Capitol View: July 8, 2006 Archive

Rove to raise $ for Bachmann

Posted at 8:59 AM on July 8, 2006 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)

The AP’s Martiga Lohn has a scoop saying White House political adviser Karl Rove will be in Minnesota on July 21st to raise money for State Senator Michele Bachmann. Bachmann is the Republican endorsed candidate in Minnesota’s Sixth Congressional District and is expected to square off against DFLer Patty Wetterling.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/politics/14991390.htm

While you see some Republican candidates running away from the White House and Washington GOP leadership this year, Bachmann is embracing them. Vice President Dick Cheney, House Speaker Dennis Hastert have also held fundraisers for Bachmann. Is President Bush next? (Just so you know I can't link directly on my Mac so I'm pasting in the urls to these items).

Bachmann is preparing for a competiive fight. The National Journal ranks it as the 18th most competitive seat in the nation...

http://nationaljournal.com/racerankings/house/

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Comings and goings in MN's 5th

Posted at 9:40 AM on July 8, 2006 by Tom Scheck

Keith Ellison continues to answer questions about his past. The Star Tribune has a story focusing on Ellison’s problems with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board during his time as a state lawmaker. Ellison is the DFL endorsed candidate in Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis and several first ring suburbs. Dane Smith and Pat Doyle write that Ellison didn’t file his reports in a timely manner.

http://www.startribune.com/587/story/540012.html

Ellison’s campaign has had problems in recent weeks. Unpaid parking tickets led to a suspension of his driver’s license and critics are questioning his ties to the Nation of Islam in the mid-90s.

Ellison is known for being a fiery speaker. It seems like he’ll get a chance to use those skills later this month at a debate hosted by the Jewish Community Relations Council. The JCRC apparently is hosting the debate on July 25th at Temple Israel Synagogue.

Republican candidate Alan Fine sent me the notice about the debate, mostly because he's angry he won't be able to participate. In one news release, Fine says he isn’t happy that they scheduled the debate on a day he couldn’t make it. In a follow up news release, Fine says the JCRC uninvited him because it was a Democrat only debate. It seems like Fine is going to fight tooth and nail to get noticed in a race where even many Republicans don’t think their guy has a chance of winning.,

Finally, Minneapolis City Council member Paul Ostrow’s campaign sent out a news release saying he added five people to his campaign staff. He says he's focusing on grassroots campaign efforts, which basically means he won't be running too many television or radio ads...

The Fifth District DFL battle is going to keep many political reporters and watchers busy in July and August.

Moderate GOP not happy with House leadership

Posted at 10:21 AM on July 8, 2006 by Tom Scheck

The New York Times Carl Hulse has a story on how several moderate Republicans are not happy with a summer push by House leadership on conservative causes like gun rights and abortion restrictions.

www.nytimes.com/2006/07/08/washington/08elect.html

Here’s the nut graph:

“Frustrated and angry, they say the leadership's new American Values Agenda, a list of initiatives heavy on ideological themes, seems short-sighted and ill-timed considering that few conservatives are at serious risk in November.

"It was stupid and gross," said Representative Christopher Shays, Republican of Connecticut. "They have this obsession to satisfy conservative Republicans who will probably be re-elected no matter what happens. They get job satisfaction, but they are making it more difficult for me to win my race." –

Ouch! It’s always good when a reporter gets a lawmaker to say things like “stupid” and “gross.” I'm amazed people still use the word “gross."

Paul Ostrow: Ellison unfit for office

Posted at 5:23 PM on July 8, 2006 by Tom Scheck (2 Comments)

Minneapolis City Council member Paul Ostrow is the first candidate to openly criticize Keith Ellison's troubled background. In a news release, Ostrow criticized Ellison for not "fulfilling the basic obligations of a citizen" (pay his parking tickets, etc) and that he has demonstrated a clear disregard for the norms and expectations of society.

The news release continues:

"The key question for Rep. Ellison is this: Does he believe in the rule of law, and, if so, why doesn’t he follow the same rules as everyone else?"

Ostrow also calls upon the chair of the Minnesota DFL Party, Brian Melendez, to reinstate the endorsement committee for high office.

As mentioned earlier, Ellison's campaign has been plagued with problems. The Star Tribune reported today that Ellison has had trouble filing with the Campaign Finance Board and failed to pay the fines against him. He also had his driver's license suspended for racking up too many parking tickets...

Ellison has the DFL endorsement in Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District but faces a primary challenge from Ostrow and at least five other DFLers. Here's the entire news release:

8 July 2006

Contact: Jason Amundsen FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel: (612) 379-0687
Cell: (651) 329-2416
E-mail: jason@ostrow2006.com

Statement to Press: Ostrow Questions Ellison’s Fitness for Office

I will do in Washington what Rep. Ellison has failed to do here in Minnesota:
uphold the law. Having spent 14 years as a prosecutor and 9 years as an elected
official in Minnesota’s largest city, I am deeply concerned by Rep. Ellison’s
repeated ethical and legal lapses. Many, many questions remain, and I stand
before you today with one message: Rep. Ellison needs to explain himself.

Ethics and integrity are not partisan issues. Regardless of party, every
candidate and elected official has to be held to the highest possible
standards. As a candidate for the high office of U.S. Congress, I believe there
is an obligation to speak out if you believe, as I do, that a candidate does not
meet these high standards.

I stand here today as a leader of ethical reform in Minneapolis. Both as a
prosecutor and as an elected official, I have held myself to the highest
ethical standards. As your next Congressman, I will take that commitment to
Washington.

Let’s begin with the facts:

Fact #1: According to the Star Tribune, Keith Ellison has received more than 40
parking tickets, resulting in the suspension of his driver’s license. To be
clear, I am not worried about Rep. Ellison’s parking tickets. I am concerned
that Rep. Ellison thinks it is acceptable to repeatedly be issued parking
tickets, not pay the tickets, and ignore recurring notices by authorities
demanding his compliance with the law. I find it disturbing that Rep. Ellison
would be unaware of how many times the State of Minnesota was forced to suspend
his driver’s license.

Fact #2: According to the Star Tribune, Rep. Ellison has received 14-15
certified, confidential letters from the State Campaign Finance Board asking
him to do one thing: fulfill his basic responsibilities as a candidate and
elected official.

According to David Schultz, a Hamline University professor and campaign finance
expert, Schultz knows of no other elected officials in Minnesota with a record
comparable with Ellison’s.

It is almost unimaginable that a candidate and elected official would force the
State of Minnesota to resort to a collection agency for the paltry sum of $134.

Fact #3: According to the Star Tribune, Rep. Ellison has had past problems
paying his taxes. When starting his own legal practice, Rep. Ellison failed to
comply with the law and was charged $25,000 in interest, penalties and taxes.

In 1986, the Minnesota DFL Party eliminated the endorsement committee for high
office. The backgrounds of candidates for Governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House
no longer had to be vetted. The delegates at the 5th District endorsing
convention and the voters of this district should have been made aware, from
the day he announced his candidacy, of Rep. Ellison’s ongoing legal and ethical
lapses.

Today I call upon the chair of the Minnesota DFL Party, Brian Melendez, to
reinstate the endorsement committee for high office.

Question #1: In this morning’s Star Tribune, Rep. Ellison stated that there were
reasons for his lengthy, ongoing failure to comply with State campaign finance
law. I stand before you today asking for his reasons.

Question #2: Why does Rep. Ellison repeatedly ignore notices from Hennepin
County and the State of Minnesota asking him to fulfill the basic obligations
of a citizen?

Question #3: Rep. Ellison’s actions have demonstrated a clear disregard for the
norms and expectations of society. Rep. Ellison’s behavior suggests that he
believes he is above the law. The key question for Rep. Ellison is this: Does
he believe in the rule of law, and, if so, why doesn’t he follow the same rules
as everyone else?

Question #4: If Rep. Ellison has failed to uphold the law in Minnesota, can we
be confident that he would uphold the law in Washington, D.C.?

Absent a clear answer to these questions, I believe Rep. Ellison is unfit for
the high office of United States Congress.
###
Jason Amundsen
Campaign Manager
651 329 2416
612 379 0687

Paid for by Ostrow for Congress.
Contributions are not tax deductible for Federal Income Tax purposes.
Federal law requires political committees to report the name, mailing address,
occupation and name of employer for each individual whose contribution
aggregate in excess of $200 in a calendar year. Corporate checks cannot be
accepted. FEC#: C00422329

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