New post 7/25. Check out the CD1 thrilla in vanilla rounds continue as Parry and Quist carry on with GOP rope-a-dope
From July 24:
The Winona Daily News reports in Walz bill to ease federal job requirements for veterans signed into law:
A bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Tim Walz that will make it easier for veterans to find jobs using skills acquired through military training was signed into law Monday.
Rather than veterans being asked to train for jobs they are already qualified for, the legislation directs heads of each federal department and agency to treat relevant military training as sufficient to satisfy training or certification requirements for federal license.. . .The bill received strong bipartisan support and drew praise from President Barack Obama and several national veterans organizations.
Minnpost's DC reporter Devin Henry reports in Obama signs Walz's veterans jobs bill into law:
The unemployment rate for veterans was 7.4 percent in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, below the national average of 8.2 percent. But the unemployment rate for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was a full two points higher, at 9.5 percent.
Now it's important to move similar policy changes on the state level; the vets have received the training they need to do the jobs, so let's not waste that investment in their skills' base.
Meanwhile, the Parry-Quist primary bickerfest continues. At the Post Bulletin's Political Notebook, Heather Carlson reports in Parry and Quist debate the debates:
Voters hoping to see 1st District Republican candidates Mike Parry and Allen Quist debate each other one-on-one before the Aug. 14 primary are out of luck.
Debate Minnesota tried to schedule a 90-minute debate between the two Republicans, but Parry declined to participate. In an interview on Friday, Quist accused Parry of being afraid to debate him. . . .Parry’s campaign adviser, Ben Golnik, called Quist’s accusation “laughable.” . . .
Read the rest at the PB. Over in New Ulm, the Journal's Josh Moniz reports in Bachmann participates in Quist fundraiser:
Minnesota 1st Congressional District candidate Republican Allen Quist raked in $9,000 for his campaign Friday from a fundraiser featuring Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in Rochester.
The event was part of a larger fundraising push Quist, a former state legislator from St. Peter, is making. He is running against fellow Republican Mike Parry, a state senator from Owatonna, in the Aug. 14 primary to challenge DFL incumbent Rep. Tim Walz in the general election.
All the candidates must file a special pre-primary FEC report by Aug. 2, which covers the period from July 1 to July 25. Quist's $9,000 could go a long way in this reporting, particularly because candidates will be making an effort to show fundraising strength ahead of the election.
But there's trouble in that paradise:
Bachmann came under heavy criticism from Democratic and Republican leaders last week for claiming that the Muslim Brotherhood had infiltrated the U.S. government. The evidence she presented for her claims has been rebuked by several lawmakers and Muslim organizations. Bachmann also accused Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. She has not yet provided evidence for her claims against Ellison, who is a Muslim.
Quist insists it's not his problem:
"[Bachmann] does all kinds of things I have no interest in. I never comment on her actions unless it's something I agree with," said Quist.
Meanwhile, the Brodkorb lawsuit has reminded voters that Mike Parry's bid for congressional was in part spawned in the mind of Michael Brodkorb. Across the Patch system franchise of online local news, this caption accompanies Brodkorb's photo:
Michael Brodkorb, left, served as a spokesperson for the Minnesota Republican Party and volunteered for Sen. Mike Parry's 1st District Congressional campaign until becoming embroiled in recent scandal allegations. Credit AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Jim Gehrz
UPDATE: Brodkorb may have left the building, but his friend Ben Golnik remains. A friend just passed this Parry Quist-Slam-O-Gram along.
Parry Campaign Calls on Allen Quist to Come Clean on Controversial Statements
When Pressed, Quist Claims Past Statements are "Total Invention," "Total Fabrication", and "Total Bull"
Statement from Parry for Congress Adviser, Ben Golnik: "In recent weeks, Southern Minnesotans have witnessed a remarkable transformation from perennial candidate, Allen Quist. First, Quist backed away from his vote to raise the gas tax. Next, Quist denied he ever supported government-subsidized light rail.
Now Quist claims his controversial statements from the past are a 'total invention,' 'total fabrication,' and 'total bull.' Widely reported at the time, Quist's controversial statements would be devastating in a general election campaign today. Will Quist come clean and take responsibility for his previous comments? It's time for perennial candidate Allen Quist to man up and explain what he meant by these outrageous comments."
1994: Quist said Marriage is Political Arrangement and Husbands Have Authority
"I think that you have a political arrangement in marriage, similar to any other political arrangement. And when push comes to shove, the higher level of political authority normally - I think there are exceptions - should be in the hands of the husband." (Twin Cities Reader, April 4, 1994)
1994: Quist Believed the Husband Should be "Head of the Household"
Quist said he believed "...the husband should be the head of the household because of a 'genetic predisposition' that manifests itself in practically all human cultures." (Minneapolis Star Tribune, August 16, 1994)
2012: At a town hall meeting in Rochester, an audience member asked Quist about his previous statements on the role of women in society. Quist responded, "...wacky kind of stuff. This is part of the magician's type trick. I'm not gonna deal with that kind of stuff" and "so people that don't like you, what do they do? They invent all kinds of crap." (Quist Town Hall in Rochester, July 12, 2012. Link: http://bit.ly/O2uqxl)
1993: Quist Conducted "Undercover Research in an X-Rated Bookstore"
Quist "revealed that he personally had done some undercover research in an X-rated bookstore and graphically reported to his House colleagues the details of his findings, including booths for 'anonymous multiple-partner sodomy' and 'body fluids' on the floor." (St. Paul Pioneer Press, September 26, 1993)
2012: Radio Host: "Did you do undercover work in pornographic bookstores?"
Quist: "That's total fabrication. The thing of it is I was extraordinarily effective in the legislature. Consequently the lefties invented all kinds of stuff that they've said about me and it's mostly not true or totally taken out of context and that happened to be one of those." (The Late Debate with Jack and Ben, July 15, 2012. Link: http://bit.ly/LJFMkz)
1994: Quist Spent "Hours and Hours...Railing against Homosexuality"
Quist devoted "hours and hours of speeches on the House floor railing against homosexuality" (Minneapolis Star Tribune, August 16, 1994)
2012: Radio Host: "You've been outspoken against homosexuality in the past...how is that going to play?"
Quist: "First of all, you say I've been outspoken against homosexuality. My position has always been that no group should have more privileges than any other group. Ok, that's my position. Do I have an ax to grind with any particular group, homosexuals or any other? I do not." (The Late Debate with Jack and Ben, July 15, 2012. Link: http://bit.ly/LJFMkz)
1994:Quist Compared Counseling Center for Gays to Center for the KKK
Quist "alleged that Mankato State University was encouraging the spread of AIDS by sponsoring a counseling center for gays, comparing it to a center for the Ku Klux Klan." (Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 10, 1994)
2012: At a town hall meeting in Rochester, an audience member asked Quist about this statement and Quist responded, "That's a total invention. That is absolute total bull." (Rochester Post Bulletin, July 12, 2012)
###
Heather Carlson has more in Parry campaign says time for Quist to "man up":
Quist's wife and campaign manager Julie Quist said all the Parry campaign has been doing in recent weeks is launching negative attacks.
"It would be really good for him to put something out that was a little positive about what he intends to do and what his issues are," she said.
And given that the Republican Party of Minnesota--in no small part because of Golnik and Brodkorb--has become the party of Bachmann, Cindy Pugh and their kindred, Bluestem has to wonder why Golnik thinks these sorts of things will repel the Republican base anywhere in the state.
Just last month at a SW Metro Tea Party meeting, state Representative Glenn Gruenhagen talked about "sick" lifestyles while calling Freud a "pervert" and a "moron." Quist's sentiments haven't gone that far out of style, and up in the Smith-Pugh primary, Pugh is being portrayed as an utterly mainstream Republican for today's party. Who is Bluestem to argue?
Images: Why is Congressman Tim Walz smiling? (above); Allen Quist crowdsurfs with the support of adoring fans (cartoon by Ken Avidor)
Related posts: Pro-Marriage Amendment Forum's Gruenhagen calls Sigmund Freud a pervert & a moron
Mike Parry refuses to engage in Debate MN forum with CD1 GOP primary opponent Allen Quist
Emo Senator: Accounting migraines or, Parry campaign vehicle parked outside state hearing
Pop some corn, avert your eyes: Brodkorb files bean-spilling gender discrimination lawsuit
July 2012 Sixth Anniversary Bleg Notice: Like what you're reading on this blog? Help support an independent voice from Greater Minnesota:
Please consider using the paypal button above (checks accepted; email for my snail mail address) or something from my modest wish list (mostly coffee and cat treats).
The blegathon will run through July.
Thank you
Sally Jo Sorensen
Editor and Proprietor
Comments