Newman no longer a dewy peach in Strib coverage, but MNA request for constituent meeting still blurred

Perhaps one should be grateful that the "innocent mistake" line from the Hotdish Politics blog post has been dropped from the Strib's article, Senator blames aide for e-mail snafu, or that paper is no longer calling Newman a "freshman legislator."

However, the paper still misses an important part of the story, and this omission hands Newman (and his messaging maestro Michael Brodkorb) a talking point with which to bash lobbyists and unions.

And no, that important fact isn't that the news of the offensive email was (as reported by the Associated Press, MPR and other news) was first reported by a blog.

It's the fact that the Minnesota Nurses Association was trying to set up a meeting with state senator Newman for members who live in his district. Newman's defense that he's trying to cut back on lobbyists meetings in order to have more time for constituents rings a bit hollow in light of this fact.

And doubtless Republicans will defend Newman against the big bad lobbyists and unions who try to foist his constituents on him. Before they post, perhaps they might pause first to think about what their response would be if DFL representatives refused to meet with constituents who are members of groups that endorsed their opponents, whether the Republican Party itself or right-leaning groups such as MCCL or the Farm Bureau (for the record, both do endorse some DFLers).

Now, it seems clear that,in light of the public scrutiny accorded the unfortunate email, Senator Newman now will met with all constituents and those lobbyists working on issues germane to his committee assignments. Fair enough.

Will the Star Tribune report the basic facts--like the MNA's request for constituent meetings--so that the public can best assess the story?

 

Comments

[Phoenix Woman]

Bipartisanship for thee but not for me -- eh, Mr. Newman?