One of the things I predicted on election night back in 2010 was that, out of power, the DFL would revert to whatever forms of power it actually had with more passive-aggressive vigor.
One of those forms of power was the “bureaucratic complaint”.
The DFL has created a small industry of bureaucratic complainants. Groups like “Common Cause” essentially exist, at least in part, to complain about non-DFL politicians and politics. Of course, “filing complaints” is one of the few areas where the DFL allows do-it-yourself-ism in politics.
The reason, of course, is to create a buzz in the compliant media; the goal is to create the possibility that a voter – inevitably poorly-read, ill-informed, one who still believes anything the mainstream media says, especially about politics – will hear “corruption” and “Republican” and think “Hey, Republicans shore must be KerrRUPT!” and cease thinking right then and there.
That the complaints are pretty much inevitably dismissed? Even if the mainstream media were to hypothetically report it as aggressively as they did the original complaint – and they never, ever do – the DFL knows that with at least a few voters, the damage is done.
And so the “Ethics Complaint” against Senator Dave Thompson of Lakeville got big play in the media – but the fact that there was no there there?
The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board has dismissed the Complaint filed by DFL Chairman Ken Martin against Senator Dave Thompson. In a letter dated January 26, 2012, the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board stated there is no basis for a claim against Senator Thompson. In the letter, Executive Director Gary Goldsmith stated, “Under the authority delegated to me by the Board, I have reviewed the complaint and concluded that it does not provide a sufficient basis for the commencement of a Board Investigation.”
(Echo)
On Monday, January 23, 2012, DFL Chairman Ken Martin filed a Complaint against Senator Dave Thompson (R-Lakeville) with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board regarding an alleged failure to disclose payments made by the Republican Party of Minnesota.
Weasels chew things. Ken Martin files spurious complaints about Republicans. The circle of life.
Senator Thompson said, “I complied with all disclosure requirements. Therefore, I am not surprised by the Board’s decision. Still, it is gratifying to see a clear statement from Mr. Goldsmith concluding that the Complaint does not even provide a basis for an investigation.”
And yet for Ken Martin -the former executive from “Win Minnesota”, which collected contributions from plutocrats and unions to run an attack PR campaign against Tom Emmer – it’s “mission accomplished”.
Because somewhere out there, in a trailer park in New Prague, a gas station attendant with a DUI and a couple of misdemeanor domestics pled down to “disorderly conduct” but whose vote counts just as much as yours does is now thinking “G’huck – Dave Thompson and the GOP sure must be corrupt!”
And that’s a form of power you can’t take away from the DFL no matter how many elections you win.
Every time I hear or read about this stuff, it makes my blood pressure rise! When is the GOP going to start retaliating by filing complaints, like say against Dayton and AFaBM? With the media being complicit in their dirty deeds, they may have decided that it isn’t worth the effort, but at least make an effort. Sheesh!
Ken Martin is a tabloid slimer. That said, that mythical gas station attendant’s seeming lack of political sophistication and lack of discernment is without party and you really shouldn’t sneer at someone who has the same vote as you. Now Joe the Plumber, there’s a real guy, except he didn’t have a license. bosshoss says the GOP should retaliate by doing the same thing. That would sure help, not. Tom Emmer lost because he has a big mouth that enough people didn’t like, regardless of his positions and policies. Emmer undid himself without any extra help. We could have a GOP Governor today if the selection process weren’t so, as you have correctly identified many times, controlled by the people who show up.
We could have a GOP Governor today if the selection process weren’t so, as you have correctly identified many times, controlled by the people who show up.
The thing is, it’s awfully tough to gauge the views of those who don’t show up, although it’s rarely difficult to find people who will purport to speak for them.
oldjohnnie said:
“you really shouldn’t sneer at someone who has the same vote as you”
Because that is how you measure the man? I would understand a general rule against sneering more than this “guide”. If you’re worried about offending someone who isn’t paying any attention, much less attention to you, then I think you worry needlessly.
OldJohnnie,
I don’t sneer at individuals. Especially not at the job they do; most work is noble in and of itself, in some way.
I’m sneering at a stereotype, of course; ignorant people. People who are susceptible to ABM’s twaddle.
There’s an old legal axiom: “When you have the truth, use it. When you have the facts, use them. When you have neither, pound on the table.”
The media, those angelic messengers of whatever they deem relevant, report “The News” that shouts loudest. It’s a formula they adhere to which happens to dovetail precisely with the Grand Vision of liberalism. Thank God for new media – at least those seeking the truth can find it..
At some point the GOP leadership should call a press conference/web broadcast/blogger hoedown/twitter blitz/facebook festa and ask – “Is this all they’ve got?”. As the Democrats (including the local franchisee,”The DFL”) ran out of new ideas during the Johnson Administration, filing Complaints (covered by the PTR media with much fanfare, only to be subsequently investigated, dismissed and largely forgotten by the same PTR media) and Glitter Bombing are all that’s left of a once great political party and ideology. Don’t misunderstand, when 95% of the people who bring voters the ‘news’ are sympathetic to the Democrats, that’s a powerful megaphone for the still large number of people who only pay attention to those sources. The problem for the Democrats is that less people are watching the programming between the Depends commercials and picking up a ‘news’paper to get their ‘news’. Maybe the Democrats will adapt as Tony Blair did with the Labor Party in England by embracing and recasting the Thatcher reforms that saved the country. Likely not, so long as their friends in the PTR media continue to pump stale air into the 40-50 year old bubble that protects them from the world that exists today.
We could have a GOP Governor today if the selection process weren’t so, as you have correctly identified many times, controlled by the people who show up.
So you are saying old johnnie that you would rather have a selection process in smoke filled rooms by party elders than have teh stooopud poeplez select the nominee?
“Emmer undid himself without any extra help.”
OJ, you sound like one of those people that believed the smear campaign that Dayton’s family ran on him. Further, I call BS on your assertion that he lost because he had a big mouth enough people, yada, yada! You sound like a DemocRAT operative with that meme and the “enough people” probably only boils down to you and the four guys that you hang with. If that commie Ritchie had any ethics, he would have actually investigated both the suspected and real fraudulent votes that were cast for Dipsy Dayton and removed them, then Emmer would have won.
All right, I’ll say it again. Emmer would have won quite handily if voters would have been comfortable with him, as a person. I give him a whole lot of credit for the series of debates, where he, for the most part, appeared reasonable, articulate and capable. But when Emmer got fired up, he was about as effective as Tony Sutton. They both looked like a couple of porkers who would berate the wait staff to self-justify not leaving a tip. Say it ain’t so. The old “I just know” wasn’t convincing at all. I understand the hyperbole about the New Prague oil changer; but the paradox should not be lost. Karl Rove targeted and relied on guys like just like G’huck to get George W. Bush elected… twice: it works. Mr. G’huck in New Prague may have a couple doowees, but he still gots a vote and to think that his vote is susceptible to “Liberals” is outright goofy. All you gotta do to G’huck to change his mind is say “Thompson is for the Constitution” and he’ll change his vote and forget all about that there “kerrupt” because he already thinks Dayton is a wimp with not enough testosterone. And I can tell you when he’s at work if it ain’t KQ on the radio or Cool 108 or K102 it’s certainly not 950 AM or 91.1FM. It’s successful paid radio. So beat on me all you want. This blog is boring when you all agree; Mitch can kick me off if he wants and he has my name. Poor old bored hossboss thinks the election was stolen, like Big Tony the bad bookkeeper done said so then already. I guess all this makes me appear as a lonely DemocRAT, cuz I don’t add blather on blather. Truth is Ron Paul is the only leader who tells the truth and doesn’t suck up. I expect Ron Paul to do quite well next Tuesday… he sure has my vote. The “endorsements” of the pundits is a whole nuther topic. Mitch will do that part. Or I can be a guest speaker if you wish.
nah it was only stolen in the sense that if that idiot Tom Horner had dropped out or never ran Emmer would have won by 10 points, at least. 8,000 votes is too many to overcome through the courts. If it was under 1,000 we’d still probably not have a governor.
Truth is Ron Paul is the only leader who tells the truth and doesn’t suck up. I expect Ron Paul to do quite well next Tuesday… he sure has my vote
OJ if he gets more than 15% of the ‘unoffical’ vote in MN (MN caucus votes are non-binding and we don’t decide who our delegates will sit with at the RNC until our state convention in May) I’ll buy you dinner.
OJ, I admire your passion for Ron Paul. There are a lot of things that I like about him, too, but I think that we all know he won’t get the GOP nod and if he runs as an Indy, it will favor Obumbler, because the votes that he siphons off would probably have gone to the GOP candidate. And, you know that the lib propaganda machine will make a huge issue out of his age, just like they did with John McCain. I can hear it now; “He’ll be 80 by his fourth year”. Now, if Rand runs in 2016, I will support him to the end.
Rand Paul is a great spokesperson for the conservative/tea party movement.The best part about him is he is electable and would probably get all of his daddies supporters because of the last name.