Category: Tom Emmer

by Dave Mindeman

Well they did it. The GOP endorsed "The Gadfly"....

Just for review...here are some of Emmer's greatest moments in the legislature:

....introducing legislation that would allow for chemical castration of sex offenders. He then attempted to strip the Minnesota AIDS Project, the state's largest AIDS service organization, of all state funding. Among his other ideas: "sexual predator" license plates, the elimination of subsidized care for pregnant illegal immigrants, and a total ban on gambling....(pushed)legislation that would require drug testing for people who receive welfare benefits.

Now I ask you, is that a mainstream Republican? Heck, maybe it is nowadays.

No.....more accurately, he is a loose cannon Republican, a Sarah Palin Republican, a Tea Party Republican. He is a Republican lawyer who is against tort reform.

Tom Emmer, and a lot of his blogger supporters. think that Minnesota has seen the conservative light. That they don't need those Democrats (who can't possibly be freedom lovers) and they are convinced that independents are in the process of dropping their wishy washy centrist ways and will join the conservative fold.

Tom Emmer isn't just a gadfly...he's a delusional one.

Category: GOP Politics

by Dave Mindeman

Personally, I don't really care about who Sarah Palin endorses for Minnesota governor. My only concern is that she doesn't give advice on how to shorten your term for fun and profit.

But, from a certain point of view, this says a little bit about the two Republican candidates.

Sarah Palin was here for a rally earlier this month. Both candidates attended but Seifert left to do his job -- to vote on the House floor.

"I do take the job very seriously, and I think the constituents are paying us for that," said Seifert. "I know that sometimes campaign events come up, or rallies. The taxpayers aren't paying us to go to campaign events and rallies when the Legislature is in session. I think the expectation is we're here."

Emmer missed that vote so he could suck up to Palin in an attempt to furthur his career.

Emmer said he met with Palin during the rally in Minneapolis earlier this month and encouraged her to look at his campaign. He said it shows his campaign is relying on grassroots activism.

Principles? Doing your job?

I don't care who wins the GOP nomination for Governor. I just have a problem with opportunists putting their careers above doing their job.

We have had enough of that the last 8 years...more than enough.

Category: Michele Bachmann

by Dave Mindeman

This is an actual letter to the editor in the St. Croix Valley Local News:

Why Do You Keep Electing Bachmann?

I live in one of the "red" states (Idaho) in the U.S., but I cannot understand how the people of Minnesota can continually elect an obstructionist, racist, fear-mongering, lying, unintelligent, borderline traitor like Michele Bachmann to federal office. Please, someone write in and explain. I'm baffled. I'm 63 and have never seen anyone like her. She is a lulu!

J.C. Friend,

Garden City, Idaho

Well, that requires a response, don't you think?

Dear J.C. Friend,

Now I am assuming that the J. C. doesn't stand for Jesus Christ, because then, gosh, you already know all the answers to all the questions, so you wouldn't be asking. And, of course, you certainly wouldn't be criticizing Michele because, after all, you would really be her "Friend".

But getting back to your question. I think there are a number of reasons that Minnesota keeps electing Bachmann....and might I say conversely that I could also ask, Why did you, out there in Idaho land, keep electing Larry Craig? But, again, I am digressing.

First of all, I have to admire your description of our good Congresswoman. Most of us out here in Minnesota are too nice to put all those words together under one umbrella, but, on the other hand, it is hard to disagree with.

Again, to your question. Some Minnesotans find Michele Bachmann as a good barometer of opposite truth. By that I mean that if Michele says something, there is a very good chance that we can count on that to be completely wrong.

For instance, some time ago, Michele was chanting "drill, baby drill" for days on end, promising us that offshore drilling was safe and necessary for the good of the country. Well, voila -- oil rig explosion in Louisiana and a coastal threat from oil slicks.

And over the last few months she has been warning us about a government takeover of health care. And sure enough, the health care bill passes without a public option, and all the health care insurance companies stocks go up.

And then there was the Census. Michele told us there was a government conspiracy involved and that we should not fill it out. Which of course led to the 2nd highest state participation (by Minnesota) in the nation. I believe Michele even filled out her own.

There is also the entertainment value. Minnesota has grown to love the flashy unpredictability of what comes out of her mouth. Actually, she has helped the Minnesota economy in one regard...we have developed a cottage industry involving Bachmann fact-checking. It's a solid job creator in our state.

Michele is our Minnesota connection to the tabloid world. As she becomes a cable talking head star, her notoriety grows. She is often cited in the same breath as Sarah Palin, Tom Tancredo, the bat-boy, and the abducted by aliens crowd. You Tube is full of Bachmann moments...there are even Bachmann impersonators.

Yes, Minnesota continues to elect Bachmann for a myriad of reasons. How do you really explain the unexplainable?

I know that Bachmann has a special place in your 63 years. She most certainly is a once in a lifetime experience. I imagine there is a good chance that Minnesota will continue to entertain the nation with her exploits.

After all, we are not electing a Congresswoman, we are electing an icon...like Paul Bunyan or the World's biggest ball of twine.

Good luck in Idaho...that great land of potatoes and survivalists.

Yours truly,

Dave Mindeman