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What is the Invitation of Susan Gaertner Worth?

by: Grace Kelly

Tue Dec 02, 2008 at 22:54:24 PM CST

Today is Susan Gaertner's birthday and also one of the kick off events in her run for Minnesota governor. She is currently serving her fourth term as Ramsey County Attorney. I received an invite on Facebook! Woo hoo!

So what is an invite from Susan Gaertner worth? Apparently, nothing, for I was turned away at the door. That really makes me wonder about the value of Susan's word and Susan's promises. And if Susan will not talk to me, a guaranteed delegate to the endorsing convention, then why would she talk to anyone after being elected?

The whole juicy story follows!

Grace Kelly :: What is the Invitation of Susan Gaertner Worth?

So on Facebook, I received this invitation:

Organize Early to Elect a Democratic Governor!
Come Meet Governor Candidate Susan Gaertner
Event InfoHost: Jorge Saavedra F.
Type: Party - Mixer
Network: Global
Time and Place Date: Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: The Minneapolis Club
Street: 729 Second Avenue South
City/Town: Minneapolis, MN....
Description:
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner is running for Governor of Minnesota! Come meet Susan and hear about her plans to unseat Tim Pawlenty in 2010. Please consider giving Susan your support at this end of the year fundraiser and mixer...
Guests are allowed to bring friends to this event.

So I put on my red vest and my blue suitcoat, and showed up very perky and happy. The gentleman at the door asked for my invite, which I said Facebook, so he said he had to call in my name.

Then he apologized that he could not let me in for I was wearing bluejeans. Imagine getting dressed up, paying expensive downtown Minneapolis parking and traveling in rush hour traffic to be turned away! So I went to cover the birthday party on the street that some RNC protesters were having in Susan Gaertner's "honor". That will be my next story and it is a great story!

So after awhile a friend comes out of the party and he is wearing.... bluejeans! He persuades me to come with him, after all the invitation does say, "Guests are allowed to bring friends to this event." And I am again stopped at the door, while he is let in.

Wait, wait, the story gets better.

See after the RNC, I had called Susan Gaertner and asked for an interview in a few weeks, since she was busy right then. I have called her home and her office, with no return phone calls. Could it be that she does not want an interview from me? Could Susan be afraid of a few pointed questions about her prosecution of eight people for felony charges related to the Republican National Convention?

Now contrast this act with Chris Coleman who bravely came out and talked to all the people protesting at his fundraiser. And not only did Susan Gaertner not talk to the protesters, but a police swat team van, a police booking van and several squad cars showed up! I will be telling that story when I process all the video!

So do you want a governor who listens to you and respects you even when you disagree or a governor who calls the cops on you when you try to talk to her? Hmmmm...

Update: I also have a picture of the physical invitation that I thought that I would post.

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Tags: Peace, Minnesota, Governor, campaign report, Susan Gaertner, (All Tags)

What is the Invitation of Susan Gaertner Worth? | 10 comments

Their is no doubt (0.00 / 0)

in my mind that I will not be supporting Gaertner in the Democratic Party process. I turned down the invitation.

Happy birthday to Susan, none the less.

by: Populista @ Tue Dec 02, 2008 at 23:10:09 PM CST

by: you @ soon

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Take a look at Paul Thissen (0.00 / 0)

I would suggest giving Paul Thissen a very serious look. I like Paul because he is a deep, thoughtful person - not just a rhetoric and soundbite candidate. Paul may be low on the name recognition meter at this point, but he is the type of substantive thinker who could appeal to independents beyond the core DFL base.

by: Gordon @ Wed Dec 03, 2008 at 09:04:32 AM CST

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Coming from you, Gordon.... (0.00 / 0)

...that's pretty high praise for Thissen :) What did you think of my interview post with him?

by: Joe Bodell @ Wed Dec 03, 2008 at 10:10:55 AM CST

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by: you @ soon

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Good interview (0.00 / 0)

I thought your interview was insightful and balanced. I like Paul Thissen because I believe he's a person who doesn't automatically join the group-think crowd, but he looks at each issue individually and comes to a decision based on merit. He doesn't just recite party-line rhetoric, but actually thinks for himself. He also comes up with new ideas that have not been part of the discussion before. It's the same feeling I had about Obama, and the reason I supported him for president before the primaries started.

by: Gordon @ Wed Dec 03, 2008 at 12:16:19 PM CST

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Well, that is bad news (0.00 / 0)

To defend Susan, they probably didn't call her to see if you could be let in. Speaking as one who has campaigned a little, sometimes the wires get crossed and the guy at the door is a misrep of the entire campaign...

Boy you must be miffed, though. Not good.

by: Holly Cairns @ Wed Dec 03, 2008 at 09:46:30 AM CST

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For what it's worth (0.00 / 0)

I invited Susan to respond to your article. Her website
http://www.susangaertner.com/ makes it hard to contact her since the e-mail is in green and it blends in with the footer. But it's there....

by: Holly Cairns @ Wed Dec 03, 2008 at 09:54:22 AM CST

by: you @ soon

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I am known (0.00 / 0)

Since I have left calls at home and at work. And because Susan has greeted me by name, I think she may know who the "Grace Kelly" is, that being my real name as well as the name I write under.

When this happened, I just grinned, for it makes a powerful story.

However notes from you are fantastically extra wonderful. For truly we should tell the other side of the story as well!

by: Grace Kelly @ Wed Dec 03, 2008 at 12:12:01 PM CST

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by: you @ soon

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Tim Walz PLEASE run!!!!! (0.00 / 0)

I was never a HUGE fan of hers (I DID support her at the 2006 CD4/Ramsey County DFL convention where she had a tough opponent for the DFL endorsement for Ramsey County Attorney), but her activities related to the RNC protests basically disqualify her in my book. And this incident, which reeks of a very petty vindictiveness on her part, is just icing on the cake.

"...if my thought-dreams could be seen, they'd probably put my head in a guillotine..."----Bob Dylan, 1965.

by: lams712 @ Wed Dec 03, 2008 at 10:43:48 AM CST

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No room at the inn (0.00 / 0)

When Brian Melendez, now chair of the Minnesota DFL, was at a meet and greet in Edina before the officers were elected at the state-wide business conference that year, I traveled with my friend Malcolm to that event and I introduced myself to Brian as an alternate to the business conference that would be deciding about the chairmanship, among other matters.

"Oh" said his Nibs in a telling moment. "You're just an alternate...". When the first vote was taken on the day in question, I had been upgraded to full delegate. I voted for Josh, not Brian and the tally was 2 votes shy of the total needed for election. I switched to Brian on the second ballot and if I remember correctly, so did just one other delegate.

I changed my vote because I distrusted my objectivity - it hurts when I get snubbed and more than once I've extracted a pound or more of political flesh following the premise "Don't get mad, get even!" But this was a serious moment and I felt obliged to set aside my umbrage. I'm glad I did so. Not because Brian has done such a great job - I know he has certainly worked very hard in his leadership role and I rather like having someone with background in both theology and the law running the store. No, I take voting very seriously and I make every effort to keep my wits about me
even when I'm tempted strongly to do something nasty.

I trust that the readers of this blog will be similarly
hesitant to rush to judgment. Grace is on much more solid ground when she reminds us about the highly political and IMHO wrong-headed decision to charge folks with multiple felonies as recently happened on Ms Gaertner's watch.

That was a police riot and honest citizens were treated like dirt. Every public official who drank the Republican kool aid that let this be possible is blameworthy and
I trust the electorate will bear this in mind.

Fred Markus
Phillips West, Mpls.

by: fredmarkus @ Wed Dec 03, 2008 at 19:04:57 PM CST

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Hey Fred (0.00 / 0)

You rock! Wow, connections.

by: Holly Cairns @ Thu Dec 04, 2008 at 13:53:20 PM CST

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What is the Invitation of Susan Gaertner Worth? | 10 comments