Yesterday, in Part 3: “When Soldiers Speak Out” it clearly was stated the issue isn’t Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul’s right to speak out; the issue is following established military rules, regulations, and protocol while doing so. And Department of Defense Directive 1344.10 was mentioned.
Today, we’re going to take a specific look at that Directive, and it’s applicability to Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul’s use of his official @us.army.mil email account.
There is no doubt that Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul used his official @us.army.mil account for partisan political purposes; Political Muse first noticed this use back in April. Also, a quick google search (just enter “Dave Thul”) of blogs results in two hits on the very first page – this one:
They can’t ignore you if you show up in person
17 Jul 2009 by (redacted)@us.army.mil (Dave Thul)
Written by Dave Thul. Friday, 17 July 2009 09:17. Since I have yet to receive a phone call or email back from Congressman Walz’s office about the still unexplained photo of him claiming to be an Afghanistan veteran, I decided to visit …
True North – Pointing Minnesota in the… – http://looktruenorth.com/component/content/frontpage….
[ More results from True North - Pointing Minnesota in the... ]
and this one:
Minnesota’s own phony soldier
12 Jul 2009 by (redacted)@us.army.mil (Dave Thul)
Everyone who follows politics must remember the political uproar over Rush Limbaugh’s ‘phony soldier’ comment in 2007, referring to the media’s fondness for quoting ‘soldiers’ against the war in Iraq whose service and military records …
True North – http://www.looktruenorth.com/component/content/frontpage.html – References
[ More results from True North ]
Yes, gentle readers, that’s Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul calling Congressman Tim Walz a “phony soldier.” And that BS about the photograph? COMPLETE BS. Of course, would anyone expect anything else from the party of Tony Sutton and Michael Brodkorb? But, that’s a tangent, albeit a tangent we’ll get to later. For now, back to Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul and his use of his official @us.army.mil email account.
Department of Defense Directive 1344.10, like most Defense rules, regulations, and protocols, is dry reading. On the other hand, they usually are very clear, and DoDD 1344.10 is no different.
Paragraph 4, in it’s entirety, states:
4. POLICY
It is DoD policy to encourage members of the Armed Forces (hereafter referred to as “members”) (including members on active duty, members of the Reserve Components not on active duty, members of the National Guard even when in a non-Federal status, and retired members) to carry out the obligations of citizenship. In keeping with the traditional concept that members on active duty should not engage in partisan political activity, and that members not on active duty should avoid inferences that their political activities imply or appear to imply official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement, the following policy shall apply:
That last sentence is the important one with respect to Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul; clearly, if Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul were on active duty, or was on-duty full-time with the National Guard, Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul could have the book tossed at him for all the rules, regulations, and protocols he could have possibly and probably violated. If Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul were on active duty, or in an on-duty, full-time status with the National Guard, Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul easily “could end up in jail” – to use Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul’s own words (we’ll get to the significance of those words in a later episode). So, for the sake of argument, we’ll assume Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul is NOT in an on-duty, full-time status with the National Guard. If anyone knows differently, let me know.
So, let’s review that last sentence, in Paragraph 4, before we get into the sub-paragraphs:
“…and that members not on active duty should avoid inferences that their political activities imply or appear to imply official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement…”
Now let’s look at this sub-paragraph, of paragraph 4:
4.1.4. Subject to any other restrictions in law, a member of the Armed Forces not on active duty may take the actions or participate in the activities permitted in subparagraph 4.1.1., and may take the actions and participate in the activities prohibited in subparagraph 4.1.2, provided the member is not in uniform and does not otherwise act in a manner that could reasonably give rise to the inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement.
“reasonably” – “reasonably.”
Is it reasonable for someone to infer that a blogpost critical of the President, or a Congressman, bearing an official @us.army.mil was approved by someone serving in official capacity within the US Army?
Yes, it is – unless, of course, you’re a partisan political hack and the President and Congressman being ripped is from a party other than your own.
That sub-paragraph is followed by this subparagraph:
4.1.5. Activities not expressly prohibited may be contrary to the spirit and intent of this Directive. Any activity that may be reasonably viewed as directly or indirectly associating the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security (in the case of the Coast Guard) or any component of these Departments with a partisan political activity or is otherwise contrary to the spirit and intention of this Directive shall be avoided.
“…shall be avoided.” Not “should” be avoided; “shall” be avoided. Got it? “Clear, Sergeant, AIRBORNE!” would be the response I would have given, upon being read/told/DIRECTED (we’re quoting a “Directive” here), back in the day.
Clearly, by using his @us.army.mil email account, that shows up on google searches and probably google alerts, too, Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul is, or appears to, apply official military approval and/or endorsement.
Clearly, Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thu’s use of his official, @us.army.mil email account was wrong. Period. End of story.
Well, not exactly “end of story” – part 5 is coming – stay tuned!
(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)
The Party Faithful have spoken, and it’s a new day for the state GOP. Tony Sutton takes the reins, and is faced with the formidable task of cleaning up the mess left by the last administration that ran the Republican Party of Minnesota. Especially the mess left by the last Treasurer, who – not coincidentally – was Tony Sutton!
And just how big of a mess did Treasurer Tony Sutton leave for Chairman Tony Sutton? A quick check of FEC Records show that on January 15th of this year, Chairman Ron Carey and Treasurer Tony filed an amended report for September and October 2008. On January 16, they filed an amended pre-General Election report. On January 20th, they filed an amended post-General Election Report.
All in all, those amended reports are another pathetic example of the incompetence and failure of the Ron Carey Regime, which “featured” Tony Sutton as Treasurer. But have no fear; it gets worse.
On March 16th, 2009, Carey and Sutton re-re-filed an amended report of the previously amended October 2009 report.
Got that? They couldn’t get it “right” the first time; they tried and failed to get it “right” the second – and didn’t. But have no fear; it gets worse.
Worse? Yes, because on the same day they had to amend a previously amended report – October 2008 – they also had to amend the previously amended pre-General Election Report. But have no fear, it gets worse.
Worse? Yep! Surely, you’re not surprised? After all, this IS republiCon Ron and FEC Tony we’re talkin’ ’bout… and on March 19th, 2009, they had to re-re-file an amended report of the previously amended August 2009 report! But have no fear, it gets worse!
A little over a month ago, on May 22nd, 2009, RepubliCon Ron and FEC Tony had to amend the pre-General Election for the third – THIRD – time! Same day, same clowns had to amend the post-Election Report for the second time! And just to show that when it comes to incompetence the unDynamic Duo of republiCon Ron and FEC Tony has no peer, they also re-amended the 2008 Year End Report.
Folks, this level of pathetic incompetence is beyond bizarre. And it bears looking into. So, stay tuned, and have no fear – it gets worse.
(crossposted from )
… a must-read. And that guy State GOP Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb thinks is a must-read, recently called Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Joe Repya a communist. A communist!!!
In a way, it’s quite of reminiscent of an elected GOPer – Michele Bachmann – questioning the patriotism of duly elected US Senators and Congressmen.
And it’s part of a pattern; today’s GOP has a habit of trashing those they disagree with. Especially Colonel Repya; last year republiCon Ron essentially called Colonel Repya an enemy of the party for having the audacity – AUDACITY! – to suggest the party might have a few paperwork problems.
Since it’s been established that the established GOP Party Leadership doesn’t much like The Good Colonel, and it’s been established the State GOP Deputy Chair thinks the CD-04 Deputy Chair is a must-read, and since it’s well-established the CD-04 Deputy Chair thinks The Good Colonel is a commie, doesn’t that beg the question: does State GOP Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb think that that Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Joe Repya is a commie, too??!?
Well I thought so, so I asked! Here’s exactly what I asked, in an e-mailed entitled “A Question For Deputy Chair Brodkorb:
Dear Deputy Chair (Elect) Brodkorb,
I’m looking into CD-4 Deputy Chair Nathan Hansen’s recent comments in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and I have a question for State Deputy Chair (Elect) Brodkorb:
Mr. Deputy Chair (Elect) Brodkorb, do you agree with CD-4 Deputy Chair Hansen’s assertion that LTC (Retired) Joe Repya is a communist?
A “Yes” or “No” answer will suffice; an explanation would be appreciated.
Thank you for your prompt reply.
Tommy Johnson
Blogger
State GOP Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb declined to respond for the record.
With elected office holders like Michele Bachmann and Laura Brod, and elected party officers like Nathan Hansen, State GOP Deputy Chair Michal Brodkorb likely will be ducking a lot of questions.
(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)
…today’s GreedOverPrinciples party.
It’s been a tough day for the GOPers. Fortunately for Kurt Zellers, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford – who turned down Federal Stimulus – got caught gettin’ some international stimulus:
Chris Cillizza
washingtonpost.com Political Blogger
Wednesday, June 24, 2009; 3:30 PMGov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) admitted in a press conference in Washington today that he had an extramarital affair with a woman in Argentina and that he will resign his position as president of the Republican Governors Assocation. (Washington Post)
Yep – a “Family Values” republiCon, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, wasn’t “hiking the Appalachian Trail” as aides first claimed; he was down in Argentina – “catching up on foreign affairs”.
Which is good for Zellers; that diverts attention away from his history of campaign finance screwups. Well, and the video Dusty Trice found and posted today – the video of Zeller trashing former Governor Arne Carlson just last May. Let’s look!
That’s Kurt Zellers, trashing former two-term Governor Arne Carlson. Way to make the small tent smaller, Kurt!
And speakin’ o’ the Small Tent Party, Lieutenant Colonel Joe Repya split ranks from the likes of Zellers, Sutton, Brodkorb, et al. In today’s Pioneer Press, Colonel Repya explains why:
“Over the years I have raised tens of thousands of dollars for GOP coffers, donated many thousands of dollars to local and national GOP candidates, worked many hours at the grass-roots level and been asked repeatedly to run for state or federal office by Minnesota GOP officeholders. So why on Earth have I decided to leave the Minnesota GOP?
Simple: When a political party becomes so dysfunctional that it no longer can operate without tyrannical domination over the grass-roots, it is time to stop enabling bad behavior from that party. I have come to the conclusion that a majority of Minnesotans and many Republicans no longer trust the message of the Minnesota GOP.
After years of ineffective party leadership resulting in a record number of defeats, lack of transparency in party dealings, alleged financial impropriety by former party employees, and numerous Federal Election Commission problems, can you really blame the electorate for abandoning the Minnesota GOP?”
OK, now I’ll surmise that the “…alleged financial impropriety by former party employees,…” has something to do with this:
Read the “confidential memo” from the Minnesota Republican Party that is the basis of CREW’s FEC complaint
(Submitted by crew on 16 July 2007 – 1:26pm. FEC Minnesota Republican Party)
CREW filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint today against the Republican Party of Minnesota and its former treasurer, Marina Taubenberger, alleging multiple egregious violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) and FEC regulations. The complaint is based primarily upon a February 15, 2007 confidential memorandum from former Republican Party of Minnesota finance director Dwight Tostenson to the Party’s Executive Committee. You really have to read that memo. Here it is:
OK, so what happened when Colonel Repya tried to ask about the alleged financial impropriety” at the state convention? Let’s watch!!!
Way to go, Tony Sutton, a/k/a “Mr. Lost Credibility”!!! Oh, and in the comments section, of the PiPress? A guy by the name of Nathan Hansen has this to say:
I am Deputy Chair of the Fourth Congressional District and one of the newer anti-war Republican activists. It’s difficult for words to describe how happy I am that you are leaving our Party. The roots of your “neconservative” philosophy lie in Straussian Trotzkyite Communism. “Corporate money” influencing our Party? Nothing compared to the damage your military industrial complex (that Eisenhower warned us about) has wreaked on our Party and our Country.
I hope you will find a happy home among your fellow communists. Your days of endless illegal wars and military industrial complex domination of our party are over.
Obama is ramping up his War in Afghanistan and continues to illegally bomb Pakistan. Perhaps you can join him to satiate your bloodlust. (emphasis added)
ROFLMAO!!! The Deputy Chair of the GOP’s CD-4 not only told Colonel Repya “don’t let the door smack ya on yer arse” — he called Joe a “commie”, too!!!
Ya really gotta admire how those in current GOPer party leadership positions honor the troops, doncha??!?
Ever hear that those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it? Well, an astute Regular Reader (thanks, Ricardo!) sent me a link demonstrating how today’s GreedOverPrinciples party’s leaders are doing just that, in an e-mail entitled “The Current State of the GOP Party”! Let’s watch!!!
Oh, and think today was bad for the local GOPers? Watch what happens if ol’ Smokescreen gets his walking papers tomorrow!
Stay tuned!!!
(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)
Well, I would have called it “The misAdventures Bachmann MotorMouth OverDrive – The Early Years” but: they didn’t ask me. At any rate, “False Witness! is now out and available. I placed the order for mine – and if you act quickly, you can too!!! Link on over to BiasedLiberalMedia.com and get your copy of “False Witness! The Michele Bachmann Story (Vol. 1)”!
Here’s part of what the entrepid Bill Prendergast has to say about his entrepenueral offering:
The first issue is about how she got started in politics. Twenty four pages of electrifying black and white comics that have never been printed before. (DumpBachmann)
All that, for a measely $4.95 with shipping included! That link, again: www.BiasedLiberalMedia.com – go order your copy now!
(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)
Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive has been saying bizzare things lately – as usual. How bizzare? The ol’ TwoPutter has two examples for today. Let’s look at the first – it’s “right” after Limbaugh and some other wingnut:
Countdown: Worst Persons, Michelle Bachmann Is Clueless, 6-10-09
The second clueless thing noted today (so far) by Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive came via (and a H/T to!) those vigilant folks at Dump Bachmann. Now, I’ve heard a lot of reasons rightwingnuts use as a rationalization for denying poor people access to medical care, but this one?
Well, it’s simply the ideological Bachmann, in typical MotorMouth Overdrive mode:
The Guttmacher Institute also routinely reports showing that when public funding is not available, 30 percent fewer women who receive Medicaid have abortions. Now, this is interesting because it means 30 percent more babies whose mothers receive government-subsidized health care survive because of abortion-funding restrictions. And this is, I think, particularly important for women and men in the African American communities, in the Latino communities. In communities of color, we see a very high
percentage of abortions. And I know one of our colleagues, Congressman Trent Franks, speaks about this often. He has a tremendous heart, as we do as well, for unborn children in the minority community because such a grossly high percentage of babies in the African American/Latino community are aborted, and we don’t want to see that.[Time: 20:00]
These babies add to the richness of the American fabric just as Caucasian babies do. All babies are valuable, but what we’re seeing is an even higher percentage of babies who are losing their lives in the minority community. In particular, we see this with minorities as they access Medicaid funding. If they have Medicaid funding, government funding, we’ll see more abortions, and we’ll see that particularly in the minority communities.
(C-Span)
How’s that for an insensitive thought-process? Cynically deny poor people – especially poor people of color – acess to Medicaid, and there will be less abortions!
BRILLIANT!!! Well, for Michele, that is….Bizarrely, Michele goes on:
This is a common-ground issue, I think, that we can share with those who embrace a pro-abortion view and with those who embrace a pro-life view because the polls have shown very clearly that the majority of Americans do not support taxpayer-funded abortion. They don’t support it. We are here to represent the will and the interests of the American people. That’s not where the American people are right now. They don’t want to see us spending their money when we don’t have much, when this government
is in the red–in red ink up to our eyeballs. We don’t have money to pay for the intentional murder of unborn children.The Obama budget changes this Dornan amendment (emphasis added), as my colleague Mrs. Schmidt has said, to the Financial Services’ appropriations bill, so the publicly funded abortions will, once again, be available in the District of Columbia. Right here where we stand this evening, this is the District of Columbia. So now, once again, President Obama is expanding abortion. Instead of making it rare, instead of making it safer, this is making more abortions, particularly for pre-born babies of color.(C-Span)
“…pre-born babies of color.” As opposed, say, to “post-born”? Is Michele playing the race card to garner sypmathy here, when the real issues for Bachmann and her ilk are 1) – keepin’ folk off the dole, and 2) – denying local control for the citizens of W.D.C. which, of course, is something GOPers like to claim they’re really for (except when they’re not).
The “Dornan Amendment” essentially prevents the citizens of Washington D.C. from using local funds to provide abortions – except in cases of rape, incest, or threat to the life of the mother. Bachmann and her ilk want to keep W.D.C. in the company of Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Wyoming – where local funds cannot be used for abortion except in cases of rape or incest.
Except, here’s the difference – those states, just listed, made that decision themselves, which is something the citizens of Washington D.C. don’t get to do. And Bachmann and her hyocritical ilk – GOPers elected elsewhere – would prefer to keep it that way; keep it as it’s been since GOPer Bob Dornan from California got that amendment stuck in there over 20 years ago.
Like I said, GOPers like local control (except when they don’t).
Even more hypocritical, is Bachmann standing up for an amendment Dornan passed, as Dornan has quite a reputation as a bigot.
Don’t take my word for that; go to Amazon.com and buy a copy of Dornan’s book – quaintly titled “Shut Up, Fag!: Quotations from the Files of Congressman Bob Dornan, the Man Who Would Be President”
The NY Times has Dornan once saying about an electoral opponent: “Every lesbian spear chucker in this country is hoping I get defeated.”
That story was – to no surprise, from me – about Dornan’s run for the GOP Endorsement for President of the good ol’ USofA.
Dornan’s bigotry is available in book form through Amazon.com; Bachmann’s bizarre bigotry is potentially available every time she gets behind a microphone.
(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)
It was just one year ago, June 2008, when GOPer Laura Brod was a nominee for that month’s “Hypocrite Of The Month”. It’s important to remember why Brod was singled out that month: she stood in front of a microphone, as a surrogate for ol’ Smokescreen, even though ol’ Smokescreen had done his best to cover for his pals Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, et al. And Laura earned that nomination; click here for a recap of her hypocrisy and the sordid treatment of women that Norm Coleman ignored as Chair of the Truman Committee.
Yet there Laura Brod was, a year ago, rippin’ Al Franken. Nothing demonstrates hypocrisy more than an indignant republiCon woman defending a guy like Norm Coleman’s inactions by criticizing someone else’s jokes.
And no one epitomizes a republiCon makin’ (stuff) up more than Laura Brod and her imaginary issue of “voter fraud.” Take, for instance, part of what Spot at The Cucking Stool wrote, in a piece entitled “A solution in search of a problem” back in February 2007:
In her little incitement to action, Rep. Brod mentions the increase in “identity theft and fraud.” What she doesn’t do, because she can’t, is tie the efforts of digital thieves to voter fraud. And frankly, you’d have to be a pretty stupid thief to try to steal a vote here and there. Now that he thinks about it, Spot has never gotten a Nigerian voter-fraud scheme email!
How many voter fraud cases in Minnesota have you read about in the paper recently, boys and girls? Spot certainly hasn’t seen any. If Rep. Brod’s proposals ever gets a committee hearing, Spot hopes that Rep. Brod and her sidekicks will get a good grilling on the evidence behind statements like those contained in her letter.
Rep. Brod says that she just wants to be sure that “only those who are legally eligible can participate.” Bull chips. What she really wants is to depress the turnout of the poor, the minorities, and the natives. (The Cucking Stool)
PhoenixWoman at Mercury Rising noted “right” around the same time:
Ever since they stopped being the Party of Lincoln and adopted the explicitly racist “Southern Strategy” in the 1960s, Republicans — nationally and locally, elected and in the media, traditional and online — have been attacking any and all efforts to enable more people, especially poor people and non-white people, to vote. Instead, they push various measures, under the pretext of “fighing voter fraud”, that put barriers between poor and non-white would-be voters and the voting booth because they know that these groups of people vote overwhelmingly for Democrats.
In the case of Minnesota, my home state, Republican legislators like Laura Brod (R-New Prague– she signed the letter the State Republican caucus is circulating to outstate Minnesota newspapers such as the St. Cloud Times) and their blogging buddies are savaging newly-minted Democratic State Attorney General Mark Ritchie for his eminently sensible proposal to automatically register anyone with a valid Minnesota driver’s license. Since getting a driver’s license — or even renewing one — is a complicated process with plenty of verification checks at each step, it makes sense that anyone who has achieved a license is almost certainly a legal resident.
Republicans like to pooh-pooh any suggestions that their legislation is intended to suppress voter turnout among minorities and the poor. But everyone knows better, and there’s yet another study showing that GOP-promoted measures concerning voter identification lead directly to depressed turnout among those populations. (Mercury Rising)
So, basically, with respect to Laura Brod, what we have is a hypocrite that doesn’t mind makin’ (stuff) up. In other words, the GreedOverPrinciples party, personified.
I watched the Oral Arguments in the recount case yesterday on the Uptake; I watched what was either the last or the latest whipping a Team Smokescreen attorney endured from Judge(s). And at the very end, I watched this:
“There is no evidence of fraud in this election. And maybe it’s the law out there; maybe it’s the character of the people in Minnesota. We don’t have any fraud.”
Joe Friedberg, arguing before the Minnesota Supreme Court, 01 June 2009
That quote began at the 1:06:10 mark. It bears repeating:
“There is no evidence of fraud in this election. “
And I, too, noted Christian Sande ask just a few minutes later: “Laura Brod, are you listening?”
Well, just in case Laura Brod wasn’t listening and/or keeps makin’ (stuff) up with regards to voter fraud, I thought it might be a good idea to have a way to remind her.
So, earlier today, I registered the domain name www.LauraBrodAreYouListening.com
Somehow, someway, I’m thinking that domain name will become a full-fledged website.
Stay tuned!
(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)
What do rightwingnuts call a non-profit that’s backed by a whole bunch o’ corporate sponsors, from Allstate Insurance, American Airlines, and AT&T to UPS, Verizon and Wall-Mart?
Yep – “The Admiral” over at Lake Minnetonka Liberty said that, just yesterday, in a post that tried to trash not only Sonia Sotomayer, but an established and respected civil rights organization, too.
To be fair, and so as to not take “The Admiral” out of context, he followed that up with:
I know the loony left will be jumping all over this one. I’m not comparing them with the Klan of old, but with todays Klan. The 1950′s and ’60′s are over with, that’s not what we are talking about here. Let’s not make me point out the chaos they caused a few years ago with the stated purpose of disruption of commerce, looting, etc… which by the way, they accomplished.
Yeah, “right.”
Now, keep in mind Sonia Sotomayor was first appointed to the federal bench by Bush The Elder – and confirmed by the Senate; she was subsequently promoted to the Appellate Court by Bill Clinton, and AGAIN confirmed by Senate vote. And her membership in La Raza was well-known, back then.
Yesterday, “The Admiral” asked: Does anybody think she’s not biased? Anybody think she’s not a racist? Anybody think she doesn’t have an agenda?
Yes, but unlike “The Admiral”, they live on Terra Firma.
Oh – and they also aren’t the bedrock of today’s GreedOverPrinciples party. Sadly, “The Admiral” appears to be “mainstream” – “mainstream” that is, in today’s republiCon party.
***
(h/t to Spotty, over at The Cucking Stool; h/t to Daily Kos for the following YouTube)
***
(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject.com)
State Rep. Maria Ruud, D-42A, won her third election on Tuesday. On her first, she scored a huge upset by knocking off the Republican incumbent by a mere 239 votes. In 2006, Maria defended her seat, and her victory margin jumped to 1,732 – 10 points. This year, she won by 3,650 – 16 points. Not only did she win big, Maria swept every precinct. Yes, that’s correct – Maria tossed a shutout by winning 17 of 17 precints.
So, how does she do it, in a district once thought of as rock-solid-red? Let’s look!
Click on the thumbnail, and note all those Republican lawn signs: Paulsen, Coleman, McCain/Palin, and Aho. And also note the one non-Republican lawn sign, in between the Coleman and McCain signs, circled in red…
…that’s Maria Ruud’s sign!
Maria is easily one of the most accessible elected officials I’ve ever met. She works hard at being involved in the community. She listens to all sides of issues. Maria is more than willing to work with Republicans when required. And in a district located in southern Minnetonka and northern Eden Prairie, home to many Republicans, she often does – as all those signs on that lawn attest to. “Finding Common Ground” is more than a campaign motto for Maria – it’s how she works to solve problems. Maria Ruud has proven progressive politics and policy – practiced with respect, grace, and dignity – is a winning combination.
(originally published at MnProgressiveProject.com)
