Now that former Congressman Rick Nolan has the DFL endorsement, the Minnesota DFL delegation is pulling together a fundraiser for him. He certainly needs the help. He trails former State Senator (and former Bachmann challenger) Tarryl Clark by nearly a decimal point in cash on hand. The winner of the August primary between Jeff Anderson, Clark and Nolan will face Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN/NH).
Plus, once Senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar are back in the district, they'll certainly be helping him win the primary. Walking in parades and standing onstage with them ain't going to hurt.
The fundraiser's hosts include Minnesota's entire Democratic Congressional delegation and non-Gopher State Members that Nolan served with during his previous stint on Capitol Hill. Nolan has a competitive primary and is trying to send a message that Minnesota's Democratic establishment and others are coalescing around his candidacy.
Those set to attend Nolan's fundraiser included Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, and Reps. Collin Peterson, Betty McCollum, Keith Ellison and Tim Walz. Also among the fundraiser's hosts were the former occupant of the seat, ex-Rep. James Oberstar.
"We're all in this together," McCollum's chief of staff, Bill Harper, said. He noted that it is highly common for Representatives to support candidates who have earned the state party endorsement in this manner, adding that the DFL endorsement "carries a lot of weight."
(Politico)
Rep. Chip Cravaack's (R-MN(?)/NH) website has this. I suppose that all of the Tea Partiers in Congress, have it on theirs.
Now, imagine if your government was as focused on saving money as it is on spending money. That is what the YouCut program is all about.
YouCut - a first-of-its-kind project - allows you to vote, both online and on your cell phone, on spending cuts. Each week that the House is in session, we take the most popular spending cut, chosen by you, and give it an up-or-down vote. That way, your voice can be heard-and you can see where your representative stands on your priorities.
So, today, I am giving you a chance to help shake things up in Washington. I want to know, what would you cut?
I suppose that the candidate options change weekly; as of this writing, they include "Reduce the number of TSA agents by increasing the efficiency of airport security screening," "Dispose of excess baggage screening machines," and "Terminate a National Science Foundation program aimed at shaping public opinion on climate change." (That last one has had some attention.)
I think that it's very likely that Americans' far-and-away preferred plan of attack - that is, making the rich man start to pay back the last 30+ years worth of tax cut welfare government handouts - won't make it on to the ballot. Slashing the money spent on enabling insane, cowardly warmongering is unlikely to ever be there, either.
On Friday, Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN/NH) announced that he would have a major announcement on Saturday at 5:30PM. Was he resigning? Was he suspending his reelection campaign? Was he announcing a sex scandal with a staffer? Was he getting divorced?
Nope.
In front of nine people, Cravaack made one of the most mundane, boring announcements possibly in he history of mankind. Technically, it might have been ten people at the press conference but my source couldn't tell if the tenth person was paying attention or just eating a sandwich.
Calling it an "intrusive overreach into Minnesota's great fishing tradition," Rep. Chip Cravaack announced Saturday that he will seek to end federal authority over some outdoors activities on Minnesota's Mille Lacs Lake.
Specifically, Cravaack, R-North Branch, is targeting Coast Guard regulations requiring a so-called "six-pack" license for fishing guides or anyone operating a boat for hire with up to six passengers. The regulations stem from the Coast Guard determining in 2010 that Mille Lacs is a "federally navigable" body of water.
(Duluth News Tribune)
Remember, folks, next time the Ol' Chipper announces a major announcement that he's just crying wolf. He hasn't done much of anything, aside from embarrassing himself on occasion, nor will he do anything meaningful in what will hopefully be a brief tenure in Congress.
DFL endorsed candidate Rick Nolan invited Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN/NH) to join him in a Minnesota tradition, the Fishing Opener. For many Minnesotans, the Fishing Opener is nearly as important as Christmas, Deer Season Opener, Twins Opener, opening of Vikings Training Camp and/or even the Wild's first game of the season. Maybe even moreA
"It occurred to me that since Chip is not from Minnesota originally, and has since moved his family to New Hampshire, he might not be aware that tomorrow is the fishing opener," Nolan explained. "He also might now be aware how important fishing is to us up here. So if there is any chance he is actually in the district this weekend, I would be delighted to take him out fishing with my family and let him get a true Minnesota-experience on the lake."
"The fishing opener is a time-honored tradition in the Minnesota," Nolan continued. "It is important to get together with friends, family, and neighbors to cast a line and share stories of fishing trips past. I'm excited to get out on the lake tomorrow with my wife, kids and grandkids to share and create new memories."
"If for any reason, Chip is out of town this weekend, I'd like to extend an open-invitation to join me for a future fishing venture at any time," Nolan added.
Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN(?)/NH) is looking to eliminate much federal funding meant to educate people about global climate change. He claims that it's just about getting rid of needless duplication. Previous statements that he's made suggest that there's more to it than that.
Cravaack's Washington spokesman, Michael Bars, declined to answer questions about Cravaack's position on global warming.
But it turns out that Cravaack has gone public with his views on climate change before. In a March, 2010 interview with conservative Twin Cities radio talk show host Sue Jeffers, then-candidate Cravaack was asked about his views on global warming.
He replied, "One word, bunk. It's built off of corrupt data and a corrupt NASA program. It's bunk. It's fallacy. There is absolutely no substantial evidence to prove that there is global warming."
Of course it's no secret, that Chippy's not one of the sharper tools in the shop. But the timing of this seems especially clueless. Public opinion has been shifting, rapidly, to the understanding that global warming is very real.
A large majority of climate scientists say the climate is shifting in ways that could cause serious impacts, and they cite the human release of greenhouse gases as a principal cause. But a tiny, vocal minority of researchers contests that view, and has seemed in the last few years to be winning the battle of public opinion despite slim scientific evidence for their position.
The poll suggests that a solid majority of the public feels that global warming is real, a result consistent with other polls that have asked the question in various ways. When invited to agree or disagree with the statement, "global warming is affecting the weather in the United States," 69 percent of respondents in the new poll said they agreed, while 30 percent disagreed.
We'll see how voters in MN-08 feel, toward the end of another long, hot summer. I suspect that the Chipster will change the nature of his public pronouncements on the subject, though not his overall right-wing opposition to education.
*I am a paid staffer for the Tarryl Clark campaign*
Clark is first candidate in MN-8 up with voter outreach program
Duluth, MN- Today, Tarryl Clark's congressional campaign released its first advertisement of the 2012 election. The radio ad, titled "Fight," features Tarryl Clark and retired Steelworker Rich Sterling, a mineworker at United Taconite in Eveleth from 1974 to 2006.
The ad centers on the need to change Washington and place Minnesota's middle class families first, highlighting a stark contrast with current Congressman Chip Cravaack's efforts to end Medicare as we know it and support tax breaks for companies that have shipped Minnesota jobs overseas.
"People here in northeast and central Minnesota deserve representation that places the needs of middle class families ahead of the Washington special interests and wealthiest few," said Clark. "This campaign is about who we should prioritize in Washington and who is going to stand up for our middle class."
Steelworker Rich Sterling said,
"We need Tarryl in Washington. She's got a track record of getting things done for us. She'll stand up to the big companies that are taking our jobs out of Minnesota and will instead help small businesses right here at home."
Former Congressman Rick Nolan won the MN-08 DFL endorsement on the first ballot. Nolan faced former Duluth Council President Jeff Anderson and former State Senator Tarryl Clark for the endorsement. Anderson and Clark already announced they would run in the primary.
Nolan received 133 of the 175 votes. No endorsement finished second with 21.5 and Anderson received 17.5. Clark received zero votes.
Highlights of Nolan's convention speech below the fold.
The latest "highlight" adorning the newsletter/website of Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN(?)/NH):
Yesterday the House voted to pass H.R. 9, the Small Business Tax Cut Act, by a vote of 235-173. This common sense, pro-growth legislation would lower tax rates on Minnesota small businesses, from mom and pop stores to small manufacturing and service companies, allowing them to invest, expand, and hire workers.
Anybody with even one little toe grounded in reality is certainly going to be skeptical, at a claim that the current Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives would do anything focused on really helping "mom and pop." And, sure enough:
In fact, half of (House Majority Leader Eric) Cantor's tax breaks would go to millionaires because of the way the bill is structured, with tax deductions tied to business income being the majority of the cuts. The huge majority of small business-76 percent-make less than $200,000 a year and would only get 16 percent of the benefits from this bill. The four percent with incomes over $1 million, like Romney's NASCAR and NFL team-owning buddies, would be the real beneficiaries. As usual.
Cantor could have targeted these cuts to truly struggling small business owners, but where's the fun (and campaign contributions) in that?
A recent page on the website of Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN(?)/NH) talks up the Tea Party plan for (savaging) health care for seniors.
The bipartisan House plan for Medicare provides freedom to choose among several different insurance plans, while also addressing Medicare's long-term sustainability. As a matter of fact, the House wants to empower 50 million seniors to choose what's best for them.
As is generally the case in Chippy's press releases, that's not, by the strictest definition of the term, an outright lie, but it is so incredibly devious and misleading that many people would regard it as such. The link to this article is worth keeping handy, as it eviscerates claims like those being made by the likes of Cravaack, who might want to consider pulling his face away from the rich man's backside, now and then, for a little fresh air.
The Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives released its proposed budget for fiscal year 2013 today, taking particular aim at our nation's health care programs. This latest House Republican budget would fundamentally alter these programs, setting us on an uncharted path that would have adverse consequences for tens of millions of Americans.
The House budget would provide vouchers to Medicare beneficiaries to purchase either a private health insurance plan or the traditional Medicare plan. This plan would shift costs to seniors, making many seniors pay sharply higher premiums to stay in traditional Medicare and keep their current choice of doctors. For these seniors the choice of traditional Medicare would be a false one in reality.
Yes, it really is a plan to end Medicare as we know it, no matter what bought-and-paid-for media "analysts" and propaganda mill hacks might claim. Every voter should understand that.
Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN/NH) made a rare visit to Minnesota for a town hall forum. A woman told him a how difficult it was to get her son who had leukemia a bone marrow transplant because the insurance company denied it. Cravaack's response was typical and clueless:
"That's a great story and something we all need to aspire to, to keep persevering."
No, Chip! It's an outrage! It isn't about persevering. It's about the utter disregard health insurance companies have for people when people come between them and their profits.
Watch for yourselves:
If Cravaack and his fellow Teabaggers have their way, Obamacare will be repealed and we'll go back to the bad old days of health insurance company death panels.
If Cravaack and his buddy Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) get their way, they'll end Medicare. Then seniors and their family members will be fighting health insurance company death panels for the live-saving care that's been denied to keep profits high.
With all the hubbub recently in CD8, it's worth remembering that it's almost the middle of April -- that means FEC reporting deadlines for the first quarter are coming, and Tarryl Clark is out with a very, very solid number: $320,971. From the campaign release:
Former State Senator Tarryl Clark's campaign continues to build momentum, announcing today it brought in $320,971 in the last quarter (January 1 - March 31) bringing her current cash-on-hand to $418,266. With over 10,250 contributors so far, including almost 5,000 in the last quarter alone, Tarryl Clark has the grassroots strength to take on Representative Chip Cravaack in November.
"Our very strong fundraising quarter keeps Tarryl on course to beat Chip Cravaack,"
said Joe Fox, Clark's campaign manager. "With 3,100 new donors in the past three months alone, and 93% of our donors giving $100 or less at a time, it's clear that Tarryl's commitment to fighting for Minnesota's families and communities is resonating."
I'm not convinced the low dollars-per-donor figure is as salient here as it is for, say, Mitt Romney in the presidential race, but nonetheless this is a very good fundraising take. In the general election, it's going to take money to get on the air and beat down any positive spin Team Chipper puts on his extremist record.
Depending on how the primary shakes out, Clark is putting herself in as good a position as she possibly can with numbers like these. In relative cheap print and radio markets, dollars go further in CD8 than they will in CD3, and that's a good thing for Team Clark.
Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN/NH) has a problem. It all began when he campaigned against Jim Oberstar as out of touch with his district. He claimed that Oberstar actually lived in the Maryland suburbs of DC. He further claimed that Oberstar rarely visited Minnesota. Candidates who make those sort of claims better make themselves very available to their constituents and get lots of face time in their districts.
As everyone knows, Cravaack moved his family to New Hampshire after he beat Oberstar.
Oops.
Now that he's spending his spare time with his family in New Hampshire, he doesn't have quite as much time to spend in the district. So folks in MN-08 have gotten used to these kind of non-meetings their absent Congressman.
U.S. Representative Chip Cravaack (MN District 8) has announced his staff will conduct a mobile office in Atkinson Township from 5-6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 9, at the Carlton County Transportation Building, 1630 County Road 61, Carlton.
"These mobile offices will provide residents throughout the Eighth District an opportunity to meet with members of my staff and discuss matters that are important to them," said Cravaack.
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union (AFSCME) teamed up with Americans United for Changed and released a video attacking Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN/NH). They criticize Cravaack for voting to end Medicare twice and for giving tax breaks to millionaires and companies like Exxon.
Cravaack is one of the most vulnerable first-term Tea Party Republicans in Congress. He severely damaged his reelection chances by moving his family to New Hampshire last summer.
AFSCME and Americans United for Change understand that nobody in MN-08 want vouchers instead of Medicare. Associating Cravaack with tax breaks for multi-national corporations and millionaires will only further push the meme that Cravaack is out-of-touch with what his district wants.
Last year Congressman Cravaack voted to end Medicare. Back home we gave that young man an earful. Did he learn his lesson? Think again. Cravaack just voted again to replace Medicare's guaranteed benefits with private vouchers that won't cover the cost of care.
Then he voted to give millionaires and big oil companies more tax breaks. Can you imagine?
Congressman Cravaack pretends his vote against Medicare is different this time. But, really, does he think we were born yesterday?
Lack of support does not mean the process is unfair or unrepresentative. It simply means they don't like you. Not a difficult concept to grasp, unless you happen to be Jeff Anderson or Tarryl Clark.
After losing all 14 DFL conventions held to date and suffering humiliating defeats at conventions in both Duluth and Ely last weekend, former City Councilor Jeff Anderson of Duluth announced Thursday he would join former State Senator Tarryl Clark of St Cloud in forcing an August primary in the 8th district congressional race.
Well, isn't that special.
Former Congressman Rick Nolan of Crosby ran a strong grass roots campaign and successfully built a broad based coalition of support all across northeastern Minnesota. With only a few more conventions to go, he has 70% of the delegates and is in the position to win the endorsement by an overwhelming margin. One needs to ask the following question: If either Anderson or Clark were in the same position as Nolan is today would they still think the process is unfair?
Disclaimer: I am a staffer with Friends of Tarryl Clark 2012
Duluth, MN-Tarryl Clark, DFL candidate for Minnesota's 8th Congressional District released the following statement:
"It's appalling and unconscionable that yesterday Representative Chip Cravaack voted against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act," stated Tarryl Clark. "An act that since its original passage in 1994 has protected Minnesota's women and families from domestic abuse by securing vital funding for services such as transitional housing, legal assistance, law enforcement, and imposing tough penalties against perpetrators of domestic violence."
"There is no possible justification Chip Cravaack could give that defends such a damaging decision," continued Clark. "Voting to redefine rape, voting to block women's access to basic health services, and today, voting to eliminate the Violence Against Women Act, are all examples of how Chip isn't standing up for Minnesota's women and families."
"Clearly, Chip Cravaack's priorities do not include common sense legislation to protect the health and safety of women and their families."
Now that former Congressman Rick Nolan has the DFL endorsement, the Minnesota DFL delegation is pulling together a fundraiser for him. He certainly needs the help. He trails former State Senator (and former Bachmann challenger) Tarryl Clark by nearly a decimal point in cash on hand. The winner of the August primary between Jeff Anderson, Clark and Nolan will face Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN/NH).
Rep. Chip Cravaack's (R-MN(?)/NH) website 
