I’d like to second the challenge to Zack to print the Olson campaign’s report on how things went at the district conventions.

Recall Zack you said: ” I called the Olson campaign, they are going to send me their characterization of the race later today and I will publish it (we support El, but we’ll try to be fair).”

DDay claims that the Olson campaign has given you numbers. Are you going to keep your word?

***
From: pete4con@.com
To: twoputttommy@.com
Subject: RE: Rep. Peterson’s Endorsements
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:46:56 -0500

Congressman Collin Peterson has endorsed El Tinklenberg.

Peterson for Congress
 ***

And I posted about El’s claims, and Rep. Peterson’s non-resonse, last Wednesday, here:

http://www.mnblue.com/node/1276

***
I personally don’t care who takes Bachmann out; I just want her out. I honestly cannot find one good thing to say about her. Just last week, following in the traditions of John Kline and Mark Kennedy, she blew off the Disabled American Veterans. No surprise there!
 ***

I’d like to point out, that since I asked last Monday, and posted Wednesday, Rep. Peterson’s office still has NOT confirmed El’s claim that Rep. Peterson has indeed officially “endorsed” El.

Nor has El’s campaign manager provided written confirmation of said “endorsement”, despite her promise last Tuesday that she’d e-mail it.

Now, my number one, two, and three priorities in this cycle are:

1 - Elect Franken AND CSM Walz;
2 - Take the open seat in CD-3;
3 - Get rid of that backstabbin’ SOB, John Kline.

CD-6 is down the list, for me.

That said, I am going to comment on it, and comment on it as I see it.

And I don’t see El winning the endorsement at this point, let alone the general, for the old-fashioned reason:

credibility.

I’m also skeptical about the job creation thing. I believe the banks were in existence and Bob took over by buying a majority share. His energy non-profit has one employee, a part time friend from another state, for the last few years. Can you cite us some specifics Eric?

El on the other hand, is gaining financial support, delegates (both campaigns confirm he is getting more pledged delegates) and seems t be running a professional campaign. We do know that the Tinklenberg Group was created by Elwyn and those employees are in jobs created by him. Also, as Mayor of Blaine for 10 years, he oversaw economic growth and opportunity that grew the population.

D-Day, Tom, Eric and the three bloggers (DumpBachman/BlueMan/LiberalnLand) that support Bob are not doing their candidate any favor complaining about media/blogger bias, “the fix is in with the unions”, “Elwyn is dishonest”, and “the delegates are ready to anoint.” Its hard to see how they are not making the case for Michelle Bachman.

Sometimes its hard to see that people just don’t like or trust your candidate. It has nothing to do with the person running against them. I’m trying to convince friends of mine of this in regards to the Presidential Campaign.

SO — easy answer: Name them, give email addresses, then skeptics can independently fact-check the truthfulness of what Tinklenberg and his campaign people represent to be truth.

It is the same as with lobbying. Wodele says, “…” “Trust me.”

I don’t.

SO — easy answer: Open the books and show the lobbying income and activities. Allow examination of the billings. That resolves the lobbying question.

Delegate count. Same thing. Give the underlying fact-check information to the public. It beats handing out spin doctoring.

Forget the “Trust me.”

Who should? Why?

“That’s how it is , trust me,” is both insulting and dismissive.

“Trust me” has no place in a situation where a deepening credibility gap is opening and the GOP long knives have to be aware of how to exploit that kind of thing IF, a very BIG IF, Tinklenberg gets the DFL nod.

I know a strong progressive sentiment exists favoring Olson. It seems to be held by a substantial DFL contingent. I have to doubt Tinklenberg’s unsubstantiated puffery about already having 60%, with the implication being, so don’t bother showing up at the remaining Senate District Caucuses opposing me; it’s a done deal.

Yogi Berra had an answer.

Olson is long experienced in job creation in the private sector, running a bank and growing the employee pool over several branches, as I understand things, from the web about St. Stephan Bank.

I have never met Olson. I have seen Tinklenberg once on TV. I look forward to seeing each this Sunday, in Anoka.

I wonder whether the Tinklenberg Group runs itself as employees, or independent contractors; and whether they are supplied healthcare coverage or left without that, as the Bachmann Clinic staff people were reported to be uncovered last election cycle. I have the same question for Olson, about the folks working at the bank branches.

We all should hold both candidates to a test of character, that way, where the rubber meets the road - where somebody being treated right has an out-of-pocket cost to the candidate, so where’s the answer to that “character issue?”

And, finally, I do have concerns about taconite tailings used as road agregate, etc., since it seems the asbestos question has not been definitively decided, and Miles Lord, a man deserving everyone’s respect, is quite skeptical of big steel industry funded studies, or federally funded studies where the funding is due to Oberstar, who has the piles of the stuff up there in his district. Miles Lord was quoted in a City Pages article “Brave New Highway” saying big steel wants the stuff in roads all over the state so that the cancer incidence around the Iron Range is not distinctively higher than state-wide, once the stuff is spread state wide and kicked up in traffic dust.

That Tinklenberg taconite tailings advocacy thing is another thing Tinklenberg has ducked. Does any reader know how to find out whether taconite tailings, more dense than other aggregate alternatives, was ever used in resurfacing work on the I-35 bridge? I ask the question. I do not know the answer. Does anyone have definitive evidence?

“Hello Eric,

My name is Chase Golding – I am one of the two Field Directors on the Tinklenberg for Congress campaign. I wanted to write to introduce myself to you, and to bring you exciting news on the state of our campaign.

I am a recent graduate of Carleton College, and I come to El’s campaign from the Iraq Summer anti-war campaign, which many of you helped with in 2007. Eventually, after helping to send Elwyn to DC, I’d like to attend law school to continue working to bring change to our country.

Our campaign received some very exciting news last night, when Rep. Betty McCollum called El and announced that she will endorse him for U.S. Congress! We are so proud to count Rep. McCollum as a supporter, and we have now received endorsements from every Democratic member of the Minnesota delegation. From Tim Walz and Keith Ellison down South to Colin Peterson and Jim Oberstar up North, Democrats in Minnesota are working to send El Tinklenberg to Washington and send Michele Bachmann home.

Rep. McCollum’s endorsement gives our campaign the final push of momentum that we need as we head into this weekend’s four important Senate District Conventions. Since February 5th, El and the campaign have been working hard to earn your support for the conventions. We have made over 5,000 calls to delegates, sent out thousands of mailings and e-mails. This, my friends, is the kind of strong, grassroots organization that can defeat the Michele Bachmann machine in November!

In case you aren’t already painfully aware of Rep. Bachman’s horrendous voting record, the Congresswoman’s vote this week against the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Act of 2008 demonstrates how wrong she is for this district. While Exxon-Mobil posted record profits again this quarter, and as the price of a barrel of oil hovers around record highs, Rep. Bachmann voted for Big Oil and against the interests of her constituents and of the nation yet again. As El often points out, this nation now suffers from the greatest disparity of wealth in our history since the Great Depression; we need a tax policy that works for the middle class and an Energy policy that works for the Sixth District and for the planet.

Thank you for taking the time to let me introduce myself to you, and to learn more about the Tinklenberg for Congress campaign. Please call or e-mail the campaign if you have any questions, suggestions or comments (see contact info below). We are looking forward to a continued dialogue with the delegates, and would love for you to be a part of our campaign!

Thanks,

Chase Golding

Co-Field Director | El Tinklenberg for Congress

Chase@Tinklenberg08.com ”

If he’s saying they all “support” him, that’s a far cry from “endorsing” him, which is what he’s implying, if not outright saying. Of course they “support” him, as they support Bob Olson and any other DFLer who would try to take Bachmann out.

Or is this all a matter of what the definition of “is” is? We don’t need another Matt Entenza running for office under the DFL banner.

Now for the mis-information being blogged about between the Olsen/Tinklenberg people. My wife and I DID NOT OBSERVE any problems between the campaigns!!! WE were so busy moving about the home talking to people, saying Thanks, keeping the food out, to our knowledge, there were no problems. We saw people talking to people yet never was there a time where we felt there was any problems. We both work in the schools and we know when trouble is at hand between kids. We DID NOT OBSREVE any problems in our home. People talked to us about afterwards, yet we did not SEE or HEAR any problems. As far as we are concerned the problem is not ours yet because our name is being pulled into this, we had to respond on the blog.

Our home is open to both campiagns to use for meeting people in our District. (on differant dates) We have not taken a position on which individual is best for our distict to take on the Bush Loving Rep who now lives in DC and on National TV embarrsed our District.

As for the Tinklenberg group making noise as they came into our home, I greeted them at the door and took their coats and walked up stairs with them, they DID NOT make any noise entering our home.

If you want the facts call us and ask, do not fall back on hear say comments. We had a FANTASTIC fund rasier on a great Sunday afternoon and we Thank all who attended.

Mike and Sue Starr