so consciously tried to remake himself as the second coming of Wellstone.
Norm Coleman. Norm is not an independent at all, and the press is letting him get away with this all too much. Some of the newspaper endorsements were nauseating in how they clung to this messaging, which is nothing more than a creation of his reelection campaign.
Norm has always come across as too slick and too personally ambitious for his own good, and independent swing voters have a good antenna for that. So voters don’t really trust him.
Where he has gotten too much of a free pass, and what we have to continually remind voters, is that he was hand-selected by the White House to run for the U.S. Senate. People forget-- and the press hasn’t really told the story enough in this campaign—that Norm really wanted to run for governor in 2002 and Tim Pawlenty was going to be the Republican U.S. Senate candidate. But Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, and George W. Bush decided otherwise, and mandated to the candidates and to the state party that they would switch positions. Coleman was given his marching orders, and he marched.
This totally undercuts his independent argument, and reinforces the notion that he does what the White House tells him to do. His “independent” votes are the usual ploys partisan incumbents use two years out from what looks like a competitive election to make themselves more palatable to the electorate, and this, too, has been grossly unreported.
One of Franken’s latest lines of attack-- that if Norm were truly independent and wanting to work in a bipartisan fashion, he wouldn’t be running for the highly partisan position of NRSC chairman—is devastatingly effective. People can’t be reminded of that too much. (That’s actually the ad they should be running against him.)
Coleman’s problem, besides the slickness and the lack of trust, is this: Minnesotans don’t like to be dictated to. The fact that we have put up for six years with two ambitious marionettes in two of our highest elected offices whose strings are being pulled by what may go down in history as the worst White House ever is something else voters can’t be reminded of too much.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO
So it may be a long shot, but enough factors are in place for another big upset. In the final days, we aren’t going to be able to count on advertising the way we could in Ventura’s race. The lack of public financing for federal races means the money just won’t be there to do the same kind of job. But this is winnable if the candidate, the campaign, and the party do everything they can to get our message out over these final 5 days. We need to continually remind everyone that the most important people in this race—the voters—haven’t been heard from yet, and we need to remind people that our candidate:
-doesn’t have to study polls or listen to political consultants to understand the middle class, he IS the middle class, and the candidate who is most like us.
-he is the one candidate who is not evasive and who is giving them the real straight talk, with realistic and common-sense answers to the big problems facing us.
-he is a candidate of change, but the candidate for people who want responsible, moderate and accountable change instead of just a different flavor of partisanship.
-he has already done the job, performed admirably, and will be much more ready to do the job than Al Franken (Dean presents a rare opportunity for voters to get change plus experience).
-he could be very effective in the Senate and could in fact wield a great deal of power by forming a centrist, common-sense bipartisan coalition of moderate Senators who truly want to make the welfare of our country more important than their political parties.
-he’s the one candidate in the race who can bring us together and start to restore faith and trust in our government, our institutions, our economy, etc.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
John Kline Exposed (Updated)
I've spent some time over the past few weeks working with folks down in CD 2 on a John Kline exposed/greatest hits post.
If you'd like to send more of his greatest hits, simply reply to this post. Otherwise, here's a quick snapshot of some of John Klines "greatest hits". Leadership and courage at its finest ladies and gentlemen.
Talking to several Veterans buddies who have tried to work with John Kline:
During the race against Colleen Rowley, Kline was overheard the finals days of the campaign saying he had the endorsement of the Diabled American Veterans. This was a bold faced lie by John Kline, DAV does not endorse candidates.
DAV sends groups to Washington to lobby members of Congress on important Veterans issues. While Kline met with Veterans in 04, 05, and o6, he blew off the Minnesota delegation in 2007, saying he was too busy to meet with the decorated Veterans.
Kline's voting record according to the DAV? Not very good, especially for a Vietnam Veteran.
In 2004 and 2005 he was rated 0. Zero!
He also only supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 50% of the time in 2003-04, but the National Retail Asscoation recieved 100% support from John Kline.
John Kline's record on Veterans issues is simply unacceptable and esspecially troubling since Kine is a Veteran himself.
Kline refuses to work in a bi-partisan manner on Veterans issues. He told the leader of a local veterans’ group, who had presented Kline with a number of bills his group wanted support for, “These are all Democrat bills, and I do not support Democrat-authored bills.”
*Update* A concerned Veteran forwarded me this video. John Kline snubs a Veterans forum. He also blew off Veterans forums in Goodhue County and at the Zumbrota VFW too.
On oil and the environment:
In response to a parade-goer in Eagan, a gentleman encouraged Kline to get out of Iraq , Kline responded, “Don’t you want oil?”
And lets recall the John Kline energy tour this past July, the one where he refused to meet with any constituents again.
Classy!
And what about Congressman Kline's lack of townhall meetings? Why won't he meet with constituents?
Probably because he got tripped up by this college student the last time he let common folk like us talk to him.
He doesn’t hold town hall meetings because he’s said they’re “too political,” and because “20 people in the district have this notion that it is my job to provide them with a venue just to protest."
He's no Jed Bartlett, that's for sure.
Kline even has a bit of time to display his "compassionate conservatism"!
He told the mother of a kid with cancer, that “hundreds of people a year try and parade their sick kids in front of me for money.”
So, while Norm Coleman uses them for political gain, John Kline just spits in their face and tells them to "move along now"
Sorry, but that's just sickening.
So, anyone else have any good John Kline stories? Post them in the comments or shoot them to me in email!
We support Steve Sarvi for many reasons and cannot afford to remain silent about John Kline's record and demeanor as a Congressman.
If you'd like to send more of his greatest hits, simply reply to this post. Otherwise, here's a quick snapshot of some of John Klines "greatest hits". Leadership and courage at its finest ladies and gentlemen.
Talking to several Veterans buddies who have tried to work with John Kline:
During the race against Colleen Rowley, Kline was overheard the finals days of the campaign saying he had the endorsement of the Diabled American Veterans. This was a bold faced lie by John Kline, DAV does not endorse candidates.
DAV sends groups to Washington to lobby members of Congress on important Veterans issues. While Kline met with Veterans in 04, 05, and o6, he blew off the Minnesota delegation in 2007, saying he was too busy to meet with the decorated Veterans.
Kline's voting record according to the DAV? Not very good, especially for a Vietnam Veteran.
In 2004 and 2005 he was rated 0. Zero!
He also only supported the interests of the Vietnam Veterans of America 50% of the time in 2003-04, but the National Retail Asscoation recieved 100% support from John Kline.
John Kline's record on Veterans issues is simply unacceptable and esspecially troubling since Kine is a Veteran himself.
Kline refuses to work in a bi-partisan manner on Veterans issues. He told the leader of a local veterans’ group, who had presented Kline with a number of bills his group wanted support for, “These are all Democrat bills, and I do not support Democrat-authored bills.”
*Update* A concerned Veteran forwarded me this video. John Kline snubs a Veterans forum. He also blew off Veterans forums in Goodhue County and at the Zumbrota VFW too.
On oil and the environment:
In response to a parade-goer in Eagan, a gentleman encouraged Kline to get out of Iraq , Kline responded, “Don’t you want oil?”
And lets recall the John Kline energy tour this past July, the one where he refused to meet with any constituents again.
Classy!
And what about Congressman Kline's lack of townhall meetings? Why won't he meet with constituents?
Probably because he got tripped up by this college student the last time he let common folk like us talk to him.
He doesn’t hold town hall meetings because he’s said they’re “too political,” and because “20 people in the district have this notion that it is my job to provide them with a venue just to protest."
He's no Jed Bartlett, that's for sure.
Kline even has a bit of time to display his "compassionate conservatism"!
He told the mother of a kid with cancer, that “hundreds of people a year try and parade their sick kids in front of me for money.”
So, while Norm Coleman uses them for political gain, John Kline just spits in their face and tells them to "move along now"
Sorry, but that's just sickening.
So, anyone else have any good John Kline stories? Post them in the comments or shoot them to me in email!
We support Steve Sarvi for many reasons and cannot afford to remain silent about John Kline's record and demeanor as a Congressman.
Barkley to release TV Ad!
If I'm not mistaken, he'll do so at a press conference at the capitol this afternoon!
We're looking forward to seeing it!
We're looking forward to seeing it!
Barkley in Waconia
From the West Central Tribune
For the next hour, Barkley talked about how to fix Social Security and the national debt – his favorite campaign topics – and fielded skeptical voters’ questions about his brief stint as a lobbyist and whether he could influence Washington when there are only two other independent senators.
“If I get there, the three of us could probably control the joint,” he said of the power they would yield.
Barkley answered all of the questions – except for the one about which presidential candidate he supports; he claims to be undecided – and made sure to take a few jabs at his opponents.
Barkley faults Coleman and other congressional incumbents for looking the other way in the lead up to the financial crisis.
“He was watching the store as this economic meltdown occurred,” Barkley said. “And he wants to go back for more.”
And Barkley has been no easier on Franken.
“Al flew in here to be our savior for the middle class,” he said of the former comedian. “He doesn’t know what it’s like to be in the middle class.”
With a laid-back, self-deprecating approach, Barkley insists he still could pull it off next Tuesday. He said he is polling only slightly lower than was Jesse Ventura at this point in the 1998 governor race.
Barkley, who led that campaign and later was appointed by Ventura to a brief Senate term after Sen. Paul Wellstone’s 2002 death, said independents are under-represented in polling.
“Ten years ago they gave Jesse a shot, and I hope they’re ready to do it again,” he said, adding that Ventura helped him raise money recently to pay for a TV ad he will begin airing today.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
A letter to the Red States
I found this one, it got me to chuckle a bit...
Dear Red States,
We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii , California , Oregon , Washington , Minnesota , Wisconsin , Michigan , Illinois , New York , and all of the Northeasternstates. After this election, we'll be adding Colorado and New Mexico .
We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, especially to the people of our new country - Nuevo California . To sum up briefly: You get Texas , Oklahoma and all the slave states; we get stem cell research, the best beaches, and the best ski resorts.
We get Elliot Spitzer; you get Ken Lay. We get the Statue of Liberty; you get Dollywood. We get Intel and Microsoft; you get WorldCom. We get Stanford,Harvard, Princeton, Yale , Cal Tech, MIT and Columbia ; you get Ole' Miss.
We get 85 percent of America 's venture capital and entrepreneurs; you get Alabama . We get two-thirds of the tax revenue; you get to make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than that of the Christian Coalition, we get a bunch of happy families and you get a bunch of under-educated single moms.
Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we'll need all of our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They apparently have kids they're willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't mind if you don't televise their kid's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq and hope that those Weapons of Mass Destruction turn up for you, but we're not willing to spend any more of our money in Bush's Quagmire.
With the Blue States, we will control 80 percent of the country's fresh water, 90 percent of pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 97 percent of America 's quality wines (you can serve French wines at your state dinners), 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, and all the Ivy League and Seven Sister schools.
We also get New England ,the Great Lakes and Yosemite , thank you very much.
In the Red States, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans and their projected health care costs, 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, 100 percent of tornadoes, 94 percent of hurricanes, 99 percent of Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, and Clemson. Additionally, in the Red States, 38 percent actually believe Jonah was swallowed by a whale; 62 percent believe life is sacred unless it involves the death penalty or semi automatic gun ownership; 44 percent claim that evolution is only a theory; 53 percent insist that Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11; and 61 percent of you crazy bastards believe you have higher moral standards than those of us on the left.
By the way, we're taking all the good pot, too. You get that dirt weed from Mexico and Kansas ditches.
Peace out,
The Blue States
Dear Red States,
We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii , California , Oregon , Washington , Minnesota , Wisconsin , Michigan , Illinois , New York , and all of the Northeasternstates. After this election, we'll be adding Colorado and New Mexico .
We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, especially to the people of our new country - Nuevo California . To sum up briefly: You get Texas , Oklahoma and all the slave states; we get stem cell research, the best beaches, and the best ski resorts.
We get Elliot Spitzer; you get Ken Lay. We get the Statue of Liberty; you get Dollywood. We get Intel and Microsoft; you get WorldCom. We get Stanford,Harvard, Princeton, Yale , Cal Tech, MIT and Columbia ; you get Ole' Miss.
We get 85 percent of America 's venture capital and entrepreneurs; you get Alabama . We get two-thirds of the tax revenue; you get to make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than that of the Christian Coalition, we get a bunch of happy families and you get a bunch of under-educated single moms.
Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we'll need all of our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They apparently have kids they're willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't mind if you don't televise their kid's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq and hope that those Weapons of Mass Destruction turn up for you, but we're not willing to spend any more of our money in Bush's Quagmire.
With the Blue States, we will control 80 percent of the country's fresh water, 90 percent of pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 97 percent of America 's quality wines (you can serve French wines at your state dinners), 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, and all the Ivy League and Seven Sister schools.
We also get New England ,the Great Lakes and Yosemite , thank you very much.
In the Red States, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans and their projected health care costs, 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, 100 percent of tornadoes, 94 percent of hurricanes, 99 percent of Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, and Clemson. Additionally, in the Red States, 38 percent actually believe Jonah was swallowed by a whale; 62 percent believe life is sacred unless it involves the death penalty or semi automatic gun ownership; 44 percent claim that evolution is only a theory; 53 percent insist that Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11; and 61 percent of you crazy bastards believe you have higher moral standards than those of us on the left.
By the way, we're taking all the good pot, too. You get that dirt weed from Mexico and Kansas ditches.
Peace out,
The Blue States
Hold On! The Strib Editorial Board Didn't Even Interview Sarvi?
WTF is that all about?
Wow, incredible!
What you probably didn't know is that the editorial board probably already had its mind made up. Instead of meeting with the full editorial board, Steve met with two retirees. These retirees are brought back in during high politcal season to "help" when it gets busy. No members of the editorial board were present for Steve's screening.
Wow, incredible!
Franken takes "cowardly way" out
Barkley: Pro-Franken Ad Takes 'Cowardly Way Out'
IP Candidate Calls on Franken to Propose a Social Security Solution
For Immediate Release
Contact: Christopher Truscott
ctruscott@senatorbarkley.com
PLYMOUTH—Dean Barkley, the Independence Party candidate for U.S. Senate, released the following statement regarding a Democratic Senate Campaign Committee advertisement on Social Security:
"This DSCC ad exposes that Al Franken and the Washington insiders orchestrating his campaign simply don't have what it takes to ensure that Social Security remains viable for future generations.
"I have suggested solutions, including means-testing for benefits, raising the retirement age, raising the Social Security tax and raising the ceiling on income taxed to provide more revenue into the Social Security trust fund.
"Al Franken, despite a Social Security trust fund filled with IOUs, has repeatedly denied we have a problem. While this kind of head-in-the-sand approach might work for politicians looking to win an election, I refuse to take the cowardly way out. If that means subjecting myself to cheap shots for leading on an important issue, that's a price I'll gladly pay.
"It's time for real solutions. That means, above all else, having the courage to admit there is a problem. Will Al Franken live up to his mantra of change and propose a solution or will he continue to hide behind the same old Washington games that got us into this mess in the first place?"
* * * * *
Barkley, a 58-year-old Minnesota native, served as the director of the Minnesota Office of Strategic and Long Range Planning under Gov. Jesse Ventura. In November 2002, Ventura appointed Barkley to fill the final two months of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone's term.
The former governor said recently that Barkley is "measured minute by minute … the most effective U.S. senator in Minnesota history."
More information is available online at www.senatorbarkley.com.
IP Candidate Calls on Franken to Propose a Social Security Solution
For Immediate Release
Contact: Christopher Truscott
ctruscott@senatorbarkley.com
PLYMOUTH—Dean Barkley, the Independence Party candidate for U.S. Senate, released the following statement regarding a Democratic Senate Campaign Committee advertisement on Social Security:
"This DSCC ad exposes that Al Franken and the Washington insiders orchestrating his campaign simply don't have what it takes to ensure that Social Security remains viable for future generations.
"I have suggested solutions, including means-testing for benefits, raising the retirement age, raising the Social Security tax and raising the ceiling on income taxed to provide more revenue into the Social Security trust fund.
"Al Franken, despite a Social Security trust fund filled with IOUs, has repeatedly denied we have a problem. While this kind of head-in-the-sand approach might work for politicians looking to win an election, I refuse to take the cowardly way out. If that means subjecting myself to cheap shots for leading on an important issue, that's a price I'll gladly pay.
"It's time for real solutions. That means, above all else, having the courage to admit there is a problem. Will Al Franken live up to his mantra of change and propose a solution or will he continue to hide behind the same old Washington games that got us into this mess in the first place?"
* * * * *
Barkley, a 58-year-old Minnesota native, served as the director of the Minnesota Office of Strategic and Long Range Planning under Gov. Jesse Ventura. In November 2002, Ventura appointed Barkley to fill the final two months of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone's term.
The former governor said recently that Barkley is "measured minute by minute … the most effective U.S. senator in Minnesota history."
More information is available online at www.senatorbarkley.com.
ECM Endorsements for Sarvi
Check it out here!
ECM ENDORSEMENT: Sarvi's the choice in 2nd District
Friday, 24 October 2008
Second District U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Lakeville, and challenger Steve Sarvi, D-Watertown, both served their country as members of the military.
Although they have this common experience, when it comes to the pressing issues in the 2008 campaign, that is largely where the similarities end.
Their differing opinions of the war in Iraq, rebuilding the economy, funding transportation projects and governing philosophies give voters a clear choice in this election.
We feel Sarvi has a better approach on a wide range of issues, and we endorse his candidacy.
With regard to the issue that has risen to the forefront in this election - the economy - we feel Sarvi is better equipped to make decisions in these troubling times.
We feel Sarvi's experiences as a mayor, city manager and U.S. Army sergeant in charge of rebuilding infrastructure in Iraq are the kind needed to rebuild the U.S. economy.
Sarvi has managed budgets and will champion tighter regulation of the financial markets, which didn't happen under Kline and the hands-off Republican administration.
We applaud Kline for his vote for the $700 billion bailout package, but Sarvi said more needs to be done help the middle class through incentives to lenders to help those facing foreclosure. Sarvi notes the economic collapse could have been worse if Kline had his way on privatizing Social Security by investing more retirement savings in the stock market.
With regard to the Iraq war, Sarvi's experience on the ground in Iraq will help as the United States moves forward with a plan to stabilize, reduce troop levels and rebuild the country.
Sarvi and Kline do not favor a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, relying on conditions on the ground to dictate when to reduce troop levels. Sarvi adds that it is urgent to stabilize Iraq as soon as possible, so it is no longer a financial drain on U.S. spending. He's also been vocal in saying that the Iraq war diverted the nation's attention from post-9/11 target Osama bin Laden, whose continued presence is causing more concerns in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
We acknowledge Kline's support of an increase in troop levels that has helped reduce violence in Iraq, but we feel he, as a member of the Armed Services Committee, should have been more critical of the Bush administration's handling of the war for much of the past five years.
In communicating with the people of the 2nd District, Kline has been criticized for his lack of public availability and was pressed to hold a "town hall" style forum in 2007 after constituents repeatedly asked for it as opposition for the Iraq war mounted.
We don't foresee Sarvi having such communication problems. He has a leadership style that relies more on coalition building, as demonstrated by his grassroots campaign, which has drawn the Independence Party endorsement and focused on communicating with voters in person, by e-mail and through his Web site.
Sarvi has a wealth of information on his Web site, where people can find his views on a range of issues and ideas for improving education, health care and veterans' benefits. Kline doesn't provide this depth of information on his Web site, relying more on his endorsements to speak for him.
Sarvi has proposed good ideas to reform veterans' medical benefits by changing eligibility requirements, reducing deductibles and changing the priority-care model.
ome local officials have criticized Kline's refusal to accept earmark spending, and we don't feel it is a responsible way to serve the 2nd District by neglecting constituents for Kline's principled stand against earmarks.
Although the earmark system may be flawed, we feel it currently provides needed projects to the 2nd District, like the ones Kline touted he returned to the district in 2005. The projects, totaling $16 million, included the design and construction of the Cedar Avenue Busway in Dakota County and a contribution toward reconstruction of the intersection at County Road 5 and Highway 13 in Burnsville.
Kline, who has served in Congress since 2003 and missed fewer than 1 percent of votes during that time, is an apparent good fit for the Republican-leaning 2nd District. He has gained re-election in 2004 and 2006 with 57 and 56 percent of the vote, respectively.
We applaud his service, but we feel it is time for new ideas and a new approach on behalf of constituents in the 2nd District. This editorial is a product of the ECM Editorial Board.
ECM ENDORSEMENT: Sarvi's the choice in 2nd District
Friday, 24 October 2008
Second District U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Lakeville, and challenger Steve Sarvi, D-Watertown, both served their country as members of the military.
Although they have this common experience, when it comes to the pressing issues in the 2008 campaign, that is largely where the similarities end.
Their differing opinions of the war in Iraq, rebuilding the economy, funding transportation projects and governing philosophies give voters a clear choice in this election.
We feel Sarvi has a better approach on a wide range of issues, and we endorse his candidacy.
With regard to the issue that has risen to the forefront in this election - the economy - we feel Sarvi is better equipped to make decisions in these troubling times.
We feel Sarvi's experiences as a mayor, city manager and U.S. Army sergeant in charge of rebuilding infrastructure in Iraq are the kind needed to rebuild the U.S. economy.
Sarvi has managed budgets and will champion tighter regulation of the financial markets, which didn't happen under Kline and the hands-off Republican administration.
We applaud Kline for his vote for the $700 billion bailout package, but Sarvi said more needs to be done help the middle class through incentives to lenders to help those facing foreclosure. Sarvi notes the economic collapse could have been worse if Kline had his way on privatizing Social Security by investing more retirement savings in the stock market.
With regard to the Iraq war, Sarvi's experience on the ground in Iraq will help as the United States moves forward with a plan to stabilize, reduce troop levels and rebuild the country.
Sarvi and Kline do not favor a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, relying on conditions on the ground to dictate when to reduce troop levels. Sarvi adds that it is urgent to stabilize Iraq as soon as possible, so it is no longer a financial drain on U.S. spending. He's also been vocal in saying that the Iraq war diverted the nation's attention from post-9/11 target Osama bin Laden, whose continued presence is causing more concerns in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
We acknowledge Kline's support of an increase in troop levels that has helped reduce violence in Iraq, but we feel he, as a member of the Armed Services Committee, should have been more critical of the Bush administration's handling of the war for much of the past five years.
In communicating with the people of the 2nd District, Kline has been criticized for his lack of public availability and was pressed to hold a "town hall" style forum in 2007 after constituents repeatedly asked for it as opposition for the Iraq war mounted.
We don't foresee Sarvi having such communication problems. He has a leadership style that relies more on coalition building, as demonstrated by his grassroots campaign, which has drawn the Independence Party endorsement and focused on communicating with voters in person, by e-mail and through his Web site.
Sarvi has a wealth of information on his Web site, where people can find his views on a range of issues and ideas for improving education, health care and veterans' benefits. Kline doesn't provide this depth of information on his Web site, relying more on his endorsements to speak for him.
Sarvi has proposed good ideas to reform veterans' medical benefits by changing eligibility requirements, reducing deductibles and changing the priority-care model.
ome local officials have criticized Kline's refusal to accept earmark spending, and we don't feel it is a responsible way to serve the 2nd District by neglecting constituents for Kline's principled stand against earmarks.
Although the earmark system may be flawed, we feel it currently provides needed projects to the 2nd District, like the ones Kline touted he returned to the district in 2005. The projects, totaling $16 million, included the design and construction of the Cedar Avenue Busway in Dakota County and a contribution toward reconstruction of the intersection at County Road 5 and Highway 13 in Burnsville.
Kline, who has served in Congress since 2003 and missed fewer than 1 percent of votes during that time, is an apparent good fit for the Republican-leaning 2nd District. He has gained re-election in 2004 and 2006 with 57 and 56 percent of the vote, respectively.
We applaud his service, but we feel it is time for new ideas and a new approach on behalf of constituents in the 2nd District. This editorial is a product of the ECM Editorial Board.
John Kline inconsistent on earmarks
At the Same Time, He’s Still Celebrating the “Corrupt” Funding He Sought in the Past and Misrepresenting the Process
EAGAN, Minn. – You’ve seen the ad: Rep. John Kline (R-Lakeville) walks and talks to viewers in front of giant screens representing some of the congressional high priority projects – or earmarks – he finds most egregious. His voice dripping with exasperation, he decries money that has gone to “fruit fly research in France.”
What viewers might not know is that this is a national GOP talking point: Vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin also has been talking about it. And because of the attention afforded Mrs. Palin, we now know the truth about fruit fly research: It isn’t research about fruit flies; it’s research on fruit flies for the benefit of human beings – namely, human beings with brain function abnormalities.
Scientists use fruit flies (Drosophila) for many types of research because humans share important genes with them. Due to research on fruit flies, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill showed that a protein called neurexin is required for nerve cell connections to form and function correctly. The discovery may lead to better understanding of autism spectrum disorders, as human neurexins have been identified as a genetic risk factor for autism.
The irony is that like Palin, Mr. Kline also is talking about fruit fly research alongside a call to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Mr. Kline began talking about the need to fully fund special education – which has been under-funded since 1982 – during his first debate with DFL opponent Steve Sarvi. Unfortunately, the very research he and Mrs. Palin are belittling could help eliminate one of the disabilities that put children in special education in the first place.
Also like Palin, Mr. Kline is counting on people not to make the connection between the two. But MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann did on Oct. 24.
A Continuation of John Kline’s Confused and Confusing Position on Earmarks
Mr. Kline’s position against all member high priority projects, which he calls “corrupt and corrupting," has been called “shocking and disturbing” and recently, by the Star Tribune, “absolutist” and “a concern.”
It’s also hypocritical. Before 2007, John Kline sought and accepted funds for high priority projects in his district. When he decided to stop accepting them, one might have expected him also to stop celebrating them. But he hasn’t.
In August, the Star Tribune reported that Kline attended the ribbon cutting for County Road 21 in Scott County, a road for which he secured $2.1 million in federal funds in 2004 and 2005. Kline said he saw no hypocrisy in his presence at the opening.
Just yesterday, Kline attended the opening of the Northwood Parkway Bridge, now connecting Central Parkway and Northwood Parkway/Denmark Avenue over Interstate 35E in Eagan. During the opening ceremony, Eagan Mayor Mike Maguire called Mr. Kline a “first-dollar investor” in the project (video available), which is also referred to as the Ring Road. Kline worked with Sen. Norm Coleman to secure $984,000 in funding for the bridge.
“John Kline appears to take whatever position is convenient for him,” said Bridget Cusick, deputy campaign manager, Steve Sarvi for Congress. “This proves that all his squawking about earmarks is politically driven. The good news is that it doesn’t take voters long to figure out this kind of thing. We believe given everything that’s going on in their lives that John Kline isn’t talking about – like the effects of a sour economy and skyrocketing health care costs – they’ll vote for change next week by voting for Steve Sarvi.”
Kline Misrepresents Process for Securing Transportation Funds
For months, we’ve been hearing John Kline talk about how the process for securing money for high priority projects is “corrupt and corrupting” because, as he tells it, it’s entirely based on seniority, party, and back-room dealing.
Prior to 2007, many agreed that the process for securing these funds needed reform, as the number of earmarks had skyrocketed during 12 years of
Republican congressional leadership. So, as part of the new Democratic Congress’s “100 hours agenda,” rules changes were enacted that have resulted in a drastic reduction in the number of requests. John Kline voted against this rules change.
On Fri., Oct. 24, at a joint press conference with Steve Sarvi, Rep. Jim Oberstar, chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, called out Mr. Kline on his characterization of the process by which member high priority transportation projects are allocated funding. He pointed out that to secure funding in his committee, members must complete a 20-point interview or form in which they argue the merits of their request. Among other things, they must demonstrate the project has local backing from citizens and/or community groups and discuss why the project can’t be fully financed at the state or local level.
“John Kline has decided not to serve the 2nd Congressional District,” said Steve Sarvi. “No one said being in Congress was easy. Part of the job is
helping secure federal funds for critical projects back home. The process isn’t perfect, but Mr. Kline could both advocate for reform and work for his district. Doing anything else is abdication of responsibility.
“For too long, the 2nd Congressional District has been represented by someone who isn’t representing us; instead, he has served the president, his party, and big corporate interests. It’s time to change course.”
About Steve Sarvi
Sarvi, the DFL- and Independence Party-endorsed candidate for Congress in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, is running for Congress because he believes our nation needs to change course and that the people of Minnesota’s 2nd District deserve a representative who will serve the people – not the president, not their party, not big corporate interests. Sarvi is a decorated veteran of the U.S. Army and National Guard who served in both Kosovo and Iraq. He’s a former three-term mayor of Watertown, Minn., who managed local governments for more than 13 years. For more about Sarvi and his vision for changing our country’s course, visit www.stevesarvi.org.
###
EAGAN, Minn. – You’ve seen the ad: Rep. John Kline (R-Lakeville) walks and talks to viewers in front of giant screens representing some of the congressional high priority projects – or earmarks – he finds most egregious. His voice dripping with exasperation, he decries money that has gone to “fruit fly research in France.”
What viewers might not know is that this is a national GOP talking point: Vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin also has been talking about it. And because of the attention afforded Mrs. Palin, we now know the truth about fruit fly research: It isn’t research about fruit flies; it’s research on fruit flies for the benefit of human beings – namely, human beings with brain function abnormalities.
Scientists use fruit flies (Drosophila) for many types of research because humans share important genes with them. Due to research on fruit flies, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill showed that a protein called neurexin is required for nerve cell connections to form and function correctly. The discovery may lead to better understanding of autism spectrum disorders, as human neurexins have been identified as a genetic risk factor for autism.
The irony is that like Palin, Mr. Kline also is talking about fruit fly research alongside a call to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Mr. Kline began talking about the need to fully fund special education – which has been under-funded since 1982 – during his first debate with DFL opponent Steve Sarvi. Unfortunately, the very research he and Mrs. Palin are belittling could help eliminate one of the disabilities that put children in special education in the first place.
Also like Palin, Mr. Kline is counting on people not to make the connection between the two. But MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann did on Oct. 24.
A Continuation of John Kline’s Confused and Confusing Position on Earmarks
Mr. Kline’s position against all member high priority projects, which he calls “corrupt and corrupting," has been called “shocking and disturbing” and recently, by the Star Tribune, “absolutist” and “a concern.”
It’s also hypocritical. Before 2007, John Kline sought and accepted funds for high priority projects in his district. When he decided to stop accepting them, one might have expected him also to stop celebrating them. But he hasn’t.
In August, the Star Tribune reported that Kline attended the ribbon cutting for County Road 21 in Scott County, a road for which he secured $2.1 million in federal funds in 2004 and 2005. Kline said he saw no hypocrisy in his presence at the opening.
Just yesterday, Kline attended the opening of the Northwood Parkway Bridge, now connecting Central Parkway and Northwood Parkway/Denmark Avenue over Interstate 35E in Eagan. During the opening ceremony, Eagan Mayor Mike Maguire called Mr. Kline a “first-dollar investor” in the project (video available), which is also referred to as the Ring Road. Kline worked with Sen. Norm Coleman to secure $984,000 in funding for the bridge.
“John Kline appears to take whatever position is convenient for him,” said Bridget Cusick, deputy campaign manager, Steve Sarvi for Congress. “This proves that all his squawking about earmarks is politically driven. The good news is that it doesn’t take voters long to figure out this kind of thing. We believe given everything that’s going on in their lives that John Kline isn’t talking about – like the effects of a sour economy and skyrocketing health care costs – they’ll vote for change next week by voting for Steve Sarvi.”
Kline Misrepresents Process for Securing Transportation Funds
For months, we’ve been hearing John Kline talk about how the process for securing money for high priority projects is “corrupt and corrupting” because, as he tells it, it’s entirely based on seniority, party, and back-room dealing.
Prior to 2007, many agreed that the process for securing these funds needed reform, as the number of earmarks had skyrocketed during 12 years of
Republican congressional leadership. So, as part of the new Democratic Congress’s “100 hours agenda,” rules changes were enacted that have resulted in a drastic reduction in the number of requests. John Kline voted against this rules change.
On Fri., Oct. 24, at a joint press conference with Steve Sarvi, Rep. Jim Oberstar, chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, called out Mr. Kline on his characterization of the process by which member high priority transportation projects are allocated funding. He pointed out that to secure funding in his committee, members must complete a 20-point interview or form in which they argue the merits of their request. Among other things, they must demonstrate the project has local backing from citizens and/or community groups and discuss why the project can’t be fully financed at the state or local level.
“John Kline has decided not to serve the 2nd Congressional District,” said Steve Sarvi. “No one said being in Congress was easy. Part of the job is
helping secure federal funds for critical projects back home. The process isn’t perfect, but Mr. Kline could both advocate for reform and work for his district. Doing anything else is abdication of responsibility.
“For too long, the 2nd Congressional District has been represented by someone who isn’t representing us; instead, he has served the president, his party, and big corporate interests. It’s time to change course.”
About Steve Sarvi
Sarvi, the DFL- and Independence Party-endorsed candidate for Congress in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, is running for Congress because he believes our nation needs to change course and that the people of Minnesota’s 2nd District deserve a representative who will serve the people – not the president, not their party, not big corporate interests. Sarvi is a decorated veteran of the U.S. Army and National Guard who served in both Kosovo and Iraq. He’s a former three-term mayor of Watertown, Minn., who managed local governments for more than 13 years. For more about Sarvi and his vision for changing our country’s course, visit www.stevesarvi.org.
###
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Send Dean Barkley Money!
Word on the street is that Dean Barkley raised a good amount of money yesterday.
Help Dean out, send him some campaign funds today! I'd love to see a Barkley commercial on TV soon!
Click here too to send money!
Help Dean out, send him some campaign funds today! I'd love to see a Barkley commercial on TV soon!
Click here too to send money!
Tinklenberg Endorsed by Strib
Not much of a surprise there really, especially after Bachmann's Hardball 6 minutes of shame.
Bachmann has little to show for her two years in office — three minor bills, one of which recognized the state’s 150th birthday. The incident earlier this month when she went on MSNBC’s “Hardball” and accused Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama of possibly harboring “anti-America” beliefs and calling for the media to investigate her colleagues to see who was “pro-America or anti-America” just adds to the list of bizarre incidents and statements that undercut her credibility as a political leader.
Bachmann is a culture warrior for the far-right; clearly, that’s been her priority. This north-suburban district is hard hit by foreclosures and the economic downturn. It deserves a U.S. House representative who’s practical, focused and results-oriented: Elwyn Tinklenberg.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Barkley Campaign Responds to SC Times Endorsement
Dean Barkley Endorsed By St. Cloud Times
For Immediate Release
Contact: Christopher Truscott
ctruscott@senatorbarkley.com
PLYMOUTH—The St. Cloud Times has endorsed Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley for the U.S. Senate.
Excerpts from the Times endorsement (click here to read the entire editorial):
Our view: Barkley represents the middle class best
"In Minnesota's U.S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Norm Coleman touts the importance of finding common ground while Democratic challenger Al Franken promises to represent the middle class.
"And then there is Independence candidate Dean Barkley. His is the middle class and his positions already are common ground. Voters should elect him."
…
"That's why his stands on many issues, while far from shocking, invoke a sense of realism and moderation missing from the Coleman and Franken campaigns.
"For example, he supports capping federal spending the next four years to put America on track toward reducing the federal debt.
"Similarly, he notes that the solution to fixing programs such as Social Security and Medicare rest in one basic principle: either increase revenues or decrease benefits. He's open to ideas such as indexing benefits to life expectancy, means-testing benefits, raising the tax, reforming the health care system to reduce costs, or adopting a combination of these fixes.
"Yet would the special interests connected to either of his challengers let them examine any or all those options? It's a fair question considering Coleman's voting record the past six years and Franken's penchant for proposing new programs that lack details of how to pay for them."
Click here to read the entire editorial.
Barkley was endorsed by the Minnesota Daily last week.
* * * * *
Barkley, a 58-year-old Minnesota native, served as the director of the Minnesota Office of Strategic and Long Range Planning under Gov. Jesse Ventura. In November 2002, Ventura appointed Barkley to fill the final two months of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone's term.
The former governor said recently that Barkley is "measured minute by minute … the most effective U.S. senator in Minnesota history."
More information is available online at www.senatorbarkley.com.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Christopher Truscott
ctruscott@senatorbarkley.com
PLYMOUTH—The St. Cloud Times has endorsed Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley for the U.S. Senate.
Excerpts from the Times endorsement (click here to read the entire editorial):
Our view: Barkley represents the middle class best
"In Minnesota's U.S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Norm Coleman touts the importance of finding common ground while Democratic challenger Al Franken promises to represent the middle class.
"And then there is Independence candidate Dean Barkley. His is the middle class and his positions already are common ground. Voters should elect him."
…
"That's why his stands on many issues, while far from shocking, invoke a sense of realism and moderation missing from the Coleman and Franken campaigns.
"For example, he supports capping federal spending the next four years to put America on track toward reducing the federal debt.
"Similarly, he notes that the solution to fixing programs such as Social Security and Medicare rest in one basic principle: either increase revenues or decrease benefits. He's open to ideas such as indexing benefits to life expectancy, means-testing benefits, raising the tax, reforming the health care system to reduce costs, or adopting a combination of these fixes.
"Yet would the special interests connected to either of his challengers let them examine any or all those options? It's a fair question considering Coleman's voting record the past six years and Franken's penchant for proposing new programs that lack details of how to pay for them."
Click here to read the entire editorial.
Barkley was endorsed by the Minnesota Daily last week.
* * * * *
Barkley, a 58-year-old Minnesota native, served as the director of the Minnesota Office of Strategic and Long Range Planning under Gov. Jesse Ventura. In November 2002, Ventura appointed Barkley to fill the final two months of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone's term.
The former governor said recently that Barkley is "measured minute by minute … the most effective U.S. senator in Minnesota history."
More information is available online at www.senatorbarkley.com.
Barkley Endorsed by SC Times
Barkley represents middle class best.
Finally, there may be concerns that supporting Barkley wastes a vote and potentially limits Minnesota’s voice in the highly partisan Senate. On the former, the tones of the Coleman and Franken campaigns speak volumes about what’s being wasted. And on the latter, unless the Senate tilts strongly one way, which we doubt, a moderate, middle-class Minnesotan could hold substantially more power than any traditional party-line politician.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Tinklenberg Endorsed by SC Times
But it's the editorial comments on Michele Bachmann that caught my eye and deserve being echoed.
Incumbent Rep. Michele Bachmann has simply made too many serious errors in judgment to deserve a second term.
Look no further than the Stillwater Republican’s recent appearance on MSNBC’s “Hardball.” Even if you side with her statement that she was trapped and didn’t know the “Hardball” environment (despite 23 appearances on similar shows since elected), it should not have taken her almost four days to appear in the district and offer an explanation/apology.
And then there was the debacle she created with comments made in February of 2007 in a Times Media podcast. In that case she clearly claimed, based on classified briefings, she knew of a plan to split Iraq and turn half of it into a “terrorist haven” to launch attacks in the Middle East. When pressed for details, she failed to fully explain herself and tried to blame her words on others.
As for her positions, those even seem to be changing of late. When we asked Tuesday about what should happen next in the financial crisis, she talked of providing stricter oversight. That sounds very contradictory to her comments early this month about “hyper-regulation” as a cause of the crisis and statements alluding to less, not more, oversight.
We asked about Iraq. She said she sees the U.S. role concluding there soon now that Iraq has a stable government and cash reserves. That is almost the polar opposite of her position since elected.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
DSCC / Franken Fear Mongering on Social Security
The DSCC released an ad yesterday attacking both Coleman and Barkley on Social Security and Higher Education.
Let's remember Al Franken at the Golden Valley KARE 11 debate.
Dean Barkley offered solutions.
Barkley confronted Franken on the Social Security ad and Franken's inconsistency last night on Almanac.
Franken's political courage on Social Security is similar to the political courage he exuded on the bailout bill, opposing it only after it was passed. Coleman slammed Franken for it last night as well.
The DSCC as is misleading and works to spread fear amongst seniors while our nation faces a great financial crisis. It's fear mongering at its finest.
The truth is that Al Franken has had an unclear position on Social Security. He wants to fix it one day, thinks it's fine for his first six year Senate term the next day.
Coleman supports the Bush privatization plan and wants another commission to study it.
Recall Barkley's discussion of Social Security:
Noting that Barkley, in Saturday night's debate at the Breck School, outlined four clear options for ensuring the program's solvency, the Minnesota Daily editors wrote:"Franken talked about his commitment to fix the situation, but said 'eventually we would have to have a solution for this,' noting that he wouldn't want to invest it into the stock market like some politicians have suggested.
Coleman attacked Franken about not stating an actual solution, but didn't seem to offer a clear solution either and then stated his absolute commitment to young people and the obligation to fund social security.
"Since Barkley outlined his four ideas for social security, we call on Franken and Coleman to clearly address the funding of social security and their plans for a solution."
On Sunday, Barkley reiterated his commitment to Social Security, which can be preserved for future generations by either:
• Implementing means-testing to determine eligibility for Social Security benefits;
• Raising the retirement age;
• Raising the tax workers pay into the program; or
• Raising the ceiling on income taxed for contribution to the Social Security trust fund.
"The solutions are only difficult if your top priorities are simply serving the AARP or getting reelected," Barkley said. "But if we accept the hard truths about entitlements and their funding, there's no reason in the world we can't save these programs. We don't need another 'Blue Ribbon Commission' to study this issue again."
In Saturday night's debate, Franken argued Social Security is solvent for decades to come, despite the concerns of many young people that the program won't be there when it's time for their retirement.
"Congress has been robbing the Social Security trust fund dry for the past six years," Barkley said. "In 2000, Al Gore talked about implementing a 'lock box' policy, but the real trouble is that too many people today have keys to the lock box."
We need solutions, not blatant fear mongering.
Narrator: Three candidates for Senate, but only one has consistently opposed privatizing Social Security and cutting benefits.
Visual: Opposed privatizing social security and cutting benefits
Narrator: Al Franken.
He won’t let Wall Street gamble your retirement.
Narrator: Al Franken. The only choice for change.Visual: Al Franken. The only choice for change.
Narrator: Three candidates for Senate, but only one will give families a $5,000 tuition tax credit.Visual: Give Minnesota families a $5000 college tuition tax credit.
Narrator: Al Franken. He’ll make college more affordable.Narrator: Al Franken. The only choice for change.
Visual: Al Franken. The only choice for change.
Let's remember Al Franken at the Golden Valley KARE 11 debate.
Franken told reporters Monday that he did not think anything needed to be done with Social Security in the six-year term the Minnesota senator would serve.
Dean Barkley offered solutions.
Barkley, at a debate Saturday in Golden Valley, said solutions are available but people have to have the political will to enact them. He said the tax can be raised, the retirement age can be raised, the cap of how much the government taxes can be raised or the benefits can be means-tested.
“But if we accept the hard truths about entitlements and their funding, there’s no reason in the world we can’t save these programs. We don’t need another ‘Blue Ribbon Commission’ to study this issue again,” Barkley said in a statement issued Monday.
Barkley confronted Franken on the Social Security ad and Franken's inconsistency last night on Almanac.
Barkley faulted a Democratic ad suggesting he favors privatization of Social Security, but Franken said he had no control over that ad.
An exchange over Social Security followed, with Coleman calling for a special commission to be the architect of reform, while Franken insisted that the retirement program's problems are far in the future. That brought a rebuke from Barkley.
"It's IOUs in the [Social Security] Trust Fund," he said, adding that the real problem was the refusal to talk candidly about Social Security. "We can fix it," he said. "Let's just be honest and do it."
Franken's political courage on Social Security is similar to the political courage he exuded on the bailout bill, opposing it only after it was passed. Coleman slammed Franken for it last night as well.
"I'm going to exercise my independent judgment as senator, and I think Minnesotans expect that ... just like Paul Wellstone did," Franken said.
"Paul Wellstone never would have waited until after the vote to tell you what he thought," Coleman said.
The DSCC as is misleading and works to spread fear amongst seniors while our nation faces a great financial crisis. It's fear mongering at its finest.
The truth is that Al Franken has had an unclear position on Social Security. He wants to fix it one day, thinks it's fine for his first six year Senate term the next day.
Coleman supports the Bush privatization plan and wants another commission to study it.
Recall Barkley's discussion of Social Security:
Noting that Barkley, in Saturday night's debate at the Breck School, outlined four clear options for ensuring the program's solvency, the Minnesota Daily editors wrote:"Franken talked about his commitment to fix the situation, but said 'eventually we would have to have a solution for this,' noting that he wouldn't want to invest it into the stock market like some politicians have suggested.
Coleman attacked Franken about not stating an actual solution, but didn't seem to offer a clear solution either and then stated his absolute commitment to young people and the obligation to fund social security.
"Since Barkley outlined his four ideas for social security, we call on Franken and Coleman to clearly address the funding of social security and their plans for a solution."
On Sunday, Barkley reiterated his commitment to Social Security, which can be preserved for future generations by either:
• Implementing means-testing to determine eligibility for Social Security benefits;
• Raising the retirement age;
• Raising the tax workers pay into the program; or
• Raising the ceiling on income taxed for contribution to the Social Security trust fund.
"The solutions are only difficult if your top priorities are simply serving the AARP or getting reelected," Barkley said. "But if we accept the hard truths about entitlements and their funding, there's no reason in the world we can't save these programs. We don't need another 'Blue Ribbon Commission' to study this issue again."
In Saturday night's debate, Franken argued Social Security is solvent for decades to come, despite the concerns of many young people that the program won't be there when it's time for their retirement.
"Congress has been robbing the Social Security trust fund dry for the past six years," Barkley said. "In 2000, Al Gore talked about implementing a 'lock box' policy, but the real trouble is that too many people today have keys to the lock box."
We need solutions, not blatant fear mongering.
Barkley Campaign Responds After Almanac
Straight-Forward Dean Barkley Continues to Gain Support
For Immediate Release
Contact: Christopher Truscott
ctruscott@senatorbarkley.com
SAINT PAUL—The Dean Barkley for U.S. Senate campaign released the following statement after Friday night's debate on Twin Cities Public Television's "Almanac" program:
"Our country faces serious challenges that we can't solve with more of the same Washington games that got us into this mess in the first place," said campaign chairman Jim Moore. "Minnesotans are looking for a senator willing to level with them and offer honest solutions, not political spin and catchphrases. That's why Dean Barkley continues to earn new supporters everyday."
* * * * *
Barkley, a 58-year-old Minnesota native, served as the director of the Minnesota Office of Strategic and Long Range Planning under Gov. Jesse Ventura. In November 2002, Ventura appointed Barkley to fill the final two months of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone's term.
The former governor said recently that Barkley is "measured minute by minute … the most effective U.S. senator in Minnesota history."
Last month Barkley was polling at 8 percent. Recent polls conducted by KSTP-Survey USA and the Star Tribune have placed him at 14 and 13 percent, respectively.
More information is available online at www.senatorbarkley.com.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Christopher Truscott
ctruscott@senatorbarkley.com
SAINT PAUL—The Dean Barkley for U.S. Senate campaign released the following statement after Friday night's debate on Twin Cities Public Television's "Almanac" program:
"Our country faces serious challenges that we can't solve with more of the same Washington games that got us into this mess in the first place," said campaign chairman Jim Moore. "Minnesotans are looking for a senator willing to level with them and offer honest solutions, not political spin and catchphrases. That's why Dean Barkley continues to earn new supporters everyday."
* * * * *
Barkley, a 58-year-old Minnesota native, served as the director of the Minnesota Office of Strategic and Long Range Planning under Gov. Jesse Ventura. In November 2002, Ventura appointed Barkley to fill the final two months of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone's term.
The former governor said recently that Barkley is "measured minute by minute … the most effective U.S. senator in Minnesota history."
Last month Barkley was polling at 8 percent. Recent polls conducted by KSTP-Survey USA and the Star Tribune have placed him at 14 and 13 percent, respectively.
More information is available online at www.senatorbarkley.com.
Barkley is an Agent of Change
Another SC Times LTE:
While Norm Coleman and Al Franken throw dirt at each other from their senatorial sandboxes, Minnesotans can walk away from the quibbling. We can vote for Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley.
He believes in fiscal responsibility, ending the war and term limits. He doesn’t have the money from, or the allegiance to, special interests. He is free to work for the citizens of Minnesota.
Voting for the Independence Party and Dean Barkley is not throwing away your vote any more than voting for Jesse Ventura was in 1998.
Let’s “shock the world” again. Dean Barkley doesn’t have the flash and drama of a Ventura, but by electing him we can create change.
Join me in sending an independent citizen, Dean Barkley, not a career politician, to represent us in the U.S. Senate.
Bruno S. Gad
Clear Lake
While Norm Coleman and Al Franken throw dirt at each other from their senatorial sandboxes, Minnesotans can walk away from the quibbling. We can vote for Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley.
He believes in fiscal responsibility, ending the war and term limits. He doesn’t have the money from, or the allegiance to, special interests. He is free to work for the citizens of Minnesota.
Voting for the Independence Party and Dean Barkley is not throwing away your vote any more than voting for Jesse Ventura was in 1998.
Let’s “shock the world” again. Dean Barkley doesn’t have the flash and drama of a Ventura, but by electing him we can create change.
Join me in sending an independent citizen, Dean Barkley, not a career politician, to represent us in the U.S. Senate.
Bruno S. Gad
Clear Lake
Barkley: Candidate With Character
From a St Cloud Times LTE:
As an involved citizen who favors candidates who fit into the “Sensible Center,” I urge my peers, who also claim their political independence, to vote for Sen. John McCain for president, Dean Barkley for U.S. Senate and Elwyn Tinklenberg for Congress.
When given the opportunity, we must vote for the candidates who have demonstrated extraordinary character. After all, most candidates soon forget their promises once the polls close.
These candidates offer an extreme dose of character. We must choose candidates who, regardless of which party you may lean toward, will work with the opposition to find solutions. With allegiance split nearly evenly between the Democrats and Republicans, half of the population is in the other camp and gridlock is equally devastating to both sides.
These three candidates would rather do without the lustful, pervasive and gluttonous special interest money. It is important that our elected officials don’t have IOUs out to the various special interests, and have just our best interests in mind.
This time “for real” the nation finds itself at a crossroads. Please don’t waste your vote on charisma or unsubstantiated idealism, but rather spend your vote for substance. Our future and our children’s futures will depend on the leaders who will take office in January 2009.
Mike Landy
St. Cloud
As an involved citizen who favors candidates who fit into the “Sensible Center,” I urge my peers, who also claim their political independence, to vote for Sen. John McCain for president, Dean Barkley for U.S. Senate and Elwyn Tinklenberg for Congress.
When given the opportunity, we must vote for the candidates who have demonstrated extraordinary character. After all, most candidates soon forget their promises once the polls close.
These candidates offer an extreme dose of character. We must choose candidates who, regardless of which party you may lean toward, will work with the opposition to find solutions. With allegiance split nearly evenly between the Democrats and Republicans, half of the population is in the other camp and gridlock is equally devastating to both sides.
These three candidates would rather do without the lustful, pervasive and gluttonous special interest money. It is important that our elected officials don’t have IOUs out to the various special interests, and have just our best interests in mind.
This time “for real” the nation finds itself at a crossroads. Please don’t waste your vote on charisma or unsubstantiated idealism, but rather spend your vote for substance. Our future and our children’s futures will depend on the leaders who will take office in January 2009.
Mike Landy
St. Cloud
Friday, October 24, 2008
Barkley Fundraiser Saturday!
Where: Barkley's Campaign HQ
11255 Highway 55, Suite 50, Plymouth, MN 55441
When: 5-8 pm Saturday, October 25th!
$25 for wine and pasta!
RSVP to melissaanddaisy@aol.com
11255 Highway 55, Suite 50, Plymouth, MN 55441
When: 5-8 pm Saturday, October 25th!
$25 for wine and pasta!
RSVP to melissaanddaisy@aol.com
Dean Barkley Endorsed by Minnesota Daily
A Senate swing-vote
PUBLISHED: 10/23/2008
Disgusted with the ever-present negative ads, predictable partisan unoriginality, well-polished pandering and meaninglessness of much of the political discourse, apathy besets voters leading up to the election — who cynically march into the voting booth on Election Day to fulfill their duty to check off the lesser of two evils.
Tragically, the very political archetypes for which citizens clamor routinely receive little support. But there is one candidate out there who threatens to break that mold this year: the Independence Party’s nominee — and one of its founders — for U.S. Senate, Dean Barkley.
The Barkley campaign strives to be “issues-based” and runs only positive ads. Among other principled ascetics vowed by Barkley is a refusal to pander. He countered Franken’s $5,000 college student tax credit proposal with discipline: “I’m not going to … promise tax credits and new programs because we’re basically $11 trillion in debt.”
Moreover, Barkley would contribute a necessary swing vote to a Senate hindering on a Democratic takeover. Checks and balances absent within government’s branches is as dangerous of a concept as checks and balances absent between government’s branches.
Barkley stresses ethics reform and proposes criminalizing campaign contributions to congressional leaders serving on related committees. His realization that the Bush administration misled the nation on the war in Iraq and it should shift focuses to Afghanistan is as precise as his view that the equal protections clause applies to everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Barkley, furthermore, correctly argues drug use won’t be quelled by waging a war and that because 18 year olds can die in war and vote, they should certainly be able to consume alcohol.
We urge readers to consider sending a refreshing and independent voice to a chamber utterly lacking those qualities.
PUBLISHED: 10/23/2008
Disgusted with the ever-present negative ads, predictable partisan unoriginality, well-polished pandering and meaninglessness of much of the political discourse, apathy besets voters leading up to the election — who cynically march into the voting booth on Election Day to fulfill their duty to check off the lesser of two evils.
Tragically, the very political archetypes for which citizens clamor routinely receive little support. But there is one candidate out there who threatens to break that mold this year: the Independence Party’s nominee — and one of its founders — for U.S. Senate, Dean Barkley.
The Barkley campaign strives to be “issues-based” and runs only positive ads. Among other principled ascetics vowed by Barkley is a refusal to pander. He countered Franken’s $5,000 college student tax credit proposal with discipline: “I’m not going to … promise tax credits and new programs because we’re basically $11 trillion in debt.”
Moreover, Barkley would contribute a necessary swing vote to a Senate hindering on a Democratic takeover. Checks and balances absent within government’s branches is as dangerous of a concept as checks and balances absent between government’s branches.
Barkley stresses ethics reform and proposes criminalizing campaign contributions to congressional leaders serving on related committees. His realization that the Bush administration misled the nation on the war in Iraq and it should shift focuses to Afghanistan is as precise as his view that the equal protections clause applies to everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Barkley, furthermore, correctly argues drug use won’t be quelled by waging a war and that because 18 year olds can die in war and vote, they should certainly be able to consume alcohol.
We urge readers to consider sending a refreshing and independent voice to a chamber utterly lacking those qualities.
Tinklenberg Leads Bachmann in the 6th
47-44 per a KSTP / Survey USA poll.
It's great news, but having seen the blogosphere discredit the methodology of KSTP / Survey USA polls in the past, I'll call this guarded optimism.
It's great news, but having seen the blogosphere discredit the methodology of KSTP / Survey USA polls in the past, I'll call this guarded optimism.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Brian Davis Disses Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans: Shameless
Just when I thought Brian Davis could not be any more foolish, he manages establish new levels of foolishness. Seriously, the ridiculous bar for Brian Davis is so low right now, I think he dig a ditch in order to get under it...but he still manages.
As we all know, Brian Davis sucks on Veterans issues. Our 1st installment. The 2nd installment.
We also know, via our site meter through the beauty of IP addresses, that Brian Davis spends more time reading about himself on the Internet than he does researching Veterans issues.
Ollie has the scoop from the Fighting First.
Davis scrapes the bottom of the barrel...again.
Ok, I'm a bit hypersenstive about Veterans issues. When I left the Army 7 years ago, I struggled to obtain my GI Bill Education benefits. I also struggled with the VA medical center in St Cloud and some serious service related knee problems. It took more than 6 months to get my education benefits and was eventually denied help after the VA reevaluated my knees.
Fine, I was more concerned about a former soldier who had lost an eye and had his disability rating changed from 50% to 20%, and soldiers who lost limbs who had their ratings substantially changed as well, after all, how much is your right eye worth?
It's not easy. I'm pretty fortunate in the grand scheme of things. For some veterans, the VA is about all they have.
I had a friend who served in the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles during the first Iraq War. He was many miles inside Iraq when many in his unit began to suffer the effects of a mild nerve agent, Sarin Gas. The Air Force didn't coordinate things very well with the Army as they bombed a weapons bunker near Ah Nassariah in 1991. These soldiers were only a couple of miles away when these bunkers were destroyed, with chemical weapons intact.
The guys in the unit were lethargic and had a mysterious flu. They were shipped out within a day or two and they never really thought much of it.
My friend then got a letter (5-6 years after the fact) from the Department of Defense saying he may have been exposed to Sarin Gas in 1991 and to report to the nearest military or VA hospital for assessment. Chris had been long suffering from PTSD at the time and began what ended up being about an 8 year process to figure out what happened to him.
I met Chris in 2001 at St Cloud State. He was a social work major and we worked together on Veterans issues at SCSU. It was easy to see the stress of working with the VA on his mental and physical health issues, but keeping true to the Warrior Spirit, he kept pushing.
Eventually, he got the care he needed, but the struggle to obtain the benefits he rightfully earned and to get the help he so desperately needed, but it took some considerable time and effort.
It should never be that hard.
Brian Davis' sheer ignorance on Veterans issues and is lack of respect for renowned Veterans organizations is appalling to me. I spoke to a few friends today, guys I served with, people with diverse political views (dude is voting for Gordon Smith in Oregon).
We agree. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is a great advocacy organization for Veterans. IAVA fights for soldiers like our friend David Chatham.
For a candidate of Davis' profile to reject the advocacy work of IAVA is yet another reason voters in the Figthing First need to reject him.
Congressman Walz has been an outstanding advocate for Veterans and our servicemen and women. Walz earned every bit of praise from Veterans groups like the VFW and IAVA.
While Walz does not represent me up here in the 6th, I am truly proud that Sergeant Major Walz represents me and other Veterans in Congress.
As we all know, Brian Davis sucks on Veterans issues. Our 1st installment. The 2nd installment.
I can’t identify any specific areas where we would improve the educational or healthcare methods for veterans. I know there was a recent bill passed that is doing just that.
We also know, via our site meter through the beauty of IP addresses, that Brian Davis spends more time reading about himself on the Internet than he does researching Veterans issues.
Ollie has the scoop from the Fighting First.
In Walz Gets 'A' Rating from Iraq and Afghanistan Vets Group, KEYC-TV paraphrased as Davis saying:
Walz received the A plus rating from a partisan organization.
That's news to several Iraq War vets we talked to last night, who thought the group was like the VFW, "except focused on 21st century wars," as one former soldier put it. (The VFW PAC, btw, endorsed Walz a while back).
Even more, Davis's opinion will probably be news to Norm Coleman. Like Harry Reid, whom Davis denounced to KEYC-TV, Coleman received an "A" from the group. On his official senate site, Coleman said of the group:
". . .I appreciate IAVA’s recognition and I look forward to working with them in the future as I continue to fight for our nation’s veterans.”
The KEYC-TV report said that Davis will be issuing a statement responding to a
letter Veterans for Walz sent to him asking about vets issues. The vets letter was written after Davis repeatedly said he couldn't think of any way that medical or educational benefits could be improved for our nation's vets.
Perhaps the out-of-touch doc can also explain why Coleman was ranked high by a "partisan" vets group. Somehow, we doubt Coleman will beginning scorning the high grade and encouraging Davis to carry on this way in joint public appearances.
Readers should visit the IAVA's web site to decide for themselves how "partisan" the IAVA's agenda is. We've emailed the group to ask for a response to Davis's statements.
Davis scrapes the bottom of the barrel...again.
Ok, I'm a bit hypersenstive about Veterans issues. When I left the Army 7 years ago, I struggled to obtain my GI Bill Education benefits. I also struggled with the VA medical center in St Cloud and some serious service related knee problems. It took more than 6 months to get my education benefits and was eventually denied help after the VA reevaluated my knees.
Fine, I was more concerned about a former soldier who had lost an eye and had his disability rating changed from 50% to 20%, and soldiers who lost limbs who had their ratings substantially changed as well, after all, how much is your right eye worth?
It's not easy. I'm pretty fortunate in the grand scheme of things. For some veterans, the VA is about all they have.
I had a friend who served in the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles during the first Iraq War. He was many miles inside Iraq when many in his unit began to suffer the effects of a mild nerve agent, Sarin Gas. The Air Force didn't coordinate things very well with the Army as they bombed a weapons bunker near Ah Nassariah in 1991. These soldiers were only a couple of miles away when these bunkers were destroyed, with chemical weapons intact.
The guys in the unit were lethargic and had a mysterious flu. They were shipped out within a day or two and they never really thought much of it.
My friend then got a letter (5-6 years after the fact) from the Department of Defense saying he may have been exposed to Sarin Gas in 1991 and to report to the nearest military or VA hospital for assessment. Chris had been long suffering from PTSD at the time and began what ended up being about an 8 year process to figure out what happened to him.
I met Chris in 2001 at St Cloud State. He was a social work major and we worked together on Veterans issues at SCSU. It was easy to see the stress of working with the VA on his mental and physical health issues, but keeping true to the Warrior Spirit, he kept pushing.
Eventually, he got the care he needed, but the struggle to obtain the benefits he rightfully earned and to get the help he so desperately needed, but it took some considerable time and effort.
It should never be that hard.
Brian Davis' sheer ignorance on Veterans issues and is lack of respect for renowned Veterans organizations is appalling to me. I spoke to a few friends today, guys I served with, people with diverse political views (dude is voting for Gordon Smith in Oregon).
We agree. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is a great advocacy organization for Veterans. IAVA fights for soldiers like our friend David Chatham.
Staff Sgt. David Chatham, 34, won a Silver Star for continuing to command his Bradley Fighting Vehicle to protect pinned- down U.S. troops after a rocket- propelled grenade shredded his lower left leg near Fallujah a year ago.
He has been laboring to get back on duty ever since doctors amputated the limb. "The whole disability thing is a maze," he said by telephone from Fort Lewis, Wash. "Unless you get to the very end of the process, there's no way to know all the answers."
Chatham's goal is to stay on active duty, perhaps to teach combat infantry tactics, until he can retire with a pension in four years. But he fears he will be forcibly retired.
When a physical evaluation board saw Chatham on Monday, its task was only to judge whether he is fit to resume his job as a combat infantryman -- not whether he would make a good teacher in another Army job.
He expects to hear its verdict in a few weeks. "You can't imagine how stressful it is," Chatham said.
For a candidate of Davis' profile to reject the advocacy work of IAVA is yet another reason voters in the Figthing First need to reject him.
Congressman Walz has been an outstanding advocate for Veterans and our servicemen and women. Walz earned every bit of praise from Veterans groups like the VFW and IAVA.
While Walz does not represent me up here in the 6th, I am truly proud that Sergeant Major Walz represents me and other Veterans in Congress.
Bachmann: "I’m desperate for help right now or else I lose."
Bachmann did it again yesterday, on Hugh Hewitt and Mike Gallagher's radio shows.
Shameless, absolutely shameless.
She's desperate, it's going to get really ugly the last 12 days.
Shameless, absolutely shameless.
She's desperate, it's going to get really ugly the last 12 days.
Is a vote for a third party candidate a wasted vote?
A letter in the Worthington Daily Globe
Someone's paying attention, Dennis gets a gold star!
In the recent Senatorial debate on KARE11, the question was asked — what would you do to fix the coming crisis in funding for Social Security? Senator Coleman said that he would form a study group to seek the answer. Mr. Franken said that social security was OK for a while, and he wouldn’t change anything.
Senator Barkley said that we had already had enough studies, including one Congressman Tim Penny participated in, which came up with a few workable but tough solutions. We need to raise Social Security taxes, increase the eligible age, limit the amount of Social Security a wealthy person would receive, or a combination of these ideas.
I think the next Congress should have the courage to fix this problem, and that Dean Barkley is the best person to face the difficult problems that face our country — especially as he doesn’t have to “toe the party line” and can truly do what is best for our country. So yes, let’s really vote for a change in Washington by returning Sen. Barkley to the Senate. Also, a vote for Barkley says no to all the ads that both the other parties have run and show that outside money can’t buy a Minnesota Senate seat.
Someone's paying attention, Dennis gets a gold star!
KARE 11 Profile on Dean Barkley
From KARE 11
Dean Barkley found himself in familiar territory that afternoon in July when he walked into the Minnesota Secretary of State's office and filed to run for a seat in the US Senate under the Independence Party banner.
It's his fourth run as a third party candidate, dating back to 1992. And once again he's playing the role of the outspoken outsider, the under funded underdog fighting both his rivals and the two-party system itself.
"Ross Perot got me motivated, guilted me into doing something," Barkley recalls of his first foray into elected politics, "So I ran for Congress in 1992."
The ultimate deficit hawk adds, "And back then the debt was only 2.5 trillion! The sad thing is I could use the same campaign literature I did in 1992, only with more zeroes added!"
That year Perot's Reform Party movement tapped into voter frustration with the two-party system and Washington's gridlock games. Barkley, a Plymouth attorney and small businessman, looked to the same in Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District.
Appalled by the growing influence of political action committees, or PACs, Barkley began showing reporters pages from dictionaries as he compared what those organizations do with bribery.
"You go to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, 2nd Edition, and it defines 'bribe' as the giving of money or something of value to someone in power with the expectation of influencing their decision-making."
In 1992 Barkley won the endorsement of both of the Twin Cities major metropolitan newspapers, but still finished behind incumbent Democrat Jerry Sikorski and that year's victor Republican Rod Grams.
Two years later Barkley was back in the mix, again rejecting PAC money and living without the vital TV time it can buy a politician. That year he also experience difficulty being included in officially sanctioned debates.
"The other candidates all say they welcome me," Barkley told KARE 11 in 1994 as he stood outside a debate in Saint Paul, "But privately they've gone behind my back and told every debate sponsor if I'm invited they will boycott."
Major Party Status
Barkley lost again to Rod Grams that year, but he accomplished something that put the third party movement on the map again in Minnesota. He grabbed five percent of the vote, giving his Reform Party "major party" status in Minnesota.
That comes an automatic spot on statewide ballots, assuming the party fields a candidate, and qualifies the party for state subsidies.
In 1996 Barkley would fill that spot again, going against incumbent Democrat Paul Wellstone and former Republican Senator Rudy Boschwitz
His standard line at debates that year?
"Hi, I'm Dean Barkley, the other guy in the race for US Senate,"
He finished third again that year, but won enough votes to retain major party status for his party, which paved the way for his biggest success in 1998.
That's the year he managed Jesse Ventura's shocking victory in the governor's race.
"You know we don't need a gun to have a revolution in this country," Barkley remarked, "It's called a vote. You can use your vote as your weapon of choice."
Senator Barkley
Barkley was also at the center of Governor Jesse Ventura's final shocker, four years later. A day before the 2002 election, and 10 days after Senator Wellstone died in a plane crash, Ventura named Barkley as an interim senator to finish Wellstone's term.
It was already as tumultuous time, with former Vice President Walter Mondale suddenly stepping into Wellstone's shoes on the campaign trail. And many -- including former Congressman Tim Penny -- urged Ventura to wait until after the election and appoint the winner to fill Wellstone's spot.
But Ventura, already upset by the partisan tone of the Wellstone Memorial Service, was frustrated when he learned that his party's candidate Jim Moore would not be included in an election eve debate between Mondale and Republican Norm Coleman.
"I only had an hour's notice he was naming me to the Senate," Barkley recalls, "And it took me 40 minutes to drive there."
He got to the Governor's office only five minutes before Ventura's news conference announcing his appointment.
"Jesse sticks his head into the office, and these were his exact words, 'Ha Barkley! Now you're going to know what it's like to be me!' And out he went."
"That was my prep."
By then the Minnesota Reform Party changed to its current name, the Independence Party. And Senator Dean Barkley arrived in Washington with an "IP -Minnesota" next to title.
His time on Capitol Hill was brief but action packed. Barkley held the tie-breaking vote on the Homeland Security Bill, and used it as a bargaining chip to save Minnesota's unique public assistance program.
"I had been in Ventura's administration, so I knew it would cost us hundreds of millions of dollars if we lost our TANF waiver," Barkley explained.
Minnesota at the time had a waiver from the rules that went with the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, known as TANF. That waiver allowed the state more flexibility with its welfare-to-work program, but Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson wanted to end that waiver.
"One half hour before the Homeland Security bill was up for a vote I got the call from Air Force One, we made the deal with Tommy Thompson, we got the waiver, and I voted the way I was always going to, but they figured out they needed my vote, so I played the game.
Before the "game" ended, Barkley had also helped secure $10 million to build the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center in Saint Paul, which also serves as the home to the Neighborhood House resettlement center.
The Other Guy's Back
As the 2008 Senate race began to shape up as a two-way battle between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken, Barkley and other Independence Party activists began to ponder offering voters a third choice.
Robert Fitzgerald carried the party's banner in the 2006 Senate race, but couldn't make a huge dent in the contest between Republican Mark Kennedy and Democrat Amy Klobuchar.
At a book signing at the Mall of America, Jesse Ventura seemed to flirt with the idea of jumping into the fray. He carried the suspense until the eve of the filing deadline, ultimately announcing on CNN's Larry King Live that he would not run.
The next day Dean Barkley filed, and in September won the Independence Party primary. He returned to the theme of out of control deficit spending.
"I have not heard Al Franken or Norm Coleman talk about the debt or the deficit once," Barkley told KARE, "Not one word out of their mouth, like it doesn't exist. It's the big gorilla in the room that they're pretending is not there."
Barkley, who has a 19-year-old daughter and a 22-year-old son, has often called the federal government's excessive borrowing "financial child abuse."
"Now we've moved beyond saddling our children with that debt," he complained, "We're mortgaging our grandchildren's future and beyond."
"Whether it's a $9.65 trillion dollar debt, about to go to $11.3 trillion if this bailout works, I mean how are we ever able going to pay that back?"
He said most people would be shocked to learn that China and Russia are helping fund our debt spending by buying US Treasury bills.
"How sad, that our economy depends on the good will of China and Russia!"
Barkley's prescription would require sacrifice, and a new pay-as-you-go way of looking at the world in the Beltway. New taxes would be a last resort.
"My first bill would be a four-year spending freeze," Barkley pledged, "And once we prove we can control our spending I might open up to the idea of targeted tax increases."
Health Care and Iraq
On the issue of health care he said universal health care is almost inevitable, "unless the private sector does something to control costs."
He would open up the Medicare program to people of any age willing to buy their way into it and pay a premium.
"Private insurance companies could then compete head to head with Medicare, and we'd get to see which insurance plan is more cost effective."
He would insist, however, that Medicare be allowed to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices. Congress barred the government from doing that when it passed the Medicare Part D prescription benefit.
"That's the most ludicrous thing in the world that we prevent them from lowering cost," Barkley argued, "We PREVENT them! That is absolutely insane!"
On the question of Iraq, he would ask the commanders to help set a timetable, and then make it stick.
"You set a time and at that time there's no more money and they have to get out," Barkley asserted, "That's how you do it. Congress has to have the guts to do something."
He admits it may take "guts" for some voters to go with the third party choice, and send him to a Senate loaded with Democrats and Republicans. But to Barkley's way of thinking, the only truly wasted vote is the vote for more of the same.
"Who's actually going to be able to deliver change?" Barkley asked rhetorically, "If you want to send a message to Washington that you don't like what they're doing, what kind of message are you going to send by sending Al or Norm there?"
Bailout Blues
At the time of our interview for this Extra, lawmakers in Washington were still grappling with the financial system rescue plan.
In a recent debate, Barkley said he hopes for the sake of everyone that the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act works as planned.
He laid the blame for the crisis at the feet of both of the parties in power in Washington.
"The Democrats let it happen because they wanted everyone in this country to have a house," Barkley said, "Republicans looked the other way because all their rich friends on Wall Street were getting richer."
Dean Barkley found himself in familiar territory that afternoon in July when he walked into the Minnesota Secretary of State's office and filed to run for a seat in the US Senate under the Independence Party banner.
It's his fourth run as a third party candidate, dating back to 1992. And once again he's playing the role of the outspoken outsider, the under funded underdog fighting both his rivals and the two-party system itself.
"Ross Perot got me motivated, guilted me into doing something," Barkley recalls of his first foray into elected politics, "So I ran for Congress in 1992."
The ultimate deficit hawk adds, "And back then the debt was only 2.5 trillion! The sad thing is I could use the same campaign literature I did in 1992, only with more zeroes added!"
That year Perot's Reform Party movement tapped into voter frustration with the two-party system and Washington's gridlock games. Barkley, a Plymouth attorney and small businessman, looked to the same in Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District.
Appalled by the growing influence of political action committees, or PACs, Barkley began showing reporters pages from dictionaries as he compared what those organizations do with bribery.
"You go to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, 2nd Edition, and it defines 'bribe' as the giving of money or something of value to someone in power with the expectation of influencing their decision-making."
In 1992 Barkley won the endorsement of both of the Twin Cities major metropolitan newspapers, but still finished behind incumbent Democrat Jerry Sikorski and that year's victor Republican Rod Grams.
Two years later Barkley was back in the mix, again rejecting PAC money and living without the vital TV time it can buy a politician. That year he also experience difficulty being included in officially sanctioned debates.
"The other candidates all say they welcome me," Barkley told KARE 11 in 1994 as he stood outside a debate in Saint Paul, "But privately they've gone behind my back and told every debate sponsor if I'm invited they will boycott."
Major Party Status
Barkley lost again to Rod Grams that year, but he accomplished something that put the third party movement on the map again in Minnesota. He grabbed five percent of the vote, giving his Reform Party "major party" status in Minnesota.
That comes an automatic spot on statewide ballots, assuming the party fields a candidate, and qualifies the party for state subsidies.
In 1996 Barkley would fill that spot again, going against incumbent Democrat Paul Wellstone and former Republican Senator Rudy Boschwitz
His standard line at debates that year?
"Hi, I'm Dean Barkley, the other guy in the race for US Senate,"
He finished third again that year, but won enough votes to retain major party status for his party, which paved the way for his biggest success in 1998.
That's the year he managed Jesse Ventura's shocking victory in the governor's race.
"You know we don't need a gun to have a revolution in this country," Barkley remarked, "It's called a vote. You can use your vote as your weapon of choice."
Senator Barkley
Barkley was also at the center of Governor Jesse Ventura's final shocker, four years later. A day before the 2002 election, and 10 days after Senator Wellstone died in a plane crash, Ventura named Barkley as an interim senator to finish Wellstone's term.
It was already as tumultuous time, with former Vice President Walter Mondale suddenly stepping into Wellstone's shoes on the campaign trail. And many -- including former Congressman Tim Penny -- urged Ventura to wait until after the election and appoint the winner to fill Wellstone's spot.
But Ventura, already upset by the partisan tone of the Wellstone Memorial Service, was frustrated when he learned that his party's candidate Jim Moore would not be included in an election eve debate between Mondale and Republican Norm Coleman.
"I only had an hour's notice he was naming me to the Senate," Barkley recalls, "And it took me 40 minutes to drive there."
He got to the Governor's office only five minutes before Ventura's news conference announcing his appointment.
"Jesse sticks his head into the office, and these were his exact words, 'Ha Barkley! Now you're going to know what it's like to be me!' And out he went."
"That was my prep."
By then the Minnesota Reform Party changed to its current name, the Independence Party. And Senator Dean Barkley arrived in Washington with an "IP -Minnesota" next to title.
His time on Capitol Hill was brief but action packed. Barkley held the tie-breaking vote on the Homeland Security Bill, and used it as a bargaining chip to save Minnesota's unique public assistance program.
"I had been in Ventura's administration, so I knew it would cost us hundreds of millions of dollars if we lost our TANF waiver," Barkley explained.
Minnesota at the time had a waiver from the rules that went with the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, known as TANF. That waiver allowed the state more flexibility with its welfare-to-work program, but Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson wanted to end that waiver.
"One half hour before the Homeland Security bill was up for a vote I got the call from Air Force One, we made the deal with Tommy Thompson, we got the waiver, and I voted the way I was always going to, but they figured out they needed my vote, so I played the game.
Before the "game" ended, Barkley had also helped secure $10 million to build the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center in Saint Paul, which also serves as the home to the Neighborhood House resettlement center.
The Other Guy's Back
As the 2008 Senate race began to shape up as a two-way battle between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken, Barkley and other Independence Party activists began to ponder offering voters a third choice.
Robert Fitzgerald carried the party's banner in the 2006 Senate race, but couldn't make a huge dent in the contest between Republican Mark Kennedy and Democrat Amy Klobuchar.
At a book signing at the Mall of America, Jesse Ventura seemed to flirt with the idea of jumping into the fray. He carried the suspense until the eve of the filing deadline, ultimately announcing on CNN's Larry King Live that he would not run.
The next day Dean Barkley filed, and in September won the Independence Party primary. He returned to the theme of out of control deficit spending.
"I have not heard Al Franken or Norm Coleman talk about the debt or the deficit once," Barkley told KARE, "Not one word out of their mouth, like it doesn't exist. It's the big gorilla in the room that they're pretending is not there."
Barkley, who has a 19-year-old daughter and a 22-year-old son, has often called the federal government's excessive borrowing "financial child abuse."
"Now we've moved beyond saddling our children with that debt," he complained, "We're mortgaging our grandchildren's future and beyond."
"Whether it's a $9.65 trillion dollar debt, about to go to $11.3 trillion if this bailout works, I mean how are we ever able going to pay that back?"
He said most people would be shocked to learn that China and Russia are helping fund our debt spending by buying US Treasury bills.
"How sad, that our economy depends on the good will of China and Russia!"
Barkley's prescription would require sacrifice, and a new pay-as-you-go way of looking at the world in the Beltway. New taxes would be a last resort.
"My first bill would be a four-year spending freeze," Barkley pledged, "And once we prove we can control our spending I might open up to the idea of targeted tax increases."
Health Care and Iraq
On the issue of health care he said universal health care is almost inevitable, "unless the private sector does something to control costs."
He would open up the Medicare program to people of any age willing to buy their way into it and pay a premium.
"Private insurance companies could then compete head to head with Medicare, and we'd get to see which insurance plan is more cost effective."
He would insist, however, that Medicare be allowed to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices. Congress barred the government from doing that when it passed the Medicare Part D prescription benefit.
"That's the most ludicrous thing in the world that we prevent them from lowering cost," Barkley argued, "We PREVENT them! That is absolutely insane!"
On the question of Iraq, he would ask the commanders to help set a timetable, and then make it stick.
"You set a time and at that time there's no more money and they have to get out," Barkley asserted, "That's how you do it. Congress has to have the guts to do something."
He admits it may take "guts" for some voters to go with the third party choice, and send him to a Senate loaded with Democrats and Republicans. But to Barkley's way of thinking, the only truly wasted vote is the vote for more of the same.
"Who's actually going to be able to deliver change?" Barkley asked rhetorically, "If you want to send a message to Washington that you don't like what they're doing, what kind of message are you going to send by sending Al or Norm there?"
Bailout Blues
At the time of our interview for this Extra, lawmakers in Washington were still grappling with the financial system rescue plan.
In a recent debate, Barkley said he hopes for the sake of everyone that the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act works as planned.
He laid the blame for the crisis at the feet of both of the parties in power in Washington.
"The Democrats let it happen because they wanted everyone in this country to have a house," Barkley said, "Republicans looked the other way because all their rich friends on Wall Street were getting richer."
Barkley, Franken, and the 2nd Amendment
Barkley Campaign: 'It's Time for Al Franken to Clarify His Position on 2nd Amendment Rights'
For Immediate Release
Contact: Christopher Truscott
ctruscott@senatorbarkley.com
PLYMOUTH—The Dean Barkley for Senate campaign called on DFLer Al Franken to finally clarify his position on the 2nd Amendment:
"We're all looking forward to Nov. 4, but Nov. 8 is also a big day for tens of thousands of Minnesotans because it marks the opening of deer hunting season.
"Given that we're less than three weeks away from the start of this great Minnesota tradition, it's time for Al Franken to finally clarify his position on 2nd Amendment rights. At best, it's confusing.[1] At worst, it's misleading.[2] Is he promoting New York City values or defending Minnesota's proud legacy?"
* * * * *
Barkley, a 58-year-old Minnesota native, served as the director of the Minnesota Office of Strategic and Long Range Planning under Gov. Jesse Ventura. In November 2002, Ventura appointed Barkley to fill the final two months of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone's term.
The former governor said recently that Barkley is "measured minute by minute … the most effective U.S. senator in Minnesota history."
More information is available online at www.senatorbarkley.com.
[1] "Todd Palin talks the Second Amendment" (Star Tribune, Oct. 16, 2008): http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/president/31125154.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUX
[2] Republican Party of Minnesota press release (via Minnesota Democrats Exposed, June 26, 2008): http://www.minnesotademocratsexposed.com/2008/06/26/mn-gop-press-release-franken-wrong-for-minnesota-gun-owners/
For Immediate Release
Contact: Christopher Truscott
ctruscott@senatorbarkley.com
PLYMOUTH—The Dean Barkley for Senate campaign called on DFLer Al Franken to finally clarify his position on the 2nd Amendment:
"We're all looking forward to Nov. 4, but Nov. 8 is also a big day for tens of thousands of Minnesotans because it marks the opening of deer hunting season.
"Given that we're less than three weeks away from the start of this great Minnesota tradition, it's time for Al Franken to finally clarify his position on 2nd Amendment rights. At best, it's confusing.[1] At worst, it's misleading.[2] Is he promoting New York City values or defending Minnesota's proud legacy?"
* * * * *
Barkley, a 58-year-old Minnesota native, served as the director of the Minnesota Office of Strategic and Long Range Planning under Gov. Jesse Ventura. In November 2002, Ventura appointed Barkley to fill the final two months of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone's term.
The former governor said recently that Barkley is "measured minute by minute … the most effective U.S. senator in Minnesota history."
More information is available online at www.senatorbarkley.com.
[1] "Todd Palin talks the Second Amendment" (Star Tribune, Oct. 16, 2008): http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/president/31125154.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUX
[2] Republican Party of Minnesota press release (via Minnesota Democrats Exposed, June 26, 2008): http://www.minnesotademocratsexposed.com/2008/06/26/mn-gop-press-release-franken-wrong-for-minnesota-gun-owners/
Bachmann Focal Point of SC Times Opinon Page Outrage
And now the letters have hit. I'm not sure I've seen so many on the SC Times website.
Let's Hope We Fit Patriot Definition
It's Time To Remove Bachmann From Post
We need to choose competent leaders
Bachmann's words show intolerance
Tinklenberg will be better fit for district
Lets hope district will vote Bachmann out
Comments damaging, lacking dignity
Bachmann is too extreme for district
We can fix mistake by electing Tinklenberg
Bachmann can't escape accountability
Bachmann using false attacks on Obama
There was one pro-Bachmann LTE, countered by 11 anti-Bachmann letters.
Let's Hope We Fit Patriot Definition
It's Time To Remove Bachmann From Post
We need to choose competent leaders
Bachmann's words show intolerance
Tinklenberg will be better fit for district
Lets hope district will vote Bachmann out
Comments damaging, lacking dignity
Bachmann is too extreme for district
We can fix mistake by electing Tinklenberg
Bachmann can't escape accountability
Bachmann using false attacks on Obama
There was one pro-Bachmann LTE, countered by 11 anti-Bachmann letters.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Barkley Bloomberg Story
Ventura Haunts Minnesota Senate Race as Barkley Taps Voter Ire
Oct. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Minnesota has seen this movie.
Ten years ago, a gregarious professional wrestler, Jesse Ventura, won the race for governor by tapping into voter anger and running as a third-party candidate.
This year, Dean Barkley, Ventura's former campaign manager, is trying to produce a sequel by vying for a U.S. Senate seat. While one of the major-party candidates is favored to win the race, high economic anxiety and Congress' record-low approval ratings have given Barkley a lift in state polls.
``Something's got to be done and I don't think Republicans or Democrats can do it,'' Gary Lilya, a 64-year-old Democrat said after meeting Barkley at a diner in Rochester.
The race already had developed into one of the most closely watched in the country, with comedian Al Franken, a Democrat, challenging Republican incumbent, Norm Coleman.
Democrats had counted on Franken, 57, benefiting from the anti-Washington climate fueled by economic hard times. Enter into the race Barkley, who has a paid staff of two and $75,000 in campaign funds. He briefly served as a U.S. senator once already when Ventura appointed him to serve the final two months of Paul Wellstone's term after the Democrat died in a plane crash in 2002.
Dead Heat
Barkley, 58, has changed the dynamic by turning the race into a dead heat. In a survey conducted by Quinnipiac University Oct. 8-12, Franken was ahead of Coleman by 2 percentage points, within the poll's 3-point margin of error. Barkley, running this year on the Independence Party of Minnesota ticket, polled 18 percent, drawing almost equally from Democrats and Republicans.
``The impact of Barkley on the race is very unpredictable,'' said Lawrence Jacobs, the director of the center for the study of politics and governance at the University of Minnesota.
Over a roast beef dinner at Grandma's Kitchen in Rochester on Oct. 14, Barkley said voters are ``sick and tired of Congress'' and that creates an even greater opportunity for an independent than existed when he managed Ventura's surprise victory.
``Ten years ago, the economy was good, everyone was happy, we didn't have a war,'' Barkley said. Now, ``the stars are in alignment much more now than ever before.''
Third-Party Tradition
Barkley said his candidacy is being helped by Minnesota's long tradition of third parties. The Democratic Party in the state is a combination of the Democrat-Farmer-Labor parties that fielded separate candidates until a merger 64 years ago. Barkley ran for the U.S. House of Representatives as an independent in 1992, and won 16 percent of the vote. This year, he is being included in all five candidate debates.
``There is kind of an acceptability, credibility, legitimacy for third-party candidates,'' Jacobs said. ``You look at some states, it's hard for them to be taken seriously. Not so in Minnesota.''
The two major-party candidates have had their stumbles, though Coleman has been battered by the plunging popularity of President George W. Bush and the crisis in the financial markets.
After Coleman, 59, voted Oct. 2 to back a $700 billion financial rescue package, his 9-point lead in a Minnesota Public Radio survey became a 4-point deficit.
Bailout Vote
``I may lose an election over that vote,'' Coleman said after speaking to supporters in Winona on Oct. 15. ``But I have no doubt that sitting by and doing nothing would have fed into the destruction of our economic system.''
Franken has had troubles, too; in April came news that he had been forced to pay $70,000 in back taxes and penalties in 17 states where he had made paid appearances from 2003 to 2006. He blamed an accountant's mistake for the problem.
And in May he had to apologize for off-color jokes about rape he made 13 years ago while discussing a skit for NBC's ``Saturday Night Live,'' and a humor article he wrote in 2000 in Playboy magazine about sex with robots.
Neither Coleman nor Franken said they were concerned about a third candidate siphoning off their support.
During a debate in Duluth on Oct. 16, Barkley said both political parties were ``equally guilty'' of causing the current financial crisis and that Americans have ``lost faith'' in their government.
`Wake-Up Call'
``Sadly, the only thing Republicans and Democrats seem to care about is power,'' Barkley said. ``Washington will get a real wake-up call if you send me to the Senate.''
Some of the sharpest clashes during the 90-minute debate were over the Iraq War. Franken, who like Barkley has called for troop-withdrawal timetables, said he was ``astounded'' that Coleman hasn't admitted the war is a mistake.
``I'm not going to tell the parents of any kid who died in Iraq that they died for a mistake,'' Coleman replied.
Even if Barkley doesn't win the race, he almost certainly will shape it. The Democrats calculate that if Obama wins the state by 10 points or more -- a Quinnipiac University/Wall Street Journal poll Oct. 14 gave him an 11-point lead -- he will carry Franken along with him.
Jacobs, however, said the Barkley factor may work to the Republicans' advantage.
``The Republicans tend to come back home more than the Democrats,'' Jacobs said.
Barkley said he remembers the 1998 movie starring Ventura. He said Ventura never polled higher than 27 percent in his successful campaign and if he can break the 20 percentage-point level this year, ``People start to think: `My God, maybe he can win.'''
Oct. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Minnesota has seen this movie.
Ten years ago, a gregarious professional wrestler, Jesse Ventura, won the race for governor by tapping into voter anger and running as a third-party candidate.
This year, Dean Barkley, Ventura's former campaign manager, is trying to produce a sequel by vying for a U.S. Senate seat. While one of the major-party candidates is favored to win the race, high economic anxiety and Congress' record-low approval ratings have given Barkley a lift in state polls.
``Something's got to be done and I don't think Republicans or Democrats can do it,'' Gary Lilya, a 64-year-old Democrat said after meeting Barkley at a diner in Rochester.
The race already had developed into one of the most closely watched in the country, with comedian Al Franken, a Democrat, challenging Republican incumbent, Norm Coleman.
Democrats had counted on Franken, 57, benefiting from the anti-Washington climate fueled by economic hard times. Enter into the race Barkley, who has a paid staff of two and $75,000 in campaign funds. He briefly served as a U.S. senator once already when Ventura appointed him to serve the final two months of Paul Wellstone's term after the Democrat died in a plane crash in 2002.
Dead Heat
Barkley, 58, has changed the dynamic by turning the race into a dead heat. In a survey conducted by Quinnipiac University Oct. 8-12, Franken was ahead of Coleman by 2 percentage points, within the poll's 3-point margin of error. Barkley, running this year on the Independence Party of Minnesota ticket, polled 18 percent, drawing almost equally from Democrats and Republicans.
``The impact of Barkley on the race is very unpredictable,'' said Lawrence Jacobs, the director of the center for the study of politics and governance at the University of Minnesota.
Over a roast beef dinner at Grandma's Kitchen in Rochester on Oct. 14, Barkley said voters are ``sick and tired of Congress'' and that creates an even greater opportunity for an independent than existed when he managed Ventura's surprise victory.
``Ten years ago, the economy was good, everyone was happy, we didn't have a war,'' Barkley said. Now, ``the stars are in alignment much more now than ever before.''
Third-Party Tradition
Barkley said his candidacy is being helped by Minnesota's long tradition of third parties. The Democratic Party in the state is a combination of the Democrat-Farmer-Labor parties that fielded separate candidates until a merger 64 years ago. Barkley ran for the U.S. House of Representatives as an independent in 1992, and won 16 percent of the vote. This year, he is being included in all five candidate debates.
``There is kind of an acceptability, credibility, legitimacy for third-party candidates,'' Jacobs said. ``You look at some states, it's hard for them to be taken seriously. Not so in Minnesota.''
The two major-party candidates have had their stumbles, though Coleman has been battered by the plunging popularity of President George W. Bush and the crisis in the financial markets.
After Coleman, 59, voted Oct. 2 to back a $700 billion financial rescue package, his 9-point lead in a Minnesota Public Radio survey became a 4-point deficit.
Bailout Vote
``I may lose an election over that vote,'' Coleman said after speaking to supporters in Winona on Oct. 15. ``But I have no doubt that sitting by and doing nothing would have fed into the destruction of our economic system.''
Franken has had troubles, too; in April came news that he had been forced to pay $70,000 in back taxes and penalties in 17 states where he had made paid appearances from 2003 to 2006. He blamed an accountant's mistake for the problem.
And in May he had to apologize for off-color jokes about rape he made 13 years ago while discussing a skit for NBC's ``Saturday Night Live,'' and a humor article he wrote in 2000 in Playboy magazine about sex with robots.
Neither Coleman nor Franken said they were concerned about a third candidate siphoning off their support.
During a debate in Duluth on Oct. 16, Barkley said both political parties were ``equally guilty'' of causing the current financial crisis and that Americans have ``lost faith'' in their government.
`Wake-Up Call'
``Sadly, the only thing Republicans and Democrats seem to care about is power,'' Barkley said. ``Washington will get a real wake-up call if you send me to the Senate.''
Some of the sharpest clashes during the 90-minute debate were over the Iraq War. Franken, who like Barkley has called for troop-withdrawal timetables, said he was ``astounded'' that Coleman hasn't admitted the war is a mistake.
``I'm not going to tell the parents of any kid who died in Iraq that they died for a mistake,'' Coleman replied.
Even if Barkley doesn't win the race, he almost certainly will shape it. The Democrats calculate that if Obama wins the state by 10 points or more -- a Quinnipiac University/Wall Street Journal poll Oct. 14 gave him an 11-point lead -- he will carry Franken along with him.
Jacobs, however, said the Barkley factor may work to the Republicans' advantage.
``The Republicans tend to come back home more than the Democrats,'' Jacobs said.
Barkley said he remembers the 1998 movie starring Ventura. He said Ventura never polled higher than 27 percent in his successful campaign and if he can break the 20 percentage-point level this year, ``People start to think: `My God, maybe he can win.'''
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