All posts in the topic CP asks: Why is Ellison everyone's target? (Short link)
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- There are 42 posts — by 29 authors — in this topic.
- Latest post made by Justin Eibenholzl at 2006 Sep 06 17:41 UTC
Britt Robson reports: http://www.citypages.com/databank/27/1343/article14661.asp
I found the City Pages article an amazing recap of a roller-coaster ride in CD
5. I have been something of an insider, since I was deeply involved with the
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer campaign since it started in my living room, but a truly
passionate Keith Ellison supporter since Keith won the endorsement. Peace is
my issue, and I have known Keith for years as an eloquent and consistent voice
for peace. The racism and Rovian attacks on Keith have stunned me and shaken a
bit of my faith in Minnesota nice.
What is most shocking, though, is the nearly complete pass that the other
candidates have had, particularly from the Strib.
Mike Erlandson runs as an environmental candidate, but he drives a Cadillac
Escalade. He runs as a peace candidate, but he takes campaign contributions
from Lockheed (largest defense contractor in the world), BAE Systems (largest
defense contractor in Europe), General Dynamics, MTS Systems and Parsons
Corporation (an Iraq war profiteer with a record worse than Halliburtons).
Ember Reichgott Junge runs with universal healthcare as her centerpiece, yet
she accepts money from HMOs, medical equipment manufacturers, healthcare
providers and the lawyers who represent those vested interests. Worse yet,
Reichgott Junge runs as a Democrat, yet 25 of her biggest contributors are
Republicans who have no previous history of giving to Democrats, according to
Noah Kunin at www.blanked-out.com
I suppose that what I have written here might also be considered a sort of
attack piece by a partisan. Unlike the nasty attacks on Keiths race or
religion, however, I actually believe that it is important to the issues of the
campaign that universal healthcare Reichgott Junge gets her support from the
health establishment predators as well as Republicans. Unlike Keiths parking
ticket woes, I believe that so-called peacenik Erlandson accepts money from the
companies who profit from war and from the death of others.
Every tidbit above has been sent to the relevant writers and editors of the
Star Tribune, but not one word has been printed. You can check every fact for
yourself at www.fecinfo.com or at www.blanked-out.com Yet watch the Strib this
week. I predict that they will ignore all this and trot out one more personal
shortcoming of Keiths and breathlessly write as if it were central the
election.
While I have only known of this forum for a few days, I have a feeling that
most here will ignore the superficial crap and red herrings in the Strib. I
think that most people on the Minneapolis Issues List will actually think about
this endless war were in, think about the healthcare mess were in, think about
the rape our species is now doing to the planetand vote for Keith Ellison on
September 12, and get their closest thousand friends to vote for him as well!
The risks of speaking truth to power are all around us and the feckless posture
of the Star Tribune suggests that this local media giant is once again using
its leverage to put a heavy thumb on the mid-term electoral scales.
Keith Ellison is deservedly the darling of the progressives who are
increasingly potent in this city. Thursday evening he will be showcased with
Congressman Kucinich at the Cedar Cultural Center on the West Bank. Dennis
easily carried our south Minneapolis Senate District in the 2004 DFL
presidential preference poll and I'm pleased as punch to look forward to having
this dynamic duo in the Congress. There are currently 62 Representatives in the
Progressive Caucus, including such eminent luminaries as John Conyers, Barney
Frank, Charley Rangel, John Lewis, and Maxine Waters. Bernie Sanders will
advance to the Senate to say hello to Amy Kobuchar and Keith will join Tammy
Baldwin who represents Madison, WI where I cut my political teeth in the 1960s.
Imagine Keith at the side of Congressman Lantos in the Progressive Caucus. Try
putting any other CD 5 candidate in that position! We have a terrific
historical moment on our hands, quite frankly, and I am confident that
Minneapolis will send an eloquent, passionate, thoughtful, and suitably
chastened young advocate to add to this progressive chorus.
Fred Markus, Ward 6, Phillips West
Charley Underwood wrote:
> What is most shocking, though, is the nearly complete pass that
> the other candidates have had, particularly from the Strib.
It's not all that shocking. All of these attacks are about race,
and the last thing the media wants to talk about is race, because
the last thing we as a society want to talk about is race.
Even Nick Coleman doesn't want to talk about race. His column
about the Ellison attacks focused on his religion, which is
really a very small part of all of this when you get down to it.
These attacks are about a powerful, articulate black man winning
a Congressional seat "reserved" for Sabo's anointed successor.
This is about the last gasps of an old, tired DFL as it tries to
delay the inevitable and critically necessary changing of the guard.
Race is a touchy subject, mostly because we have made it a social
taboo to discuss it. We have constructed a myth about a pivotal
moment in the '60's where we finally got it right and solved our
racial issues. Part of that myth is an idea of a "colorblind"
society, not only that we have one, but that it is the appropriate
thing TO have.
Annie Young was right on with her advice to the Ellison campaign
staff. But this isn't really a white vs. black thing, though
that particular thread is also embedded in our society. This is
much more about the racial dynamics of power. The old guard is
losing it and minorities are gaining it.
David Greene
The Wedge
From Britt Robson's excellent article about Keith Ellison:
"I spend about four days a week lobbying at the State Capitol during the
session and I see how effective Keith has been," says Brian Elliot, the
associate national political director of Clean Water Action, which has
given Ellison a perfect scorecard all four years he's been a legislator,
and has endorsed his congressional candidacy. "I remember how he got
this little tax provision that had a tremendous impact on reducing lead
in old houses. It was a complicated provision and Keith wasn't a member
of the tax committee or a member of the majority. We weren't working on
it because frankly we didn't think it could pass. But Keith did the
research and then talked a majority of people into voting for it. And he
encountered a lot of skepticism as an urban legislator talking to
farmers about pesticides. But he did his homework and earned their
respect, and he understands it takes a long time to get things done.
For the voters, this is, perhaps, the most important piece of
information about Ellison we need to know. This kind of information
should be a headline in the Strib as pertinent to the voters. Ellison,
was *not a member of the tax committee or the majority party, *he is an
urban black man talking to farmers, * it was a very technical bill
requiring careful reading and writing, *he earned the respect of those
disparate members, and **got the bill passed. And got the bill passed.
Those are the things we need to know before we vote.
Can this guy do the job of a DLF fifth district congressman? If this is
an example of his work, he just might could swim among the sharks.
I'm looking forward to hear him speak tomorrow. By report he's one hell
of an orator and I confess, our Congress is very dull when there are too
few members who can sling the rhetoric like champions. One is forced to
read the annals of the British Parliament or the Houses of Oirechtas to
get the flavor of political debate at it's height.
WMarks, Central
I just want to point out that Minnesota Democrats Exposed has just accused
Keith Ellison of assault. It is already come out that there was never anything
to the story, but I did predict in my post last night that there would be one
more round of personal attacks on Keith. At the time, I thought it would come
out in about 3 to 4 days, so I wasn't entirely accurate on that one. It is
quite possible, of course, that there will be yet another smear by the middle
of next week.
The scenerio so far: Smear Ellison as a dangerous Muslim (and a black one as
well). Quickly move from lightly coded racism (Farrikan-like bow ties and
"looming silent black men in dark suits") to the more acceptable racism of
shiftless Negro (doesn't pay parking tickets, pays his taxes late). Count to
10, then deliver the sex charges. At this point, I have to wonder if Karl Rove
wasn't personally involved in planning the whole narrative.
Charley Underwood, Longfellow Neighborhood
At 04:29 PM 8/30/2006, Charley Underwood wrote:
>I just want to point out that Minnesota Democrats Exposed has just accused
>Keith Ellison of assault. It is already come out that there was never
>anything to the story,
Well, if it's any measure, he must be doing pretty well, then. I don't
hear or read that many smears on other candidates, so Ellison is the one
they are worried about.
I think it is fairly clear why the Strib and other media don't give this story
proper coverage, and don't cover the story fairly, they have a vested interest
in seeing Keith taken down. And that is what these stories are designed to do.
They aren't designed to educate or inform the voters, they are hit jobs. If
they truly were "the Liberal Media" they would never print this trash. Both
Erlandson and Ember are bought and paid for.
If you look at what they are, and where their money comes from, you can see
they have diametrically opposing interests, mainly supporting their supporters.
We have Keith, who is backed by mostly community forces and the grassroots.
Ember is backed by some very conservative forces it seems, I used to think the
Lieberman thing was a gimmick, but seeing the GOP ties seals the deal for me.
Erlandson is a lobbyists dream come true. The man has all the character of a
wet noodle. The reason the media keeps hitting Keith is that Ember and
Erlandson will do the bidding of their interested friends. It is a very handy
thing to have a Congressman who will insert earmarks for you, and vote the way
you want them to vote.
I will also say this, neither Erlandson, nor Ember have a natural constituency.
If either were to win, the Minneapolis DFL would eventually turn on them and
kick them out. I don't know why they bother, at best they are setting
themselves up for a long, never ending battle, their views and philosophy are
contrary to what the 5th CD stands for, and I don't think people will accept
them. The only candidate that can unite the DFL is Keith, he is the guy
speaking to the people. He isn't speaking for big pharma or the military
industrial complex like Ember and Erlandson.
The thing I find most disturbing about Erlandson and Ember are the cynicism
with which they run their races. They are using smoke and mirrors to con
people into supporting them. They aren't asking people to rely on their moral
compass or their judgement about policy issues, it is simply one string of
negative attacks after another, anonymous attacks at that. This is character
assasination at its worst. It is an unprincipled and undignified way to run a
campaign. I guess I always expect a certain amount of mud, but this is many
miles outside the realm of decency and taste. They are running their campaigns
like a pack of hyenas.
I pretty much agree with what Michael Cavlan said in the "I now can imagine
electing sad jokes to Congress" thread. The sad joke is that the DFL actually
gets it right for once in endorsing a worthwhile successor to Martin Sabo in
Keith Ellison and it's really sad to see the lengths that some people will go
to in trying to undermine that.
Now that the latest round of fear-mongering has begun from MDE, anyone want to
set an over/under on how quick the Strib will be to jump on this one? How about
using placement as the tie-breaker?
I'm fairly confident it will make the front page tomorrow, but I'm not sure it
can get above the fold with the Dru Sjodin jury having come back today.
Mark Snyder
Windom Park
Charlie,
Good analysis. I agree almost 100%, well except for the Carl Rove involvement.
Minnesota has lots of rotten, bigoted racists in the state who are only to
happy to sink to this level. Not to mention lots who will parrot this crap,
including the Star Tribune. I am appalled but not suprised by this.
I will be forced at this point to poke gentle fun at my democratic friend,
Charlie Underwood.
Jay Pond is better!!!!!
Michael Cavlan RN
Powderhorn
> Well, if it's any measure, he must be doing pretty well, then. I don't > hear or read that many smears on other candidates, so Ellison is the one > they are worried about. Well, I certainly don't have all the facts about Ellision, but has anyone even stopped to consider that perhaps Ellison is so often "smeared" (ie accused of past misdeeds and bad behavior) and in much greater proportion than other candidates, because there's something to it? There appears to be a strong pattern of bad judgement and just plain bad behavior on Ellison's part. This isn't the sort of character I want to see in congress. Just because he has a DFL by his name shouldn't make him a saint in the liberal theology. It's ridiculous to me that people will go to such extreme lengths to defend a candidate who is profoundly flawed (and I'm not just talking about Ellison here). Is it worth so much to elect a person with those three letters by their name that all else will be overlooked or forgiven? Dan McGrath Campaign Manager, Sue Jeffers for Governor http://www.suejeffers.org Click Here to Contribute: http://www.suejeffers.org/contribute.php
Well don't rule out Rove either. He has visited the state recently and
visited with various party folks, and he has a history of extending his
dirty tricks and innuendo to other states when there is a goal in mind.
As someone who spent most of a lifetime in Texas, all I can say is
never ever underestimate Rove. The portrayal of Max Cleland as a
traitor happened soon after a visit to his state by Mr. Rove and many
connect the two in an election Cleland lost.
Charley Underwood writes: > I just want to point out that Minnesota Democrats Exposed has just accused > Keith Ellison of assault. It is already come out that there was never anything > to the story, but I did predict in my post last night that there would be one > more round of personal attacks on Keith. There's also a report slamming Keith as a neglectful father. Since you won't be able to avoid them, you can read the "allegations" at: http://www.minnesotademocratsexposed.com/ Both items include this epitome of disingenuousness: "There are two-sides to every story and I will provide Ellison's campaign the opportunity to respond." Now, a responsible person would give Ellison the chance to respond BEFORE posting the items. But MDE clearly wants to make the hit, then try to cast the illusion of responsibility. So far, charges thrown out in the blogosphere make their dent, and exculpatory information seems to get buried. We'll see on this one. Stay tuned, people. This isn't the end of the story.
Peter,
You hit the nail on the head. There is a general assault on grassroots
candidates that are not backed by the corporate & PAC backing. I first saw
this in the Howard Dean campaign, Ned Lamont campaign, and now I see it in the
Keith Ellison campaign. Money and the establishments wants to keep people
who are not part of the machinery out of Washington. Where is the major
strories surrounding Ember taking money from the medical establishment and
Erlandson taking money from the military establishment.
The newest baseless attacks from MDE indicate that things are looking good for Keith. Why else would they get so desparate as to reprint two police reports containing vague allegations that were never substantiated or even explained, and apparently were not deemed by the police to merit any further investigation? While MDE would have called the Ellison campaign for comment first if its publisher had any integrity whatsoever, it would hardly seem worthwhile to respond to such trash in any event. A local blogger has published some credible information suggesting that this latest dirt is coming from the Ostrow campagin. http://www.danweinand.com/' I suggest these more substantiated allegations to merit a response from Ostrow. Finally, I will point out that I have previously published a theory why Ellison is everyone's target which was first posted on this list and then reprinted (with some edits) in The Pulse. http://pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=2599 I believe my thesis is still timely. Jordan Kushner Golden Valley
Each attack is getting more transparent and is
resulting in Keith's support gaining strength. The
attackers are growing more reprehensible by their
actions-- what D.W. Griffith tactic will they try
next-- and Keith's DFL opponents more reprehensible by
their inaction.
On Aug 30, 2006, at 8:23 PM, Susan Maricle wrote: > I went to this page but got a "file not found" > message. > > If the Star Tribune doesn't follow up, I hope City > Pages will. This address is good: http://www.danweinand.com/articles/2006/08/30/breaking-ostrow- campaign-behind-ellison-smears Passed along from Loki Anderson CD5 Director: "Dan Weinand, State DFL Executive Cmte director who also runs a blog, looked into the IP address that sent the "anonymous" information regarding 911 calls against Keith Ellison and discovered that it belongs to Jason Amundsen, former SD 59 treasurer and current Paul Ostrow for Congress campaign manager. Apparently the info had been shopped around to different media outlets. It's hard to believe this originated with Paul's campaign, but computer addresses are reliable. I hope those receiving this email will share their disappointment with Council Member Ostrow and his campaign, particularly those involved in the district or in his ward." Laura Southeast Como Laura Waterman Wittstock President and CEO Wittstock & Associates 913 19th Ave SE Minneapolis, MN 55414 612-387-4915 www.laurawatermanwittstock.com
I did a little bit of digging, assuming that "Friends of Lieberman", and charter schools create a network of relationships that could be turned to help Ember Reichgott Junge. As many people know, Ember helped push Joe Liebermans ill fated Presidential primary bid in MN, and is a part of that crowd. There are several Lieberman links to the McClatchy company. These McClatchy insiders supported Lieberman: Gregg J. Powers - Private Capital Management - 12,132,220 shares Thomas Russo - Gardner Russo Gardner - 2,433,599 shares John Rogers - Ariel Capital Mangement - 4,935,352 shares By my math, these people control about a quarter of McClatchy, the parent of the Strib. The relationship they have to management is unknown, and there may be no connection between "Friends of Lieberman" and the owners of McClatchy as a whole, but they would excercise a certain amount of influence, and could choose to do so. I can't say they are helping Ember, but these kind of people are always looking to put a congressperson in their pocket. There are a number of very conservative owners as well, that are politically active, and could help the GOP in an attempt to influence this election. William Coblentz, a member of the McClatchy Board of Directors has connections to the 2004 Lieberman race and Friends of Lieberman, with which Ember has been associated. Interestingly, Theodore Mitchell, also a member of the board of directors at McClatchy, has a clear connection to Ember Reichgott Junge, he is president of the New Schools Venture Fund, a group that is involved in charter schools, and his organization has worked directly with Ember at the legislature. http://www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/school-change/clinton.htm This isn't to say that any of these people have used their influence to help Ember, but there are definitely a number of connections between the owners and operators of McClatchy and Ember. The point here being that it isn't beyond the realm of possibility that if she is taking money from right wingers, that her sponsors are also applying pressure on her behalf in order to goad the Strib into coloring the news with an anti-Keith bias, via people like Katherine Kersten. There are enough links to at least justify looking into this, and taking this issue seriously. Although I doubt anyone with any resources will do that. After all, these are the same people going out of their way to knock down Keith.
As I will certainly take Mr. Vevang's comments into persepctive here and
carefully and logically weigh the evidence, I ask one thing of the Ellison
supporters:
Maybe there's a grain of truth to some of this. Ellison supporters seem so
keen on killing the messenger that they're not even listening to the message
first.
Channel 5 did a piece on Mr. Ellison's numerous tax problems two weeks ago.
I am quite surprised that that report, or even that issue, hasn't made it to
the listserve yet. Am I the only one that saw it? According to the report,
Mr. Ellison has had numerous tax liens against his property over several
years for unpaid taxes. If this is true, is this the kind of person you
really want to be setting tax policy? (I eagerly await the spin I'll read on
that one.)
Combined with the tickets and his membership in a racist organization, I
think there may be some serious character issues here. All I ask is that
people stop and truly weigh that. Please. Is being the first state to elect
a black muslim man worth the character baggage that will accompany him? Is
being "progressive" really worth that?
Mike Thompson
Windom
There is, in fact, documentation to support eight years of nonpayment of
federal income taxes; letters, penalties, and a summons for noncompliance
with the state Campaign Finance Board; 911 call records including naming
Keith in a domestic disturbance event; the infamous 40+ parking tickets and
license suspension; etc. I think it's important to understand that these are
not Racial, Religious, or Rove hits and should not be dismissed as such.
Keith Ellison is alone responsible for these very serious transgressions and
I, for one, am very concerned about this. I want to vote for someone who
will best represent me and this person does not.
Karen Harder
Lynnhurst
Michael Thompson wrote of Keith Ellison: "Combined with the tickets and his
membership in a racist organization, I think there may be some serious
character issues here."
What "racist organization" was Ellison a "member" of? Can you substantiate his
"membership" with any evidence? If you are speaking of the Nation of Islam, you
are not only wrong; you are committing slander.
The attempted swiftboating of Ellison's progressive, inclusive campaign is
really firing up the progressive voters in the district. The spreaders of
exaggerated rumors might want to pause and remember that Rove's tactics didn't
work too well in CD5 two years ago.
Jason McGrath
Corcoran
I will go out on a limb here, as I always do....I am not clear on why this is
being considered a race issue. If Keith Ellison is guilty of the things, for
which he is accused, where does it become a race issue? It would be a "race
issue" if the other candidates are guilty of the same things, but the media has
failed to document that information.
Has any of the other candidates been accused of any of the offenses that have
been documented on Keith? It amazes me that White people will scream about
racism when they like the black person that is the alleged target of racism. If
it was some average Black man, who failed to pay his fines, failed to pay his
taxes, etc. You would say he is just whining and want a free pass because he is
Black. Stop playing the race card and encourage Keith to be more responsible.
The good people of Minnesota should question Keith being irresponsible, as they
should any candidate asking to represent them.
Here's another question you should ask yourself, If Keith was White and had the
same problems, what would you accuse people of?
Michelle Hill
No Michael, you were NOT the only person who saw that report on Channel 5
News. I saw it to and waited for a week to see if anyone would report it on
this List. Perhaps an Ellison supporter attempting to "spin" it. They were
smart, ignore the truth and it will go away. Perhaps the conspiracy mongers
are correct perhaps Carl Rowe was here directing political actions?
The suggestion that Carl Rowe would oppose Ellison winning the "safe"
Democratic 5th District is ridiculous. Ellison will likely win, and will
for sure become the Willie Horton of the next three years for the Republican
Party both State wide and Nationally. If Rowe was in town to affect the 5th
District, he was here to secretly to help Ellison. Ellison is considered by
most Republicans as the best PR they could get. Rowe does not want to keep
the DFL from shooting itself in the foot, he wants to give us the bullets to
shoot both feet. Of course in this case all he has to do is sit back and
laugh while he runs Ellison in every close race in the Country.
Also the charges of racism when someone brings up the past racism of Ellison
sounds sort of like David Duke's followers during that fiasco in Louisiana.
You did not have to be a racist to question Duke's past racism and you do
not have to be one to question Ellison. How is it different than
questioning Stanek's past? (Someone who I also do NOT support) The only
difference was belonging to an organized racist group. I do not think even
Stanek has been accused of that.
By the way this is not a smear against Ellison to support anyone. I do not
support anyone in that race. The most qualified candidates that I would have
supported are sadly NOT even in the race. I sure wish one of them had
registered as an independent so I could have supported a Democrat for the
office. I simply can not bring myself to vote for the Republican after how
bad they have screwed up my Country and my City.
The truth is not slander, it is just inconvenient for some. Asking questions
about a candidate's past is what is supposed to be going on in a campaign.
As for attack politics, it seems to me that Ellison's campaign has labeled
anyone questioning his past as some kind of evil plot, and attacked anyone
daring to bring up what clearly are questions of deep concern for any
reasonable Democratic voter. Ellison has painted his own target, but his
followers just refuse to see it and DEMAND that no one else see it.
Jim Graham,
Ventura Village
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought
without accepting it." - Aristotle
Let me try to add some perspective to this uncomfortable and very difficult
topic. I made comments about Ellison before as someone who was undecided on
the race for the 5th CD, but I now will as a supporter of the Ellison
campaign and as somebody who's campaigning hard to get him support from
Latino voters (disclosure always important)
First of all I'm seeing a lot of nonsense being said from both supporters
and opponents of Ellison. Carl Rove is not involved in this race. He's not
the only political strategist that uses disgusting campaign tactics.
Democrats and Republicans use dirty politics all the time. Any candidate,
even Ember, is going to oppose Republicans on most issues and be part of
George Bush's opposition on the war, and just about everything that Bush
proposes. Not in Roves interest to help her.
Second the race issue. Here we go again. Ellison opponents accusing Ellison
of being a racist and Ellison supporters accusing anyone who criticizes
Ellison as racist. Ellison has never been proven by ANYBODY to have ever
been a racist. NEVER. He was loosely affiliated in college with the Nation
of Islam. He respected their talk about self help, no drug or alcohol usage,
and helping black people improve their standard of living. Once he realized
they had extremist views he broke with them. Nobody who knows or doesn't
know Ellison has ever heard him make a racist comment. End of topic. Anybody
who has any proof of Ellison saying anything against white people or Jewish
people present the evidence, or simply shut up. Otherwise this is
defamation.
Now on Stanek. Its not comparable. Stanek resigned as state Public Safety
Commissioner because he admitted having used the N word while he was a
police officer. When he made these comments, he was a police officer who
patrolled black neighborhoods. He has returned as a captain of the
Minneapolis Police Department, has the support of a black council member,
and is considered to have a fairly good chance of winning. We interviewed
him and gave him the opportunity to go talk on behalf of his campaign in our
Spanish radio station. We treated him very well. Don't claim double standard
here. He has been forgiven by most, even me, for his comments years ago. I
think Juan Lopez would be a better sheriff, and I feel more comfortable with
Lopez as Sheriff, but poor old Stanek is barely suffering any consequences
for his racist past, which is documented and he accepted.
Conspiracy theories of Mcclatchy shareholders conspiring with charter school
proponents (I'm a charter school supporter too by the way. I helped found
the Twin Cities Academy and I'm on the advisory of Hiawatha Academy. My
business has collaborated often in the past with the Star Tribune. I'm an
Ellison supporter) to elect republican Ember? Common. Is this really
helping our cause?
Taxes. Keith has never been accused of intentionally trying to avoid paying
taxes. Like many people who have been self employed he fell behind in his
taxes (yes I did too when I started my business. And the moment I could
afford it I paid every single cent). He paid those taxes when he could
afford too. Anyone who has been self employed knows how easy it is to fall
behind in taxes, struggling to make payroll, falling behind in loans.....
I'm concerned about the tickets and the late filings of financial reports,
but he addressed these issues and took care of them. He has had
organizational problems. He is now aware he needs to be more organized.
The latest allegations on the blogsphere seem serious, and I look forward to
be better informed about them, but I have yet to see that Ellison was
arrested, or convicted on anything or even accused of anything.
One thing is for sure. There is an attempt to absolutely destroy Ellison.
People are trying to destroy him because he's clearly the frontrunner.
Clinton was once attacked this way and was elected and reelected as
President. Ellison has dedicated his entire career to help people. He is
more than qualified to have spent his career making a lot of money in the
business world. He chose to help people at great personal financial
sacrifice to him and his family. He now has to expose himself and his family
to horrible attacks against him. He chooses to hang in there and keep
fighting for what he believes in. He's not a quitter. He made mistakes, but
common. In this political environment with council members going to jail for
bribery, or members of congress being associated with people convicted of
bribery, or corporate executives going to jail for defrauding shareholders
and employees with their life savings, can we have a little perspective
here?
Folks he's not running for President, Governor or even Mayor. He's running
to be one of 435 members of congress representing one of the most liberal
districts in the country. If you are against the war vote for Ellison. If
you are for green environmental policies, vote for Ellison. If you are for
universal health care vote for Ellison. If you want to vote for the most
liberal candidate in the race, vote for Ellison. He will represent this
district well. If you disagree with him vote for the other candidates. Vote
for the candidate that best represents your beliefs.
I'm voting and campaigning for Ellison because he's the best ally we have
had for immigration reform, the dream act, and he has been there for the
Latino community over and over again. We've never seen the other candidates
fighting for our issues.
Lets start to discuss these issues more rationally. Please?
Alberto Monserrate
President CEO
Latino Communications Network (LCN Media)
Weekly Spanish Newspaper Gente de Minnesota
Weekly Billingual Newspaper La Prensa de Minnesota
Spanish Alternative Weekly Publication Vida y Sabor
Yearly Minnesota-Iowa Hispanic Yellow Pages Directory
Spanish Radio Station La Invasora AM 1400 KMNV
1516 E Lake Street #200
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Office: 612-729-5900
Office: 612-243-1283
Fax: 612-729-5999
E-mail: <email obscured>
Web: www.lcnmedia.com
www.gentedeminnesota.com
Jim Graham writes:
"Also the charges of racism when someone brings up the past racism of Ellison
sounds sort of like David Duke's followers during that fiasco in Louisiana.
You did not have to be a racist to question Duke's past racism and you do
not have to be one to question Ellison.
WM: This is mendaciously mistaken. The so called "racism" of Ellison was
debunked a few weeks ago. Kirsten, the Strib, and some blogs reached for
a connection, noting that Ellison organized MN for the Million Man March
called by Farrakan of the NOI, the conclusion they draw, stated or not,
is that Ellison must be as racist as Farrakan. Graham furthered that
particular cow flop by remarking that Ellison wore a bow tie, just like
Farrakan. I've heard of guilt by association, but guilt by bow tie is a
new low on the scale of that particular fallacy. Then, of course,
bringing in David Duke to try to force another fallacious connection is
a second, and greater tumble into the pit.
Michael Thompson claims Ellison was a member of some racist
organization, presumably NOI. Not true. Ellison is a Muslim of another
stripe. Certainly by now we know, from the war in Iraq if from no other
source, that there are a variety of Muslim sects, just like there are a
variety of Christians, Hindus, Jews, Jains.... But of course, Muslim are
a great evil at the moment and Farrakan is somehow more threatening as
black, Muslim and NOI. It entirely escapes the accusers that Ellison wa
not a member of NOI, though he professes Islam. Interestingly, Sam and
Sylvia Kaplan support Ellison, and there could not be a more ferocious
duo opposing anti-Semitism than those two.
The particulars that won't go away for Ellison are the tickets and the
tax liens. That Ellison has paid all the tickets, taxes, and some fairly
steep fines, doesn't seem to be the end of the situation for some voters.
Ellison was "punished" with fines for being, essentially, a scofflaw,
and he seems to have cleaned up his act since that time. The law was
satisfied with the fines and the clean up, but some voters are not.
Curious. It's not as though the man was stupid enough to repeat that
tacky performance.
It's very sad that the Ostrow campaign would try to shop tripe. This man
is the weakest of the four candidates, very unlikely to prevail in the
primary, yet he (or his campaign manager) are willing to pull a stunt
like this. Will we all remember this after the primary? It makes Ostrow
less viable for any candidacy in the future, even his seat on the city
council.
WMarks, Central
Let me begin Alberto by making a clarification of my earlier remarks
and I can see how they would be misunderstood. I never presumed Rove
was trying to affect the outcome of the 5th District race, and as you
pointed out, there is nothing there to be gained by such an effort
locally. I did however say that when it fits his goals, he can and
will place himself into a race that way.
So what would be the good in spreading lies and innuendo and about a
candidate in a district he cannot win? Very possibly not much, but
then as part of a larger program of trying to portray DFL candidates as
bogeymen statewide, there could be some utility in that. Besides
anything that creates divisions and rifts in among the opposition to
him is good politics. I recall when the Nixon dirty tricks people did
similar sorts of things to affect Democratic primaries on the national
scale and Rove is a master of at such games, first creating the lie and
then accusing the opposition of the lie.
Anyway, my caution remains to not underestimate Rove, even in local
elections. But I was not suggesting any knowledge that he is involved
in the the Ellison race. If there were any involvement at all, it
would likely be advisory and part of a larger campaign to paint
DFL'ers statewide. And I completely agree that there are plenty of
folks willing and able to smear on their own locally as well.
For me, ordinarily in this day and time, finding a candidate I can
begrudgingly support is akin to deciding which tooth I want pulled
without novacaine. In a world where Barry Goldwater is painted liberal
and Hillary Clinton worked in his campaign (serving tea), it has been
for the most part a joyless task. But this year, I am beside myself in
anticipation of a vote Keith Ellison, who without ambiguity speaks to
the issues I hold dear and who's history supports commitment to these
beliefs long before running for this office. For once I can step into
the polling booth without that uneasy feeling that comes from lack of
credible choices. This year I can vote for someone rather than
against someone else. I can only pray this is the beginning of a new
trend.
Jessi (Jessica Wicks)
Sheridan, NE Mpls
Last night I received an e-mail from a person I do not know-- it was a group
e-mail asking that a write in campaign be started for Gail Dorfman for the 5CD
seat.
I have written to Commissioner Dorfman to apprise her of this as I doubt that
she is supportive of a write in effort for her.
My hope was that she was supporting Keith Ellison.
Margaret Hastings-Kingfield
Having already laid down my two cents' worth on behalf of Keith Ellison, I just
want to compliment the eloquence of other posters to this forum. There is a
sturdy air of conviction about Keith's merits wafting through our digital space
and the brief puffs of commentary to the contrary range from serious - I can
relate to concerns about financial responsibility - to inflammatory and
desperate.
IMHO Jason Amundson has severely damaged Paul Ostrow's reputation for
even-handedness in his public life and thanks are due to those who have chased
that tedious spin-doctoring to its source.
Britt Robson's meticulous writing in City Pages also deserves praise because
the primary battle in an overwhelmingly one-party constituency is bound to be
byzantine when the stakes are so high.
Finally, I'm grateful to the DFL delegates who had the good sense to choose
Keith as the party's preferred candidate and to Take Action Minnesota
(Progressives all) who have had no doubt in their collective mind. These are
not intellectual Johnnie-come-latelies and I for one trust and respect their
enthusiastic recommendation.
Fred Markus, Minneapolis Ward 6, Phillips West
In 1992, Keith Ellison was quoted as saying, "Black people do not live under
a democracy. You don't have an obligation to obey a government that
considers you to be less than human." This was followed by nonpayment of
federal income taxes from 1992-2000, evidently putting his words into
long-term action. During this time, he's sending his four kids to private
school, so affordability is not an excuse. This is more than a "flirtation"
with an alternative ideology.
Karen Harder
Lynnhurst
I do not know what charges are true, and if true, their circumstances and what
they say about Mr. Ellison (i.e., above the law, or just horribly
disorganized). Bottom line, I don't care.
In my view, personal character is of the most marginal relevance as concerns
fitness for legislative office. Somehow, "character" never encompasses the
policies a legislator promotes. Would those who raise Mr. Ellison's "character
issues" as a bar to his candidacy prefer a candidate who has never bounced a
check, volunteers at a hospice, pats puppies on the head and as your
representative spends his time shoveling your money into the pockets of his
cronies, supporting acts of agression against innocent foreign populations and
laughing at global climate change?
Among legislators who have pursued decent, reasonably progressive agendas, some
have shown sound character in their personal lives (e.g., Paul Wellstone), and
some are slovenly, woman-molesting drunks (Ted Kennedy). It doesn't matter to
me. I don't elect someone to serve as a model for my personal life. I did not
judge Bill Clinton harshly because of his libido control difficulties, I judged
him harshly because he pursued a corporatist agenda injurious to our society
(while seducing gullible liberals into believing he was with them).
I have heard no one -- not even Mr. Ellison's attackers -- question his energy,
sincerity and commitment on behalf of a progressive agenda, nor his
effectiveness. The level of corruption in our Congress, and the level of
spinelessness in those who oppose it, have brought us to a crisis of society.
That someone could oppose the candidacy of a man who will stand up loudly and
articulately for the interests of the ordinary people and society's stomped-on,
on the basis of 10, or 50, or 2000 unpaid parking tickets is, to me,
astonishing.
The relevance of character is only the risk it raises for a candidate to be
coopted in his legislative life through greed or other weakness. Again, there
has been no suggestion that Mr. Ellison is susceptible to this. There is no
question about my vote.
Chuck Holtman
Prospect Park
A little interesting aside: the poster put all his recipients in the
cc: so all could see. Gail Dorfman's email address was in that list!
Amusing, neh.
On Aug 31, 2006, at 7:19 AM, Margaret Hastings wrote:
>
> Last night I received an e-mail from a person I do not know-- it
> was a group e-mail asking that a write in campaign be started for
> Gail Dorfman for the 5CD seat.
>
> I have written to Commissioner Dorfman to apprise her of this as I
> doubt that she is supportive of a write in effort for her.
>
> My hope was that she was supporting Keith Ellison.
>
> Margaret Hastings-Kingfield
> Margaret Hastings
>
Jack Ferman
Kingfield Neighborhood
<email obscured>
Gail Dorfman joins a wide variety of present and former local, state and federal elected officials in supporting Keith Ellison for the 5CD seat. A list of Ellison's endorsements can be found at http://www.keithellison.org/endorsements.htm Mark Snyder Windom Park
Since I brought up D.W. Griffith and his film The Birth of a Nation and other forum members have asked, I will attempt to better explain how the arguments being made against Keith Ellison are racist arguments. This is just my humble analysis. In order to understand one level of racism going on in these arguments the following passage is helpful: From the Wikipedia entry for racism: >Such racial prejudice usually includes the belief that people differ >in aptitudes and abilities (such as intelligence, physical prowess, >or virtue) according to race. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism The message that we hear coming from the obsession with unpaid parking tickets some missed tax payments and missed campaign filing deadlines (all administrative errors) is that Keith does not have the aptitudes and abilities to be a Congressperson. While the argument does not say, because hes black it certainly recalls racial prejudice that suggests such might be true. If critics will bother to read, they will learn that Keith has owned up to this past sloppiness and agrees that he needs to and has/will clean it up. Thats good enough for me. Another example of this type of racist argument happening in the Twin Cities recently was the discussion around Daunte Culpepper while he was in town. Sports fans will remember the arguments such as, He just cant think fast enough or He cant read the defense or even Hes a great athlete but hes just not smart enough. In this way the idea that Keith is somehow incapable of being a Congressperson (which is absurd) at least conjures the idea of old racial stereotypes. At another level the case that Keiths presence on the 5th CD ballot in November will somehow cause Democrats to lose races statewide is the argument that recalls D.W. Griffith and his film. The message here is that all of the non-CD 5 Minnesotans will be scared of Keith Ellison, presumably because hes a dynamic, articulate and passionate black (and Muslim) man who advocates for his communitys beliefs and needs. The review of The Birth of a Nation (1915) that I linked to in a previous post can be found here: http://www.filmsite.org/birt.html Again, this is just my humble analysis. I am in no way connected to the Keith Ellison campaign (although I will be making a financial contribution). Keith won my vote simply because hes the best candidate for the job whos running. I like certain things about all of Keiths opponents, but Keith just beat them all out. Matty Lang, Central Neighborhood
While I appreciate Mr. Lang's analysis, it hinges upon this presupposition
he makes: "The message that we hear coming from the obsession with unpaid
parking tickets some missed tax payments and missed campaign filing
deadlines (all administrative errors) is that Keith does not have the
aptitudes and abilities to be a Congressperson."
I have never heard this as the argument put forth by people who wish to
analyze Mr. Ellison's history. Maybe I missed it. To me, at least, this is
not an issue of "aptitudes and abilities," but rather sloppy and unorganized
conduct and disregard for the law. It matters not to me if his failure to
pay taxes was an "administrative" oversight, he didn't pay them. He missed
the campaign filing deadlines. Are you suggesting he get a pass because they
were "administrative errors"? That excuse doesn't fly. Here is a man that
didn't pay his taxes and missed campaign filing deadlines...... but we want
him to represent us? He'll be writing tax policy, for crying out loud, and
he missed paying his for several years. It wasn't a one time thing. Electing
him makes US look worse than him. I will be ashamed if we elect him.
Sorry to say, but Mr. Lang's post came across as a stretch.
Then Chuck Holtman writes: "In my view, personal character is of the most
marginal relevance as concerns fitness for legislative office." Such a
sentence almost makes me cry. If a legislator has no character, they have
nothing. Their character is their foundation of service and is what they
have at the end of day in their service to their constituency. I appreciate
Mr. Holtman's stark sincerity, but what have we sunk to when we do not
demand of our legislators some modicum of character? No wonder this country
is going down the tubes.
Mike Thompson
Windom
Compared to the average congressman, Keith Ellison is an angel.
Mike Thompson writes:
"Then Chuck Holtman writes: 'In my view, personal character is of the most
marginal relevance as concerns fitness for legislative office.' Such a sentence
almost makes me cry. If a legislator has no character, they have nothing. Their
character is their foundation of service and is what they have at the end of
day in their service to their constituency. I appreciate Mr. Holtman's stark
sincerity, but what have we sunk to when we do not demand of our legislators
some modicum of character? No wonder this country is going down the tubes."
Chuck Holtman responds:
I am glad that Mr. Thompson at least perceived the "stark sincerity" in my
message. I feel that all of this concern with Mr. Ellison's parking tickets is
really fiddling while Rome is a blazing inferno.
Let me put it another way: I think that character is PROFOUNDLY relevant to a
candidate's fitness for legislative service. And I think that for a
legislator, "character" is defined as 98% legislative commitments and efforts,
and 2% how the candidate manages his/her personal life. With a Congress as
degraded as ours, so full of charlatans and dunces corrupted through and
through whose greatest (or only) talent is to delude their constituents into
continuing to vote for them while working every day against the constituents'
deepest interests, we obsess about the 2% while ignoring the 98%, or else
insist that 98% is not enough. By the only definition of character that makes
sense to me, from the evidence I have Mr. Ellison's character far outstrips
that of the vast majority of those in Congress, whether or not there were
unpaid taxes and parking tickets.
Mr. Thompson: "Their character is their foundation of service and is what they
have at the end of day in their service to their constituency."
Yes, what someone has at the end of the day is his character. I try to live my
life in constant awareness of that. But when the person is a legislator, what
the rest of us have at the end of the day is the laws he/she and their
colleagues have enacted, the domestic and foreign policies they have pursued,
and the consequent carnage. Glory be the day when our Congress serves the
public interest so well that we have the luxury of demanding that they be
angels in their personal lives too.
Chuck Holtman
Prospect Park
Michael,
MICHAEL WRITES: Their character is their foundation of service and is what
they
have at the end of day in their service to their constituency. I appreciate
Mr. Holtman's stark sincerity, but what have we sunk to when we do not
demand of our legislators some modicum of character? No wonder this country
is going down the tubes.
REPLY: I aprreciate your analysis and realize this is a major issue for Mr
Ellison and all of us need to make a decision based on this information. For
me however the biggest issue in Washington right now is money to buy access to
politicial power. This is a bigger ethical lapse for me than this issue.
Junge taking money from the healthcare industry and Erlandson taking money from
the military establishment. Now Erlandson is trying to link Ellison to Hamas,
Ostrow with his campaign manager, AND Junge with her "push polling" and will
not release information on the poll to the public.
We need someone who will stand up for progressive issues peace/war, health
care, and economic justice. We have too much within the beltway thinking and
not about the real issues that face our country. I found it interesting how
surprised politician were that real incomes has fallen during an economic
recovery according a recent report. When the common citizen has felt the pinch
in our pocket books for years. Special Interest has taken over Washington and
we need to take it back and expect to have candidates who have not taken money
from these interests.
I also have had to ponder Ellision's peronal lapses vs. the quality of the
candidate and the concern for the bigger ethical lapse discussed above made my
decision to support Ellison. These are all our personal decisions and
appreciate people making thought out decisions on who they support. This has
been tough race because of the short timeframe and the amount of dirty politics
done to date by blogger and columnists. But this is a decision that will
probably be with us for the next 20 years.
Carl Holmquist
CARAG
In response to Mr. Holtman:
MT: I guess your post reveals the fundamental
difference between you and I: I actually expect the lawmakers that we elect
to abide by the same laws that they pass and expect us to live by. Do I
expect perfection? No. Do I expect that there will be lapses? Certainly. Do
I consider lawmakers human, with associated frailties, who make mistakes? I
sure do. But Ellison's problems were more than mere bumps in the road.
When a lawmaker, who will have a hand in the shaping of tax law, doesn't
pay his taxes, that's an issue. It should be to all of us, or the electorate
is in worse shape than I ever thought. Mr. Ellison's "administrative errors"
(Matty
Lang's term) is not a defense. Evidently Ellison supporters don't have a
problem with lawmakers who continuously and chronically fail to follow the
very laws they shape and create and pass. Filing the necessary campaign
paperwork is the very basic requirement for his job. It is (probably) an
unpleasant, though legally required, aspect of his job. Yet he didn't do it.
It matters not if is was an "administrative error"...... he didn't do it. We
(all of us) should expect more from a candidate. But we don't, because the
coming out
party to the rest of the nation of being the new uber-Progressive cold
Berkeley
is more important than the person we send to represent it. Evidently I'm in
the minority that thinks that is tragic.
Carl Holmquist writes: "I also have had to ponder Ellision's peronal lapses
vs. the quality of the candidate and the concern for the bigger ethical
lapse discussed above made my decision to support Ellison. These are all
our personal decisions and appreciate people making thought out decisions on
who they support."
MT: So Ellison is the lesser of two evils. Hmmmmm..... it is too bad that we
have to elect our officials this way. I find sacrificing our expectations of
our elected officials for this reason unacceptable, though obviously your
mileage may vary.
I'm gone for the weekend.
Mike Thompson
Windom
MT writes, " So Ellison is the lesser of two evils. Hmmmmm..... it is too
bad that we have to elect our officials this way. I find sacrificing our
expectations of our elected officials for this reason unacceptable, though
obviously your mileage may vary."
The sad thing is that either of the candidates opposing Ellison would
probably win if they and only they were running against him in the primary.
As it is they will split the vote three ways, and I fully expect Ellison to
win. They should go into a "smoke filled backroom", decide who actually has
the best chance and then the other two drop out. But that will not happen
because of ego's involved.
So we face the sad prospect of someone whom the majority of Democrats do not
want elected winning a race, and then becoming the only candidate who can
win the general election. Real sad day for the DFL, something to celebrate
for the Republicans. That ghost will loom over many other DFL candidates
this November. Hopefully the strength of Amy, Hatch, and other strong
candidates will prevail, but their races will be harder because of the
ammunition that Ellison will provide for the Republicans. The only way
Ellison will have any legitimacy is for him to carry more than 50% of the
primary votes. Do not look for that to happen.
Well it is hopefully only for two years and a less flawed candidate may have
a chance to win. Of course I said that same thing about Pawlenty winning
with less than a majority vote. I then said well it is only for four years,
and look what that has brought.
Jim Graham,
Ventura Village
Michael,
Please tell me when you find the perfect candidate. It does not exist.
Leaders are human with a whole set of character flaws:
* Thomas Jefferson - Not able to come to terms with slavery & iledged
* Ben Franklin - illegitimate child.
* Harry Truman - multiple failed business ventures
* Ronald Reagan - Iran Contra / Anti-Comunist Campaign
* Bill Clinton - Do not need to say
* Winston Churhhill - One of the primary people responsible for Galipoli
failure in WWII.
* Kennedy - Womanizer.
Please let me know when you find the perfect candidate.
Carl Holmquist
CARAG
Michael Thompson <email obscured>> wrote:
In response to Mr. Holtman:
MT: I guess your post reveals the fundamental
difference between you and I: I actually expect the lawmakers that we elect
to abide by the same laws that they pass and expect us to live by. Do I
expect perfection? No. Do I expect that there will be lapses? Certainly. Do
I consider lawmakers human, with associated frailties, who make mistakes? I
sure do. But Ellison's problems were more than mere bumps in the road.
When a lawmaker, who will have a hand in the shaping of tax law, doesn't
pay his taxes, that's an issue. It should be to all of us, or the electorate
is in worse shape than I ever thought. Mr. Ellison's "administrative errors"
(Matty
Lang's term) is not a defense. Evidently Ellison supporters don't have a
problem with lawmakers who continuously and chronically fail to follow the
very laws they shape and create and pass. Filing the necessary campaign
paperwork is the very basic requirement for his job. It is (probably) an
unpleasant, though legally required, aspect of his job. Yet he didn't do it.
It matters not if is was an "administrative error"...... he didn't do it. We
(all of us) should expect more from a candidate. But we don't, because the
coming out
party to the rest of the nation of being the new uber-Progressive cold
Berkeley
is more important than the person we send to represent it. Evidently I'm in
the minority that thinks that is tragic.
Carl Holmquist writes: "I also have had to ponder Ellision's peronal lapses
vs. the quality of the candidate and the concern for the bigger ethical
lapse discussed above made my decision to support Ellison. These are all
our personal decisions and appreciate people making thought out decisions on
who they support."
MT: So Ellison is the lesser of two evils. Hmmmmm..... it is too bad that we
have to elect our officials this way. I find sacrificing our expectations of
our elected officials for this reason unacceptable, though obviously your
mileage may vary.
I'm gone for the weekend.
Mike Thompson
Windom
Gee wouldn't it be nice to have IRV here? I know - I know it's a partisan
race. I think Ellison would win anyway.
Bruce Leier
Powderhorn
Why is he a target? Good question. I'd add, because he is willing to work on issues that matter and be outspoken about them. He works to fire up the grassroots and not distance himself from them. He works to use his office as platform for change and not as an excuse for not doing anything. All the candidates talk about health care and its importance yet when it comes to energy and the environment--my big issues--there isn't much there to speak of. What do they think is responsible for our poor collective health? Rep Ellison understands root causes of harms and the need for social change to address them. We don't need more window dressing politicians who are looking for a resume building, constituant alienating, keep-the-rif-raf-at-arms-length experience. We need some vocal leaders who will fight for working people and for people/groups under-represented. I don't see that in the other candidates. Ostow lists on his website that he thinks it will take two generations for renewables to become a reality--great, that's a perfect excuse for not doing anything on the topic for the next couple of decades and mirrors his current "record" as he routinely referrs to. As far as Junge, any mention of this topic is absent from her campaign literature blanketing my mailbox and she had trouble even saying the words in the KSTP debate I watched last night--as if they were completely foreign to her. Erlandson says the right words but I would have to say that actions speak louder than words, so driving an Escalade and saying you're all about CAFE standards and the environment presents a bizarre paradox--get real. Hey, I'm sure they're all good people and they all have made positive contributions, but it takes more than just being a good person to be a leader. It takes more than just going with the flow when there is violence in the streets. It takes more than tax cuts to build community. It takes more than oil industry subsidies to create a renewable energy economy. We need some new thinking and new blood to represent Minneapolis in Washington. I'm going with the one who gets the issues and then tries to get things done. http://www.kstp.com/article/86/ (if you want to check out the debate) Justin Eibenholzl Armatage works as a neighborhood organizer in Como (Ward 1 &2)
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