A friend sent us the YouTube above that purportedly documents Marty Seifert's leadership style in dealing with the Transportation Six who voted with the DFL majority. We are reviewing it for authenticity. Hal Kimball looks yet another element in the complicated web of elephant-rhino ecology in Brian Davis Hires Liberal Blogger As Consultant.
We had a chance to investigate the donkey party's cordially last night, and enjoyed ourselves immensely at the Winona County DFL Banquet. We didn't get a chance to meet blogger Ron Amundson, who posted about the event in the post Winona County DFL Banquet:
. . .One fellow I ran into was Victor Vieth of the National Child Protection training center. They are rolling out some new programs in the near future, and their work looks to be pretty amazing and they most definitely fill a critical need. It was also cool to learn of Mike Ciresi’s involvement in getting them funded.
I also talked engineering with a couple guys, and met a number of interesting folks from a variety of walks of life. Everything from biodiesel conversions to pathology to folks involved in foster care. A most diverse crowd indeed. . . .
. . .Tim Walz sent a representative, and they talked a bit about the FISA bill which I blogged about previously. His staff seem to really be on top of things. . . .
That's pretty much our experience as well, down to the chat with Victor Vieth. A good time and a long drive home as "the weather went south fast."
We weren't much impressed by the Strib article Big spenders go after causes, not candidates. The story came a week after the FISA fear-mongering ads. Diaz focuses most of his attention on a rally and ads to pressure Sixth District Republican Michele Bachmann to vote for SCHIP funding than the Defense of Democracy ad directed toward Walz.
The watchdogs at Firedoglake have been keeping an eye on developments in the House's coming action on the spying bill. Jane Hamsher bird-dogs the apparent deal over FISA that Democratic House Leadership is cooking up in Operant Conditioning: Live It, Love It, Learn It. On CNN:
It was disconcerting, to say the least, to hear Sylvestre Reyes on CNN this morning talking about retroactive telecom immunity:
Reyes, D-Texas, said he was open to that possibility after receiving documents from the Bush administration and speaking to the companies about the industry's role in the government spy program.
"We are talking to the representatives from the communications companies because if we're going to give them blanket immunity, we want to know and we want to understand what it is that we're giving immunity for," he said. "I have an open mind about that."
Regarding a compromise deal, Reyes said: "We think we're very close, probably within the next week we'll be able to hopefully bring it to a vote."
She spells out the situation that may be facing Tim Walz. Having grown a spine over the attack ads, he may not got the back-up he needs from House leadership:
I hope before the Democrats decide to cave on this they think very carefully about the message they're sending in the wake of huge ad buys against their freshmen by a GOP attack outfit. Jim Klobuchar writes about the ads taken out in Minnesota against Tim Walz (and Walz's admirable response):
His supporters are responding with their dollars. But the question he raises hangs, ominous and taunting, over the 2008 elections.
How much have the voters actually learned from the corruptions of decency and truth that emasculated John Kerry’s campaign in 2004?
One thing we probably haven’t learned is how easily it was done. The architects of it were shadowy surrogates of the real political hatchetmen and corporate pirates who brought the Bush government to power. In the middle of it some credulous Democrats actually asked George Bush to disavow the Swift Boat fraud.
Were they serious?
If House Democrats back down now, it worked. And it will keep happening, again and again and again.
This is one of those issues that House Leadership doesn't get. In the First, Tim Walz talked back to the ads almost immediately and his constituents, sick of the administration's lies and fear-mongering, cheered.
At last night's banquet, word was that Walz planned to stick to his guns about retroactive immunity and insist on a new surveillance bill that retains protections for civil rights. Constituents should call their congressman this week to let him know they want him stand his ground.
Update: McJoan at DailyKos offers the FISA Fight: Capitulation watch.
Safe in his bunker after being alerted to the threat by the FDD ad, Minnesota Central wonders in IF FOX doesn’t Report,How can I Decide ?:
I tuned in and listened intently to hear FOX defend our liberties and attack these liberal Democrats … but alas, it was just mindless babble about next November’s election … not only from Durbin and Feinstein … but also from Karl Rove.
IF Karl Rove doesn’t feel the threat, what is an ordinary citizen to conclude ?Was this just an exploitive commercial to attack First District Congressman Tim Walz ? [end update]
The Albert Lea Tribune reports that Congressman Walz will be speaking to the local Kiwanis club today (in keeping with the animal motif, he'll be at the Elks Club):
U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat from Mankato, will speak Monday to the Albert Lea Noon Kiwanis Club. Walz was to speak Feb. 4, but a snowstorm dashed those plans. The visit is not a political speech. He will give an update on the second session of the 110th Congress and take questions from the audience.
The public is invited to attend.
The club meets at noon Monday at the Elks Lodge in Albert Lea.
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