It's been a busy week, and I wanted to touch back on the Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive FEC problems reported by Karl Bremer over at Dump Bachmann. It seems Bachmann has some serious paperwork problems with the FEC, and that's FEC problems from BEFORE she hired republiCon Ron.
The Minnesota GOPers have a longstanding tradition of running a completely FUBAR paperwork operation; for example, here's the infamous "Tostenson Memo".
And I wanted to share one FEC Filing from the MN GOP that just warms my heart:
GOPers simply have to wonder where their "donations" to the GOP go. We know at the national level, donations fund stuff like "meals" at bondage clubs. And I'm sure it warms local GOPer's hearts, too, knowing that their donations went to pay for Senator Franken's legal fees....
According to conservative blogger Andy Aplikowski, Michele Bachmann has signed up former MN GOP leader Ron Carey as her new chief of staff.
Mr. Carey is perhaps most notorious as the GOP political mastermind who engineered the elections of the current Democratic majority legislature in St. Paul.
Being a staff member for Rep. Bachmann is not the most secure position in the world. Staff members are not retained for very long if they incur the displeasure of Princess Sparklepony, and this is apparently very easy to do. Being a Bachmann staffet has been described as being similar to going into and out of a revolving door all in the same trip, except you never want to try to go back in again.
Bachmann makes it clear to her senior staff that they serve at her pleasure; their chairs and office desks are positioned on trap doors and the control button panel is mounted next to Michele's desk telephone.
If Mr. Aplikowski's information is current and reliable, let's wish the Napoleon of GOP electoral strategy a reasonably long tenure as a scrambling Bachmann courtier. And hope that Michele's finger doesn't slip and hit Ron's button when she's speed-dialing for a pizza delivery.
...well, could be filed in the ol' republiCon "Do As We Say (Not As We Do)" Department, too...
Yesterday, over on Brodkorb's Blog, Michael's newest pseudonym "Contributor" tried - TRIED - to rip Tarryl Clark for the ghastly deed of "holding a fundraiser outside of the 6th District." Now, this is funny for two reasons: 1) Michael's newest pseudonym "Contributor" - Luke Hellier - used to work for Bachmann, so he surely knows about the many fundraisers Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive has held outside the 6th District, such as the infamous fundraiser D*ck (cheney)in' Cheney held for Michele on Lake Minnetonka, and 2) Brodkorb knows - KNOWS - that GOPer Eva Ng recently held a fundraiser outside of the district bounaries where she's running, 'cause not only did MudSlingerMike tweet about it, it's on the official Mn GOP website, where the ol' MudSlinger is the State Party Deputy Chair!!!
And Tony Sutton had to know about the fundraiser; it was held at FEC Tony's taco shop.
That, gentle readers, certainly qualifies as "stupid is as stupid does."
It's things like this, and more, why I say - often - "Hypocrisy, Thy Party Is GOP."
Richard Glasgow is an American Patriot that has taken honoring Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines to a higher level. At this moment, I'm looking at a business-sized card that on one side says:
Dear American Hero,
I am not certain as to how to express my gratitude for all you have done to secure my freedoms. Please accept this simple card as a small token of my appreciation.
A grateful American citizen.
It was handed to me by someone while shopping; he noticed the hat I usually wear. I keep the card on my desk, where I'm writing this.
Richard's website is called Dear American Hero, have your speakers turned down before you link. I talked to Richard earlier this week after receiving this Press Release:
Dusty Trice got the scoop! Here's what Dusty has to say about his video, as posted on YouTube:
EXCLUSIVE: Ron Paul explains why the MN GOP suddenly needs his help: "They Want My Money."
The MN GOP blocked Ron Paul from speaking at their 2008 convention in Rochester, MN. But on Sept. 25, 2009 the MN GOP sponsored an appearance by Dr. Paul at Northrup Auditorium in what was billed as a joint town hall with Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.
What's behind the MN GOP's sudden change of heart? According to Ron Paul, "They want my money. They want to get a little bit of influence from our supporters, too."
I think this says a lot about Ron Paul, who's been a consistent voice for what he believes in, so much so that he was willing to forget the past troubles with the MN GOP.
I also thinks this speaks volumes about the MN GOP. Their leadership realizes that they have alienated roughly 15% of their party. Now they realize that Michele Bachmann is actually in trouble and the only way to save her is to turn to the person they publicly shunned and beg for his money and help.
The MN GOP is exploiting Ron Paul because they are terrified without his support they will lose and lose big.
On a side note, I'd like to thank Congressman Paul for taking moment to speak with me. (DustyTrice)
Let's watch!!!
I'll have my own thoughts about Dusty's breaking story later, for now, link here for Mary Lahammer's May 30th, 2008 report from the 2008 MnGOP State Convention - the footage of the floor scuffle between a Ron Paul supporter and a McCain suporter is "must see TV" - great job by Mary Lahammer and the Twin Cities Public Television team!!!
How did THAT Happen? The short story: Colonel Joe Repya has been a long-standing critic of republiCon Ron - and, by extension, FEC Tony and MudSlingerMike - over (among other things) the MN GOP's apparent financial mismanagement. For said criticism, and mounting a challenge to Carey for the MN GOP party Chair position, Colonel Repya was essentially labeled an "enemy of the party" by republiCon Ron. After republiCon Ron stepped aside, and FEC Tony and MudSlingerMike were elected Chair and Deputy Chair, Colonel Repya had had enough: The Good Colonel announced in a PiPress Op/ed on 6/23/09 that he was leaving the Minnesota GOP - and why.
Here's where it gets really, Really, REALLY interesting: in the comments section of said Op/Ed, Nathan Hansen, GOP Deputy Chair of CD-4, wrote, and I quote:
I am Deputy Chair of the Fourth Congressional District and one of the newer anti-war Republican activists. It's difficult for words to describe how happy I am that you are leaving our Party. The roots of your "neconservative" philosophy lie in Straussian Trotzkyite Communism. "Corporate money" influencing our Party? Nothing compared to the damage your military industrial complex (that Eisenhower warned us about) has wreaked on our Party and our Country.
I hope you will find a happy home among your fellow communists. Your days of endless illegal wars and military industrial complex domination of our party are over.
Obama is ramping up his War in Afghanistan and continues to illegally bomb Pakistan. Perhaps you can join him to satiate your bloodlust. (emphasis added) (PiPress)
So, what was the MN GOP's response to Nathan Hansen, speaking as GOP Deputy Chair of CD-4, calling The Good Colonel a commie? Why, a plum Committee assignment in the MN GOP!!!
Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Joe Repya is, by any standard, an American Hero. People may not like his conservative political philosophy, but few (if any) have served this great country with the courage, valor, integrity and distinction Lieutenant Colonel Joe Repya has. Colonel Repya served in combat in Vietnam, the Gulf War in 1990, and in 2004 - at age 58 - came out of retirement to serve again in Iraq. How Colonel Repya missed The Balkans has to be an interesting story; a story I'd like to follow up on - but, that's a tangent.
Colonel Repya challenged then-incumbent MN-GOP Party Chair Ron Carey in 2007, on a "reform the party" platform - because, clearly today's GreedOverPrinciples party needs to be cleaned up. For this, Colonel Repya was essentially smeared called an "enemy of the party" by then-GOP Party Chair Ron Carey. An important point is Ron Carey's campaign manager was current GOP State Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb.
Everybody got that? Challenge the party chair's "stewardship" and get trashed as essentially an "enemy of the party", by the guy (Ron Carey) who's campaign Michael Brodkorb ran.
Fast forward, to last month. Tony Sutton, the GOP party's Treasurer under Carey, is elected Party Chair. Sutton was "the man" while a whole bunch of the GOP Party's FEC problems were unfolding - link here to read the Tostenson Memo. Michael Brodkorb, who's plotical tactics Joe Repya has condemened, is elected GOP State Party Deputy Chair.
So, when FEC Tony and MudSlingerMike were elected Chair and Deputy Chair, Colonel Repya had had enough - he wrote an Op/Ed in the Pioneer Press titled "Why I'm leaving the Minnesota GOP." While that Op/Ed is no longer available on the PiPress website, comments on that Op/Ed are. Nathan Hansen, GOP Deputy Chair of CD-4, did comment - here's what he had to say:
(Editor's note: TwoPuttTommy is on vacation; this post was originally published on May 27th, 2008 at MnBlue. While TPT discusses then-Party Chairman Ron Carey, Current Party Chairman Tony Sutton was Party Treasurer.)
Ladies and Gentlemen,
"And we anticipate filing some amendments..."
...is an exact quote from a July 20th, 2007 letter from the Republican Party of Minnesota to the Federal Elections Commission.
"SOME" amendments?
How about SEVENTY amendments!!!
One for each month of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and the months of January through November of 2007.
Is that "some"?
Ladies and Gentlemen, under Ron Carey's "stewardship" in leadership roles, the RepubliCan Party of Minnesota has been paying fines to the FEC, going back to 2001 and a fine of $16,000. Since 2002, the FEC has repeatedly and continually asked for clarification of those monthly reports because, well, they simply don't add up nor make sense.
And since Ron Carey began criticizing Al Franken's bookkeeping problems, demanding Franken answer questions, republiCon Ron began ducking questions and re-filing amended monthly reports to the FEC for a period covering almost SIX YEARS. And who knows? There may be even more amended returns coming up. After all, what's republiCon Ron gonna say about the latest batch of amended returns - "Well, sure, we've amended a bunch of previously amended reports, but THIS time, we got 'em "right"!!!"
Hey - if they didn't get 'em "right" the first time, nor the second, why would anyone believe republiCon Ron got 'em "right", this time?
Think about that - since 2002, the Republican Party of Minnesota has not gotten a single month's report done correctly. Not a single one.
How's THAT, for a track record?
Now, one thing to remember, is this: the whole time republiCon Ron was in front of a microphone, piously criticizing Franken's paperwork, he KNEW that those seventy amendments to the previously amended reports were going to be filed.
He KNEW.
Yet he hypocritically ripped Franken anyway.
Why?
Unfortunately, that's a question that can't be asked, because although republiCon Ron is fond of demanding Franken answer questions, answering questions isn't something Ron likes to do, himself.
That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the beginning of a line in a June 3rd, 2007 story by Dan Browning and Pat Doyle of the Star Tribune. That story may be a key in explaining why the unDynamic Duo of Ron Carey and Tony Sutton had to amend and re-amend and sometimes even re-amend the re-amended FEC (Federal Election Commission) Reports. Here's a key excerpts from Dan Browning and Pat Doyle's June 3rd, 2007 story:
A key element of Tostenson's memo deals with his accusation that the party appears to have violated federal law by repeatedly delaying the deposit of employee payroll contributions into their retirement accounts. He said the "misappropriation" helped cover party expenses before the money was deposited.
"As reported on our payables at the state executive meetings last summer there was as much as $12,000 not deposited at any one time," he wrote. "This represented months of paycheck withholdings by the Party which had not been deposited within the 30-day legally required time limit."
The party offers Simple Individual Retirement Accounts for some employees. Federal law requires that money deducted from employees' checks for those accounts be deposited as soon as possible, and in no case later than 30 days after the month when it was withheld.
In cases of tardy deposits, employers may be required to make the plan whole by paying back any lost investment earnings. If they had mixed the employees' retirement money with general operating funds they could be required to pay an excise tax.
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.
The delay in depositing the money could have benefitted the party by giving it temporary access to the employees' funds.
Carey didn't explain why the retirement money wasn't deposited promptly.
"There seemed to be some gray areas as to what was the requirement," Carey said. Asked to explain the gray areas, he said, "I really would prefer not to get into the weeds on something like that. (StarTribune.com)
"gray areas"??!? "...get into the weeds..."??!?
Yeah, "right."
Supposedly, the newly-elected Chairman of the State GOP - Tony Sutton - is holding an overview of 2010 election today at 1:30 at GOP HQ; I'd bet they don't get "into the weeds" on just how much GOP mismanagement - when Sutton was GOPer Treasurer - is going to figure into 2010.
The Party Faithful have spoken, and it's a new day for the state GOP. Tony Sutton takes the reins, and is faced with the formidable task of cleaning up the mess left by the last administration that ran the Republican Party of Minnesota. Especially the mess left by the last Treasurer, who - not coincidentally - was Tony Sutton!
And just how big of a mess did Treasurer Tony Sutton leave for Chairman Tony Sutton? A quick check of FEC Records show that on January 15th of this year, Chairman Ron Carey and Treasurer Tony filed an amended report for September and October 2008. On January 16, they filed an amended pre-General Election report. On January 20th, they filed an amended post-General Election Report.
All in all, those amended reports are another pathetic example of the incompetence and failure of the Ron Carey Regime, which "featured" Tony Sutton as Treasurer. But have no fear; it gets worse.
On March 16th, 2009, Carey and Sutton re-re-filed an amended report of the previously amended October 2009 report.
Got that? They couldn't get it "right" the first time; they tried and failed to get it "right" the second - and didn't. But have no fear; it gets worse.
Worse? Yes, because on the same day they had to amend a previously amended report - October 2008 - they also had to amend the previously amended pre-General Election Report. But have no fear, it gets worse.
Worse? Yep! Surely, you're not surprised? After all, this IS republiCon Ron and FEC Tony we're talkin' 'bout... and on March 19th, 2009, they had to re-re-file an amended report of the previously amended August 2009 report! But have no fear, it gets worse!
A little over a month ago, on May 22nd, 2009, RepubliCon Ron and FEC Tony had to amend the pre-General Election for the third - THIRD - time! Same day, same clowns had to amend the post-Election Report for the second time! And just to show that when it comes to incompetence the unDynamic Duo of republiCon Ron and FEC Tony has no peer, they also re-amended the 2008 Year End Report.
Folks, this level of pathetic incompetence is beyond bizarre. And it bears looking into. So, stay tuned, and have no fear - it gets worse.
Incredible. At the same time Norm Coleman played the "gracious concession" act, the State Republican Party showed their true colors with their official press release:
St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman-elect Tony Sutton today issued the following statement regarding the Minnesota Supreme Court's ruling in the U.S. Senate race.
"Today's ruling wrongly disenfranchised thousands of Minnesotans who deserve to have their votes counted. Alongside Senator Coleman, the Republican Party of Minnesota has fought to make sure every vote counts and all voters are treated fairly and uniformly. As we move forward, our deeply flawed election system must be dramatically improved to ensure our state's elections are fair, accurate and reliable." (Republican Party of Minnesota)
In other words, "Norm wuz robbed."
Classless.
That's the way the state GOP Party was under former Chairman Ron Carey; that's the way it will remain under new Chairman Tony Sutton.
Congratulations on becoming the latest version of Minnesota's Baghdad Bob ... er ... the Chair of the MN Republican Party. You have very small shoes to fill. Not because outgoing Chair Ron Carey didn't oversee an epic failure for your party, but because he has small feet.
I'm not sure how you're going to lose 65 more seats in the State House like Carey did. Do you even have 65 House members left? In the Senate, there is already a veto-proof majority of DFLers -- good luck finding a way to lose more seats. You'll have a tough road ahead of you.
"We've got to get back on track philosophically," Sutton said. "The party of fiscal responsibility was spending like crazy in Washington. We've got to regain credibility with folks for whom fiscal issues are important."
Sutton will be responsible for recruiting and backing candidates, organizing grass roots support and turning out the vote in elections. 2010 is a critical year because there's an open race for governor and every legislative seat is on the ballot.
(MPR)
As you assume the duncecap helm of your beleagured party, I have a few suggestions ... friendly, helpful suggestions ... on how you can improve on the party that Ron Carey helped ruin.
One of the Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL) party's biggest allies will not be seeking reelection to his post and I am sad. Ron Carey is not running for reelection as chair of the MN Republican Party. He will be missed.
His incompetent leadership has done more good for the DFL than most will recognize. Before assuming the duncecap mantle of party chair, Carey was the party treasurer. He had problems filing basic paperwork on time.
Since the Republicans always promote those who fail, Carey became party chair. How'd he do? There are the allegations of the misuse of pension funds. There were problems filing paperwork correctly. I don't consider him an important allie for nothing -- he was also blind to the impending defeats of 2006 & 2008:
GOP chair Ron Carey still confident, criticizes DFL That's the message of Republican Party chair Ron Carey. He doesn't buy the notion that these are good times for the DFL. He doesn't even buy the fact that the DFL has a new generation of leaders.
"They may have prettier wrapping paper, but it's still the same liberal garbage in the box,'' said Carey.
(MinnPost)
Carey was MN's equivalent of "Baghdad Bob." Carey was utterly incapable of recognizing that the Republican's were facing legislative landslides in 2006 and 2008 and even less able to do anything about it. Under his "leadership" the Republicans turned a 23 vote edge in the House in 2003 to a 36 seat deficit in 2008. That's a negative swing of 65 seats in the House. That's a 23 seat edge to within 4 votes from a Pawlenty-proof majority.
In the Senate he oversaw a five seat deficit burgeon into a Pawlenty-proof majority. His brilliant election strategies helped the DFL gain 10 seats since 2005.
So what brash, bold leaders are seeking to replace him? Not so fast, hombres y senoritas. This is the MN Republican party after all.
The Minnesota DFL Party filed a complaint today with the FEC regarding how Norm Coleman is paying for his recount efforts. Norm doesn't have the personal wealth to fund this himself plus the Republican donors aren't probably all that excited about funding a losing proposition. So this means Norm needed to go where Republicans get the vast majority of their donations ... corporations. But Melendez and Co. think there is something underhanded going on.
At a press conference this afternoon at the Minnesota State Capitol, Minnesota DFL Chair Brian Melendez announced the filing of a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman and the Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA).
The complaint, filed today with the FEC, alleges that: the RNLA is funding Coleman's recount committee with illegal contributions in excess of legal limits; the RNLA is funding Coleman's recount committee with illegal contributions from corporations; the RNLA has failed to register with the FEC, as its contributions to Coleman's recount require it to; and Coleman has failed to report any contributions from the RNLA.
(DFL email press release)
Norm just cannot steer clear of controversy. From a sweetheart apartment deal to utility bills paid for by a business owned by his landlord to expensive suits paid for by a Nasser Kazeminy to Kazeminy funneling money to him, Norm appears to have caught a bad case of corruption.
