A few weeks ago, I proposed a contest to pick Minnesota’s most unintentionally-funny leftyblog. 

I haven’t had time to put the poll together – but events today have given the idea some added impetus.

Minnesota’s dullest-witted leftyblog, “MNBlue”, has uncorked a howler.  Written by one “Grace Kelly” – long known to Saint Paul politics followers as a rhetorical acid trip – it addresses the Republican National Committee’s deposit of two million dollars into an inner-city Saint Paul bank, to help give loans to help clean up the inner city in the year before the convention:

The Star & Tribune publishes “Political parties give money for host cities’ trouble: Political parties provide loans and volunteerism to create civic goodwill ahead of conventions.” Dear Randy Furst(author) and Star Tribune, “give money” and “deposit money in the bank”, is not the same thing – not even close! 

Actually, given that the money was deposited in a zero-interest account – they’re just letting it sit there, for the bank and community’s benefit – and that the bank will be able to use the interest (well into six figures in the next year) to help capitalize more improvements in the neighborhood, and that a dollar so invested can create multiple dollars of effect as it circulates through the community?  Um, yeah.  It’s “even close”. 

Not until the second paragraph does the article actually state the real information, “the party is depositing $2 million in St. Paul’s University Bank to make capital available for loans to repair dilapidated homes. Ultimately, the committee will take the money back to pay expenses, but in the meantime the bank can use it.”

(warning, maximum sarcasm)

*** deposit money in a bank until I need it back ****

That’s the Republican party’s idea of helping out local communities and creating civic goodwill! Arggggh!

Yes.

And, as luck would have it, it’s the Democratic Party’s idea, too:

Wishing to build goodwill among American Indians and the broader Denver community, the Democratic National Convention Committee is helping [Denver-based] Native American Bank increase its portfolio of small-business loans.

The committee deposited $2 million into a zero-interest account at the Denver-based bank Wednesday morning and said it would leave the money there until late spring.

“It’s very important to us that the convention is a team effort,” said Leah Daughtry, the DNCC’s chief executive, before handing over the check.

MNBlue.  It features a bunch of Minnesota’s most rhetorically-incontinent writers (Kelly, Eric “Big E” Pusey, and Andy “Mister Furious” Driscoll for good measure), and the most baroque comment section security to boot.

But facts?   Not so much.

Too. Stupid. To.  Fisk.

This entry was posted by by Mitch Berg on Friday, September 7th, 2007 at 12:27 pm and is filed under Blogs, Campaign '08, St. Paul. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.