Michael Brodkorb: All Thumbs Down

Watch this video regarding Mark Dayton's campaign kickoff. Pay special attention to what Republican Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb is saying about Dayton. Then read my comments below the video in which I evaluate Brodkorb's unkind and misleading statements.


Brodkorb starts out by saying that Dayton has an inability to answer questions from the press. Good grief, he doesn't have an inability. He probably has a distrust of the press. Who could blame him for that? I wouldn't talk to them either. Besides, Dayton had to be in Duluth by noon to start his 87 counties in 87 days campaign tour. That's more important than the nasty questions some reporters have a propensity to ask.

Brodkorb then further shows us what an unpleasant character he has by saying Dayton displayed erratic behavior in Washington because he was the only senator to close his office during a terroristic threat. I suspect Brodkorb knows the true story about that but his Republican agenda insists that he not reveal the truth. So I'll do it.

The legislature was not in session. It was in recess. All the other senators left their staff behind to finish things up before the next session. There was a very serious terroristic threat. The question is not why Dayton closed his Washington office and sent his staff to carry on in Minnesota. The question is why none of the other senators thought that highly of their staff. Did they think their staff was expendable? The parents of those young staffers were grateful to him for keeping their kids safe. Perhaps Mr. Brodkorb would like to send his kids into the middle of a threatening situation. Of course we already know that Brodkorb is neither compassionate nor caring and only wishes to degrade his betters.

Let's look further into Brodkorb's vindictive statements. He's certainly not a person to display random acts of kindness. He next states that Dayton called himself a failure as a senator. Wrong again, Brodkorb. He didn't just give himself an F. He gave all the senators an F because they didn't accomplish anything. There's a big difference there if you get the story right. Right, Brodkorb?

So, Brodkorb, you need to read a few things so that you can be better informed before you go shooting horrible words off your hateful tongue. Read what Senator Byrd had to say about Dayton closing his office.

Byrd Backs Dayton's Decision to Close Office
AP | Oct 15 2004

WASHINGTON — The Senate's most senior member on Thursday defended Sen. Mark Dayton's decision to close his Washington office over concerns about a terrorist attack.

"Senator Dayton took this precautionary step based on his conscience and his responsibility to his staff," said Sen. Robert Byrd, an eight-term Democratic senator from West Virginia. "I commend him."

Byrd, 86, said in a statement that law enforcement and intelligence experts have warned senators about increased threats to the Capitol in recent weeks. "They have urged senators to be prepared to have their staffs work from alternate locations," Byrd said. "Senators ought not take these warnings lightly. And those senators who put in place prudent security measures should not be mocked."

Mark Dayton once again is seen as a conscientious man with deep integrity while you, Brodkorb, are now seen as a gossip-monger who either doesn't bother to research the true story or knows the story but won't reveal it because you'd rather attempt to destroy a kind and compassionate man for the sake of the misguided GOP.

Perhaps we should look at your own history, Mr. Brodkorb. I found that you previously engaged in an irrational personal vendetta against Mark Ritchie. Apparently you had an obsession with him to the point of it being called bizarre behavior. So, Mr. Brodkorb, you are the pot attempting to call the kettle black. Except in this case the kettle is made of pure gold.

Jeff Rosenberg, writing at MNpublius, stated "Now that he’s Deputy Chairman of the GOP, Brodkorb is bringing his irrational hatred with him, in the form of a senseless attack on Ritchie a full 16 months before the election. This is just another in a series of bizarre attacks. After all, 16 months before the election, who cares? The only reason for the attack is because Brodkorb seems unable to control his rage; it certainly doesn’t make political sense."

Now for contrast between the character of Michael Brodkorb and the character of Mark Dayton, here's Senator Dayton's retirement tribute that was given by Senator Levine.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 8, 2006
Contact: Senator Levin's Office
Phone: 202.224.6221

SENATOR MARK DAYTON RETIREMENT TRIBUTE

Mr. President, as Senator Mark Dayton prepares to leave this body, I’d like to share with my colleagues a few thoughts about his service. In September, I had the pleasure of speaking on Senator Dayton’s behalf at a dinner paying tribute to the retiring senators, and I ask that my remarks from that event be placed into the Congressional Record.

“On the night six years ago when Minnesota voters chose him as their 33rd Senator, Mark Dayton told the cheering crowd: ‘No matter what your political party or personal philosophy, no matter who you voted for today or even whether you voted at all, I'll work for you. When, next January, I become Senator Dayton, please -- call me Mark. Because I'm your public servant. I'll work for you.’

“For the past six years, Mark has kept that pledge, because those words were not the rhetoric of a campaign; they were a reflection of Mark’s deeply-held beliefs. Mark Dayton treats everyone – from the wealthiest to the least fortunate – with the same sense of fairness and compassion, and he carries himself with a humility to which we can all aspire. Mark’s lack of guile has characterized his service here, where political calculating is an accepted reality.

“When Mark came to the Senate, he brought with him a broad range of experience. In the private sector he had worked as a public school teacher in a challenging New York City school; as a counselor to runaway youth; as a chief financial officer for a non-profit group; and as head of an investment group. In public life, he had served as a Senate aide to Walter Mondale; as head of Minnesota’s Department of Energy and Economic Development; and as State Auditor, among many other capacities.

“That path of service to Minnesota led to his own election to the Senate. Mark and I serve together on both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. As the ranking member on both committees, I have witnessed in Mark a Senator who is passionately dedicated to public service. Mark reads the long reports, he attends the dry meetings, he masters the difficult material, and he asks the tough questions with a disarming directness and quizzical curiosity.

“On the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Mark has been a strong voice in our hearings examining abusive tax shelters and offshore tax havens. Mark has been a leader on prescription drug issues, and he even donates his Senate salary to help seniors buy prescription drugs they could not otherwise afford. And Mark has been a great battler on issues common to our two states, including fighting on behalf of our steel and mining industries and to strengthen our Northern Border.

“As part of our work on the Armed Services Committee, Mark traveled with Chairman Warner and me and six other Senators to Iraq, where we saw firsthand Mark’s deep dedication to the men and women of our armed forces. After allegations surfaced that our troops in Iraq had been given contaminated water by a contractor, it was Mark’s insistence that led to an ongoing investigation into the contractor’s actions. And Mark has been a true champion for our National Guard and Reserve forces, working forcefully to ease their difficult transition back to civilian life when their tours of duty finally end.

“As Mark writes the next chapter in his own life, he can return home to the people of his beloved Minnesota knowing that he has served them honorably and well. Some of them will probably insist on calling him ‘Senator.’ But, for most, this idealist with a good heart never stopped simply being ‘Mark.’”

We shall miss Mark Dayton and wish him well as he leaves us.

http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=266762

Mr. Brodkorb, I invite you to read the real story of Mark Dayton's senate years. Read the following website to see all the good things that Senator Mark Dayton did. In spite of what an irresponsible reporter at Time magazine wrote, the fact remains that Mark Dayton was indeed a good senator who always had the best interests of Minnesotans in mind.

http://aprilknight.blogspot.com/2009/12/mark-dayton-senate-years.html

I fully support Mark Dayton as he campaigns to win the governorship of Minnesota. It's about time we had a governor with such a highly regarded character who has proven time and again that he truly cares about Minnesota.