MARK DAYTON AGAIN

Mark Dayton Speaks About Something?

MN Progressive Project did a blog on February 18, 2009, called Mark Dayton Makes a Move. The blog includes an enlargeable picture of a flyer that Dayton had sent out to some of the voters (hey, he missed a whole bunch of us).

This particular blog that Populista did at Minnesota Progressive Project includes links to a speech and a debate that Mark Dayton had with two other candidates for senator. Go to the website linked to above. The RealAudio links are accessed by scrolling about two thirds of the way down the page.

One commenter on this blog is not happy with Dayton's oratory skills. He says, DFL State Convention Speech, May 22, 2004. Scary. He just goes completely off the rails. 

For the debate, he says, U.S. Senate Debate, October 15, 2000. Falls apart when put under pressure. Hour 2 is especially painful.

Personally, I didn't think it was as bad as all that, but go to the site by clicking on the highlighted link above, scroll down, click on the audio links and listen for yourself. The speech in the first clip is kind of wild, much like the more recent AFSCME on the Hill speech. Only left wingers would appreciate it.

There are two separate audio clips of the debate with Rod Grams. The latter obviously won the debate because he had better communication skills and made more sense. Yet one must say that Dayton stood up for himself quite nicely and logically when Grams tried to twist his words. Dayton is not an eloquent speaker (he stumbles over his words a lot), but he is sincere.

Read the rest of the comments on this blog to see what fellow Progressives think of having Dayton as our next governor. Here's one of the comments:

We deserve better than Dayton

The man left the Senate as a disgrace -- he was poised to lose to Mark Kennedy of all people!!! He is yesterday's news, and there's nothing progressive about that. We have tremendous, new-blood progressives poised to lead the DFL back to prominence. Let's not screw this up with a pick like Dayton.

I also posted this on my Facebook wall. Here's the comments that were written about it:

I don't understand this post.

Just go to that website, scroll down, and listen to the three speeches/debates. My purpose is to make sure we get the best candidate for governor and not someone who wins because he's got enough money for superb media advertising. The three RealAudio segments speak for themselves. Also read what progressive DFLers have to say in the comments section.

Oh. Okay. Cause it looked like you were working against Dayton, now that you've had a personal falling out with him.

I am working against Dayton because I am no longer blinded by untenable devotion and loyalty and thus have made the rational decision to fully support Paul Thissen, who is an excellent communicator, has a great record in the legislature, can win the election in November because he appeals to all voters, including moderate, swing and independent. I abhor the idea of Dayton winning merely because he has the most money and the name most recognized by all Minnesotans because of Divine Dayton's Dept Store, which he never had anything to do with as far as the running of it. It's time we elected someone on their merits, their common sense, their integrity and their stand on the issues.

In listening to the debate in the above link, between Grams and Dayton, it's so obvious that Grams won the debate. Yet Dayton won the election because he had more money to spend on advertising. He spent $12 million on that campaign. Conclusion: he bought his Senate seat.

Why does Mark Dayton get elected to public office? Simple. He's rich. That means he's got a lot of money to spend on advertising. Plus he's got a name that everyone in Minnesota recognizes. So Dayton doesn't get elected because he's the best candidate for the job. No indeed. It's because he was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. He's so rich that he can't understand what it's like for those who aren't. Sure, he lived with a welfare family for awhile way way back when. What, did they have to pay to feed him? Oh, I suppose there was some kind of program through Yale. That was over 40 years ago, though. When's the last time Mark Dayton hopped on a city bus? Just to see how regular people live? Try the 16 that goes between Minneapolis and St. Paul. Or the 10 that goes from Minneapolis up Central Avenue all the way to Northtown.

When's the last time Mark Dayton ever had to go hungry? Did he ever have to steal a loaf of bread from the grocery store next door because he had no money and nothing to eat? When he brought it home, did he have to put only mustard and ketchup on it because there was nothing else to make a sandwich with?

When's the last time Mark Dayton had to hitchhike because he couldn't afford a car? When's the last time he had to drive an unsafe car because he couldn't afford to fix it? When's the last time he had no place to sleep because the homeless shelters were full?

Don't tell me all the good things this guy has done for people. Not when all of these incidents eventually become fodder for political gain. Take the stories told by others at his campaign kick-off on January 20. Good stories. He didn't even have to toot his own horn. He had others do it for him. Now all those stories are on his website. Sounds boastful, doesn't it? Many of us think it's unbecoming to put those on his website. If you're going to help people out, no need to boast about it. Just do it and keep quiet about it.

It seems that Dayton does things for a few people with his untold riches and then files the story away to be used later for political reasons. Like that's going to make the voters elect him. Well, maybe it will. Voters are sometimes easy to fool. We usually believe what we want to believe.

I have a Facebook friend who said how great it was that Dayton emailed her in compassion because he saw that she lost her beloved little dog. How did he know that? Most likely by the Facebook conversation I was having with the lady. A slick politician looks for things like this all the time so he can appear selfless, kind and compassionate. I fell for that for quite some time myself. Until for some reason he targeted me to be unkind to. Guess he had to be unkind to someone just for a breather. But why choose someone who went out of her way to do nice things for his campaign? Why pretend to like someone when you don't? That was really hurtful. It still is.

How else can you tell how someone really is? Look at all their pictures. If most of them have the candidate looking straight into the camera, you can bet your booties that the candidate is highly political. If he's looking at the other person or people in the shot, then he's genuine. Mark Dayton has been a politician for decades. He's learned all the tricks of the trade.

Did he have to use all those tricks to hurt a woman with a potentially fatal chronic disease? Did he wake up one morning and say, "Today I'm going to find someone to hurt?"

Is this someone we want to be the next governor of Minnesota? I think not. He didn't do very well in Washington as a senator. Why would we think he would be a good governor?

And speaking of oratory skills, take a look at part of a speech he gave at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Minneapolis. I was going to show you the whole speech, but it's been scrubbed off the internet. Here's the part I found:

Our country has moved decidedly to the right. Our citizens, many are less involved. Our social system is less compassionate, government is less effective and liberalism is more distrusted....Where is God in the midst of all this injustice? I don't have a clue. I don't know if He, or She, or Whatever doesn't exist, died, is incompetent, doesn't care, is laissez faire, or has a master plan I don't understand.

The commentator on this speech said:

Does that sound like a stable and intelligent speech to give to Catholics? The only part with which I could agree is this: "I don't have a clue." He certainly demonstrated that yesterday in his performance on national TV.

*********************************************************************

WHY PAUL THISSEN CAN WIN

Paul Thissen

For all those undecided delegates, here's some excellent reasons to choose Paul Thissen.

Paul Thissen is one of the most educated of all the candidates. He graduated with high honors from Harvard University in 1989. He then attended the University of Chicago Law School. He served as an editor of the law review and graduated with high honors in 1992. Paul then returned to Minnesota with his wife Karen. He clerked for the Honorable James B. Loken of the United State Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, worked for the Minnesota State Public Defenders Office and became a partner at the Minneapolis law firm of Briggs and Morgan.

In 2006, Paul was named one of “Forty Under 40” top business professionals in the Twin Cities by the Twin Cities Business Journal. In 2008, Paul was recognized as one of the 100 Influential Minnesotans in Health Care by Physician Magazine and named one of the Twin Cities “Best Brains” in Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine. Not only is Paul Thissen highly intelligent; he also has the common sense to put his education to work for Minnesota for the benefit of all.

The nicest thing about Paul is that he doesn't boast about his accomplishments. He just makes use of what he has learned in a viable way for his constituents and for all of Minnesota. He's a very friendly guy and has shown that he cares about individuals as well as about this state as a whole. 

If Paul doesn't know something about a particular issue, he makes sure that he finds out. If he gains new information, he is willing to accomodate and assimilate it and, when necessary, change his views to reflect what he has learned.

Paul Thissen is a candidate who, if elected governor, could work well with both parties in a nonpartisan way. Yet we can be sure that he won't cave in to things that aren't right, ethical or moral.

Paul has accomplished much in the Minnesota legislature. He was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2002. Since that time he has demonstrated both a high ability and a great willingness to tackle tough, complex issues and deliver viable solutions. In 2007, after just four years of legislative service, Paul was appointed Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. His legislative work has been recognized by numerous community groups and organizations.

Paul is the Chief Author of the Children’s Health Security Act. This resulted in nearly 40,000 children getting access to health care. He was also instrumental in passing the 2008 Health Reform Act, work the Star Tribune named the “prize” of the 2008 session.

Paul Thissen wants Minnesota to be a state where children and teenagers have every opportunity to learn, grow and succeed. He also wants our senior citizens to be able to live their lives with independence and dignity.

For a truly better Minnesota, let's endorse Paul Thissen at the MN DFL State Convention. 

*********************************************************************

 

Mark Dayton Should Drop out of MN DFL Gubernatorial Race for the Good of the DFL Party

Mark Dayton

Mark Dayton said in 2006 that he was not the best candidate to lead the DFL party to victory in the Senate race. So why does he think he is now? Nothing has changed between then and now. He still carries the same baggage.

As far as his candidacy, Mark Dayton’s problem is that he is his own worst enemy, and because of that, the Republicans have a 7-inch file of things they will use against him in November. It’s called baggage. Dayton has a lot of it. While I like him very much as a person, and I was going to vote for him for that reason, I always knew that he’s not the best candidate to lead the DFL party to victory. He can win the Primary because of his high name recognition all over the state. Many voters only vote for a name they recognize. However, if he is the DFL candidate in November, he will lose. He has a history of not using good judgement in the things he says. He’s got the closing of his Senate office due to a terroristic threat going against him. I agree with his decision to close it, but that was the reason why his popularity dropped so much and he decided not to run for reelection for the Senate.

Time Magazine said he was one of the 5 worst Senators. He can’t get away from that stigma. He gave himself an F as Senator, and he can’t get away from that either. Most DFLers would vote for him if he was the DFL candidate on the ticket in November. However, there is no way he would be able to get the Independent Party vote or the vote of the independent and swing voters. Most of this stuff isn’t his fault, but his bad press goes everywhere, and the Republicans will use it all against him. The thing is, none of it is lies. It all actually happened. He doesn’t use good judgement when he talks to the press. Also, he shouldn’t have been so open to his constituents in all his Christmas letters every year where he talked about his two divorces and his struggle with depression and alcoholism.

Most active DFLers know that Mark Dayton will not be a good candidate for the DFL ticket in November because he has very little chance of winning.

Mark is a great person on a personal level. I don’t want anything to disparge his character, which is of very high quality. But he won’t win the November election.

************************************************************************

HOW TO CHOOSE A DFL CANDIDATE TO VOTE FOR

There are ten excellent DFL candidates to choose from. Some stand out a little more than others for one reason or another. How do you go about picking which one to vote for? Is there a set of criteria that should be used? Here's my input.

1.  How much experience working in government does the candidate have?

2.  Is the candidate electable? Does the candidate have state-wide name recognition?

3.  Does the candidate have viable ideas about how to fix the crisis that Minnesota is in? Does the candidate have an actual plan for tackling most of the issues, or does he/she only talk about one or two issues? Does the candidate whine that the new governor can't do everything so has to concentrate on one or two things, or does he/she appear eager to get right to work on a plan to solve all the most pressing issues?

4.  Is the candidate popular with voters?

5.  Is there anything in the candidate's past that the opposition can use to turn voters against him or her?

6.  If the candidate has past legislative experience, what was his or her voting record like?

7.  Does the candidate have the type of personality that can get along with the legislators well enough to work with them and get things done? Does he or she have a history of getting along well with others?

8.  What is the public image of the candidate? How do others see him or her? Sometimes what you see is what you get; other times how you perceive a person is not at all how they really are.

9.  How much budgeting experience does the candidate have? Is it enough to combat the current budget crisis? Does the candidate thoroughly understand money?

10. Does the candidate have a history of going out of his or her way to help others? Does the candidate truly care about the people of Minnesota, or is the candidate only out for himself or herself?

11. What are the true inner motives as to why the candidate wants to be the next governor of Minnesota?

12. Will the candidate be able to win a debate against the opposition?

13. Does the candidate like children and animals?

14. Does the candidate often say what he or she thinks the audience wants to hear or does he/she tell the truth no matter how unpopular that truth might be? Is the candidate honest with the audience or are there half-truths and embellishments?

15. Does the candidate agree to be accountable to the people of Minnesota?

16. Does the candidate have a team of advisors and commissioners in mind yet?

17. In the final analysis, which candidate do you really connect with and why?

18. And last but not least, what has the candidate done in his/her career to help various communities of people, such as Seniors, Veterans, Children, Disabled, GLBT, etc.?

Please make an informed vote. Don't just vote for the smoothest talker or the person you think is the most attractive. Making an informed vote takes time and effort. Doing the research, though, is well worth it because the result of the 2010 gubernatorial election will affect each and every one of us in profound ways.

POLO IN MINNESOTA?

Have you ever been to a polo match? I attended one in Charlottesville, VA in about 1990. I never forgot it. How exciting! It's like croquet on horseback. Although it' s fast like hockey on horseback. Those polo ponies sure are well trained.

Polo doesn't seem to be popular in very many states. I'll bet it could be, though. Do you think Minnesota would like a polo team? Wouldn't that be great? What would we name the team? The Minnesota Hoofers?

After the budget crisis is eliminated and Minnesota is once again having a glorious future, will the new governor promote a polo team in Minnesota? Wouldn't you rather watch a polo match than a golf tournament?

Mark Dayton Speaking at the MN AFL-CIO Gubernatorial Forum

Listen to the passion in Mark Dayton's voice as he talks about how Minnesota has suffered from a Republican administration. Join me in voting for Mark Dayton for the next Governor of Minnesota. He knows what needs to be fixed in Minnesota and has the dedication and the expertise to fix it.

Mark Dayton on Tax Fairness

Vote for Mark Dayton for Governor of Minnesota. He'll return Minnesota to a progressive tax system.

Mark Dayton on Health Care

I think Mark Dayton is absolutely correct in saying that we should have health care for everyone. This is a basic need. No one should be denied health care because of a lack of insurance or inability to pay. If an indigent person had a heart attack right in front of us, I don't think that many of us would just leave him lying on the ground while we walk away. It's the same principle.