Taking a break

A few thoughts before I head out for a week or so.

Steve Sarvi did very well this election. Which is why I believe the blogosphere is big enough for us to provide support to all of our candidates, and not just a selected few who had raised over a million dollars, only to lose. I'm sorry I couldn't get more done for you Steve and the rest of Team Sarvi! I definitely have your back in 2010!

Ashwin's loss was a disappointment. But not as disappointing as Elwyn Tinklenberg losing.

I think the Bachmann attacks at the last minute, on Tinklenberg's MnDOT time hurt him significantly. The Tinklenberg campaign didn't push forth a strong push to attack the Bachmann ads and the last view of the voter was some shady stories about Tinklenberg's MnDOT days. I think his lack of response (other then the campaign emails) hurt him significantly.

Who the hell is Bob Anderson?

I'm proud of Dean Barkley and those I met on his staff. Even if this is a 236 vote difference, I still feel Dean was the best candidate for what we need in the US Senate and I would not have changed my vote.

So is the IP a spoiler? Tough call. I have not seen all the numbers yet. I did hear about how exit polls indicate Barkley voters would have gone 50% for Franken, 50% for Coleman.

Team Barkley ran a great campaign. Some criticize Barkley because it wasn't a Ventura like run.

a. Dean is not Jesse, although Jesse had some involvement.
b. Jesse got a large public subsidy from the State of Minnesota. If Dean had the same amount as Jesse did, he would have been on the airwaves much earlier.

Dean got out raised in this race 1600:1 by both Norm Coleman and Al Franken.

In other words, a $100 contribution to Dean would be like giving $160,000 to Norm or Al.

Coleman and Franken spent nearly $20 per vote they got.

Barkley spent .30 for every vote he got.

In the days after the election, some were pretty ticked off that I would support Barkley and encourage others to do so as well.

Two things influenced my move to a more moderate mode.

a. The DFL crapped on the local units out in Wright County. After the Wright County DFL was dissolved at the State Convention, we were not notified of this until nearly 2 months later. Party officials were supposed to come out and explain how we reconfigure out here (even though it was promised to us that it would not occur until 2010 and that we would get a sufficient number of delegates). No party officials came out to discuss this with us, in fact, they even just failed to show up to an organized meeting and didn't call. There's some shady stuff behind the scenes of some of this stuff, and quite frankly, when the party leadership was confronted, they did nothing.

b. Poor candidate selection and endorsement.

So, to hell with it all. If the party folks (not local) are going to be deceitful and corrupt, I'm not going to be a party to that.

Which is why I will probably run for office next time as an IP candidate. I'm still sorting all this out, but it seems like the best fit for me right now. I'm tired of the BS and a lack of leadership.

Since the party doesn't want to listen, I'll go somewhere where my efforts and opinion are welcomed.

So, with that said...be good! We'll be gone for probably the next week.

I have our grooms dinner tonight and Bluewoman and I are getting married tomorrow afternoon, regardless of the snow!

Then off to Duluth for a few days of relaxation!

Thank you to everyone for your support!

A special thanks go out to the Ollie Ox and Political Muse! Keep up the great work!

Tom, Chris, Sally, Diana, Jim, Jim, Dean, Nikki, and the rest of Team Barkley...

Thank you! Your passion for change and independent thought inspire me.

See you at the wedding!

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.

Hold On! The Strib Editorial Board Didn't Even Interview Sarvi?

WTF is that all about?

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!

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.

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.

###

Sarvi hits the airwaves!

Saw his TV ad this morning!

Awesome!

John Kline's In Over His Head...

Congressman John Kline came out earlier today, in a pathetic effort to save Erik Paulsen, and attacked Ashwin Madia's use footage of a Marine Corp ceremonial unit in his ad "Discipline".



First of all, I don't see a problem with it. Madia is a Marine. He served his nation honorably in Iraq. Paulsen can't compete with Madia on the issues, so he and his surrogates have to attack him.

But what makes this more interesting, is that Kline used military "props" in one of his ads too!



OMG! John Kline showed the nuclear football in a political ad? Al Queda knows what the nuclear football looks like! OMG, talk about conduct unbecoming of an officer!

Yeah...um, John Kline needs to remove the stick from his ass and get over this...quickly enough to continue being outworked by Steve Sarvi.

Just a thought...from a Veteran!

Sarvi in a statistical tie in CD 2

John Kline is in trouble!

A poll released by the Alliance for a Better Minnesota shows John Kline with a 37-33 lead over Steve Sarvi.

Sarvi has made tremendous progress in this race and is gaining significant momentum at the right time.

More to follow on this great story out of CD 2.

Steve Sarvi Launches Strong Campaign Ad

My first thought when I saw this video was...

Wow. A powerful ad.



The issues Sarvi talks about are real issues, amongst the most important issues for myself.

On the heels of a story that solider suicides could set a record this year in the Army, Sarvi's work for Veterans and soldiers alike is important.

Congressman Kline's record on veterans issues needs to be exposed. As a veteran himself, he has failed those he served with, failed those who followed in his footsteps.

Sarvi gets it and will work hard to advocate for the entire 2nd Congressional District and our nation's Veterans.

State Fair: Day 1 Fun

I had a lot of fun at the fair today.

Priscilla Lord Faris had a few clowns hanging around outside her booth later in the day today!

Found the Dean Barkley for US Senate booth, which was consistently busy throughout the day.

Barkley talking to some high school students who will cast their first votes in the September 9th Primary.



Talking health care!

Caught Steve Sarvi on the Jack Rice show. He dominated once again, talking about Iraq and the energy crisis.

Marty Seifert was in the GOP booth, touting welfare abuse and getting his minions fired up about that.

Al Franken's booth was overstaffed until Franken showed up, then a group of 50 people swarmed the booth, getting pictures and autographs.

Priscilla Lord Faris had a booth placed near the DFL booth ( I am told that PLF has actually not placed her booth in the correct location, that she simply plopped it down within the DFL booths sight line) that was pretty quiet.

Jack Aldrich had a lonely booth as well.

Lots of Obama stickers and shirts. McCain had a good presence, but I wonder how many Minnesotans will put up with someone who does not know how many houses he owns?

All told, long fun day! Bluewoman and I will make our annual State Fair appearance next week!

Bachmann gets free ride from Urdahl?

Made it to the Cokato Corn Carnival parade last night!

Despite the rain, the turnout was great.

I've got some fun video that we'll try to post later in the day.

I always watch the politicians in parades. We caught Dean Urdahl last night at the parade, with a light amount of support. Michele Bachmann's parade group, maybe 5 people was on the heels of the Urdahl group.

David Detert, DFL candidate in 18B had a strong contingent of volunteers and Elwyn Tinklenberg was impressive as well. He was working the crowd on my side of the street and I was impressed.

Back to Bachmann...

I've been in the Cokato Corn Carnival parade as a candidate. One steadfast rule of the Cokato Corn Carnival parade is that the candidate must be with the parade group.

Bachmann was AWOL.

Theories as to Bachmann's absence were abundant...

Perhaps the rain would have made her melt?

Perhaps the Congresswoman doesn't quite have this "vacation" thing down yet?

Who knows why Congresswoman Bachmann allowed her campaign to piggyback off the Urdahl campaign for the parade.

This past week, right wing bloggers came after Steve Sarvi for apparent "free rides" in parades. In reality, the right wing bloggers have nothing on Sarvi. Just like the attacks on his military record...the attacks lack any substance whatsoever.

To adapt the rhetoric from SCSU Scholars...

"Stiffing local parade organizers over registration fees indicates irresponsibility on the part of a candidate. It raises the question: How many times this season has Bachmann just bummed a ride from some other candidate? Do we want to even consider someone who mooches like this to represent us in Congress?"

*Update* Word on the street, from an informed Cokato history reader, while my assertion that candidates must be with the group for the Cokato Corn Carnival parade, Bachmann's group asked for permission to join Urdahl since they knew Michele would be AWOL.

Farm Fest Ponderings

I've had a few conversations with people who were in attendance. They all say Franken was not impressive, that he appeared to simply jump into attack mode and offer no real solutions.

I've seen reports that this was a very conservative audience/group to discuss these issues with.

While I understand that the Senate and Congressional debates were separate, I'd think that the crowd would not have changed that much over time. People wanting to see political debates were there to see just that.

For instance, if this crowd were so conservative, why would Bachmann and Kline ditch this event? It would seem like a great opportunity to "preach to the choir" even though they voted against the Farm Bill...they're conservative...right?

Why would such a conservative crowd spontaneously applaud Congressman Walz for his work for farmers?

I went to Farm Fest in 2006, I found the crowds to not be staunchly left or right, but concerned about farm issues. Duh...

Just because it's held in what we label a conservative area, does not necessarily mean the crowd was overtly conservative. Even with $3.50 gas, people flock to stuff like this.

BTW, I hear Steve Sarvi rocked it out at this event. I hear he was very well spoken on the issues, and despite the temptation to take a shot or two at John Kline, he kept himself to the issues.

Some I spoke to were concerned that Elwyn Tinklenberg spoke to much about Congresswoman Bachmann not being at the debate...to each their own.

From what I have heard from my peeps on the ground, Franken simply lost a great opportunity to actually debate Coleman and not fill the day with rhetoric and attacks.

Many say that Dean Barkley was the star of the show...

Bachmann and Kline AWOL from FarmFest

Larry Schumacher has some excellent coverage of the Congressional debate at FarmFest!

Part I
Part II

Bachmann and Kline must have thought this was the sort of event that occurs while one is on vacation...

The fact that Congresswoman Bachmann and John Kline failed to attend this event is disturbing. Their opponents attended the event and did a wonderful job. Both Elwyn Tinklenberg and Steve Sarvi left the debate as two candidates for Congress who impressed.

Bachmann and Kline are running scared...scared to engage Tinklenberg or Sarvi in a debate format. I know a couple of O-6's that would be disappointed in the fact that the Colonel went AWOL while the Sergeant shined.

Tinklenberg on Bachmann's Farm Bill Vote:

Tinklenberg – Would’ve vote for it. Opponent did not vote for it, which may explain why she’s not here today.

But then again, she hasn’t been with you all that much all along.

Schumacher also posted the closing remarks for each panel member: go check them out at Larry's blog at the SC Times!

Ollie over at Bluestem Prairie also has some great detailed coverage of the event, be sure to head over there and check out her great work too!

John Kline's Dirty Campaign Tricks

Mike McIntee at the Up Take has an awesome video of John Kline's dirty campaign tricks.



Getting the word out on this is very important! We cannot allow Kline to do this again.

Kline sent one of his attack dogs after Steve Sarvi and now they have been exposed for the fraud they are! Great work!

Sarvi and CD 2 boosted

From CQ story on key House races shifting towards Democrats.

Minnesota’s 2nd(New Rating: Republican Favored. Previous Rating: Safe Republican). Steve Sarvi is an Iraq War veteran and the former mayor of Watertown whose biography and experience make him a strong recruit for Democratic efforts to take over the 2nd District from three-term Rep. John Kline . CQ Politics is changing its rating on the race to Republican Favored from Safe Republican, indicating it is a race to watch. The DCCC has categorized the race similarly. It lists the 2nd District race as one of its 20 “Emerging Races,” which means the party is keeping an eye on the race and will get involved if Sarvi meets certain criteria to prove the strength of his campaign. However, weak fundraising for Sarvi and overall demographics give Kline the advantage in holding the district, which covers the southern Twin Cities suburbs. Sarvi reported raising $262,000 and had $98,000 on hand by June 30 while Kline raised $1.1 million and had $647,000 on hand by the same date. Voters in Minnesota do not register by party, but results from the presidential race indicate Republicans hold the advantage in the 2nd — President Bush carried the district with 51 percent of the vote in 2000 and increased his take in 2004 to 54 percent of the vote. Kline easily defeated FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley 56 percent to 40 percent in 2006.

One big fundraising quarter by Sarvi and he will really make Kline shake in his boots. This is great news for the Sarvi camp!

Sarvi on WCCO this morning! Update

You Tubes will be up shortly.

He did a very good job!

*Two Putt Tommy over at MnBlue has a post up about the show, as well as other poignant commentary.

As soon as the YouTubes are ready, we'll post them. Can't believe it's taking this long today.

Better yet, go to the link at WCCO.com.

CD 6 Fundraising Numbers: A Quick Look

With Congresswoman Bachmann's numbers out now, we can start to decipher the fundraising the the 6th.

While Congresswoman Bachmann raised over $382,000 this quarter more than $193,000 came from PAC's and political party committees. More than half of Bachmann's contributions this quarter came from special interest groups.

Bachmann spent about $22,000 this quarter raising $189,000 in individual contributions and more than $12,000 to a Washington DC based PAC fundraising group.

Also of note...she paid Luke Hellier $200 this quarter as well.

Bachmann has nearly $1.3 million cash on hand at this point.

Tinklenberg hauled in about $163,000 in individual contributions this past quarter and about $109,000 from PAC's and political party committees.

Two days ago I talked about Elwyn's good fundraising numbers, they were good not great.

I had a conversation last night with my political Yoda, my mentor.

We had a good long talk about FEC reports and the fundraising trend or mirage activities across the state.

Ashwin Madia killed it this quarter. Anyone who has ever doubted whether or not he's the real deal or not knows better now. I knew it the first time I saw him.

Going into his endorsement in April, he had the support of one sitting Congressman and a strong grassroots support. Madia prevailed and has been running ever since. The endorsement in CD 3 was a tough fight.

Tinklenberg had a relatively easy endorsement fight in CD 6. Other than bloggers like myself asking some difficult questions and supporting "the other guy" for most of the race, the party was unified behind Elwyn with nearly every sitting member of Minnesota's Congressional delegation supporting him.

Why didn't their support bring more money in? Peterson and Oberstar don't have fights on their hands. Neither do Ellison and McCollum. Congressman Walz has significantly outraised his opponent and has a strong cash on hand advantage to go along with a record of constituent outreach that is unparalleled in Minnesota politics.

This is a big quarter for Elwyn Tinklenberg and Steve Sarvi. The incumbents in both races, especially John Kline, experienced lackluster fundraising this past quarter. One big quarter for Tinklenberg will close the cash on hand advantage and build some great momentum in the final days before the election.

But at this point, sadly enough, it's always about the Benjamins...

The CD 2 Race Is Getting More Competitive

Hence Mr Brodkorb's lamest attack piece to date. It's a tough bar to get under, but MDE may have just done it.

Why attack Sarvi now?

It's simple. On the heels of positive polling for Sarvi in the district, the Cook Political Report has elevated the CD 2 race from Solid Republican to Likely Republican. The CPR reflects the DFL growth in CD 2, pushing Brodkorb and his cronies to attack Sarvi on the most mundane subjects out there.

It's good news for Sarvi though. Brodkorb and the right wing blogosphere did a great job taking down Keith Ellison and Tim Walz last cycle.

John Kline's CD 2 No Constituent Tour

If you're reading this...you're probably not important enough to attend.

Steve Sarvi held a public press conference this past week to talk about energy issues.

John Kline will go on a secret tour of energy facilities.

The saga in CD 2 continues. Kline's constituent outreach is pathetic. So, in order to smooth things over with a disgruntled electorate, Kline decides that he must embark upon a super secret energy tour.

Now, I understand the security measures needed for nuclear power plants and a refinery. The measures are pretty high, and should be. Kline will surely emerge from from the tour and issue a press release that says...

"Offshore drilling is a must."

"We must drill in ANWR."

"We must increase the number of refineries in America."

He'll probably puppet a few points Congresswoman Bachmann made in her infamous gas station press conference a few weeks ago.

Although, the constituents of CD 2 are not invited. Kline does not want to meet with the electorate that is growing more and more disenfranchised by Kline's embodiment of Bush Cheney energy policy. In fact, his secret meetings are consistent with Cheney's secret energy policy meetings.

"I have a specific itinerary, not for public consumption, which is why I’m not issuing a press release." Troy Young, Congressman Kline's Communications Director.

Seems like John Kline's day to day activities are never for public consumption for his constituents in the second. Unfortunately for Congressman Kline, people are beginning to wake up to Kline's lackluster Congressional record and shoddy constituent services.

Enough is enough...

The conspiracy theories are rampant over at a right wing blog. We touched on this subject earlier in the week.

Now, when we confront the distortions pushed by this right wing blog, the comments get deleted.

Now the latest distortion...

Marc Says: after publication. -->
June 26th, 2008 at 9:35 am
David - this is from Kline’s bio: “He retired from the Marine Corps with the rank of Colonel.”

But let’s get back to the topic at hand. The more I think about this whole situation, whether or not Sarvi has released his records from the last few years is irrelevant. What I want to see are his records from the time that he was on active duty. He doesn’t give a good explanation for why he left the service at that point, but I’d be willing to bet that Sarvi left because he was passed over for promotion. Why else would a Captain leave the service after only 5 years of duty in the pre-Clinton era?

Sarvi passed over for promotion? Seriously guys, enough is enough. A good lieutenant makes Captain after about 3-4 years time in service.

As a Captain, you usually serve in an administrative role for a couple of years, typically in a staff planning role, (Assistant S-3 Operations Officer and stuff like that) get a company command for a year, and then serve in another higher profile staff position before making Major.

You make Major between 9-10 years.

Sarvi could not have been passed over for promotion to Major, he would not have met the time in service requirements to be promoted.

Junior officers leave the military all the time. It's a fact. The assault on Sarvi's military record is disgusting.

Why didn't Kline make General then? I mean come on, the guy carried the "nuclear football"! How can you carry the "nuclear football" and not make General?

Will Kline release his full military record so that we can see why he never made General?