Capitol View: October 6, 2010 Archive

PoliGraph: MN Forward ad something to cry about

Posted at 12:02 PM on October 6, 2010 by Catharine Richert (3 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor, PoliGraph

MN Forward, a group backing business-friendly candidates, is airing a new ad attacking Mark Dayton's tax plan.

"Dayton will raise job killing taxes by $5 billion," says a voice over in the ad, which features wailing children clearly upset by Dayton's tax plan. "That's more than $2,300 in new taxes per Minnesota family."

Dry your tears, kids. These claims are false.

The Evidence

MN Forward spokesman Brian McClung points to an article written by Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire last June, when Dayton was still vying to win the DFL primary. At the time, Dayton hadn't released many details about his tax plan, only that he was going to raise taxes on the wealthiest Minnesotans and that he wanted to raise $5 billion to cover the state's deficit.

Since then, Dayton has changed his tax proposal because his first wouldn't have raised enough money. Now, Dayton wants to increase the income tax rate on the state's wealthiest to 10.95 percent, which will bring in about $1.9 billion over two years.

All told, Dayton plans to raise about $3.7 billion by raising taxes, closing corporate tax loopholes and building a state-owned casino at the Mall of America, and save about $1.2 billion by trimming government spending.

So, MN Forward is using old data to root its claim. But even if it was true, would it mean "more than $2,300 in new taxes per Minnesota family?"

No.

McClung said MN Forward came up with that figure by dividing $5 billion by the more than 2.1 million households in the state. The math works out, but it's grossly misleading because it implies that every family would pay $2,300 in new taxes, which is false; Dayton's plan - past and present - only targets a sliver of the state's population.

The Verdict

The MN Forward ad uses old data to make false claims. It fails the PoliGraph test.

Sources

MN Forward, "Still Sad?", Oct. 2, 2010

Minnesota Public Radio News, DFL candidates for governor trade barbs over taxes, June 9, 2010

Mark Dayton for Governor, Taxes & Budget Plan, accessed Oct. 4, 2010

Minnesota Department of Administration, Minnesota population estimates: number and characteristics of the current population, accessed Oct. 5, 2010

Minnesota Department of Revenue, 2009 Tax Incidence Study, accessed Oct. 4, 2010

Interview, Brian McClung, Oct. 2, 2010

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Some former GOP lawmakers endorse Horner

Posted at 2:54 PM on October 6, 2010 by Mark Zdechlik (5 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor

This afternoon at a State Capitol news conference Tom Horner's Independence Party campaign for governor introduced a group of former Republican state lawmakers who are supporting Horner over GOP candidate Tom Emmer.

Thirteen are now publicly behind Horner's campaign. Former State Sen. George Pillsbury was among those on hand for the news conference. So too was former State Rep. Dave Bishop of Rochester who didn't have nice things to say about Emmer or DFL candidate Mark Dayton.

"Mark Dayton has succeed in my mind in two things," Bishop said, "being rated the United States' worst senator by Time Magazine and in using his money and family name to defeat the DFL endorsed candidate Margaret Kelliher."

Bishop then said he could not support Emmer, calling Emmer "too far to the right."

Bishop said he once heard Emmer say something about his mouth sometimes not being connected to his brain. "I don't think we can trust somebody who represents the right wing of the party and who has his brain sometimes disconnected from his mouth," Bishop concluded.

At a press conference with former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich, Emmer downplayed the Horner endorsements.

"You're talking about people that disavowed in some cases even being Republicans," he said. "Yes, at one time they were Republicans in the state of Minnesota within our party, but some of them actually ran for endorsement as Democrats and have openly supported the current Obama administration."

The full list of former GOP legislators supporting Horner:

- Peggy Leppik, former state representative, Golden Valley

- Neil Peterson, former mayor and state representative from Bloomington

- George Pillsbury, former state senator, Wayzata, Lake Minnetonka

- Bill Belanger, former state senator, Bloomington

- Dennis Ozment, former state representative, Rosemount

- Roger Scherer, former state representative, Brooklyn Center; current member, Metropolitan Council

- David Jennings, former state representative, Martin and Watonwan Counties

- Ed Oliver, former state senator, Deephaven

- Lynne Osterman, former state representative, New Hope

- Dave Bishop, former state representative, Rochester

- Bill Schreiber, former state representative, Brooklyn Park; former House Minority Leader

- Art Seaberg, former state representative, South St. Paul

- Rod Searle, former state representative, Waseca; former Speaker of the House

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Gingrich campaigns for Emmer

Posted at 4:48 PM on October 6, 2010 by Tim Pugmire
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich was in Minnesota today raising money for GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer and predicting a good election ahead for Republicans.

Gingrich became speaker after Republicans won control of the House in the 1994 midterm election. He's predicting a similar shift in power this year. Following a private fundraiser for Emmer at a downtown Minneapolis hotel, Gingrich told reporters that he thinks voters are angrier than in 1994, and he thinks GOP candidates are better. He also said Emmer's tax-cutting, job-creating message will resonate with voters.

Gingrich was introduced by Emmer's lieutenant governor running mate, Annette Meeks, who once worked on the congressman's staff. Eighth District GOP congressional candidate Chip Cravaack also took part in the news conference.

A spokesman for the Emmer campaign said 200 people attended the fundraiser. Donors were asked to give $1,000 to attend.

Yesterday, Vice President Joe Biden was in St. Paul raising money for DFL candidate Mark Dayton. DFL State Chair Brian Melendez responded to the Gingrich visit with the following statement:

"Tom Emmer has consistently shown how out of touch he is with everyday Minnesotans, so it's no surprise that he is now aligning himself with someone as radical as Newt Gingrich. Newt Gingrich has paraded around the country as a bombastic fearmonger trying to scare American voters into supporting his party's failed policies. He has denounced unemployment benefits, railed against unions, advocated the elimination of food stamps and endorsed the idea of privatizing social security - all measures that would hurt middle-class Minnesotans. As Minnesota voters look for a way forward and a more prosperous future, Tom Emmer's alliance with yet another extreme, failed leader proves he has nothing more to offer than harsh ideology and failed policies."

Here's the audio of the Gingrich news conference: Listen