Clark Doubles Up Reed

Congressional candidate and State Senator Tarryl Clark had a big day today! Her campaign announced that they raised $308,000 in nine weeks!

9 weeks! Her significant fundraising places the Clark for Congress campaign among the top-raising campaigns nationally with only a handful of challengers having topped $300k in a single quarter.

We'll know more when the actual report is published but nonetheless this is a very impressive beginning for Senator Clark.

Her opponent, Maureen Reed announced that she raised more than $130,000 but highlighted her fundraising press release by noting that her Cash On Hand was more than $300,000.

"Maureen demonstrates the fundraising strength necessary to defeat Michele Bachmann," Reed's campaign manager, Jason Isaacson, said in a statement.

$130,000 does not demonstrate the fundraising strength to defeat Congresswoman Bachmann, in fact it marked a significant downturn in fundraising from the previous quarter. Future quarters like this make her DFL primary run an even more difficult run.

OMG!!! Fundraising outside of one's Congressional District!!!

I must say, I was a bit surprised when I saw that Luke Hellier was the newest passenger on the sinking GOP training vessel, the TV MDE.

His first REAL post at MDE is...well...about what one would expect from a former paid Bachmann staffer.

Hypocritical

Are Minnetonka and Lake Minnetonka in the 6th?

Were they in 2006?

Bachmann sure spent a lot of time down there hunting for cash with Dick Cheney and Laura Bush.

In all fairness though, where else would Congresswoman Bachmann raise money? Seriously, since she spends more time being the Conservative media darling and pimpin herself out to various groups around the country, encouraging people to slit their wrists, WHERE ELSE would Bachmann raise money?

On another fundraising note...

How bad are things for Bachmann when she has to have Norm Coleman author a fundraising letter? Is she trying to dig her roots into the David Vitter, Larry Craig, Mark Sanford, and John Ensign side of the party?

Surely she's just trying to cover both sides of the marriage community...

So, Blueman openly welcomes Luke Hellier back to the blogging community!

While it would be nice to stop our staged outrage at simple fundraisers in St Paul and other scary locations outside of the 6th, I doubt that will happen anytime soon.

CD 6 Fundraising numbers

Well folks, it's real!

Maureen Reed raised $231,839 this past quarter and has almost $219,500 cash on hand. Just a quick look at who gave money to Reed shows no surprises, lots of money from the University of Minnesota and from the health care industry.

Elwyn Tinklenberg raised $54,891 this past quarter and has $198,548 cash on hand (and an IOU from the DCCC for $250,000). El also has three staff members on the payroll still as well, including his daughter. Tinklenberg really needs to step up the fundraising because raising less than $60,000 a quarter will not cut it!

Congresswoman Bachmann raised more than $285,000 this past quarter and has nearly $390,000 cash on hand. Of course, the majority of Bachmann's financial support comes from outside the State of Minnesota.

Reed's fundraising numbers are very impressive, we'll see what happens next quarter though, determining whether or not this is merely Reed tapping all her friends and colleagues for money or an actual political movement that can withstand the rigors of a long endorsement fight and general election.

Maureen Reed posts big fundraising numbers!!

Caught an email in my spam folder from Maureen Reed for Congress...

You should be among the first to know: in our first eight weeks the campaign has set a sizzling pace. We have raised over $230,000! Given your history of political involvement, you know this is a “Wow!” number. You also know that fundraising is the earliest signal of strength, organization, hard work and public confidence.

Our campaign has had this incredible success because Minnesotans like you simply want to make a difference. And when Minnesotans are confident they can make a big difference, they are unbelievably generous. They know this campaign has exactly what it takes to beat Michele Bachmann.

So if that’s the current state of affairs, what’s the past? I was born in southern Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota undergraduate and medical schools. My husband Jim Hart and I have lived just west of Stillwater for almost three decades. I have practiced medicine in the Twin Cities for over 20 years, served as President of Aspen Medical Group and Medical Director of HealthPartners, led the Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota, and chaired the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.

And what’s the future? Real people, real problems, real opportunity. I am running for Congress to help 6th District residents with their real issues. The future that people want is that of business expansion, job growth, home ownership and lower health care costs. That’s the future that I see. That’s the future that can be. That’s why I’m running for Congress.

We are at the beginning of a very exciting race. Our first two months are just the first indication of the hard work, dedication and success you will come to expect from us. I hope you will be one of our earliest team members.

I invite you to visit our website at www.maureenreedforcongress.com to learn more about the campaign and join our effort.

Just as importantly, please help me learn more about you and your most important issues. Email me from the campaign website and give me your opinions, suggestions and advice. I look forward to hearing from you.

With determination,


Maureen Reed

I'm still waiting for the FEC reports to come out to put some perspective on this, but nonetheless, $230,000 is a big number!

Ladies and gentlemen...we have a race in the 6th.

BTW, Muse beat me to this about 8 hours ago...

Bachmann Makes Excuses

Inside military joke here:

What's the maximum effective range of an excuse?

Zero!

First Sergeant Smalls used to say this to soldiers young and old all the time and reading Bachmann's op ed excuse today in the Pioneer Press made me think of some of those good ol' lines.

Apparently, Chris Matthews ambushed her, the liberal blogs are to blame, we misconstrued her comments (AGAIN?), and the dog ate her homework.

MinnPost already commented on the placement of Bachmann op ed piece today.

A couple of Bachmann excuses caught my eye.

In a matter of 48 hours after I participated in an interview with Chris Matthews on MSNBC's "Hardball," more than $640,000 from donors across the country flooded into my opponent's campaign. Almost to a one, these are people who never would have considered voting for me if they lived in Minnesota. In fact, most of them have probably never voted for a Republican. These are strong supporters of Barack Obama who want to see more liberal policies enacted in Washington.

Where does Bachmann's money come from? Do Bachmann contributors consider
voting for a Democrat?

According to Open Secrets, about 20% 0f Bachmann's funding has come from outside the State of Minnesota. Interestingly enough, of the Top 10 zip codes for Bachmann contributors, only one of them is in the 6th Congressional District.

Zip Codes
55391 (Wayzata, MN) $102,350
55331 (Excelsior, MN) $45,150
55110 (Saint Paul, MN) $43,250
55347 (Eden Prairie, MN) $36,250
55436 (Minneapolis, MN) $29,650
55356 (Long Lake, MN) $28,400
55305 (Hopkins, MN) $22,200
55439 (Minneapolis, MN) $19,650
56301 (Saint Cloud, MN) $18,500
55125 (Saint Paul, MN) $17,300

So for Team Americ...Bachmann, your arguments about where the money for Tinklenberg's campaign, after Bachmann herself opened Pandora's Box are irrelevant. The vast majority of those who send Bachmann money cannot vote for her, no matter how many times Pastor Mac Hammond endorses her from the pulpit and says he's voting for her (I can't, he lives in the 3rd).

It's like a political version of the children's game of telephone. I make a
statement in an interview. Chris Matthews distorts it — as he is paid so well to
do. The liberal blogs contort it even more. The speaker of the House and other
Democrat leaders utter absolute lies about what was said in the interview. Then
the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee picks it up and runs with it,
buying $1 million for negative ads so that they don't have to talk about the
issues.

We're not buying it, not at all. Mathews did not distort Bachmann's remarks, he pushed her to say what she really wanted to say and it came out. Bachmann has long since been the Conservative poster child, sending her to media events because she is attractive and speaks well (her GOP talking points). Sometimes, she can create controversy. Her ego loves the national press. She's obsessed.

Bachmann went one time too many and got burned, maybe Mathews set her up? Who knows, Bachmann fell for it, that much is certain.

So don't blame Matthews, bloggers, our inability to understand your comments, or the dog eating the assignment. Your excuses do nothing except slip you into a deeper state of denial. Quite frankly, the excuses are pathetic.

And it's the issues that the voters in Minnesota's 6th District want to talk about. Everywhere I go, people ask about the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, and they want to know why we're saddling taxpayers with generations of debt to pay for risky decisions by Wall Street financiers. There's a clear distinction between my position on this bailout — I opposed it both times it came before the House — and that of my opponent, who says he would have supported it.

The Democrats don't want to talk about the pocketbook issues that are really on the minds of Minnesotans. Those voters were concerned about how much it cost to fill their tank with gas this summer, but that pales in comparison to how much it might cost to heat their homes this winter. They want to know how they're going to pay their mortgage and their grocery bills. Again, my record and my opponent's are clearly different when it comes to the family budget. I've always stood up for lowertaxes and against wasteful government spending.

But when you can't win on the issues, you steal the election with a couple of lies and $1 million worth of mud. And the media reports and Democrat responses to my interview on "Hardball" have been echoing the outright lies of the liberal blogs. Is it really any wonder people are so cynical about politics?

Maybe were cynical because we have a Congresswoman who would rather take 15 minutes of fame on Larry King or Hardball, but neglect her constituents.

Maybe were cynical because the Congresswoman has attended a very select few forums and debates across the 6th CD.

Or maybe were cynical because our Congresswoman embarrassed us once again. First, the Presidential groping, the I know how Iraq will be segmented fun from last summer, and now this.

Congresswoman Bachmann, no one is stealing this election. In fact, it was your 6 minutes of stupidity last week have cost you this election. Really, a simply apology would have made a big difference. Instead, Bachmann comes up with one excuse upon another.

And that's failing.

The maximum effective range of your excuse Congresswoman Bachmann...is ZERO. Knock it off and apologize.

*Update* First she says she didn't use the term "anti-American" and now she says she did and apologizes for it?

Brian Davis on Franking Privileges

Yesterday morning, before a round of golf, I caught CD 1 GOP Congressional Candidate Brian Davis on Between the Lines with Al Travis.

Many issues were discussed during the interview.

Travis asked Davis about the fundraising disparity between Congressman Walz and candidates Davis and Day.

9:00 into the video:

Davis: "Money doesn't buy elections. Ah, it does buy media coverage. But you know what, also, its a reflection on the fact that there is a lot of money coming outside, coming from outside of Minnesota and outside of the First District, to buy this seat.

"This seat is not for sale, they can see through a lot of this".

Take a look at Davis' FEC reports. In his 2007 Year End Report, about 25% of contributions for Davis for Congress came within the 1st CD. More than 50% of contributions came from outside of Minnesota.

In the most recent FEC report, Davis had a grand total of 3 contributors from the 1st CD, less than 19%.

The rhetoric from Davis falls short here.

The vast majority of Davis' contributions have come from outside the 1st CD and Minnesota.

10:30 into video:

Travis: I use mail envy, here...I got the Brian Davis flyer sent to my house, I'm a First District guy. But you're being outmailed my friend.

Davis: That's true, that's true you know, but you know where that mail comes from? That mail comes from the US taxpayers, its something a Congressman gets, its called a franking privilege. And that's hundreds of thousands of dollars. I think one of the first things I want to do when I get to Congress is to reevaluate that. Is that a wise use of taxpayer dollars? It comes across as though its public service but you know you see a lot of pictures of the person who is running. I'm not just saying its the current Congressman in our district, it happens all across the country. But is that a wise use of taxpayer dollars? I'm not sure about that.

Travis: So, you plan is to go up against the mailings, the million dollars, I mean, how do I put this...what's going to make you stand out? What's the thing that makes people say wow?

Davis: I'm going to work very hard, I have been working hard. We have all sorts of parades this summer...

Ok, enough! Check out the rest of the video here. We'll continue to fisk Davis' positions on oil prices, healthcare, education, immigration, etc.

Back to the "franking privilege" bit from Davis.

Karl Bremer wrote an interesting story about the franking privileges of Minnesota's Congressional delegation.

Based on those reports, the cost for Bachmann's first mass mailing last year was 46 cents apiece for printing and postage -- more than double the 22 cents apiece mailings for Walz and Ramstad cost and significantly higher than Ellison's per-piece cost of 28 cents.

The biggest difference was in the production costs of the mailings. Bachmann spent a total of $32,589 with The Franking Group for mass mailings totaling 136,465, for a production cost of 24 cents each -- far beyond what her colleagues in either party spent.

Ellison spent $31,358 with Gold Communications for mass mailings totaling 265,522 - a production cost of just 12 cents apiece.

Walz' figures show only $2,210 spent on printing production of 101,017 pieces for a meager production cost of two cents each.

Ramstad paid Catterton Printing $15,295 for mass mailings totaling 300,017 -- a production cost of only 5 cents each.

Did Davis take a shot at Congresswoman Bachmann? After she endorsed him?

Bachmann spent a lot of money on her Davis labeled "taxpayer funded" campaign lit pieces.

Walz actually returned $100,000 back to the US Treasury in unused funds for his Congressional office!

We're glad to see Davis running on issues he can win on though! Going after Congressman Walz's fundraising, when being out raised 10-1 is interesting. Attacking Walz when the majority of Davis' campaign funds come from outside of the "Fighting First" and CD 1 is desperation.

The use of franking privileges is a part of constituent outreach. For Congresswoman Bachmann, IT IS constituent outreach.

Congressman Walz has held committee meetings in the 1st, countless open forums, townhall meetings, and other visits across the 1st. He is a Congressman that is accessible to his constituents. Spending $2200 on mail back to the district, twice the amount Davis paid a liberal blogger, is far from wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars.

It's part of a comprehensive constituent outreach program.

That's not wasteful spending...

What the FEC! Tinklenberg's FEC report

It's interesting comparing the FEC reports of Elwyn Tinklenberg and Bob Olson.

It's no secret why Tinklenberg's numbers were not released early. They are not that impressive, despite Elwyn's Will Ferrell-esqe persona of "don't tell me your not impressed."

$133,152 may look good from the outside but a more careful analysis points to some problems.

Of the $133,152, $71,500 came from Political Action Committee's.

Almost 54% of Elwyn Tinklenberg's fundraising came from PAC's!

I guess I missed the want ad in the St Cloud Times, "Congressman for Sale". I'd think Larry Schumacher would have pointed that one out.

With just over $96,000 on hand, it must be a disappointment for the Tinklenberg campaign to have relied so heavily on those who lurk the dark Washington DC corridors for money.

Compare to where Bob Olson is at.

Olson has just over $92,000 on hand and has taken ZERO money from Political Action Committee's. Olson has had over 500 individual donors, representing all areas of the 6th CD.

One thing that stood out to me in my first look at Tinklenberg's FEC report.

If Michael Guest is his fundraising director, which he stated publicaly on 12/13/07 as well, where is he on the FEC Report? Is he being paid by the Tinklenberg Group? Hassan Mainstreet LLC? It sure raises some interesting questions in my eyes. Is it an FEC violation to have someone on your campaign working but being paid by another group? Just curious...

It's quite obvious by now, someone is being anointed in the 6th to run against Bachmann. Clearly, by looking at his poast issues at MnDOT, a lob errr, interesting consulting past, and now his recent FEC report display fully the paper tiger in the room.

Are we ready to have OUR Congressional seat bought by those outside the 6th? I'm not naive, I fully understand the fundraising process, but when 54% of your entire campaign funds come from PAC's alone, and the vast remainder outside of the 6th, it shows a lack of grassroots support.

If those that are trying to buy this race are successful through the endorsment, I hope they save the receipt.

Unfortunately, it will be tough to return a bought candidate in August...