The 6th Congressional District Meeting last night was as uneventful as I had expected. 

Truly was not surprised by the lack of attendence by Dr. Paul’s supporters.  They got what they wanted … and we have seen the last of them for this election cycle.
 

Where were all the brand new energetic Ron Paul supporters who were supposed to be breathing new life into this party last night? The 80 some (25% of the Delegation) didn’t show up last night. Did it have anything to do with how we were prepared to discuss the behavior at the convention, from both sides of the story, that scared you away? 

Note to State Delegates and Alternates, the next battleground is the state convention. I share your same feeling that going to Rochester for 3 days at the end of the school year/when the weather finally gets nice here in MN, is as low on your to do list as possible, but it is a necessity. 

There are 14 Delegates and 14 Alternates to the National Convention that will be elected there, plus more platform resolution debate. The Ron Paul campaign is holding their own pre-convention conventions in order to plan how to complete their task of taking over our National Delegation and change our platform. 

If you were elected, and you care about the long term health of this party, you have to do everything in your power to make it to Rochester for the MNGOP State Convention May 29-31. 

It will be the battle of the John McCain campaign slate vs the Ron Paul campaign slate for National Delegates and Alternates. I’ve had quite a few people still saying I should run. Maybe I will. I don’t know if I want to (or have the time) go through the costs and pain of mailing to and contacting some 5,000 people who may or may not be there.

But there may be some room in the middle of the campaign slates for some independent runs at the convention. Hmmmm…….

Just a reminder that the 6th CD Republicans are holding a Full Committee meeting tonight in Blaine. 

RF Flashback: National Delegate Update

It should be interesting. The Minnesota leader for the Ron Paul campaign is accusing us 6th District leaders of lying. I happen to think she needs to look with in her own ranks when she makes that claim. 

And of course I am a little worried that this Ron Paul Revelution is the ground game for something that will allow the socialists to win the White House…..(That is a 3rd party run by Paul or support for a 3rd party candidate.)

Ron Paul - So Anti-War, Even Cindy Sheehan Likes Him

In Case You Thought The Revolution Was Over #2

In Case You Thought The Revolution Was Over

Let Me Get This Right, I’m Supposed To Be A Democrat According To Ron Paul?

Hey, I’m willing to welcome y’all with open arms, but it just seems to me that this is still about Ron Paul, not growing the party.

El ‘Gas Tax’ Tinklenberg won the DFL endorsement for the 6th CD today. He’ll face Rep. Michele Bachmann (R). 

Tinklenberg seems to have liberaled up enough for the DFL, this time around. 

And, btw: phew! 

The DFL in the 6th Congressional District in Minnesota will be selecting their next electoral victim who will lose to Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) in November tomorrow. Bachmann took over for Mark Kennedy who was a 3 term Representative who ran for the US Senate. The current 6th District Republicans have won 3 straight elections easily. 

Here’s a CCO story on the DFL endorsement battle. In it you will see the DFL CD Chair trying to say Bachmann is out of touch or an embarassment. You will see outlandish claims by both DFl candidates, Bob Olson & El ‘Gas Tax’ Tinklenberg. 

Olson has been a tried and failed candidate for years. He has run for Congress before and even toyed with running for the US Senate last cycle. As you can tell by him trying his hand in the 6th District, he has yet to make any headway at winning any election. 

Tinklenberg is a huge can of worms for DFLers and himself. He has made a career out of being a lobbyist, despite officially being one. He owns a company that’s sole purpose is to leverage State and federal taxpayer dollars for municipal pork projects. He wasted about 5 seconds on the evening of August 1, 2007 politicizing the 35W collapse in order to raise taxes, even before the victim’s bodies had been recovered. 

And that brings me to another sore point for Tinklenberg, which he is trying to use as a positive. He was MNDOT commissioner in 2001 when the University of Minnesota signed off on the 35W bridge as having years more service left in her. Heck it was inspected annually during his tenure as MNDOT Commissioner.

I don’t remember him making the case for replacement at that time, when he was in charge of the department…… and the 35W bridge. He is the architect of the choo choo train boondoggles here in Minnesota. Hiawatha lightrail and Northstar corridor were brainchild’s of Tinklenberg and his then boss Gov. Jesse Ventura. 

He lost the 2006 endorsement to Patty Wetterling and swore off another run for Congress. He went back to receiving money for helping cities and counties lobby for state and federal tax dollars after the loss. But he flip flopped on his promise and threw his hat back into the ring, when the bridge he was also in charge of, suddenly collapsed. 

In the time since, Tinklenberg has become best friends with another Minnesota Congressman, Rep. Jim ‘king of pork’ Oberstar. They both support tax increases and further diversion of highways fund dollars for purposes other than building roads and bridges. 95% on Minnesotans, and likely an even higher percentage of 6th District residents drive themselves to and fro. 

But all that aside, the claims by the DFLers that Bachmann is out of touch fall flatest when you look at the most critical example of how well a politician is doing in office and their challengers’ chances of an upset. Their fundraising totals. Bachmann has over raised $1.5 million at this point in the ‘08 cycle, and has a $10 to $1 cash on hand advantage over either DFL candidate as of March 31st.  

If any of the claims the DFL or stalkerazzi (Bachmann detractors) are making are true, and 6th District voters were really embarassed and wanted a tax and spend liberal to replace Bachmann, both Tinklenberg and Olson would have been able to raise far more money than just over $500,000 combined. Now of course the Soros money and independent expenditures from the fringe left wing attack groups aren’t included, but they aren’t who Bachmann is representing in Congress, and have little in common with 6th District Minnesotans. 

Rep. Bachmann is doing an incredible job in Washington. The DFL candidates are simply carbon nuetral copies of any other DFL candidate or Congressman who wants to raise taxes, increase spending, expand government entittlements, grow government beyond its means and put more debt and liability on future generations, and take away freedom, choice and liberty for all Americans. That is not what 6th District Minnesotans want out of their member of Congress.

So tomorrow when the 6th District DFL gathers to endorse a candidate, they will actually be endorsing Bachmann’s next election night victim. 

Most American families and households are facing a dire prospect, can I afford all my bills. Those bills are electricity, heating energy, gasoline, groceries, the mortgage, health care INSURANCE, etc. Not to mention have a little left over for some fun. But our Federal Government doesn’t have to face the same sort of budgeting and belt tightening. 

Nope, while we have to sit back and watch Washington make everything cost more through bogus regulations and mandate more expensive energy products. We have to sit here and take it. We currently have to sit back and watch members of Congress on their out of control spending spree which is putting the burden of deficit and debt spending on our children. 

Well there are some members of Congress who are trying to do something about it. No not just raise taxes to match the spending. Nope, there is a couragous group of Congressmen that understand that Government cannot continue to grow at a rate that outpaces the economy. 

The Republican Study Committee is a great group of real conservatives doing great things to keep Government limited. They have put together a Constitutional Amendment that would limit the growth of government. More to the point, it would make sure the Federal Government only grows at a pace where Americans are able to pay for it. 

You can find out more about the Amendment at Freedom Works and the RSC

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R MN6) is member of the RSC and part of the team trying to stop wasteful Government spending. Here’s some video of her at the press conference announcing the amendment. 

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R MN6) has endorsed Brian Davis for the MN 1st District. 

“Brian Davis has the experience, leadership, and values that are right for Minnesota’s First District. With concerns about access to affordable healthcare front and center for Minnesota families, Brian Davis’ lifelong commitment to healthcare and experience as a doctor will be a great asset here in Congress. I look forward to the opportunity to serve the people of Minnesota with him.” [Bachmann]

 

Craig Westover has a piece at MinnPost about the CD6 Delegate deal. It is a good story and I happen to be in it. Dispute over Ron Paul delegates may go into overtime

Another thing we did while in DC was an office visit with Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R MN6). She happens to be my Representative in Congress and was gracious enough to set aside some time to talk with us and a few others from Minnesota. 

We spent about 15 minutes with the Congresswoman before she had to go vote on a bill. We then went off to take a Capital tour. 

(Believe it or not, that was the only picture I took of the Capital. Yes, the building that owns the skyline of DC, and I took just one picture of it. )

That is what is on the inside of the Capital Dome. 

Thank you again to Rep. Bachmann and her staff for all they did on this trip. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, but I will be back to DC. It is just an amazing town with so much to see. 

The following is a column by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R MN6) which appeared at Townhall.com

Freedom Is Not the Problem, It Is the Solution

Doesn’t it seem like year after year, more and more decisions we should be making for ourselves, are instead being made by nameless bureaucrats in Washington? They tell us how to spend our money. They tell us how to run our businesses. They tell us how to raise our families. And now, when you thought things couldn’t become anymore absurd, they even tell us what kind of light bulbs we can use in our own homes.

Yes, that’s right, a recent piece of legislation passed in Washington has outlawed the everyday household light bulb.

Think this a joke?

I only wish it were. Congress slipped into the recent energy bill a mandate that within four years the everyday incandescent bulb is to disappear from the shelves of your local grocery and hardware stores. In it’s place? The fluorescent bulb that for years many consumers have avoided.

The list of complaints about fluorescent bulbs is long. Some are bothered by the higher price, others by the harsher light, others by their lack of adaptability to household fixtures, and still others by concerns over their mercury content.

So on what grounds has Washington justified this unwanted intrusion into our lives?

They say that these high-mercury bulbs will reduce the strain on our energy supply, reduce the carbon footprint, and lead to greater energy efficiency. But there’s little to no evidence to back up their claims.

Congress has intruded on your shopping list on a whim; in favor of a fad.

Well, that doesn’t sit well with me and I know it doesn’t sit well with you.

America was founded on the idea that people are far better able to make their own decisions than the government.

So I’ve the Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act, which makes a simple challenge to Big Brother: either Congress’ own independent investigative arm, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), marshals evidence to back up the assumptions behind the light bulb ban – or Congress repeals the mandate.

In other words, I’m asking Congress to actually be – hold your breath – accountable to the people. If they are going to intrude into our lives, and control our most basic decisions, the least they can do is have enough respect for the American people to back-up their claims.

Specifically, my bill would ask the GAO to study whether the ban:

1.)    leads to lower costs for consumers, 
2.)    leads to reduced carbon emissions, and 
3.)    does not lead to a health risk, particularly for vulnerable populations, like those in nursing homes, day care centers, schools, and hospitals

Congress is quite right that we have an energy crisis this country. But Congress itself is to blame.

Year after year, Congress has failed to take advantage of clean nuclear power, failed to build new refineries, failed to tap into oil-rich resources in our country, and failed to utilize the genius of private enterprise.

As a result, Americans are dependent on foreign oil from unstable or dangerous regimes – and paying top dollar at the pump for the privilege.

Forcing a fad on the American people isn’t a real energy policy. It’s eerily reminiscent of Jimmy Carter asking Americans to turn down the heat and put on sweaters in answer to the 70’s energy crisis.

What Washington fails to understand is that freedom is not the problem: it is the solution.

America has the ingenuity, resolve and the resources to harvest all the clean and affordable energy we could ever need. But from exploring untapped resources to new scientific frontiers, this future is found not in handcuffing Americans but in unleashing the power of their free will.

Coincidentally, it’s the one thing Congress hasn’t tried.

The National Taxpayer’s Union is out with their latest non-partisan ratings for members of Congress. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R MN6) is at the head of the Minnesota class. 

Michele Bachmann (R MN6) - 86, A

The rest of Minnesota’s US House Delegation is as follows. 

John Kline (R MN2) - 82, B+

Jim Ramstad (R MN3) - 47, C-

Colin Peterson (D MN7) - 7, F

Keith Ellison (D MN5) - 6, F)

Jim Oberstar (D MN8) - 5, F

Betty McCollum (D MN4) - 3, F

Tim Walz (D MN1) - 3, F

And the Senate isn’t much better:

Norm Coleman (R) - 38, C-

Amy Klobuchar (D) - 5, F