WINONA DAILY NEWS: WALZ AND KLOBUCHAR CAMPAIGN ON CAMPUS
The Winona Daily News reports on Tim Walz campainn stop at Winona State with Minnesota's next senator:
. . .Big names in state and national politics breezed through Winona on Monday, preaching platforms, rallying supporters and seeking to sway the last of the undecided eight days before the general election.
[snip]Klobuchar and Walz teamed up for an afternoon event at Winona State University, where they were greeted at the student union by more than 100 people, as well as another 30 or 40 students passing through or studying who stopped to listen.
The two repeated familiar campaign platforms, often to raucous applause.
Walz, who is deadlocked with incumbent Rep. Gil Gutknecht, R-Minn., in the 1st District U.S. House race, used a tagline on several of his points that eventually became somewhat of a mantra: “He’s going to be gone in eight days.”
He spoke about his opposition to the Iraq war, his hope to bridge partisanship in the House, and his plan to increase funding to education and reduce student debt load.
“My son Gus Walz was born with a $36,000 debt on his head,” he said of his new child, born a little over two weeks ago.
Walz called on attendees to help get the vote out in the final week, and closed with a far-reaching call for change. “Imagine when the rest of the world wakes up … and sees that the Americans are back,” he said. “We are the leaders we’ve been waiting for.”
Klobuchar also talked about her opposition to the Iraq war—“You don’t go to war when you don’t have a plan”—and an array of other issues, including supporting tax cuts for the middle class, affordable health care, and opposing no-bid contracts, particularly those award to American contractors working in Iraq.
Latest polls have showed Klobuchar with a sizable lead over her Republican opponent, Rep. Mark Kennedy, R-Minn.
It wouldn’t be the final campaign stop for the pair.
“I wanted to stay down here, but I have to be in Rochester with Barack Obama,” Walz explained to a supporter prior to the event, referring to the junior Illinois senator who stumped for Walz and Klobuchar Monday night. . . .
KMSQ YouTube
A studio debate in Austin: parts 1 & 2
AAUW FORUM IN AUSTIN: IMMIGRATION FOES DISRUPT CANDIDATES
While Tim Walz was in Rochester, his wife Gwen stood in for him at an American Association of University Women candidate forum in Austin. Candidates at the forum were repeared interrupted by immigration "reform" advocates. The Austin Daily Herald reports:
Immigration issues dominated questions posed by the public to state legislative and congressional candidates during a forum Monday night, as candidates made their final appeals to voters one week before elections.
The forum included candidates for state Legislature, Mower County, and City of Austin seats, as well as one candidate who has been invited, but has never before attended an AAUW forum: Gil Gutknecht. However, Gutknecht's leading opponent, DFLer Tim Walz, was not present. Walz was participating in a Democratic Party rally and fund-raiser with Illinois U.S. Sen. Barack Obama.
In Walz's absence, his wife, Gwen, and the couple's baby were in the audience.
The Austin branch of the American Association of University (AAUW) has sponsored candidates' forums for many years, according to Evelyn Guentzel, retired educator, who moderated the forum.
Early in the debate, immigration issues dominated the state legislative and congressional candidates' portion of the debate.
However, Guentzel attempted to rein in the citizens raising immigration questions and allow discussion of other issues.
[snip]
The “Vote Yes” committee was at Monday night's forum. Volunteers distributed handouts supporting the Local Option Sales Tax referendum question on ballots Nov. 7 in the city of Austin.
But opponents of allowing free immigration were not to be denied their opportunity to button-hole all candidates on the controversial issue.
It started with Kermit Thomas and continued with George Dahl, Dean Dykeman and others.
Thomas made public a letter he received from Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi and one that he has widely distributed.
The letter states, in part, the sheriff's frustration with “someone in Washington” ordering two raids on Austin employers planned by immigration officials.
“Who was that? Who did that?” Thomas asked.
“It wasn't me,” responded Rep. Gutknecht.
The congressman went on to say even he has gotten “quite a run-around” from immigration officials and called the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency one of the “least efficient agencies in government.”
At times, the immigration critics in the audience interrupted the candidates in the midst of their own responses to questions. This went on until Guentzel attempted to halt the interruptions.
Afterwards, even Guentzel, a veteran of the AAUW forums, said she was surprised. “Obviously, there is a lot of emotion out there about this issue and these people are determined to bring their concerns to light,” she said. . . .
ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE: GUTKNECHT CAN'T FIND A BABY TO KISS
Gwen Walz brought little Gus Walz to the Austin forum. In Albert Lea, Gutknecht couldn't find a baby on his own to kiss:
U.S. Rep. Gil Gutknecht was pounding the pavement Monday in Albert Lea, working the campaign trail by visiting small businesses. He started at the Lakeside Cafe & Creamery and drove to the downtown businesses along Broadway Avenue.
“I’m just out shaking hands and kissing babies,” he said to shop owners.
Well, he shook hands anyway. There were no babies to be found that afternoon. . . .
Can the guy catch a break?
WINONA DAILY NEWS LTES: SAVE FIRST DANCE FOR WALZ; END GUTKNECHT'S LACKLUSTER CAREER
Two letter writers shared their opinion of the MN-01 Congressional race in today's Winona Daily News LTE section. Dick Baier writes that it's time for vote for Walz:
As Winona’s Social Security manager for many years, I saw firsthand the tremendous good that Social Security brings to America’s workforce.
Retirement benefits, disabled worker’s benefits, family survivor benefits make up a network of protection that, by present law, is guaranteed to America’s workers.
Rep. Gutknecht was among the first “yes men’ to hop on to President Bush’s bandwagon in his failed attempt to privatize America’s Social Security program. Gil Gutknecht cannot be trusted to vote for his constituents rather than the “money crowd” pushing for privatization.
I urge all to vote for Tim Walz. He understands the importance of saving Social Security.
It’s time for the first dance with Walz.
Scott Lowery compares and contrasts the two choices. Conclusion? Walz:
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read about the recent debate between Gil Gutknecht and Tim Walz at the Winona campus of Saint Mary’s University. It is tragic to think that our democratic process can mean so little to an incumbent congressman, who insists on such restricted access for the event that the audience winds up being a handful of college students, while all other interested community members are told to stay home.
On the other hand, my laughter is of the ironic kind and comes from watching Congressman Gutknecht in action over several previous campaigns. For someone who used to be comfortable auctioning household goods off a hay wagon, it’s funny how nervous he seems to be about dialogue with the general public.
In 1998, for instance, he dodged public debates by claiming that the nonpartisan League of Women Voters was a “biased organization.” I guess this bad behavior has worked pretty well for him, because we have allowed him to continue his long and undistinguished legislative career.
Meanwhile, today’s Winona Daily News (Oct. 26) shows him schmoozing with Laura Bush and a bunch of other impeccably dressed and presumably very affluent donors at a fundraiser in Rochester. When he says he’s “our Congressman,” does he really mean me and you and the folks down the street, or does he mainly represent a privileged few?
Check out his voting record, and then vote for someone who truly wants to represent all of us in the 1st District, Tim Walz.
ORANGE PENNY LOAFERS: MORE ON EDUCATION
N. D. Barrett takes a look at Gutknecht's track record in education:
On education, the choice is pretty clear for one reason, and only one reason: Tim Walz actually has a position. Gil Gutknecht, aside from his egregious contempt for the educational system (here, and actually look at the content of the bills), doesn't consider education important enough to warrant space on his website.
There's more. Check it out.
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