News from southern Minnesota for Oct. 8, Part 2
In his Saturday Campaign Notebook, the Mankato Free Press's Mark Fischenich notes that the next official FEC report will show that Walz has raised close to $850,000 while Gutknecht has already gone over $1 million, making 2006 the most expensive Minnesota CD 1 campaign ever.
My take: It is a sad commentary on our so-called democracy when a candidate's success is measured by how much money he or she can raise. While votes are apportioned across the population on an even basis — i.e., one man/woman, one vote — money is not. Only a small number of Americans give to political campaigns (I've seen the number as low as 4%), and "less than one-tenth of 1 percent give more than $1,000," according to Public Agenda. If money influences elections, which is like saying "if bears crap in the woods," then those who have more money to give obviously affect elections more.
Well, duh!
So then, why do we allow this hugely inequitable system of only slightly hidden graft and corruption? Let's see, going back to grammar school and high school days.... Principles on which our country was founded....
As for breaking political news in the 1st CD race...
In the days prior to Rep. John Boehner's visit to Minnesota State University Mankato as the guest of Gil Gutknecht, theoretically to bolster Gutknecht's campaign, Bluestem Prairie is doing an excellent job at delving into Boehner's connections to Foleygate as well as the Delay-GOP corruption machine.
Being a member of the MSUM campus community, I know full well what the reaction will be. The students will say, "Who's this 'Boner' guy?" (It's pronounced "Bayner".) And staff and faculty, at least the ones who know who he is, will for the most part go "Ugh." In short, Gutknecht would be far better off bringing in Schwarzenegger.
Yes, there will be a rally, but attendance will be far less than the 100+ who showed up to hear Amy Klobuchar a few weeks ago. The next quesion is: Will non-GOPers be allowed entry?
Bluestem Prairie also points out Boehner's connections to student loan lender Sallie Mae. Just this past year the lender and the politician collaborated to raise the student loan interest rate and in the process pad everybody's pockets.
But if the GOP isn't good at (a) administrating or (b) telling the truth, they are really darn good at creating a political spin that makes it seem like they are on the side of whatever audience they are talking to. Which means, of course, that they will tell the students that the Republican Party is their best friend and that it stands for making public education more affordable, when in reality the opposite, judging from their voting record, is true.
— LP
My take: It is a sad commentary on our so-called democracy when a candidate's success is measured by how much money he or she can raise. While votes are apportioned across the population on an even basis — i.e., one man/woman, one vote — money is not. Only a small number of Americans give to political campaigns (I've seen the number as low as 4%), and "less than one-tenth of 1 percent give more than $1,000," according to Public Agenda. If money influences elections, which is like saying "if bears crap in the woods," then those who have more money to give obviously affect elections more.
Well, duh!
So then, why do we allow this hugely inequitable system of only slightly hidden graft and corruption? Let's see, going back to grammar school and high school days.... Principles on which our country was founded....
- One man, one vote — check!...
- Freedom from an authoritarian government — check!...
- Freedom from aristocratic control of government — check!...
- Freedom from political corruption — check!...
As for breaking political news in the 1st CD race...
In the days prior to Rep. John Boehner's visit to Minnesota State University Mankato as the guest of Gil Gutknecht, theoretically to bolster Gutknecht's campaign, Bluestem Prairie is doing an excellent job at delving into Boehner's connections to Foleygate as well as the Delay-GOP corruption machine.
Being a member of the MSUM campus community, I know full well what the reaction will be. The students will say, "Who's this 'Boner' guy?" (It's pronounced "Bayner".) And staff and faculty, at least the ones who know who he is, will for the most part go "Ugh." In short, Gutknecht would be far better off bringing in Schwarzenegger.
Yes, there will be a rally, but attendance will be far less than the 100+ who showed up to hear Amy Klobuchar a few weeks ago. The next quesion is: Will non-GOPers be allowed entry?
Bluestem Prairie also points out Boehner's connections to student loan lender Sallie Mae. Just this past year the lender and the politician collaborated to raise the student loan interest rate and in the process pad everybody's pockets.
But if the GOP isn't good at (a) administrating or (b) telling the truth, they are really darn good at creating a political spin that makes it seem like they are on the side of whatever audience they are talking to. Which means, of course, that they will tell the students that the Republican Party is their best friend and that it stands for making public education more affordable, when in reality the opposite, judging from their voting record, is true.
— LP
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