MARK DAYTON'S CAMPAIGN KICKOFF

This morning I attended Mark Dayton's campaign kickoff at the State Capital. They needed a bigger room. It was so crowded that there was standing room only. Quite a few important people were in attendance. Mark introduced several who came forward and said many good things about him. Even the woman who had no insurance for surgery for her daughter was there. She called him an angel of mercy. If not for him, her daughter would not have lived.

Eliot Seide (Executive Director, AFSCME Council 5) was also there. He was called upon to say a few words. I brought a Toastmasters friend to this event. He commented on what a good speaker Eliot is. I thought it was great to see him again, as well as his associate Jennifer Munt. What great people for Mark to have on his team!

State Senator Satveer Chaudhary stood behind Dayton. I met him once before at an event in Fridley. He had more kind and uplifting remarks to say about Mark. He told us why he decided to endorse this candidate. He said that the biggest reason is that he's been very impressed with Mark's honesty and willingness to come forward with any flaws he may have. It definitely takes someone with honesty and integrity to do that. Somehow I can't imagine our current governor ever doing such a thing.

It was really nice meeting Mark's son Eric and his fiance. Eric was smiling just like he does in his pictures. He has a kind voice, too, just like his father does. He reminds me of my son Charles.

The packed room applauded frequently when Dayton referred to taxing the rich and reading his lips. They never get tired of that line.

Another great line Dayton had today was when a media person asked him if he was trying to engage in a class war. Dayton replied, "I'm not the one who started it." Bingo.

Mark Dayton is definitely a favorite with almost everyone who was in the room. The only ones I'm not sure about were the media. After all, it's their job to try to report from an unbiased viewpoint. Good thing I'm not a real reporter (signified by actually getting paid a salary for it).

The main message today was that Mark Dayton is the best choice for governor of Minnesota. He's on the side of justice and equality and fairness. He cares about everyone, including those who have no one else to care about them. Plus he's humble. You could tell just by watching him today. He's also got over 34 years of public service experience as well as previously leading three state agencies. He's got the wisdom of experience and the heart and passion of Paul Wellstone.

Now he's off to Duluth, where he's starting his 87 counties in 87 days campaign. I wish him the best of luck, although he won't need the luck because he's got so much more going for him. A little luck never hurts, though. So I gave his staffer Brian a PowerPoint presentation I made. It's good campaign material. Maybe it'll end up on YouTube if I can figure out how to do that.

Governor Dayton has a nice ring to it.