Is Michael Brodkorb still running the show at MDE?

It would appear as such.

Yesterday, a post appeared at 1:29 pm, about a South Dakota blog going after Matt Entenza.

It was posted by "Luke Hellier".

SOUTH DAKOTA POLITICAL BLOG PICKS UP ENTENZA STORY
By Luke Hellier | December 4, 2009

South Dakota War College, a political blog from South Dakota, picked up the story about Entenza’s fundraising event in Washington, DC. The post is below:

Remember this story from a couple of years ago? If I recall, I even blogged on it:

"Luke Hellier" posts a link to the story

"I even blogged on it:" back on August 28, 2006.

"I" as in "Luke Hellier".

But that story was written by Michael Brodkorb.

So who wrote the South Dakota story? Brodkorb or Hellier?

On June 24, 2009, Brodkorb announced that he would be leaving MDE because of his position as the Deputy Chair of the Minnesota Republican Party, creating separation between the tabloid arm and the leadership arm of the Minnesota Republican Party.

On June 30, 2009, Brodkorb supposedly turned over the reigns of MDE to other bloggers.

New bloggers will be added over the coming weeks, but those decisions will be made by Ryan and Aaron, as I will have no editorial role in Minnesota Democrats Exposed. The keys to the store have been handed over to the new tenants.

Ryan and Aaron posted for about 3 months before they were joined by "Luke Hellier".

Perhaps Luke does some posting at MDE. Maybe it was Luke posting back in 2006 and not Michael?

Is the real Luke Hellier just a patsy?

So, is the Deputy Chair of the Minnesota Republican Party is posting at MDE now under the alias of "Luke Hellier"? Even after he stated he would "have no editorial role in Minnesota Democrats Exposed"?

Inquiring minds want to know...

A GOP 10 Commandments?

Really? I'm not sure this will help the GOP at all.

The resolution invokes Ronald Reagan, and noted that Mr. Reagan had said the Republican Party should be devoted to conservative principles but also be open to diverse views. President Reagan believed, the resolution notes, “that someone who agreed with him 8 out of 10 times was his friend, not his opponent.”

Hence the provision calling for cutting off Republicans who agree with the party on seven of 10 items. The resolution demands that Republicans support “smaller government, smaller national deficits and lower taxes,” denial of government funding for abortion, and “victory in Iraq and Afghanistan.” It calls on candidates to oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants and repealing of the Defense of Marriage Act.

So if you only support 7 of these...you're SOL?

(1) We support smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama’s “stimulus” bill;

(2) We support market-based health care reform and oppose Obama-style government run health care;

(3) We support market-based energy reforms by opposing cap and trade legislation;

(4) We support workers’ right to secret ballot by opposing card check;

(5) We support legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants;

(6) We support victory in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting military-recommended troop surges;

(7) We support containment of Iran and North Korea, particularly effective action to eliminate their nuclear weapons threat;

(8) We support retention of the Defense of Marriage Act;

(9) We support protecting the lives of vulnerable persons by opposing health care rationing and denial of health care and government funding of abortion; and

(10) We support the right to keep and bear arms by opposing government restrictions on gun ownership.

Sadly, Allen Quist and Michele Bachmann added this up and support 11 out of 11.

Note #9. Republicans bundle health care for for "vulnerable persons" with anti-choice rhetoric. So in the GOP eyes, you can't support health care for a senior or low income person but support a woman's right to choose.

So, what do you think? Is this a good idea for the GOP to strengthen it's base? Or will it result in more NY 23 type races?

BREAKING: Footage of Local GOP Outrage at Townhall Meeting

A Blueman Exclusive:

Someone's going to get hurt here...

I caught some footage of members of Congress being shouted down at town hall meetings...

Wow!

It looks like a highly choreographed event to me, despite what Michael Steele has to say about it.

Jeff over at Publius has a good post up this morning about all this crap.

It got me thinking, especially since I live in the District of Congresswoman Bachmann.

Who's going to take Congresswoman Bachmann up on her plea for Minnesotans to be "armed and dangerous"?

"I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us ‘having a revolution every now and then is a good thing,’ and the people – we the people – are going to have to fight back hard if we’re not going to lose our country. And I think this has the potential of changing the dynamic of freedom forever in the United States."

I can see why some members of Congress are holding fewer and fewer town hall meetings, I just hope something bad doesn't happen.

Minnesota GOP Steps Up to Defend Far Left Conspiracy Theories

Just when you think the Minnesota Republican Party couldn't be in any worse shape...

I mean really, we're talking about following in the footsteps of Ron Carey and his press release templates.

I honestly didn't think things could get much worse under the dynamic duo of Tony Sutton and Michael Brodkorb...

Oh how I was wrong!

In very calculated and well thought out act of strategery, Sutton and Brodkorb launched an ad campaign in Minnesota's 7th Congressional District, taking shots at Congressman Peterson for his remarks on 9-11 conspiracy theories and constituent outreach.

Now, when you hear folks saying Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the Government were behind the attacks on 9-11, what do you thing of?

I think of left-wing...well...wacko's. I do.

So, in a district that Peterson won by more than 40% in 2008 and probably the third most conservative district in the State, Sutton and Brodkorb decide to come to the defense of left wing wackos?

Brilliant!

Didn't Seifert and other House Republicans try to get rid of RINO's the past few years? I guess they're really stretching that big tent concept...

I'm waiting for Ashton Kutcher to show up anytime now...

I like Congressman Peterson, and while he's too conservative at times for my tastes, he represents the enormous 7th CD well. In fact, the GOP attacks on Peterson's comments may actually serve to prove to those on the right that Peterson IS a better representative for them, after all his dissing of those damn left wing wackos.

Peterson may end up in better shape after the 5 figure ad buy! I can see the McLeod County GOP folks lining up to support Peterson now, especially after Peterson came out against those damn liberals!

But it gets better.

Ryan Flynn and the clowns at MDE think they're having a field day with Congressman Peterson's statements.

Once again, this has been a great week for the MNGOP putting pressure on Congressman Peterson.

While part of me didn't want to create this post and allow the MN GOP to continue their nonsense, my zeal for going after the MN GOP surpassed that.

So, anyone else feel better about the new direction of the Minnesota GOP?

Would $140 million on hurricane monitoring be ok though?

After Governor Jindal's speech last night, Governor Pawlenty became the happiest Republican in their party. He just joined Sarah Palin at the top of the 2012 GOP Presidential list. Minnesotans should send Jindal a thank you card for helping us get rid of Pawlenty.

I was thinking about the Jindal speech last night...it made me think of a former CD 6 candidate...

Anyway, his rant on volcano monitoring made little sense to me.

I lived in Washington State for nearly 5 years and have visited Mt. St. Helens on numerous occasions. I am always amazed at the beauty of the mountain. Each time I visited, I became more and more fascinated.

Mt. Rainier is a stratovolcano about an hour away from Seattle. Mt. Rainier always loomed large on the horizon for those of us in the Seattle/Tacoma area. Places like Puyallup and other places located along the rivers that run from Mt. Rainer are adorned with "Volcano Evacuation Route" signs.

I've seen books and other sources that describe what would happen if a Mt. St. Helens type volcanic explosion would occur at Mt. Rainier. The pyroclastic flow would quickly envelop Seattle. Mud flows would virtually wipe out large portions of the downtown area. Millions of people would be impacted by a Mt. Rainier eruption.

So, Jindal doesn't really care about $140 million for volcano monitoring. But the risk is real.

Perhaps we should cut funding for hurricane monitoring.

JINDAL: While some of the projects in the bill make sense, their legislation is larded with wasteful spending. It includes $300 million to buy new cars for the government. $8 billion for high speed rail projects such as magnetic levitation line from Las Vegas to Disney Land. And $140 million for something called ‘volcano monitoring.’

Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in Washington, DC.

And Jindal did nothing during his time in Congress to curb spending in Washington.

So, last night was a eye opener of sorts. It's clear that Jindal simply read the speech given to him, poorly at that. It's also clear that 34 months before the first 2012 primaries and caucuses, Jindal is done.

The Ron Carey Press Release Template

So easy, even a right wing blogger can use it! Here are the secrets that we'll divulge for you, only if you purchase a Senator Coleman endorsed Blo and Go!

For the low everyday price of $29.99, you'll get the blow dryer of the stars AND the knowledge to write your own Ron Carey Press Release.

Too good to be true you might say?

These press release templates enabled the Minnesota Republican Party to lose a winnable US Senate seat and one Congressional seat in 2006. The templates used to lose 20 GOP seats in the Minnesota House and allow the DFL to obtain a veto proof majority in the Minnesota Senate! Let's not talk about the money/tax scandals though...

With results like this, the Blo and Go pays for itself!

Ron Carey Press Release Template

A. Call the DFL endorsed candidate a "far left liberal who is out of touch with _____ district".

Regardless of fact, you must start off the press release with this phrase. See recent Elwyn Tinklenberg and Ashwin Madia press releases.

Prediction: Ron Carey will issue a press release on Saturday afternoon, "Steve Sarvi, a far left liberal, is out of touch with the voters of the 2nd Congressional District.

While factually incorrect, the Ron Carey Press Release Template cannot be tainted by fact. Just write it an move on to more important aspects of the release.

B. Reiterate that candidate x is far too liberal for _____ district. Congressperson Y will be reelected because they are a strong and effective leader.

Again, do not expand upon this statement. Do not talk about their voting record or legislative accomplishments. Just use vague language to describe the GOP incumbent/candidate.

Example: Tinklenberg is too liberal for the Sixth District. No matter how much mud Tinklenberg and his left-wing allies throw in this campaign, I am confident Representative Bachmann will be reelected because she has been a strong and effective leader."

C. If you have a chance, slide a reference to Ronald Reagan in the press release.

D. Was our far too left out of touch liberal wearing a flag lapel pin? Point that out.

E. Write about the largest tax increases in the nations history, even if it's factually incorrect. Pin them on out of touch liberals. Sponsor gas station ads that are also factually incorrect.

F. Send courtesy copies of the release out to Brodkorb, Emmer and the rest of the right wing Minnesota spin machine so the distorted message can be amplified.

Example:

St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Ron Carey issued the following statement after 42nd Congressional District Democrats endorsed Billy Smith for Congress.

Billy Smith is a far left liberal who is out of touch with the voters of the 42nd District. Smith, a far too left liberal economist from Bovey Minnesota, is a tax and spend liberal. No matter how many times Smith attacks Congresswoman Jones, leadership remains confident that freedom will win, Congresswoman Jones will be reelected because she is a strong and effective leader.

Smith, who was 6 when the Reagan tax cuts took effect, opposed them. In a debate with Alex P Keaton, Smith actually made him cry. Footage indicates that Mr. Smith was not wearing a flag lapel pin, therefore, Smith hates freedom and America.

Congresswoman Jones has been awarded the "Friend of the Taxpayer award" for her persistence on Taypayer Bill of Rights legislation. Smith staunchly opposes this legislation and supports raising your gas tax 43% this year.

Iran, Iran, Iran

Immigration, Immigration, Immigration

Taxes, Taxes, Taxes

CC: Right wing blogosphere

It's that easy!

LIVE: Kiffmeyer v. Olson

v. Corrine Gintz v. Mark Lumley.

Despite their best efforts to keep the endorsing convention quiet, "delegates and special invited guests" per the email I received, the 16B Republicans have an endorsing convention this Saturday.

Checking the Minnesota GOP website, there is no mention of this event on their calendar, even though HD 21B has both a forum and convention listed on the State GOP calendar.

At the HD 16B website, the convention is listed at March 8, 2008 at Salida Depot. We all know that did not happen.

Fear not though, despite the Republicans best efforts to keep this endorsement secret, we have confirmed that the Kiffmeyer v. Olson v. Gintz v. Lumley Battle Royal for the hearts and minds of 16B Republicans will be decided this Saturday, May 3rd, 10 am, at the Salida Depot in Becker.

Perhaps Political Muse will make this event with me, although I seriously doubt we'll be granted admittance into the event.

Why all the secrecy behind this endorsement?

Why no publicity?

Nothing in either of the Sherburne County papers.

Nothing in the SC Times.

I wonder if Congresswoman Bachmann will be there?

Will they adhere to the CD 6 GOP policy of no camera's, video's or court room sketches of their candidates?

We'll know sometime Saturday.

Coming Soon: A Tale of Two Survey's

Sitting at a Maple Grove restaurant yesterday afternoon, I came across a local legislators survey in the newspaper pile.

This legislator, a staunch conservative in the NW Metro, has a strikingly different survey than Rep. Ron Shimanski.  

I'll be posting it after I get home from work.  I was completely surprised when I read this questionnaire.

Will the real Drew Emmer please stand up?

I'm Slim Shady, yes I'm the real Shady/All you other Slim Shadys are just imitating/So won't the real Slim Shady please stand up, please stand up, please stand up?".

Anyone thought the Drew Emmer saga could be summed up by Eminem?

Apparently, Mr. Emmer does not like the attention he's getting from the liberal blogs, based on postings at Minnesota Majority and True North.

Emmer claims the posts are not his, per his comments on previous posts. Someones imitating the real Slim Shady here, and we need to know who.

While the Minnesota Majority post is authored by Jeff Davis, the action alert available at the bottom of their rant is worded nearly 100% the same as the True Majority plea for harassment.

This action alert at True North was authored by "Drew Emmer" and is hauntingly similar to the posting over at Minnesota Majority. The post by "Drew Emmer" at True North posted Bremer's home address, email, and work and home phone numbers.

The True North version of this is now gone, but archived forever. The screenshot about indicated the action alert in Jeff Davis' posts was created by "Drew Emmer".

Emmer denies that he is the "Drew Emmer" that posted that.

So there are two Drew Emmer's lurking about Minnesota Majority and True North? April Fools was 2 days ago.

If Emmer is telling the truth, who over at True North and Minnesota Majority has access to user names and passwords?

For a group of individuals that complain about the "Soros bloggers" it would appear that someone else may be producing the content for them.

What's next? Someone going to log in under Michael Brodkorb and launch another tasteless attack? Two "Drew Emmer's" is bad enough...can't imagine two MDE's!

The integrity of True North and Minnesota Majority is in question here. If author/creator names are posted without their consent, who's pulling the puppet strings over there?

If Emmer did not produce that post, he should expose the individual(s) that used his username and password to post private information of someone who shared a political view contrary to their own.

If Emmer will not produce the name(s) of those responsible, we can only rely on the tagline at the True North Action Alert, listing Emmer as the author and posting Bremer's home address, email, and home and work phone numbers.

Hence, my venom for "Drew Emmer's" post.

If Emmer produces the individual(s) responsible for the harassment of Karl Bremer, I'll retract my posts.

Will Emmer denounce the conduct of True North's posting the private information of Karl Bremer? He strongly denounced Stillwater Infidel.

Otherwise, the byline on the True North piece indicates "Drew Emmer" posted it, unless two "Drew Emmer's" post at True North and Minnesota Majority, someone is lying here.

Tom Emmer votes against "Cyber Bullying" bill...

... and his uncle Drew Emmer becomes a "cyber bully".

Nephew Tom voted against HF 504, a bill that forced school boards to adopt a written policy prohibiting intimidation and bullying of any student. The policy shall address intimidation and bullying in all forms, including, but not limited to, electronic forms and forms involving Internet use.

Yeah, I know, the bill deals with cyber bullying in schools. Drew, to the best of our knowledge, has not engaged in cyber bullying of high school students or teens.

However his recent cyber bullying acts against Karl Bremer and those who opposed the use of Forest Lake High School for a recent political forum bring this all to light.

Especially after the fact that Drew went crazy after the "Stillwater Infidel" posted public information of those who opposed the local levy.

Looks like the apple does not fall far from the tree after all.

More on Emmer's Hypocrisy

The first post that set Drew off!

A group of citizens organized to oppose a levy increase in the Stillwater area. They were successful in their effort to beat the levy by a 60%-40% vote.

Then some liberal blog decided to post the names, addresses, pictures, children's names, home values, etc. on a website to intimidate the folks who had opposed the levy. They even went so far as to stamp the word "EXECUTE" on one woman's photo.

The matter has been referred to the police for prosecution. This is a prime example of how far certain leftist wackos will go to support their agenda.

If people were threatened, as Emmer eludes to in his post, that is horrible and a crime.

Drew's attempts to find out who the "infidel" was.

The really stupid intimidating material posted by "Stillwater Infidel" has been taken down. I have the screen shots if anyone needs them. We continue to try and out the reprehensible nincompoop who posted the names, addresses, family information and "EXECUTE" imperative on what was initially a useful anti-levy grassroots organization/blog.

A reprehensible nincompoop?

Drew reflects on his time working to out the Stillwater Inifidel...

This fascinates me. An anonymous blogger posts information about individuals that opposed a levy ballot issue in Stillwater. He goes so far as to protest that he was only posting harmless public information. He calls himself Stillwater Infidel aka NSA. I don't understand the genesis of the name. But I'm getting tired of typing it out so I may need to come up with a nickname.

When it became clear that he indeed posted levy opponent names, addresses, home values, auto make/model/license plate #, children's names, ages, etc.....many of us wondered what could motivate a person to do such a thing. Is the motive to simply inform the public of the family information of folks who opposed the levy? What purpose does that serve? Or was it to intimidate and terrorize people who oppose his personal agenda? I think that's closer to the truth.

If the postings were so innocent then why did this anonymous poster take down all of the posts when we started to pay attention? If it was kosher in the first place then why bother trying to destroy the evidence?

Then, Emmer gets mad.

What this chap doesn't realize is that I might just end up being his worst nightmare. Yes, I'm unapologetically conservative. And from his perspective that warrants all sorts of vilification and attack. But what he doesn't realize is that I won't be cowed into relenting in my search for the truth. I simply don't care about his tactics. This type of leftist thug can try to smear me personally all they wants. I'm just trying to find out who he is and why he behaves the way he does. My interest is rooted in my belief that no one deserves to be treated the way Stillwater Infidel aka NSA has treated the levy opponents in Stillwater.

"No one deserves to be treated the way Stillwater Infidel aka NSA has treated the levy opponents in Stillwater." It's where Emmer's belief is rooted.

Months later...

Emmer gets ticked off because citizens exercising their first amendment rights, got a Freedom of Vets event moved from a public school to a VFW. Emmer publicly went after one individual of many who helped get this event moved.

As you recall, Minnesota Monitor captured a screen shot of Drew Emmer's frantic plea for the Minnesota Majority community to personally contact Karl Bremer.

Note that Emmer posted Bremer's complete address and phone number, which was redacted by Minnesota Monitor. While Emmer's post was changed later, the damage was done.

Emmer's work here is as reprehensible as the anonymous Stillwater blogger. Drew Emmer spent at least 30 posts on the anonymous Stillwater blogger, labeling him an "infidel". In his 30 posts on the issue, Emmer becomes more and more obsessed with seeking legal and media assistance on "outing" the reprehensible individual who would release such personal information.

Drew Emmer has become the known infidel now in exposing the personal information of Karl Bremer and encouraging those that flock to Minnesota Majority and the right wing blogs to harass Mr. Bremer

Kudo's to Karl Bremer and the other brave souls who have stood forward as the right wing fear mongers continue their assault on your privacy.

Oh how time flies...6 months ago, Emmer was fighting for peoples privacy, now...he's exposing their private information.

You stay classy Wright Republican...nincompoopism at it's finest!

Wright Republican: Emmer Hypocrisy At Its Finest

Drew Emmer's latest actions against Karl Bremer are a case of hypocrisy at its finest, Wright County Republican style.

Anyone remember the Stillwater levy mess this past fall?


Drew Emmer went after an anonymous blogger who posted personal info of those who opposed the levy.

The organized effort to systematically harass, intimidate and retaliate against citizens who oppose the Stillwater ISD 834 tax levy began during the Summer of 2007.

An anonymous blogger known only as "Stillwater Infidel aka NSA" posted personal information about folks who publicly spoke out against the tax levies at School Board meetings, Open Forums, in Letters to the Editor, and/or posted campaign signs on their private property.

Emmer ends his rant by saying;

There is a lingering sense of hope that the entire story will be thoroughly investigated by local, county, state and federal law enforcement and ultimately reported by other ethical news sources going forward.

In case anyone has forgotten:

Intimidation is against the law.
Harrassment is against the law.
Trespassing is against the law.
Defamation is against the law.
Bombing a mailbox is against the law.
Stealing is against the law.
Attempting to restrict a person's right to express their political views is a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

For the record, I agreed with Drew on this. Personally attacking those who oppose a school levy or other political endeavor is reprehesible. Politicians are fair game. Those private citizens who work in the trenches on these issues, in support of or opposition to are "hands off".



I listened to Jason Lews of KTLK infamy attack Karl Bremer last week for his opposition to the Veterans for Freedom event at Forest Lake High School. The event was later moved to a local VFW.


The venom Lewis and other conservatives had for those who opposed this event and specifically Karl Bremer was shocking.


Minnesota Monitor has a detailed post.


Dump Bachmann covers it here.


It was Minnesota Monitor's mention of Minnesota Majority that caught my eye.


"Isn't Drew Emmer a part of that group?"


He sure is!


Minnesota Monitor captured a screen shot of Drew Emmer's frantic plea for the Minnesota Majority community to personally contact Karl Bremer.

Note that Emmer posted Bremer's complete address and phone number, which was redacted by Minnesota Monitor. While Emmer's post was changed later, the damage was done.

Emmer's work here is as reprehensible as the anonymous Stillwater blogger. Drew Emmer spent at least 30 posts on the anonymous Stillwater blogger, labeling him an "infidel".

Drew Emmer has become the known infidel now in exposing the personal information on Karl Bremer.

I know, we should get his nephew, State Rep Tom Emmer, and Rep Laura Brod to launch another wasteful inquiry to the Office of the Legislative Auditor or another state agency they'd love to gut fiscally once again!

Emmer posed the question on his own blog, "Did the Stillwater Infidel Break the Law?"

There's more to this story. And I suspect there are more folks involved. It will do us all a lot of good to first isolate the possible legal ramifications associated with the Stillwater Infidel. We need to thoroughly clean this up and outline the specifics as to what is acceptable and unacceptable political speech on the blogosphere.

Ask yourself how this issue would have been handled if SI was a republican.

We know how it's being handled since Emmer is a Republican. The Conservative radio waves and blogosphere will protect him.

KSTP should do a story on Drew's hypocrisy. His attempts to stifle Mr. Bremer violate his constitutional right to express his own political view, as previously stated by Emmer during the Stillwater Infidel rant.

So this is who Republican's treat a military veteran?

Seifert supports "hair tax"?

Minn Mon has some coverage of Rep Jim Abeler's fight with Conservative Shock Jock, Jason Lewis.

From Abeler's amendment that was withdrawn.

a. Long hair tax and environmental disposal fee. A tax of $……. shall be assessed per inch over the length established by the Style Advisory Council.

b. Short hair tax credit. A credit of $……. shall be granted to those who achieve a total cranial hair mass of less than the limit established by the council.

c. Boring hair tax. Hair styles deemed incredibly boring shall be assessed a tax in addition to any other taxes or credits established by this section. As a standard, the current hairstyle favored by talk show host Jason Lewis shall be noted as the standard for a boring hair style.

Seifert would stand to get a tax credit!

Too bad the amendment was withdrawn!

You Tube: Marty Seifert punishes the RINO's

Recall last week when Marty Seifert demoted 6 GOP members for voting for the Transportation Bill and voting to override the Governor's veto?

"When we expect Republicans to follow other Republicans, there's obviously a mixed message in what happened yesterday," Seifert said. "I don't think anybody in the caucus is happy, but we're trying to stitch things together within the caucus."

Seifert's efforts to stitch things back together is off to a rousing start!



"My job is to get the caucus up to 68-plus members, not to get them down to 42 or less by brutalizing them," Seifert said.

Perhaps other methods could have been used in going after the RINO's, but the You Tube video above seems to be Seiferts preferred method.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall...

...who's the most negative blogger of them all?

Why of course it's Mr Brodkorb over at Minnesota Democrats Exposed. Mr MDE posted a few days ago that "negative politics works", of course citing all the negative mailings and radio ads paid for by the DFL.

Typically, Mikey is quick to post these hit pieces by the DFL. We've yet to see one...

Keep in mind that Brobkorb's "negative politics" on Tim Walz and Keith Ellison failed miserably.

A week ago Brodkorb was pimping the fact that Ray Cox had raised nearly $40,000 while Dahle lagged behind at about $10,000.

In the end, Cox spent over $29,000 in the race, compared to about $12,000 for Dahle, and got beat by 13 points.

Typically, Brodkorb's rants go mostly ignored my most lefty bloggers. But when Brodkorb's rants get Drew Emmer, Mitch Berg and others fired up, it's just too hard for a lefty blogger to not point all this out.

Drew, the winner of MDE's inaugural "man not in the arena" award, drew Brodkorb's ire after his post at Wright County Republican.

Emmer hurls the conspiracy theory forward, that the Startribune, by endorsing Cox, covertly coveted Dahle for the seat.

The media had carefully set the story up as to appear to be a sure thing for Ray Cox to hold the seat for the GOP.

Wow, really? Conservatives ought to read the Strib more. Whether it's Kevin Diaz downplaying the "Bachmann grope", promoting the GOP candidates in CD 1 while ignoring the DFL candidates in CD 6, the Day immigration stories, and the Conservative spin to the "politically connected" page, the Startribune is far from the Liberal cage liner the Conservatives make it out to be.


Emmer also takes a shot at those pesky college students, blaming the DFL's "coy manipulation of same day registration" and higher than expected student turnout.

Excuse me, but same day registration is perfectly legal and surely will continue to come under fire by the shrinking minority in the Minnesota House and Senate.

Those pesky college students were not alone in this task. Gasp, Al Franken and Tim Walz showed up! Emmer and Brodkorb fail to point out that the Strib pointed out that Governor Pawlenty was down stumping for Cox as well.

I'm surprised they just don't blame Pawlenty for this loss!

Mitch Berg rode in to try and save Drew as well, which got him an honorable mention as a "man not in the arena" award winner.

From the sidelines, watching this righty blogger threesome duke it out is rather entertaining. The comment thread over at MDE is rather interesting to say the least.

After collecting the bucks, Kiffmeyer passes them

The Big Question has Kiffmeyer's reaction to her misdealings as the Secretary of State.

Simply put, she passed the buck.

Former Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer said Monday that staff members in her office were responsible for overpayment's to staff and herself during her last two years in office.

Instead of taking responsibility, she pushed the blame on new staffers, in her office.

“I had a new staff person who miscalculated the [reimbursement] rate,” Kiffmeyer said. “It was something she did. I’m giving [the SOS office] clarifying information and will give them whatever they need so this will be acceptable.”

Her statement contradicts the findings of the Legislative Auditor, which stated

Kiffmeyer's travels and mileage, the audit found that she had been overpaid an
unspecified number of times by charging for trips from her home in Big Lake to
destinations, instead of from her office on the State Capitol campus.

The audit did not cite a rate issue, it cited inaccuracies in mileage.

And about those pay raises...

“She used that authority without telling me things were beyond the contract. She
didn’t inform me, verbally or in writing. There are so many rules, we’re
dependent on HR giving us advice. I acted on what I knew.”

The former Secretary of State complaining about "so many rules". Nice!

Glad to hear that the former Secretary of State, who's job entails being the keeper of the original chapter laws passed each legislative session and signed by the various officers of the Legislature such as the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, Chief Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate as well as the Secretary of State and (in most cases) the Governor, gets bogged down by "so many rules".

You can't even make this stuff up anymore!

Whether Kiffmeyer knew about the pay raises or a rogue SoS employee played Santa to loyal employees, the issues at the SoS offices show Kiffmeyer's incompetence in leading an office as important as the Secretary of State.

It shouldn't surprise us though. Cases like this were status quo when Republicans were in control of both Houses of Congress and in control in Minnesota as well.

Passing the buck and stating "I cannot recall" have become strategic necessities for Bush era Republicans, and a detriment to the American way of life.

Senator Vitter and Family values...

A must read at Jon Swift!

"The Hollywood left is redefining the most basic institution in human history, and our two U.S. Senators won't do anything about it. We need a U.S. Senator who will stand up for Louisiana values, not Massachusetts's values. I am the only Senate Candidate to coauthor the Federal Marriage Amendment; the only one fighting for its passage." Vitter once compared the devastation of gay marriage to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which as someone from Louisiana should know is pretty destructive, and said during the debate on the amendment, "I don't believe there's any issue that's more important than this one."

Great work! Check it out in its entirety.

More on the Minnesota Republican Party mess

The comments at Residual Forces raise more questions.

Miss M writes,

A) From the CD Chair memo: “Upon being notified of these concerns in the summer of 2006, Chairman Carey immediately required that all payments be made in a timely fashion.” and “Dwight asked for permission to share his concerns with Party counsel, and it was granted. Party counsel began evaluating his charges and provided a legal opinion guiding Party leadership to where action may be required.” and from the article: “After the November election, he said, Carey gave him permission to send documents to the party attorney supporting his claims.”

If Chairman Carey corrected the concerns in the summer of 2006, why was Dwight Tostenson given the go-ahead in November to share his concerns with the Party’s lawyers in November?

Great question!

B) From the CD Chair memo: “The FEC has not notified us of any outstanding issues. We are in constant contact with our FEC compliance officer, and there is a very open line of communication. Our Party staff is incredibly diligent in working together with the FEC staff to ensure full compliance.”

What about the current strongly worded request for information from the FEC? www.fec.gov says the response was due yesterday, but nothing is on the website yet from the Party. Has this issue been dealt with?

C) From the CD Chair memo: “After concerns were raised about whether the Party was underpaying these policies amounting to fraud, Chairman Carey requested the Workers’ Comp auditors perform their audit early. During this audit, it was discovered the Party was likely over-paying its Workers’ Compensation insurance.” Was this an audit of the past years, or an audit of current employees? I would imagine the Party has far less staff now than they do at later times of the year, given election cycles. When was this audit conducted? Could this be clarified some?

From the previous post:

1) From the article: ‘”We’ve looked at all the issues that he raised, and where there was corrective action required, we took corrective action,” Carey said.’ Is this an accurate quote? If so, what action was taken, in regards to which issues? When was action taken?

2) From the article: “Carey said Friday that he has asked the committee for permission to commission an external audit.” When did Carey pose this request to the committee? Was it before or after the 15 Feb. memo? Before or after the 16 Jan. e-mail? Before or after it was known the reporters had knowledge of this ’story’?

3) Has the audit been approved? Conducted? What were the findings in relation to the allegations in the memo?

4) From the article: “Carey, who’s running for reelection this week as party chairman, blamed the leak of Tostenson’s memo on political enemies within the Republican Party who are out to get him on the eve of the Republican state central committee meeting.” Which political enemies are being pointed at here? Is there a fact and source available for this comment?

5) From the Sullivan/Axdahl letter: “In the meantime, we wanted to express our disgust with the Star Tribune for spreading such baseless allegations.” and “As with any Star Tribune story about conservative Republicans, the story is short on facts and the truth is missing in action.” The article states: “Party records show that money was withheld for employee retirement plans from September 2005 through May 2006, but Federal Election Commission (FEC) records reflect no deposits into the accounts during that period. In June 2006, the party made two makeup payments totaling $12,243 into the accounts.” I looked at www.fec.gov and the statement from the article appears to be correct. Why is this referred to as a baseless allegation, then?

Another excellent question!

6) From the article: ‘”There seemed to be some gray areas as to what was the requirement,” Carey said.’ What are the gray areas being referenced? A more detailed explanation would put this to rest.

7) From the article: ‘”We investigated what the requirements were and made sure we were immediately in full compliance with that,” he said.’ What are the requirements the GOP is required to follow?

8 ) From the article: “Carey said Tostenson has agreed the problems were resolved, and cited a March 13 letter from Tostenson to the executive committee.” How were the issues resolved?

9) From the article: ‘Carey said “We feel like we’re compliant with FEC regulations.” The FEC, he said, has “… brought nothing to our attention that we are out of compliance in this area.”‘ Would the FEC know if they were not in compliance regarding unreported overdue bills?

10) From the Sullivan/Axdahl letter: “We are certain Ron and the Party will provide a point by point response to these baseless charges in the near future.” When will such a response be released? Will people outside the Party hierarchy be told as well?

11) From the Sullivan/Axdahl letter: “The reality that the Star Tribune failed to report is that Ron quickly and effectively dealt with each legitimate issue brought to his attention, even though most of the alleged issues predated his becoming chairman or simply had no merit once investigated.” Which issues were dealt with and which had no merit? How were the issues dealt with? When were the issues dealt with?

12) From the Sullivan/Axdahl memo: “We cannot let the most liberal newspaper in America determine who our state Party chairman is.” I just wanted to say that I agree with this statement.

Sean Broom was on Minnesota Matters last night and did an excellent job of digging into this case. His opinion is that Carey is relatively safe for this election, which for Democrats, is fine with us. He'll continue his ineptness as party chair and DFLers will continue to win elections.

In my opinion, Repya is a one issue candidate. He can rant day and night that Iraq was in our best interests and has some credibility since he has served this nation honorably, in multiple theaters. His previous writings will not sit well with delegates either.

Tough choice really...pick the scandal ridden inept current chair or pick the single issue candidate that slams his own party...and breaks a "sacred Reagan commandment".

The right wing cat fight...

Everyone on the right is scurrying to figure out the who, what, when and where of the Startribune's posting of an internal memo noting financial reporting irregularities and harassment of staff members who questioned these practices.

Andy at Residual Forces got the initial wag of the finger from party insiders, as he has been bombarded with email asking if he were the source of the leak.

Andy denies it.

Michael Brodkorb is on Residual Forces asking questions, but has nothing up on his own site.

So as the party insiders scramble to figure out who leaked the memo, party officials and activists alike are providing their own spin on the scandal.

Joe Repya, running against Carey for Chair, and adamantly supported by Residual Forces, has his spin posted.

I was one of two people in the nation to serve as a veteran’s spokesperson for
President George W. Bush.

And they still did not get body armor, armored HMMV's, quality care at Walter Reed and a slew of other Veterans and soldiers needs.

I'm not sure I would admit if I were a veterans spokesperson for President Bush...

The Lady Logician has a great rant on her site.

Lloydletta is doing a great job of putting this stuff together at his site as well! Lloydletta provides us with one missing piece that LL did not provide. The author of the damning Repya letter is Rory Koch.

Now it took me a few minutes to recall Rory. He is the 4th CD GOP Party Chair, according to the letter. And he is also the Legislative Assistant for Tom Emmer and former LA for Dean Urdahl. Rory's a good guy though, Toby and I had some pretty good chats with Rory the past few years...

I'd be willing to bet that if Drew Emmer supports Carey, so does Tom. I wonder where Urdahl stands in this whole mess?

It'll be interesting to see where the delegates go this coming weekend. Carey has seen his fair share of scandals in recent months and the performance of the party under his reign has been lackluster at best, although they did beat some liberal in Wright, Meeker, and McLeod Counties this past election!

But...despite these misgivings, Carey has at least remained loyal to the party. Delegates may shy away from a candidate who has stated,

“I turned down the offer because of the despicable condition the Minnesota Party
is in following a greatly mismanaged and poorly executed election in 2006.”
(emphasis mine) - Joe Repya, May 23, 2007

With the conservative bloggers each roughing out their turf in this final week before the party chair elections, lefties like me will be busy sitting back and watching the dissension within the GOP ranks.