Al "The Fraud" Franken Gets Caught Cheating on Taxes, Pays Up

Franken pays $70,000 in back taxes and penalties in 17 states

By Patricia Lopez and Kevin Duchschere, Star Tribune

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken, front-runner in the race to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, said on Tuesday that he has paid $70,000 in back taxes and penalties owed in 17 states going back to 2003.

Franken, who delivers speeches across the country and still receives residuals from television shows, movies and books, blamed his accountant of 18 years for what he said was a mistake.

The accountant, Allen Chanzis of New York, "just made a basic kind of error that had a lot of ramifications," Franken said.

Franken said he paid federal and state taxes on all of his income, but failed to distribute the payments to each of the states where he had income.

Franken said that despite being incorporated in three states -- New York, California and Minnesota -- his company, Alan Franken Inc., was structured in such a way that it had no corporate income tax liability.

Instead, he said, he paid taxes through the individual income tax.

Franken said he would not release his personal income tax returns but noted that he paid $917,344 in state and city taxes between 2003 and 2006 when he should have paid $921,495. Franken said he has filed for an extension on his 2007 taxes.

Excuses, excuses. The only reason Franken paid up was that Republicans uncovered his tax shenanigans. The unfunny comedian should be a man and not blame his accountant for the tax fraud it seems he attempted to perpetrate. Kudos to the state party for unmasking Franken and showing Minnesota what a liberal millionaire hypocrite he truly is. This is a situation that will most likely endear Franken to his supporters, though. I doubt they will abandon him, which says something about their own character or lack thereof.

Wake up, libs. There is a pattern here. Remember he failed to pay workers' compensation and disability premiums for his New York employees. Franken defrauded the "little people" pseudo-progressives say they champion.

Friendly Reminder

That's what happens when liberals read my blog. I warned them not to.

I had a very unpleasant confrontation with a liberal today. He is one of those self-important, artiste PhD types. He stopped me in the hallway at RCTC today and the "conversation" quickly deteriorated into a criticism of my right to free speech.

Said liberal was spitting fire. His eyes were big, his voice shaky. Here's a quick tip to annoyingly confrontational libs: if you have body odor and bad breath issues, either load up on deodorant and mouth wash or keep your distance. He's read this blog and says I am "hateful." I asked him what was hateful about it and he said he doesn't like the words I use. When, tongue in cheek, I offered to send my blog entries to him to be edited before I posted them, he declined. I also reminded him that he has the freedom not to read my stuff if he finds it offensive in any way. At this point, he looked puzzled. It was as if the idea had not occurred to him. There is definitely a difference between being book smart and having common sense.

I then told him that when I was all but a year old the military took over the government in my native country of Brazil. I grew up with no sense of what free speech was. That slowed him up a bit. Many people, most of whom seem to be liberal, do not have an appreciation for what is, arguably, our most cherished of God-given American rights: freedom of speech.

Liberals don't like free speech if it contradicts their dogmas. I have never met people who are more intolerant of dissenting views than so-called progressives.

So, here's a friendly reminder to my liberal detractors: (re) read the disclaimer at the top of this page. I warned liberals that reading my blog would drive them crazy but they don't listen.

If you want to talk about it, make sure you bathe, shave and brush your teeth before you get too close.

Jab

``Hillary Clinton couldn't get in because of sniper fire and Senator Obama's at church.''

-- President George W. Bush explaining Hillary and Obama's absence at last night's White House Correspondents' annual dinner.

Biofoolishness: Starving the Poor in the Name of Fighting Climate Change

Wasting food: 400 pounds of corn equals 25 gallons of ethanol.
Is it really worth it?

Food Crisis Starts Eclipsing Climate Change Worries

Gore Ducks, as a Backlash Builds Against Biofuels

By Josh Gerstein , Staff Reporter of the Sun

April 25, 2008

The campaign against climate change could be set back by the global food crisis, as foreign populations turn against measures to use foodstuffs as substitutes for fossil fuels.

With prices for rice, wheat, and corn soaring, food-related unrest has broken out in places such as Haiti , Indonesia, and Afghanistan. Several countries have blocked the export of grain. There is even talk that governments could fall if they cannot bring food costs down.

One factor being blamed for the price hikes is the use of government subsidies to promote the use of corn for ethanol production. An estimated 30% of America’s corn crop now goes to fuel, not food.

“I don’t think anybody knows precisely how much ethanol contributes to the run-up in food prices, but the contribution is clearly substantial,” a professor of applied economics and law at the University of Minnesota, C. Ford Runge, said. A study by a Washington think tank, the International Food Policy Research Institute, indicated that between a quarter and a third of the recent hike in commodities prices is attributable to biofuels.

Last year, Mr. Runge and a colleague, Benjamin Senauer, wrote an article in Foreign Affairs, “How Biofuels Could Starve the Poor.”

“We were criticized for being alarmist at the time,” Mr. Runge said. “I think our views, looking back a year, were probably too conservative.”

Ethanol was initially promoted as a vehicle for America to cut back on foreign oil. In recent years, biofuels have also been touted as a way to fight climate change, but the food crisis does not augur well for ethanol’s prospects.

“It takes around 400 pounds of corn to make 25 gallons of ethanol,” Mr. Senauer, also an applied economics professor at Minnesota, said. “It’s not going to be a very good diet but that’s roughly enough to keep an adult person alive for a year.”

Mr. Senauer said climate change advocates, such as Vice President Gore, need to distance themselves from ethanol to avoid tarnishing the effort against global warming. “Crop-based biofuels are not part of the solution. They, in fact, add to the problem. Whether Al Gore has caught up with that, somebody ought to ask him,” the professor said. “There are lots of solutions, real solutions to climate change. We need to get to those.”

Mr. Gore was not available for an interview yesterday on the food crisis, according to his spokeswoman. A spokesman for Mr. Gore’s public campaign to address climate change, the Alliance for Climate Protection, declined to comment for this article.

Environmental self-righteousness and global warming hysteria are starving the poorest of the poor in the world. How many will die in the name of climate change zealotry?

Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection is the former veep's greatest scam yet. It is a pretentious multi-million dollar effort to control our thinking and, ultimately, radically change the American way of life. Stop Gore or see your freedoms erode.

Gore Launches $300 Million Climate Campaign

NASHVILLE, Tenn.— The former vice president, Al Gore, launched a three-year, multimillion-dollar advocacy campaign today calling for America to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

The Alliance for Climate Protection's campaign, dubbed "we," will combine advertising, online organizing, and partnerships with grass-roots groups to educate the public about global warming and urge solutions from elected officials.

"We're trying to get a movement happening to switch public opinion so that our leaders feel, 'Wow! We really need to make this a top priority issue,'" the alliance CEO, Cathy Zoi, said.

An advertising campaign will equate the climate-change movement with other grand historic endeavors, like stopping fascism in Europe during World War II, overcoming segregation in the Unite States, and putting the first man on the moon.

The struggles against fascism and segregation, as well as the Herculean effort to put the first man on the moon were not motivated by megalomania or a desire for thought and behavior control. On the contrary, freedom was the goal of those noble and selfless enterprises.

Oh, Brother!

Bill Clinton is as Black as Al Johnson ever was

ON DEADLINE: Bill Clinton is no brother

By SONYA ROSS, Associated Press Writer Fri Apr 25, 3:24 AM ET

WASHINGTON - Imagine, for just a minute, the pain of America's first black president.

Not Barack Obama — Bill Clinton.

That's about the only explanation for Clinton's lack of brotherly behavior lately: He's in pain.

He is a figurative black man watching an actual black man soak in all the love that black voters used to save for him.

Suddenly, he looks oh so white.

The former president's love affair with black America hasn't soured to the point that he'll be chased out of his office in Harlem. But black people might revoke Clinton's honorary brother card if, out of his pain, he keeps hating on Obama. He's treating the Illinois senator like an unworthy heir to his racial legacy.

At first, Clinton's slips of the lip about black voting habits and the like could be chalked up to election-year politics. Why wouldn't an ex-president try to cajole his party's most loyal voters into supporting his candidate of choice? Especially when that candidate is his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The problem is, nobody bothered to tell Clinton that honorary blackness is also temporary. No matter how much he's done on the subject of race, his brother privileges are always up for renewal.

Clinton learned this the hard way — by watching black people throw support to Obama en masse while kicking aside Hillary Clinton's complaints about the man. If anybody knows what Obama is doing to seduce black voters, it is Bill Clinton. After all, Clinton pushed the very same buttons to claim the black vote for himself when he first ran for the presidency 16 years ago.

"I think that they played the race card on me. We now know, from memos from the (Obama) campaign, that they planned it all along," Clinton groused to the aptly named radio station WHYY on the day before the Pennsylvania primary.

He did not produce the memos or any evidence that they exist, and the Obama campaign denies the accusation.

Still, Clinton accused the Illinois senator of putting an unfair spin on his comparison of Obama's South Carolina primary victory to Jesse Jackson's caucus wins there two decades earlier. Black leaders, black voters and most impartial observers in the media saw Clinton's remarks for what they were — a brazen attempt to marginalize Obama as a "black candidate."

What gets to Clinton, more than anything, is the fact that even black voters who question the Illinois senator's "blackness" still shield Obama against a slap from somebody outside the family — in this case, Clinton himself.

In a game of race cards, Obama wins.

.......................................................................................................................................................................

I've always found it incomprehensible that someone, anyone, would call Bill Clinton "the first Black president." Clinton is not "a figurative black man." He is and always will be a panderer.

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann Endorses Brian Davis for Congress

"Brian Davis has the experience, leadership, and values that are right for Minnesota's First District."

-- True Republican Michele Bachmann, who looks forward to serving in Congress with fellow conservative Brian Davis

Bachmann: Minnesota needs Davis' expertise in Congress

For Immediate Release

Contact: Brad Biers
651.261.5421
April 23, 2008

ROCHESTER, MN - Today, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann endorsed Brian Davis to represent the state's First Congressional 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."

"It's an honor to receive the support of Congresswoman Bachmann," Davis said of Bachmann. "She is a dynamic leader for Minnesota and for our conservative causes. I value her leadership and advice, her principles and energy. I look forward to serving with her in the 111th Congress."

Davis is a physician in Rochester who specializes in the radiation treatment of cancer. With his wife, Lori, an emergency medicine physician, they have four children and live in Rochester.

Kuisle by Acclamation

Bill and Isaac, his motivation to run again.

House District 30B Republicans endorsed Bill Kuisle by acclamation earlier tonight. Bill used to represent the district before he was stricken with cancer and unemployed substitute teacher Andy Welti managed to lie his way into the Minnesota House.

We all know the disaster Welti's two terms have been. His most distinguished accomplishments, other than being one of the most subservient DFLers in the House, have been banning glass containers and growing a beard. During the current session, Welti voted for every possible tax increase and failed to stand up for the educational funding parity and economic needs of the district he misrepresents.

We need adult representation in the Minnesota House. Badly. I support Bill because, like most of us, he is a mature adult, has worked hard most of his life, knows what it's like to pay his own bills and is raising a family. He was also a very successful legislator whom Minnesota House Republicans and Democrats still respect and someone whose accomplishments still benefit the residents of District 30B.

As a new father, Bill is focused on working for a better future for his adopted son Isaac, whom he calls "my motivation to run again."

Bill, who is now cancer free, is a selfless individual and will be a refreshing change from the egotistical, self-serving, slavish and insecure misrepresentation we have been getting not only from Welti but also from Reps. Tina Liebling, an embarrassment, Kim Norton, Hillary-esque, and Sen. Ann Lynch, the Incoherent.

It's time to clean the Minnesota House. Let's return the mature, the sane, the selfless and the bright to St. Paul in November.

Vote Republican. Again.

Al Franken: Tax Cheat?

Frank: liar, liar then, cheat, cheat now?

New round of financial questions dogs Franken

His accountant is looking into Republican charges that he earned income in California from 2003 to 2006 but didn't pay any taxes.

By Kevin Duchscher and Patricia Lopez, Star Tribune

Last update: April 24, 2008 - 10:50 PM

Responding to new Republican charges that DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken hid income from California tax authorities for years, Franken's campaign said Thursday that his accountant is trying to sort out whether taxes are owed.

Campaign manager Andy Barr said Franken is eager to resolve the matter, the latest in a series of controversies surrounding his personal corporation, Alan Franken Inc.

"Al feels that because his name is at the top of the organization, he takes ultimate responsibility for everything that goes on," Barr said. "But if there's a mistake that's been made, he's pretty insistent that the accountant fix it. He's been pretty vocal with [the accountant] on this point."

"Al spent the week doing an economy tour of the state," Barr said, adding "We're not hearing about this except from the Republican Party. ..."

The latest questions about the personal corporation Franken set up to handle his entertainment enterprises came in the wake of news last week that Franken owes California $5,800 in back taxes and penalties for failing to file state income tax returns for the corporation from 2003 to 2007.

Franken's populist "man of the people" act is a flop. First he failed to pay "the little people" their workers' compensation, now there are charges of tax evasion. Is Franken one of those rich people who don't like to pay their "fair share" he rails against so rabidly?

Ringing Endorsement II

First there was Fidel Castro's endorsement of a Hillary/Obama ticket. Now terrorists have also expressed a strong preference in the American presidential election.

I heard the story on the radio last week. I was not surprised, so I didn't post it or comment on it at the time. I should have. Someone over at the Rochester Post-Bulletin posted a link to the story and I decided to chime in.

Obama may protest as much as he wants but he should be asking himself what it is that makes him an attractive and desirable American president in the opinion of Hamas terrorists.

Hamas terrorists make 2008 U.S. presidential pick
Posted: April 14, 200810:09 pm Eastern
By Aaron Klein

JERUSALEM – On the eve of a planned meeting with former President Jimmy Carter, the isolated Hamas terrorist organization has expressed "hope" Sen. Barack Obama will win the presidential elections and "change" America's foreign policy.

"We like Mr. Obama, and we hope that he will win the elections," Ahmed Yousuf, Hamas' top political adviser in the Gaza Strip, said in an exclusive interview with WND and with the John Batchelor Show on WABC Radio in New York.

"I hope Mr. Obama and the Democrats will change the political discourse. ... I do believe [Obama] is like John Kennedy, a great man with a great principal. And he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community, but not with humiliation and arrogance," Yousuf said, speaking from
Gaza.

Yousuf, the Hamas figure usually responsible for coordinating meetings with foreign officials, told WND earlier that Carter's planned meeting this week with Hamas would help the terror organization "engage with the world community."

"Carter can achieve something no one else can. He is open-minded and has a very noble cause to come and meet with all people," said Yousuf.

Together with presidential candidates John McCain and Hillary Clinton, Obama called Hamas a "terrorist organization" that should remain isolated until it renounces violence and recognizes Israel.

Obama told reporters he opposed Carter's meeting with Hamas. But Yousuf chalked up Obama's statements to political posturing.

It sure sounds like top Hamas terrorist adviser Ahmed Yousuf knows Obama better than the Illinois senator's American supporters.

Why is it that foreign thugs, dictators, communists and mass murderers seem to prefer liberal Democrats when it comes to American elections?

Hillary: "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran!"

"I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran...In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them."

-- Tough gal Hillary, the warmonger on how she would deal with Iran

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad must be shaking in his palace.

The folks over at United for Peace for Pierce County are not happy with commander in chief wannabe Hillary:

What is undeniably foolish is to talk of "totally obliterating" something; Webster's New World Dictionary [4th ed.] defines 'obliterate' as 'to blot out or wear away, leaving no traces; erase, efface' and 'to do away with as if by effacing, destroy'. "Totally obliterate" is thus a redundant expression, just as "partially obliterate" would be nonsensical. -- More interesting than Clinton's remark is her evident calculation that such a pronouncement will win her votes in a Democratic primary race.

Of course she would do no such thing as bomb Iran, or North Korea or Colombia or anywhere else that poses a threat to America's (or Israel's) national security . She is a Democrat, for crying out loud.

Happy Earth Day: Once Environmentally-Conscious Europe Now Turns to Coal

Despite Climate Worry, Europe Turns to Coal

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Published: April 23, 2008

CIVITAVECCHIA, Italy — At a time when the world’s top climate experts agree that carbon emissions must be rapidly reduced to hold down global warming, Italy’s major electricity producer, Enel, is converting its massive power plant here from oil to coal, generally the dirtiest fuel on earth.

Over the next five years, Italy will increase its reliance on coal to 33 percent from 14 percent. Power generated by Enel from coal will rise to 50 percent. And Italy is not alone in its return to coal. Driven by rising demand, record high oil and natural gas prices, concerns over energy security and an aversion to nuclear energy, European countries are slated to put into operation about 50 coal-fired plants over the next five years, plants that will be in use for the next five decades.

This is what really frosts me. Environmental zealots and linguini-spine state legislatures conspire to send the American economy back to pre-Industrial Revolution days.

In the United States, fewer new coal plants are likely to open up, in part because it is becoming harder to get regulatory permits and in part because nuclear power remains an alternative. Of 151 proposals in early 2007, more than 60 had been dropped by the year’s end, many blocked by state governments. Dozens of other are stuck in court challenges.

The environmental lobby knows it can't win the hearts and minds of people to their religiosity, so they do what liberals do: run to the courts. Meanwhile, India and China waste no time demonstrating what they really think about the Kyoto Protocol.

The fast-expanding developing economies of India and China, where coal remains a major fuel source for more than two billion people, have long been regarded as among the biggest challenges to reducing carbon emissions. But the return now to coal even in eco-conscious Europe is sowing real alarm among environmentalists who warn that it is setting the world on a disastrous trajectory that will make controlling global warming impossible.

Environmentalism is the new communism. It is oppressive, self-righteous, judgmental and hypocritical. If left unchecked, it will severely limit our individual freedoms and seriously cripple the American economy.

Davis: Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Walz Should Deny Funding for Universities that Restrict ROTC Programs

Davis notes that Pelosi's voting record has been consistently against the military and the ROTC For Immediate Release April 21, 2008 Contact: Brad Biers 651.261.2182 (Rochester, MN) - Today, Brian Davis, the endorsed Republican candidate for the First District of Minnesota, called upon House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and First District freshman Congressman Tim Walz to move forward with legislation that would remove the authority that universities exercise in banning Reserve Officers' Training Corp (ROTC) instruction from their campuses. Universities that fail to comply with the proposed ban would be denied all federal research funding and student financial aid. Speaker Pelosi is scheduled to meet Congressman Walz today at a veterans hospital in Minneapolis. "In 1996, Congress passed the Solomon amendment which requires universities to allow ROTC and military recruiters on campus or risk losing federal funding. As recently as 2005, Speaker Pelosi was among only 20% of Congress to vote against a similar house resolution granting military recruiters equal access to institutions of higher education. When I was a graduate student, I was appalled to learn that ROTC students from a nearby campus had to meet, drill and receive instruction at our university because their school didn't allow a ROTC program even though they were well-funded in every other respect. I thought this was absolutely outrageous, and I still do," said Davis. Davis continued, "Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Walz are meeting with First District veterans today. If they really want to help the military, Pelosi and Walz should ensure our military receives the respect it deserves on our college campuses. Any university that forbids ROTC instruction on campus should lose all federal funding, plain and simple. This will be one of the first bills I introduce in Congress." Brad Biers, campaign manager and a National Guard veteran, remarked, "Tim Walz continues to cozy up to the anti-military leftists in Congress. This just doesn't sit well with the overwhelming majority of people in southern Minnesota who respect and honor our military." Brian Davis is a physician who resides in Rochester along with his wife, Lori, and their four children.

Tim Walz's Forked Tongue

My "Davis versus Goliath" blog entry has caught the attention of Walz's sycophants on the Web. Instead of addressing the substance of the post, they prefer to imply that I have somehow plagiarized Senator Dick Day when he said this election contest is "Day against Goliath."

First of all, I had never read or heard Dick Day say that since I don't waste my time reading the Mankato Free Press, a pro-Walz rag if there was ever one.

Secondly, "Davis versus Goliath" is a much better turn of phrase since, as I am sure Walz's surrogates know, Davis is Welsh for "son of David."

Finally, and this is the kicker, Walz's premier supporter on the Web does not even live in the First District. She lives in Hutchinson, which, unless congressional district boundaries have changed in the last 24 hours, is located in the Seventh District. What is her motivation? Mine is ideological. I want the best for the district where I live. Moreover, I get paid nothing to post my opinions. Does she? Just asking.
Expect more distractions from Walz's minions in cyberspace and elsewhere as the election approaches and the soon-to-be former First District congressman's record receives more scrutiny.

Since they are monitoring my blog, perhaps Walz's henchmen will endeavor to explain why Walz said he favored the expansion of the DM&E line when he campaigned in the rural parts of the district and against it while courting votes and eyeing campaign contributions from Mayo Clinic executives.

Family farmers in the district are at an unfair advantage since they have neither the disposition nor the deep pockets necessary to organize a lavish fundraiser for Walz. Besides, I hear farmers are not fond of white wine and Brie cheese. They believe what people say as a matter of course. Their only mistake was to believe what Walz said and to trust that he had their best interests in mind.

But then again, Walz supports Barack Snob-ama's presidential bid. As chronicled extensively here, here and elsewhere, Illinois senator Snob-ama believes that small town and rural Americans are desperate homophobes who cling to religion and guns when the government does not give them handouts. Perhaps Walz shares Sen. Snob-ama's views. We can't really know because the congressman has not publicly repudiated Snob-ama's elitist comments or withdrawn his support for his presidential bid.

There is plenty of time for First District farmers and others in the district to rectify the mistake they made two years ago when they voted for Tim Walz. This year they can vote for Brian Davis, someone who won't make contradictory promises depending on the audience which he is addressing at the time then side with the one which organizes a high-heeled fundraiser for him.

Paleocon Strikes exclusive: a close up of what Tim Walz's tongue may look like

Now Reading ...

What I Saw at the Revolution is Peggy Noonan's memoir of her years as Ronald Reagan's speech writer. I have enjoyed reading how a working-class Irish Catholic girl from a staunchly Democratic family - and who campaigned vigorously for JFK when she was a child - became a conservative Republican.

One of my favorite passages so far has to do with media bias. Before she joined the Reagan White House, Peggy Noonan worked for CBS as a producer. Here is her recollection of the mood of journalists the night of the 1980 presidential election results.

I remember the night of the 1980 elections. All of CBS was gathered in a huge studio up above the newsroom. Big, crisply cut graphics saying CBS NEWS dominated one wall, the set for television another. Tucked away in a corner was radio, where I produced the coverage of a regional desk. For the first time the network would be fully computerized. Everybody int he room had a screen on which he could punch up information on races throughout the country.

There was a sense of expectation and excitement. America would soon know who its next president was, and there was only one way the people would find out: through us. We had a mission,and we wanted to do our best, to be great. It was Cronkite's last election night. I watched him across the room calmly patting his tie and laughing with Bob Schiffer and Roger Mudd.

late int he afternoon, a few hours before we were to go on the air, the first exit-poll information was to be available on the computers. Everyone started to punch it in. The room was bustling with laughter and oaths, but little by little it quieted. It was as if an invisible cloud of gas had descended. Soon there was only the dry tap-tap of computer keys as people punched up and repunched a nightmare. Something extraordinary is happening, Reagan is winning, he's not only winning, it's going to be a landslide. It's not just Reagan, it's McGovern out, Frank Church out - it's carnage! Those my age (I had just turned thirty) sat staring, slack-jawed, at little green words on little green screens. They commiserate. "Can you believe it?": "God, I can't believe it."

I say nothing until I see a fellow Reagan supporter across the room. I lift my fist. "Yo!"

"Yo," he answers. Ashamed of my joy, I go back to work.

Later, at 2:00 A.M., we went to a local bar. A young producer named Al, a smart and civilized fellow, said with slump-shouldered sadness, "What is happening to us? What is happening to this country?"

"I think we awoke from our slumber, " I said.

"You're not upset?"

"No. I think the country probably had enough of everything that wasn't working, and now they want a change."

"Well, they're going to get it!"

Now, I know that elitist liberal supporters of Barack Snob-ama will see the word "change" here and draw intellectually dishonest parallels between the 1980 and the 2008 presidential elections. But they should consider who their nobody candidate is and who Ronald Reagan was. To them, I leave another quote from Noonan's book:

"No great men are good men," said Lord Acton, who was right, until Reagan.

The Shameless Carnivore is a hilarious book, which means self-righteous liberal vegetarians should steer clear of it. I used to think I was a meat lover until I started reading Shameless. Author Scott Gold is the ultimate carnivore.

As a response to the woefully ignorant "meat is murder" slogan, Gold wrote a letter to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Here's an excerpt.

I'm sure most folks aren't aware that PETA kills animals. Lots of animals. Tons of animals, in fact. Not that it's a secret; I imagine you're aware of the 2005 article in the San Francisco Chronicle that said this:

Don't be fooled by the slick propaganda of PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The organization may claim to champion the welfare of animals, as the many photos of cute puppies and kittens on its Web site suggest. But last week , two PETA employees were charge with 31 felony counts of animal cruelty each, after authorities found them dumping the dead bodies of 18 animals they had just picked up from a North Carolina animal shelter into a Dumpster.

According to the Associated Press, 13 more dead animals were found in a van registered to PETA ... This is not the first report that PETA killed animals it claimed to protect. In 1991, PETA killed 18 rabbits and 14 roosters it had previously "rescued" from a research facility. "We just don't have the money" to care for them, then-PETA Chairman Alex Pacheco told the Washington Times. The PETA animal shelter had run out of room.

The Center for consumer Freedom, which represents the food industry, a frequent target of PETA campaigns, released data filed by PETA with the state of Virginia that shows PETA has killed more than 10,000 animals from 1998 to 2003. "In 2003, PETA euthanized over 85 percent of the animals it took in," said a press release from the lobby, "finding adoptive homes for just 14 percent. By comparison, the Norfolk (Va.) SPCA found adoptive homes for 73 percent of its animals and Virginia Beach SPCA adopted out 66 percent.

Such hypocrites.

Meat is yummy. Eat lots of it.

Davis versus Goliath

First Congressional District liberals are giddy and overconfident these days. Candidates are making their campaign finance reports public and Tim Walz's campaign coffers are filled to overflowing.

The incumbent has reported $1.5 million in reelection funds raised during the first quarter with a little over $1 million on hand. To those who are putting their reelection confidence on Walz's fund raising prowess, I have two words: Howard Dean.

GOP candidate Brian Davis may be the underdog in terms of finances but he is definitely the better candidate given the cultural and economic makeup of the First District. He doesn't plan to buy the First District congressional seat. Davis is David to the incumbent's Goliath. You know how the story ends.

Liberals in the district would rather boast about the incumbent's cash reserve than discuss the congressman's support for Barack Obama, a presidential candidate who considers children born out of wedlock a "punishment" and equivalent to acquiring a sexually transmitted disease. Not to mention the Illinois Senator's elitist statement that small town America is a collection of bitter homophobes who cling to religion and guns. Walz has yet to disavow Obama's comments or withdraw his support from someone whose values clearly do not match those of the district the congressman was elected to represent. "NASCAR Democrats" should know they are always welcome in the Republican Party.

One of Walz's staunchest sycophants attributes the incumbent congressman's fund raising success to being "a servant of the people," which reads very much like a communist slogan. Like Reps. Andy Welti, Kim Norton and Tina Liebling, as well as Sen. Ann Lynch present a "moderate" persona at home and an ideologically subservient one in St. Paul, incumbent Tim Walz is Mr. Jekyl in the district but Mr. Hyde in Washington, D.C.

Walz's First District face, depending on which part of the district he is in and what issue is being discussed, is accessible, congenial and friendly.

Incumbent Tim Walz's "First District face"

His public relations supports his fundraising. I inadvertently caused quite a stir in the Post-Bulletin's Political Party Blog when I suggested that a meeting between First District veterans and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi being arranged by Walz might be nothing more than cover for a lavish fundraiser to take place later that same day. Here are selected parts of the blog post that I found revealing:

Walz brings Pelosi to hear local vets

posted by Edward Felker, P-B Washington Bureau

Rep. Tim Walz, D-Mankato, has won a visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on April 21 for a meeting with 1st Congressional District veterans, but they'll have to drive to the Twin Cities.

Walz's spokeswoman Meredith Salsbery said Pelosi, D-Calif., cannot travel to the district, which stretches along southern Minnesota and includes Rochester, Winona, and Mankato. The place and exact time of the meeting will be announced later, and attendees will be included by invitation. The size of the gathering has yet to be determined, but attendees will include representatives of veterans service organizations, she said.

And

Normally a national party leader such as Pelosi will help raise money when they visit the rank-and-file in their home states. Earlier today I said in in this blog that the Walz campaign was unsure if a fundraiser could be held given the speaker's schedule; now that's changed. Richard Carlbom, Walz's political director, said this evening that Pelosi will appear at a fundraising event with Walz in the Twin Cities as part of her visit.

My impression of the post was as follows:

The title of this post is misleading. It makes it look like Pelosi is coming to Minnesota to visit veterans on Walz's request.

The painful truth, however, is that the House Majority Leader is coming to our state for a fundraiser in the Twin Cities. Using veterans as a cover to raise money is shameful.

Posted by: OdaSilva April 03, 2008 at 10:33 PM

My musings regarding the event drew a firestorm of protestations from Walz's groupies. Here's a sample:

Calling a meeting with veterans a "cover" for a fund raiser is pure nonsense.

Posted by: L D Nelson April 04, 2008 at 11:29 PM

From what I comprehend from this article is that Pelosi's visit with Walz to Veterans in the Twin Cities and a fundraising event with him are TWO SEPERATE events!!

To aver that Walz is using Veterans as a cover for fundraising with Pelosi is dishonest. Where is your solid evidence Othelmo???

Posted by: Kathleen Castrovinci April 05, 2008 at 12:22 AM

Here's an insightful post from a veteran in the district:

I am a local vet and Walz bringing the likes of Nancy Peolosi here to meet with vets if an insult, not an event. Whether Pelosi is here for a fundraiser or not is beside the point. She has no concern for the military and veterans issues are only a campaign issue for her. I suppose Walz' next guest for vets will be Hanoi Jane. Walz is a liberal masquerading as a conservative in a district he has no business representing.

Posted by: HFStassen April 05, 2008 at 03:55 PM

I regret that my observations about the fact that veterans are about to be used as props preceding a lavish fundraising event for Pelosi and Walz have caused such a virulent reaction from Walz's groupies.Walz's shameful record on taxes, spending, debt, and regulatory burdens on consumers and taxpayers is indeed part of the mix when considering the worthiness of the incumbent's reelection bid, not just "cash on hand."

Liberals would love to have Walz's voting record not be a part of the discussion but it must be. Walz and his fellow liberal ideologues in the Democratic Party controlled House and Senate are killing small business and making it more difficult for individuals on fixed incomes to live independently outside of a welfare system that strips them of their independence and dignity.

In my opinion, it is not fair to ignore Walz's abusive tax and spending ways while he is posing for photo ops with veterans as a cover for raking in campaign cash for Nancy Pelosi.

Tim Walz's Washington face is that of Nancy Pelosi. Check their voting records and see a nearly perfect match.

Tim Walz's "Washington face"

Tim Walz: Minnesota façade, San Francisco values.

Conventional Wisdom: The Liberal Nomination is Snob-ama's to Lose

NASCAR Democrats are the new Blacks.

Throwing blue-collar, Caucasian small town Americans , whom he described as Bible-thumpin', gun-slingin', "gay-bashin', presumably xenophobic and "bitter", under the bus has only raised Barack Snob-ama's status and support among his effete party's elite superdelegates.

Analysis: Time, delegate math working against Clinton

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent 2 hours, 46 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Time is running out on Hillary Rodham Clinton, the long-ago front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination who now trails Barack Obama in delegates, states won and popular votes.

Compounding Clinton's woes, Obama appears on track to finish the primary campaign fewer than 100 delegates shy of the 2,025 needed to win.

Clinton argues to Democratic officialdom that other factors should count, an unprovable assertion that she's more electable chief among them. But she undercut her own claim in Wednesday night's debate, answering "yes, yes, yes" when asked whether her rival could win the White House.

There's little if any public evidence the party's elite, the superdelegates who will attend the convention, are buying her argument anyway.

In the days since the surfacing of Obama's worst gaffe of the campaign — an observation that small town Americans are bitter folk who cling to religion and guns out of frustration — he has gained six convention superdelegates, to four for Clinton.

The rats are abandoning the sinking Clinton ship. Do they know something we don't? Why is the liberal Democratic establishment rejecting Hillary Clinton so openly?

Former Clinton Cabinet member Reich, 2 former senators endorse Obama

By Glen Johnson, Associated Press

Last update: April 18, 2008 - 3:18 PM

BOSTON - Former Clinton Cabinet member Robert Reich on Friday endorsed Barack Obama over Hillary Rodham Clinton in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Two other Democratic elder statesmen, former Sens. Sam Nunn of Georgia and David Boren of Oklahoma, also said they were supporting the Illinois senator.

Reich, who served as Labor secretary under Bill Clinton, said in a blog post that "although Hillary Clinton has offered solid and sensible policy proposals, Obama's strike me as even more so."

Reich also said Obama's plans for reforming Social Security and health care have a better chance of succeeding, and his approach to the nation's housing crisis and financial market failures are sounder than the New York senator's.

Reich is a longtime friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton. He ran for governor in Massachusetts in 2002 and now is a professor at the University of California-Berkeley.

A number of other former Clinton cabinet members have endorsed Obama. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who was U.N. ambassador and energy secretary under Clinton, endorsed former rival Obama in March despite heavy wooing by the former president. Former Denver Mayor Federico Pena, who headed the transportation and energy departments under Clinton, became a co-chair of Obama's campaign last September. Former Clinton Commerce secretaries Norman Mineta and William Daley also have endorsed Obama.

The diminutive Robert Reich is a leftist of the nth degree. The former Clinton administration Labor secretary makes ultra-lefty NY Times columnist Paul Krugman look like Barry Goldwater by comparison. His endorsement of Snob-ama speaks volumes about the kind of policies the Illinois senator would implement should America be punished with an Obama presidency.

Snob-ama/Hillary Debate: What Happens When Media Types Do Their Job Right

ABC debate moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos are paying dearly for daring to do their jobs: ask the hard questions and expect honest answers instead of throwing softballs and accepting spin.

Ratings, criticism big for ABC presidential debate
Thursday April 17, 4:31 pm ET
By David Bauder, AP Television Writer ABC's Gibson, Stephanopoulos sharply criticized on debate performance

NEW YORK (AP) -- ABC News drew both record ratings and a heap of complaints about how Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos moderated the Democratic presidential debate, criticism that Stephanopoulos on Thursday called a sign of how much people care.

By midafternoon Thursday, more than 15,600 comments were posted on ABC News' Web site, the tone overwhelmingly negative. A prominent TV critic, Tom Shales of The Washington Post, said Gibson and Stephanopoulos "turned in shoddy, despicable performances."

Why were liberals so bent out of shape, you ask? This is why:

Early in the debate, ABC's moderators asked for a pledge that the nomination fight's loser would be the vice presidential candidate (they wouldn't) and whether each candidate thought the other could beat Republican John McCain (they did).

Besides those questions, the first three issues raised concerned comments made by Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright; comments that Obama made about the draw of guns and religion to some rural Americans; and Clinton's false claim that she had been under sniper fire in Bosnia while first lady.

Obama was asked about why he hasn't worn an American flag pin on his lapel, and his relationship with a former member of the Weather Underground.

All of these issues were raised before Iraq and the economy came up.

Snob-ama the Bitter and Rich Girl Hillary research and rehearse answers to questions about Iraq and the economy. Their replies to "serious policy questions" are canned, focus group tested and insincere.

Stephanopoulos's and Gibson's questions had to do with candor, character, judgment and, most of all, honesty. Snob-ama and Hillary fall considerably short in all areas.

You can read the transcript of the debate here. And here's a sample to the "offensive" questions from the ABC moderators:

To Senator Snob-ama:

Talking to a closed-door fund-raiser in San Francisco 10 days ago, you got talking in California about small town Pennsylvanians who have had tough economic times in recent years. And you said they get bitter and they cling to guns or they cling to their religion or they cling to antipathy toward people who are not like them. You said you misspoke. You said you mangled what it was you wanted to say. But we've talked to a lot of voters. Do you understand that some people in this state find that patronizing and think that you said actually what you meant?

More than a year ago, you rescinded the invitation to him to attend the event when you announced your candidacy. He was to give the invocation. And according to the reverend, I'm quoting him, you said to him: "You can get kind of rough in sermons. So, what we've decided is that it's best for you not to be out there in public." I'm quoting the reverend.

But what did you know about his statements that caused you to rescind that invitation? And if you knew he got rough in sermons, why did it take you more than a year to publicly disassociate yourself from his remarks?

Senator Obama, your campaign has sent out a cascade of e-mails just about every day, questioning Senator Clinton's credibility. And you, yourself, said she hasn't been fully truthful about what she would do as president. Do you believe that Senator Clinton has been fully truthful about her past?

A gentleman named William Ayers. He was part of the Weather Underground in the 1970s. They bombed the Pentagon, the Capitol, and other buildings. He's never apologized for that.

And, in fact, on 9/11, he was quoted in the New York Times saying, "I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough." An early organizing meeting for your State Senate campaign was held at his house and your campaign has said you are "friendly."

Can you explain that relationship for the voters and explain to Democrats why it won't be a problem?

To Rich Girl Hillary:

Senator Clinton, how do you reconcile the campaign credibility that you have when you made those comments about what happened getting off the plane in Bosnia, which totally misrepresented what really happened on that day? You really lost my vote. And what can you tell me to get that vote back?

General Petraeus was in Washington. You both were there when he testified. Saying that the gains in Iraq are fragile and are reversible. Are you essentially saying: I know better than the military commanders here?

Snob-ama was clearly under the microscope here. So much so that there seems to be a soft consensus among the punditocracy that Hillary "won" the Pennsylvania debate.

I thought the liberal lovefest with Snob-ama would never end. I think the ABC debate was a brief respite, however. It didn't take long for some media outlets to attack the ABC debate and its moderators.

In Pa. Debate, The Clear Loser Is ABC

When Barack Obama met Hillary Clinton for another televised Democratic candidates' debate last night, it was more than a step forward in the 2008 presidential election. It was another step downward for network news -- in particular ABC News, which hosted the debate from Philadelphia and whose usually dependable anchors, Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, turned in shoddy, despicable performances.

For the first 52 minutes of the two-hour, commercial-crammed show, Gibson and Stephanopoulos dwelled entirely on specious and gossipy trivia that already has been hashed and rehashed, in the hope of getting the candidates to claw at one another over disputes that are no longer news. Some were barely news to begin with.

Obama Accuses Clinton of Playing Rough in ‘Gotcha’ Debate ...

Sparks flew so much at the Philadelphia debate, broadcast nationally on ABC, that media analysts questioned the motives of the debate moderators. Bloggers on the Huffington Post called it the worst debate ever. Others described the first Democratic debate in nearly two months as a “gotcha” confrontation.

Clinton Obama Pennsylvania Debate Sparks Media Controversy

While the “official” media consensus has yet to come in at this writing, monitoring live streaming, live blogging and early stories on the debate suggest it wasn’t Obama’s best night (possibly his worst debate performance), Clinton continued effectively and relentlessly on the attack — and ABC and the debate moderators will come under fire from Obama supporters and perhaps others due to the first 45-minutes being questions that basically put Obama on the defensive. One question asked was reportedly raised by conservative talk show Sean Hannity.

The Democratic contest for the party's nomination has turned into a train wreck for both candidates and their (former?) media allies.

Most Hated

You'd think liberals would aim their anger toward the real enemies of America. You know, people like Osama bin Laden, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong Il or the Hamas and Hezbollah leaders du jour. But no, they have to direct their vitriol toward the leader of the free world and the head of the Catholic Church.

It must give liberals indigestion to see President George W. Bush and Pope Benedict the XVI together so often during His Holiness's first visit to the United States.

Let's hope Jimmy Carter meets with Hamas terrorist leaders soon. Their respective staffs should take lots of pictures so liberals can see them and feel better.

DRAZ ENDORSES BRIAN DAVIS FOR CONGRESS

"Brian is a perfect fit for the U.S. House of Representatives."
- Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R-28B)

TO: House District #28B Media and First District Republicans
FROM: Representative Steve Drazkowski
DATE: 04/16/08
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Rep. Steve Drazkowski
14369 654th Street
Wabasha, MN 55981
651-564-0638

Following the First District Republican endorsement of Dr. Brian Davis for U.S. Congress, Representative Steve Drazkowski enthusiastically gave his support to Davis. "Brian is a perfect fit for the U.S. House of Representatives. His experience and education have prepared Brian to tackle the challenges facing America and those important to the First District of Minnesota. Brian's engineering background and work experience in the electric power industry make him well-suited to provide solutions to our energy crisis and to represent the burgeoning energy industry in our District."

Representative Drazkowski continued, "Brian's experience as a physician specialized in radiation oncology gives him the perspectives in healthcare to offer meaningful answers to the many problems we face in this area. We need his background from the private-sector in health care and his principled views on the value of a market-driven economy in Washington. It is clear that Brian recognizes the successes and limitations of our healthcare system from a practical perspective. More perspectives like his are needed in Washington."

Drazkowski also commented on his friendship with Dr. Davis stating, "I have enjoyed getting to know Brian and his family over the past year. He and I share the same commitment to limited government, rural values, and dedicated service to the people of Minnesota."

"I have great respect for Representative Drazkowski," said Davis in response to the endorsement. "Steve is a hard-working, determined and principled leader in our District. I'm honored to have his endorsement in this Congressional race and to work with his many supporters. "

Why Are Most Men Republicans?

Here is one theory:

(Click on the picture for a larger version)

Jimmy Carter: Terrorist Sympathizer

Carter embraces Hamas official at West Bank meeting

JERUSALEM (AP) - Former President Carter angered Israel's government Tuesday by embracing a Hamas politician during a visit to the West Bank, ignoring Israeli and U.S. designation of the Islamic militants as a terror group. Israel accused Carter, the broker of the first Arab-Israeli peace accord, of "dignifying" extremists. But Carter vowed to meet Hamas' supreme leader this week in Syria.

Carter, a Nobel Peace laureate, also laid a wreath at Yasser Arafat's grave, another break with U.S. policy during a private peace mission to the Middle East that includes stops in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Syria - where the virulently anti-Israel Hamas movement has its headquarters. Carter returns to Israel on Monday.

Carter has been shunned by Israel this week, and the White House has criticized him for his willingness to meet with Hamas leaders. Carter says the U.S. and Israel should stop isolating the group, whose control of the Gaza Strip threatens to undermine Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

"Since Syria and Hamas will have to be involved in a final peace agreement, they have to be involved in discussions that lead to final peace," Carter said in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

During the graveside ceremony, a two-man honor guard escorted the 83-year-old Carter and his wife, Rosalynn. Carter placed the wreath on the grave, then solemnly nodded before turning away. Later, a Palestinian host told Carter that Arafat's resting place was temporary, and the Palestinians hope to move his remains to Jerusalem one day. Carter did not react.

Presidential failure and terrorist sympathizer Jimmy Carter has outdone himself this time. Leave it to Carter to alienate both his own government and that of Israel, our only firm ally in the Middle East, in favor of cozying up to Hamas terrorists who have repeatedly vowed to destroy the Israeli state.

Carter says that the U.S. and Israel should stop isolating Hamas, those poor terrorist babies. How comforting it would have been to hear Carter say that Hamas should stop murdering Israeli civilians. Of course, that would be mean to the terrorist butchers. Carter believes we must make peace with mass murderers. He is wrong.

The only redeeming aspect of Carter's failed presidency (by default, that is) is that it made way for the great Ronald Reagan.

Strib: Davis's Stances Are Clear Cut

The Mayo physician won the GOP's backing, but still faces a primary challenge against Sen. Dick Day.


By CHAO XIONG, Star Tribune
Last update: April 15, 2008 - 12:36 AM

Dr. Brian Davis emerged from near obscurity about a year ago when he decided to run for Congress.

But despite that inherent disadvantage and his lack of civic involvement, the Mayo Clinic doctor won the Republican endorsement to challenge incumbent Rep. Tim Walz in southern Minnesota's First District.

It was the latest in a string of successes for the Waukegan, Ill., native who went from flipping steaks to becoming an engineer, then a cancer doctor, according to those who know him.

The 50-year-old father of four's first-ballot victory over Rep. Randy Demmer, R-Hayfield, at the First District GOP convention March 29 has brought attention to a man with little name recognition or public service experience.

"We don't know very much about him yet," said DFL chair Brian Melendez. "He has no track record of community service or civic engagement. It's very important to be engaged in the community you are living in."

Involvement in work-related groups, in which Davis is active, does not approach the level of volunteer or civic activities, Melendez argued.

Davis was elected Olmsted County Republican Party treasurer a year ago, but reduced his commitment three months later after he filed to run for Congress. Another person took over the position in November.

Davis still faces a fight in the Sept. 9 GOP primary, where he will be up against six-term state Sen. Dick Day, R-Owatonna, former Senate minority leader.

Davis has championed his political outsider status as a winning mark of his candidacy. And he regularly notes his real-life experience in engineering and medicine as key to his ability to address energy and health care concerns.

"I've always been interested in politics, but have always understood that in our system of government, it's the life experiences that people bring to the table that's valuable to government," Davis said, adding that he has worked in public and veterans hospitals while in school and is a fairly new member of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce.

Humble roots

To balance his image as a doctor at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, where his wife works one weekend a month as an emergency-room doctor, Davis notes that at heart he's a Midwesterner from a humble background, an image touted by other candidates in the largely rural district stretching across the southern part of the state.

In his battle for the endorsement, Demmer noted his roots as a former small-business owner and farmer. Walz is a former National Guard noncommissioned officer and high school teacher from Mankato. The district's previous representative, Gil Gutknecht, was an auctioneer.

Davis was born the younger of two children to a public school principal father and a reading-teacher mother. He grew up in a bookish household with parents who kept him on task, said his long-time friend, Ron Belec.

"They didn't cut him any slack," said Belec, who met Davis when both were teenage cooks at a steakhouse. "Everything was just easy" for him.

Davis' early jobs also included delivering newspapers and counseling YMCA campers. He earned college money by painting house numbers on curbs and later worked as a part-time janitor, doorman and furniture mover while in school.

"I learned a lot prior to going into medicine," said Davis, who will take a leave of absence from Mayo this month.

Both Belec and Davis' wife, Lori Lillienberg, said he's been a staunch and conservative Republican his entire life.

"He's the same guy," said Lillienberg, a stay-at-home parent when she's not working her weekends at Mayo. "He would rile up my Democratic friends."

Questions global warming

Davis has taken conservative stances on a number of issues, including:

• Opposing abortion.

• Opposing gay marriage and civil unions if they provide the same benefits as marriage.

• Favoring eliminating government-imposed standards for automobile mileage and production so marketplace competition can take its natural course.

• Opposing a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq in favor of letting Iraqis vote on the extent of U.S. involvement in the country.

• Opposing social services and amnesty for illegal immigrants.

"I don't deny that there are areas where glaciers are shrinking and breaking up, but then there are areas where ice packs are forming," Davis said. "Climate is very variable. And it's very difficult to predict."
• Expressing skepticism "that mankind has little if anything to do with global warming."

According to the DFL's Melendez, Davis is "toeing the party line too much. The things I've heard him say, like about global warming, suggests to me that this guy is a little off-kilter."

Although not in those exact words, Davis similarly characterized what he called Walz's partisan voting record in Congress. That, among other reasons, is why he's running for office, Davis said.

"I have four young children," he said, "and I want them to grow up in a strong and prosperous country so that when they're adults, they can look back and say that my generation did the right thing."

DFL Chair Brian Melendez is a party hack. He does not decide what qualifies someone to run for Congress. Melendez would laud any liberal candidate who rose from humble beginnings and reached the pinnacle of not one, but two fields of study. His predictable protestations tell me that DFLers take Brian's challenge seriously.

Brian Davis' middle class roots, Midwestern values and professional expertise more than qualify him to represent the First District as our congressman in Washington, D.C.

Question for the Rochester Post-Bulletin: How come Olmsted County residents have to read a Minneapolis Star Tribune news story about GOP candidate Brian Davis?

I mean, I see a lot of stories built around Tim Walz's press releases both in print and in the P-B's Political Party blog.Walz is based in Mankato. Davis lives and works right here in Rochester. Is the P-B getting Davis' press releases?