May 18-20, 2012
May 18 06:28 MEDIA ALERT: Live coverage of the Republicans' State Convention May 18 09:33 Liveblogging the RPM State Convention May 18 12:02 Ron Paul delegates defeated May 18 15:01 Obama: we've turned the corner; American People: no we haven't May 18 17:13 Bills wins MNGOP endorsement, will challenge Sen. Klobuchar May 19 09:08 Reporting from the scene of the crime, Day II May 19 12:50 Chip Cravaack interview May 19 17:44 Minnesota State Central Committee Liveblogging May 20 18:06 DFL appeals to the Stupid Vote
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MEDIA ALERT: Live coverage of the Republicans' State Convention
Check back to this blog & Examiner.com this weekend to get updates from the Republican State Convention.
Posted Friday, May 18, 2012 6:28 AM
No comments.
Liveblogging the RPM State Convention
9:13 -- The convention is now open.
9:19 -- Media present thus far are David Pundt of KLKS from Brainerd, Tom Scheck from MPR & Ed Morrissey of HotAir.
9:30 -- St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis addressing the delegation. Prior, Rep. King Banaian of St. Cloud led the Pledge of Allegiance.
9:35 -- Sarah Anderson, Kurt Daudt named temp chairs of the Convention.
9:59 -- Kessler, Rachel Stassen-Berger is in the hall.
10:15 -- Credentials report now in the books.
10:50 -- Harry Niska now addressing the Convention about rules.
10:52 -- Jerry Ewing from Platform Committee: the rules were followed from precinct caucuses to county/SD conventions to CD conventions. Oppose the amendment to allow new items to be added to the platform.
10:55 -- Amendment is defeated.
11:22 -- Rules Committee report debate getting contentious.
11:23 -- Rules adopted.
11:25 -- Agenda adopted.
12:15 -- Kurt Bills: "Amy says that our problems are too big to solve. I say that our problems are too big to miss." Wild cheers from the faithful.
12:20 -- Laura Brod nominates Pete Hegseth for U.S. Senate.
12:30 -- Pete Hegseth is now making his presentation for why he should be the next U.S. Senator from Minnesota.
12:31 -- "I'm not running to be popular."
12:32 -- "It hasn't been just Democrats that have gotten this country in trouble."
12:34 -- "Do people know that she has a more liberal voting record than Keith Ellison? Not yet, but they soon will."
12:55 -- Schudlick "I don't have alot of money. Maybe it's because the money comes from the special interests." Harold, perhaps you don't get the money because you're boring after a gazillion runs for office.
1:40 -- First ballot is starting.
2:40 -- Still waiting for first ballots results.
3:03 -- Severson 501 23.47%, Hegseth 450 21.08%, Bills 1,135 53.16%
3:26 -- The buzz in the hall is that Bills will win on the second ballot.
3:28 -- Light-hearted moment of the day: Kurt Daudt announcing that a person with a white car has a parking ticket. That's the bad news. The good news is that the car hasn't gotten towed.
4:25 -- It's over. Bills wins with 1,353 votes; Dan Severson got 439 votes, with Pete Hegseth getting 349 votes.
Posted Friday, May 18, 2012 4:26 PM
Comment 1 by eric z at 20-May-12 08:05 AM
As a follow-up when time permits, could you detail the SNAFU over the rules? My experience is that often the technocratic detail of "rules" and "agenda" can hide something very favorable to a special interest faction within the entire BIG TENT.
Was that the dispute? Or was a balanced set of rules under attack to try to tilt the playing field toward one of several competing interests?
Was it related to the platform, wanting a rule allowing floor amendment of platform planks?
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 20-May-12 08:26 AM
As is always the case at conventions, rules & platforms are viewed by different factions as an opportunity to gain the upper hand over opponents. That said, the rules fight was actually fairly timid this weekend.
There was some initial huffing & puffing but it was put to rest quickly. Spending less than 2 hrs. on rules is pretty quick compared with the rumors we'd heard the night before the convention.
Ron Paul delegates defeated
During the contentious Rules Committee debate, the Kurt Bills/Ron Paul delegates repeatedly attempted to amend the rules. They lost each of their motions, meaning the Pauligates comprise less than 50% of the delegation.
I actually suspect that they make up significantly less than 50%.
The reason why that's important is that it'll impact the U.S. Senate endorsing convention. This puts Bills' endorsement at risk because he needs a strong start to the endorsement process.
Posted Friday, May 18, 2012 12:02 PM
Comment 1 by MplsSteve at 18-May-12 12:24 PM
The first ballot will definitely be interesting.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 18-May-12 12:52 PM
Are you here at the convention?
Comment 2 by ElijahS at 18-May-12 12:43 PM
Ron Paul will be the best President that there's ever been.
Response 2.1 by Gary Gross at 18-May-12 12:58 PM
Ron Paul will be the best President that there's ever been.Not if he can't get the nomination.
Comment 3 by Meh at 18-May-12 03:45 PM
Seems like Bills did twice as well on the first ballot as second place winner, no?
Comment 4 by Chris Paul at 18-May-12 04:09 PM
I will see it and maybe then I will believe it, but not until it is reported by other sources. In the mean time the live stream is on the front page of http://www.RonPaulTribune.com.
Comment 5 by walter hanson at 18-May-12 04:22 PM
Elijah:
just what year is Ron Paul being elected? It's certainly not 2012 and if Romney serves 8 years than Paul isn't running until 2020 when he's what 84.
Or were you thinking of his son Rand Paul as a future president?
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 6 by A Man at 05-Jun-12 01:11 PM
Ron Paul will not be President. Thankfully, his mission is being accomplished: restore liberty. (In case you didn't notice, Ron Paul won MN, propelled Kurt Bills into senate candidacy, has filled the MN Republican party with followers of liberty and the Constitution, and has now inspired a Libertarian Conservative to run against Michele Bachmann for CD 6, Steve Thompson.
Mission accomplished, but not finished...
Response 6.1 by Gary Gross at 05-Jun-12 02:43 PM
Aaron, In case you hadn't noticed, Michele Bachmann has stood on the side of liberty, the Constitution & cutting spending. Getting a candidate to run against the most Constitution-minded member of the House of Representatives proves that you're a cult of clueless purists.
PS- It's apparent that you didn't notice that the TEA Party, not Ron Paul, brought in great Constitution-minded legislators. People like King Banaian, Doug Wardlow, Dave Thompson, Keith Downey & many, many others appeal to mainstream voters while being principled constitutionalists.
Obama: we've turned the corner; American People: no we haven't
President Obama has repeatedly said that the economy has turned a corner. According to Dick Morris's polling , the American people disagree:
From May 5-11, 2012, I conducted a survey of 6,000 likely voters. On such a mammoth sample, the margin of error is less than 1 percent. I found that Romney has amassed a sizable lead over Obama of 51-42, far in excess of what published polling and surveys of registered - as opposed to likely - voters are indicating.
If Romney were to win 51 percent of the vote, the election would, of course, be very close. But if he could hold Obama to 42 percent, it would be a landslide. So the obvious question is how Romney should go about winning the voters in between.
To answer this question, I drilled down in my sample to these undecided voters, none of whom voted for Romney in the survey. I added to their ranks those who voted for Obama but indicated that they only 'somewhat' approved of his performance in office. This left me with a sample of 1,500 likely voters who are in play. The data in this column reflects their views. If Romney can win a quarter or a third of their votes, he will win by a landslide margin of 10 points.
On the economy, 46 percent of these swing voters do not believe that there is any recovery. Twenty-three percent say the economy is the same as when Obama took office and an additional 23 percent say it is worse. Thirty-nine percent say the jobs situation has not improved. Twenty-five percent say it is the same and 14 percent say it is worse. And 37 percent agree with the statement that 'if we look around, there isn't real evidence that we are actually making progress.'
Specifically, swing voters do not believe that the unemployment rate drop Obama heralds is real. Forty-nine percent agree that 'the only reason it goes down is that each month more people give up even looking for work.'
One poll doesn't make a trend. Still, an incumbent that's facing a public that thinks his policies haven't grown the economy is in a difficult position.
I'll predict that President Obama will face an uphill fight if he doesn't have a game-changing moment.
Tags: Polling , President Obama , Swing Voters , Independents , Democrats , Election 2012
Posted Friday, May 18, 2012 3:01 PM
No comments.
Bills wins MNGOP endorsement, will challenge Sen. Klobuchar
Minutes ago, Minnesota Republicans endorsed Kurt Bills to challenge Sen. Klobuchar this November.
During his acceptance speech, Rep. Bills said that "we can't afford more crony capitalism that benefits the wealthy and protects them from free markets."
Chairman Shortridge then addresses the faithful by saying that "There's plenty on the room on the bus," referring to the bus Rep. Bills said he and his family will hop on and campaign across Minnesota
Rep. Bills said that Republicans' values "aren't extreme values. They're mainstream values." Bills then rattled off that it's mainstream to want business owners to compete in a free marketplace. He added that it's mainstream to protect life.
The highlights of his speech, based on the applause, were introducing his family to the delegates and his saying "Econ 101 is going to Washington, DC to get rid of Klobamanomics."
Bills faces an uphill fight against Sen. Klobuchar. His presentation, however, indicated that he isn't daunted by that task. Bills was supported by the Ron Paul delegation and by many members of the Minnesota House GOP Caucus. The fact that he was nominated by Rep. Keith Downey, another of the rising stars in the legislature, bodes well for Republicans.
Downey will have a high-profile Minnesota Senate race this fall. The picture of Bills and Downey campaigning together in the northern suburbs is a picture that will play well in the suburbs.
Rep. King Banaian said that "It was an honor to work with Rep. Bills in the House," adding that there will "be no more conversations about macroeconomics" with Rep. Bills. (Rep. Banaian is a college economics professor while Rep. Bills is a high school economics teacher.)
Follow this link for more on Bills' victory.
Posted Friday, May 18, 2012 5:13 PM
Comment 1 by MplsSteve at 18-May-12 06:17 PM
Paultards are such a waste.
This was gonna be a hard enough race to win already. Picking a Paultard isn't gonna help matters for the GOP.
We have GOP legislators who voted for a Vikings stadium - against all commonse sense and ideology.
The state party can offer us next to nothing in terms of money or organization.
And now we have a Paultard leading us at the top of the ticket.
Again, what an incredible waste!
The only good that can possibly come out of this is that in two years, mnay of the Paultards will have retreated back into their bunkers and hovels. Of course, we'll be left cleaning up the mess.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 19-May-12 02:50 AM
Steve, I'll defend Kurt Bills. He was supported by the Paulbots but he's a solid mainstream conservative.
I'll agree with pretty much everything else you said.
Comment 2 by eric z at 19-May-12 09:15 AM
How many ballots?
Was it a first ballot slam dunk?
Was it drawn out with horse-trading?
Comment 3 by Gary Gross at 19-May-12 09:18 AM
Eric, Rep. Bills got 1,135 votes or 53.16% on the first ballot. He clinched it on the second ballot with 1,335 votes, good for 64%.
The 3 main candidates, Pete Hegseth, Dan Severson & Kurt Bills, gave impressive presentations.
Comment 4 by eric z at 19-May-12 09:23 AM
Gary - Yeah. I read top down. After asking, I got to your earlier post where you reported the second ballot victory. Thanks for replying.
Comment 5 by Gary Gross at 19-May-12 09:26 AM
Thanks for reading. I'm back at the scene of the crime today. Biggest news thus far is that the room temperature is heavenly this am, especially to how muggy & clammy it was yesterday.
Comment 6 by Eric at 22-May-12 12:25 AM
Hmmm, I wonder what it was like for the (Nixonian) old-school Republicans when the Pro-life crowd came into the party in the late 70's and 80's - with so much energy - and quickly took over the Party. Oh, wait! I am witnessing the sequel in real time.
Platforms aside, The GOP's record is plainly a story of only slowing down how fast government grows and only somewhat damping how much it intrudes. That Modus Operandi is not good enough anymore.
I hope that sometime in my life there is a major political reallignment that changes the contest from Left vs Right to statism vs liberty.
Btw, thank you Gary for making comments possible here without a lot of rigamarole.
Response 6.1 by Gary Gross at 22-May-12 12:42 AM
First, a little history lesson is in order. The pro-life crowd was always part of the GOP. There was just a handful of East & Left coast liberals in the party that hated the Religious Right. Today's Paulbots are a tiny fraction of Minnesota Republicans, much like the Nixon-Rockefeller wing of the GOP back in the 70's.
The Paulbots' belief that they're the only constitutionalists is proof of their delusions. That the Paulbots think that they're the only fiscal hawks is additional proof that they're wearing anti-reality blinders.
When one of the Paulers tweeted Friday after Bills's victory that he isn't "interested in changing the Republican Party", he said that "This is a hostile takeover." If I could've found that idiot, I would've punched his lights out.
The Paulbots' demise has already started. The backlash was ignited by their boorish behavior. Rather than being gracious winners, they chose to be sore winners. The radicals in the Pauler movement should celebrate now because they won't be in the spotlight much longer.
Reporting from the scene of the crime, Day II
9:03 -- The countdown to the start is in its final stages.
9:05 -- Sarah Anderson & Kurt Daudt are the convention co-chairs.
9:06 -- The buzz is that the resolutions will be lengthy & contentious. Time will tell. Buzz II is that people are anticipating great speeches today. Anticipation builds.
9:07 -- Convention Day II starts.
9:08 -- Leo Pusateri of the St. Cloud Singing Saints performed the National Anthem. Sen. John Pederson of St. Cloud led the Pledge of Allegiance. Great job, Leo!!! Great job, John.
9:19 -- Heather Rubash checked in at Media Row to make sure things are running smoothly. Heather is doing a great job.
9:25 -- Taking a break while they hand out voting cards. The big news from Press Row is that the temperature in the hall is heavenly cool. Yesterday, it was muggy & sticky. This morning, it's fantastically comfortable.
9:38 -- Tony Hernandez, the CD-4 endorsed candidate, is introduced to speak.
9:39 -- We need contributions of $5, $10 & $20 so we can end the career of "socialist Betty McCollum." to great applause.
9:40 -- "Some people talk about Hispanic Americans. I reject that. I am an American."
9:45 -- Ann Romney video address to the audience was a brief appeal for the unity slates.
10:00 -- Platform Committee report debate has started.
10:05 -- Voting on the platform has started.
10:20 -- I spoke earlier with a legislator about Item 43 of the platform. It's titled "Limit the influence of gambling in our state." This legislator said that opposition to that amendment faces an uphill fight, adding that there's lots of support for this with Ron Paul supporters. When I said that they'd have an argument if they'd just legalize it outright, they'd have a free market argument. As is, putting it at only 2 places is government-protected commerce, aka crony capitalism. The legislator emphatically agreed. The legislator then said he supported limiting gambling.
11:15 -- Chip Cravaack is working the room in Mille Lacs, St. Louis & Chisago Counties. Saying that he's getting an enthusiastic reception is understatement.
11:25 -- Kurt Bills is introduced as a candidate to the Republican National Convention to thunderous applause.
11:38 -- Cha-ching!!! I just had a brief interview with Congressman Chip Cravaack. More on that in a later post.
11:46 -- Kay Steiner from Benton County raising a point of order on past nominating committee reports. She's having a difficult time identifying what her point of order is.
11:54 -- Rep. Branden Petersen was supposed to speak on his candidacy for national convention. Kelly Fenton noted that he isn't here because his wife is having a baby this morning.
12:19 -- Chairman Shortridge is speaking to the Chaos Slate, which is the RP slate. He said that these slates don't help in getting the things done that need to get done.
1:06 -- Cravaack speaking. "The House passes jobs bills and the Senate ignores them."
1:09 -- "We're going to have a helluva budget battle this fall."
1:10 -- "Never in my lifetime did I think I'd see the day when the federal government would sue states for enforcing the law."
1:14 -- "In 2012, we will either affirm what has been done or we will undo what's been done to us."
Posted Saturday, May 19, 2012 1:14 PM
No comments.
Chip Cravaack interview
This morning, I had the privilege of interviewing Congressman Chip Cravaack. The first thing that comes across with Congressman Cravaack is his common sense.
When asked about his fight for mining families, Congressman Cravaack talked about a recent townhall meeting. During his presentation, he noticed a union worker nodding his head as he listened to Chip. Chip said that "It was like he was thinking to himself 'Why is it that I don't support him'"?
The DFL and the DCCC has done its best to villainize Congressman Cravaack, which is to be expected. What they aren't expecting is the difficulty they'll have in pigeon-holing Congressman Cravaack. What they can't anticipate is the difficult time they'll have in proving Congressman Cravaack doesn't relate to the people of the Iron Range.
Two years ago, Chip Cravaack competed with then-Rep. Jim Oberstar for a union endorsement at the Minntac Mine. He lost the endorsement to then-Rep. Oberstar but he was bouyed by the fact that he lost by a 28-25 margin.
Congressman Cravaack isn't like previous GOP candidates in CD-8. His no-nonsense style and his outreach will make Rep. Cravaack difficult to defeat.
Tags: Chip Cravaack , CD-8 , Unions , Minntac Mining , Union Endorsement , Republicans , Jim Oberstar , DCCC , DFL , Election 2012
Posted Saturday, May 19, 2012 12:50 PM
Comment 1 by eric z at 19-May-12 02:35 PM
I think Clark, once elected, will prove to be a better representative both of the multiple dimensions of the district, and of the State. Cravaack did ambush Oberstar, but long therm, Clark is best for the state and district. Put it this way, if you are looking for a defeat of a "one-termer" this election, bet on it being Cravaack, not Klobuchar. That's all. And, bottom line, Clark will not sacrifice the booming tourism trade and potential of the area to reckless sulfide mining and sulfurous long-term and highly destrictive pollution. That environment, it's really all they have, long term. Short term, sure some out-of-state mining interests can come in and rape things through shell companies; but Clark, not Cravaack, would stand in favor of sensible environmental protections.
Comment 2 by Gary Gross at 19-May-12 03:14 PM
Eric, Tarryl doesn't have a chance of winning the DFL primary. PERIOD.
Predicting that a woman who won last time with 60% of the vote has a better chance of winning than a candidate who won by 2 percentage points isn't an act of courage.
That doesn't mean that it's likely anyone will defeat Chip.
Comment 3 by eric z at 20-May-12 08:16 AM
Somehow, Gary, I did not expect you to agree. Yet I do not believe that level of forecasting capability means I should think to become a fortune teller.
Comment 4 by eric z at 20-May-12 08:21 AM
Credit where it is due. Ramp up to last election day you were saying CC had a strong chance of defeating Oberstar, and I read it as something believed stronger than simply parroting party-line "optimism regardless." Your crystal ball that time, as you wrote, was clear, not cloudy. You called it. Do you predict I'll Have Another to take the triple crown? The horse can finish.
Comment 5 by Gary Gross at 20-May-12 08:22 AM
I was the first journalist in 2010 to predict Chip defeating Jim Oberstar. In fact, I'm the only journalist that predicted it in advance.
Chip's ability to just relate to people is incredible. He's so much a guy from main street, the great neighbor from down the block.
Then you mix in his policies & his communications skills & it's easy to think he'll win re-election.
Comment 6 by walter hanson at 20-May-12 02:04 PM
Eric:
Um how is Tarryl going to win if she doesn't have the democrat endorsement?
Is she planning to run as an independent which will only help Chip win?
Keep in mind the reason why Jim O lost was because he took the voters for granted and cared about agenda items which the public didn't like. You know helping miners get jobs, getting rid of Obamacare instead of supporting it etc.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota State Central Committee Liveblogging
5:27 -- The delegates are filing in.
5:42 -- Chairman Shortridge says we'll start in 2 mins.
5:43 -- Mitch Berg is in the hall. MOB rules.
5:45 -- Meeting is under way.
5:46 -- Rules Committee report being given by Chairman Shortridge. Rules Committee Report approved.
5:49 -- Jeff Johnson only candidate for RNC National Committeeman. Janet Beihoffer & Pat Anderson are the only candidates for RNC National Commiteewoman.
5:50 -- Nominations Committee Report approved.
5:52 -- Credentials Committee Report being given.
5:55 -- Seating of alternates still ongoing.
6:10 -- Delay still ongoing.
6:15 -- We're about to resume the meeting.
6:20 -- Unanimous ballot cast for Jeff Johnson, Bron Scherer. Jeff Johnson is re-elected as RNC National Committeeman. Bron Scherer is re-elected as Treasurer.
6:22 -- Jeff Johnson: Jeff Johson: "I wouldn't trade w/DFL: we're at least dealing with our problems". With Mark Dayton & Al Franken at the top of the ticket, there is no fixing the DFL's problems."
6:25 -- Janet Beihoffer is recognized to speak. Gretchen Hoffman is speaking on Janet's behalf. Dave Thompson is now talking about fully supporting the GOP party platform.
6:29 -- Janet Beihoffer is now talking. "It must be PARTY FIRST."
6:32 -- Scott Dutcher speaking on Pat Anderson's behalf. He's telling the delegates that Pat Anderson took a leadership role after Tony Sutton resigned.
6:35 -- Pat Anderson talking about going forward, bringing resources to help Kurt Bills defeat Amy Klobuchar.
6:40 -- Balloting begins.
6:50 -- Bron Scherer giving the Treasurer's Report.
7:10 -- Beihoffer 215, Pat Anderson 110. Congratulations Janet. Pat, Thanks for your leadership during this past year.
7:11 -- Janet "We need to thank Pat Anderson for the hard work she did."
Posted Saturday, May 19, 2012 7:18 PM
Comment 1 by eric z at 20-May-12 08:13 AM
Again, as I have commented at other times, live blogging is an effort and your doing it is commendable. I hope other readers join in that thought of appreciation.
Comment 2 by Gary Gross at 20-May-12 08:17 AM
Eric, Thanks for expressing your appreciation. It's mentally taxing to stay focused on everything that's said while still attempting to read the mood of the room while others are stopping past to tell you about things they're seeing.
It's like trying to drink water from a fire hose in that your thirst gets quenched but your clothes are soaked from the overload.
Comment 3 by Jethro at 20-May-12 09:44 AM
Well said, Eric z. Well said!
Comment 4 by walter hanson at 20-May-12 02:00 PM
Eric:
Since I give you grief most of the time good comment and thank you for staying on point.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 5 by MplsSteve at 20-May-12 10:32 PM
I agree with the previous comments.
Gary's live-blogging of the State Convention was most cool.
It is OK if a middle-aged guy uses the phrase "most cool" in a post - right?
Response 5.1 by Gary Gross at 21-May-12 12:09 AM
Steve, I didn't delete it so "most cool" is just fine with the most influential person on this blog.
DFL appeals to the Stupid Vote
The first thing I thought after reading this LTE was that this nutjob is attempting to appeal to the Stupid Vote . Here's one of the insulting parts of the LTE:
I am a longtime resident of Minnesota's 8th Congressional District, and I'm writing today because I am absolutely fed up with Rep. Chip Cravaack's support of a $2.6 trillion tax cut for the rich and cuts to Medicare.
This won't end the DFL's chanting points of tax cuts for the rich or cutting Medicare but here goes.
First, the tax cuts Chip voted for are for the working poor, the middle class and the supposedly evil rich people. If DFL spinmeisters like this idiot want to peddle that message, they'd better prepare to get slapped around anytime I read that type of spin.
Second, Chip voted to improve Medicare. The Medicare system was antiquated 15 years ago. It paid crooks tens of billions of dollars a year. The plan Chip voted for won't do that, thereby saving taxpayers while extending the solvency on Medicare.
This pinhead apparently can't tell the difference between cost savings (keeping services the same while saving the taxpayers) and budget cuts (cutting the budget and cutting services.)
Here's another paragraph that shows this LTE is intending to influence the Stupid Vote:
Who benefits the most from this budget? The 1 percent. Who receives most of the tax breaks from this budget? The 1 percent. Who bears the burden of the budget? The 99 percent. We pay our fair share in taxes. This budget allows corporations to pay less in taxes than we do. It's unfair.
First, the idiots that thinks Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary are stupid beyond belief. Buffett's supposed tax rate doesn't include the taxes he pays on Birkshire Hathaway's behalf. When you combine those taxes with the taxes he pays on his personal return, it's a significantly higher rate than Buffett's secretary.
Be that as it may, let's examine a different angle to this. Who are the people who deal with the lions share of the overregulation? The so-called 1%. Who are the people that deal with this administration's overregulation, then turn around and still sign the front of the check? Again, the supposedly evil 1%. Who spends money that's wasted solely on government in compliance costs? Again, the 1%.
When do the so-called 99% deal with any of these things?
There's another angle that this pinhead hasn't looked at. When employers offer health insurance plans, the so-called 99% benefit from a group policy, which is usually significantly cheaper to the employees. Meanwhile, the evil rich person pays, in essence, a subsidy that benefits the employee.
I could go on for pages and pages but I won't of where the actions of the evil 1-percenters benefit the 99%.
The DFL won't let go of this theme. They think it works with stupid voters. They might be right about that. The bad news is that it hurts their credibility with well-informed, serious people.
Tags: LTE , 1% , 99% , Stupid Vote , Medicare Cuts , DFL , Chip Cravaack , Cost Savings , Taxes , Tax Cuts , GOP , Election 2012
Posted Sunday, May 20, 2012 6:06 PM
Comment 1 by J. Ewing at 21-May-12 08:45 AM
He's also overlooking the $500 BILLION cut to Medicare that is built into Obamacare, on top of the Medicare cuts built into the last Senate budget 3 years ago, when Democrats controlled everything. One could also question how Cravaack's "$2.6 Trillion tax cut" compares with the $4+ Trillion Obama tax HIKE to take effect Jan. 1, and which hits the lower and middle incomes the hardest.
Comment 2 by walter hanson at 21-May-12 04:36 PM
Gary:
I think you missed the highlight of the letter. In the letter the person wrote, "I would be a dead duck without my medicare."
Um Ms. Duck it's Obama, Amy, and Al who voted for the cut to your medicare and gave it to AARP. Jim O who I assume you voted for cut your medical care.
Um Ms. Duck are you aware that Obama is going to be doing a gimmick to hide the damage to medicare this year to try to win reelection?
Um Ms. Duck are you aware that the Ryan plan says that we will keep operating that medicare that you count on as is. If Obama, Amy, and Al have their way your medicare will go away. Chip is the one that is protecting that medicare which you said you will be a dead duck if you didn't have.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 3 by eric z. at 22-May-12 07:00 AM
"DFL appeals to the stupid vote"?
You mean they've hired Grover Norquist and the LaHaye spouses?
What?
