I stayed up too late last night and thus got up too late this morning. On the way out the door I stopped in the community room to say hello to the twenty or so seniors gathered there for their Saturday morning coffee and pastries. They were also celebrating the March birthdays. They asked me when the Meet and Greet for Mark Dayton was going to be. I replied that I hadn't heard yet and they'd have to be patient.
"Meanwhile," I told them, "I'm having a Meet and Greet here on the afternoon of Sunday March 28 for Dave Pinto, who is running for Ramsey County Attorney." They all appeared eager to come and hear what he would have to say.
I didn't get to the SD51 Convention in Blaine until almost noon. I missed all the gubernatorial candidates. I came just in time to hear Dan Sanders speak. He's running for State Representative in District 51. He was a wonderful speaker. He didn't use notes. He projected his voice loud and clear, but not overwhelmingly loud. He was enthusiastic in what he had to say. I had visions of him doing a lot of good as a Representative.
The voting audience had to decide between Dan Sanders and Zak Chlebeck. They endorsed Zak. It's not my district so I didn't vote, but if I had, I'm pretty sure I would have voted for Dan. I liked his presentation and liked what he had to say. Zak seemed like a nice guy but he had too many crutch words such as ah and um. Apparently Zak is in law enforcement. I could tell he's been listening to John Marty (which is a good thing). He said that when he gets called out on police work he doesn't ask the person if they paid their premium. Police protection is their right. He said that the same thing is true of health care. Zak was active in the DARE program. Unfortunately, funding has decreased for that program. The kids asked him why he wouldn't be back as a DARE facilitator this year. He sadly had to refer them to their legislators.
After the vote was taken and it was determined that Zak had more votes, Dan graciously made a motion that the delegates unanimously endorse Zak.
It was nice to see so many Tarryl Clark staffers at this convention. I will do all I can to make sure that Clark gets elected in Congressional District 6 and that Michelle Bachmann gets the boot.
I didn't get a chance to talk with any gubernatorial candidates today as they had all left for other conventions. I did talk with quite a few staffers, including those from the offices of Dave Pinto, R. T. Rybak, Paul Thissen, John Marty, Tom Rukavina and Matt Entenza. They can be proud of the work and the enthusiasm that their staff is engaging in on their behalf.
The emphasis is on how much time Bachmann spends out of the district (building a national base) instead of working for her constituents. And there are references to some of her wackier policy positions. Some of the stuff you'll see on this Clark site is the kind of stuff we anti-Bachmann types have been collecting all along. And that's just fine, more people need to know.
What has happened to the Democratic Party of Paul Wellstone? Where have all of the truly bold and visionary progressives gone? Are they hiding under a rock or does the Party Machine not let their voices be heard via the corporate media lest they piss off the corporate sponsors of the Democratic Party? Yes, that is correct, I said Corporate Sponsors of the Democratic Party. After reading the following article, http://www.salon.com/news/opin... I must say it only reinforces the beliefs I have had for the last 12 months.
The Democrats don't care about their base unless it is 9 months before the next election. Then, on cue, they start up with the populist and "working families" rhetoric. After the election is over and they have won, it is right back to "business as usual". They slide up to the lobbyists and continue to do the work of Big Business all the while giving us patronizing quips, gentle pats on the head, and nice, warm fuzzies.
Take, for example, the recent Al Franken rally in Minneapolis. The room was packed and people were cheering for a bill that FORCES PEOPLE TO BUY A PRODUCT THAT IS SO BAD, THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO FORCE PEOPLE TO BUY IT. Unfortunately, it is sadly ironic and masochistic. I am sure there were quite a few people who were questioning the bill, as am I, but you could tell the MoveOn.org, SEIU, HealthCareForAmericaNOW, TakeActionMN, and OFA people were all boldly and vigorously cheering for not only Al Franken but also the bill that the President and Congress will eventually pass.
How is that possible? Why have we, the people of the Democratic Party, become so gullible and misinformed that we are willing to become slaves to the medical insurance industry. If you question that statement, I ask you; what other option is there in the president's plan? How else do I obtain medical insurance except through a private medical insurance company?
I truly believe that if President Bush was offering this very plan the Democratic faithful would be up in arms and frothing at the mouth. However, since someone from our party is in power and is offering the plan, we sit back quietly and say while nodding our head, they must know better.
Bullshit! They don't know better because the facts show that they have sold us out for the campaign contributions by the medical insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the medical device industry, and almost every other sector of health care. I can't believe I just said that. The Democratic Party has sold out the working people for Big Business. Disgusting and pathetic!
Therefore, I forewarn you with great respect and remorse before this legislation becomes law. KILL THE HEALTHCARE REFORM BILL!! KILL THE BILL!! Otherwise, the Democratic Party will no longer be the party of the People. Instead, they will join with the Republicans and be the party for the Power.
Tarryl Clark's campaign has a great idea. Track where and what Rep. Michele Bachmann is doing. They call it The Bachmann Agenda. Instead of doing the people's business and helping her constituents, you can see on an interactive map where she's been and where's she's going in the near future. Plus, they have details on her latest whacked policy positions (although, we have them here, too).
For the third time in just four weeks, Bachmann will not fly home to her district on Friday, but will instead land in Cincinnati, Ohio to deliver a speech to the Hamilton County Republican Party. Reports say Ohio GOP donors will pay between $70-90 each to hear from the Minnesota Congreswoman.
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"More often than not, the answer to the question 'where is Michele Bachmann' is: 'not in her district'," said Zach Rodvold, Campaign Manager for Tarryl Clark's campaign for Congress. "It's clear Congresswoman Bachmann's priorities are chasing her national celebrity and pursuing her personal agenda -- and those priorities come at the expense of her district. While she appears on countless national talk shows and conservative conventions, a local reporter stumps her by asking her to name just three things she's done for her district. Her constituents deserve better."
(Clark campaign press release email)
Amen, Zach. Support Tarryl Clark's moneybomb cuz Sarah Palin is coming to town to raise money for Bachmann.
The Republican Scott Brown campaigned out the back of a pickup truck and won the U.S. Senate seat in an overwhelmingly Democratic state of 6.5 million people.
Tarryl Clark will need to do the same for her to win in that overwhelmingly Republican 6th Congressional District with less than one-tenth the population.
Brown recruited Baggers to show up at each of his stops. Clark needs to recruit Progressives to do the same.
Failing this, Tarryl Clark will be defined by the media air war that Bachmann will be unleashing. Failing this, Clark will be another non-entity -- annointed by the state party elders as a sacrificial lamb.
Clark appears to be following in the failed and lifeless footsteps Martha Coakley -- the now forgotten Democrat loser of a race she should not have lost.
Tarryl Clark: Make Bachmann work this time around. If you cannot stand for something, at least stand inside the bed of a pickup truck and holler -- or whatever it is that Minnesotans do. And once elected, stay loyal to your Progressive base lest we vote with our feet.
Wouldn't you know it. Sarah Palin is coming to Minnesota to raise money for Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) for her MN-06 reelection bid. That, of course, can only mean one thing...
I just received this email from the Tarryl Clark campaign:
In a few weeks, Sarah Palin will parachute into Minnesota to raise money for my opponent, Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. As a Congresswoman, Bachmann has shown time and time again that she is more interested in pursuing her personal agenda and building her national celebrity than she is in serving the people she represents; much like Sarah Palin.
The Republicans know that Congresswoman Bachmann is vulnerable. In fact, Michele Bachmann frequently refers to herself as "public enemy number one" among Republicans in Congress. That's why they're sending their biggest draw - the cover girl of the extreme right - into our state to raise money for this race. And that's where you come in.
Today my campaign is announcing a new fundraising technique called a "moneybomb," where we all work together to get people to pledge to the campaign and send a message to Congresswoman Bachmann and her allies on the far right.
We expect former Governor Palin and Congresswoman Bachmann to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in a single day. When our fundraising numbers are released in early April, we need to show Michele Bachmann and the far right that we'll have the resources to fight back when it counts most.
We need to show the people of Minnesota's 6th District that we're working hard every day for the chance to represent them in Washington. While Bachmann is leaving us behind to pursue her own personal agenda, I'm ready to fight for good jobs, for affordable healthcare and for Minnesota families.
Tarryl Clark was endorsed by Take Action Minnesota today. Take Action screened Maureen Reed and Clark prior to their annual meeting in Brooklyn Center, MN. Members chose Clark with 89% on the first ballot.
This is significant as Take Action will actively support Clark's campaign. They'll encourage their membership base of activists to volunteer and provide strategic advice and tactical support in Clark's district conventions.
But most importantly, this solidifies Clark's credibility as the progressive candidate in this race.
Bachmann Tops $1 Million With Strong Fourth Quarter
(Woodbury, MN) Sixth District Congresswoman Michele Bachmann announced today that her campaign for reelection ended 2009 with over $1 million cash on hand. The campaign raised $591,600 in the last quarter of 2009, bringing the total amount raised this election cycle to $1,552,864.
...all this, while liberals and progressives around the country are dismissing her as a "bad joke." That's been the hardest thing to explain to liberals and progressives over the past seven years:
the fact that Bachmann is an obvious nut, liar, and bigot, the fact that she is obviously all those things and keeps saying "embarrassingly crazy things year after year--does not mean that you can dismiss her as joke, it does not mean that she's irrelevant--*does not mean that we can safely ignore her because her career will soon be over.*
Because of the kind of backing that this particular politician had--mainly the national religious right--means she's invulnerable when she lies or make statements that would end the careers of other conservative politicians. And Bachmann's success galvanizes the hater-voters and thus opens the gateway for Bachmann imitators--hater Republican candidates who will attract the sort of voter that wants to hear the hatred passed off as patriotism.
Tarryl Clark has raised more than $600,000 in 22 weeks since joining the race to unseat Michele Bachmann (MN-06). Her fourth quarter (Q4) report will show almost $300,000 raised. With solid fundraising like this and a rumor that her opponent in the DFL endorsement race, Maureen Reed, has lost her finance director, this is very good news indeed.
Senator Tarryl Clark, candidate for Congress in Minnesota's 6th Congresional District, today announced that her campaign ended 2009 having raised more than $600,000 from a grassroots network of more than 5,000 individual donors in just 22 weeks.
While national fundraising reports are still coming in, Clark's 4th Quarter fundraising puts her once again among the top-fundraising challengers in the country. In the 4th Quarter alone, Clark's campaign raised $293,953 from an incredible 2906 donors - including 2622 new donors.
"Our thousands of small-dollar donors are a testament to the enthusiasm for Tarryl's campaign, and a clear demonstration of the kind of grassroots network we're building to win this election," said campaign manager Zach Rodvold. "Minnesotans are excited about Tarryl's agenda of standing up for them to create jobs and deliver results, and tired of Michele Bachmann's relentless pursuit of her own agenda."
Clark ended the year with just under $389,000 cash on hand.
(Clark campaign email press release)
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced today that it's officially targeting the race in Minnesota's Sixth district, and watching closely in the Third.
Targeting the Sixth makes good sense for the D-trip -- getting rid of Michele Bachmann should be a worthy goal for all rational, caring primates. The D-trip's position on the Third is somewhat more interesting though -- they targeted this seat heavily in the '08 cycle, but came up short with fundraising horse Ashwin Madia as the candidate. This time around, saying "we're watching the race" means that Erik Paulsen is running with the advantages of an incumbent now, but the D-trip still wants to defeat him. At the same time, this position says "Dem candidates -- raise a bunch of money to make getting involved worth our while."
It just boils down to a monetary calculation for these committees. That means that Jim Meffert and Maureen Hackett have to raise a boatload of money by the time the CD3 DFL convention rolls around so the DCCC can make a good decision on what to do.
Tarryl Clark picked up another endorsement in her effort to unseat Rep. Michele Bachmann in the MN-06 race. This time it's EMILY's List. This is an important development as there are two woman vying for the DFL endorsement: Clark and Maureen Reed. EMILY's List usually endorses in situations like this 6th Congressional race when they see one Democrat as clearly leading for Democratic endorsement.
"EMILY's List is proud to support Tarryl Clark in her campaign for U.S. Congress," said Ellen R. Malcolm, President of EMILY's List. "As a State Senator, Tarryl spearheaded major bipartisan initiatives on a number of issues, including education, veterans' affairs, domestic violence, consumer protection, and affordable housing. Her strong reputation of getting things done for Minnesota families is what sets her apart from her opponents and has enabled her to be such a powerful voice for her constituents."
"Tarryl is a proven vote getter in what is traditionally rough territory for Democrats," continued Malcolm. "Her candidacy puts this district in play and gives Democrats the best shot at picking up this swing-seat in November." (EMILY's list email press release)
That should come as absolutely no surprise to those of us following the race to retire U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann.
And for those of us who think Tarryl Clark is the best candidate to take on Bachmann, this latest development isn't the end of the world.
Running a primary campaign next summer will force Clark to start spending serious money earlier than she would if Reed decided to honor the DFL endorsement. But so what? Sure, Clark will have to kick her already prolific fundraising efforts up to another level, but that's not going to be a problem for the leading candidate against a national joke.
So Clark raises a few extra bucks and she's on television a few months earlier. That means she's building district-wide name recognition earlier. That means she's inoculating herself against attacks earlier. That means she's telling her story earlier. And that means she's teeing off on Bachmann earlier.
Obviously, we'd rather have Reed just go away, but we have to play the hand we're dealt and this isn't a bad one.
Accounts had been fuzzy, but now it's official. From MPR Polinaut's Daily Digest:
Democrat Maureen Reed now says she won't abide by the DFL endorsement. CQ and MinnPost have stories. Side note, an official with SEIU says Reed did, in fact, screen with them as a part of a much larger screening process with several unions. Update: Reed's campaign takes issue with those comments.
Reed's objections to Tarryl Clark's lock on union endorsements had been "well, jeez, the unions didn't even screen me as a candidate, they just went straight to Clark and that's so unnnfaaairrr..."
But SEIU, the big service employee's union apparently says that's not so.
Is this really about creating a credible effort to beat Bachmann next year, or is Reed just jerking around with some weird, careerist splitter type thing that's guaranteed to keep Bachmann in, maybe even hand her with her first significant majority? Sometimes I feel so out of the loop.
Joe Bodell thinks a matchup between Clark and Reed prior to a head to head with Bachmann may be a good thing:
http://www.mnprogressiveprojec...
I don't, because any Dem opponent starts out a significant disadvantage in the Sixth, anyway--the Bachmann opposition vote is split all over the place, even without a Dem split. In my opinion, it's got to be a concerted, solid and sustained effort that focuses on how awful Bachmann is--not two Bachmann opponents calling each other this-and-that while Bachmann talks about national issues on TV.
Here is the link to the Polinaut item, which has links to the Reed items. It's about half-way down the Daily Digest under 2010 race for Congress:
http://minnesota.publicradio.o...
We used thoughtful consideration to reach this conclusion since I have such a great deal of respect for the dedicated individuals in the DFL who generously give their time working to improve our state and nation. However, the Sixth District is unique in that it is more moderate and independently minded in its political leanings than the state as a whole. In fact, we conducted a poll which showed that the profile of the Democratic primary voter is more diverse in political philosophy than those who participate in the conventions.
...
Democracy works best when more people are involved. We feel that the most democratic action we can take is to let Democrats of all stripes choose their general election candidate in a primary.
There are a few factors leading me to believe this is a good thing. First, it will be a tougher case for third-party candidates to make that the DFL nomination process resembled a railroad, regardless of how it shakes out. It will force both DFL candidates to work hard across the district, garnering support from, as Reed correctly says, a wide swath of the district's varied political spectrum, and they will in turn be expanding the vote base for whoever the eventual nominee is. On top of all of this, it's going to mean a lot more work for Michele Bachmann's campaign forces to research and oppose not one, but two candidates, both of whose main goals are defeating her.
I still think Clark will have the easier road to the nomination and will get considerable out-of-state support in her bid against Bachmann, but this could be a good thing.
Tarryl Clark has pulled in another endorsement as she seeks to become the DFL nominee to face Michele Bachmann in the 2010 MN-06 race. This time it's Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN).
I'm proud to support my friend, Senator Tarryl Clark, in her campaign for Congress.
Tarryl is a seasoned, experienced legislator. She knows her district, and she knows central Minnesota. She knows the needs of the people of this area -- their economic needs, their transportation needs, and their community service needs. She knows how to work in a legislative environment, to work across party lines and to bring people together for a consensus to build a better future for us in Minnesota.
Tarryl is a winner-she's already won in this district. With your support, she will win this campaign and serve the people of Minnesota effectively.
We need Tarryl in Congress - and you can make sure she gets there. Please join me in supporting Tarryl Clark.
(tarrylclark.com)
