Thundercrack

Springsteen At the Apollo XM Sirius Concert

2012-03-10T11:31:00.000-08:00

Because it's my blog. This show was on March 6, 2012 and was the first live show I've been to in over 10 years. Yes I was listening on XM Sirius but through the miracle of Twitter it was really quite cool to be a part of. I'm fired up to go to the tour if and when it rolls through St. Paul.

The biggest question I had was who would take over for the Big Man. Jake Clemons, Clarence's nephew took all the big solos..and nailed them! Thunder Road and Badlands in particular!

Remember, "If you're here, and we're here, they're here..."

McCollum Vs. Bachmann? Too Good To Be True

2011-11-22T07:49:00.000-08:00

Last week the Minnesota DFL proposed a redistricting map that would pit Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann against Minnesota's current 4th Congressional Representative, and intellectual lightweight Betty McCollum. The map would create a new 6th district by combining all of Washington and Ramsey counties. Rep. McCollum's response to this news is vintage Betty, through her spokesman Bill Harper, she called the DFL map "hyper partisan" and "bizzare". I guess Betty is so used to criticizing the Tea Party with such adjectives, it's become reflexive even if it's directed at her own party.

There is still a lot of chips that would need to fall in place before this "dream matchup" could actually occur. First, Rep. Bachmann is running for President and while her numbers have been falling as the race has developed, she still hasn't dropped out, and probably won't until after the Iowa Caucus -- where she has focussed most of her campaign resources. If she does drop out, she'll have to decide if she wants to run for Congress again. She hasn't announced her intentions, but she'll have a sizeable war chest if she does. Rep. Bachmann is very popular among the Tea Party and has track record of being an extremely strong national fundraiser. Her Presidential campaign has only boosted her fundraising network. Her last congressional election in 2010 was one of the most expensive in the country, and a 2012 matchup with McCollum would be even more so.

Secondly, the final decision on the new congressional boundaries will be decided by a court panel since the Republican legistature and Gov. Dayton failed to come to an agreement during the last legislative session. That decision is expected to be made shortly after the new year.

The DFL is banking on the fact that 62% of voters in this new district voted for President Obama in 2008 as evidence that this new district would be a safe one for the DFL and Rep. McCollum. St. Paul taxpayers welcome the matchup. President Obama has lost the swing voters in the middle, and the suburbs of Washington and Ramsey counties are ripe with disaffected voters who fear the country is off course and needs a major course correction.

The biggest challenge in defeating Rep. McCollum over the last few election cycles has been the fact that her challengers haven't had the necessary funds to run an effective campaign and get the message out about Rep. McCollum's far left, Pelosi-Reid-Obama voting record. A potential matchup with Rep. Bachmann removes McCollum's fundraising advantage and all but guarantees that voters will learn what those of us who pay attention have always known -- Rep. McCollum is an ultra far left liberal lapdog for the extreme progressive wing of the Obama - Reid - Pelosi machine.

A Bachmann vs. McCollum matchup would ensure that voters in St. Paul, Ramsey and Washington counties will find out how out of touch Rep. McCollum really is from the mainstream. Her past statments, that have become viral sensations on the Internet will surely get more media attention in the next election cycle. Rep. McCollum's record is a "target rich enviroment" for a well funded candidate. Her statements have been documented at this site for years:

Rep. McCollum doesn't think we have a voter fraud problem in this country.

Rep. McCollum doesn't think Al Qaeda poses a threat to the United States.

Rep. McCollum thinks the federal budget is "just a piece of paper..totally nonbinding."

Rep. McCollum thinks former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is a consensus builder.

And the Granddaddy of Them All, Rep. McCollum left the words "Under God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance when leading Congress.

Between these statements, her constant blaming the Tea Party for our nation's financial woes, rather than the profligate spending in Washington, her unflinching support for President Obama's failed economic policies, and the fact that the only acceptable cuts in the federal budget that she could find were NASCAR sponsorships and military bands make her a weak candidate to represent Minnesota.

And can you imagine the debate? Betty McCollum won't be able to hide from that one.

Vikings Stadium Deal Fleeces St. Paul Taxpayers

2011-05-14T05:40:00.000-07:00

Let me say this to start, I bleed purple. One of my earliest football memories was going over to my uncle's house for a football party to watch the Vikings play in something called the Super Bowl back when I was 7 years old. I remember watching both Fran Tarkenton's and Jim Marshall's last games at Met Stadium. I went crazy when Ahmad Rashad caught Tommy Kramer's Hail Mary pass to beat the Browns in 1980. I've suffered through the Les Stekel year, Darrin Nelson's dropped pass in the end zone in 1987 and the Hershel Walker trade. I was at the NFC Championship in 98 and watched Randall Cunningham take a knee. I was humiliated by 41- doughnut in the 2000 NFC Championship. I had season tickets for years, until I got married and had a family and couldn't afford them anymore. I never fully embraced Favre, but got on the bandwagon only to be disappointed again by having 12 men on the field. I've got authentic Robert Smith and Daunte Culpepper jerseys hanging in my closet -- and I still HATE the new uniforms!  Every fall I live and die with the Vikes, and have from Grant, Tark, Blair, and Studwell, to Browner, Doleman, McDaniel and Millard, to Carter and Moss, to Petersen, Harvin, Hutch and Winfield.

With that said, as a St. Paul resident and Ramsey County taxpayer I cannot and will not support the proposed Vikings stadium deal to build a $1B football palace in Arden Hills.  Ramsey County Commissioners Rafael Ortega and Tony Bennett say they have the votes to impose a half cent sales tax on Ramsey County resdents to finance their "share" of the cost -- approximately $350 million.  In St. Paul, that would push our sales tax to 8.125% -- making it the highest sales tax in the state. Looks like I'll be doing most of my shopping in Eagan from now on!

I've heard all of the arguments about "if we don't step to the plate and get a stadium deal done, the Vikings will leave." How many times did we hear that during the Twins debate over the last 15 years. Hennepin County ultimately added .15% to its county wide sales tax to fund Target Field. What's .5% here, and .15% there anyway? It all adds up, and what it means is that all those Vikings fans from around the state who are now backing this deal won't pay "their fair share," while those of us who live, work and shop in Ramsey County will get disproportionately fleeced on a daily basis.

This deal should have been put together with a combination of "user fees" such as ticket taxes, taxes on team jerseys and memorabilia, hotel taxes, liquor taxes, parking taxes and income taxes on player salaries -- with the team picking up the difference.  The fact that it wasn't done with user fees shows that there wouldn't have been enough money there. Why is it that a billion dollar industry like the NFL needs a taxpayer funded subsidy?

My only hope at this point is that with a GOP controlled House and Senate, that this deal is DOA at the legislature this year. With the out of control spending at the Legislature, the last thing in the world we need is for the state to be spending $300 million on a Vikings stadium. Hopefully all the new GOP legislators will have the courage to just say No. It's time the taxpayers stare down these billionare owners and tell them we aren't going to be shaken down anymore.

Bennett and Ortega -- As a constituent in St. Paul, consider this a warning that we'll remember this at election time!

Making News Again: St. Paul City Councilman's Office Sends Shameful Email To Constituent By Mistake

2011-04-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, Dave Thune isn't my city councilman, his ward borders mine. I doubt this liberal blowhard will do anything about his staffer, but Barb Benson clearly should be fired. (It would be nice to see Thune do the honorable thing, but I'm not holding my breath.)

From Minnesota Democrats Exposed

Kudos to KSTP for breaking the story out of St. Paul [Friday] when the assistant to St. Paul City Councilman Dave Thune, Barb Benson, sent a nasty response to a local business man looking to honor a local legend.

Thune’s assistant sent an email accidentally replying to the businessman, and not her office gossip buddy: “A statue of Bill Bowell?????? Gag. Barf. This is the gay guy that always runs against Dave for City Council”

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S2088916.shtml?cat=1

From the story:
Businessman Bill Hosko sent the Mayor and Council a letter suggesting that a statue be placed on Harriet Island to honor long time boat captain Bill Bowell. The assistant reacted to the idea by sending back an inflammatory email denouncing the idea. The email was not intended to be sent to Hosko, but was by mistake.
An internal investigation into the matter is underway at City Hall.

This is far from Thune’s first run-in with shameful behavior. In 2008, Thune joked about the World War II bombing of Nagasaki during a visit from a Japanese delegation to St. Paul. In 2008 as well, Thune sent a profane email from his official city account to a constituent (from MDE).

Here’s one of the stories from 2010 when Thune told someone through email “F*** You”.
The time has come for City Councilman Dave Thune and his partisan staff to step down before he makes another deranged and inappropriate comment on behalf of the city of St. Paul.

Cross-posted at MN Democrats Exposed - comments welcome.

Senator Cohen Staffer Tweets Offensive Slur Against Christians

2011-04-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm one of the 30% of voters in Highland Park in St. Paul who doesn't vote straight line DFL in every general election. My state senator, Richard Cohen, has been in the state legislature since I was six years old (and I'm 41 now.) The guy literally is the poster boy for term limits. Thanks to last fall's election he's also the FORMER Chariman of the Senate Finance Committee.

In any other legislative district in Minnesota, Cohen would have been bouned last fall. He's everything that the voters in MN overwhelmingly rejected last fall. Cohen has had his hand on the purse strings of this state for 30 years. It's really about time that he push his seat "away from the table." His challenger last fall, Tony Hernandez is a young, energetic leader within the community who ran a great campaign and connected with voters. Unlike Cohen, Hernandez actually has been seen around the community. He performed well in the one debate he had with Cohen. Hopefully he'll be back. However, here in District 64, the same voters who routinely send St. Paul's village idiot Betty McCollum back to Washington, regularly punch Cohen's ticket back to the Capitol.

Thanks to Minnesota Democrats Exposed for uncovering the fact that over the Easter weekend, one of Cohen's staffers, Nicole Kaplan, tweeted the following: "Oh, I wonder if Jesus will see his shadow tomorrow! That's what this holiday is about right?"

I can only imagine what the media would have done if a Republican staffer had tweeted a joke in poor taste about Ramadan or Passover?

I'm not calling for anyone to be fired. But Senator Cohen -- how about at least issuing an apology? Alienating your non Jewish constiuents is never a good idea!

Betty McCollum Tax Day Message

2011-04-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after the House passed Rep. Paul Ryan's 2012 budget proposal, MN Rep. Betty McCollum went outside the Capital and in an attempt to grandstand released the following statement.

Betty is really good at spouting platitudes like "shared sacrifice," and making statements such as "borrowing money to fund tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans" without having any basis in facts. One of the best videos I've seen regarding the spending binge Betty and her Democratic ilk have undertaken is below, its worth a watch.

Rome is burning...I hope I can at least affod a handbasket on the trip...

Michael Paymar - Soros Linked Secret Socialist In The Minnesota State Legislature

2011-04-02T05:03:00.000-07:00

I saw this this morning at True North Sadly, Michael Paymar is my state representative. We've had some good conservative candidates run against him the last couple cycles, but the DFL machine could get a sock puppet elected in this town.

The U.S.'s largest Marxist organization Democratic Socialists of America has infiltrated members and supporters into several state legislatures across the nation. Usually posing as Democrats, the covert socialists are then used to promote D.S.A. legislation and causes, such as gun control, single payer health care, leftist labor legislation etc. at the state level.

One such infiltrator is long-time Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party State Representative Michael Paymar.
First elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1996, Paymar is now serving in his 7th term as a legislator from St. Paul, Minnesota. He is chair of the Public Safety Finance Division which has budget oversight over the Department of Correction, Department of Public Safety, Department of Human Rights, the Courts and crime victim programs. He is also member of the House Finance Committee, Public Safety Policy Division and the Civil Justice Division.

Michael Paymar is also a member of the Council of State Governments Public Safety and Justice Task Force and the National Conference of State Legislatures Committee on Law and Justice.

Paymar has been a strong advocate of gun control, socialized health care and of measures to combat domestic violence. The last is a very worthy cause, but is one often hi-jacked by feminists and socialists to extract money from government and foundations and to denigrate men and masculine institutions.

Paymar is a co-founder of the well known (some would say "infamous") Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project.

Paymar serves a Resource Specialist for the leftist Battered Women's Justice Program in Minneapolis, providing training and technical assistance to professionals in the criminal and civil justice system, law enforcement and the U.S. military on ways to end domestic violence.

As a consultant with George Soros' Soros foundation and Advocates for Human Rights, Michael Paymar worked with NGOs in Eastern Europe, Europe, the Caucusus, central Asia, China and Australia. He has worked with the Department of Defense in the United States and military installations in Japan, Guam, Iceland, Hawaii, North Carolina, Florida, and California.

In 2010 Paymar addressed a National Institute of Justice conference on the Violence Against Women Act, with Lynn Rosenthal, White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, Office of the Vice President of the United States.

What evidence do I have to prove that Michael Paymar is a covert Marxist?

In 1996, D.S.A. sent six staff members into the field for the final weeks of the election campaign. These staff and D.S.A. volunteers "contributed to the re-election of SenatorPaul Wellstone and Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-upstate NY)."

D.S.A. leader Christine Riddiough was assigned to Wellstone's campaign in Minnesota. While there she also met Michael Paymar;
While in Minnesota I had the fortune to meet with many members of Twin Cities DSA. The group is planning to meet regularly to work on DSA's Action Agenda and to draw together Minnesota socialists. In my election work I ran across another DSA member, Michael Paymar, who was running for the Minnesota legislature. Along with Wellstone, he, too, won on Tuesday. He now joins the ranks of DSAers and other progressives who are trying to change American politics while serving in public office.

D.S.A.'s Democratic Left, Nov./Dec. 1996, page 18

How many of the thousands of Minnesota voters who put Michael Paymar into office realized they were voting for a covert Marxist? Has any of Michael Paymar's campaign literature, or public statements ever mentioned his Democratic Socialists of America affiliation?

D.S.'s goals include to "abolish private ownership of the means of production", increase progressive taxation, promote gun control, introduce socialized health care in every state and gradually turn the U.S. into a socialist country.

Are these aims in line with the views of most Minnesota voters?

Perhaps some enterprising journalist could ask Michael Paymar to explain his Marxist affiliation and why he has never bothered to tell Minnesota voters about his D.S.A. connection.

Twila Brase Destroys Liberal Idiot On Live TV

2011-03-25T05:35:00.000-07:00

This was just too good not to post. Got this tip from fellow blogger D at MNCD4NeedsChange. Twila Brase destroys liberal talking head Eric Pussey over the facts regarding ObamaCare on live TV, the other night.

Healthcare Reform: Year 1 Debate: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

Something's Fishy About Betty McCollum's Death Threat Allegations

2011-02-26T12:23:00.000-08:00

As a resident of MN 4th Congressional District, I'm represented by one of the most liberal and intellectually challenged members in Congress, Betty McCollum. Her legislative record is so vapid, that she rarely makes news except for doing something truly laughable. Luckily that happens with a certain amount of regularity.

Like leaving the words "Under God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance when leading Congress.

Or saying we don't have a voter fraud problem in this country.

Or saying that Al Qaeda no longer poses a threat to the United States.

Or for calling the budget "just a piece of paper..totally nonbinding."

Or for calling former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi a consensus builder.

Recently I've noticed a pattern with Rep. McCollum. After taking heat a few weeks ago for sponsoring an Ammendment to remove $7mm in funding for the Army to sponsor NASCAR racing, she released a fax she allegedly received containing racist, sexist and incendiary language and a death threat. Reader Advisory: The fax is clearly disgusting.

However, after seeing this fax, I noticed that it looked strikingly similar to a fax Rep McCollum released back in October 2010 after the Pledge of Allegiance controversy hit the Internet, turning Betty into a viral sensation. At that time, Rep. McCollum blamed racism within the Tea Party for using the Pledge controversy against her and turning it into a campaign issue.

One thing becomes strikingly clear after comparing these two faxes, along with a third threatening fax sent to California State Sen. Leland Yee back in January. You can see that fax here These faxes were all clearly designed (and likely sent) by the same person. This begs two questions:

1. Why hasn't someone in the media or law enforcement connected these dots? It would seem pretty easy to trace where these faxes orignitated from, and from there through some basic investigative work at least identify a few suspected senders? (Maybe I watch too much Law and Order, but come on people...?)

2. Is it possible that these faxes aren't from someone on the right at all, but rather part of a "false flag" operation coming from the left? Accusing your opponents of sending threats is a good way to deflect attention from the original topic, the pledge kerfuffle last fall and the NASCAR dust up now. Playing the race card is especially easy when the lame stream media provides you with a willing PR machine.

After the Tucson tragedy, threats to any public official shouldn't be taken lightly. It's clearly obvious that someone is threatening a member of Congress, and a California State Senator. Whoever sent these faxes should be arrested and prosecuted, no matter which side of the aisle they came from.

Save Gopher Football

2010-11-13T07:27:00.000-08:00

I thought it was just me thinking this way. I was really encouraged to see that a group of former Gopher football players and Alumni placed an ad in the Minnesota Daily this week asking that Joel Maturi not be allowed to hire the next Gopher football coach. Maturi is a joke. The Athletic Department is a financial mess, and new leadership is needed not only on the field, but in the administration to get the program headed toward respectability again.

Personally I'd love to see Mike Grant hired; but I'm not qualified to make the decision any more than Maturi has proven to be.

The text of the letter is as follows:

PRESIDENT BRUININKS
HOW MUCH WILL MATURI COST US THIS TIME?

Athletic Director Joel Maturi is using the same process and people who produced Tim Brewster to hire our next football coach. Why should we expect a better outcome this time? The A.D.’s last hire cost us more than $4 million in coach salary and 4 years of lost momentum for our football program. Another misstep could condemn Minnesota football to permanent mediocrity. It’s 4th down for Gopher football…with so much on the line, do we really want to hand the ball again to the same person who fumbled his last assignment?

THIS IS ABOUT MORE THAN FOOTBALL

Over the last five years, the Athletic Department has cost the University MORE THAN $26 MILLION in subsidies and deficits. With the University’s budget under tremendous pressure, with a legislative request for $1.2 BILLION for the next 2 years and with EVER HIGHER TUITION BILLS, this is money we can put to better use elsewhere on campus.Even worse, the University is missing an opportunity for TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN ADDED REVENUE. Most Big Ten athletic departments operate in the black, raising more than they spend, with football as the economic engine. Football programs can be a source of community and alumni pride bringing in millions more in donations, sponsorships and partnerships supporting academic programs far beyond the football field. We’ve seen it happen in WISCONSIN and IOWA. With new leadership, there is no reason it can’t happen here, too.

As former Gopher football players, now taxpayers and businessmen, we can no longer stay silent. A world-class university with a new football stadium deserves excellence in ALL areas, including the leadership of its once proud football program. The team deserves a top quality coach. It’s not too late and we don’t have to “settle.” We just have to speak up—loudly and in one voice. Please join us.Help ensure Joel Maturi isn’t the one to hire the next Gopher Head Football Coach.

Go to: www.SaveGopherFootball.com to help

Candy's Room

2010-11-08T19:52:00.000-08:00

Because it's my blog..

The new deluxe version of Darkness on the Edge of town comes out in 8 days. I can't wait for the bonus material in the box set including The Promise, a collection of songs recorded during the 3 year period between Born to Run and Darkness..that never made the final album. But there also is a DVD included with a 2009 live recording of Darkness by the whole band, at the Paramount Theater..with no audience.

Question: Will DFL Sen. Richard Cohen Retire?

2010-11-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

My State Senator Richard Cohen, of SD64 has been in the state legislature since 1977, making him the Jim Oberstar of the State Senate. During this year's campaign with challenger Tony Hernandez the biggest reason he could provide voters for his re-election was his status as Chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

With the DFL losing control of the Senate for the first time...ever, how will Sen. Cohen adjust to being the ranking minority member on that committee? I'm sure the office isn't nearly as nice as the Chair's office.

It's time to retire Dick...

The Election's Biggest Losers

2010-11-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

MDE Has an interesting post this morning speculating on the biggest losers in the 2010 election in Minnesota.

There was one glaring omission on their list:

St. Paul Voters -- Once again 60% of the St. Paul electorate has been exposed to be nothing more than a collection of union thugs, government employees and other "entitlement recipients" -- all standing with their hands out expecting to receive their government allowances. Those of us who pay the bills get screwed again!

Honestly -- re-electing Betty McCollum? I can't stand the fact that we're a joke to the rest of the country! At least we can take solace in the fact that Betty will be relegated to backbencher status, and with Nancy Pelosi out of power, she'll become even more irrelevant and insignficant.

Welcome To Thundercrack

2010-11-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

It's November 3, 2010. The day after the Tea Party Tidal Wave of 2010.

Here in Minnesota the GOP took control of both houses of the MN Legislature for the first time ever. Republicans have unseated a 36 year, 18 term incumbant in the 8th Congressional District. However the Governor's race is in doubt, and headed for a likely recount.

On a personal level, my candidate in the 4th Congressional District, Teresa Collett was defeated by Rep Betty McCollum. Teresa Collett was a great constitutional conservative candidate, who has a great future. She inspired a lot of people, such as myself to get involved for the first time in helping get her elected. Granted MNCD4 is a tough district, but there was hope that in a wave election such as this, we might be able to defeat the "intellectual leader" of the House, Rep. McCollum. Especially with all the good material that Betty gave us during the campaign:

Such as saying she supported Nancy Pelosi 100%

And saying that the Federal Budget "is just a piece of paper..its totally non binding."

And saying that "AlQaeda no longer presents a threat to the United States" -- days before authorities arrested a man with AlQaeda connections casing bomb targets in DC, and 8 days before AlQaeda tried to blow up cargo airplanes on their way to the US.

I think its funny today, that on the eve of a statewide recount in the governor's race in Minnesota, with several "voter irregularities" already reported in Hennepin County -- McCollum is on record saying she doesn't think we have a vote fraud problem in the US.

And despite an outright rejection of the Democratic Health Care Reform Bill at the polls last night, Betty still had the seeds to defend her vote for it -- despite being grossly uninformed on the facts of the bill.

I worked hard for Teresa Collett, to try and get this message out to my neighbors in St. Paul and Ramsey County via social media. What I have realized is that, despite our best efforts we just didn't have enough time to get our message out and have it resonate with 4th District voters. For that reason, I've decided to jump into the water and start this blog. If the St. Paul Pioneer Press won't report on what (new House backbencher) Rep McCollum stands for and says publicly -- we're going to try to here. In addition to that, we'll write posts on Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken as well. (Notice I didn't say Gov. Dayton? I'm still optimistic that Tom Emmer will pull this one out!)

Why Thundercrack? We'll I've always been a big Springsteen fan, and I hope that this blog shakes up MNCD4 and starts a storm of its own over the next two years. Thanks for stopping by!

An Open Letter to St. Paul Pioneer Press

2010-11-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

Originally Published October 27, 2010

To Thom Fladung -- Editor of the St. Paul Pioneer Press

Dear Mr. Fladung;

Over the last week its been probably the most interesting race in the 4th Congressional District in over 20 years. Unfortunately most of the voters of St. Paul would never know it if they relied solely on your paper to get their information. Luckily the "new media" has done your job for you this campaign, and really shown why the print media is dying in this country. Let me bring you up to speed.

First there has been a lot of debate about debates. It started when Rep. Betty McCollum initially did not respond to Republican Teresa Collett's primary night challenge to hold 4 debates.  Collett actually hand delivered a letter to Betty McCollum's office the morning after her primary victory to challenge McCollum face to face. Betty wasn't there, and apparently neither was the Pioneer Press because no story on Teresa's debate challenge ever appeared in the "newspaper of record" for St. Paul.

Finally, after much goading by local bloggers McCollum agreed to appear in a televised debate on KSTP TV, only to back out at the last minute. You would think the refusal of a sitting Congresswoman to appear on television to debate her Republican opponent would be big news, especially given the current political environment and the issues facing our country. But, sadly there was no reporting of this slap in the face to the voters of St. Paul by their elected representative in the Pioneer Press.

Rep McCollum ultimately agreed to appear in two live candidate forums, and one radio forum on MPR. The first forum in front of the White Bear Lake Chamber of Commerce, wasn't open to the public.  At this debate Rep McCollum proclaimed that she "supports Nancy Pelosi 100% and would vote to reelect her as Speaker."   She also called Speaker Pelosi "a consensus builder" despite the fact that she led a unilateral effort on the part of the Democratic Party to pass the hugely unpopular stimulus, cash for clunkers, and health care reform -- that has spawned the voter anger that is driving what could be an historic wave election in just a few days. The story that appeared in the Pioneer Press reporting on this debate has actually been taken down off your website! You would think this story would stay up at least until after the election as a service to your readers who are trying to educate themselves on the issues.

Last week at the Wilder Foundation, Rep McCollum and Teresa Collett again met face to face in front of a live public audience. Anyone who was there would agree that Collett clearly won the debate. She articulately laid out the case for limited government, tax cuts and spending reductions in order to get the economy back on track. The overwhelming consensus from anyone in the room was that Collett came off polished, aware, and in command of the issues. If someone from outside the district had attended the debate, they would have thought Collett actually was the incumbent. Rep McCollum on the other hand, made bizzare statements like:

"Health care reform is not a government takeover"
"The budget is just a piece of paper..its totally non binding"
"AlQaeda is no longer a threat to the United States"

During this debate, many of McCollum's answers drew scorn if not outright laughter from the audience. She showed a remarkable inability to speak without prepared notes, and really didn't seem that well prepared. This story deserved front page news, as it was in front of a packed audience of actual voters attending a Congressional election in a highly contentious national election. Instead St. Paul voters received a bland article, buried in the paper that failed to capture the spirit of the debate or the atmosphere in the room.

Finally the events of the last 72 hours have failed to even make the paper at all. In case you weren't aware the Congresswoman from St. Paul has become a viral sensation on the Internet. A video of her leading Congress in the Pledge of Allegiance clearly omitting the words "Under God" is now all over the Internet.  The video was featured on the Hannity television show on Monday night and on Glenn Beck's national radio show on Tuesday morning. It is newsworthy because it surfaced at the same time another video of a League of Women Voters debate where the audience demanded that the debate open with the Pledge despite the resistance of the LWV moderator made national news and also went viral.

Today another video of Rep McCollum saying that "AlQaeda no longer is a threat to the US" appeared on the front page of the National Review, Foxnation.com, Hotair.com, and The Blaze on the same day that a suspect with AlQaeda connections was arrested in Washington DC, casing possible bombing sites. (I'm hopeful to see a reporting of this in tomorrow's paper, but I'm not holding my breath!) McCollum's statement flies in the face of testimony by Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano and FBI Director Robert Mueller before Congress last month. This statement by McCollum is shocking coming from a sitting Congresswoman, for either she released classified information in the debate at the Wilder Center or she revealed a fundamental lack of understanding of the threats facing our country!

This is an important election. The St. Paul Pioneer Press has failed the voters of St. Paul in its duty to report on the public debate and the events surrounding this campaign. This campaign has clearly shown to those who care to inform themselves which candidate is most qualified to represent the 4th District. Teresa Collett is a former small business owner, an appellate attorney who has tried cases before the Supreme Court, testified before Congress, and is a constitutional law professor at St. Thomas. Betty McCollum has a remarkably undistinguished career in Congress, passing only one bill into law -- renaming a post office! McCollum has been a 100% reliable vote for Nancy Pelosi and the extreme left wing of the Democratic Party her entire career. When Pelosi's approval rate is less than 30%, McCollum's support for her shows that she represents the values of San Francisco, not St. Paul.

In order to maintain any credibility I am calling upon you today to endorse Teresa Collett for Congress. Collett represnts the opinion of the majority of the country who are afraid about the growth of government, the growing tax burden on the job creators in this country and the debt the Democrats have levied on our children and grandchildren. McCollum is the poster child for everything that is being rejected by voters across the country! In order to save your reputation as the clear thinking paper in town -- please endorseTeresa Collett!

Post Game Wrap Up of MNCD4 Debate with Teresa Collett and Betty McCollum

2010-11-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

Originally Published October 21, 2010

I'm writing this about an hour after the League of Women Voters Forum in St. Paul let out tonight. I wanted to get this out on social media before the Pioneer Press (who's reporter I'm certain was sitting next to me) has a chance to frame the narrative about what happened tonight. I attended the debate, sat in the second row and tried my best to live tweet the events that I saw. You can follow my tweets on the #mncd4 hashtag. I'm certain the Collett campaign will have the debate up on their www.collettforcongress.com YouTube Channel very soon.

It was great to see a lot of fantastic patriotic people that I've met over social media the last few months. @madvoterinmn @douglasbass and @suejeffersktlk all sat next to me. We had a great time talking before hand and exchanging notes during the debate. The great thing was that the audience seemed to be overwhelmingly pro Collett! This is in St. Paul! The city that hasn't elected a Republican to Congress since WWII! I fully expected to see busloads of SEIU members shipped in to give Betty a friendly environment. Either the busses got caught in traffic, or the DFL machine isn't working for Betty anymore. I'm now more convinced than ever that Teresa Collett can win in MNCD4! She's a great candidate, she articulates her positions clearly and intelligently and she's on the right side of the issues that matter to MN and the US right now.

It should be clear to anyone that was at the debate why Betty McCollum backed out of a live televised debate on KSTP earlier in the campaign. She does not debate well, she has trouble speaking without prepared notes (which she can't even read clearly), and when she does have to speak off the cuff she is prone to saying dumb things. She said some doozies tonight, to which the crowd responded negatively, with gasps, if not outright laughter. Clearly she couldn't take the risk of having such a performance televised. What Betty McCollum doesn't realize is that with new media, that message will get through despite her best efforts. Follow @madvoterinmn and myself at @stpaulcd4voter on Twitter and go to http://www.mncdneedschange.blogspot.com/ for more information on Betty McCollum.

I thought it was comical that the League of Women Voters actually called themselves a non partisan organization. This is despite the fact that the MN Voters Alliance has filed an IRS complaint against the League due to the fact that they are also a lobbying organization. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=872135

The opening statement Betty read from her note cards was full of the typical DFL platitudes. I heard a lot of "keep moving forward" and "not going back to the failed policies of the past" but very little substance of what she actually stood for. She clearly was not prepared to defend her votes on health care, the stimulus, running up the debt or the bailouts to the auto industry.

On the other hand, Teresa Collett, spoke without notes about her life as a mother, a business owner, a successful lawyer, professor and recent grandmother. She said she decided to run for Congress because she's concerned about the country that her newborn granddaughter would one day inherit. She spoke clearly, confidently and sounded polished. She's a great speaker. To anyone from outside MNCD4 that happened to stumble into the Wilder Auditorium, they would have thought Teresa was the incumbant.

The first question of the night was about the recent Don't Ask, Don't Tell judicial ruling issuing an injunction telling the military to quit enforcing the policy. McCollum said that she "has voted to repeal the ban...and would do so again." Collett said that "She trusts the opinion of the professional leadership of the military on this issue. They should make the decision, not judges." As an Army veteran, who still is concerned about our country's ability to effectively defend itself, I know thisto be the right answer. The role of the military is to "kill people and break things" -- it's not a social laboratory, and the leadership's opinion on readiness should be valued, not dismissed by politicians with no military experience such as Rep. McCollum.

The second question was on health care, specifically "Can you discuss the benefits of the health care legislation?" Teresa Collett said firmly the "health care bill is a disaster and that she would vote to repeal it." When she said this the crowd roared in approval, much to the chagrin of Betty McCollum and the LWV moderator, who reminded the crowd to hold their applause.

McCollum went back to the same stale Democratic talking points; "I'm proud of my vote for health care!" she said. She tried to argue that the health care bill was going to save money and make health care more affordable. She also said that "health care reform is not a government takeover..." This drew outright laughter from the audience. The Independence Party Candidate, who is clearly not ready for prime time, tried to say that Teresa Collett was not in favor of an immediate repeal. Collett answered him by saying "When we have a 2/3 majority in both the House and Senate, we will override a Presidential veto and repeal the bill.." She commented that wth the political winds across the country its looking more likely that that could happen.

When questioned about what can be done about the federal debt, McCollum made the most laughable answer of the night. It was all talking points and no substance. She said "all options need to be on the table" four times in one two minute answer but didn't say anything that specifically answered the question.

Collett on the other hand pointed out that Betty McCollum sits on the House Budget committees, and that committee didn't even submit a budget this year. "If you can't even submit a budget, how can you balance a budget?" She asked. Collett said she supports the Pence Ammendment limiting federal spending to 20% of GDP, and that in order to restore fiscal sanity we have to look at entitlement spending. McCollum, speaking off the cuff, made a bizzarre comment that "the budget that committee submits is non binding, it doesn't mean anything." This seems to reflect the current thinking of the Democratic Party.

On the question about what will it take to get the economy moving again, Collett said that "the first order of business in the new Congress in January has to be extending the tax cuts to everyone." She said the problem with the current Congress is that very few of the members have any business experience at all, and that they don't know how jobs get created. Betty McCollum clearly was in this group, because she argued that while she's for "middle class tax cuts" (which is code for tax credits to people who don't pay taxes), we can't afford a tax cut for the top 3% of earners. Collett countered that the top 3% include small business owners whose business income as S Corporations are passed onto their personal income tax statements. Massive tax increases on business owners will hurt, not stimulate job creation.

The stupidest comment of the night came on the defense question, when Betty McCollum said: "Al Quida no longer poses a threat to the United States.." Wow, I've been so involved in following the campaign, I must have missed that news! She also said that there are "less than 100 Al Quida left in Afghanistan..." McCollum did say, however that the military was drawing up contingency plans for global warming. That's a relief! I guess in Betty McCollum's world Global Warming is a bigger threat to the US than Al Quida.

There was a question about which founding father you admired the most. Teresa Collett answered that James Madison was her favorite, because he believed in limited government and that he wrote the Constituion. Betty McCollum gave some lame answer about Ben Franklin because he was such a renaissance man, free thinker, etc...I guess Betty forgot that Ben Franklin was also a big proponent for term limits!

At the end of the debate, and during closing statments, Betty McCollum basically repeated her opening statement. The main reason she could come up with for voting for her was that she was born in South St Paul, was raised in North St Paul and lives in St. Paul now. She also tried to call for civility in discourse and that we shouldn't use hate speech. I was left wondering, "what hate speech?" This reminded me of her comments earlier this year comparing Michelle Bachmann and the Tea Party to Tim McVeigh. Simply insulting Betty! People who disagree with you aren't terrorists, and differing opinion is not hate speech.

Teresa Collett on the other hand, summarized her candidacy by saying "I'm for freedom and fiscal sanity!" She said that accumulating debt is morally irresponsible and that if elected she would work to bring sanity back to government. Her closing statement drew thunderous applause from the audience, and contrary to what the Pioneer Press will say tomorrow morning -- the applause was for Teresa, not ALL of the candidates!

I left energized and motivated that contrary to what the media will report, there is a race in MNCD4. There has been no polling in this district, but the same dynamics that are putting Jim Oberstar in trouble in Duluth can also swamp Betty McCollum in St. Paul. We have to stay motivated, talk to your neighbors and make sure everyone gets out and votes for Teresa Collett. My recent post Electoral Math How Teresa Collett can Beat Betty http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=155203901176998 outlines how the math can break in our favor!

This can be an historic election, and I hope that St. Paul voters can come out and make our state proud for a change. I'm tired of being a laughingstock for the rest of the US...

Electoral Math -- How Teresa Collett Can Beat Betty

2010-11-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

Originally Published October 21, 2010

According to a recent poll only 36% of MNCD4 voters have a positive opinion of Nancy Pelosi. Assume that is Betty's base, the tree hugging, Kool Aid drinking, pachouli oil smelling, hard core leftists with Vote Betty signs in their yard and Obama and Wellstone bumper stickers on their Priuses.

The Republican candidate has received at least 31% of the vote in MNCD4 the last few elections. I know I'm in that group and likely so are you, if you are reading this.

There is an unknown 3rd party candidate in the race, who likely will get 5% of the vote, if history holds true. Don't be tempted to vote for him to "Send a Message" -- not this year. Voting for a true constitutional conservative like Teresa Collett will send a message loud and clear to to Pelosi, Reid, Obama and Company!

That leaves 28% in the Undecided category. The exciting thing is that according to a recent poll the undecideds are expected to break hard for Republicans this year. Historically the undecided vote always goes against the party in power in off year elections, and that trend surely will continue this year! With the presence of a 3rd party, it will take around 48% of the vote to win this year.

If the 28% undecideds go 60% for Collett -- adding that total to the 31% Republican base comes out to a 47.8% total for Collett!

Final tally:
Collett 47.8%
McCollum 47.2
3rd Party 5%

This race can be won! Don't believe the media who will say MNCD4 is solidly democratic. The left is down and we're energized. Dick Morris thinks there could be the opportunity to pick up over100 seats -- many from districts that no one expected! MNCD4 could be one of those districts. Talk to your friends and neighbors, follow us on FB and Twitter, write letters to the editor, contribute and mobilize. Every vote counts, and together we can Dump Betty and take back a seat that has been occupied by the DFL libtards since WWII!