Clown car update: right-wing Republicans rip Representative Demmer as RINO from the rear

As their mid-April endorsing convention grows nearer for Republicans in Minnesota's First Congressional District, two of the also-rans have decided to break Ronald Reagan's so-called 11th Commandment: "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican."

The attacks look desperate.

Jim Hagedorn raised $5150 last year, mostly from five contributors, according to his FEC report. His social media effort has gathered 108 fans for his Facebook page and 11 followers on Twitter. In a brief position paper on energy policy, he takes this swipe at fellow Republican Rep. Randy Demmer:

. . . I am also concerned that Minnesota’s “Next Generation of Energy Act,” passed in 2007 with the support of one of my Republican competitors, will increase energy costs and harm our State’s economy. For all intents and purposes, the statute is a micro-version of the national Cap and Trade legislation. . .

This is a curious position for someone seeking Republican endorsement to take, since Demmer wasn't alone in his vote for the legislation (all but nine House members voted for the bill that came out of conference committee, while only five state senators voted against it. Fairmont Republican Julie Rosen, a leader in Southern Minnesota, served on the conference committee)

Nonetheless, self-proclaimed Reagan conservative Hagedorn is a model of constraint in Faribault County, compared to the rhetoric deployed by an Engstrand supporter.

To the east, Stan Gudmundson--who half-heartedly considered running himself, but made no formal announcement nor filed any paperwork with the FEC--has sent a remarkable letter to the Winona Daily News touting Engstrand and slamming Walz in rather generic talking points. More specific spleen is reserved for Demmer:

Mike Huckabee once said that if a person didn't want to see his own blood on the floor, then he or she shouldn't enter politics. Unfortunately, it's time to draw blood, in spite of the fact that I like the fellow who is one of Jim Engstrand's primary competitors.
That would be Rep. Randy Demmer of District 29A.
Demmer is running as and has been telling us that he is a staunch conservative.
Unfortunately, that is not the case. In 2009, The Taxpayer's League Foundation gave Demmer a rating of 64 out of a possible 100.
His overall rating for his time in the Minnesota Legislature is just a bit better at 74. That is not conservative, nor is it what most Republicans expect of the representative.
Also during one of our forums, Demmer appeared not to support a promise by the candidates to not use earmarks, though I could be wrong and hope I am. We cannot balance the budget by getting rid of earmarks. The practice, however, is just plainly corrupt.
Earmarks should be considered nothing short of white color crime. Support for earmark legislation also indicates a dismissive attitude toward being a good steward of our tax dollars.
It further indicates a willingness to step over or ignore important principles for the sake of "politics as usual," for self-aggrandizement and/or trading dollars for votes. That is wrong and in my view should be considered criminal as well.

This willingness to smear the affable Demmer is remarkable stuff, in light of Reagan's 11th commandment.

Moreover, one has to wonder which of the earmarks Walz has sponsored involved "white collar crime." Dollars for anti-crime efforts to fight child sexual abuse? Public works for drinking water in Southwest Minnesota? Highway 14 dollars? Money for National Guard facilities?

Gudmundson believes earmarks are evidence of "white collar crime." Does Jim Engstrand agree? Does he really believe asking for an earmark for the Minnesota Beyond Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program is evidence of white collar crime?

Is Republican Congressman Erik Paulsen a "white collar" criminal for requesting this earmark along with Amy Klobuchar in the Senate, and Keith Ellison, Jim Oberstar, Collin Peterson and Walz in the House?

With friends like Gudmundson, no wonder Engstrand has fewer than 100 Facebook fans and 11 people (few from Minnesota) following his campaign on Twitter.

I'm hearing that Allen Quist is doing well from Mankato westward. The Gustavus Adolphus College Republicans' blog reports that Quist did well in his home county, while the post suggests that Quist did well in Blue Earth County. The copyreading goof (see screenshot) to right) is charming; presumably the blogger means "Engstrand" rather than "Engbrecht."

In a tweet, Hagedorn claims to have done well in Faribault County, where he moved late last year after spending years living in Washington DC.