One of the more annoying aspects of Campaign 2014 in Minnesota was the deluge of independent expenditure political mail sent for and against state house candidates in swing districts.
Even more annoying? The "issue" mail Norm Coleman's Minnesota Action Network sent to voters addressing an issue Norm had with a DFL state senator. On November 1, Bluestem posted about the extra nuisance in 2016 prep work? MN Action Network sends out issue attack mail in suburban senate district.
And as the lit piece above illustrates, Norm's back, with an oversize postcard we're told was sent to every voter in Carlson's district.
The Minnesota Action Network and Governor Mark Dayton are already engaged in a brawl over television ads the nonpartisan Minnesota 501 (c)(4) non-profit corporation is running about teacher tenure, as the Pioneer Press's David Montgomery reported in Dayton attacks Coleman over teacher tenure ad.
As someone who did a lot of doorknocking in a swing Minnesota House district where both the voters and the candidates talked a lot about how they didn't like outside money being spent on their races, seeing campaign mail disguised as "issue advocacy" this early is just as annoying.
We also remember how many voters told us at the door that they wished both sides on the independent expenditure mailings would take their money and . . .spend it on real needs like feeding and housing the poor, mental health care, and the schools. One distraught grandparent shared his frustration that his granddaughter was asked to sell frozen cookie dough to fund things at her school that were free for children of his generation.
Talking about Citizens United and the free speech rights of the wealthy didn't help matters much, especially as the deluge of political junk mail continued. There wasn't anything the two candidates could do about it.
So here's our suggestion, for what it's worth: Call the Minnesota Action Network and very politely tell Norm Coleman to quit wasting rich people's money on junk mail. Ask to be taken off his mailing list.
Then, tell him to ask rich people to do a Andrew Carnegie and fund libraries--for schools. Start a rainy day fund so schools can repair equipment and their roofs. Underwrite a travel fund for school field trips, band camps, and the like so kids don't have to spend so much time selling overpriced junk to friends and relatives. Adopt a school district.
We're sure our readers know what the needs are in their communities. Tell Norm Coleman about that need--those funding his operations seem to have plenty of money to burn and might pitch in. Heck, unlike contributions to the Minnesota Action Network or its kindred, contributions to community and school foundations, and other non-profits are actually tax-deductible.
To contact the Minnesota Action Network, call Norm Coleman at (612)247-3536 or send mail to PO Box 16285, St Paul, MN 55116. Email him at [email protected], or leave a message via the Minnesota Action's Facebook page (we recommend using Facebook messaging rather than posting your request on the page itself).
This contact information comes from the Minnesota Action Network IE PAC registration with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board and the MAN's Facebook page. While the PAC and the a nonpartisan Minnesota 501 (c)(4) non-profit corporation legally are separate entities, they share a domain name (mnactionnetwork.org) and leader, so we're betting those messages will reach him.
Photos: The latest junk mail from Norm Coleman's Minnesota Action Network.
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