Total Elected Delegates
Bonoff - 48
Madia - 84.5
Uncommitted - 7
Total Superdelegates
Bonoff - 15
Madia - 2
Uncomitted - 2
Total Delegates
Bonoff - 63
Madia- 86.5
Uncommitted - 9
95 delegates are required to win the DFL endorsement. That means Madia can win the endorsement without getting a single Bonoff defector if he sweeps the uncommitteds. Also, many of the superdelegates endorsed Bonoff when she was the prohibitive front runner. It would not be surprising for some of them to change their vote or, more likely, don’t show up to the convention. Bonoff’s best strategy at this point may be to attempt to block the endorsement and shoot for the primary. That would be difficult to do - conventions want to endorse a candidate.
Here in the Eighth District, Jim Oberstar brings home the bacon and fries it up in the pan. But oh, it would be great to have a district representative who EXCITES voters. Go Madia!
Does anyone have a list of all the superdelegates and who they’re endorsing? I don’t think I’ve seen their names anywhere.
Ashwin Madia was GREAT at SD41!
It was a wonderful dayand I can’t wait to vote for his endorsement at the 3rd congressional convention!
Any news on how Franken is doing today. Is he becoming a lock against JNP?? Zack or Sean a post on that race would be helpful.
Wow! I should never underestimate the ability of a bunch of my fellow democrats to pick the candidate least likely to win in November…
You all are tragic. Bonoff was the one candidate who could win in November. She was the clear and easy choice in this race. She is a talented, young, articulate DFL candidate in a tough district. She is the only candidate to enter this race who has won as a DFLer in the heart the GOP land that we call CD 3.
Shame on this blog and the commenters for rooting for an untested former republican. (And an anti-labor one at that: http://www.mndaily.com/articles/1996/11/04/1935.).
When we lose in the third, I’ll know who to blame…
P.S.
Will someone tell the Madia campaign that they can’t use campaign T-shirts made in Honduras. I looked at the t-shirts they are giving away, and they were made in Honduras. If it was a mistake, they need to throw those things away and start over. If they keep using them, I’m going to assume it was intentional.
Grow up.
Impressive indeed for Madia. Nobody heard of this guys only a few short months “or was it weeks” ago and now he is the front runner for the nod.
It shows what a great candidate, great staff, and more importantly great volunteer he has in the third. A team I would love to see expanded and run the table in the fall.
I see this thing going second or third ballot tops, no primary. Bonoff has a good spot in the senate and will probably remain there. She has need to burn bridges within the party.
Wow.. classy NorthbyNWDFL (or WFM). Instead of congratulate a candidate who ran a great campaign and support him against the GOP you decide to try (again) to trash him. Classy.
“Grow up”?
Nice response. Does “grow up” mean that I should look aside when I see a candidate ruining my party? How about a response to my points. In case you missed them, I’ll number them:
1) Madia can’t beat Paulson.
2) Bonoff can beat Paulson. Look at her victory in 2005…
3) Terri Bonoff is an amazing candidate. Take a look at Walter Mondale’s endorsement of her on her endorsements page: http://www.terribonoff.com/endorsements
4) Ash Madia used to be a republican and hasn’t explained his conversion. Does he still believe that the teacher’s union is what’s holding back education (http://www.mndaily.com/articles/1996/11/04/1935.)? Does he still believe that the U of M faculty shouldn’t be allowed to unionize (http://www.mndaily.com/articles/1997/01/31/3191)? Does he still support presidential candidates like Bob Dole and John McCain who want to curtail Medicare and Social Security (see the teachers union link)? How about some answers to these questions?
5) Madia wants to keep a ton of troops in Iraq, but keeps talking like he’s the one who will pull them out.
6) Yes, it should bother all of you that his T-Shirts are made in Honduras and printed in a non-union shop. In the recent history of our party I can’t think of one candidate who had the gall to do that. We need to hold our campaigns accountable for their behavior. This is a big deal.
I hope you have real reposts and not just more snark…
“1) Madia can’t beat Paulson.”
If you look at the poll commissioned by the Bonoff campaign, he is only down 3 to Paulsen, and I’m sure he has the lowest name rec of any of the three candidates. It sure looks like he can win to me.
“2) Bonoff can beat Paulson. Look at her victory in 2005…”
I don’t disagree with this.
“3) Terri Bonoff is an amazing candidate. Take a look at Walter Mondale’s endorsement of her on her endorsements page: http://www.terribonoff.com/endorsements”
Terri is a qualified candidate, but she has shown little ability to excite voters.
“4) Ash Madia used to be a republican and hasn’t explained his conversion. Does he still believe that the teacher’s union is what’s holding back education (http://www.mndaily.com/articles/1996/11/04/1935.)? Does he still believe that the U of M faculty shouldn’t be allowed to unionize (http://www.mndaily.com/articles/1997/01/31/3191)? Does he still support presidential candidates like Bob Dole and John McCain who want to curtail Medicare and Social Security (see the teachers union link)? How about some answers to these questions?”
He has addressed this many times. Lots of Democrats used to be Republicans. Hillary Clinton was president of the Wellesley Young Republicans.
“5) Madia wants to keep a ton of troops in Iraq, but keeps talking like he’s the one who will pull them out.”
While I support a full withdrawal from Iraq, I don’t believe Bonoff has taken a particularly progressive stance on it either.
“6) Yes, it should bother all of you that his T-Shirts are made in Honduras and printed in a non-union shop. In the recent history of our party I can’t think of one candidate who had the gall to do that. We need to hold our campaigns accountable for their behavior. This is a big deal.”
I’m pretty sure it was checked out that they were union. There was a large dust up about it on a earlier post and I believe the campaign was contacted and verified that they were union.
The T-Shirt stuff was an error the campaign has said and has been remedied.
Campaign t-shirts were ordered from 7 Corners, a union shop.
Sen. Bonoff was elected 2 times with massive DFL help from outside the district, which impacted local races in neighboring senate districts. But, we did it.
People on the southern side of the district have, perhaps, had more interaction with Erik Paulsen. Bonoff-Paulsen allows apples to apples comparisons … 2-1/2 years legislative experience to 12 years.
“1) Madia can’t beat Paulson.”
He beat Bonoff. And, Bonoff’s own poll shows he can beat Paulsen.
“2) Bonoff can beat Paulson. Look at her victory in 2005…”
Madia can beat Bonoff, see his last 10 victories over her.
“3) Terri Bonoff is an amazing candidate. Take a look at Walter Mondale’s endorsement of her on her endorsements page: http://www.terribonoff.com/endorsements”
Made before Ash had any recognition.
“4) Ash Madia used to be a republican and hasn’t explained his conversion. Does he still believe that the teacher’s union is what’s holding back education (http://www.mndaily.com/articles/1996/11/04/1935.)? Does he still believe that the U of M faculty shouldn’t be allowed to unionize (http://www.mndaily.com/articles/1997/01/31/3191)? Does he still support presidential candidates like Bob Dole and John McCain who want to curtail Medicare and Social Security (see the teachers union link)? How about some answers to these questions?”
He has explained his conversion. Iraq, law school, his work, and his experiences related to LGBT issues being just a few.
“5) Madia wants to keep a ton of troops in Iraq, but keeps talking like he’s the one who will pull them out.”
He’s never claimed to be the get out of war iraq candidate. Indeed, he specifically has gone after the other candidates on this very issue.
“6) Yes, it should bother all of you that his T-Shirts are made in Honduras and printed in a non-union shop. In the recent history of our party I can’t think of one candidate who had the gall to do that. We need to hold our campaigns accountable for their behavior. This is a big deal.”
His T-Shirts were printed in a union shop.
So, is there any doubt now that Bonoff drops? Any passionate Bonoff supporter here who says she is going to take this to the convention? Or does she see the writing on the wall, and drop?
Marc? Wellstone in the Heart Foreover — you said Ash would never get the endorsement. Do you want to eat those words now?
This thing is over. My prediction Bonoff drops tomorrow.
Response to NorthbyNWDFL:
I completely agree that Terri Bonoff is a talented, young, articulate DFL candidate.
As for Ashwin being an anti-labor former Republican, Ashwin readily admits to having been a Republican before he served in the Marine Corps, and before the George W. era. But I have only heard Ashwin say positive things about labor unions and their contributions to our country.
So I read the story from the link. It was dated 1996. Ashwin was 18 years old. The article was somewhat simplistic, but also engaged, patriotic and idealistic. Certainly an interesting start for someone whose political views have evolved a lot.
Maybe instead of bashing Madia and his supporters, we could all come together and share our wisdom and experience to help him win in November.
After the last Senate District Convention in CD3, Terri has two choices:
1)Fight tooth and nail in a long shot attempt to prevent an endorsement at the CD3 Convention. If she succeeds, it will clearly show that there has been no substance to her claims to support the Democratic agenda. All along it has really all been about her personal ambition. I am a Terri Bonoff fan. I would be disillusioned to say the least if this is the path she takes. I would focus the majority of my time and treasure to making sure someone this cynical lost any primary contest held now or in any future election. I really don’t want to believe Terri will do this.
2)Find the most gracious way possible to bring the party together between now and when the CD3 Convention concludes. She has to honor the really admirable efforts of her supporters and take the high ground. Terri is a young woman. She has a bright future if she can maneuver this challenge effectively. She could leave this particular contest with a very high profile and a sterling reputation among the Democrats in Minnesota.
I really hope she does not get caught up in the ego trip of the horse race and she can step back and make the right choice.
Look at what Walter Mondale’s endorsment did for Hillary Clinton in Minnesota.
The parallels between this race and the presidential race are remarkable. Establishment woman as the early front runner, has all the St. Paul/D.C support right out the gate. Then an exciting young non-white man with a strong life story, and life experiences shakes things up. Removes the inevitable banner from her, and shortly after she goes negative and begins loosing contests.
Let’s have a little faith in the elected delegates at the congressional district level. They are the ones that are going to be doing the phone banking and door knocking. Not Walter Mondale. Not the superdelagates.
Media can win. Bonoff can win. Let the delageates choose who they want to work for in the fall.
I agree with you Redsson! Anyone have a different view -that Terri could continue…
Well, thanks for the real response… Ahem björnkram…
Anyway, my counters on the same points:
1) Bonoff does significantly better in that poll against Paulson than Madia does. There’s no reason to think that the DFL candidate will start doing better after Paulson starts attacking them.
2) This is a historic opportunity to take this seat. This means real things to the people of this country. Taking this seat means another vote for health care; another vote for education; another vote for economic growth; another vote to end the war in Iraq. I’m glad you agree that she can beat Paulson. What I don’t understand is why a lot of dems don’t seem to care. Winning is the key. We’re playing with peoples educational opportunities, with their health care, with their lives. I can not for the life of me see why we’re not picking the person who can win.
3) I wish voters were more excited about Terri, but voter excitement isn’t what we need especially in this district in the fall. The district has one of the highest voter turnouts in the nation. ALL of the Democrats will vote in CD3 regardless of who our candidate is (also, keep in mind that Obama will probably be at the top of the ticket). What we need is a DFL candidate who pulls the middle. That’s what it takes to win in CD3.
4) I’ll grant you that a conversion to DFL politics is a good thing. I’d love it if you would give me a link to something to read. I haven’t seen much evidence of his real heartfelt conversion. I’m not necissarily doubting you. But with issues like this I’d want to see some evidence and haven’t found any.
5) Start with the websites:
http://www.terribonoff.com/issues/iraq
http://www.madiaforcongress.com/issues.htm
There’s a difference. And if you find Terri’s position vague, remember that she has to win in a GOP district. Sometimes its better for the DFL agenda for a candidate not to be too specific.
6) ok, so I couldn’t find a union “bug” on the t-shirt I saw. Union shops put their union logo or “bug” on their stuff. If you don’t know what I’m talking about do a google image search for “union bug”. Also, I’ve yet to find a union shop that prints on foreign t-shirts. And again if you know something I don’t about this, give me a link.
Ok, so there you have it. My point and counter point. I’m just really sad today, and I’m disappointed in my party. And I wish this blog had bothered to give Terri a fair shake. You never wanted to and I’ll remember that when Paulson is in congress.
In response to NorthbyNWDFL’s:
“P.S. Will someone tell the Madia campaign that they can’t use campaign T-shirts made in Honduras. I looked at the t-shirts they are giving away, and they were made in Honduras. If it was a mistake, they need to throw those things away and start over. If they keep using them, I’m going to assume it was intentional.”
First off, that’s just wrong. I have 3 of these shirts in my home and there is NOTHING on them indicating that they are made in Honduras, so your claim is bunk.
Second, I’ve had about enough of this t-shirt sniping. The Madia campaign’s shirts are from a union shop and they have obviously made earnest efforts to honor unions in their campaign materials. In a globalized world, however, I’m sure very few individuals, much less campaigns, can have every single item associated with them from a pro-union, Made-in-the-U.S.A. shop. I don’t doubt that Bonoff’s campaign has served donuts or other such things out of Made-in-China plastic containers, ordered bottles of water with caps made in Mexico, etc. I’m sure the candidates wear Italian shoes from time to time as well. It’s inescapable given NAFTA and other similar trade agreements; it’s simply the state of our global economy. ALL we can do, barring changes to this economic / trade regime, is make our best, most earnest efforts.
The point is that the campaign has made earnest efforts in ordering from a union shop, and if ever there were a Honduran shirt out of that campaign, the issue was recognized and rectified, but it is 100% false that the current shirts are from Honduras, so you need to stop leveraging false claims in an effort to smear Madia.
Finally, let’s try to NOT model the national campaign’s sniping and instead focus on the real issues.
Madia has taken a strong stance on making free trade fair trade and an even stronger stance AGAINST outsourcing. He has committed to protecting our economy much more firmly than Bonoff (I’m referencing the debates as well as their public statements), so in the face of globalization, he really ought to be your candidate if stuff like this bothers you deeply!
Trolling doesn’t warrant a “real response”.
NorthbyNWDFL
So you acknowledge that Bonoff will not fight, and will concede this thing.
It’s not really trolling if you’re a DFLer and a regular reader and occasional poster on this blog, does it?
Anyone who looks at my posts with an open eye will see a sad and disgusted democrat who wishes his party would stand up and fight with candidates who can win.
trolling… thats a new one.
Lets Get Real: I have no idea, but I hope she doesn’t. March is more than a little early for demanding “for the good of the party” decisions. The convention is in APRIL. I don’t hear a drum beat on here for JNP to drop out before the state convention in June… This is so much earlier that other states decide their races. And no one outside of the DFL will be listening for months to come. For the good of your family and mine, I hope she stays in and I hope she wins.
OKAY–ENOUGH ABOUT THE SHIRTS! THE MADIA SHIRTS WERE PURCHASED FROM SEVEN CORNERS PRINT SHOP, A UNION PRINT SHOP STAFFED WITH UNION WORKERS. CHECK IT OUT.
Ashwin Madia has run a flawless campain, stayed positive and deserves the endorsement.
Ash will easily win in Novmeber!
NorthbyNWDFL sounds like a very sore loser. Time to get in the fold and support our democratic candidate!
I have to say, I think this is GREAT! Ash is going to be a great candidate for the DFL in the 3rd. Senator Obama is going to have long coat-tails, and democrats are jazzed for a fight.
Of course, the presidential nomination could go otherwise, and then we will all be in deep trouble.
Whoa.
In what world did I become a Bonoff supporter? I don’t trust her at all. Her union support is not based on her record, but on her promise to be better in Congress.
I can’t stand her and think her to be so selfisb and opportunistic that she will stay in hoping for a fumble by Ash.
This may come as a shock to some but, the only union shop that has American made shirts is All American up in Wyoming, Mn. Call around real quick and verify for yourself.
NorthbyNWDFL
What is her path to victory at this point? How can she be anything other than a spoiler? I am just curious. I am not asking this to be argumentative. I respect your passion. I just wonder if you see any conceivable way she wins this endorsement, or forces this to a primary. I don’t with the lead Ash has.
Well, he needs to get 60% for an endorsement, and I’m pretty sure that he’s not quite there (anybody have a cumulative count that includes supers?). So though I’m disappointed and worried, I’m going to hold out hope that enough of the CD 3 delegates can be persuaded to her side. I know that I’m being hopeful, but despite what southwestdem says, we don’t have a “democratic candidate” yet. What we have is one candidate who holds more of the delegates to the endorsing convention and one who (in my opinion) would be a better choice. When you have family that are under-insured and friends who have no health insurance at all, you cling to the hope that your party will do the right thing.
So that’s where I’m coming from. I know that its an uphill battle for her. I know that I may very well be disappointed, but I hope that the DFL and this blog community will hold off for the next 3 weeks and allow her to campaign for the endorsement. And (to go back to southwestdem’s post, It’s not accurate to call me a sore loser, because this isn’t a game)
I look forward to a more detailed analysis. I know that the SD41 “uncommitted” delegate was for Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer and a candidate who would seriously address Single Payer Health Care, Climate Change, Peace, Education, Economic Justice.
If you were to read, NorthbyNWDFL instead of whining and getting your hopes all up, you have been at this link, you would have been able to figure out mathematically how Bonoff will lose.
http://mnpublius.com/2008/03/cd-3-results-2/
UPDATE 8 - According to our preliminary numbers, it is no longer mathematically possible for Bonoff to overtake Madia in elected delegates. In order to overtake him in total delegates, she must win 78% of the remaining delegates. Remember, however, that it takes 60% to win the endorsement. In order to secure a first ballot endorsement, Madia would need 91% of the outstanding delegates (thats if all uncommitted went to Bonoff.) Unless Bonoff were to win the support of some elected Madia delegates, it is no longer possible for Bonoff to win a first ballot endorsement.
UPDATE 9 - SD 40 numbers are preliminary (to be clear, I classify all numbers as preliminary until I can verify the count with both campaigns).
UPDATE 10 - Numbers out of 33 are preliminary. If these numbers hold up, Madia has secured a majority on the first ballot.
I have a Madia t from Feb. 5th and it was made in
El Salvador. I do think the issue is petty.
I’m much more interested in the war, the economy,
our abuse of civil rights - domestic and foreign,
global warming, and universal health care.
I think Bonoff thought this would be handed to her
and she coasted until it was too late. She’s also
what I call a Republican Lite, which might be good
in November, but not in a Democratic Primary.
I had never heard of Madia until he called me one
night and talked issues with me as long as I wanted.
My next experience with the campaign was learning
that Bonoff did not support ending the Bush Tax Cuts.
Ball game over for me.
I’m the one who called Paul Wellstone a conservative,
so none of them are liberal enough for me except maybe
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer. But I like Madia’s no fear to
tell you where he stands approach. I think his charisma,
his appeal to American’s highest ideals, and being an Iraq
war vet will wear well in November.
Bonoff’s electability poll doesn’t bother me becuase certainly
two people now in St. Paul will have more name recognition than
Madia. But this guy came out of nowhere to put her out, so he
certainly has something going for him.
So, bottom line, on April 12 I’m voting for Madia and I’m expecting
that voter excitement to carry over to November. And I believe
the independents will come. And I hope NorthbyNWDFL will join
the party.
Not to jack this thread but does anybody know who won endorsment for 19B? Dennis Sucik or Chris Brazelton? Or how about some delagate number from Bob Olson and El Tink? I cant find anything on the web
In order to win, Dems to need to think about who pulls the most independents in a General. The 3rd, by recent elections, still leans Red. My read of the numbers is that as late as 2006, which was a heavy Dem year, the bases were about 41% Republican and 35% Democrat. The Democratic candidate will need to pull over 62% of Independents to beat Paulsen.
Is that better done with a working mom to appeal to the females, or a minority veteran who will draw from the Vets and perhaps some minorities (who aren’t already committed to that Democratic 35%).
I don’t know the answer. Just putting it out there.
NorthbyNWDFL: “1) Bonoff does significantly better in that poll against Paulson than Madia does. There’s no reason to think that the DFL candidate will start doing better after Paulson starts attacking them.”
The poll shows a four-point difference between Madia and Bonoff. Paulson’s numbers range only three points. To the best of my knowledge, the Bonoff campaign has not released the margin of error for this poll, despite providing other information on the poll such as the number of respondents, dates on which the poll was conducted, how respondents were selected, and other data. Given what we do know — that the campaign chose to omit the MoE, and that the sample size is 401 — it’s hard to see how the MoE could be less than +/- 3%, which puts Madia and Paulsen in a statistical tie.
Making a claim eight months out from election day that Madia cannot win, on the basis of a poll with an undisclosed MoE and undisclosed demographic breakdown that shows both DFLers just four points apart in their matchups with the Republican candidate, is absolutely ridiculous.
I had figured that Madia can’t win the district, but Bonhoff’s poll convinced me that maybe he can.
Blogger:
What difference does it make who has the better chance. I personally think Madia does. But, it’s irrelevant. He has enough elected delegates to have this thing sewn up. Game over.
“What difference does it make who has the better chance.”
Umm, I dunno. I think it makes a big difference, actually.
‘“What difference does it make who has the better chance.â€
Umm, I dunno. I think it makes a big difference, actually.’
In regards to who gets the nomination, it doesn’t. What matters is who has the delegates. Now, obviously the selection of those delegates is probably at least partially based on electability. But from a mechanics standpoint what matters is delegates.
Thanks for the clarification, Archer. I agree. At this point, it doesn’t matter a whole lot. It looks like Madia has it unless Bonoff can work some magic between now and April.
What was taken as me trying to make a point was truly a question: In a general, where voters often make decisions on ads and the most brief of news coverage, who gets more voters: A woman, or a veteran who happens to be minority?
It doesn’t matter for April. It only matters for November. And I dare say November is more important than April.
Neither I nor probably most of the other 80 delegates
had ever heard of this guy until a couple of months ago.
Yet he has buried by nearly a 2-1 margin in elected delegates
the candidate who was being handed this nomination with about
a 20 delegates from St. Paul before the first vote was cast.
I think we can say two things about ‘08. First, there are no
incumbant nor incumbant coat tails. If anything, the incumbant
coat tails (War and Economy) should benefit us. Secondly, a
guy who can come out of nowhere to win so convincingly, probably
has the ability to overcome your demographics. There have to
be a few working mom’s in his numbers, because all the vets and
minorites won’t add up to 81.5 - 43 margin (Madia camp elected
delegate numbers).
Better chance does make a difference, but people didn’t vote for
Wellstone because they agreed with his positions, he had that
something Minnesotans like. I’m betting Madia does too.
dmc - Just for clarification, Wellstone never carried the 3rd CD or pulled more than 50% of the statewide vote, but I get your point. I’m sure there are some working moms in his numbers. I’d just love to get the breakout. Now that there will be more national money and brainpower at his disposal, I’m sure we’ll uncover those trends.
lets get real - One possible thought on Bonoff is that perhaps she thinks that she can get more of the moderate vote, and while only a fraction of the moderate vote makes it out for a SD convention, many times more would come for a primary.
Not saying I back that approach, just trying to give one possible theory since you were asking for ideas.
It’s interesting because the papers (star tribune) have this race at 81.5 to 63. Different than the this blog site. I wonder if they are not counting Madia’s superdelgates and how they get an extra delegate for Bonoff.
Also, the papers say Bonoff is still optimistic. It looks like she’s not going to quit. I guess I don’t see what strategy there is for her, unless she’s thinking to push for a no endorsement. Ken Sanguin says we may be behind, but the clock has not run out. What does that mean? Suggests to me that Bonoff will fight this to the bitter end, as I suspected, and push for a no-endorsement. This means war. Madia folks can’t let them steal this from us. I knew she wouldn’t do the graceful thing and exit. What point is there staying in this now other than pushing a no-endorsement. She has no chance of getting the endorsement herself.
Thoughts?
Amazing. Sanguin still thinks that Bonoff can win. This is going to be a fight all the way to the convention. Looks like they are going to push hard for no endorsement.
Ken Sanguin, campaign manager for Bonoff, said the race was “far from over,” noting that Madia will have to get the vote of 60 percent of delegates at the district convention.
“This election is too important and we are confident that when the dust settles, and the delegates have a chance to spend more time talking to both candidates, Terri will be their choice,” said Sanguin in a statement.
Sanguin is paid to say that!
Job security!
Attended the HH Dinner this evening. Heard Bonoff was there but she wasn’t pressing the flesh and working the room. Word has it that she purchased just 2 tickets for the dinner. Madia, on the other hand, was one of the financial contributors for the dinner and purchased a table. He was seen pressing the flesh and working the room like a winner.
I hope Bonoff decides to do the right thing and leave graciously “for the good of her family and her senate seat”. It would be sad if she decided to fight this to the bitter end and have it damage the 43rd seat.
Terri has lost this race to the endorsement and should bow out gracefully for the sake of her seat in 43.
Ken Sanguin is a really nice guy who does what he is paid to do, and that is always spin the news to his candidates favor.
Read this post on delegate numbers, and one has to realize that those super delegates are lost to Terri. They either will be no shows or jump the sinking ship.
Ash has real delegate numbers, and Terri’s are padded with votes that cannot be guaranteed.
Wonder if Sanguin gets paid well enough to convince the candidate that she can prevail in a primary? Especially since she voted like a ‘moderate’ to keep taxes low for the upper income Minnesotans last year?
Yeah, I know Sanguin is paid to say that. But, it shows what the Bonoff camp is thinking. Doesn’t look like they’ll go quietly. My sense and sources tell me that they will push for a no-endorsement.
Others?
Hopefully a long hard night of sleeping on the last three weeks will let reality sink in for Bonoff. I’d also suggest that her fundraising may be a little less easy with her 10 straight losses…..
Sooner, rather than later, that will have to hit home. She has to realize that hanging in there for the long haul and fighting tooth and toenail will hurt her senate seat.
I have no sources. I think she’ll drop. She’ll fail at a bid for no endorsement.
Look they have too much money at stake in this. I don’t think they bow out gracefully. I think they will take this to the endorsement, and fight hard for a no-endorsement. If they were thinking of bowing out they would not have made such a strong statement today.
Ash needs 1-2 of the supers to come out for him publicly Monday. Just like Obama started to get supers to come out for him. If the supers privately affirm their support to Bonoff, and no one jumps ship, she will fight this for a no-endorsement. We can’t count her out — and rest on our laurels.
I’ve researched Sanguin and heard from many in the district about him. Earlier I posted he was a joke. I stand corrected. he’s formidable. They will find a way to fight for a no-endorsement. Sad for the party, but possible.
I also had some heavy hitters tell me today that Madia has run the best campaign they have seen in a long time. Proof of that might be that the Bonoff campaign started copying some of the things that the Madia camp has been doing so successfully.
I have always felt that a well run campaign tells a lot about the candidate, and Madia’s has been brilliant.
I don’t think he will have any problem raising the money he will need for the general election!
Oh, I am one of those middle class soccer moms that certain people don’t think will support Madia. The one that doesn’t understand the electorate is Bonoff!
From all the stuff I’ve seen, Madia’s been very civil toward both
Hovland and Bonoff, “Mayor Hovland, Sen. Bonoff, our legislative delegation and hundreds of hard-working activists have helped us strengthen our party in areas where Democrats were once few and far between. We can win this fall because they laid the groundwork.”
(from an e-mail I received today)
Bonoff cannot win, all she can do is perhaps prevent Madia from reaching 60% - he already has a majority. I hope it will be civil.
My best guess is that some of these “super delegates” who all seem
to be lined up behind Bonoff, will either urge her out, or just
decide to stay home April 12. They all have to run in this district
too (ie Republicans who overrode Transportation veto). Give her a
couple of days to talk to people, seriously look at the hole she’s
in and hopefully she’ll keep us out of the mud.
Let’s get on to getting some of that national $$ in here and beating
up on the guy we should all be beating up on.
Now, here’s my pet peeve. Why is 20% of National Democratic Party
“Super Delegates”?! That sucks! 3rd CD has about 13% “super delegates”. That sucks too. My first thought is lets get rid of them, but then they’ll end up running for (and probably winning because everyone already knows them) these elected seats. So how do
we prevent them from doing the Republican thing and steal elections from the will of the people. Except for Gary Hart, who earned it, we really haven’t had that problem yet, but to my way of thinking, that’s Republican, not Democratic. But then the founding father’s wanted a republic because one was only good enough to vote if they were a propertied white male, so maybe we should all be Republicans.
My thought is that if we cut down on the who is (leaving in only elected officials), made their votes only count as .5, and not allow them to run for elected seats, we could certainly reduce their power to overturn the will of the people. Thoughts…
I disagree, southwestdem. Terri understands her constituency very well. She made one crucial mistake. She allowed others to convince her that her constituency was the 3rd CD rather than SD43. She won SD43 (by 2 delegates) whereas she has lost everything else. The thing is - she’s not the demographic that will win in the general election in the 3rd. A US Marine, attorney, with experience in working with international agencies is…..
Just sign me another one of those middle-aged soccer mom’s for Madia.
Some asked for CD6 numbers — in SD49, it looks like El Tinklenberg got 7 of 9 elected delegates.
If you make it this low in the comments thread.
Joe:
You seem to have the most inside information on this blog. Do you see Terri dropping or taking this to a convention fight for no-endorsement.
I’ll post a full commentary on the pledged delegate results over at MN Campaign Report tomorrow — it’s sort of late here, and I have some phone calls to make to folks back home to get their impressions of the results and see if any of the uncommitted delegates can be pegged one way or the other. But my initial impression is that she’ll probably soldier on until the convention and let the first ballot happen.
But many scenarios are possible. I’ll outline them in the morning if these Publius shenanigan-makers don’t beat me to it
Despite the pro-Bonoff speak, I really think that Madia will fare better in the general election. Terri really needs to do what is best for the party and bow out gracefully and get behind Ashwin’s candidacy. Madia simply has a better message and will appeal more to independents and those who normally don’t vote than Terri can. I think this endorsement is Madia’s, and it’s time to move on.
If Sanguin Says - Fight for a primary — ->>>> Guaranteed paycheck for another 4 weeks.
If Sanguin Says - We give up — ->>>> Unemployed until the next campaign seasaon ???
Another side to Sanguin’s job situation, he’s a strong DFL organizer. Advising her to fight on and damage her reputation as a strong DFL’er will lessen his chances of employment in the future with other DFL campaigns. He has many things to think about….not just the next 3 weeks paychecks.
Terri has a lot to consider - her ego (which seems to be huge), her realistic chances (small to none), and the damage to her senate seat (could be huge if she is seen by her constituency, i.e., SD43, as not wanting to work for them but willing to do anything to get out of that senate seat, and the money. Loosing 10 straight in this race of 12 (with 1 tie) isn’t going to be conducive of fundraising.
Her spend rate must be enormous. She has sent so much color lit out, has a ton of paid staff, has tons of signs, etc. I can’t see that she’s flush with cash.
And, for a candidate who was more than happy to take massive amounts of DFL help and money to be elected in both her previous races to now push for no endorsement shows no respect for the party, the different party entities and all the DFL volunteers who worked to support her. I would have to say I would lose all respect for her, and any person who’s a party officer who stayed involved with her campaign. Can’t have it both ways.
Ken Sanguin understands very well that this is not the last campaign he will ever work on, and he will choose wisely. He is well respected by organizers, and unless he wishes to change careers will make decisions that are smart for both him and his candidate.
If Bonoff goes for the crash and burn, I think someone like Sanguin might just quietly leave the campaign and not be tied to that behavior.
epdem is right in that Terri can’t have it both ways. Madia won the vast majority of the senate districts, and he did it in a positive and respectful way. She promised to abide by the endorsement and all heck will break loose if she subverts that process by pushing for a primary.
I heard several times at SD-33 people saying, “I wish we had these two candidates years ago.” The reality is that several people who voted for either candidate, would have happily supported the other candidate in a heartbeat if the alternative wasn’t around.
The party will unify now. Combine that with the incredible turnouts at every SD convention and the DFL will win this fall.
For that reason, Bonoff needs to exit gracefully. Democrats have a tendency to snatch a loss from the jaws of victory. This would be an example. A protracted primary fight … even a fight for the convention could damage that prospective unity. Right now, the real world doesn’t mirror what the comments on this blog have sometimes become — bitter division. But, if Bonoff goes on the attack (which she would need to do to have a chance) she’ll not only jeopardize her own position within the party, she’ll likely destroy the DFL’s opportunity to take the seat. At minimum it snatches a least a month, and possibly 4 or 5 months from focusing the party on winning in November.
She fought well. She made a formidable final stand yesterday. Indeed, I think a lot of people thought it would be closer than it was at the beginning of the day. But, her efforts didn’t pan out. Probably after the delegates saw for themselves both candidates for the first time.
It’s time to direct the DFL energy where it matters.. against the GOP.
Bonoff’s previous election does not speak to her electability. She merely won against the Michelle Bachman of the western suburbs. Both my wife and I voted against her opponent in that race.
Nonetheless, at SD43 a week ago, after hearing Bonoff speak, my middle class soccer mom wife turned to me and remarked privately that Bonoff’s speaking ability was downright embarassing, and that she just couldn’t see Bonoff getting elected to the U.S. Congress.
And I was a bit put off that Bonoff’s message at SD43 seemed to be, “Vote for me. I’m electable because I’m a soccer mom, and this election is going to be decided by soccer moms.” While being a soccer mom is certainly a plus in my book, it isn’t going to carry the day for a candidate that doesn’t appear to be able to connect with people all that well.
Lastly, I think that the superdelegates should consider how many newcomers Madia has brought into the party vs. Bonoff (whose support seems to be only from the party apparatus itself). Party success in CD3 will come from growing the party base. The DFL should thank Madia rather than trying to squash him as “an outsider.”
Initially I shared some of NorthbyNWDFL’s concerns about Madia, but I find NorthbyNWDFL’s specific reasons a bit funny. While I respect the sentiment, I find it a bit confused to simultaneously attack Madia as unelectable in the district for being a poor match and attack him for not being Democratic enough because of his t-shirts and Iraq plan; frankly, that doesn’t work. The very points that NorthbyNWDFL puts forward as to why he thinks Madia is a Democrat-light are the same reasons that he has a good shot in the 3rd. It will be compelling in the general to tell a story about how he too was a Republican before he shipped off to Iraq and fought in Bush’s war. His personal story is compelling. And most importantly, he’s not an apples to apples comparison with Paulsen; he’s not a politician, he’s a passionate citizen.
But returning to my original point, I had originally thought that Madia was the eminently more electable candidate in the 3rd, but now I don’t think that’s the case at all. It seems as though Madia and Bonoff probably have the same shot, but for entirely different reasons. And, in all honesty, I’m looking forward to the commercial where Madia is speaking to the camera saying, “I used to be a registered Republican but after I shipped off to Iraq I was forced to take a critical look at the radical direction my party had gone. It didn’t happen overnight, but I eventually realized that my party had left me. I always voted for Jim Ramstad for Congress and I hope that you’ll give me the opportunity to continue his tradition of moderate politics in the 3rd by voting for me.” Okay, I got a little too into that, but you get the gist.
Think about it, I really thing it only increases our chances if this race goes to the primary. A better chance for the electorate to see who the two Dem candidates really are without the GOP smokescreen. By the time the primary is over, Paulson and Co. will have very limited time to go on the offensive. Like Matt just said “It seems as though Madia and Bonoff probably have the same shot, but for entirely different reasons. “” which means the MNGOP will be off their game until they can focus on the opposition.
With that said, I think Terri bows out by the end of the week, and if not, Madia gets the endorsement on the 2nd ballot. She has a bright future ahead of her and I don’t think she will want to risk it in a protracted endorsement battle.
Flash
It would be ironic and hypocritical for party insiders who tout inclusiveness to ignore 65% of the their own elected committed voice. How can they justify their actions for independent voters and attract them to vote DFL if the insiders still support Bonoff after the overwhelming majority Madia commanded?
I have to disagree about the primary. It hurts us big time to go to a primary because of the timing. Paulsen is already sitting back socking away cash for this race. Being torn apart for an additional five months will only weaken our chances at running a hard race against a flush GOP in protecting a seat that has been “theirs” for years. The only hope is to unite behind a strong candidate and move forward with strong fundraising and media plan to move this seat blue. It can’t be done by running from the left but running from the middle. The further away you get from the Minneapolis border the more comforable people have been with pulling the GOP level in the voting booth. The case has to be made that Madia is a former Republican, has served our country in uniform, can speak to the issues on foreign policy and has a patriotic, strong vision to take this country back. Paulsen can’t compete with that. He is marketing himself as a moderate but he’s anything but. He’s also not universally loved in the GOp since he lost the house majority on his watch and he has a very rightwing voting record that needs to see the light of day. He can only counter Madia’s service in Iraq and Okinawa with a trip to China.
Bring on the GE.
Time for Bonoff to focus on her family and rebuilding the broken connection to her senate seat. I heard several people comment from her district that they were very angry that she had stated openly that she had been planning on running for CD3 congress for a long time - just not this soon. They were angry that she only saw their seat as a stepping stone all along and obviously didn’t care about serving their district in the senate. She needs to turn her attention to those angry constituents now and leave the congressional race to Madia.
Bonoff is not electable. The reason why they are not releasing the raw data of the poll, I beleive, is because the numbers will show that. People in the outlier suburbs, yes even far suburban moms, do not connect with Bonoff.
“likely voters” and “scaling geoghraphically”, which means the raw data was statistically weighted more towards the Minnetonka/Bloomington, thereby giving less significance to other parts of CD3. I’ve heard of “likely voters” as being statistically valid, but “geoghrapic scaling” , no way.
Results of the district conventions show, her support almost disappears in those areas. Despite all that if she is still within the MOE, what does that mean, it means she really did poorly in the raw data and they are massaging it. But then whats new.
I agree with West Metro Dem - I will be very angry if Terri wants to drag CD3 race instead of trying to do the right thing for the party. I was one of those who voted for Bonoff for Senate because it was the right thing to do for the DFL pary. I really liked JJ because of her contributions to us in Plymouth and to our neighborhood. DFL may loose party loyalists, if the top officials/super delegates don’t practice what they preach.
BTW - I am one of those middle aged soccer moms too
If the Bonoff campaign pulls a Hatch and pushes for a primary, why be affiliated with a party and what value does the campaign really put on those of us who are volunteers and contributors? If the endorsement has no meaning, why did so many of us work so hard to make the conventions happen? Pushing for a primary after saying you’ll abide by the endorsement is a slap in every party member’s face.
I personally have seen all the op research on jim ramsted at the dfl. Pretty slim pickens. Why? He was every democrats favorite republican. Terri bonoff could have been every republicans favorite democrat. Ashwin madia can not. That is the plain truth. Ashwin may be a better speaker and energize more democrats. But the 3rd distict is Republican, not purple, not blue. Some need to see this reality. There is a reason that it went republican for the last fifty years. Some of us like to learn from this history, those who do not, such as those that believe madia will win, are doomed to repeat it.
All of you should also remember that Ken Sanguin was a major factor in the landslide victory of Sen Amy Klobuchar. The results were in on that race before polls even closed. Bonoff certainly has a great chance against Paulson, as far as staff goes. Can you imagine if we would have tried to run that race with a lesser candidate? All of the people who think that this party are invincible must be new to politics and never been in a losing democratic campaign, i have been in four, they are hard bitter lessons. while this november may be a large victory for dems, we still need to keep our heads.
I disagree MIchael.
I would consider Ashwin perhaps the most conservative of the three candidates but for social issues such as civil liberties, torture, and LGBT.
He has the most conservative Iraq position
He has the most conservative economic policies
He has the most conservative position related to no child left behind, etc.
Indeed, a lot the reasons that the DFL establishment has not been warm to him is because he’s refused to hold the DFL line on issues like Iraq.
I don’t understand why Bonoff supporters say both he’s not liberal enough, and not electable because he’s not appealing to independents / republicans.
I heard that Zack was on King’s radio show and said Terri Bonoff may be ending her campaign? Is this true, or are these just rumors designed to push her out?
Any Bonoff supporters out there know what she’s thinking? Does she plan to bow out gracefully, and get behind Madia! Or will she fight this in a primary?
Michael — I don’t see how you can claim that Madia CANNOT win. Bonoff’s own poll shows him just 3 points down. And that’s 7 months before the election. So, of course he could win. It’s one thing to say Bonoff has a better chance — an argument I reject. But, on what grounds can you say Madia — a war veteran, excellent speaker, and impressive campaigner who beat the entire DFL establishment — cannot win.
Also, Wellstone for the Heart Forever, any thoughts? Would love to have you on our side now — with Madia — after a tough campaign. It was spirited, but I hope you will get behind Madia as we would have gotten behind Bonoff!
Terri Bonoff is not Amy Klobuchar.
I have many moderate republican friends who will not be swayed by her soccer mom appeal and transportation bill speech. They will listen and relate to Madia because they are fed up with current republican party as well.
Michael,
As much credit as everyone is giving Ken Sanguin for Amy Klobuchar’s win, let’s be honest about it. Amy K had tons of help from Emily’s List (unlike Terri whom they didn’t do anything for until sending one email the night before her last round of conventions) with training and staff - staff that was here on the ground prior to the nomination being sewn up. While Ken may have been “important” in the campaign, the manager during the nomination process was Jessica McIntosh who went on to work on Jim Webb’s campaign after the nomination. Tom Perron (who was Wes Clark’s money man) was Amy K’s money man and still works for Amy today. Amy had lots of national professional staff, not just local organizers. Amy also had a huge group of women called Amy’s Angels who committed each to raise $1m for Amy and that was for starters. There was an initial commitment to belong to the group and to participate in the events of that group. It was a non-standard group of women - business owners, attorneys, bankers, very few party insiders. I know, I belonged.
So, while Ken was an organizer for Amy K, he wasn’t the architect of her win nor was he the driving force. She had tons of outside help from outside the state and would tell you so herself.
Don’t be cocky about working on 4 campaigns. I’ve been at this for 35 years. Lots of people have worked on lots of campaigns - at all levels - and have a different take on this race. In my view (and most of the campaigns I’ve worked on have been in red states and red districts), Terri is the only one who couldn’t win the GE against Paulsen. Madia can and will.
Let’s see. Terri’s public speaking ability vs. her stellar performance in the MN State Senate. Hmm. What issues are you folks really concerned about? What Terri says and does, or simply how she says it? Her record as a state senator clearly indicates leadership capabilities that neither Madia (or most other candidates) can claim. She co-authored and championed a transportation bill that will hopefully keep our bridges from falling on us. She has been a stalwart steward of public education and single moms. She is a natural born leader with a gift of humanity that most of us can only be impressed by.
All of the rhetoric (mostly meaningless) that has evolved on this blog concerning Terri and Ashwin does not in anyway cloud the essential issue that Terri is an experienced politician who has brought nothing other than the positive by her efforts representing her constituency, and this is what she will do in Washington.
As for all of you quitters who are recommending that she quit, go ahead and quit. You obviously do not know Terri and why she has arrived at this moment in time.
Best of luck to both candidates, and I can only hope & pray that a dem will be representing us in the end. This country must shed it’s chains placed upon us by Republican mismanagement, and that’s why I support and believe in Terri Bonoff.
When Bonoff authored the “Grieving Parent Bill,” most likely was the beginning of the end of support from Emily’s List.
A dear out of state friend, who is a heavy donor to Emily’s List, has their own personal contact when a question about a candidate’s pro choice integrity is involved. Emily’s list had already heard of Bonoff’s bill. The response they gave my friend was, “We feel that Terri was naive in authoring this bill, however they wouldn’t take the endorsement away, but wouldn’t get much help from the organization.”
You may define “help†as you wish.
41% of this district is loyal Republican.
If Obamamania wins the primary, there may very well be some new voters coming out for the Blue. But lets not forget that John McCain has an ability to bring back the moderate Republican — that is a key reason why he won the nomination over a guy like Huckabee. Also, there is no George Bush to vote against this year, as there were in the past two major elections.
This has nothing to do with Madia vs. Bonoff, but I wouldn’t underestimate the organization that Paulsen has been able to build while this gets all of the press. I was at an event recently (a non-political one with a cross section of incomes and professions, all 3rd CD residents) and I was caught a little off guard by the buzz around Paulsen and how many had been attending an event of his or pitching in to his campaign.
My point is to echo one made by Michael which was quickly brushed aside: This district is still red, and I haven’t seen anything to show me Madia or Bonoff will decidedly appeal to the moderate.
Blogger,
To that point….the moderate and GOP’er are very pro-country, pro-patriotism and pro-veteran. That alone will swing a percentage Madia’s way. The ability to speak from first hand experience is important when arguing against a longtime GOP’er who has never crossed the aisle - contrary to his personal opinion. That doesn’t work for Bonoff to her favor. She has absolutely nothing to offer the other 10 senate districts who voted against her already moving forward. A 2 year state senator from a well to do suburban family in a well to do district doesn’t resonate with most CD3 people in the middle and on the right. It’s the ability to frame this election and run with strong DFL principles while not running against the beliefs of the district that is vital. Running to secure the borders, support our troops, bring them home responsibly, stand up and be proud for America again, get America moving, etc. It’s being FOR America and not AGAINST everything (like Bonoff).
Blogger:
If there is so much buzz for Paulsen, why is he only up 3% to Madia in the polls. This early in the game that has to be very encouraging for the Democrats.
I live in Paulsen’s house district and have been involved in campaigns that have been run against him. Paulsen is no moderate, although he’ll be working like crazy to make himself appear that way. He’s definitely no Ramstad (although Ramstad in the Delay years wasn’t Ramstad either, but people failed to pay attention to the shift in voting patterns). He comes across as the “awww, shucks, I’m just a family guy” Boy Scout. But, is really a career politician who hates to be called that (but what else is someone who’s done nothing else since college. There’s work at Target, but the majority of energy has been with Ramstad and then 12 years in the State House - including years as Steve Sviggum’s House Majority Leader.
If the 3rd CD conducts a primary because Bonoff won’t abide by the endorsement process, this congressional seat will be back in the republicans hands again for another 30 years.
Minnesota doesn’t require constituent’s to register for a political party. The republicans will cross over in the primary and vote for the most vulnerable candidate, Bonoff. Only when Minnesota legislates that we have to be registered with a political party to vote primaries and elections would I ever support this.
Elections are expensive and the 3rd CD DFL will have to pay for the primary. We need to keep that money to support our endorsed candidate. The 3rd CD doesn’t need to cater to a candidate that can’t accept the fact that there is a much more viable candidate, Ashwin Madia.
Fair point WDM, but I’m not trying to get involved in the Bonoff / Madia infighting, I’m more making the point for the general, since that discussion has crept into this thread.
For most Republicans, even those disenchanted with Bush/Cheney/Rove, electing a Democrat to this long-Republican seat would be too extreme a measure. It would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Paulsen is capable and could serve well.
If I were advising either part in this race, I’d say go for the middle 24%. You ain’t going to convert the bases. Each party, with Obama and McCain, will strengthen their bases if anything from where we stood in 2006.
Ah, epdem, let’s not forget that while Paulsen was toiling away in the state house - proving his fabulous leadership skills - he lost the house majority. Couldn’t be too comforting, could it?
Blogger,
Agree with you. It is about the mushy middle. But, for a district that has always trended right and is just trending blue, a comforting compromise is to have someone strong on defense and strong on making American proud again with service to his country under his belt. The fact that Madia has actually worked with (not toured to see) a war zone and international agencies is to his credit.
There are always going to be base voters on both sides. The issue is how large the middle is and how to appeal to those voters.
“There are always going to be base voters on both sides. The issue is how large the middle is and how to appeal to those voters.”
Bingo. We’ll know the answer in November.
What is fascinating is to compare the reception that Ashwin Madia is getting from the DFL power-brokers and party insiders with the reception that Andrew Borene received when he ran for State Senate.
Both Madia and Borene are well educated, both are lawyers, both served in the armed forces, and both were Repubicans turned Democrats. Early on Borene had big names not serving on his campaign committee - Wendell Anderson came out for a fundraiser and spoke on his behalf. This happened after Borene made some amazing errors as a candidate - he accused Geoff Michel of not marching in the Edina 4th of July parade - he participated in a back and for kind of “oh yeah?” letter writing campaign in the local newspapers. In the end his campaign came to a halt and he had to drop out. He was charged with 5th degree assault. It was a charge that resulted from a fight with his wife.
Now here’s where things get really strange - Borene is in DC and according to his Linked In page he is serving as an adviser for Terri Bonoff for U.S. Congress. So…well where to start? Lots of questions…can anyone from team Bonoff clarify exactly what Borene is doing and whether Terri intends to make him one of her key players? Is the Democratic Party still investing in Borene?
The DFL made the Borene campaign a priority - he received I believe a full-time staffer. If Madia gets the DFL nomination will the party change its tune and start sending a little support his way? Or will the DFL severely limit funding to his run? Now is the time to start asking these questions….
Demure One,
In defense of the party, there is a huge difference between a targeted state race (like Borene’s last cycle) and a federal legislative race like Madia’s. All in all, the party has been pretty hands off on the federal races until the nominee in chosen. Remember the questions surrounding Keith Ellisons’ endorsement race and why the party wasn’t involved more?
I do hope that others would take note, though, of Terri’s “military advisor” in the form of Andrew Borene. Andrew lives in DC, works for Lexis Nexus and has very minimal involvement in Minnesota these days. How he can be her advisor is interesting to me. I would submit it was one of those “names” to get on board like so many others.
Think Madia is a Democrat?! Read on…This is straight from Wikepedia.
Ashwin Madia Biography
Ashwin Madia’s parents moved to America from Mumbai, India. They had only $19 in cash when they first arrived. Madia’s family settled in Plymouth, Minnesota, where he went to Osseo Senior High School. He attended the University of Minnesota, where he became student body president. While in this position, he worked to cap tuition increases and fees going to La Raza Student Cultural Center and The Queer Student Cultural Center[4]. Madia’s early politicl leanings were with the GOP where he praised Bob Dole and criticized President Bill Clinton. He also criticized the National Education Association, and teachers as the reason for students failure and called for grants to private schools. Madia also predicted Social Security going bankrupt by 2013, and called for reductions in programs like SS and Medicare on behalf on his generation supporting the babyboom generation. [5] He then attended New York University School of Law.
Madia then joined the U.S. Marine Corps completing basic training in Quantico, Virginia. His first duty station was Okinawa, Japan, where he served as a prosecutor, defense counsel, and legal advisor to a Marine Corps commander.
Madia later served in Iraq from September 2005 to March 2006. While there, he worked to strengthen Iraq’s criminal justice system. This job included working with Iraqi judicial officers, U.S. military and civilian officials, and representatives of the European Union and United Nations, as well as briefing top U.S. generals on the status of the rule of law in the country. In July 2006, Madia finished active duty and returned to Minnesota, where he began to work at a local law firm.
The Real Madia
Let’s hope people can change
If you need more proof that nothing in the world happens by chance, I submit to you that it has literally been years since I read the Daily. I happened to pick up Tuesday’s Daily and saw the article concerning former MSA President Ashwin Madia (“Former MSA president vies for Congress,” Oct. 30), who was known as Jigar Madia while a student at the U.
I about choked on my lunch when I saw that Jigar was running as a DFLer. As MSA President, Jigar was an active member of the College Republicans, virulently homophobic and a staunch enemy of mandatory student fees. He was no friend to the cultural centers. In essence, he was the perfect conservative poster child.
I was a member of MSA and was once given an award by Jigar as having the best knowledge of the MSA Constitution and By-Laws, which I used (constantly) to stop Jigar and his friends from gutting free speech and freedom of expression, in as much as MSA had such power (mainly through the vehicle of the Student Service Fees Committee).
I believe all people have the ability to change. And I hope that Jigar’s, excuse me, Ashwin’s are much more than a change in preferred name and other cosmetic expressions.
Brandon Lacy Campos
former CLA Student Senator
CLA Class of 2001
Demure One -
Money will pour into the Democratic nominees coffers from every corner of the country, trust me. There will be plenty of cash flying in this race.
By the time its all said and done, questions about someone like Borene will be the least of the DFL’s worries. With the volume of money about to come pouring in from “the machine” on both sides, there will no doubt be some donors with shady links or questionable pasts that the candidates will need to address. That will go for both sides.
Andrew Borene, as Bonoff’s military advisor didn’t seem to help her much when it came to securing the DFL Veteran’s Caucus endorsement. Go read her questionnaire answers at the website http://www.mndflvets.org .
It’s easy to understand why so many people, especially Veterans are behind Ashwin Madia. When it comes to Veteran’s Issues, Madia understands the difference between the wars we are fighting and how we should be truly taking care of our returning soldiers.
Don’t worry about party support for Madia. As one of the top 5 targeted races in the country, it will get lots of attention!
OK,
Here’s what I posted at MnBlue. I’ll repost it verbatim, because it’s short, simple, and to the point:
The battle for endorsement in Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District is over; Madia’s Marauders have prevailed. The only thing remaining is ratification of the victory at the Convention, on April 12th.
Ok, sure – Captain Madia doesn’t have the 96 necessary delegates – he’s only got 84.5 of the caucus attending elected delegates marching in his formation. The point is, those 84.5 delegates represent way more than 60% of the elected delegate total.
For Senator Bonoff to win endorsement, she has to convince superdelegates to ignore the will of the people; convince the superdelegates to ignore the election results that are on paper and in the record books. And that’s just for starters.
Just as that will NOT be acceptable to Democrats in the Presidential race, that will NOT be acceptable to Democrats in the 3rd Congressional district. I am guessing the superdelegates will be inundated with e-mails and phone calls, telling them that the people have spoken, they have spoken loudly, and they have spoken convincingly. The message they will be conveying is in cases like this, it’s the superdelegate’s duty to ratify the will of the people.
I admire Senator Bonoff. She’s won two tough races in this district. But the people have spoken. Louldly. Clearly. Frequently. Convincingly.
The race was over, one week ago. The results yesterday merely confirmed that. The Convention on April 12 will only make it official.
The endorsement race is over. It’s time to rally the troops, and prepare for the next battle.
Madia reminds me scarily of Norm Coleman. Whatever way the political wind is blowing, he positions himself to take advantage of it. While a College Republican at the University of MN and the GOP were firmly in control of the White House and both houses of Congress - Madia was Republican, first supporting Bob Dole and then John McCain and I’d be willing to bet he voted for Bush in 2004. Now that the tide is turning in the Dems favor, the ever personally ambitious Madia is suddenly a progressive Democrat. He supported doing away with Social Security (hear that seniors) and he supported ended Medicare (strike two). Not exactly progressive views, Ash.
The thinking that his “Iraq War veteran” background will hold sway with these voters, denies the fact that in reality he spent seven months as a “lawyer” in Iraq (although in his bio he claims to have been a Marine for four years - deployed to Iraq). Unless you read carefully you might think he spent four years there in combat. Not true.
What is he doing now? Well, he’s an unemployed lawyer. That’s impressive.
Madia dances around whether he supported invading Iraq. He can’t give a straight answer, because if he did, he’d reveal his true Right Wing leanings. Otherwise, how can he explain his decision to join the war once it started? What’s the story, Ash?
If the DFL ends up endorsing Madia we will see this seat go to the GOP and we all know how hard it is to defeat an incumbent. Endorsing Madia is playing right into the GOP’s hands - just what they want.
I am amused how you all constantly keep referring to “the will of the people”, as if conventions which at most encompass 6% of registered voters is somehow the will of the people.
Having this go to the primary would be to listen to the will of the people. Only then will you know what the will of the people is.
If you want to get Madia over the top, fine by me. That is the way the system works. But stop referring to it as the will of the people. It is the “will of the majority of the 6% of population who are DFL party activitists”.
Call it what it is.
Spot on quote from Doug Grow at MinnPost:
“Hovland is a good fit for district but apparently not for delegates. In fact, he may be a perfect fit for the district.
But he’s not a perfect fit with the activists who take the time to involve themselves in party conventions.”
I can’t say it any better than Grow can.
So, DantheMan, we should change the rules mid-process. And, this with the massive turnout at caucuse. 32,000 in the 3rd, over 4x the 2004 turnout. So, all those new people are “party activists”? And, those of us who’ve only been involved for a cycle are “party activists”? I don’t think so.
A primary fractures things. And, the threat of a primary gave us Mike Hatch and not Steve Kelley. How do you stop Republican votes for the candidate they feel is the “easiest mark” in the general election.
Sorry, won’t buy that bill of goods this time.
Dantheman: I don’t mean to sound huffy, but the future belongs to those who show up. 100% of voters could of had a say if they went to precinct caucuses and onward with delegate selection. I have no pity for those whom stayed home, or drank beer at the bar that night. This was an open processes.
I believe I read Andrew Borene’s title as ‘National Security Advisor’ to Terri Bonoff.
And why does she need one?
Well, to interpret a National Intelligence Estimate for her, perhaps.
Ashwin Madia said at a candidate forum in December that he promised to read any NIE before a vote and study the issue thoroughly.
And who do you think he needs to interpret it for him?
Well, I think he can comprehend it by himself, having served in Iraq and advising Iraqis on the rule of law.
Please re-read my post. I’m not saying we should change, in fact I’m generally agreeing that Madia has all the momentum.
I’m just taking issue with this being labeled “the will of the people”. The will of the people happens in a Primary and General.
You are all openly saying you want to avoid a Primary. What are you afraid of? That would be the will of the people.
It is valid to make a point that anyone could show up at a Primary. But to tell an Independent, which by many accounts is the largest voting bloc out there, that they have to choose a highly partisan forum to express their “will” — that is flawed.
The future belongs to those who show up. And for the vast, vast majority of people in the 3rd, they exercise that right at 1) a primary or 2) a general.
(I used 30,000 as my basis for my “6%” figure. So maybe its closer to 7%).
I am a first time delegate to the 3rd and state convention. I got elected because I was at my caucus and express an interest. At my SD convention I ran and got elected after I gave a 1 minute speech about the issues that mattered to me.
I can’t tell you how many people I have met since then that are first timers. This is grassroots at its best!
While I admit I am politically active, in no means am I a “back room activist” as I think you are trying to imply.
My precinct caucus had 37 people in 2004 and 156 in 2008. I would say lots of people are energized, and they are all democrats!
If this state goes to a primary system, then I say lets all register by party and then make sure no one can change that affiliation the day of an election, so there are no shenanigans at the polls.
As for the Democrats having a party primary, why should we do what you republicans want and have chaos in our party with you and others subverting the process?!
And why should we give your candidate a huge lead in fundraising and campaigning?
Joe:
I noticed you changed the count and have it as Bonoff 66, Madia 84.5. Is this accurate, or the count above? It makes quite a difference as Bonoff at 66 gives her over 40% if they stick with her. I am curious about your analysis, and state of the race.
I’ve heard conflicting things. Some say Bonoff will drop. Others say she is already gearing up for a primary, and had a strong fundraising quarter.
Thoughts?
“While I admit I am politically active, in no means am I a “back room activist†as I think you are trying to imply.”
All I am saying, and this is really all I am saying, is that 6-7% of registered voters are involved in deciding the candidate. If we had a true primary, the number involved in choosing candidates could very well be 5-10 times what it is with today’s delegate system.
Dan,
Don’t you think that if Obama is the nominee, his wave will carry Ash over the top.
Super Delegates fortunately in this case have a perspective, which Madia supporters do not. Many of the new delegates supporting Madia are first timers. It’s great to see them involved, but they are denying the fact that he has never won an election (unless you count at the U of M) in his life. I’d put Bonoff’s record and experience against Madia, anytime. If you look at Bonoff’s endorsements against Madia’s it’s obvious that other DFL Party leaders recognize this as well. They know who can win.
Madia has built a admirable grass roots group of supporters. But, unfortunately they are not experienced in what it takes to win a general election. Plus, besides being an “Iraqi Vet” what other experience can he point to that gives him the credentials to win? Nothing. Nada. Zip.
Maybe Madia should get some experience, actually be active in the DFL and prove that his conversion to being a Democrat is more than just a politically convenient move.
No.
The thing to remember is that McCain has appeal to the moderate wing of the Republican and old IR camps. While that won’t rival what Obama will do for voting numbers nationally, in a district like the 3rd with lots of Independents and IRs, I think it offsets Obamamania.
If this was Ellison’s district or McCollums district, I’d have a different answer. I’d agree that Obamamania will bring many new voters out, while McCains effect would be muted.
Plus, this district already gets something like 80% voter turnout in Presidential elections. How much higher can you go?
If there is a wave that gets Bonoff / Madia / Hovland (if this goes to primary don’t count him out) into office, it will be the economy, not Obama.
Doug Grow - “Madia continued his relentless drive to endorsement ”
The word “relentless” says it all.
The current delegate conventions were attended by a far more representative sample of the population than any one ever before.
Actually I doubt any primary would attract more voters than this years caucuses. It took me 1/2 hr just to get in.
There is a sizeable number of Republicans who wanted McCain in 2000, became disenchanted with the way Bush got the 2000 nomination and the way Bush governed. Those people will be back in 2008.
And there are enough Republicans who firmly believe McCain is crazy and they’ll be there to stop him (my very Republican mother for one).
DantheMan:
Excellent points. You’re analysis is quite objective, and I respect it. So, you still think there is a shot this goes to a primary?
Do you know whether Obama carried CD3 significantly in the caucus against Hillary? It would be interesting to know who won.
I agree that the economy may be decisive not just in this election but nationally.
“Actually I doubt any primary would attract more voters than this years caucuses. It took me 1/2 hr just to get in.”
I think just about any contested primary would trounce this caucus system that draws 6-7% of voters. Heck, 2006’s primary which was a non-presidential year and had Ramstad running as the presumptive General winner drew nearly 10%.
I want to clarify my argument here. I’m not necessarily saying that it would be best for this to go to a primary in 2008. I’m not necessarily saying that this race isn’t leaning heavily toward Madia. I would like to move to a primary system, but now is the wrong time to do it.
What I’m saying is that this system which uses 6-7% of registered voters to choose a partisan candidate is NOT the will of the people. It is the agreed upon system in place today. But not the will of the people.
The will of the people occurs in September and then again in November. I personally would love to see Hovland getting back into the General as an Independent and running as the moderate he is (you listening Jim? If so, I’ll think twice about supporting Paulsen). That would be a true barometer of how the people feel.
I can hear the campaign spot now:
“Hi, I’m Jim Hovland, and I want to represent you in Washington. I’m a local Mayor and businessperson, and for years identified with the Republican Party. Since the latest Administration took over, however, I’ve found my views alienated by the party.
I took my moderate views to the DFL, and asked if they would embrace me. They didn’t.
So now I’m coming to you as an Independent, in the tradition of Jim Ramstad and Bill Frenzel. I will represent you in Washington in a way becoming of the 3rd CD — with logic, reason, and centricity.
I ask for your support as the moderate candidate in this race.”
Let me respond. My mention of the number of campaigns was simply about the fact that although candidates may have all the qualities we want, they often still lose if they are in a tough district. And when i say ashwin is too liberal, i mean economically. T Bonoff has the support of the chamber of commerce for god sakes, she knows exactly who to sway in that district. And for her prior wins, she won in republican districts. Ash madia, for all his qualities, of which there are many, has held no important office. Remember, even if he were to win, and that will be tough, there is a hard learning curve in the congress. Also, be sure that if he did win, it would be harder for him to hold that seat than bonoff or paulson. I am trying to make valid points here, and while there have been good responses, others simply are not taking a sober look at this race. I know that polls show ash madia barely down in a race against paulson, so how would that make you then want madia? you think he can make up that lead, perhaps, but the republicans will tear him to shreds before it is over. He will have to explain his odd political past views, that really do not mesh with the whole, my parents came to here with $19 in their pockets. My point is, this seat is going to be the toughest fight we have outside the senate race. the republicans across the country were hoping j ram would stay, but now they know he will not, they will pour endless amounts of cash to keep the spot.
Michael, Ashwin talks about balancing the budget and being fiscally conservative. He has less labor support than Bonoff. How do you say that he is economically more liberal?
Who do you think the Repubs would rather run against?
So, what are you advocating — that Bonoff take this to a primary. Do you think we’ll have any chance then?
I respect your analysis.
Ro
Actually the DCCC is flush with money to fight these targeted races, too. With Paulsen’s record of loosing the house majority (failure to lead effectively) against Ash’s leadership in Iraq, work in foreign duty stations (Okinawa and Baghdad with multinational organizations versus Paulsen’s trip to China), and Ash’s former Republican roots, I don’t see this as a GOP seat in the future. I actually do understand the GOP quite well. This is an imminently winnable seat with Ash. It will matter how issues are framed and how outreach is effected as well as getting the message out. Ash is exceptionally powerful at staying on message and articularly clearly his issues. I can’t say the same for Paulsen. He’s rather painfully boring, quite honestly (and yes, I do know him).
Just got on, let’s see if I have the story straight.
In what some are still calling a red district, Madia
is opportunistic by running as a liberal Democrat while
we think he is still really a Republican. Is that
because Bonoff was easier to take out than Paulsen,
or is it because the Republicans really just want two
choices in November?
“What is he doing now? Well, he’s an unemployed lawyer. That’s impressive.”
Unemployed because he chose to leave his position to focus on his run for Congress. I’d say, what he’s doing now, namely, winning 10 of 12 senate districts (coming in a tie with the 11th, and nearly beating Terri in her home district in the 12th) is quite impressive.
The GOP thinks this is a difficult district for them to win this time. I can just thank heavens that the Dem party is a large tent that doesn’t have a litmus test for joining - nor a time requirement. The Dem party I belong to accepts newcomers without litmus tests….people like Jim Hovland, Ash Madia, and many others.
The GOP is very worried about this district, otherwise it would not be considered one of the top 5 in the country.
Erik Paulsen himself states that this will be a close race, so he is not taking it for granted. He even asked the senate district to have 2 conventions, and not endorse for the State Rep seat until AFTER the 3rd CD GOP Convention. Doesn’t sound like someone secure in his chance to win a party endorsement, much less an election.
The reality is, many more people caucused for the Democrats than republicans on February 5. While the DFL Conventions all around the 3rd have been drawing record crowds, the republicans have been hosting small events in conference rooms (like the one in Grace Church in 42) for their conventions.
I think that the Minnesota DFL is representing the will of many more people than the current GOP in this election cycle. Don’t think that will change before November.
And I believe that Obama took the 3rd by a large margin.
OH — WMD — my parents are very consevative republicans and they will not vote for a single republican in November!
They are so angry and disappointed with the GOP that they are voting for Democrats up and down the ticket for the first time in 30 years.
They also think John McCain is crazy….and too old.
“they will pour endless amounts of cash to keep the spot.”
They don’t have endless amounts of cash.
D-trip is out raising the NRCC by scads. In fact, the D-trip has ten times the cash on hand.
http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/7/12/16374/4453
Also the NRCC is under internal investigation for money transfers. I wouldn’t be surprised if all their assets would soon be frozen due to a federal investigation.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/13/AR2008031302841.html?nav=rss_business
I had a friend point me to this website a couple of weeks ago as a way to gather more information about this congressional race. I only went to caucuses to support Barak Obama I was not interested in any of the other races.
I support Barak is because of his positive vision for the future.
Reading these comments you people have clearly lost that sense of positivity.
Go back and re-read what you’re writing. Nobody here is trying to persuade anybody. I don’t even know if that is your intention. Many of you are just going out of your way to tear each other down and one up another with witty comments.
My friend works with one of the congressional races and was clearly trying to prove a point about their candidate by directing me to this website.
Unfortunately during my brief time here the only point that has been made to me on this website is that you are all very negative people.
I have read how much people love to respond to comments to draw people into fights around here so I will let you know that I will not be returning to this website to read how you attack my reply nor will I be around to answer any hostile, leading questions.
I just wanted to let you know that all of the fighting here is turning people off. I will continue to get my political information the old fashioned way- by reading the newspaper and visiting campaign websites.
100 comments of complaining and most of you say that Barak is your inspiration. You should be ashamed of yourself.
FirstTimer gets the award for the most intelligent post of the day!
Thanks for a little sensibility and a distinct lack of boobery FT — come on back.
In the meantime you bickering nimcompoops should do something productive for Minnesota’s potential congressional delegation and go vote for Steve Sarvi here, before you post your next comment.
Wow! For someone whose blog used to invite discussion on local topics, that post really is the end Sean. Apparently discussion - positive and negative - isn’t wanted here.
Please consider….voted for Steve Sarvi, sat on the endorsing committee for the DFL Veterans Caucus that gave him their endorsement (as well as Al Franken and Ash Madia) and donated to him through ActBlue.
I love discussion — I love intelligent, honest discussion of the pros and cons of our candidates, our issues and our campaigns.
What the folks on this thread and the other threads devoted to the 3rd have done, isn’t that. It’s usually half-informed, fear baiting, occasionally bordering on slanderous idiocy. And yes, this cuts both ways. Between the ignorant boobery about Madia’s political conversion[1], the stupidity about his shirts being made in Honduras[2], the mindless insults directed towards Bonoff’s staff [3] and enough uninformed comments about the endorsement process to make my hack head spin.
I love dicussion — I hate dumb, and sorry WMD the comment section about the 3rd CD race can get real dumb.
Sean
[1]which by the way, I’d like to remind everyone that one of the dirty liberal posters on this blog was a Republican just about as recently as Madia was.
[2]in case anyone was curious — if you should happen to find a shirt that says “Made In America” it probably wasn’t made in America. It was probably made in the Mariana Islands, a US territory where people work in sweatshop like conditions — basically no better than anything that could have come out of Honduras, and in a real irony, the recent increase in minimum wage was specifically applied to the Marianas islands, you’ll be seeing a lot less tshirts saying “Made in America”.
[3]Ken Sanguin has taken enough belts on here from nimrods who wouldn’t know him from Adam. But what they should know about Ken is that there is probably no one in the state who has done as much for youth organizing as he has. In 2006 his support and advocacy within the Klobuchar campaign made youth organizing a priority within that campaign and also in the coordinated DFL campaign — the Youth Coordinated Campaign that Ken championed was unprecedented in the country and was an amazing success.
I can’t believe I read through all of these.
Like I said elsewhere, Terri will run this to the primary. Ken’s statement about how important this election is and blah, blah, blah is really saying the delegates don’t know how important this is and they need a little more time to let them wake up. The ol’ Hillary strategy.
Ken Sanguine wasn’t even living here before this. Terri brought him back from where ever he was living to work on this campaign. He had already moved on so, looking for favor within the DFL or hoping not destroy his political career is not a consideration as he lives out east and has moved on. He moved away after Amy won.
This seems to be a year for challenging and beating the establishment as well as the opposition.
True, we have been tearing each other down. Let me turn to issues then. I do not understand the Madia position of having an extended troop presence in Iraq. Clearly if we want to talk about how the people have spoken, it is against this war. Why keep a mistake going? This is the single issue that brought me to support Bonoff over Madia. Don’t get me wrong, her position is not perfect, but it is in keeping with the pres candidates like obama, who she supported loudly and quickly, who does Madia support? I also do not understand how one can say that the people have spoken. I am quite sure that both campaigns have at least some of their staff as delegates, these are not everyday dems. Furthermore when I was at my own convention I spoke to many Madia supporters who had no clue about his Iraq position, NONE. He is a good man, and a good campaigner, but where he may gain in the moderate vote, he may lose in the anti-war base, which is large. And please, I understand how we can quibble over who has more money coming in and other points, but truth be told I believe Erik Paulsen would rather face a candidate like Madia that Terri B or Jim H. If he is the nominee, he has my support fully and a contribution coming his way from me, but I do think that if there is a primary, it will be for the better.
Actually, Ash Madia’s position on the war is pretty much the same as Hillary and Barack’s. Neither of them will pull all of the troops out of Iraq immediately (as Bonoff says she wants). Both recognize (as Madia has stated multiple times in forums and in the debate as SD42) that some troops must be left behind in order to protect our embassy (we are responsible for protecting our embassies around the world), to pull out our contractors, to pull out our troops safely. It is not a long term presence but the base reality (which both Barack and Hillary have spoken to multiple times, too) that it takes time with the numbers of troops incountry to remove them safely and not leave behind absolute chaos.
It’s Bonoff that has misrepresented Obama’s position on the war. Responsible withdrawal (quick but safe) is the position for both Obama and Clinton - not precipitous withdrawal. We cannot endanger our troops by withdrawing ala Vietnam again.
This reasoned response was one of the prime reasons that Madia received almost 100% of the votes of the DFL Veterans Caucus in their endorsing screening and Bonoff received none. Her position is the unrealistic one on this but makes a good sound byte. His is reasoned, logical and supported by the upper level Dem candidates.
Marc:
What basis do you have for saying that Terri will run this to a primary? How can she block an endorsement at this point — she just doesn’t have the votes, and conventions almost endorse.
This is not an attack — just a request for clarification, and understanding of why you believe what you do.
I’m paraphrasing something I heard Pat Buchanan (of all people)
say today:
The Bush Administration is rushing to the aid of Bear Stearns;
where were they while we were losing 3 million manufacturing jobs?
One need know no more than that, to have enough reason to vote
Democrat. We should hear that to no end for the next 8 months,
and from Democrats, not Republicans.
Why is “Minnesota Democrats Exposed†an obviously anti-DFL site, so positive toward Madia? Just wondering…..
I don’t sense they are positive about Ash Madia. I sense they were anti-Terri and neutral about Hovland. I don’t think they have a handle on this race yet so are frying some other fish while waiting for it to play out. Watch for things to heat up from them once the nominee is known. One thought though….it’s tough for the GOP to argue bitterly against a former US Marine who actually served our country well in Bush’s war. Most of those posters over there are chickenhawks and they don’t like to be reminded of it by real veterans. Hard to argue with patriotism, hard to argue with sacrifice for one’s country, hard to argue with working hard and making oneself a success. They need to wait until it’s definitely Ash and then they’ll start picking apart his policy statements - but I don’t believe they’ll actually try to pick at him personally. It would go against everything they say they stand for….honor, duty, country. Who personifies that better than the US Marines? (Hard for me to say coming from the US Army….but true….sigh)
I was a delegate on Saturday..I did not know that Madia’s experience as a ‘war vet’ did not mean combat. I got the impression he was in combat. Sept 05 to March 06 in Iraq was as a legal advisor?
Any deployment in an active war zone is “combat deployment”. He’s an attorney. He was in Baghdad and other towns helping to rebuild the legal system in Iraq….you know, what we’re supposed to be really doing there. Any time you are deployed to a war zone you are combat trained, can be under fire and carry a weapon. It’s not quite being sent to the Pentagon for your tour of duty. His website is very clear what he was doing in both Okinawa and Baghdad during his overseas deployments. His other duty station was Quantico Marine Corps Base, Virginia.
Interesting question for those in the Bonoff camp who are trying to push the meme that “Madia wasn’t a combat veteran”. Does it matter? Does only service under active fire count? What qualifies as a “war zone” to those who question it? So, is someone who was a Vietnam era vet not a Vietnam vet to you? Does service in Germany not count? Does service in Okinawa not count? Does only service to our country count if someone is actively firing a bullet at you? I would certainly hope this isn’t the case. Service to our country is that. Service. You go where our country asks you to go. You do what is asked of you. If you are under fire, it is worse and the damage lasts forever. Service is service.
The Ten Greatest Moments in Conservative History at the U
[Opinion article originally appeared in edited form in the Minnesota Republic; written by Marty Andrade]
Last month’s midterm elections put Democrats back into power across the nation. It also put a lot of conservative pundits and a lot of Republicans into a malaise. For many Republicans, the last major defeat was Bill Clinton’s re-election in 1996. For over 10 years the GOP was the dominant force in making national policy and since 1998 the GOP has held most of the power in the state of Minnesota. Republicans are going to go from the dominant subject in the media to second fiddle behind the hilarious antics of Nancy Pelosi. I look forward to this but for some younger Republicans and for relative newcomers to politics this represents a dramatic shift in paradigm.
Not for me though. As a campus activist at the U and later as a professional activist traveling from campus to campus I was always facing an overwhelming liberal establishment which worked to control the expression of students to their own desires and beliefs. Having liberals in power was always a special pleasure to me. I thrived on making liberal administrators, activists and staffer cringe with fear. I wasn’t alone; many conservatives in the long history of conservative activism at the University of Minnesota have faced the far left with a mixture of success and irreverence. With great pleasure I give you the ten greatest moments of conservative activism at the University of Minnesota:
Number Ten; Jigar Madia elected MSA president in 1997.
The Minnesota Student Association is the self-proclaimed student government at the U, it has existed for about a half century. The last time an openly Republican candidate was elected president of MSA was in 1960. Ever since then Republican candidates for the spot have either hidden their affiliation and refused official endorsement or they have lost. In the mid-1990’s the College Republicans created a sister group called “Students Against Fee Excess†or SAFE for short. SAFE fought for reduced student fees, and their endorsement served as a politically friendly proxy for the College Republicans. After a few years of trying a SAFE endorsed candidate finally claimed victory in 1997 in the form of Jigar Madia. Jigar was the only SAFE endorsed candidate to ever win the spot. In the years since then only one other candidate has promised a policy of reforming fees, and that is the present MSA president Max Page. Page is also a former (and present?) UDFL chairman.
Seems pretty clear that, rather than being a Democrat (as so many of his supporters have held him out to be), Madia is simply a politician. This is not surprising I suppose, but it certainly seems a bit contrary to the party fervor that has sprung up around his campaign. In the end, no matter what the people on this blog might think, it is going to be very difficult for Madia to win in the 3rd District based on his former political life and lack of relevant experience. I hope Bonoff sticks it out as she is probably the only chance that 3rd District DFLers have in November.
Reality Check,
What alternative universe are you living in? CD3 has voted GOP for the past 30 years or so. Please, explain how being a former Republican who served your country and caused you to re-evaluate your values and party affiliation will disqualify someone to run in the DFL in the 3rd? In reality, being a true blue lifelong DFL’er is the one who will have a hard time in CD3.
FYI….my “kids” are in their 20’s (grad school and senior at the U entering grad school) and they (and we) are against the excess student fees, too. If that makes someone an devil in the past, then most Dems at the UofM are, too. The fees at the U have been excessive and still are.
The GOP won’t be stupid enough to pick apart nuances of Madia’s service. Military service is military service. You have to respect it.
There are plenty of other things they will hammer on, which are easier targets and valid questions. Somehow trying to diminish Madia’s service would royally piss of anyone who has ever served, Republican or Democrat.
DTM - absolutely. That is the one given that will not be messed with. It’s stupid. No one serves in any capacity in the US Marines and takes being picked upon. Nothing would rally veterans on both sides like picking on a US Marine who served in a war zone - independent of the duty.
Reality check,
I’m not sure how fighting for lower student fees equates with not being a democrat or somehow being a politician.
He certainly isn’t hiding this fact. His efforts to reduce student fees at the U is part of his stump speech. It’s even part of his condensed two minute stump speech.
RC
Einning the student body presidency as a Republican in a sea of ultra liberals shows how Captain Madia can win on the basis of his ideas.
Can we say that for Terri Bonoff ?
I’ve heard that Bonoff will take this thing to a primary and the supers are standing strong with her. This is unbelievable that she’s not bowing out, but what I predicted.
I guess Marc was right. Is there anything we Madia forces can do to force the supers to change. I feel like they are stealing this from us by taking this to a primary. Madia will win that, of course, but be weakened for the general. Why are the Bonoff folks so vindictive — do they have no sense of fair play and what is good for the party?
There are about 14 DFL Representatives and some Senators in CD3 running for re-election this fall, looking for support and votes. If they’re going to the wall for Bonoff, then make them pay for it if you feel that strongly about it. The other thing one can do is get on their case personally. I’ve written my Rep to back off Bonoff and get in touch with her District that went Madia 4-1.
Right on WestMetroDem! IED’s go off in the Green Zone too.
The exception to every rule. Kerry - Swift boats.
I agree. Madia has encouraged war on these superdelegates and we should call them and make sure they don’t steal this. This is a challenge against the establishment, and the anti-establishment forces must win! We will prevail. Bonoff won’t be able to send this to a primary. Power to the people. Who the hell cares about the DFL establishment — we won without them!
“Bonoff won’t be able to send this to a primary. Power to the people.”
So in other words: You won’t allow this to go to a primary where as many of 60% of the people would have a say, but instead you want the decision to be made by 6% of the population who closely identify with a certain party. And then you say Power to the People.
Interesting.
DantheMan,
In your role as a good DEM who does not like the delegate process - then you should change it.
Don’t whine about the rules now!!!!
If we’re going to a primary system, it should be done after this election cycle. It’s a systemic change and not something to be bandied about loosely. We need to make those changes after the election. A primary (where more than 6% of the people vote) is very expensive when an ADDITIONAL expense added to the caucus/convention system already paid for.
One point to put to your superd’s and reps you call for Ash….exactly how do you propose to go to your constituents and ask for financial help for your campaign when they are made aware that their donations to the party and districts have been wasted because you (their rep) would not bend to the will of the people and forced the district to pay for an additional primary? Remember, the senate districts have already fundraised to pay for the caucuses and conventions. They will incur the cost of an additional primary - a waste of money - money that could be used to elect Dems. If these superd’s want to pay for the primary because of their inability to recognize the results of the caucuses and conventions, then they should pay for it in decreased donations from their constituents. How many do you think will stand with Bonoff if they know they will be the ones to suffer a loss of donations directly?
At least, two of the super delegates called sub caucauses in SD43 and one openly mentioned that he will not be competing to be the elected delegate for that subcaucus because he is already a SD. I wish they should not have done it and kept it neutral - even then, their candidate got only 60% of the support in that district and the only district she won. Regarding 6% (we are talking only one party endorsement here), so should we cancel the outcome of general elections whenever the voter turnout is less than 50% because it is not will of the people (majority choose not to vote/participate)?
We in Ash’s camp need to be prepared for a primary. My fear is that is where this is headed. But, we’ll beat Bonoff then too, and it may just give Ash more exposure for the general. I am very concerned that the buzz is the supers are rallying around Bonoff, and no one is calling on her to withdraw.
Interesting “buzz” you hear…..buzz elsewhere is all Madia. Obviously we listen to different groups. Support is everywhere for Madia.
“So in other words: You won’t allow this to go to a primary where as many of 60% of the people would have a say, but instead you want the decision to be made by 6% of the population who closely identify with a certain party. And then you say Power to the People.”
I don’t get this statement. The reality is that EVERYONE who wanted to participated in the caucus process could. It’s not as if the door in February was open to just 6$ of the population. Indeed, even though turnout at the state caucuses broke almost everyone’s record, almost anyone who wanted to be a delegate for the second round could have been (they at least could be an alternate almost all of whom were sat).
A primary under this system is ridiculous. It’s essentially a do-over election. If the party wants to replace the caucus system with a primary, so be it. I think it would be less fun, but, it would be a primary. But, don’t waste time and money to do an election twice by having multiple caucuses and if a candidate doesn’t like the result, try again.
There were elections in our precinct caucus to be a delegate to Senate District Convention - do these precinct election delegates count? or only super delegates? I heard the same from other precincts because of huge turnout this February.
Once again, my post was taken out of context.
I am NOT saying:
- That pushing this to a Primary would be good for Democrats
- That Madia doesn’t have a lead
- That we should change the system within an election period
I AM saying:
- Claiming that this caucus system represents that “will of the people” - an assertion that several have made - is ridiculous. It represents a small group. And yes, while anyone theoretically could attend, there is a barrier to entry. That barrier is having some loyalty or passion for the DFL party or its principles. It is almost like those wedding receptions you see sometimes that are “open to all”. Sure, it is open to all. But if you don’t know the bride or groom, or you really going to go? And if you do, are you really going to be welcomed?
As a moderate, if I had shown up and said that the DFL would be nuts not to put Hovland up against Paulsen, and oh, by the way, I supported Mitt Romney and I think the Bush tax cuts had merit, would I have really been embraced?
DTM,
Yes, frankly, you would have and you could have been elected a delegate (or just signed up to be one) out of your precinct caucuses, moved up to the senate district convention and subcaucused for Hovland. It truly is an open party and (contrary to some people’s opinions) without litmus tests on belonging. I know many Dems who voted for Reagan and Daddy Bush. I know many Dems in “mixed marriages” - you know a Dem married to a Republican. All are, truly, welcome in the DFL - and welcome to the argument. The difference between the Dem party and the GOP - lots of arguments take place here and we don’t all get along - but we don’t have to. Democracy is messy and noisy.
The caucuses and conventions are representative of those who bothered to show up. For someone to come out now and say they don’t like the result and want to change the result (i.e., “abiding” by the endorsement or not when they have promised openly that they would) is not acceptable. Changing to a primary rather than a caucus is for next cycle. These three candidates said they would abide. Not abiding is not acceptable because it takes money away from our candidates for the race in November as the party would have to pay for a primary election and they’ve already paid for a caucus/convention schedule.
I’M NOT SAYING I DON’T LIKE THE RESULT AND WANT TO CHANGE THE PROCESS. Read my freaking posts, for a 5th time.
Claims were made that the people have spoken in these caucuses, so don’t let this go to a primary. I believe that you actually get a much better idea of the peoples’ wishes in a primary. I think that claim about the people speaking in a caucus that draws 6% of our voting public is oxymoronic.
I’m taking issue with that one statement, not with the result or the process. It is fine to want to end the race and get a certain candidate the early endorsement, but don’t try to make a case that it is somehow the will of the people. It is the will of partisans.
As a Union Man, I refuse to support someone that has taken a position against ones fundamental right to join a labor organization such as Madia has. I refuse to understand why a true Democrat would abandon a viable Democratic candidate for a candidate that is unknown, unproven and untrustworthy.
Madia goes around slamming Bonoff’s voting record on unions, but fails to tell people why he opposed unions in the past. Why is it that nobody has pressed him on this issue? Jigar, why did you oppose unions before and why have you seen the light, or have you?
I refuse to believe that Madia will do the right thing when it comes to the true DFL way. Has he abandoned all of his Republican ways or just some?
All’s I know when I cast my ballot as a super delegate it will be for a true lifelong Democrat Terri Bonoff!
If I have this straight, the person named Jigar who was anti-union is in the past and not supposed to be spoken of.
Today, we have Ashwin, and he says he is pro-union.
Good heavens, people. Get over it. He wrote an article about unions in the university when he was 18. This has been addressed ad nauseum on the blogs several times.
He has asked to be called Ashwin which is the name he goes by (his given middle name). Why is this so objectionable to you, DTM? My hubby goes by his middle name yet went by his first name when he was in college, too. It’s not unheard of. In the military many people choose a name to go by that is different from their childhood name. Many Jews choose different names completely when they move to Israel. Many Muslims choose different names when they convert. Why does this bother you so much? People change their names. It’s legal.
Why not address real issues? Is it because you have none?
If Ashwin Madia is so anti-union then how come he has been endorsed by several so far…..
So once again we revisit Jigar Ashwin Madia’s ancient past. Yes, as an 18 year old college student body president he voted against a union. Union Man, have you really looked into what he did and why? And do you hold the exact same views now that you held when you were 18?! And did you ever do anything that we should know about — as a super delegate you must be an elected official, so where are your skeletons? There are only a couple of men who are super delegates that are not elected to office, and they are neutral at this point.
Ash (yes, I respectfully use the name he goes by now 12 years later-my husband has a nickname too) represented the students, and the faculty union did not want the student’s voice to be recognized in University decisions. As student body president, he was representing the group he was elected to represent. What’s wrong with that?!
As a union family, and as former republicans, we see no problem with that! And as a long time military and now veteran’s family, we support J. Ashwin Madia, United States Marine Veteran, lawyer and candidate for Congress!
As a poor little regular delegate, I will do what my very large caucus elected me to do, which was to vote for J. Ashwin Madia on April 12. As a super delegate, you should consider voting the way the majority of delegates in all of the senate districts have voted, .
Bonoff must be truly desperate to trot out these tired old arguments again, and to slam a person for their name in a way that appears to be recially motivated is sad.
If you are truly a super delegate, you do not deserve to be re-elected.
You also need to improve your grammar.
Instead of trashing a candidate, how about focusing on the issues?
DTM — would you please get off your tired old “not the will of the people” and move on?! You could have gone to your precinct caucus and become a delegate to your SD convention. You could have come to your senate district convention. YOu could have run to become a delegate. You could have gone on to the Cd convention and then the state convention. It’s not that hard! And I would say that 212,000 peop0le state wide, 32,000 people at the 3rd Cd conventions and over 4,000 at my senate dstrict is a pretty loud and representative voice! There were lots of people with lots of ideas!
Just because you did not get involved does not mean that this is not the people speaking. It just means YOU did not participate, and you have no one to blame but yourself.
Union Man,
If you are truly a super-delegate, why hide behind an anonymous login? Surely our superdelegates would be willing to state the basis for their support of Terri in plain view.
I suspect you are not a super-delegate. I won’t accept that you are until you disclose your identity. As a super-delegate, you owe us at least that.
Nor do I see anything in Ashwin’s letter to the editor which shows he was “against ones fundamental right to join a labor organization.” He’s merely urging the faculty to not vote for collective bargaining because he believes such a move would not only hurt students, but, the faculty itself. One can point out the cost-benefit of unionization without disagreeing with the fundamental rights of workers to unionize.
I am married to a teacher and come from a union family. There are plenty of times when those unions act in a manner that can be characterized as disadvantageous to its members — indeed, unions are often guilt of seeking self-preservation over the interests of its workers. Ashwin is merely pointing out the negative impact of collective bargaining within the context of a university setting. Blind adherence to entities we term as democratic, regardless of its activities, is bad for the party. We need to have the strength to say when our friends are wrong just as much as our enemies.
But what he most definitely is NOT doing is saying, “faculty members should be denied their right to unionize.”
DTM - I too take issue with your bashing of “will of the people”.
For starters, this is a republic, not a democracy. So our CD3 Rep
is supposed to be representing the will of about 1/2 million Minnesotans. Whether they do or not is another issue - our enlightened super delegates have seen fit to avoid the will of the people on a number of issues including stadiums, but our government works that way throughout. I personally would prefer pure democracy, but it is not a realistic way to run a country.
Going to a primary system presents its own set of problems. Open or closed? If it’s open, you could have the Republicans deciding our candidates. If it’s closed, much depends upon what races are on the ballot. Turnout can be very inconsistant and if small, a special interest group voting on dog catcher could have unwarranted influence on other races (even in the general election, how many times have you pulled the lever for someone in some race you knew nothing about?).
I had 116 people show up at my precinct caucus. Of that number, less than 40 stayed beyond the Presidential ballot. From that number we could have 32 delegates elected. We ended up with 28 and only that many because I had every member of my family sign absentee forms to become delegates. So people have the opportunity.
My own story briefly: After 2004, I was so fed up with the Democrats and Kerry that I was never going to bother to vote again.
But I decided I should try to be proactive instead. So now I find myself going to Rochester. I didn’t elect myself, I didn’t really even want to run as a delegate, but I wanted our subcaucus to be represented by someone who supports what we were caucusing for and nobody else who was running did. Everyone has that opportunity. I am not a party insider, have no special connections or vested interests. Just someone who is choosing people I like and then trying to go to bat for them. And I feel I was selected by the will of the people. The fact that it may be 6% of 6% has no bearing on it because, as in November, everyone has the opportunity to participate and it is supposed to be representative government.
And I’m going to represent my subcaucus.
Union Man comes from a proud tradition of inept Bonoff supporters, such as “Objective Observer” and “dembones,” who pretend to care deeply about some issue in order to launch an attack against Madia, but who just end up with egg on their faces because they can’t keep their stories straight.
E.g., Union Man, if you’re going to pretend to be a male superdelegate who’s a member of a union, at least do your homework to learn whether in fact there are any male superdelegates committed to Bonoff who are union members. Duh. Whichever staffer you are, the Bonoff campaign should cut off your paycheck for sheer incompetence.
As for “Dembones,” Madia has gone out of his way to make clear that he was not a combat veteran. He states clearly on his website that “he served as a prosecutor, defense counsel, and legal advisor to a Marine Corps commander. Madia was lead attorney in over one hundred trials, including thirteen jury trials.” http://www.madiaforcongress.com/bio.htm
The DFL can only win with an endorsed candidate. Madia is the only candidate who can win the endorsement. Team Bonoff: join the winning DFL team and let’s go beat Paulsen. Stop with the hair-brained attacks already. You’re just making your candidate look more pathetic than she already looked.
I stand by my comments regarding the caucus system not being “the will of the people”. You all made the claim that it was, and I simply refuted it.
When you are actively trying to prevent two or three candidates from being elected via a primary election, something smells wrong. You want to keep the selection process within a smaller partisan group rather than the public forum. It might be the way the game is played, but I take issue that it is “the people” speaking.
I’m not saying to change the system. I’m just saying call it was it is — the partisans’ candidate. Not the will of the people.
Marc,
You still believe this will go to a primary?
As for my “Jigar” and “Ashwin” comment, I was simply clarifying for Union Man. He seems new on this board, so I was taking a moment to bring him up to speed that the “Jigar” days are not to be revisited, per stern instruction to others on earlier threads.
And for the record, this is nothing personal. I have deep respect for Madia’s service to our country and his obvious strong work ethic as evidenced by his campaign success.
DTM, I do believe “stern instruction” should be reworded to “respect shown for one’s chosen name”. I show the same respect when I call someone “William” or “Will” rather than “Willy” or Susan rather than Susie or Mousie or whatever nickname one had growing up.
I am so sick of the juvenile behavior of the Bonoff supporters. One would think that no one had ever heard of choosing a name to be called by before! Well, “Danny” or should we call you “Danny boy”? Or were you maybe “Richie” or “Bobby” in your younger days and chose to be “Dan the Man” rather than “Danny boy”?
It’s simple respect.
My point was less about the name, more about the beliefs. If the statute of limitations on one’s beliefs is ~ 7 years, then I expect you to change your accusations of publics servants like Norm Coleman and Erik Paulsen.
I don’t want to get hung up on the name thing, but Jigar is a proper first name, not a nickname. Furthermore, it was a name he went by publicly, in print and as a campus leader no less. Comparing “Jigar” to “Danny Boy” may very well be offensive to Madia.
And many on these boards have, in fact, been instructed to use “Ashwin” instead of “Jigar”, and I was simply bringing Union Guy up to speed.
DTM - I have no problem with the Jigar/Ashwin comment.
What I find ironic is that people want to bash him for being
ex-GOP, yet claim Bonoff can win Nov. because she’s more GOP
than he to “the people”. Bonoff’s positions would probably be
a very good fit to try to make CD3 blue, but at this point, I
think my biggest issue with her is that this woman was handed
this nomination by the party - up about 20 to zip before it
even started. Now she’s down about 20. I equate that to the
Gophers blowing a 4 touchdown lead in the 4th quarter. Either
she’s really bad, he’s really good, or both.
At this point, her only hail mary is a primary. And if you think
that will bring a different “will of the people” go for it, but
I personally think nothing will change except spending $$ that should be used on Paulsen and bloodying up both of them and perhaps
to the point that her Senate seat could go back red in 2010 and
cost Madia in ‘08. Let the Republican’s throw trash at us, not each other. The Madia people ain’t gonna switch on 4/12, but I
have spoken to a couple of Bonoff people that were having some second thoughts after hearing Madia speak on 3/15 - not to say they
would change, but they were impressed with him. I personally thought Bonoff’s mother was more impressive than she and I’d vote for her in a heartbeat.
Whatever. I read an interview with Ash when he related that his mother called him Jiggie. When entering the US Marines he might have been very well aware that nicknames are very common and, not wanting Jiggie to be his nickname, have chosen to use Ashwin as it could more easily be shortened to Ash.
I don’t think it matters whether someone calls him Jigar Ashwin Madia or J. Ashwin Madia as he signs himself. I don’t think he cares, frankly. I would suggest he be referred to as J. Ashwin Madia or Ashwin Madia as those are how he refers to himself.
Statute of limitations on Paulsen and Coleman are not necessary….I’ve been in SD42 for 24 years and have many years of Paulsen to refer to when discussing his foibles. Coleman’s more recent foibles are more of interest to me than anything he wrote 7-10 years ago, frankly. There’s enough there upon which to base an opinion. I don’t need to go digging. I just need to read the paper daily.
Fair enough.
Most Chinese Americans have a) Chinese name (ex. XieWen )and b) An American Name (Janet). So do Mexican Americans (Enrique/Ricky), Italian Americans of old (Salvatore/Sal).
On one hand we ask people to assimilate. On the other hand we are accusing of nefariousness because they change their name. What gives.
What gives is that many Minnesotans know Madia by the name Jigar from his very visible time at the U. Now he is going by Ashwin. So we call him Ashwin.
No big deal.
“Many” Minnesotans? I’d question that. How many things did you write 12 years ago that are memorable today? I honestly have to admit that things I wrote when I was 18 were not memorable (or relevant) when I was 30. I also didn’t go by the same name at 18 as I did at 30 either, though.
It’s no big deal. He’s made no secret of his name nor of his writings. For some reason a group of people here seem to think there is something suspicious about both and keep insinuating so. It’s just strange to me….and to others, apparently.
The reality is that we live in a purple district that is trending blue. It will take a moderate candidate to win in November, especially if Paulsen pulls the “I am a moderate” garbage.
A lifelong true blue democrat, as Terri and her supporters constantly tell us, will have great difficulty winning.
Any candidate perceived by the voters to be “establishment picked” will have trouble getting elected.
We in SD42 have lived with Paulsen for the last 12 years, in fact I remember him door knocking when he ran the first time at the young age of 24. Who better to know what it will take to send him packing than his constituents?
I know the Bonoff supporters keep reminding us that she won in a red district, but the fact is she had lots of help and money from outside of the district, and in the 2nd election she lost percentage points to the same opponent when she should have improved those numbers. Now that she has to build her own campaign from inside of her district, she has shown that her grassroots organizing leaves much to be desired.
Ashwin Madia is not being picked by a few insiders. He has won decisively in 10 senate districts, tied in 1, and took many more delegates than the Bonoff people expected in her own backyard. He has done this with a flawlessly run campaign, open campaigning and communication and lots of grassroots organizing. Every event has lots of new people coming out to volunteer for Ash!
He is a wonderful candidate,and will be a wonderful congressman. Instea of contnuing to bicker, we should all be getting behind Ash and working towards the endorsement and then the general election.
Our opponent is Erik Paulsen, not each other!
Any Bonoff supporters who still believe she can block this endorsement and take it to a primary? Or have they conceded?
March 17, 2008
Bonoff Leads In Own Poll
Minnesota State Senator Terri Bonoff leads her closest rival by four points, a survey for her campaign shows, suggesting that Democrats have a strong chance to pick off a seat held by retiring Republican Jim Ramstad. The survey suggests the state’s Third District, which surrounds Minneapolis on three sides, could be one of the closest contests of the year.
Conducted by Democratic firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, the poll was taken 3/11-12 and surveyed 401 likely voters. The margin of error is /- 4.9%. Bonoff, Democratic attorney Ashwin Madia and Republican opponent Erik Paulsen, a state representative, were surveyed.
General Election Matchup
Bonoff 44
Paulsen 40
Paulsen 43
Madia 40
Bonoff, the candidate of choice for Washington Democrats, purportedly leads Madia in a primary ballot test, though those numbers were not released. Bonoff had raised just over $300,000 at the end of December, with $230,000 left in the bank, compared with $166,000 raised and $124,000 in the bank for Madia. Paulsen, who has a clear shot at the GOP nod, has raised nearly $390,000 with $363,000 left in reserve.
Democrats competing in the Third District has to be a serious blow to GOP psyches in Minnesota, but it’s a story that is being repeated around the country. The suburban district, which includes the Mall of America and Lake Minnetonka (after which Tonka toys are named), has been trending more Democratic of late after a century of being prime Republican territory. President Bush never took a victory larger than five points — he beat John Kerry in the seat by just three.
Still, Bonoff’s lead is not overwhelming, and her race won’t be easy. Eager to increase gains made in the North Star State in 2006, when the party held a Senate seat and picked up a congressional seat, D.C. Democrats are likely to make Bonoff’s victory a top priority and could spend heavily to do so. Paulsen, by all accounts a good candidate, will not be an easy foe to beat, especially in an area where many still reflexively reach for the GOP lever.
LGR - Thanks for the MOE on Bonoff’s numbers. Where did you get that stuff?
DTM - More people were involved in the caucus process than read the
MN Daily.
In the military the most frequent nickname given to a person is some
take-off on one’s last name as that is displayed above the breast pocket on one’s uniform. Madman a likely possibility. Bonoff would
probable become something R rated, good thing she never served.
Let’s move on.
Gavin Sullivan has commentary about the endorsement process -
http://www.gavinsullivan.com/
Never trust a poll writeup when provided by a campaign that doesn’t have full disclosure. It’s useless. Could be very important but we’ll never know unless we know the sample size, the wording of the questions and the margin of error.
If it is true it’s exceptionally exciting for Ash Madia and rather sad for Terri and Erik, quite frankly. It basically is saying that an unknown US Marine attorney is within a few percentage points of a known sitting state senator and a known sitting state representative. Says the public is open, interested and willing to consider everyone. Very encouraging for Ashwin Madia.
Let’s Get Real,
Where did that posting come from? Is that a press release from Bonoff? Is she so delusional that she actually believes she’s still the presumptive nominee? And, if she’s leading the primary polling, why wouldn’t she release that information?
Oh, I reread (after coffee) and found the info. It’s nothing new. It’s the same poll released last week from her campaign. Same 401 sample size (out of 32k attending caucuses) with margin of error of 4.9ºsically speaking same analysis as last week - Terri thinks she’s winning when in reality all of the results are within the margin of error and the poll tells us something very different. What the poll says is that a sitting state senator, a sitting state representative and an unknown US Marine attorney are all tied for the office. With that information, this is bad news for Terri and Erik and excellent news for Ash. The unknown is tied with them and they are the “known” entities in the race. The more people meet and hear Ash the more they support him. I say, thanks Terri for paying for this and for putting it out. Your spin notwithstanding, it’s great news for Ash and bad news for Terri and Erik.
“Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner Research designed and administered this telephone survey conducted by professional interviewers. The survey reached 401 adults in Minnesota, 18 years or older, who indicated they were registered to vote, that they voted or were ineligible to vote in the 2004 Presidential Election, that they are almost certain to or would probably vote in the 2008 Presidential Election. The survey was conducted March 11-12, 2008. Respondents were randomly selected from a list of registered voters. The sample was stratified by town. Quotas were assigned to reflect the expected contribution of these areas to the total vote in the general election.” from Bonoff’s website
Interesting that “quotas were assigned …”. That indicates to me
they may not have counted everyone in their own poll.
This article may be 12 years old, but it tells the integrity of this so called new Democrat. Terri Bonoff has a good voting record she can stand by, and Jigar has a record he must run from. I’d change my name too if I was trying to convince DFL’rs that I was a Democrat now. Remember, a cheetah can’t change its spots!
Bottom line, his speeches are just rhetoric that he has been schooled on. They are just the regular issues that are no surprise to Democrats ie…war, gays, trade. Has he always carried these values, or has he just changed in order to proclaim that he is now a Democrat? I think he probably looked at the possibility of running for Congress, and then realized that all indications were that Democrats were winning handedly. So hey, running as a Republican won’t work, so become a Democrat, fool all of these Democrats that I’ve seen the light and get elected into office.
DON’T BE FOOLED! HE’S NOT A DEMOCRAT!!!
Look, I’m trying to keep this simple for many of you. As a long time Democrat, I’m offended that someone can tell us we are all wrong, then come to our side and say we are right after all. Why don’t we let Jigar show us that he is really a Democrat by electing him into some local office so he can prove himself? Congress is a very important position to send a kid like this for a test drive.
Read his article below…….and by the way, I’m not a staffer for Bonoff!
Dole would bring integrity, leadership to highest office
By By Jigar
Bob Dole has always been a soldier, from his trying World War II days to his dedicated years on Capitol Hill. This old soldier has come back for a battle on behalf of his country, and is deserving of the opportunity to do what he does best — serve the United States. Dole is the man who will fight on behalf of our generation, our communities and our nation.
By 2013, Social Security will be broke, in desperate need of money to pay debts. This will be the same period in which our generation will be firmly entrenched in the work force. Income taxes will need to be raised or government spending will need to be slashed in a draconian manner in order for the United States to remain financially solvent. The effect on our generation will be devastating. Currently, Medicare is growing at a rate of 11 percent a year, and will surpass Social Security in the year 2000 as the largest government program. That will have back-breaking consequences for our generation. The time has come for our generation to unite, cast aside our political affiliations and vote on behalf of the interests of our generation.
The obvious question now arises — which candidate better represents the interests of our generation? Ironically, the man who is 50 years older than most college students, Bob Dole, will serve our generation’s interests far better than the incumbent. President Clinton demonstrated his callous position toward our generation in May 1995 when Congress proposed, as a bold measure on behalf of our generation, to slow the growth rate of Medicare by 4 percent. Clinton, recognizing the political volatility and opportunity for political exploitation involved in addressing so touchy an issue, resorted to demagoguery, scared the elderly and forced Congress to withdraw the proposal. Clinton knows better than anyone else that entitlements need reform, yet when the time came for a strong stance, he chose to play politics rather than take a stand on behalf of our generation. Clearly, Clinton does not represent our generation’s interests.
Dole supports reform, and will be forced, regardless of his position, to reform entitlements, which will support our generation. The reason is simple — if Dole is elected, it will be primarily on the basis of his proposed 15 percent tax cut, and consequently this cut must be priority number one for Dole. This cut cannot be made without entitlement reform. Entitlement reform is inevitable under a Dole administration — excellent for our generation.
Although Dole is better for our generation, the president must also be better for our communities. Our communities are plagued with crime, evidenced by urban decay as well as societal breakdown. Dole has a two-planked position regarding crime — prevention and enforcement.
Primarily, Dole advocates a policy of prevention, stressing educational reform as the major means to keep youngsters out of trouble. Real educational reform is only possible with political courage, for the single biggest impediment to educational reform in this nation is a political powerhouse, the National Education Association. The NEA is a powerful teachers union known for opposing such reforms as performance-based pay as well as state and national testing standards. Jaime Escalante, the award-winning Calculus teacher whose story inspired the movie “Stand and Deliver,” said, “Unions are more interested in politics than kids.” President Clinton’s hands are tied on this issue, as the Democratic National Committee has accepted more than $3.5 million from the NEA since 1993. In fact, Clinton, under pressure from the NEA, actually reversed positions on a reform bill that would have allowed poor children in the District of Columbia to receive grants to attend better schools.
Despite the dilapidated state of education, the NEA and Clinton continue to preserve the status quo. Dole has stated numerous times that he will take on the NEA, advancing the cause of education in our communities, as well as reinforcing the message that, at the presidential level, the good of communities and the nation should not come before political gain.
The second plank in Dole’s position revolves around law enforcement. Dole has proposed a revitalized war on drugs, complete with a task force linking the defense department, CIA and Drug Enforcement Agency to beef up the interdiction of illegal drug shipments in the United States. Clinton’s record on drugs is clear and disturbing. He slashed the drug czar’s office by 50 percent; not surprisingly, drug use among teens doubled during his term. The task of real leadership on the part of Clinton in the war on drugs stands in sharp contrast to Dole’s strong commitment to our communities.
Finally, after addressing concerns regarding our generation as well as our communities, it is time to address an issue facing our nation as a whole: presidential character. The presidency of the Unites States is the highest office in the world, different from all other U.S. positions in that the president serves as a national figurehead, a spokesman for the entire country. Therefore, fairly or unfairly, the president is responsible for upholding the dignity and respect of the office. Dole, who served so valiantly in World War II, who rose above tremendous odds to conquer his debilitating injury, who devoted his entire life to national service, is a man of whom the entire nation can be proud. The nation can look to him for leadership and guidance, without fear of being dragged down by weekly scandals. Bob Dole will restore honor to the office of president.
Dole is a man committed to the betterment of our generation, our communities and our nation. He has stood tall on behalf of his country his entire life, never compromising his integrity or the nation’s well-being for political gain. If given the honor of serving his nation one last time, Dole will continue to do what he has done his entire life — make us proud.
Jigar Madia, a sophomore studyingbiology and business, is Minnesota Student Association Speaker of the Forum.
“Real educational reform is only possible with political courage, for the single biggest impediment to educational reform in this nation is a political powerhouse, the National Education Association. The NEA is a powerful teachers union known for opposing such reforms as performance-based pay as well as state and national testing standards”.
Wrtten by: Jigar
Jigar Madia, a sophomore studying biology and business, is Minnesota Student Association Speaker of the Forum.
NEA and its affiliates have been leaders in the fight to improve public schools — and oppose alternatives that divert attention, energy, and resources from efforts to reduce class size, enhance teacher quality, and provide every student with books, computers, and safe and orderly schools.
Courtesy of NEA website:
So…..how do feel about this Jigar? Do you support this agenda or Bob Dole’s?
Jigar as a military leader……NOT!
Jigar how many times did you leave the “green zone”?….0
Did you ever see combat? NO!
Veterans should be appalled that this guy is actually wearing his combat fatigues like he actually saw combat. The truth is that he was a JAG and he never saw combat Why don’t you wear your dress suit instead?
Lets see….a phony Democrat, and now a phony war hero!
Jigar you should be ashamed of yourself……
DON’T BE FOOLED! HE’S NOT A DEMOCRAT OR A WAR HERO!
Union Man —
I don’t think that Ash has ever said that he was a war hero.
And finally, do you think that running new converts to our party out, is a good way to get new converts to the DFL?
Sean
Also, I can’t stress this enough — do not post entire articles or op-eds. They are the property of the publication that published them in the first place. To reproduce them in their entirety is a violation of law, and also just poor form. If you do it again I’ll delete the comment that contains the article.
Sean
The name thing: his own website refers to him as “Jigar Ashwin Madia,” so he’s certainly not running away from his past. http://www.madiaforcongress.com/bio.htm
The fact that he used to be a Republican is old news. DFL convention-goers considered it, and then handed him wins in 10 of 12 DFL Senate District Conventions.
As for your conspiracy theory that he had a secret plan to get elected as a Democrat, he volunteered for DFLers Wendy Wilde and Sen. Satveer Chaudhary in 2006, long before Rep. Ramstad retired.
Madia has explained time and again that he became a Democrat because the Republican party forgot about civil liberties, fiscal responsibility, responsible energy policy, wise use of military power, and pragmatic problem-solving, among other issues.
Bonoff’s camp is trying to have it both ways: by dredging up 11-year-old writings, they’re trying to say that he’s not liberal enough; but in her (failing) efforts to poach Madia’s pledged delegates, Bonoff says that Madia isn’t conservative enough to gain support from Republicans and Independents.
So which is it, Sen. Bonoff? Is he too conservative, or too liberal? He can’t be both.
The truth is, she has no intellectually consistent argument for why she should beat him. She just wants to beat him. That’s been her problem from the start: there’s no coherent rationale for why she should win.
Face it, Team Bonoff: it’s over. You lost. Now get in line with the party and let’s beat Paulsen.
Union Man is the one who should be ashamed of himself. I’d be embarrassing if I was as closed minded and small minded as him. Get over yourself. You obviously have been paid well to spout the line for Bonoff. It’s a shame you have no idea what you’re talking about with veterans and with Madia’s positions on issues. When did you serve? Did you serve in a war zone? Let’s dissect your service, why don’t we? I did serve. Ashwin Madia is a veteran which is what he has claimed to be. If you know so much you’d know that in the military you don’t choose your fatigues. The military chooses them for you. Anyone serving in a war zone (and that is what Iraq is) wears fatigues. Period. Don’t be ignorant as well as an ass.
Union Man,
So I take it you no longer are holding on to the delusion that you are a super-delegate? Or, Wellstone Forever, did you just forget to change your login again once you yourself again were exposed as a phony?
For all of you wanting to know about Bonoff’s plans, I received a letter and DVD today. The letter indicates merely “we will work everyday until the convention”. No indication beyond that. I consider the DVD fluff. I’m going to write and ask for detailed positions, similarities/differences with Madia’s, why she thinks her
positions are better, and why she thinks thinks she would do better in November than she did now (blow a 4 touchdown lead).
We’re up to about 200 posts here now. Everything Union Man says
has been dealt with before. It’s not worth the effort. Bring something new to the table.
Look, it’s not about being close-minded or an ass. It is plain and simple to me. Why trust this guy? Give him an opportunity to prove himself not with words but with action. Have him run for another position that he would have the ability to prove that he indeed is a true Democrat, what is wrong with that?
As far as being a war hero, he touts his wartime as an important aspect of why he should be supported. All I’m saying is that I was very disappointed to find out that he never saw combat. Can cooks working for sub-contracted companies claim the same thing? Bottom line he was a JAG. A hired attorney for the military is all he was.
Look, I have my right to my opinion. You may not agree with it, but it is still my opinion. Mind you, the majority of the other super delegates agree too. It comes down to the simple fact that he’s not a proven leader to send to Washington. They will eat him up alive in the beltway and spit him out. We need an experienced hand in to represent us in the 3rd CD. My belief is that Terri is that person.
“the other super delegates agree too.”
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Now you’re trying to back-peddle from the trash you were spewing.
Madia is the first to jump up and shout to the rafters that he never saw combat. He has stated that he has such respect for his fellow Marines who did see combat that he would never try to misrepresent his service.
Plenty of people who want to see him succeed have suggested that he play up the military angle more, and he doesn’t follow their advice because the last thing he wants to do is overstate his military experiences. On his website, in his speeches, anywhere he can, he makes it clear that he served in the Marine Corps by representing Marines as their attorney, and by working with Iraqis to build their justice system.
Union Man, or should I say, Wellstone in My Heart Forever, quit it already. Bonoff already looks pathetic enough without her supporters going after Madia’s military service.
If you know anything at all about military service you’d know that all military are trained to serve in war zones under fire. Whether or not they do serve under fire is irrelevant. Service to our country is that. It is putting yourself on the line, going where asked and doing what is asked. If you would go to Madia’s webpage you would find that he enlisted in the US Marines (not known for being wussies), trained at Quantico Marine Corp Base and was deployed to Okinawa and Baghdad. That’s what he said he did. He served in the capacity asked - as a JAG attorney (i.e., using his expertise) to defend marines accused of crimes such as the offense of being gay in the military as well as serving to assist multi-national organizations in building the legal system in Iraq. That is admirable. The last time I checked the green zone in Iraq wasn’t exactly Central Park. People are killed there, too. It wouldn’t matter to me whether or not he served in a war zone or not. It’s the service to our country that matters. By your implication all of the servicemen and women who served between wars and in peacetime service are less than those who served under fire. You’re totally wrong. Service is service. Some face more difficulties but doing what you are asked honorably is service.
Terri can’t even win in a race among her base against other Dems. Please, enlighten us how you think she can win in the genereal election. She’s a flawed very liberal candidate in a purple district. Madia (and Hovland before him) were the only chances the DFL has this fall. She’s the only one who couldn’t have won this seat at all.
He is a leader. Proven in the military justice system. You can’t ask for more. From one veteran about another. It is definitely service and it is leadership.
In fairness, unless WIMHF was cagey enough to go use an wholly separate computer (which, if they did, would be more sad than anything) Union Man is not WIMHF.
Sean
“Wellstone in My Heart Forever”…..that’s the problem with some of you that claim to be Democrat. Now you are bashing me because I believed in Paul Wellstone. Wow, if you are a true Democrat you should retract your bashing immediately. No true Dem would slam someone that has a part set aside for Paul Wellstone and the courageous things he did.
If you don’t retract, you and Jigar are one of a kind. NOT TRUE DEMOCRATS!
“Can cooks working for sub-contracted companies claim the same thing? Bottom line he was a JAG. A hired attorney for the military is all he was.”
He’s not a cook or does he work as a contractor. He’s a Marine. A Marine is a Marine.
“Give him an opportunity to prove himself not with words but with action. Have him run for another position that he would have the ability to prove that he indeed is a true Democrat, what is wrong with that?”
What other office would you suggest he run for? His experience, the issues he believes in, his past service have all related to issues of FEDERAL importance. He’s not doing this to be a career politician, taking his turn to go from one level of government to the next so that eventually he can climb the ranks
He knows and cares about issues of Federal concern. His experience in Iraq, his beliefs on civil liberties, his concerns over veterans are not issues of importance at the state level. Congress is where he belongs.
If your only concern is that he do something for the DFL, why isn’t his work on past DFL campaigns not enough for you?
Wow. I’m offended on behalf of all veterans everywhere. A US Marine is the toughest of the tough. The other services (I was US Army) are, honestly, one level below. No veteran should be disparaged as you have disparaged veterans. Frankly, I read Terri’s responses to the DFL Veterans Caucus questions and I think she would be appalled by your comments. She has respect for our veterans and her campaign has also stated they have respect for Ash Madia’s service to our country. Maybe you should check with them for your talking points before disparaging veterans again. It’s definitely not going to work in her favor for you to be out making these comments.
FYI….contractors are not veterans due to their work as contractors. Many contractors are veterans, though, having chosen to return to active situations for private contractors.
“All I’m saying is that I was very disappointed to find out that he never saw combat. Can cooks working for sub-contracted companies claim the same thing? Bottom line he was a JAG. A hired attorney for the military is all he was. ”
He was in Iraq. The whole (cheney)in’ COUNTRY is a war zone.
And you know little about the Marines.
I love the “hired” attorney for the Marines comment personally. Shows the heighth of ignorance on many levels….1) Iraq - i.e., Bush’s war zone (as if any place there is “safe”), 2) the US Marines, 3) military service and honor, 4) insults to military duty.
I think someone should send Union Man’s comments over to Terri Bonoff for her comments. I do believe she would be exceptionally apologetic and embarrassed. Whether or not I agree with Terri on many issues, she does understand and respect military service to our country.
Apparently Union Man doesn’t.
Union Man - You are entitled to your opinions and this should be a good place to express them. I personally think his experience as a lawyer is of much more value to this campaign than if he were breaking down doors. But his lack of experience is a valid point.
I too have some concerns about that. I think about 100 posts ago
I said something to the effect of what idiot would run as a liberal democrat in what has traditionally been a red district, especially if they really are still red inside.
From my interactions with Madia, I believe what he is most passionate about is the current abuses of civil rights, both foreign and domestic. I believe that is where his energies will go if he goes to D.C.. That is very important to me too and I think
he is best suited for that and will probably fall in line on most other things, at least until he gets his feet on the ground.
Finally, I’m fairly new to this blog, but it’s fun. I do want to remain civil, even if I disagree with people. And I enjoy the disagreements, because they can cause me to think about things I may otherwise overlook. And gotcha’s can be great fun. I know people can become very fervent for their positions and I applaud that, but I hope we can be respectful for everyone and save our wrath for the GOP.
Union Man - I seem to recall you saying something about being a delegate. If so you may be at the meeting in Minnetonka tonight.
If you’re there and want to talk, I’ll wear my VSM.
From Bonoff’s press release today:
“I am the one candidate in this race that has committed to leaving no permanent military bases in Iraq. We must leave a requisite force to guard our embassy, but any further presence will only signal to the world that again we are disingenuous in our intentions. We must signal to the region that it’s time to turn our focus in Iraq to rebuilding.”
I don’t get this statement. Isn’t the stated purpose of the military in Iraq to assist in rebuilding, both in terms of infrastructure and politically. How does Terri plan on undertaking a new focus on rebuilding with little to no presence in Iraq? An embassy certainly can’t be in the business of rebuilding a country’s infrastructure.
It’s not that he’s a Marine that I’m concerned with. I admire all Marines and all US military. What I don’t like is that he touts his experience in Iraq as a reason to vote for him. I beg to differ with his reasoning. What does he have to prove that what he says about his experience is true? I would like to see it.
I am not a surrogate for the Bonoff campaign, so if someone reaches out to her that is just fine. What I am is a concerned Democrat that sees other Democrats getting burned.
Union Man:
““Wellstone in My Heart Foreverâ€â€¦..that’s the problem with some of you that claim to be Democrat. Now you are bashing me because I believed in Paul Wellstone. Wow, if you are a true Democrat you should retract your bashing immediately. No true Dem would slam someone that has a part set aside for Paul Wellstone and the courageous things he did.
If you don’t retract, you and Jigar are one of a kind. NOT TRUE DEMOCRATS!”
Does this mean that you are, in fact, Wellstone in my Heart Forever merely using a new userID? Not only that, claiming to be a super delegate?
No one has ever bashed you because you believe in Wellstone. People have gone after your association of some of your ideas with the likes of Wellstone.
“I beg to differ with his reasoning.”
Then explain your difference in reasoning! So far you’ve just said that you differ.
Madia’s claim is that because he worked in Iraq with Iraqi officials to build that country’s legal system, he has personal insight into what it will take to create a political solution to Iraq’s problems. Makes sense to me.
If you want to see proof of what he did over there, I bet you could call his campaign office and ask to see some kind of documentation. I imagine he would be happy to prove his service to you.
Prove it that he has done what he has said…..otherwise it’s just campaign B.S.
“Prove it that he has done what he has said…..otherwise it’s just campaign B.S.”
This is absurd. What, do you think he took those pictures at Glamour Shots?
Prove that Bonoff:
- Has executive experience
- Was instrumental in passing the Transportation Bill
- Really has a son
- Was a democrat for life
- Was the president of the Babe Ruth Baseball League
These are equally absurd requests.
Military experience is military experience, plain and simple. You either served or you didn’t. When you signed up to serve, you had no assurances that you were going to be safe. Its not like you can pick and choose your assignments.
I have to side with the Madia backers on that one.
Asking for more information on his exact role in something he touts, however, is fair. An example would be the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell case. If he is going to make it one of his qualifications, then the voting public has every right to understand the exact role he played and circumstances around it.
Same goes for Bonoff and Paulsen, and any questions people would have about their listed achievements.
Hey Union Man:
The military has changed the age for recruits, so you don’t have to be ‘disappointed he didn’t see combat’ by signing up and going yourself.
It’s quite easy to ‘qualify,’ even if you’re already an almost old guy.
I wasn’t a ‘hired lawyer’ when I served in a combat zone, and I wore pantyhose some days and never carried a weapon, so you’re probably disappointed in my service too.
I guess you want all us military veterans to have combat experience.
Well, even lacking a combat experience, a military veteran that has served in Iraq can read and understand a National Intelligence Estimate without needing someone to interpret it for them.
Why does Terri Bonoff have someone on her staff with a title of ‘National Security Advisor?’
I’d be most interested in hearing details on: “While stationed in Baghdad, he worked with U.S. military and civilian officials, European Union and United Nations representatives, and Iraqi judicial officers to strengthen the Iraqi criminal justice system. He also briefed top U.S. generals on the status of the rule of law in the country.” Madia website.
If that’s as good as it sounds, could be a great assest. As a
young captain, I suspect it may be inflated. But even so, that’s
far more experience than Bonoff has in that area. Also, it’ll play very well in November. If I were to rate issues, I say 1)economy,
2)war, 3) health care. 2 is clearly a Madia plus over both. 3 will end up being nobody’s “plan” but some mass compromise to appease a zillion lobbyists, and however many Republicans and Republican Lites it’ll take to get something passed through the Senate (given we have a Democrat president). So that’ll end up a choice between either Democrat and Paulsen. 1. Again, first term Congressperson will end up the party line, so choice ends up Democrat - Republican.
Any one of them will be one first term congressperson out of 435.
So for me, it’s who do I think can go in there and make the biggest impact and who will fight the hardest to restore civil rights and fight against corporate America running this country. Certainly not Paulsen. Bonoff strikes me as already being aligned with corporate America (Bush Tax Cuts). And as I said earlier, Madia’s passion is the restoration of civil rights.
Bottom line show me the facts that he in fact played a major role in Iraq as he claims to of had. I want to see the proof of the cases that he led the charge in. How and who can verify his claims? The burden of proof is on him, otherwise like I said its campaign BS!
There is proof in what he has written in the past. Maybe you guys have already hashed some of this out on previous posts, but for me and many Democrats it’s too new to ignore.
I look at some of the information that I have read about how he supported Dole over Clinton, took a stance against union organizing and spoke out against the NEA. I’m sorry, but for me and many other Democrats that are familiar with the beltway system, as Rickie Ricardo would say, you’ve got some explaining to do.
The fact is that unions are the base for the Democratic party, like it or not. Without unions, the DFL and candidates would be hard pressed to get elected without our money and our voting base. All Democrats must understand that as unions grow, so does their ability to get elected. So, Jagir or Ashwin or whatever name he goes by now is a true Democrat he would retract what he has written in the past as wrong. I’ve yet to see that written anywhere in his material or speeches. He has talked about some Republican issues that he feels that the Republicans have left him short on, but not on the issues he had written about. Why, may I ask?
UM - “Bottom line show me the facts that he in fact played a major role in Iraq as he claims to of had. I want to see the proof of the cases that he led the charge in. How and who can verify his claims? The burden of proof is on him, otherwise like I said its campaign BS!”
Firstly UM, he described his job. He did not claim he was the top laywer in Baghdad. He did not claim he was the Douglas McAurther of Baghdad. Don’t make stuff up.
Have u any proof that you contacted the Marine Corp JAG. Can you prove that u made any effort in that regard. Absolutely not. You are just another of Bonoffs campagin folks with their n’th trolling identity trying a last minute “kitchen sink”.
On the other hand can you provide any documentation for Terri Bonoffs “executive business experience”. Absolutely not. What is my proof. Her own ex-husband on this blog admitted she joined as a PR gal at Navarre Corp not some high powered executive.
At some point u have to realize your candidate behaves like a 4th grader not picked for a school play
dmc -
thoughtful analysis. I think Paulsen will campaign very well on the economy. That is probably his forte.
“There is proof in what he has written in the past. Maybe you guys have already hashed some of this out on previous posts, but for me and many Democrats it’s too new to ignore.”
Let’s at least not insult everyone’s intelligence on the board. Not only was your username the one that posted many of those previous posts, but, you’ve yet to explain your slip-ups which indicate you are Wellstone Forever, who, also posted repeatedly these same topics. It has been discussed over and over on the board.
“Bottom line show me the facts that he in fact played a major role in Iraq as he claims to of had. I want to see the proof of the cases that he led the charge in. How and who can verify his claims? The burden of proof is on him, otherwise like I said its campaign BS!”
Have you ONCE asked him or his campaign to provide additional details? NO different than every other candidate, he can’t go into excruciating detail on every bit of past experience he has and every possible nuance of his policy positions. If you expect him to, then you should be yelling from the rafters that Terri Bonoff should be talking about everything she did at Tonka toys that qualifies her for the term “executive experience.” She should be telling us every republican she convinced to vote on the transportation bill, how she did it, what she told them, what outfit she was wearing, and why she was wearing it when she did it.
I don’t get any sense that he’s hiding anything. He’s been very frank and detail oriented in the events I’ve heard him field voter questions.
You can’t claim one candidate’s experience is B.S. because you don’t have all of YOUR questions answers, especially when YOU haven’t asked them but on a blog.
Can’t any American file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request for information from government records?
The United States Marine Corps would have a record of the Administrative Board proceedings in which Captain J. Ashwin Madia represented a Marine accused of homosexuality.
But of course in order to do that, you have to submit the paperwork, and you have to wait for the request to be filled. I suspect Union Man would just rather bitch and moan about Madia needing to prove his claims on a blog than actually doing the homework necessary to obtain the documents that would support or deny the Marine veteran’s statements.
The wait could be long because the government would need to remove the personal data, name, SSN, other identifying details of the Marine, before releasing the data.
In this Age of Transparency, surely it’s easy to obtain the request form needed to file a FOIA request.
Oh yeah, you have to pay a fee also, for reproduction and the research the govt needs to do to fill the request.
With five clicks and a Google search, I found this link:
http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/FOIA/index.htm
So there you go, Union Man. I’ve led you to the trough.
Now stick your snout in it and drink. Show us your bark is connected to a curious mind that really wants to know the answer to the questions you verbalize, and follow it up with some ACTION.
Any candidate who lists an accomplishment or a quality as one of their selling points is opening that point up for public examination.
To that end, it is fair to understand Bonoff’s role in legislation she touts and her business experience.
And it is fair to understand how instrumental Madia was in working with the UN to strengthen Iraq’s justice system. Did he lead or support the effort? And I’m a beleiver that if you list being the Student Body President as a qualification, then what you did as that Student Body President is eligible for public review.
DtM,
I don’t think anyone from the Madia camp has asserted that his record isn’t subject to public inspection. Again, any exposure I’ve had to the campaign they’ve been incredibly forthright in providing information.
The problem people have here is those who accuse Madia of lying simply because he hasn’t taken the exhaustive action of methodically releasing evidence to support every word out of his mouth. No candidate does that, and no candidate can be expected to do that. And, it’s particularly slanted when those same individuals refuse to apply the same standard to all of the candidates in the race.
We agree.
DantheMan is absolutely right. If you are willing to list your accomplishments you better be willing to prove them. Thats all part of proving your worth and integrity. I want to see it! I shouldn’t have to be the one trying to search for this information, he should have it available for the asking.
When you tout something in politics you have to be ready to prove it. All of you Jigar lovers need to ask yourselves if he is telling the truth he should be able to prove it. For me and many of my colleagues it is simple, prove to me who you claim to be beyond your speeches!
I want to see documentation that he in fact led the charge to defend the so called first ever “don’t ask don’t tell” case. I want to see proof that he in fact played an instrumental role in the setting up the judicial system in Iraq.
SHOW ME THE PROOF…otherwise it’s campaign BS!
And is anyone asking for proof that Terri Bonoff has executive business experiences, and made valuable and measurable contributions to the companies she worked for?
RM went and looked for it himself because he didn’t demand that the candidate provide the proof of her stated experience.
Yes, Union Man is a barker with no bite. He wants everyone else to do the homework and serve it to him on a platter.
Well maybe we want proof of identity too. Show us your union badge, with your number and proof of membership.
UM - “DantheMan is absolutely right. If you are willing to list your
accomplishments you better be willing to prove them.”
Read his post again, UM/WFER. He said it was up for “public review”. If you have such a tenuous grasp of the facts, how credible are u or the Bonoff campaign.
Others have posted links as to how you can obtain an FIA request from the Marines. Have u tried it out. Or will the Bonoff campaign not reimburse u for that ?
When I say up for public review, I mean the questions can be asked. RM has asked questions about Bonoff’s business experience. UM has asked questions about Madia’s specific role in “setting up the Iraq justice system”.
Then the candidates have every right to give you a satisfactory answer or not.
Based on the answer, you have every right to support that candidate or no support them.
I personally think that the DFL was light on all three candidates — they could have asked all three to do alot more proving of claims and experience. Just my two cents.
Well as a hard line DFL’r I refuse to believe him. Sure send me to an internet lead that you know will take me forever to get the proof. I’m not the candidate that needs to prove myself, Jigar is.
Am I wrong in asking for proof? I don’t think I am. As a candidate he should be, or his surrogates on this blog should be, ready to prove his worth and justify his claims.
I WANT THE TRUTH, AND I CAN HANDLE IT!
UM -
No, you are not wrong in asking for proof. In fact, I admire that you want to know more about your potential congressman than a one-liner in a stump speech.
That goes for all candidates for all offices.
“SHOW ME THE PROOF…otherwise it’s campaign BS!”
Again, the mere fact that Madia isn’t on this board responding to your demand for proof — a demand he’s neither refused to provide to my knowledge or that it appears you’ve ever actually asked him to do beyond here does not make it “campaign BS.”
You once again conveniently ignore your double standard, just as you’ve ignored your double identity. Where are your complaints that Bonoff has not fully detailed all of her campaign claims?
As for documentation being available “for the asking.” first, you have to actually ask first. Second, I’m sure his campaign office does not have various military documentation laying about ready to prove everything he did while a Marine. No different than I’m sure Bonoff would claim that her dealings on the transportation bill behind closed doors must, in fact, be kept behind closed doors — a good deal of Madia’s work, I’m sure, is reasonably classified or at least not at his discretion to divulge.
Well maybe we want proof of identity too. Show us your union badge, with your number and proof of membership.
For your information Virtually Speakinig, there is no such thing as a union badge. I have proof of membership every month that I pay dues.
I am a true union man, and when I see the proof that justifies Jigar’s claims I will be more than happy to disclose my information!
November 4, 1996
Dole would bring integrity, leadership to highest office
By By Jigar
Bob Dole has always been a soldier, from his trying World War II days to his dedicated years on Capitol Hill. This old soldier has come back for a battle on behalf of his country, and is deserving of the opportunity to do what he does best — serve the United States. Dole is the man who will fight on behalf of our generation, our communities and our nation.
By 2013, Social Security will be broke, in desperate need of money to pay debts. This will be the same period in which our generation will be firmly entrenched in the work force. Income taxes will need to be raised or government spending will need to be slashed in a draconian manner in order for the United States to remain financially solvent. The effect on our generation will be devastating. Currently, Medicare is growing at a rate of 11 percent a year, and will surpass Social Security in the year 2000 as the largest government program. That will have back-breaking consequences for our generation. The time has come for our generation to unite, cast aside our political affiliations and vote on behalf of the interests of our generation.
The obvious question now arises — which candidate better represents the interests of our generation? Ironically, the man who is 50 years older than most college students, Bob Dole, will serve our generation’s interests far better than the incumbent. President Clinton demonstrated his callous position toward our generation in May 1995 when Congress proposed, as a bold measure on behalf of our generation, to slow the growth rate of Medicare by 4 percent. Clinton, recognizing the political volatility and opportunity for political exploitation involved in addressing so touchy an issue, resorted to demagoguery, scared the elderly and forced Congress to withdraw the proposal. Clinton knows better than anyone else that entitlements need reform, yet when the time came for a strong stance, he chose to play politics rather than take a stand on behalf of our generation. Clearly, Clinton does not represent our generation’s interests.
Dole supports reform, and will be forced, regardless of his position, to reform entitlements, which will support our generation. The reason is simple — if Dole is elected, it will be primarily on the basis of his proposed 15 percent tax cut, and consequently this cut must be priority number one for Dole. This cut cannot be made without entitlement reform. Entitlement reform is inevitable under a Dole administration — excellent for our generation.
Although Dole is better for our generation, the president must also be better for our communities. Our communities are plagued with crime, evidenced by urban decay as well as societal breakdown. Dole has a two-planked position regarding crime — prevention and enforcement.
Primarily, Dole advocates a policy of prevention, stressing educational reform as the major means to keep youngsters out of trouble. Real educational reform is only possible with political courage, for the single biggest impediment to educational reform in this nation is a political powerhouse, the National Education Association. The NEA is a powerful teachers union known for opposing such reforms as performance-based pay as well as state and national testing standards. Jaime Escalante, the award-winning Calculus teacher whose story inspired the movie “Stand and Deliver,” said, “Unions are more interested in politics than kids.” President Clinton’s hands are tied on this issue, as the Democratic National Committee has accepted more than $3.5 million from the NEA since 1993. In fact, Clinton, under pressure from the NEA, actually reversed positions on a reform bill that would have allowed poor children in the District of Columbia to receive grants to attend better schools.
Despite the dilapidated state of education, the NEA and Clinton continue to preserve the status quo. Dole has stated numerous times that he will take on the NEA, advancing the cause of education in our communities, as well as reinforcing the message that, at the presidential level, the good of communities and the nation should not come before political gain.
The second plank in Dole’s position revolves around law enforcement. Dole has proposed a revitalized war on drugs, complete with a task force linking the defense department, CIA and Drug Enforcement Agency to beef up the interdiction of illegal drug shipments in the United States. Clinton’s record on drugs is clear and disturbing. He slashed the drug czar’s office by 50 percent; not surprisingly, drug use among teens doubled during his term. The task of real leadership on the part of Clinton in the war on drugs stands in sharp contrast to Dole’s strong commitment to our communities.
Finally, after addressing concerns regarding our generation as well as our communities, it is time to address an issue facing our nation as a whole: presidential character. The presidency of the Unites States is the highest office in the world, different from all other U.S. positions in that the president serves as a national figurehead, a spokesman for the entire country. Therefore, fairly or unfairly, the president is responsible for upholding the dignity and respect of the office. Dole, who served so valiantly in World War II, who rose above tremendous odds to conquer his debilitating injury, who devoted his entire life to national service, is a man of whom the entire nation can be proud. The nation can look to him for leadership and guidance, without fear of being dragged down by weekly scandals. Bob Dole will restore honor to the office of president.
Dole is a man committed to the betterment of our generation, our communities and our nation. He has stood tall on behalf of his country his entire life, never compromising his integrity or the nation’s well-being for political gain. If given the honor of serving his nation one last time, Dole will continue to do what he has done his entire life — make us proud.
Jigar Madia, a sophomore studyingbiology and business, is Minnesota Student Association Speaker of the Forum.
Some Democrat! Sounds like good ol Norm Coleman, but the other way around. Should we ask Ash Madia which way the wind is blowing?
Union Man,
Have you called his office and asked for a copy of his DD214? Have you asked for a vitae that shows what cases he worked on while in the military and at RKMC?
If not, then stop demanding them here and stop acting like anyone is hiding anything from you. If you have called and requested this information, and been denied, then post that.
Also, while demanding. Please call Terri Bonoff’s campaign and ask why her personal assessment of her business background varies dramatically from her ex-husband’s? Also, please ask specifically what she did to personally solve the transportation impasse as she has claimed loudly and publicly.
Let’s quantify all of the claims. I’m sure J. Ashwin Madia or Jigar Ashwin Madia will be as forthcoming as Terri Paulsen Bonoff.
The difference between Bonoff’s and Jigar’s claims is that Jigar says that these are qualifications that show his reasoning as a better candidate. All I’m asking for is legitimate proof that these claims actually took place.
If I can’t be provided with the proof, I guess that Terri Bonoff can claim that she was the pivotal reason behind the success of Microsoft. Because she wouldn’t be able to prove it, would we believe her? NO!
The fact is that Jigar claims these accomplishments, but has yet to retract his positions on issues and positions he has taken in the past that there is substantial proof of. I’ve yet to hear any of his surrogates on this blog explain or say that Jigar has retracted his positions in those articles he wrote. The only thing I hear is that they were 12 years ago, let him slide. He was an eighteen year old kid, give him a break……NO I WON’T, ANY MANY OTHER TRUE DEMS WILL NOT GIVE HIM A PASS ON THIS!
I’m really saddened, Michael, that you take direct marching orders from the Bonoff campaign without bothering to read. If you had, you’d look through this blog and find these old writings of Ash’s back when he was 18 have already been rehashed multiple times.
So, you want a litmus test for being a Democrat? Exactly how long must one conform to your way of thinking before they become “acceptable” to you as a Democrat? Do you have a “pre=existing” thought issue or can people never change their mind in your world?
I’m a member of the Democratic party that welcomes all, doesn’t damn people for changing their minds, and does encourage people to grow in their opinions. What party is it that you belong to?
Is it really any shock why Terri Bonoff is struggling so mightily in this campaign when her supporters really can’t come up with anything more than “his bio is too good to be true” and cutting and pasting the same entire decade old article over and over again?
So Sorry, I won’t be fooled fool.
Sorry, I want substance. If you claim it you’ve better be ready to prove it otherwise it’s either a lie or you have stretched the truth! In politics you MUST be ready to substantiate your claims. It’s all about proving your integrity as a person.
I’m of the type, and many other true Democrats are, that don’t just hand someone respect and belief. You must prove your worth. It’s something you earn, not handed to you.
Don’t be fooled but do your own research if you want (demand) answers. Don’t come on a blog and demand them here. Pick up the phone and ask. No one is hiding anything but you, Union Man, are the one making false claims. You falsely claim that J. Ashwin Madia, is hiding information when you haven’t asked for it.
We’re over you and your self righteous demands. Until you prove that you have actually raised a finger to find the information you demand so sanctimoniously, you don’t deserve an answer from anyone here.
Frankly, I’m glad he hasn’t repudiated his opinion on student fees at the UofM. The current student body president (a Dem) also is decrying them, too. They are excessive and out of order….not a Dem or GOP position, frankly. Hmmmm…..I liked Bob Dole, too. Does that disqualify me from the Dem party, too? Does it disqualify others who are now elected directors in the different senate districts who actually voted for Reagan? Exactly how long do you have to belong to your Dem party in order to be a “dem” and run for office? Where is this quantified? How can we all find out the rules for your party? My Dem party isn’t like that. Mine is open and accepting and welcomes new people.
“he difference between Bonoff’s and Jigar’s claims is that Jigar says that these are qualifications that show his reasoning as a better candidate.”
You are kidding me right?
- Terri Bonoff isn’t claiming executive experience as a qualification?
- She isn’t claiming her role in the transportation bill a qualification?
- Her battles with outsourced bus drivers?
- Her bipartisanship abilities in the legislature?
- Her role Hopkins Legislative Action Coalition?
- Her conflict negotiation as part of her baseball league?
I’m not saying all of these aren’t qualifications. I’m just saying if you’re going to take such a ridiculous stance against Madia, at least be consistent and demand that Bonoff provide the same documentation. Actually, at least demand that SOMEONE provide the information by taking the time to ask the campaign to provide it for you.
I also want to make it clear, I’m new to this blog. I’m not a surrogate for Bonoff or someone else that had posted in the past. I’m a true Democrat that is more than willing to allow others to join our party regardless of what you thought in the past. I just need proof that you indeed are what you claim to be Jigar.
I accept that someone could’ve seen the light regarding some of the issues that Jigar claims. But I want a test drive first. Just because he worked on a few campaigns these last two years is not enough. He has caused some wounds that have yet to heal by taking the positions he had in the past. Jigar has had 12 years to repudiate his positions, and has yet to do so. I have a problem with that. I would like to see him in a public statement say that he no longer takes those positions against NEA and ones fundamental right to join a union.
Until he shows legitimate proof of his claims and repudiates his former positions publicly, I can not and will not support him as a candidate.
Union Man,
Have you called his campaign and asked for what you want? We’re all volunteers and most of us are newbies to this blog, too. No one is asking for blind acceptance. Just hold both candidates to the same level of blue skies. If you have a specific issue with him, call and ask. You’ll probably be surprised. I’m not so sure that you’d get the same treatment over at Terri’s. Unfortunately for her, she put out her spin on her past and her ex-husband put out a totally different story. Those two have yet to be reconciled, too.
WDM - my guess as volunteers you should have access to his camp. If I were you, I would want everyone to see the proof. There are other people that are reading this blog that don’t post. My guess it would be better that you post the evidence for everyone to see.
The problem is that as you can see with me, as soon as I posted questioning Jigar I was attacked. Other people have questions but will not post because they don’t want to be attacked.
Please reach out to his campaign, get the information and post please.
UM,
First, I’m not sure a “volunteer” has any more access to the campaign than you do. The reason no one here is jumping up and down to help you is because you’ve shown no real indication that you really do want the information. If you really cared to know, you’d pick up a phone, dial 10 lowly numbers, and ask the campaign yourself.
Your posts, instead, have been nothing more than a masked drive-by attack on issue after issue. When your concerns are addressed on one issue, you switch to the next trying to claim a negative inference based on your own unwillingness to get your own questions asked or because someone won’t go out and get it for you. Then, in a show of your true motivation, you refuse to apply that inference to the Bonoff campaign who has provided no more information detailing her past experience than the Madia camp. You can’t expect a campaign to provide all information to all people — especially when those who really want to know that information aren’t willing to ask.
Here, if you want the information, I’ll do almost all of the work for you:
For general inquiries please contact us at
info@madiaforcongress.com,
763.544.3813
or stop by our office at
7224 Forestview Ln N. in Maple Grove.
If you really want the facts, call.
Thanks, Plymouth Dem. I’m a “volunteer” like most people here - as opposed to staff. I’d agree with your comments, too. If Union Man wants to debate positions with the Madia campaign, he should call them. I’d also ask that he apply the same litmus test to the Bonoff campaign and hold them to the sand standards in proving her claims.
Again, I’m not the candidate here Jigar is. If he wants votes he should prove his willingness to answer hard questions. My guess is that some of you are far more then volunteers.
If you want my vote and others Jigar campaign, prove your worthiness of the vote and answer my questions. Don’t make excuses that I haven’t asked, I’m asking again! Post your response for everyone to see, not just me. I’m not the only one that would like to see the responses!
Now, more importantly why is it many of you haven’t asked the same questions I have. I’ve looked back on this blog and have yet to see a retraction of the union positions Jigar had in the past. Why is that, has he not changed his positions?
Union Man, again, you need to ask these questions since they are of interest to you. I have asked ones that matter to me of Ash and received answers that satisfied me. My issues are veterans issues as I am a veteran myself. My only attachment to the campaign is having sat on the DFL Veterans Caucus endorsing committee that screened questionnaires by all three candidates. These issues had to do with issues relating to veterans, military retirees and their families. These are issues that matter to me. I have also discussed gay rights and women’s rights with Ash and his answers satisfied me, too.
If you have specific questions, I suggest you follow up with them like I have - with him personally.
I’m not out to win your vote. That’s the candidate’s responsibility. I am just another voter, frankly. The only campaign I have actively volunteered for - even wearing a t-shirt for - has been Al Franken’s. I’m a long time resident of the 3rd and SD42 and as such have done my homework for the candidates on issues that matter very much to me. It is your responsibility as a voter to do the same for yourself.
Union Man -
I agree with the posters, these questions can be answered directly by his campaign.
Anyone reading these threads will see I haven’t bought in to the Madia bandwagon, but it is more due to his lack of local track record than anything else. It is just absent. No call to his campaign office is going to magically create years of service in the 3rd CD that don’t exist.
Ciresi’s Counterpoint in the Strib today nailed it. You don’t need to be a lifelong public servant to earn higher office. But having tangible results and successes amongst the very people you are hoping to represent is sure important.
Madia is an impressive young man. I’ll be proud if he is a lifelong resident of and contributor to the 3rd CD. But to represent us in DC? Maybe someday. But I haven’t seen anough yet.
UM,
I’m not convinced you would ever vote for Madia — you clearly have a chip on your shoulder against him.
That said, you are either lazy or really don’t care about the answer to your question or both. For god sakes, paste one of your rants in an email and send it to the campaign.
I’ve had my questions satisfactorily answered (as have the vast majority of delegates who voted for him). I’m not going to ring up their office because you are too lazy to do so.
I don’t exactly hear a deafening call by the electorate for him to produce the meeting agenda he received when he discussed issues related to Iraqi reconstruction with other diplomats or the powerpoint he used when presenting issues related to the Iraqi legal system to U.S. Generals.
I also don’t hear anyone besides you accusing him of lying about his experience and I haven’t heard anyone coming out with evidence that he is stretching the truth. He’s been covered in the national military media. He came from a very small / tight legion on Marine JAG officers. I don’t think there are that many of them (several hundred?). Do you really think Ashwin is such an idiot as to claim things he didn’t do, knowing he would get national military media coverage, and that if he was no one would have yet to come out and point it out?
arealunionman@yahoo.com>
To: info@madiaforcongress.com
Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 2:34:22 PM
Subject: Former positions
I have come across some disturbing information regarding Jigars position on a union organizing attempt and NEA. Can you tell me if he has ever made a public apology and retracted his position? If he has, I would like to see a copy of his retraction.
Lets see if there is a response……….
Union Man,
Still unable to use the phone to ask? Let us know when you have made the effort. It’s your issue. You should ask.
I would rather ask by email so I can post a response…..
Works for me. I live by email, too.
I am a relative first timer to politics, and a first time delegate to the state convention. I am wondering what makes people act like such jerks when candidates in the same party have such similar positions.
Seriously, candidates within the same party (especially the Dems - there are some crazy Republicans) all have similar platforms. Then by the end of the nominating process, they have all adopted what seems to be the most popular for the Dems in the area. At the local level and the national level. It seems only to be a question of who will be more effective. And even then you could say you are splitting hairs.
If we are talking about Congress here, we are basically talking about voting on bills, occasionally writing bills, and communicating with your community. So it just is a matter of who you prefer. PREFER to represent essentially the same agenda. It is a preference, not a hatred of one and a worshiping of another. That to me makes no sense.
Everyone here essentially believes similar things. In CD3 and nationally WILL DEMOCRATS EVERYWHERE PLEASE CHILL OUT. Same goals. Same ideals. Same principles. It is just person that you don’t know and a similar voting pattern.
As a first timer, is this worth my time? Do democratic beliefs mean anything? I am anxious to find out.
UM - I commend you for doing research and planning to share the findings with us, rather than just asking questions (like I often do).
We’ll be interested in your findings.
Although not directly in response to UM’s email, Madia’s campaign did address the MN Daily articles UM relies upon within an email that is now posted on MNCampaignReport:
http://www.mncampaignreport.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1211
Plymouth,
I’m sorry but that article contains nothing about retraction of his position regarding ones fundamental right to organize, or a retraction of his comment about NEA. I assume that without retraction he hasn’t changed his position.
Jigar says in his letter regarding a positive campaign:
“Unfortunately, however, some who do not support this effort persist in engaging in the kind of old, cheap, and petty politics based on personal attacks that has corroded our system for far too long.”
That is what is said by politicians when they don’t like what the message is. SHOOT THE MESSENGER. I know I’ve personally observed him slamming Bonoff on her votes. So to say that he is playing only positive is BS.
Call it mudslinging, call it petty, call it horse shit, I don’t care it is something he wrote and he needs to retract it or stand by it. He can’t ignore it because if he gets the endorsement or by chance wins the primary, there are unions members that will not vote for him or the Republican and stay out of the race. You may say that is not big deal, but I can assure you that without full support of the labor community he loses!
Union Man,
Just a point of reference. How many union members reside in the 3rd CD? Do you have any idea? I’m not being a smart aleck. I’m just asking. I’ve only known a few ALPA and MAPE members personally who reside in the 3rd.
One note - the UofM is weird in the union stuff still to this day. I have a son who TA’s there and when the grad students were asked to vote on organizing into a union, they voted it down. (This was last year.)
By the way…no response by the Jigar campaign to my email.
West Metro,
Call your hero and tell him to answer my email. I’ve posted my complete email for everyone to see. I know, some may come up with the excuse that I just emailed him today, but remember this is a hot race and campaigns are vying for Super Delegates.
Correction….obviously I’ve known NEA members, too. I just really don’t think I’ve known personally any other union members in the 3rd. I’m really wondering…..
Gosh union man, I honestly believe that it doesn’t matter what you are told or who you talk to, you will only support Bonoff.
Ashwin Madia put out his personal cell phone number again today. CALL HIM AND ASK HIM YOUR QUESTIONS!
612.250.3378
So MAN UP and either call him and ask him or move on to some real issues!!
As a member of a union household, I truly question your union affiliation. So what union do you belong to???!
Most union families that we associate with are smarter than to fall for a 12 year old letter written by an 18 year old college student.
And the unions we know vet carefully before they endorse candidates.
So I guess the unions that have endorsed Madia are not very smart….
My point exactly….you took the words right out of my mouth, they aren’t very smart. What major unions have endorsed anyway?
So far the Teamsters and UAW for two……
munchkinmom,
Did a little research on Jigar’s and Bonoff’s campaign websites
http://mnpublius.com/2008/02/breaking-madia-endorsed-by-teamsters-local-120/
http://www.madiaforcongress.com/uaw.pdf
http://www.terribonoff.com/newsroom/teamsters
http://www.terribonoff.com/newsroom/afscme-endorsement
DO THE MATH! Better yet, I’ll do it for you. Bonoff – 93,000 – Jigar 16,500
Maybe the unions with the 93,000 members weren’t fooled?
Don’t ask me how two different Teamster organizations endorse different candidates, I don’t know their structure. All I know is that the Teamster organization with the larger number went Bonoff’s way.
Union Man claims he is a staunch Union Man. But does not know the structure of the Teamsters and how they endorse candidates. UM are u really a Union Man, or just a paid troll for the Bonoff campaign.
We have seen so many paid ? trolls for the Bonoff campaign that it is hard to keep track anymore.
So if some of the unions “aren’t very smart” why would it be important that a candidate support all of them out of hand? Wouldn’t it be better to have a candidate that feels willing to criticize when they feel a particular union in a certain situation isn’t acting in the best interest of the state or district they represent?
Rm,
All unions work differently when it comes to endorsements. I know in the union I belong to, local chapters are not allowed to endorse someone other than the main lodge. In some unions the endorsements come from the national office, and in some unions they don’t endorse at all.
As I have said in previous posts, I am not UM or someone from the Bonoff campaign. I’m just a concerned Democrat that must be shown worthiness of my vote!
Kerosene,
I don’t know what the heck you are talking about. You don’t make any sense to me. If you mean that you are trying to justify Jigars former position on unions because the union was not acting properly, you are wrong. It is about someones fundamental right to organize into a labor union of their choice. THAT IS THE LAW!
I had the occasion to speak with a GOP insider about the D3 race on Thursday. They had no idea I was from the 3rd. It was a social setting and they revealed that the GOP much preferred to run against Madia than Bonoff.
The guy almost wet himself with glee as he told me that they saw Madia as the really vulnerable candidate because of his lack of experience, flip flopping positions and he laughed as he told me that Madia had only moved into the 3rd just two weeks before he started his campaign. “Two weeks!, Do you think that is going to fly in this district?!” he laughed. “They are playing right into our hand if they put up Madia. He cannot win in the 3rd. Bonoff on the other hand, would be tougher”.
Geez. What are these Madia people thinking?
What KH said was that unions may not always act in the best interests of the people or the state. That is very true.
Unions often fight for what is essentially non-competition, price fixing (of wages), and lack of economic freedom. When the unions prevail, the people who pay the price are consumers or, in this case, taxpayers.
Unions have the right to organize. Employers have the right to not hire their workers. And candidates have the right to criticize them.
“Geez. What are these Madia people thinking?”
What did all superdelegates and Bonoff people think when they wrote Madia off in November? That’s what GOP is thinking right now.
The GOP will not underestimate Madia. You would have to be a moron to not see how effective his campaign has been. Call the GOP whatever names you’d like, but they want to win elections too.
Madia may have little experience and virtually no track record to examine (other than the ‘U’ years which are evidently off-limits), but he knows how to play this game of politics. He will not be underestimated.
Everyone in GOP circles who I talk to says that they could easily lose this seat to whatever ‘D’ is on the ballot, and if they win it will be by 1-3 points. Nobody is blowing this one off.
Interesting, truthwatcher. I speak with GOP people all the time and your info is exactly the opposite of what I’m hearing. In fact, Madia is the one they fear could draw the middle and moderate GOP as well as the Dems. Too convenient that you just happen to wander by this thread to post this disinformation.
I’m also hearing some very compelling names coming up for 2010 in the GOP, in the event Paulsen loses. These are people who either wanted more time to make the decision, had family or professional commitments that wouldn’t be resolved in time for this campaign, or (in most cases) felt that 2008 was a bad year to gamble your political life if you were a Republican.
The 1st re-election is anything but gauranteed, history will show us. If Bonoff or Madia are the next Representative, they will not have the GOP’s version of Wendy Wilde running as a token candidate in ‘10.
DTM,
I’ve been hearing some of the same stuff. Quite a few in the GOP are not enamored of Paulsen and don’t think he’s strong as a GE candidate for the seat. They’re, frankly, worried. They’re less worried against Bonoff because she’s less of a credible candidate on what they feel are their strong suits (Iraq, homeland security, defense, patriotism). I’ve heard, too, that they already have the feelers out for a stronger candidate for 2010.
Just reporting what I heard. He was pretty credible.
First West Metro Dem - which Madia family member are you?
I wouldn’t make too much of Madia defending a Gay in the military - JAG lawyers do not pick their cases - they are following orders. Madia no more could have chosen this assignment than he could pick where he was deployed to.
Look at his record at the U and you’ll see how homophobic he was. But like everything else about Madia he’s changed his mind about that, too.
You need to read this thread….this 12 year old crap has been hashed and rehashed over and over again. Get over it. Are you ideologically pure like Bush? Never changed your mind? Never grown? Never found a new reality? Are you able to vouch for yourself and say you never wrote anything when you were a teenager that you wouldn’t want to see the light of day over a decade later?
I’m sorry if you can.
As we have already discussed ad nauseum, the Dem party most of us belong to allow people to change their mind and welcome all into the big tent. Former Republicans are very welcome….no litmus test or time test needed.
Sorry, but I’m not a Madia family member, a staffer, nor even a campaign volunteer. Just a long time Dem with long time residence in the 3rd CD.
Thou doth protest too much.
You have no idea….as a parent I’m the ultimate in arguing my point…..
Norm Coleman changed his mind and he is an opportunist. Recognize the double standard.
It doesn’t bother me that Norm changed his mind (and his party) any more than it bothers me that Ash Madia and Jim Hovland changed theirs. I don’t see ideology as static. People (and their parties) change as they evolve and face different life situations. I don’t see Norm as an opportunist if he, indeed, did change his ideology.
Anyone following the issues with the GOP denying endorsements to several of their candidates? I’d welcome into the DFL any time Kathy Tingelstad, Jim Abeler, Ron Erhardt, et al. I would then support their runs (if the DFL didn’t already have candidates in place) for their seats as DFL’ers. Is it opportunistic or coming to terms with a change of party?
The point is that Madia defending two gay men while in the military has no significance at all. He was ordered to defend them. He shouldn’t be using this as inferring that he is strong on Gay Rights. It’s just a coincidence and he shouldn’t exploit it to try and reverse his past stance against gays.
Maybe you should be more familiar with Ashwin Madia before making those pronouncements. Have you personally witnessed his family’s acceptance and interaction with his openly gay brother? Are you telling us that it’s a lie? Are you aware of his connections to and support by the GLBT community? If you are, then it must be a different community than I interact with. Please, enlighten us as to your personal experience to call into question Ashwin Madia’s support of the GLBT community.
You know, Truthwatcher is on to something. There is another angle to it, though. Is it possible to get a listing of all the cases Madia was involved in? This particular Don’t Ask Don’t Tell case plays well with the DFL crowd, but perhaps there are a whole slough of others that wouldn’t be as congruent with the vote he is trying to get. He surely was involved in many cases as a Marine lawyer.
If half the cases were for positions that would go against a DFL platform, it would be interesting to see the response from supporters. It would show the campaign is elevating this one case because it happens to play well.
In all fairness to Madia, my understanding is that he or his team “won” the case (is this factually correct?) If so, he deserves credit for a job well done, but perhaps the case was more of him carrying out orders than hunting down justice.
DTM,
I’m sure you could call and ask if they have a listing of cases for you if you want to know. Most attorneys and their teams do work on cases assigned to them and most tout their successes. I don’t see a problem with this. Is there one? I’m not an attorney but know quite a few and they don’t talk about all of their cases - only the really weird ones and the ones they win. I do know that his DD214 would be publicly available but it would contain just minimal information - duty station, duty information, deployment dates, training, etc. I know mine does.
I’m sure other information is available through the Freedom of Information Act. Your best bet is to ask the campaign or call Ash himself. His phone number is posted up higher on the thread.
It really isn’t a big deal to me — I’m just validating the points made by Truthwatcher and helping him or her add to them.
I’m not a Bonoff nor Madia supporter. But if I was, I would try to get info that is not filtered through the campaign. That is where Madia’s camp has a huge advantage — Bonoff’s recent work (and Paulsen’s) is available as a part of public record, to be examined in a way that is not filtered through a campaign team or candidate.
That’s a great idea but it’s a little tough in reality. For example, we have Terri’s resume that she touts her business experience yet her own ex-husband came on here and gave a totally different take of her experience. Consequently we have her campaign’s view of her background and her ex-husband’s view and they are different. No one has provided proof that one or the other is correct either. I guess there are some things you have to take on people’s word.
DanTheMan-
On the other hand, once he has the endorsement, a few cases that go against DFL activist view of things could be just what he needs for the 3rd. I just can’t shake the feeling that despite his age background, he ‘feels’ more like the current incumbent than either of his opponents. He’s a middle of the roader, socially tolerant, tougher and more realistic on National Security than many in the activist base, and if he wants to run in the ‘burbs, he’ll have to preach fiscal restraint.
A few cases, of, to pull something out of mid-air(and I emphasis I have no inside knowledge, this is just a thought experiment/test case), defending Marines accused of crimes by Iraqis, might give him the feel of a record. Frankly, I’m surprised Madia did as well as he did, for a lot of reasons. He seems like more of a doer than an ideologue, which Party endorsing doesn’t usually value. However, he’s running for Rammer’s seat, and that frank middle of the road-ness might suit the district’s mindset best of the three people in the race. All idle speculation now though - we still have the CD convention to occur.
“I don’t know what the heck you are talking about. You don’t make any sense to me. If you mean that you are trying to justify Jigars former position on unions because the union was not acting properly, you are wrong. It is about someones fundamental right to organize into a labor union of their choice. THAT IS THE LAW!”
Where has he ever challenged the right of individuals to unionize? The article you keep reposting only states that he tried to convince the faculty not to unionize because it hurt the staff and the students. He didn’t say, “they shouldn’t be allowed to unionize,” he was urging the faculty not to vote to unionize.
“The point is that Madia defending two gay men while in the military has no significance at all.”
Even if the military “orders” your cases (I’m not entirely sure you can’t take a file if you are so motivated to do so) it takes more then being assigned a case to win it. To challenge such an ingrained establishment as “don’t ask don’t tell” and to do it when the jury is in fact that establishment, requires dedication, commitment, and a passion to succeed.
He could hasve just as easily given into likely pressure from others in the military to do the minimum on the case. He didn’t.
He also has gotten a number of LGBT endorsements, one example:
http://www.equalitygiving.org/Ashwin-Madia-for-Congress-Endorsement
If that’s not enough to think he’s the best candidate on LGBT issues, his brother is openly gay:
http://lloydletta.blogspot.com/2008/01/ashwin-madias-stonewall-dfl.html
Finally, he’s addressed the charges that he was “homophobic” while at the U quite elegantly and decisively:
http://lloydletta.blogspot.com/2007/11/madia-accused-of-homophobia-campaign.html
To assert that he’s reversed his previous stance against gays is absurd, and, again a typical Bonoff supporter tactic of attempting to skew is past record.
John S -
You are right. Madia’s challenge right now is to speak liberally enough to get the party endorsement, without speaking so liberally that he provides ammo for the GE.
I guess I don’t see the moderate-ness that you talk about. Frankly, there is alot I don’t see. The reason I’ve been such a skeptic on these boards is that he frankly can tell us whatever he wants.
Madia doesn’t have any skeletons in the closet. He hasn’t been around long enough to even have a closet. Some may see that as an asset. But this is our future Congressperson we’re talking about — I see it as a huge liability. I can’t vote for someone whose only contribution within the district has been his own campaign for Congress.
DantheMan-
I’m not sure I see the moderateness as much as infer. What I see is a candidate who could be smack dab in the districts comfort zone, who thankfully seems to have a brain, and maybe some decency. I have to say, after eight years of the new-style Republican party, my standards are somewhat low. I’d like to know more about his cases, because that would hopefully put some flesh on the image.
I agree, John S.
More information around the cases and his exact role would be good. As a twentysomething professional, I probably could have made a claim that I created $20 million in savings to middle class consumers. Yeah, I probably did, with the help of several others and because I was being instructed by people who were very good at what they did.
No doubt, the Republicans in the past few years have been pathetic. I wonder if people will be voting against Bush this fall even though he is out of the picture.
I have heard for sure this thing is going to a primary. Brace yourselves. The Madia-Bonoff fight drags on just like Obama-Hillary. Bonoff has enough support to force this into a primary, and I was told by someone close to her campaign that she is prepared to do so and has the DCCC and the superdelegates support to take it to a primary.
I always suspected that. Oh well. Ash will beat her then, and I suppose it will keep the candidates in the news.
Hey guys….don’t ask for legitimate proof of Jigar’s record because then you be classified as a hater.
Plymouth, as for taking a position against the union…when you speak against someone trying to organize, you have effectively taken a position against the union. Plain and simple! People want to organize to improve their working conditions, so to take a position against people trying to unionize for improvement is fundamentally wrong.
As far as all of his former positions, all of them that are good are the only ones we can talk about on this thread, otherwise it’s a cheap shot. That is ridiculous, you take the good with the bad and you blend it together to judge a person.
I have a problem with someone that completely flips on all issues. I can understand how some change could happen, and I accept that. But to claim a 180 on everything is a little unbelievable.
Like it or not Jigar supporters, the reality is that Jigars support from long time Dem’s is not unconditional. By the way I have yet to have a returned email from his campaign. I assume he has never had a public apology for positions he has taken in the past. Please don’t try to BS me that the last posting he had is an apology, because it’s not. It just criticizes people for bring up his past that is haunting him…….he can run, but he can’t hide!
Union Man,
I guess my biggest issue with your posts is that you are spending all of your time trying to tear one candidate down without providing any proof that your candidate is best for others to vote for.
Let’s try to focus on positives. Please, sell us on Terri. I’m definitely not sold on the issues that matter to me. What issues matter to you that have sold you on her? I can’t spend all of my time hating and tearing others down. I need to find a reason to vote for someone rather than against someone else. Why should we consider Terri?
“I can’t vote for someone whose only contribution within the district has been his own campaign for Congress.”
What exactly have Paulsen, Bonoffs and Hovlands contributions been other than pursuing their own political careers ? Its not like these people selflessly sacrificed their careers for some greater good that we have all not been aware off.
West Metro,
First and foremost consider that Terri is a life long Democrat and we will never have to question that. Second, she has shown that she can win in a tough district not only once, but twice.
Third, she has shown leadership in issues at the Capitol in key committees. She has a proven track record on her voting record on supporting working people.
Fourth, she has answered all questions when it comes to the core Democratic issues, trade, labor, fiscal responsibility ect…..
The key to this is that she has always believed in these issues, and has never had to take a 180 on anything. We know where she is and there is no wavering.
I know that your probably going to bring up some labor issue votes, but you have to know the truth she was given a pass on those votes because they were either going to get voted by the Governor or her vote didn’t swing the bill either way. I know this because I pressed her on these issues. I also confirmed this with Senate leadership that also supports her. Their quote was she was given a pass because of her Senate District needs those type of votes to keep in DFL control.
I could continue, but let me ask you am I waisting my time on you?
UM - “First and foremost consider that Terri is a life long Democrat and we will never have to question that. Second, she has shown that she can win in a tough district not only once, but twice.”
Firstly, since u ask for proof in the case of Ash Madia, let me ask u the same proof in the case of Bonoffs “life long Democrat” claim. What proof do you have.
Secondly she won only 1/10 th of the CD3. That reflects in her poor showing in the primaries where she lost almost all other districts, except the one State Senate district.
UM - “Third, she has shown leadership in issues at the Capitol in key committees. She has a proven track record on her voting record on supporting working people.”
Leadership on what ? Do you have any proof ? Since thats the standard you ask of.
UM - “I know that your probably going to bring up some labor issue votes, but you have to know the truth she was given a pass on those votes because they were either going to get voted by the Governor or her vote didn’t swing the bill either way.”
So you do acknowledge that this “life long Democrat” voted anti-union when she had the chance to prove her “life long Democrat” view. And now come your excuses.
OK, knucklehead either you can’t read or you are too ignorant to understand. She was told to vote the other way on issues that would help her keep the Senate District in DFL hands. I don’t consider that an anti-union vote. She reached out to the labor community and explained those votes. I accept the answer and reasonable. Now, if it were a critical vote that her vote would’ve swayed the bill I would be opposed to that, but that isn’t or wasn’t the case.
Union Man, so where are Terri’s aplogies for teaming up with MCCL House member Laura Brod and authoring the Grieving Parenta Act (SF1739 and HF0599)?
And where is her apology for her quotes in the Maqnkato Free Press lecturing us for not confusing personhood of 20 week old fetuses with Choice issues? Oh and how proud she was to carry this legislation?
And where is her apology for the 6 spun stories explaining her reasons for authoring that bill?
And where is her apology for not killing that bill, but instead handing it over to another MCCL Senator in Michelled Bachman’s congressional district? And don’t tell me she could not or should not have ki9lled that bill. It is one of the promises whe made at the beginning of this session, and she made it to Emily’s List, among others, which is why other than a cut and paste letter she has receive NO SUPPORT.
Now let’s move on to those calls she and others from her campaign made to people beginning last December telling us that Ashwin Madia never held a job?
And the whisper campaign that has been ongoing about “electibility” and what type of candidate is, and what isn’t? (gee, how do we chant “lifelong dem” enough so we are all not looking at real issues any more)
Of course you won’t answer any of these points, because you can’t.
Just like you have never told us what union you belong to, or the fact that you are not really a super-delegate.
If you indeed are union AND a Super-delegate, then come clean and go on the record with your endorsement and your reasons for the endorsement. Your union, and your party have a right to know where you stand. So do all of the delegates and alternates who look forward to the convention on April 12th.
And don’t call people names.
And Man up and call Ashwin Madia if you want to discuss your issues. I posted his phone number 2 days ago, and obviously you are too chicken to use it.
Sorry for the typos in my last post. My keyboard is acting up….
Done it….I posted my email and have yet to get an answer. Is that what we want in Washington? A member of Congress that skirts the tough questions and just ignores them? I DON’T THINK SO.
You want proof regarding Bonoff’s leadership, try this lead. Please post Jigars leadership qualities when it comes to legislative issues he has championed.
https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_search.php?body=Senate&search=basic
“What exactly have Paulsen, Bonoffs and Hovlands contributions been other than pursuing their own political careers ? Its not like these people selflessly sacrificed their careers for some greater good that we have all not been aware off.”
Say what? You think you do the state legislature for the money? A guy like Paulsen put himself on a much slower track at Target (a godsend to our region in terms of middle income employment) in order to serve his district. He probably sacrified tens of thousands in income as well as career advancement to spend his days working on Minnesota tax code — you know, the boring stuff that a congressperson would actually spend 95% of their time on? Bonoff was an activist for ECFE and K-12 issues at the capitol long before she ever had a political title. Hovland is part owner of a law firm that has successfully provide incomes for many regional families of Republicans and Democrats alike, in addition to service as Mayor (making Edina “green”) and other regional task forces which did the mundane but necessary work of Government.
So what has Madia done in the 3rd? Fundraised for his campaign in participated in his debates. I stand by my words that all he has contributed directly to the 3rd district is his own campaign for political fame.
Bonoff was an activist for her personal school system while her kids were in school. Yippee. Most parents are. Hopkins was in such horrible shape that it took forming an outside group like the LAC in order to fix it. I give her credit for stepping up and helping work toward reforming the public schools her kids went to.
What has Madia done in the 3rd? Let’s see….grown up here. Gone to Osseo High School, attended the University of Minnesota before going to NYU for Law School and then off to Quantico Marine Corps Base for training and then off to Okinawa and Baghdad. Sounds like a real boondoggle to me. NOT.
Back to Bonoff…..so, you only care about her life long Dem status which eliminates Hovland, Madia and anyone else who was a former Republican from ever running for office and getting your support. Enough said. No one ever need answer you again since you won’t vote for anyone but the lifelong DFL’er. Are you sure you live in the 3rd? Are you sure with that type of litmus test that you don’t reside in the 4th or 5th? Those are the only districts that will meet your needs, frankly.
Again with Bonoff….munchkin mom has it right. Bonoff has done so many things to anger potential supporters that they went off looking for another candidate - one with credibility - one who could understand the implications of legislation put in front of her. When Bonoff needed her judgment, she failed horribly. When Laura Brod (known MCCL GOP legislator) came to her and asked her to carry the water on a piece of legislation, she did so. She did so without the support of NARAL Pro-Choice, in fact it is a known fact that she stonewalled the NARAL Pro-Choice lobbyist for three weeks without giving an appointment. By the time the lobbyist got an appointment, the legislation was already out there. Note - not one other senator would sign on to this legislation. Next story, after the one agreeing with the legislation and carrying it for “a friend” was the “I’m carrying it so the DFL can control it”. Then was the “I’m going to take my name off of it as soon as the session starts.” Then, the the Mankato Free Press article was sent around giving direct quotes from Sen. Bonoff stating she was “proud to carry this legislation” and “agreeing to push it the second the session started.” Then, the story changed again…..until last week it was “controlling it” and then Voila! She takes her name off and hands it over to an MCCL GOP legislator! So much for her giving a damn about women’s rights. She may be pro-choice as the much bandied around letter from Planned Parenthood but her judgment is questionable at best.
So, how does this stack up against your rants against Madia? I’ll take Madia any day.
WMD -
Were your comments directed at UM or me? My main point was that if anyone here is focusing on “pursuing their own political careers”, Madia is the closest. Of the four people who were ever in this race, Madia is the one with the potential to be a career politician (if he is elected at 30 and serves in some capacity for 30 or 40 years, he will be the definition of a career politician), whereas the others are active private sector citizens who are taking their turn serving their citizens. Contrast that with a guy like Hovland, who doesn’t need the money, has already created many jobs as a private sector guy, but now he simply wants to serve.
UM,
So it’s better to not support unions when you are told not to support unions?
Or, to not support unions when it’s not politically convenient to do so? CD3 is not heavy union. If she’s going to vote to placate her electorate, how can you possibly trust her in Washington on Union issues?
At least we know that Madia isn’t willing to switch his political stance on key issues, ie, Iraq, even though it would have certainly set him more favorably among anti-war democrats.
“So what has Madia done in the 3rd? Fundraised for his campaign in participated in his debates. I stand by my words that all he has contributed directly to the 3rd district is his own campaign for political fame.”
He worked on a number of CD3 DFL campaigns. I’m not really sure what more you need to ask for him. I don’t see how state legislature work necessary prepares you for Federal work. Or, working on the school board, or the city council. I’m not willing to wait around for someone highly qualified to assume a Federal role just because people think he needs to work X years in the state to graduate to a ‘higher” level. It’s not necessarily higher. It’s different, requires a different understanding of issues, and a different level of personal experience.
As a delegate to the district convention, I checked both Bonoff’s and Madia’s websites, their positions on the issues, personally spoke with each candidate, and decided four days before the convention to support Madia based on his answers to some very pointed questions I asked him. At the time it was a close decision as I thought both had good qualifications and would represent the DFL admirably. Since that time I have read a number of blog submissions and received emails from both Bonoff’s and Madia’s campaigns.
It is clearer now than ever that I am supporting a more than qualified candidate who is honorable, straight shooting, thoughtfully and thoroughly prepared to tackle the issues this country faces with courage and integrity.
Madia’s recent email included his cell number so anyone interested in finding out more about his stand on the issues can certainly call him and ask him questions directly.
Please stop the mud slinging and save the fight for the Republican opponent. Why is your candidate the better one based on the issues ahead of us? The other garbage does nothing but show desperation and “win at all cost” that does no one any favors.
I also am surprised to hear about possible “primary” talk. I recall both candidates saying early on in the campaign that they would abide the endorsement decision. Does that mean “only if it’s me”? Integrity First and to me that means Ashwin Madia.
Plymouth,
It’s amazing sometimes you answer your own questions. YES, I do believe working in a public position shapes you for higher office. It teaches you the skill on how to deal with people and issues. It’s not a litmus test, but it does set a foundation. The problem I see with Jigar is that the record he does have, he needs to run. If he has changed his position, he has never publicly said so. All he does is criticize people when they bring it up. Why doesn’t he publicly apologize for the offensive remarks he has said in the past instead of dismissing it as a cheap shot?
As far as the “choice” issue, hey thats not my issue. We all have our own personal convictions, meaning my wife would never have an abortion, nor would I ever be supportive of it. I’m, not saying other women shouldn’t have a right to the procedure, again it is personal conviction.
Plymouth Dem: “I don’t see how state legislature work necessary prepares you for Federal work. Or, working on the school board, or the city council….. It’s different, requires a different understanding of issues, and a different level of personal experience.”
1. I’m not saying you have to have legislature or school board experience. I’m saying you need experience, period. Experience on the ground in the 3rd district, where your to-be constituents and witness the quality of your work and leadership in a setting that is not your campaign for high office. I thought Mike Ciresi was a very good candidate for Senate (although I didn’t agree with many of his positions.) His candidacy, to me, was legitimized not by prior elected office, but by years of leadership, accomplishment, and job creation that we all could see and inspect.
2. While I don’t think it is specifically legislative or city experience you need in order to run for Congress, I think it does show a seriousness about public service that is worth something. Someone who spends 15 years in the legislature, doing unglamourous work for pay far below what they could get in the private sector, has proven that they are serving for the right reasons. In this case, it is a wash because all of the candidates have shown their willigness to serve (be it in an elected office, grassroots activitist, or military).
3. Yes, Federal Government is different, but does that mean we should take a flyer on someone who is completely green? I’d argue the opposite, that we want someone who has shown their ability to influence policy and articulate why they voted the way they did. Plus, if having Federal experience was more important than local experience, then Boschwitz was the better candidate over Wellstone, and Kennedy was more qualified than Klobuchar. And Coleen Rowley should have been a killer Congressional candidate with her years of FBI experience.
Union Man, so because Choice is not your issue it doesn’t bother you that the candidate you are so supportive of would go against the party platform? That the candidate you choose spins what she has done as a legislator (her record as you keep wanting to point to-well this is part of her record) and you are okay with that?! Again you prove that you do not care about the party or it’s ideals.
The core issue here is NOT whether you would allow your wife to have an abortion, but whether you support the platform supported by the Minnesota DFL, which is CHOICE.
As for working in a public position to gain useful experience, I think working in Iraq helping them to rebuild government and dealing with entities like the UN, the State Department, the Iraqi leadership and others provides lots of experience in dealing with issues. Becoming a United States Marine provides experience. Getting hired and working for a prestigious law firm provides experience, Being the son of immigrants and watching his parents assimilate and become citizens provides experience.
You say NOTHING that would cause any one of us to support your candidate, and in fact every one of your posts solidifies opposition to Bonoff, so keep posting!
Is this one candidate really worth destroying the DFL in the 3rd CD?! A real union member would not think so.
And sending an email to a public address that probably gets lots of traffic is not the same as picking up your phone and CALLING THE CANDIDATE! So stop trying to put out there that Ashwin Madia does not respond to people. He answers his phone and talks to EVERY PERSON WHO CALLS HIM.
So again, I say MAN UP AND CALL HIM. STOP HIDING BEHIND A BLIND EMAIL TO A PUBLIC ADDRESS.
If the Iraqi judicial system that he supposedly help set is a measure of his accomplishments, what better reason do we need to make sure he’s not elected? Iraq has been a total mistake at every level including the setting up of it’s judicial system. Did Jigar decide that the be-heading of someone is humane? Because thats what they do over there still. Did he decide that a woman could be stoned to death publicly if she commits adultery, because thats what is allowed there. Please explain what he did over there as part of setting up the judicial system, because I’m curious to hear it…….I know, I know, call him and ask him right?
Bottom line, if he won’t respond to an email as a candidate, why would he respond as an elected official? All elected officials including the White House screens their emails.
“If the Iraqi judicial system that he supposedly help set is a measure of his accomplishments, what better reason do we need to make sure he’s not elected? Iraq has been a total mistake at every level including the setting up of it’s judicial system. Did Jigar decide that the be-heading of someone is humane? Because thats what they do over there still. Did he decide that a woman could be stoned to death publicly if she commits adultery, because thats what is allowed there. Please explain what he did over there as part of setting up the judicial system, because I’m curious to hear it…….I know, I know, call him and ask him right?”
Is it your argument that Madia, therefore, supports stoning women? The logical
Union Man,
“Choice” is not your issue. If you are a true Dem, choice should be your issue. Choice isn’t just about the choice to have an abortion, it’s about who makes that decision. It’s not pro-abortion, it’s about my right to make a decision for myself. And, more importantly, it isn’t just about the right to choose to abort an unwanted pregnancy - it’s about life choices. It’s about the right to birth control for unmarried women (see CVS pharmacies who can refuse in some states to fill birth control scripts if they are opposed), it’s about who decides and when for hospice care, it’s about decisions on living wills. Choice is about life and the decisions should be made by a woman or man and his or her doctor and their families and their God….period. As a Democrat, you should stand behind that right to choose.
So, pick your issue. It’s a key one for me and Bonoff failed it miserably.
Asking the 3 candidates in the race at the time, Bonoff didn’t understand the implication of the legislation that she authored. Madia and Hovland, as attorneys, did their research and immediately understood the slippery slope that that legislation would lead down. Since Hovland is no longer in the race, on that issue, my vote goes to Madia.
Having won my vote on a reasonable Iraq policy and on choice, as well as on gay rights, Madia is my candidate. I haven’t heard one iota from anyone that negates my comments on Bonoff.
I don’t know does support the stoning of women? If he doesn’t did he try to change it in their judicial system. What exactly did he do to help set it up?
I completely agree that Madia’s marine experience is a qualification for office. I wouldn’t dispute that for a minute.
The law school and job at a “prestigious law firm”, however, isn’t much of a qualifier. Lots of people go to good law schools, and spending such a short amount of time at any law firm means you did a bunch of clerk-type work for someone else’s cases. You probably didn’t impact the business.
As for his upbringing, I respect the situation he grew up in. But to say that he is the only one in the race who had adversity in his upbringing may be terribly flawed. The other candidate’s haven’t chosen to make their youth years part of their campaign story, and on these very boards many of us have agree to not bring a candidate’s family into this. This needs to be about the candidate him or herself.
There is no proof that Paulsen sacrificed anything at Target. It could very well be that he was given a cushy job because of his political connections. Much like Pawlenty (and i am sure plenty of Dems) had a consulting job. Lets not call this some great sacrifice.
Calling Bonoff an activist is a stretch. What exactly was her sacrifice. All she did was attend some “more money for schools”. If my spouse or me attended a few of these does that qualify us as some great activist ? You cannot prove anything that she single handedly acheived for the Hopkins school district.
And then you claim Hovlands sacrifice for his community was being an owner of a law firm.
And i stand by my words that none of these other candidates have done nothing so great to deserve the pedestal on which they are being placed on.
I don’t see them being placed on a pedestal. If anything, with the sentiment of these boards, it is a detriment for one to have any standing in the community.
I see them having a variety of relevant district experience.
Your speculation on the Paulsen / Target situation is quite charged. I don’t think we want these boards to become full of obscure “what-ifs” — that wouldn’t be constructive for anyone. You’ve been watching too many Oliver Stone movies.
UM
If i am a knuckle head then what kind of a dim wit are u. You seem to ignore the fact that Bonoff used the unions to get herself elected and then screwed them over. Now u claim you are this big union activist. No, you are just a big Bonoff campaign phony, being paid to troll for her highness here just like the reset of them before…..
The “relevant experience” bandied about is nothing more than sitting around in some govt. meetings as if that puts them on some grand intellectual plane that the rest of us who actually slog it out int corporate american cannot comprehend their great vision.
Actually in my opinion it is just the opposite. The problem we face is we have is a bunch of career politicians who will throw out every mutli-acronymed committee they sit on before every election and nothing ever gets done in reality.
My speculation about Paulsen at Target is entirely based on mordern day realities of the nexus between politicians and Corporate America.
It is not far fetched to imagine that Target , whose many leaders give
plenty of money to politicians, ensure that Paulsen gets a sweet deal. Which corporation with plenty of business with the state would not want to have a party leader on their payroll.
Many of you sure do have a jaundiced view of corporate america. That is part of the problem today. The private sector is vilified, while providing most of the jobs, products, and service for American families.
Your point about elected people sitting in meetings and talking about trivial details of public policy is fair. And with that established, I trust that if Madia is our next Congressman, “experience” won’t be a reason you give for his re-election campaign in 2010. In fact, I’d fully expect you to support a start-up candidate running against him for the DFL endorsement.
DTM,
If he does an excellent job in DC and in providing constituency services, I would support his re-election to the position - just as most supported Ramstad for his re-election campaigns over the years. I do not vilify private sector efforts - Madia’s for RKMC either.
My issues with Bonoff are different than “experience”. For her, it’s judgment.
It seems the only person for Bonoff on this thread is union man, and he does nothing to tell us why we should vote for her. He also ignores questions and uncomfortable truths about his candidate that he cannot defend.
This is a new era, and trashing an opponent is not the way to get elected. All it does is solidify the rest of us in our support of a positive and forward thinking candidate like Ashwin Madia.
Instead of throwing mud, once again you are being asked to tell us in glowing terms what Bonoff has done that is so great that we should all vote for her?
My guess is that you can’t do that since her job resume has holes in it and her judgement in the short time she has been in the state senate is in serious question and she has been unable to amass any groundswell of support on her own. Remember, her 2 elections were successful because of a massive outpouring of help from outside of her district. She does not believe in grassroots organizing, and the SD convention results prove that out.
As for Erik Paulsen, if he was such a wonderful candidate then the GOP would have jumped at endorsing him, rather than Erik asking his senate district to have a second “mini endorsing convention” after the congressional convention. I suspect that he likes his day job and is more than a little concerned that he might not get that endorsement to run. (or that the GOP is hoping a better candidate will come along- after all- he did lose the house majority on his watch)
Of the three, the strongest in my book is Madia. He brings no baggage to the job, does not represent politics as usual, and demonstrates a phenomenal work ethic. I think he is more than capable of learning how to be a very effective house rep just like Tim Walz and Kieth Ellison.
I agree, WMD, and I tend to have the same view on incumbents. If they are doing a good job, they deserve another chance.
My comments were directed at RM who, from the points made on his or her posts, seems to argue for an inverse relationship between any candidate experience and that candidate’s appeal.
I think you can tell if a person is doing a good job by their numbers. Maria Ruud in SD 42 for instance, went up 10 points in her re-election in 2006, and those points were earned in traditionally republican precincts. Maria works hard and offers wonderful constituency services.
Jim Ramstad worked hard and offered good services. He will be missed.
Terri Bonoff lost 3 points in her re-election one year after her special election, which tells me there must be something lacking in her job performance and constituency services.
Erik Paulsen does not seem to return phone calls or emails if he thinks you are a democrat. Once he started to do his job in such a partisan manner (it wasn’t always that way with him) I stopped voting for him.
Bottom line for me is how the legislator does the job.
Question: And how does the way Bonoff or Paulsen do their job compare to Madia?
Answer: We have absolutely no way of knowing because all he has ever done in this district is run for this office. And if the answer refers to how Madia runs his campaign office, then to have an apples-to-apples comparison we should compare the other two campaign offices with his.
I would suggest that we would know quickly since a congressman only has a 2 year term.
If Ashwin Madia does not show us that he can learn the job and be effective then I am sure he will have opposition from both parties to replace him in the job.
This is to address the statement above saying that there is only one Bonoff supporter here and he has not said anything in support of her. If he has not, I will.
I support Terri Bonoff for several reasons. First of all, I have worked on both of her campaigns and she has been a great State Senator. She was able to win 2 campaigns in a very competitive district that has not had a Democrat elected in modern history. That says a lot about her “electability†as a moderate Democrat.
Next, she has lived in the district for a long time, maybe her whole life. She has vested interest in the community having raised her kids here and she has been a long-time advocate for education.
I listened to Madia a few times before I decided to support Terri Bonoff again, and while he seems OK on the issues, I have some problems with his campaign.
I strongly believe that you must run a campaign for lower office before going for a seat in Congress. It is almost impossible to win a race for a federal office if it is your first campaign. There are a few success stories out there but it is very rare. Then, I found out some things about him that were not disclosed in any of his public appearances.
It is a matter of public record that he supported Bob Dole in 1996. He was in the College Republicans at the U of M. Also, he worked on John McCain’s campaign in 2000 and did not leave the Republican Party until 2002. At least, that is what he says now.
If he had disclosed that up front, I may have not had a problem with any of that. But, I found out about it only a few days before our Senate District convention and I was surprised to say the least. I had seen him speak in person and spoken with him on the telephone a number of times.
Given Madia’s conservative history, I don’t know how we could see eye to eye on progressive issues. He has no history or track record supporting the things that are important to me. He has never owned a house in the district, has not raised kids and faced parenting or education issues. He is young (29-30), has worked in the private sector less than a year, and has no political experience. In my opinion, he has a ways to go to convince me that he is ready to represent the 3rd Congressional District as a Democrat.
The difference between the candidates is night and day to me. Terri Bonoff is a moderate that has won 2 campaigns and has life experience in the district. Madia is fresh out of the Marines, has less than a year’s experience in the private sector, and has never run a campaign in the DFL. I could see supporting him in a few years once he has proven himself and his new found values as a Democrat. Until then, I would not take the chance on him.
Finally, in 2007, 47% of the itemized individual contributions that Madia raised came from out of state. What does is say about his ability to gain support district wide if almost half of the itemized individual contributions he raised came from outside of Minnesota. 97.5% of the itemized individual contributions Bonoff raised came from within Minnesota. In 2007, She raised almost twice the amount as Madia. The 2008 figures are not out yet or I would have included them. The FEC data is here:
http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/HSRefreshCandList.do?category=disH&stateName=MN&congressId=03
tonka-dfl’er,
Thank you for your thoughtful and reasoned comments. I respect them and I’m glad they work for you. We don’t all have to agree. That’s why we have elections - to choose. I certainly don’t agree with you and have made my concerns with Bonoff clear above. It’s her judgment in my opinion.
One point, though, about funds. Terri has the endorsement of Emily’s List. They fundraise nationwide for their candidates. It says quite a bit for me that they only sent out one cut and paste email about Terri to their national database. I have been a member of EL since it’s inception and they usually do much more. Her inability to raise funds through the largest PAC in the US that raised more money last year than the NRA says a lot about her and her campaign, frankly.
That Madia is able to fundraise nationally through VoteVets.org and military.com says a lot about him and his, too. He is able to make his case both locally and nationally. A much more broadspectrum candidate, in my view.
On that point. Are you, then, a JNP supporter for senate? I can’t see how you can hold Ash Madia to this standard of fundraising only within the state if you don’t hold your senate candidate to it, too. I’m just not big on situational ethics and double standards.
Please note - much of Terri’s up front support came from the money powers in the state before anyone else was in the race - an attempt to tie everyone up and keep anyone else out. Hasn’t worked well for her, I’d say. Loosing 9 of 10 senate districts, tying 1 and only scraping by your own senate district isn’t exactly a “winning campaign”.
tonka and wmd -
Thank you for getting this thread back on track. Reasoned comments from you both.
tonka - I didn’t realize the amount of out of state money going to Madia. Nothing wrong with it, but definately shows the contrast between the two.
Dan, the GOP has consistently let veterans down. I had many disagreements with Paul Wellstone on policy, but one area in particular was different: veterans never had a better friend than Paul Wellstone.
Jim Ramstad is a friend of veterans.
Which is one reason that although Ramstad is in the top 25% of seniority in the House, he’s a back-bencher.
Erik Paulsen is no Jim Ramstad. You will see - if Captain Madia is the candidate - a lot of money and support from veterans across the country in support of Captain Madia.
Well, actually, a lot of that money will be in opposition to Erik Paulsen and the GOP, due to the track record of republiCon non-support of veterans.
republiCons simply cannot be trusted to honor committments to veterans.
Then again, republiCons simply cannot be trusted.
“Then again, republiCons simply cannot be trusted.”
And just like that, the dialogue comes down a notch. Oh, it happens so quickly.
I think supporting our Veterans is a huge issue, especially with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Coming from a military family, I can tell you that a lot of promises have been broken and it has hurt a lot of people.
One statement Madia makes that I agree with is that people should not be putting ribbons on their cars and feel patriotic. People should become PATRIOTS and share the sacrifice that is currently only born by families of Soldiers and Veterans.
I have asked many republicans when was the last time they bought a war bond or rationed their butter and flour. How many of their family members have enlisted to go to Iraq or Afghanistan? It usually silences the conversation. I am not stupid, I know there are republicans over there, but the majority put those yellow ribbons on their cars, wave the flag and talk loudly about SUPPORT THE TROOPS.
Ashwin Madia knows what this sacrifice is about- he went and the rest of us didn’t. He knows the difference between supporting the war and Veterans Issues. He can talk at length about those issues and those war efforts.
Terri Bonoff can’t. I have gone to forums and debates. I have listened to her. She has the right talking points, but no depth of understanding.
Terri wants to GET the job and Ashwin wants to DO the job. Big difference in my book.
As for donations from VoteVets.org, every donation I have made to Ashwin Madia and other Veterans running for office has been made through that page and not directly to their campaigns. That way, I am supporting my candidates, and also supporting a very worthwhile organization that helps Veterans run for office. Lots of Minnesotans donate to VoteVets.org and Military.com
I used to be a dues paying Emily’s List member until they endorsed Bonoff, in spite of her Grieving Parents Act. I do know that organization has felt the pain of many members like myself not renewing this year, and as a result have not done anything substantive for the Bonoff campaign other than a simple and poorly done cut and paste email the night before the last conventions. Emily’s List is beggfing me and others to return to the fold, and I will be happy to when they withdraw their endorsement of a state senator who authored anti-choice legislation.
So, both of these candidates have national organizations behind them, one enthusiastically supported, the other not so much. Terri did try to lock up the money and power brokers before anyone else entered the race. I see a lot of buyer’s remorse out there now.
West Metro Dem,
I’m not sure that the JNP/Franken contest can be compared in the same way as the Bonoff/Madia contest.
I have not looked at the Franken figures in a while so I haven’t run a spreadsheet like I did on the Bonoff/Madia comparison. I am interested to see though so I will, but after the CD convention.
I think Jack is great, I respect his stance on the issues and he seems like a nice guy. He is progressive and has a long track record speaking and acting on the issues. If Franken had not campaigned on behalf of other DFL candidates in 2005-2006 and gained my support based on his commitment to the DFL and his stance on the issues, I could support Jack in a heartbeat. Franken’s campaign is way ahead though and I have committed to him because he is a serious candidate and I believe he will replace Norm with a few points to spare.
Here is where the comparison between the races diverges for me. Both Franken and JNP have a history of speaking out, writing, and acting for DFL issues and candidates. I could support either of them and the fundraising is not an issue for me in that race.
In the Bonoff/Madia contest, it is very different. Bonoff has a history of speaking out and acting for DFL issues and candidates, Madia does not. Therefore, I find the difference in fundraising an issue. The difference in track records plus the higher local support for Bonoff tells me which candidate I should support.
And by the way, that Emily’s List endorsement has been front and center on the Bonoff web page since she received it, and she has bragged about it in speeches and letters and lit pieces.
National organization that raises money all over the country. So, tonka DFL’r, do you also denounce that endorsement for your own candidate? Just asking…I doubt Bonoff would turn down anything that was given to her from Emily’s List. And why should she?
I think if Madia had no grassroots support within the congressional district then your thoughts would have some resonance. Winning 10 of the senate districts has shown otherwise.
Ashwin Madia is the candidate with the broadbased support.
munchkinmom,
I don’t buy the argument that one needs to be a veteran or serve in the military to understand military issues or be a patriot. I have not served in the military but I am as patriotic as any other American. I speak out against the war, I pay my taxes, I contact my representatives and I attend antiwar rallies and spread the truth about the war and veterans issues whenever I can.
My father was in the Navy, my step-father, father in-law, and step- father in-law were in the Army. I don’t consider myself any less an American or any less qualified to speak on military/veterans issues than anyone that has worn a uniform. Only 13% of Americans are veterans. We honor their service to the country but the United States has civilian control over the military, not the other way around.
I think it’s great that Ashwin volunteered to serve, but that is not a pre-requisite for serving in Congress.
tonka…
I would say you are an exception to the rule. The majority of people who just buy the ribbon feel that is what patriotism is and that is truly “Supporting the Troops” even though the money went to Wal-Mart and has nothing to do with improving the lives of the soldiers. They are not out there putting themselves where there mouths are.
In my family, we saw the pay freezes, say the troops on welfare and food stamps, saw the GI Bill cuts, saw the deteioration of the medical support. How have these adminsistrations supported the TROOPS?
It is obvious from Bonoff’s debate answers and talk that she supports the administrative view, but has little understanding for the substanse of troop support.
There is a reason for the civilian control of the military…look at all the dictators around the world. However that does not mean that the 13% who allow the majority to enjoy their style of living should be cut, slandered or ignored. If more people were truly connected to the veteran issues then they would understand what patriotism and support really mean.
Another note — if you have a yellow ribbon on your car, did ayou purchase it from the Blue Star Mothers from Louisiana? That is where the yelloow ribbon program originated, with all of the money going to the Louisiana troops in Iraq who needed helmets and flak vests.
This program is still in effect today, currently supporting returning soldiers s well as those still serving.
Where do you think the money from those pretty ribbons sold at WalMarts and SuperAmericas goes?
Tonka-dfl’er…..your posting is exactly what is wrong with Bonoff’s support of our troops! She doesn’t get it! Veterans issues are not just “against the war”. Veterans issues are not bumper stickers, little flags and yellow ribbons. Veterans issues are about ALL of our veterans from all wars and from peacetime service - no matter where and how our country asked you to serve - and the services that are owed to our service men and women. Service persons are sent by their country to duty stations around the world to perform many duties - not everyone is in a battle with a loaded machine gun or riding a chopper over a rice paddy. Many serve without facing bullets but are serving admirably. Her campaign’s attempt to slight Madia’s service because he wasn’t under fire is disgusting. I’m sorry but the green zone in Iraq is a war zone. It’s not life at the Hilton.
When Terri screened for the DFL Veterans Caucus her whole questionnaire was full of “I support the troops” and “end the war”. If she had bothered to read the mission statement of the caucus she would have been aware that those were NOT the issues the veterans caucus is there to advocate for. There are organizations directly taking a stand and advocating on this misbegotten war in Iraq and the forgotten war in Afghanistan - excellent organizations such as Veterans for Peace and Veterans for Common Sense. Those are NOT the DFL Veterans Caucus. The DFL Veterans Caucus is there to advocate for issues related to veterans, military retirees and their families such as the 21st Century Bill of Rights, medical care issues, VA accessibility issues, TBI, poly-traume, homelessnes, criminal justice issues, mental health screening, disability ratings to name just a few. Her answers were talking points about the war and did not address any of the issues the caucus advocates for.
I bring this up for one reason alone. Terri doesn’t do her homework nor does she make the effort to understand the implications of her statements. She speaks in talking points and has no understanding deeper than generalities. This race is important. This race is to fill a seat that will advocate for our rights in Washington, DC and on the ground in Minnesota. This seat needs to be filled by someone who understands deeply the implications of legislation brought before him/her and, if not understanding said legislation, will do due diligence and make wise decisions.
I don’t believe Terri can do this. I’ve watched her on two fronts for months. First off her fetal remains legislation where her judgment has been suspect in the most gracious assessment and in the veterans issues where she has shown complete ignorance of the issues and an unwillingness to delve further into the issues to move beyond talking points that were non-responsive to questions asked. More than anything we need a congressperson who will admit mistakes, take ownership for their actions and act ethically. I am so far convinced that the one person for that is Ash Madia. Terri has eliminated herself from the running on all accounts.
Although I’m not convinced where a campaign’s funds come from is necessarily instructive of anything, one point to consider is that Ashwin’s campaign was still largely in its infancy in Q4 of 2007 where the last numbers that Tonka uses are based.
The reality, is that national donors tend to be more willing to take a tisk and invest in a campaign earlier. Local donors, at that stage in the campaign are likely contributing, just in amounts that aren’t itemized by the FEC.
I suspect the numbes that will be released in April will be very interesting. First, does Ashwin start matching Terri in fundraising now that he’s the favorite? Second, now that Ashwin has been noticed, does his itemized local donations significantly pickup? I suspect it dos. There are plenty of people, myself included, who saw Ashwin early, made a non-itemized deduction and then when his campaign took off made an itemized deduction.
Terri, in contrast, had all of the institutional support in Q4, institutional support that is willing to drop itemized contributions early — especially when it looks like that candidate will cruise to victory. My guess is that in Q1, minus the first month or two, Terri’s fundraising will have taken a big hit.
West Metro Dem,
You are jumping the gun here. Read the detail. I said “I don’t consider myself any less an American or any less qualified to speak on military/veterans issues than anyone that has worn a uniform”
I am referring to veterans issues, as in the care that they receive after service, health care, job training, retirement, counseling, etc. etc. NOT just an anti-war stance or properly paying them while still in the service.
Have you talked to Terri personally about veterans issues? I hear so much hearsay on this board. I heard this, I think I read this on a blog, do yourself a favor and get it from the source. Find out what she really thinks and stop obsessing about a one dimensional character drawing that is not accurate.
Do Republicans have a good record on caring for our veterans and active military? Is Ashwin going to draw on his former stance and cut spending instead of increase it? How do you know what each of the candidates will really do? Who has a track record? Are you even considering these points or are you blinded by zealous support?
tonka dfl’er,
Actually, yes. I have participated in her screening with the DFL Veterans Caucus and have it from the source. I have also attended multiple forums and heard her speak on the issue. Not impressed. I’m not obsessing. I am informing you that she is unprepared for the issue.
No, the GOP does not have a good track record on veterans issues. That is why there are veterans in the DFL.
I hope he doesn’t vote to cut defense spending. I would assume that he would educate himself on defense spending. I would hope that if by some off chance that Terri were to be nominated and elected that she, too, would be educable and not vote to cut defense spending.
One of the myths of the anti-war crowd is that defense spending has to be cut. Wrong. Couldn’t be more wrong. Defense spending needs to stay at the current level or be increased.
What these anti-defense spending people do not recognize and what Ash has spoken about intelligently is that the US has taken many of our National Guard troops and their materiel to Iraq and Afghanistan for tours of duty. When our troops return home, their materiel is left behind. Their communications gear, their transportation, their birds, etc. Everything is left behind because of damage of the environment there. When our National Guard and our active duty arrive home they arrive home to decimated military bases with no materiel with which to perform their functions in our national defense - flood relief such as communication during Katrina, border security patrol such as after 9/11, etc. Additionally, our military materiel is aging and not so gracefully. Our P-3 Orion fleet is so old a complete contingent can’t be kept in the sky at all time. These are known more commonly as hurricane hunters and are also used for recon from other duty bases. These are early 1960’s era planes being flown today. Our F-15’s are mostly grounded. We need an infusion of cash into our defense budget to build next generation defense weapon and materiel. MRAP’s are also behind in production to protect our troops. I could go on and on. It’s incumbent upon voters to educate themselves on how the military works, what it actually does - it’s not only offense -it’s truly homeland defense and what is actually covered under the defense budget. Cut the money off, stop the war. It’s stupidity.
You are the one who needs to educate yourself. I’m not a blindly zealous supporter. My decision not to support Bonoff came months before I ever heard of Madia.
“Defense spending needs to stay at the current level or be increased.”
I completely disagree. It doesn’t make me ignorant, I have different priorities. Yes, we will have to rebuild the military and the National Guard, but I don’t support a conventional army sized to fight the cold war, army against army.
Those are not the threats that we face today and I would rather build roads, schools, fund retirements, lower medical costs, you name it. Our military spending is way beyond any other country both in dollars and as a percent of GDP. I don’t want to fund nor live in a militaristic, nationalistic society obsessed with fear and danger. There are some lovely countries already doing that Northeast of Europe and I don’t prefer that lifestyle.
It sounds like you want to raise taxes because if you want to spend all of that money on “national defense” you will need to find a new revenue source. We already have deficit spending and a huge national debt.
How are we going to pay for this brave new world?
The problem is that many items are rolled up into “defense” spending that people don’t realize. If you start taking out the “defense” items that people don’t want to disagree with and realize that there is a co-mingling of purpose between defense and education (i.e., the math and science push toward educating our future generations to compete in this economy and move our standings up from the basement in the TIMMS studies internationally) then you’ll understand that “defense” needs to be funded. No one would argue that we need hurricane hunters and National Guard troops to assist with floods and disasters yet their efforts are seriously hampered when calls to “cut defense spending” are bandied about. No one questions that we need Coast Guard boats, planes, troops to defense our coastlines yet they are in danger when “defense spending” is cut. etc.
I would raise money (your revenue source) by ending Bush’s war, finishing the job in Afghanistan, charging those countries for defense for whom we provide security (i.e., the Koreas and several European countries with bases) and use the funds saved to invest in reinvigorating our military defenses and investing in research and development for the future. If we begin to actually require our children to learn math and science at a level where they can compete with students from other countries for high tech jobs, we will also boost our economy and end our high tech outsourcing. Right now a student graduating from most high schools in this country can’t compete with graduates from foreign high schools in math, science and engineering. It’s a very sad reality.
It’s not a brave new world. It’s our world and we do need to protect our borders and protect ourselves. It’s the most basic charge of the government and our president. I disagree with almost everything GWBush has ever done since coming into office and think the next president will have to work hard to rebuild our face in the world around us.
WMD, I agree - the way Boy Blunder And The Plunderers have decimated the military, it’s going to cost MORE going forward; not less.
The costs to rebuild National Guard and Reserve units are staggering. And they aren’t optional - unless reducing the capacity to respond to natural disasters, as well as future security threats, are optional.
“I disagree with almost everything GWBush has ever done since coming into office and think the next president will have to work hard to rebuild our face in the world around us.”
Hey! we agree on this!!
tonka dfl’er - too funny!
I was trying not to be an absolutist on that comment. I left room open, just in case. There might, just might, be something I’ve agreed with him on. Can’t remember it at this point in time, but I’m not ruling it out.
I am very happy to announce on this blog that Ashwin Madia has won the ENDORSEMENT OF THE COMMUNICATION WORKERS OF AMERICA LOCAL 7200 !! This follows the ENDORSEMENT OF UNITED AUTO WORLKERS STATE CAP COUNCIL AND TEAMSTERS LOCAL 120!!!!!
In a press release, Ashwin Madia says
“Working families deserve a representative who will look the big corporate-special interests in the eye and say ‘no,’” Madia said. “That’s the type of congressman I’ll be.”
The Ten Greatest Moments in Conservative History at the U
Number Ten; Jigar Madia elected MSA president in 1997.
The Minnesota Student Association is the self-proclaimed student government at the U, it has existed for about a half century. The last time an openly Republican candidate was elected president of MSA was in 1960. Ever since then Republican candidates for the spot have either hidden their affiliation and refused official endorsement or they have lost. In the mid-1990’s the College Republicans created a sister group called “Students Against Fee Excess†or SAFE for short. SAFE fought for reduced student fees, and their endorsement served as a politically friendly proxy for the College Republicans. After a few years of trying a SAFE endorsed candidate finally claimed victory in 1997 in the form of Jigar Madia. Jigar was the only SAFE endorsed candidate to ever win the spot. In the years since then only one other candidate has promised a policy of reforming fees, and that is the present MSA president Max Page. Page is also a former (and present?) UDFL chairman.
Number Nine; Students for Family Values receives fees funding in 1995.
Students for Family Values (SFV) was formed by a group of social conservatives in 1993 and for a very long time it was the only independent conservative group at the U. It faced dozens of established and well funded liberal groups, most of which got their funding through mandatory student services fees. When SFV applied for and received fees it laid the groundwork for all the conservative groups to follow. Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow, the Campus Conservative Cultural Programs and the Minnesota Republic all follow in the footsteps of the original SFV group. Does this mean that fees are fairly allocated? Absolutely not, there are still constitutional issues with how fees are passed out on this campus but at least now conservatives have a small voice.
http://minnesotaconservatives.wikispaces.com/10 Greatest U of M Moments
Jigar Ashwin Madia managed to get elected president of the Minnesota Student Association by hiding his young republican membership and affiliation by calling himself a SAFE candidate!
What does Jigar Ashwin Madia claim on his resume as president? that he helped reduce student fees. What he fails to reveal is the student fees he helped to reduce were for groups like La Raza Student Cultural Center and The Queer Student Cultural Center.
This opt-out of fees brought about by Madia and his homophobe friends was brought about because some people believe their religious rights are being tromped on by being forced to support the GLBT community. This action taken by Madia and clan put such groups in jeopardy of not having sufficient funds to maintain the group.
Yet, liberal students help fund through fees the Minnesota Republic, a conservative news paper which first published the article by Andrade and his listing of Jigar Madia’s election as part of his top ten picks of conservative accomplishments.
Want to know who loves Jigar and the work he did at the U of MN? google Marty Andrade the author of the above article and you will find an extreme right conservative. Madia claims he was a confused moderate republican.
What a fine disguise this role is to get someone who worked against GLBT issues and now he is for diversity.
http://www.mndaily.com/daily/1998/04/29/news/msa/
http://www.mndaily.com/daily/1998/01/07/news/msgrad/
http://www.mndaily.com/daily/1998/05/13/news/jigar/
Ruth,
This is over and done. I’m sorry you can’t advocate for your candidate. Can’t you find anything positive to say about Terri? Or, is this the only method of advocating that her whole campaign has? So far it’s all I’ve seen. No one is pro-Terri, they are all anti-Ash. Even Terri’s latest letter! She can’t tell us one positive thing about herself but she can attempt to drag up 12 year old letters written while in college to trash her opponent. Time for Bonoff to drop out gracefully. She might need a dictionary to recognize that word and understand it but it might help her save her senate seat.
You like to claim you know me but the only way you do is by admitting that Madia and his campaign broke the Rules in Eden Prairie! That is he only clue as to who I am. So you are saying Jigar Ashwin Madia broke the Rules by entering the Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer sub-caucus when the floor was frozen?
I was a student at the University of Minnesota at the time these fees changed. It was the role of the University to do damage control so these groups could remain viable. Don’t dismiss it as no big deal. I heard it first hand!
While Jigar was in college he worked against diversity groups such as La Raza Student Cultural Center and The Queer Student Cultural Center.
What did I do while in college? I went on the AIDS walk to help raise money for AIDS patients and research. It isn’t about pretty speeches; it is about what you do with your life that makes you a democrat!
Jigar Madia hid behind the SAFE label but was really a republican. If he distorted the truth then to get elected, how do we know he is being honest now?
That is why I support Senator Terri Bonoff, she has worked for my issues and her record speaks for her. She has been a life long democrat and she cares about the values I do. If you want to hear more about Terri go to http://www.terribonoff.com/
Ruth Koran. Please give it a rest. We will eventually have to come together as democrats to win in November and your venomous posts are only going to isolate you from this race.
We have seen how your zeal can get in the way of logic (SD 43, ‘the count’) but please for your sake and the sake of the party, give it a rest. You are not only doing the party a disservice, but Terri as well.
I feel sorry for you. I have witnessed first hand how Ash and his family accept his brother who is openly gay. I, too, have spoken with the state AAO (Megan Thomas) who knew Ash back then in college and is supportive of his candidacy now. Some people grow up, learn and change. As the mother of a gay son, I am very involved in the GLBT community and know very well that Ash is well respected.
Madia/Bonoff race on C-Span today:
C-Span this morning.
You can find it at
http://www.c-span.org/videoarchives.asp?CatCodePairs=,&ArchiveDays=100
Click on the 4th program down,
David Wasserman, Cook political Report, House Editor.
javascript:playClip(clip35497).
With Real Player on, go to 55:00.
Wasserman begins to talk about the 3rd Congressional Race.
He describes Terry as the establishment democrat, more classical liberal.
He describes Ash as the candidate with a compelling personal story, his
parents, student class president, serving in Iraq
The race is being decided by a series of caucuses on the SD level that
Madia is winning. Terry is counting on the super delegates, the elected
officials to decide the race.,“‘Beginning to sound to familiar? It is a
lot like the Hillary Obama race, but Madia’s personal story is raising
the relevance of Iraq as an issue in that race.”
I will not be too concerned whether you come together with me or not when I am out delivering literature for Terri Bonoff for congress. I have been the only person in my neighborhood to do it for years. Your ludicrous statements that Senator Bonoff is the “establishment” candidate are farcical. She is a new fresh face in the DFL and has worked hard to earn the respect of the party. she has won twice in a district that elects republicans. You don’t just walk in and pretend to be something you are not!
Jigar pretended to be a non-republican in college by hiding behind the SAFE label. He then helped to create the opt-out for student fees for the GLBT groups at the U of MN. This has more to do with a character issue.
If he has truly changed, then I would like him to openly admit his past and apologize! Do remember that apologies mean changing ones ways! I have been given apologies by Cam and Virat for their insults but they continue to be rude!
Again, insult me all you want! I am used to being insulted by the Madia campaign. It is funny how your first interaction with me was to insult me numerous times and now you say, let’s get along! Well, you should have thought about getting along before you started.
Breaking the Rules of the DFL and insulting people does not make you welcome in CD3. I am nice to nice people.
In the spirit of niceness… father Madia has never insulted me.
“You like to claim you know me but the only way you do is by admitting that Madia and his campaign broke the Rules in Eden Prairie!”
Why would anyone have to admit he broke the rules to know who you are? You said in a previous thread, anyone could identify you because you were the one who claimed at SD42 that the rules were broken. Others have identified who that was. They don’t need to admit that rules were violated to say I know who claimed they were violated.
WFIMH,
I have no horse in this race. I am an independent who knows little about either candidate and does not live in the district. While both sides in this debate have had their low points you steal the show. You represent to me the absolute antithesis of the qualities which made me respect Wellstone even when I disagreed with him. Your narrow minded sanctimonious boarder line racist attitude is truly sickening.
To claim that anybody that disagrees with you on a subject needs to apologize before you recognize them as a Democrat is the height of arrogance. To automatically assume that they are a homophobic lier is simply bigotry.
Everything you have posted has shown you to be anything but a nice person. You have done your cause a great disservice and continue to do nothing complimentary with the Wellstone name.
Maybe we should change the name of this thread to,”We love the closet Republican, anti-union, gay basher that is fooling some that he is a Democrat now support page”?
What is ridiculous is that this thread is meant for discussion, not if you oppose Jigar you are a hater. I am appauled by the fact that if you disagree with his candidacy you are accused of being one of Bonoff’s campaign workers, why is that? Can’t someone just disagree with you Plymouth and West Side without that accusation?
Bottom line Jigar is a candidate that has shown in the past that he has opposite views to the Democratic party. What is wrong with some of us questioning the fact that it is a little suspicious that he has done a 180 on everything? Or that he has never given a public apology to resind his former views? No, all he does is say that it is cheap to bring up his past.
Also Jigar fans, if you think this is tough, wait till the general election, that’s if you happen to win in the primary. The general election will bring ten times as much mudslinging as this one. If Jigar can’t take the heat now, maybe politics isn’t for him. Please, save the story about “nobody likes negative campaigns”. I’ve been involved in many races through the last 25 years, like it or not more times then not negative campaigns can win campaigns. It’s not that they are negative, maybe it’s because sometimes it exposes people to the truth about a candidate. In this case it’s that JIgar is a Republican fooling some Democrats that he has changed……..EXPOSED!
Point of information: when have I ever accused someone of being a Bonoff staffer?
Quite the contrary, until yesterday’s mailing by Bonoff, I couldn’t have imagined some of the rhetoric on this board could have come from an actual staffer of a campaign. Now, after seeing Bonoff parroting some of those same baseless claims, I’m not sure anymore.
Okay, this is getting out of hand. And not just that fact that I am, again, in agreement with KH (which should tell you all something).
These are two excellent candidates. One has a light, but very appealing, resume, and is a very smart lawyer. The other is more polished, more experienced, and would also likely do a great job in the US Congress.
And unless we are now tattooing party affiliations on our foreheads, never to be changed, this is all just nuts, absolutely nuts. Who the heck hasn’t changed their mind since college? Several (now) very straight-laced friends of mine had purple-hair in college! Good God, are we talking about political parties or hereditary castes here! People’s minds change. They can admit they were wrong. It is not a crime.
Also, lets call a horse a horse. Plenty of people go by their middle names. It’s nothing new or shocking. You can call him whatever you like, but the man’s name is Ash, and your motives for not using his name should, and have been questioned.
Ash’s supporters have to acknowledge his weakness. It’s a very light record, for someone very new to politics. Bonoff’s have to acknowledge hers: in the age of easy information, she has built some (but certainly not all) or her public persona on Clinton like shadings and smoke. (Unlike Clinton, she has paid her dues). Those are serious enough things to think about, in a district that is still R 1.
Union Man,
Are you saying Terri will go back on her word about running in a primary? She is on record in writing stating she will not run in a primary. Do you have information that she will go against her word?
I’d hate to see her change her mind. It would destroy the sanity of her supporters apparently because people aren’t allowed to change their minds in her group. Or….is that only for Ash Madia?
Also, note above - the C-Span note was cut and paste from a news feed. That is not my analysis of the race nor the comments on the race (nor the misspelling of Terri Bonoff’s name).
Let me ask one question. Just when are dues paid? Terri was an involved mom working to correct the situation in her public schools. Great. Lots of parents do this. She ran for the US senate in a special election, won and finished out one year. She ran for re-election and just a few months later decides to launch her run for congress. When are dues paid? How are dues paid? Is it by serving your country? Is it by serving in the state senate for less than a full term? Is it working as an attorney in public practice for less than a year before deciding to run for congress?
Who decides? Who determines that one person has paid their dues and one hasn’t? I thought that was what this election was about. I thought that was what the delegates were running to determine. Looks to me like most have decided that Ash has paid his dues and deserves to take on Erik Paulsen.
And, trust me, UM, I know what a GE looks like. You’re right. This is a piece of cake. The difference is - in the GE you are running against someone ideologically and not just someone sniping and tossing mud. I have no fear that Ash Madia can handle the GE.
WOW — that Unity party being hosted by the 3rd CD for all of us delegates and alternates looks to be very interesting!
How are we ever supposed to come together as a party to beat a republican in November with all of this sniping?
So Union Man and WIMHF, what are you going to do if Ashwin Madia wins the endorsement? Work against him?! Campaign for Erik Paulsen?! Go home and rant at your computer?!
What would Paul Wellstone do?!
I know — he would focus on issues and call for unity. He would and did run on the positives. He would be party loyal.
The republicans must love you both!
I have been reading these posts but never felt the need to put my two cents in. But I guess I might be able to add a little to the discussion. First and foremost, I like both candidates. I think Terri Bonoff has a great track record. I think she seems like a very nice lady. I think she would do a great job representing the third district. I have been to the debates and her experience clearly illustrates that she is a hard worker and committed to public service. I appreciate that while she has never been to Iraq, she does her homework and as she put it, “relies on the experts.†The fact that she has so much support from the superdelegates shows that many elected officials have confidence in her as a candidate. Her fundraising totals are impressive and I do think that she would have a great shot at beating Paulsen in the general election. I think one of Terri’s downfalls is that she simply cannot campaign to the extent Ashwin can, because she is busy working as a state senator.
I also think Ashwin Madia is a great candidate. I admittedly am biased, as I am a lawyer, but I find his education very impressive. NYU law school is nothing to scoff at. He also has an amazing ability to debate the issues, and equally importantly, he is willing to listen to all sides of an issue before coming to a thoughtful conclusion. I think he is a born leader, yet he completely lacks arrogance. I am impressed with his experience in Iraq. I think helping set up the rule of law in Iraq, working with the UN, the EU and reporting to top generals speaks worlds about his leadership and personal experience with foreign policy. As far as the prior post that demeans his experience setting up a rule of law in a country where the law is beheading people, well that seems off-base. Ashwin was working to set up a constitutional framework to stabilize a country, to move away from religious extremism that is not the government accepted rule of law in that country.
As far as the discussion about Ashwin representing a gay marine, well I don’t think his participation in this should be minimized. Even when you are assigned a case, you must make a decision as to how vehemently you wish to fight a fight. I have no doubt that many other attorneys, who had less conviction about the issue would simply counsel the marine to take a deal and bow out gracefully. Ashwin did not do this, and I respect that.
I also think his position on Iraq is the most democratic. I understand that this is supposed to be one of his more moderate issues, but to me it seems very democratic to acknowledge that we have a moral obligation to prevent a civil war in this country.
I have read a lot of posts on here questioning Ashwin’s past, his previous political affiliation. The posts seem to suggest that Ashwin is running for office to further a self-interested personal agenda, to wield power. They also suggest he was a bit of a conservative nut in undergraduate school. This is something I can speak to directly. I knew Ashwin in college. He was my resident advisor. While Ashwin was not my best friend, I considered him to be extraordinarily hard working. He was not a party-er. He was just a nice guy, a little nerdy, who was nice to EVERYONE. He was in no way shape or form a homophobe. Honestly, he was the kind of guy that you didn’t really believe was capable of a mean thought or word about anyone. He was always studying and volunteering and if you ever needed anything he was happy to help. I am familiar with the conservative fanaticism that a lot of you seem to be worried about. While I don’t know how Ashwin felt about most issues when he was a republican, I can tell you with confidence that he was in no way mean spirited. He would never disparage or judge someone based on their religion, race or sexual orientation. I know there are a lot of other things you might question, and you should challenge your candidates, but I just wanted to let you know, that those need not be deciding factors in your decision as to what candidate to endorse.
Best of luck to both candidates and all of you working hard to get them elected.
munchkinmom,
As far as supporting Jigar if he wins the endorsement, I don’t know at this point. I would like to say that I would support him because he has the DFL endorsement, but I consider my vote a very important aspect of me that needs to be earned. It’s like respect, it can’t just be handed to someone it needs to be earned.
I really think that Terri Bonoff is going to be able block his endorsement. If that is the case, I think she wins the primary. Look, I still believe she can get through this if her campaign does the right things. I would like for them to be a little more aggressive on the issues of Jigar’s past. People that I have spoken to had no idea about his former positions, because he never mentions them to anyone when he screens for endorsement.
If Jigar was such a viable candidate, he would have more endorsements. I’m not saying that the unions that have endorsed him have no strength, it’s just that there are many more that have either not endorsed him or have gone to Bonoff. I know in a post yesterday he apparently received the endorsement from CWA, but again they are a small union compared to the other large ones like the Teamsters and SEIU. As a matter of fact, two of the largest four unions have endorsed Bonoff and even with the recent CWA endorsement she still has over a 3-1 advantage on total membership by endorsed unions.
My guess is that the unions that have endorsed her will be able to put people in the field to assist on Bonoff’s field campaign. They will also be able to contribute $5,000 each to her primary race from their PAC money.
As far as the labor vote, don’t underestimate it. From the numbers that my union has in the CD, it can make a big difference. Remember, in the last Presidential cycle, unions represented about 28% of the total Minnesota votes. Now that doesn’t include family members and friends that unions members influence on their votes. So the power unions have is unbelievable. Also, union members vote for their unions endorsed candidates 83% of the time.
Again, get the numbers from the press releases and add them up. Bonoff has over 90,000 members compared to Jigars 25,000 or so. I know not all of them live in the CD, but statistically, the numbers would be higher for Terri then Jigar.
I would suggest that if what you wsay were true, then Bonoff would have won far more delegates. If all of those union members you speak of were so active in this race, then they would have been participating in the democratic process, attended caucuses, gone to conventions and supported your candidate.
The reality is that they did not, so what guarantee do you have that they will show up now?
Ashwin Madia won 10 of the senate districts easily. He won roughly half of Bonoff’s home district, emphasizing the fact that half of SD 43 does not support her and she should be very worried about her state senate seat at this point.
I disagree with you on a point. Madia has been very honest and up front about his distant past. You just haven’t paid attention. He has spoken about it, written about it and it is on his website. Always has been. I would also ask you since you are holding such a high bar for Madia, have you or anyone reading this post ever voted for Jim Ramstad, Republican? Since he won the last election with about 67%,and that was his lowest winning percent over the years, I would say that lots of democrats have voted for a republican and been comfortable with that. I do not think a democratic candidate that was once a republican but has changed his views bothers too many people. Madia changed his views, has worked for democratic campaigns, and I believe him when he says he holds my values dear.
If you really want to educate yourself, then go to the DFL Vets Caucus website and read the quetionaires that the candidates answered. Look at the difference between the answers of Madia and Bonoff. There is quite a contrast. Bonoff uses talking points and Madia answers the questions fully.
Today, people like David Brooks are calling for Hillary Clinton to wind down her campaign, discuss the issues she cares about, get through the next couple of primaries and exic gracefully before she damages the democratic party beyond redemption. Terri Bonoff should consider doing the same thing. Her behavior and the behavior of her supporters is hurting the party, all of the incumbents also running this fall, and all of the new candidates trying to win a seat for the first time.
Bonoff has no chance to win the delegates she needs for an endorsement, and a fall primary will give the November election to Erik Paulsen. At some point, if you are a democrat, then you need to begin thinking about the good of the party.
As for those unions not offering endorsements at this time, they just might be seeing how backing a losing candidate could hurt their endorsement process, and are waiting before sticking their necks out. I also do not believe all of those union members will now vote for Erik Paulsen if Bonoff doesn’t win the endorsement, either.
And as for blocking an endorsement, the only way I can see Bonoff doing that is through dirty tricks, like trying to change the rules for the convention, or by trying to change the constitution, or by getting rid of the endorsement committee, or by changing the nomination process, or even perhaps by top ending the credentials committee with her own supporters. And let’s not forget the trashy emails and snail mail she has sent out recently. Madia does not do that, and has not done that during his campaign. Maybe that is why he is so popular.
Oh — she is already trying to do all of that….how about trying to play fair so at the end of the day we can all come together as democrats and get behind our endorsed candidate to beat Paulsen in a general election?!
“As far as supporting Jigar if he wins the endorsement, I don’t know at this point. … I really think that Terri Bonoff is going to be able block his endorsement. ”
Wow. Not to mention, sad.
But, at least truthful.
I was hoping to see CD-3 in DFL hands at least once during my lifetime, though.
Those of you who like to throw the insults at me by calling me names are translucent! I started coming on this blog because I heard there were Madia trolls on here posting lies and distortions on what was happening at conventions.
My first encounter with members of the Madia campaign was to be attacked and insulted for pointing out their direct Rules violations of the convention in SD42. I was insulted and treated disrespectfully by Cam Winton, Jigar’s main man. Not only was I shocked by their breaking the Rules but they continued to attempt to communicate with the frozen sub-caucus of Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer. Cam had to be asked to stop communicating with the sub-caucus more than once. The second time he was pulled out, he insulted me again because he was mad at me for catching him.
The campaign has made a habit of hiding the past of Jigar Ashwin Madia and have played dirty tricks and made nasty comments. So when I read that Madia has run a good campaign, I ask by whose standards?
The people on this blog continue to call me names. I am a racist, a bigot and whatever. This is the most ridiculous nonsense I have heard. I have been a democrat all my life and worked for the disadvantaged all my life. I have not hidden my political affiliation, I am proud of my party and my past.
I have never worked to take away funding for GLBT groups, but have worked for their rights and programs. Again, if Jigar Madia has changed his past views, then admit them, stop hiding from them and make a public apology! Your name calling only confirms my belief that the Madia people aren’t nice (father Madia excluded).
Beyond that I support Terri Bonoff because she can win. I have worked many elections for multiple candidates. I believe in winning! Senator Bonoff has proven she can win. This race is going to be tough. Any candidate we endorse is going to have a very difficult time against Erik Paulson, to minimize this is ignorant. Erik Paulson has a lot of experience and working families in CD3 want someone who is going to be prepared for the job. Terri has the experience to get their vote.
While Madia has served our country in Japan and Iraq, great! The number one issue with Americans is the Economy! That means jobs, the mortgage crisis, credit card interest out of control, and the falling value of the dollar. Madia’s limited life and work experience is going to be a huge point Erik Paulson will have against Madia, should he be the candidate. Being an Iraq veteran has not proven to be a winning strategy in the past. Ms. Duckworth of Illinois is an example of an extraordinary veteran who lost her legs in combat, worked for veterans affairs, ran for congress, gained national attention and lost. This woman is a mother, a wife of a man who is now back in Iraq and truly remarkable!
It will take a huge amount of money to run. It may be a shallow issue but reality is the bottom line and money will help determine who wins. Madia has raised less that half the amount Bonoff has. While Madia has raised only 51% in the state of MN and Bonoff has raised 97% in MN. The CD3 election and money plays a big roll in the state as it is a rich district. We don’t want to nominate someone who can’t even raise money in his or her district when the district is rich.
For a breakdown of the statistics go to the link below. Please note to all of you Jigar Ashwin Madia trolls that the FEC has Madia listed as Jigar Ashwin Madia as that is his name. Calling people racists for referring to people by the same name their parents do is silly. Racism is real and a problem is this world. We live in a world full of haters and we need not marginalize racism by making accusations that are without merit.
http://www.fec.gov
Your posts are obnoxious! How rude to continue to call someone by a name they do not wish to have publically used.
We were ALL given names by our parents, and we all were called cute things when we were young. It is absolutely disrespectful and tacky to continue with this game of calling Ashwin Madia anything but what he asks to be called by.
Ash is not ashamed of his name, he simply goes by his middle name as an adult. I guess you have an issue with all of the doctors and lawyers who go by their middle names as well.
Oh — and I guess Sean, one of the moderators of this site used to be a republican. Should we commence trashing Sean?!
How sad…Ruth.
And by the way, if you want to keep talking abiout candidate dirty tricks then maybe you should have been at SD41’s convention, where Terri Bonoff was out in the middle of the gymnasium floor during the first sub-caucus walk talking to people. Along with her was Jane Kay, one of her outspoken supporters right out there in the middle of a sub-caucus.
And, a Bonoff staffer was on a 14 foot ladder holding a subcaucus sign for people to gather under.
None of these people are residents of SD41, and campaign workers were supposed to always have one hand on the gymnasium wall.
Lots of people saw this unscrupulous behavior. Cheating and physical intimidation did not help Bonoff win, though.
The Madia people stayed on the wall, and Ash himself was not even in the gym. I know because I was there and saw it for myself.
Frankly, I have asked people about your claims, and been told by numerous people that they are baseless.
Thanks to ‘Other District’ for sharing your experience from ‘ancient history’ of J. Ashwin Madia as a U of M college student.
I really think that Terri Bonoff is going to be able block his endorsement. If that is the case, I think she wins the primary. Look, I still believe she can get through this if her campaign does the right things. I would like for them to be a little more aggressive on the issues of Jigar’s past. People that I have spoken to had no idea about his former positions, because he never mentions them to anyone when he screens for endorsement. — Union Man
Well Union Man, maybe it’s because most screenings for endorsement do not begin with “Tell us what you did as a teenager and college student … ” or is that how you do union endorsement screenings? ‘Former positions’ are apparently your focus for discussions with people interested in the CD3 race.
Thanks for sharing your perspective with us on how unions can support a candidate to the General Election when their endorsed candidate has pledged to abide by the party endorsement.
As far as what Captain Madia, USMC did to help set up the rule of law in Iraq, I don’t think it had anything to do with punishments for adultery or theft - I think that was all established centuries (or a millennium) before he set foot in Iraq.
I think what he did was work with Iraqis to establish their processes for dealing with detainees so the U.S. could get out of that business. As most of you recall, the U.S. did not do that too well in Iraq, and the negative publicity was detrimental to our credibility as a supporter of human rights around the world.
Anyone been to Abu Gahrib (sp?) prison lately? Who’s in charge, Americans or Iraqis?
For those of you interested in Rule of Law and only minutes away from U of M and reading up to the minutes updates of this blog:
Expert on military law talks about the legality of torture:
from MinnPost: http://www.minnpost.com/sharonschmickle/2008/03/25/1267/expert_on_military_law_talks_about_the_legality_of_torture
Rear Admiral John D. Hutson served as the Navy’s judge advocate general from 1997 to 2000. Now retired from the military, he is the president and dean of Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, New Hampshire. He is in Minneapolis to speak Wednesday at the University of Minnesota Law School. His lecture, open to the public, is scheduled for 12:15 — 1:20 p.m. in room 65 of Walter F. Mondale Hall, 229-19th Ave. S., Minneapolis.
Virtually Speakinig,
As far as the endorsement process by unions, the past does have a deciding factor. We look at several issues and some being,
-What has the candidate done for labor?
Jigar: not a thing but speak out against an organizing drive.
-How does the candidate stand on the issues?
Jigar: In his questionnaire that I saw, it is very basic and it is obvious that he has been coached.
-What are the candidates commitments to our members?
Jigar: there is nothing different in his answers compared to Bonoff’s.
In the questionnaire there is an array of different questions, but in his packet it included Bonoff’s voting record. Please, don’t try and fool everyone that he has run a totally clean positive campaign because he spoke very negative about her, yet did not once bring up his past positions. I have a problem with that, and many other did too. It’s easy to criticize person’s votes when you have none, but even more deceiving when you don’t mention your past. Ironically when someone does mention his past, it is dismissed as cheap and old news. That’s kind of a double standard, wouldn’t you say?
Where is this information posted for all to see?
As members of the DFL Veterans Caucus, the questionaires and answers are still posted for everyone to see and read.
I would like to see the questionaires and the offensive answers you speak of. Otherwise, since you do not tell us what union you belong to how can anyone confirm your story?
We don’t want a cut and paste, either. Give us a public website.
Union Man:
How do you feel about the Madia campaign purchasing Fruit of the Loom t-shirts that were manufactured in sweatshops of Honduras and El Salvador? Do you feel this represents DFL values to NOT buy products with the “Made in the USA” label. How are we going to fix this economy and lower the unemployment rate when candidates purchase items from sweatshops?
I do believe the “Economy” is the #1 issue of Americans.
T-Shirt Sweatshops
Central America Exploited
An assembly-line of 15 workers has to make 15 t-shirts every 3 minutes, producing 3,400 shirts each day for US$7 per worker - a paltry 3 cents per shirt.
http://internationaltrade.suite101.com/article.cfm/t_shirt_sweatshops
WFIMH,
From a union printshop….Seven Corners. You are a broken record. Can’t you even come up with one thing to post positively about your candidate?
How incredibly sad.
Fruit of the Loom manufactured in El Salvador and Honduras, look at the label West Metro Dem!
Look up Fruit of the Loom and see where they are manufactured if you don’t have one!
I have one manufactured in Honduras a friend was given and saw one with the El Salvador label.
Note: Purchased from a union print shop - Seven Corners. Get over yourself.
WFIMH - do you own only items made in US? Did you go through your closet and house? The computer you are using is not made in USA, for sure.
newbie….too funny! Of course she didn’t. Ruth only cares about one or two things. The funniest thing - at the SD43 convention, Bonoff’s little scheduler - pouty little blond - sat in the chairs out front complaining about the foreign made t-shirts all afternoon, bitterly. She sat there in her imported $150 jeans and imported tennis shoes complaining over a t-shirt purchased from a union printshop. There’s no perspective from the Bonoff people.
Newbie — Welcome to the post!
Now that you have met Ruth Koran, you have to meet Union Man, who originally claimed to be a superdelegate but fails to substantiate anything.
I keep waiting to see anything positive posted about Bonoff from her supporters, but they don’t seem to have anything nice to say about her. All they do is write trash about the opposition.
My Mom, bless her, taught me that trash is as trash does.
I guess it has come full circle now and we are back to reading rants about shirts, college activities, and what people respectfully wish to be called instead of the issues of the day.
By the way, go to MINNPOST and read the latest by
Doug Grow. Interesting commentary about that letter Terri Bonoff sent out yesterday. So far no one in the media has approved of the contents. That letter only helped Ashwin Madia!
Let me tell you about the options of using made in the USA products. I have many things that I have had printed at Seven Corners. You are always asked what kind of product and quality you would like, how much your budget is and if you want a “made in the USA” product. As a union member, knowing that there is an option of using products made in the USA, we always choose the Made in the USA way.
My guess is that whoever ordered the shirts from Seven Corners didn’t care where the products were made and looked at the overall cost. That is the fundamental difference in being pro-union. If Jigar were always a pro-union person, he would’ve known to make sure that shirts that he would be passing out would be made in the USA.
As far as Newbie’s comment about the computer: if there is an option to buy American, then one should. Unfortunately many times one can’t buy American because there are no Americans producing those products anymore. In these cases, as consumers we have no choice.
With that being said, does anyone know what kind of car Jigar drives? I really seriously don’t know. Is it an American car? How many of you drive a “made in America†car? Being a true American starts with buying American!
I drive a made in the USA car - Ford Escape - complete with union sticker on the front windshield. I do know that Terri arrived at her convention at SD43 in an Audi. Ash arrived in a Ford Taurus. I don’t know who owns either car. Just interesting, eh?
For those bloggers who like to drop names and call names perhaps you would like to identify yourselves. Or if you like perhaps I could just list some names of people who blog on here.
You only reduce yourselves by acting the way you do. As I said, I started on here because Madia broke the DFL Convention Rules and his people lied on here and then the venomous hate came out of their mouths.
Try very hard to be nice.
WFIMY,
I do believe you need to look in the mirror and remove the 2x4 off of your shoulder. The insults are coming from you. Stop trashing J. Ashwin Madia and no one will comment back.
How about a new name — Congressman J. Ashwin Madia. Maybe that will be a little easier. I know I will like it!
As for those American cars, can you guarantee that every single part in those cars was made in America?!
And I am still waiting for you to address the fact that Terri Bonoff arrived at the SD 43 Convention in an AUDI. Ash drives a FORD TAURUS.
And those shirts you speak of were probably made in the Marianna Islands in SWEAT SHOPS and labeled MADE IN AMERICA. Already explained in an much earlier post, but I am sure our Moderator can re-explain it for you if you like.
So who really supports MADE IN AMERICA?!
Again I ask you to start addressing the issues that matter.
Again my point, if you don’t support Jigar on this thread, you are trashed for not doing so. Give me a break! This is a free country and the beauty of it is that we not all have to or are forced to think alike. Be grateful for that, I am.
All I can say is that I don’t know what kind of car Bonoff drives. I was really asking if someone knew what kind of car Jigar drives is all. If Jigar drives an American car, great. If Terri drives a foreign car, shame on her.
As far as the comment of “so who really supports made in America” by Southwest Dem, I DO AND SO SHOULD YOU! Who knows the next job lost to a bad trade deal may be yours.
As for addressing the issues, I’m not the candidate here, Jigar is. I have sent an email to him regarding some concerning issues, and he has yet to respond. Is that really what we need in Congress? Someone that can’t even respond to a simple email. I HOPE NOT!
Why isn’t my Fruit of the Loom T-shirt made in USA?
Good God. Who cares what kind of car each candidate arrived in.
Do you realize how silly you all sound?
Because prior to the passing of GAT, WTO, NAFTA, CAFTA and all other bad trade deals, you could not import finished clothing into the United States. Now you can so these companies have sent all of the manufacturing to countries that have cheap labor costs, no environmental protections, child labor laws and so on. The bottom line, we as consumers have allowed it because we continue to buy the products.
The breaking down of trade barriers is what many of these politicians claim is good for us. Ask the 3 plus million people in the manufacturing industry alone if it is good for them, my guess is they won’t agree. We need trade deals that work for workers, and our environment.
FTAA would be what is referred to as NAFTA on steroids. It would include every country in our hemisphere. It would also include “trade in services”, which means that our public water systems could be taken over by a foreign investor that would not have to comply with our environmental or labor standards because it would be a so called barrier to trade.
This is just one of many issues that our next Congress member will decide on. Trade is a serious issue, that needs serious attention with an experienced Legislator that knows the issue. My feeling is that Bonoff represents that experience.
Union Man,
I hope you hold Paulsen to that same high standard. I’ve lived in his district and have never received anything but a form email from him. He’s been in office for 12 years.
Still don’t have anything positive to say about Bonoff? Only trashing Ash…..
DTM,
I happened to be sitting near the door is the only reason I know what cars the candidates arrived in……otherwise I wouldn’t have had a clue. It just doesn’t interest me. This thread is almost like a political game of trivial pursuit.
Union Man, you asked a leading question hoping to get the answer you wanted to hear — that Ashwin Madia drives an imported car. Guess the answer was not what you wanted, and you definitely did not want to hear that your candidate rides around in an Audi.
You have trashed Madia for days now, and when you can’t accept a reality about Bonoff, all of the sudden you are being disparaged for your opinion.
Try having a real discussion of issues, instead of the elementary bickering that has been going on for days here.
You bring nothing new to the table.
Thanks for the clarification, WMD. I was getting worried.
I would never vote for Paulson….give me a break!
Out of the District, thank you for your post. While trying to decide which candidate to support before the district convention, I talked to both candidates and I, too, was very impressed with the thorough and thoughtful responses I got from Mr. Madia. I have never heard him say anything negative about candidates running against him and the first time I talked to him he told me that was not the kind of campaign he would run. He respects others and is interested in others’ viewpoints and is more than willing to talk to anyone with questions or comments, even posting his cell number.
It’s time to get past the attacks. Decide on who you want to support and work for a DFL victory. The pettiness exhibited in prior posts doesn’t help the candidates or the party.
It’s time for a candidate who is farsighted enough to work for what is best for the U.S., restoring oversight of Congress and civil rights that have suffered under this administration. Mr. Madia is more than equipped to serve this district and I believe would do an admirable job.
integrityfirst,
I agree! Lets stop the BS and endorse a real DFL’r, Terri Bonoff! She has my vote, and there is no wavering with me. I hope she blocks Jigar’s endorsement and wins in the primary.
If Jigar is a real DFL’r he should take a step back, earn his DFL stripes and wait his turn. Lets send someone to DC that has always been a Democrat, and will be there when called upon!
Remember, Jigar can’t even return an email during his campaign, or better yet admit when he has done wrong. What happens if he were to turn his back on Democrats again, is he going to say, “hey thats a cheap shot”.
LETS NOT TAKE A CHANCE, VOTE FOR A TRUE DEMOCRAT
WFTHF and Union man,
What are you hearing about Bonoff’s chances of blocking an endorsement. I hear she has a lock on 40% and the chances are very high she can force this to a primary. They say she needs to do that and win in the primary to regain her political reputation. Otherwise, her aspirations for higher office are shot — no one will ever side with her if she loses the endorsement after having every conceivable advantage.
So, my sense is this is going to a primary. The posters here suggest though 95% chance of Ash endorsement. Curious what you or other Bonoff thinkers think objectively.
Let the people speak in September. That is what I say.
Too funny, DTM. Of course you’d want this to go to a primary. You just stated that you lean Republican. Nothing would be better for the GOP this year than for the Dems to take this to a primary.
DTM, you never once mentioned primary until Bonoff was losing. That is peculiar.
I would really like one of you Bonoff supporters to tell us what Terri Bonoff has done for other candidates and what other campaigns she has worked on? I would also like to know what volunteer work she has done for the local, state and national DFL.
Ashwin Madia is constantly being accused of being not a “true blue democrat”, so I would really like to know what Terri has done for our party besides being born into a Democratic family?
I am not being sarcastic here, I really want to know, because in talking to a lot of people, it seems that Terri does not do anything that does not directly benefit Terri. I do not want to hear about the LAC, either. While worthwhile, it is not a party entity. I also know that she is a state senator, having won 2 elections. People tell me that she did that with an awful lot of help from outside of her district, and she has never returned the favor. Since roughly half of SD 43 caucused for Ashwin Madia, I would venture to say that there is some truth to that.
Ashwin Madia has worked on miltiple Democratic campaigns and he represented a gay Marine in a Don’t Ask Don’t Tell case that he won.
What has Terri done?
Primary,
From what I hear, going to the primary is a real possibility. I understand that Terri has enough delegates banked solid.
I agree with DTM, let the people decide. This is a very hard race for many to decide on, so to send it to a primary is the right thing to do. For those of you that believe that going to the primary is the wrong thing, let me remind you that this is precisely the reason the system was set up the way it was. In tough races where the delegates can’t decide, the will of the people is the deciding factor.
I somewhat agree with you again Primary, that Bonoff’s future is on the line. She is a much better candidate then the outcome of the delegates show. I feel confident that with a stronger advise and tact, she will perform better. She will have to work hard too. One thing that people also have to realize is that while she is at the Capitol all week, Jigar has quit his job and is campaigning full time. Come May 19th, I hope the gloves come out, and Terri gets to tell her story and her position to many more voters in our CD.
I think Bonoff needs to tell voters what her goals are in Congress, but also expose Jigar for the phony that he is! That will win the primary for her and the GE should be a breeze.
Union Man,
Thanks for your insights. Unlike others, I believe your voice should also be treated with respect. I strongly lead Madia, but I think it is frankly despicable how some Madia supporters have treated Bonoff folks on this blog.
What is on May 19th?
What gives you confidence that she can block the endorsement? Is that your speculation, or have you heard that from reputable Bonoff sources. I know you had said you were a delegate, so I am honestly curious. Do they really think they can block, and take this to a primary.
Also I wonder if anyone knows Madia’s fundraising numbers and Bonoff’s?
May 19th is probably the last day of the Legislative session. As far as having enough to block, yes from what I’ve heard by a reliable souce, she does have enough to block.
Have you heard that from a no biased source, or a Bonoff supporter?
I give no credence to Bonoff supporters telling us that she can block the endorsement. That is wishful thinking.
I have not heard from any non biased party official that the endorsement can or will be blocked, in fact all of the non biased officials are saying we must endorse or lose national support for this race.
52% from MN
MADIA, JIGAR ASHWIN $166,366
House ‘08 Democrat Farm Labor 03 MN
THROUGH 12/31/2007
97% from MN
BONOFF, TERRI $304,750
House ‘08 Democrat Farm Labor 03 MN
THROUGH 12/31/2007
http://www.fec.gov
http://www.campaignmoney.com
Bonoff has the numbers to move forward and is supported by many in CD3 and MN! Check out Terri’s contributers. She is solid and able to compete in the Third!!!
WINMYH,
What you seem to not be able to comprehend is that many supporters in CD3 and Minnesota donate to Ashwin through ActBlue’s VoteVets.org page. It gives VoteVets.org a contribution as well as the candidate. These donations would show up as from out of state but they are actually from veterans and military families living in the 3rd. Is that simply put enough for you? It’s been explained several times but you seem to keep repeating the same talking point. Is this all you have for Terri? The fact that she raised money last quarter?
Union man,
I think this campaign is over. If she had enought to block SEIU would never have endorsed. I know you are a supporter of unions — so it seems this race is over.
Agree
Lets get real,
SEIU endorsed Jigar? Dude what are you smoking? Where did you get that from?
The biggest Union endorsement goes to Ashwin Madia, and now I am hearing that his fundraising numbers for the last quarter will be impressive!
I now think Madia will win the endorsement on the first ballot. The super delegates will; not show up because none of them want to go down on the sinking ship, and the party officers will support the will of the people.
And by the way, as I have said befrore here, I have donated to Madia TWICE at VOTEVETS.ORG. So have lots of people that live in this state. In fact, that is where most of the Vets go to donate. It’s a two-fer. Madia gets the money and VOTEVETS gets the credit, which in turn builds their organization.
There are approximately 500 members of the DFL Veterans Caucus so far in Minnesota, and they all support VOTEVETS.
Union Man,
CWA last week, SEIU today. Teamsters and UAW before that. Which is yours?
Nice touch that Ashwin Madia sent out the notification of his endorsement by SEIU to his list and told people to come here to MNPublius to read the endorsement letter. Good support for blogs!
Union man,
It’s a public release. SEIU has endorsed him. Do you believe the race now is over?
Looks like Union Man finally has no response. Even he’s conceding
“Truth be told, Madia is endorsed by an organization known as Students Against Fee Excess, and it is a simple fact that SAFE is a facade for the University’s College Republicans.”
http://www.mndaily.com/articles/1997/04/17/4312
“The Ten Greatest Moments in Conservative History at the U
Number Ten; Jigar Madia elected MSA president in 1997.
After a few years of trying a SAFE endorsed candidate finally claimed victory in 1997 in the form of Jigar Madia.”
http://minnesotaconservatives.wikispaces.com/10 Greatest U of M Moments
“Although Madia has traded the fees committee for the College Republicans’ support, Murphy was left to corral the support of women progressive students. This is a painful example of the lack of coherence, passion or principle in Madia and Murphy’s campaign. They inspire no hope and require no action.”
http://www.mndaily.com/articles/1997/04/21/4119
I realize the Madia camp says this is old news, but I would like Madia to acknowledge this and explain how we should trust he is truly a democrat when he hid behind the label of SAFE in college when he was a republican.
Also, I would like him to publicly apologize for the role he played with the opt-out measure he was responsible for in student fees going to GLBT groups. He says he has changed and perhaps he has but I would like an apology. I was at the U of MN at the time and it greatly harmed the GLBT groups on campus. For them it was a big deal and they deserve an apology.
Madia has no public record other than this, so to dismiss it dismisses any record of what he has accomplished. Considering his brief work history we really do not know what to expect for such an important job.
Please try not to insult me.
No insults. Just get over yourself WIMHF. It apparently is a bitter pill that you alone have swallowed. I’ve expressed sympathy for you before. Again, we are all sorry that you aren’t able to put this behind you and move into this decade.
WIMHF,
I will not insult you. But do you now recognize that this race is over, or do you hold any hope?
WFIMH sounds like a broken record.
The only question now is will she get behind the party endorsement or will she vote for Erik Paulsen?
By the way, no response yet to my query — what has Bonoff ever done for anyone besides herself? What other campaigns has she worked on, where has she phone banked or door knocked? Who else out there can say that Terri has done anything for the DFL in any capacity other than for her own benefit?
I will take Ashwin Madia and his volunteering for campaigns in the last 3 election cycles plus his defending a Marine in the first ever don’t ask don’t tell successful legal case over a lifetime democrat who does nothing for the party anytime!
If there is a press release, I would like to see it.
Do you mean a press release for the SEIU endorsement?
I am sure it is already on the Madia for Congress webswite.
It is also posted on another thread here at mnpublius.
And I bet it is on the front page of the SEIU website as well.
So union man — you switching sides now
Union Man, are you SEIU?
Checked the SEIU website and it has nothing about an endorsement. If there is a lead, I would like to see it.
Union Man,
Refresh the website and it’s one of the lead stories on MNPublius. The whole announcement is there. It’s also on MNCampaignReport. If you are SEIU, contact javier Morillo. He’s quoted in the release.
You could also ask your shop steward or the publicity spokesman.
I would not be surprised to see it hit the mainstream papers this week end. Lately they seem to be a day or two behind the internet.
Union Man —
I just went to the SEIU Minnesota website and looked at the state legislature rankings.
Terri Bonoff has an over all grade of “Bâ€, has not authored any union legislation, and is 6 from the bottom of the DFL State Senate rankings.
This union does not have a strong opinion of her or the job she is doing.
Probably why she did not get their endorsement.
I have not switched sides yet, key word YET. I will stick with Terri as long as she decides to stay in. That is the way endorsements go…..you stick with them out of principal.
As far as Jigar, I promise to support him under two conditions.
1. Terri drops out of the race
2. He publicly apologizes for his past anti-union remarks.
If he wants to unite this party, he needs to do that. I don’t think that is too much for him to do, considering the severeness of his offensive remarks. If he can take the time to nwrite his opinion twelve years ago, he can take five minutes to retract them, I think that is fair.
If Jigar doesn’t publicly apologize, my guess he will not have all of labor behind him, especially the Teachers union that he had offended so harshly.
That also is about principal!
Fair enough, union man, fair enough.
While SEIU is a big endorsement, it is not the largest union in the state by far. He needs to do the right thing……..
and by the way, I’m not SEIU either. Not a fan of the color purple……
Union Man,
So you agree it’s time for Terri Bonoff to drop out, and she no longer has the votes to block Madia’s endorsement. Ha Ha! You guys on Bonoff’s side have seen the writing on the well — Ash is a superior candidate who destroyed you. He doesn’t need the establishment. He’s won this thing and I’m glad you’re finally going to join the bandwagon. It’s about time.
Primary,
There is no reason to be an ass about it. I said that I would support with conditions. Without those conditions being met, me and many other union members will not vote for him.
If he was so much of a superior candidate he would’ve wrapped it up already. Don’t be so sure of yourself that he is that great. If, and the key word is IF, Terri drops out, he will end up with the endorsement.
I’m not slamming the SEIU endorsement, but it is not the end of the world.
I have to agree, Union Man. People need to be able to ask their questions, get reasonable answers or put things into perspective. For me, it’s not important what one candidate did over a decade ago if we can’t question the other candidate about their positions/actions a decade ago.
I’d like to hear the answer to your question (as would others, I’m sure) just as I’d like to hear about Bonoff’s actions at Tonka Toys during their outsourcing of many local jobs during her tenure there. I know people who lost their jobs there and they really suffered as a result. She touted outsourcing as being good for companies during a forum at Brooklyn Center and I’d like her responses to people who lost everything, too.
We need to consider both candidate’s records from a decade ago. It’s only unfair to consider long ago comments and positions if we only ask one candidate.
Terri will drop out on the second ballot, Union Man. You’ve been telling us she has enough delegates to block. I’m not being an ass. Im just saying that you’ve come around to the reality that she may not have enough to block, and that your sources were not reliable.
Madia does not need more than the labor support he has to win this CD. He’s going to win on the Obama wave and the centrist votes. Frankly, at the end of the day he doesn’t need hyper partisan Bonoff supporters who attack and represent the old politics. He doesn’t care about them. He’s building a new movement, and we’ll win! !
OK primary…let me get this right, you don’t think she needs more labor support or Bonoff supporters? You can’t be serious are you? You must not know this CD well enough to think that Jigar doesn’t need all of labor and Dems on board.
All you have to do is look at the demographics of this CD to figure out what is needed to win. Jigar needs all of labor, all Dems and all swing voters to win in this marginal district. If he doesn’t capture all three, this CD will stay in GOP hands.
I can assure you that the union I belong to has a good amount of members in this district as many other unions do also. Like it or not labor can tilt the table considerably in this tight election.
Jigar will need everyone he can get, he just needs to do the right thing……
UM,
Isn’t Madia’s response to Bonoff’s mailing a sufficient repudiation of his previous statements on unions to garner your support?
http://www.mncampaignreport.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=CBD9B3FDA654A99C9DC2AA9C66D691EC?diaryId=1234
Just curious what more you think he would need to do.
Union Man thinks that Madia needs to prostrate himself on the ground and beg for forgiveness for the things he wrote when he was 18 years old.
I would think asking Bonoff where whe was when Tonka starting outsourcing jobs would matter more.
I would think her stating at the Brooklyn Center Forum that “outsourcing can be good for companies” and “outsourcing is not always a bad thing” would be concerning. ( go find the tapes — they exist)
And again, what union do you belong to? Why the secrets?!
SW,
Beg for forgiveness, never asked for that. But if he thinks he will get the endorsement of the union I belong to, it will be a cold day in hell before that happens without a retraction. If he feels that he doesn’t need it, so it be. He may have the Teamster 120, SEIU, one local of CWA and one Machinist local endorsements, but he has failed to get the endorsements of the two largest unions in the state. If think he doesn’t need them, only time will tell…….
If you think that putting salt on a wound to Bonoff supporters helps Jigar, you are also mistaken. It’s amazing how easily many of the Jigar supporters were willing to accept him as a former Republican hack, but are quick to throw stones at a fellow true Democrat weather you agree with her or not. It’s very evident that Bonoffs campaign made some serious mistakes and blunders, but many of you shouldn’t be so negative on a sitting DFL Senate member. It’s about respect…..
As for the questions that I have for Jigar, I feel I have the right to ask as a voter. If you think that former positions that politicians take should not be questioned, you are adamantly wrong. That is what the endorsement process is all about, finding out what the track record is of a candidate and what commitments you can get from them regarding your issues.
Union Man,
I agree with you wholeheartedly.
It’s time for the crap to end. Frankly, word has it that Rick Kahn went ballistic today at the Bonoff fundraiser against Madia. It’s about time that respect goes both ways. It’s a shame that the Bonoff people only throw stones and then cry fowl when their crap is thrown back at them.
Everyone should answer questions about their backgrounds. You have ever right to demand answers to questions you have. Others also have the right to demand answers from Bonoff.
We don’t have to show fealty to a sitting state senator. She’s not my senator. I’d ask her if she were running in my SD to defend her positions and comments before I voted for her. But, when she decides to run in the 3rd, she should answer to those she needs to vote for her. So far, her supporters have ignored the requests for answers and she doesn’t answer questions either.
It goes both ways.
UM,
Again, why isn’t his response a sufficient “retraction?”
I will show as much respect for a sitting politician as they show for me, the voter.
The Bonoff camp has thrown so much mud, played so many dirty tricks and been so nasty — by the way- by Terri’s own admission and unapologetic attitude. Trouble is the voter has seen it, heard it and turned away from it.
Respect does go both ways Union Man.. That is why you have been told to use the name that Ashwin Madia prefers as a 30 year old congressional candidate. Respect goes both ways when you infer that only Bonoff is a “true democrat”.
You never answer the hard questions about your candidate. You just heap threats and accusations against the opposition.
Any salt poured on your wounds is because you won’t let anything go.
So you are now threatening what — that your mysterious union will either stay home on election day or vote for the republican?
How does THAT help your union?!