The Daily Digest: 8-21-06

Posted at 10:28 AM on August 21, 2006 by Tom Scheck (7 Comments)

Minnesota's 5th Congressional District leads the digest today. Minneapolis City Councilmember Paul Ostrow started running a tv ad over the weekend where he takes a subtle shot at Keith Ellison. The ad features Ostrow in a cell phone discussion with his mom. At the end, he puts some money in a parking meter. It's a subtle reminder to voters that Keith Ellison, the DFL endorsed candidate, had his driver's license suspended because of unpaid parking tickets. I'm not sure most voters will get the jab but who knows?

In fact, none of the candidates know who's going to win this thing. Mike Erlandson, the former DFL Party chair, says "undecided" is winning this race right now. He said they're finding that as many as half of the voters they're talking to are saying they're not sure who they'll vote for in September.

That means every candidate is busy making sure they get their supporters to the polls. Former state senator Ember Reichgott Junge was busy urging supporters to make sure they vote in the September primary. The blog "Blanked Out" also has an interesting post saying Reichgott Junge has received contributions from Republican donors. In most districts that's "working across party lines" but in the 5th it could be seen as treason. We'll see. By the way, all four candidates will square off in a debate at the MPR booth at MN State Fair on Thursday at noon.

Many bloggers and political scribes are busy writing about President Bush's Tuesday visit to Minnesota. The Star Tribune has a story on MN's Sixth Congressional District. Republican Michele Bachmann is getting help from President Bush tomorrow. She's facing DFLer Patty Wetterling.

Don Davis, with Forum Communications, has a story on how the candidates are working to get votes in northern Minnesota.

The Christian Science Monitor has a story on pharmaceutical ads. It mentions Governor Pawlenty's call to end the practice.

The Star Tribune writes that he's campaigning as a "reformer".

Pawlenty is in Austin today for the grand opening of the Hormel Institute.

He may have to answer a question or two about security issues at the Minnesota Security Hospital. Apparently the Department of Human Services is not releasing any information about their investigation on security problems there.

Attorney General Mike Hatch, the DFL endorsed candidate for governor, holds another news conference on stem cell research. Do you think he thinks this is a wedge issue?

The New York Times had a story over the weekend that called this the "YouTube election."

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Comments (7)

Thanks for the link.

I wouldn't say Junge taking money from Republican donors is treason. It does raise important questions as to why they are contributing when there is a viable Republican in the race. Viable in the sense that he has an impeccable record and is moderate on the key issues important to the 5th.

What issue brings together these Republican donors and Junge?

Posted by Noah Kunin | August 21, 2006 11:02 AM

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To answer Noah's questions, I would hope people, regardless of their party affliation, would have a problem with Keith's character. I give the 5th district more credit and I think ethics and integrity are important traits to the 5th district.

The litany of his problems include:
*Ignorant support of racist Louis Farrakhan.
*Membership in the Nation of Islam, a group that advocated hatred for jews and catholics.
*Parking tickets and traffic violations so abundant that his license was suspended.
*Failure to file campaign reports on time, and then he lets his wife take the blame for his problems
*And, now over 18,000 in back taxes due because he didn't just fail to file his personal income tax for one year, but for multiple, continuous years.

This is a disturbing pattern for someone who wants to go make laws on behalf of us, regardless of this person being a democrat or a republican or a doctor or a teacher or a Hindu or Baptist or Asian or Somalian.

Posted by Jo | August 21, 2006 11:28 AM

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I would hope people, regardless of their party affiliation, would have a problem with the "facts" you list here. Note that I have no horse in this race, but the oft-quoted GOP-blog talking points on the issue each have been discussed in-depth.

Farrakhan: He no longer has any official contact or working relationship with the Nation of Islam, after having realized the ignorance and bias inherent in the organization

Parking tickets: Meh. No one's perfect.

Campaign reports: I hope you simply forgot that Ellison had no idea his wife wrote a letter to the Strib detailing her activities on his campaign and her fight with Multiple Sclerosis. I hope you also simply forgot that Ellison burst into tears upon hearing of his wife's disclosure. He wasn't letting her take the fall for anything - he was trying to protect her, as a good husband should.

Back Taxes: This is, among all of these, the most valid concern. At least be honest about them if you're going to bring them up in a list like this, though.

Posted by MN Campaign Report | August 21, 2006 12:35 PM

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Jo: thanks for you opinion, but that doesn't answer any of my questions. This is a multi-party, multi candidate race - why are these Republican donors not giving to Alan Fine?

And as it turns out, Alan Fine's FEC has a serious error.

Posted by Noah Kunin | August 21, 2006 2:47 PM

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Ember has received money from more than 27 people.

I did the math and only 8% of Embers money came from "large republican donors."

For example, with a little research, you may find that one Kent Larson, the one who according to the Exel spreadsheet had given $600 to Ember and $250 to Republicans, also Gave 250 to Kerry-Edwards and worked at the same law firm as Ember (FEC.gov).

Dorothy Dolphin has giving to republicans and democrats. From the RPM to the DFL. From Mark Kennedy to Bill Luther. (Fec.gov)

In fact, if you subtracted the total "republican" contributions to her campaign, Ember would still have raised more money than any other DFL candidate by $40,000. (Fec.gov and basic math skills)

So if DFL donors want to give more money to Ember than to any other candidate, I say kudos. If having a broad base of support beyond her own ward or district or boss's Rolodex is a bad thing, then maybe this argument would have merit.

Posted by EricH | August 21, 2006 3:10 PM

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Clearly Noah (as a person who works and/or volunteers for Ellison's campaign) is attempting to go negative on Ember. I think this is just terrible...the DFL is their own worst enemy turning on each other like this, posting negative things about their own party member on their blogs. Ember has been a loyal, dedicated party member for more than 20 years. Ember loves the DFL. She has served MN well. She was born in Minnesota, not Michigan. She pays her taxes and she has never wrote separatist statements. Her record is pristinely democratic. I'm sorry that Ellison was not vetted properly, and he beat out Gail or Jack.

Posted by Jo | August 21, 2006 3:30 PM

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Jo:

That's a blatant lie. I don't work for Ellison. I have volunteered for Ellison and the notes on my post reflect that.

And I'm not "attempting" to go negative on Ember. Read my post again. I have yet to accuse Ember personally of any wrong doing. There is nothing wrong with having a diverse base of contributors.

I have posted serious questions regarding what do these donors have ideologically in common with Junge. In part, the issue is charter schools, which Junge has actively downplayed in her campaign.

If Junge plans on introducing national charter school legislation in Congress, voters deserve to know that and to vote accordingly.

Posted by Noah Kunin | August 21, 2006 4:14 PM

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