Category: Dean Phillips

Paulsen’s commercials are deceptive

Congressman Erik Paulsen has a problem, and it’s not just ads rated false by fact checkers or condemned by prominent community members. Paulsen needs to appear accessible despite years of avoiding voters. Consider his methods.

Paulsen slips clever deceptions into statements. Example: “open office hours.” That’s something Paulsen says. But, if you wish a meeting with Paulsen in Eden Prairie, you’ll need to provide the names of attendees then await approval. This procedure negates his claim that he meets with “anyone” or that his office hours are “open.”

When pressed on town halls, Paulsen and staff repeatedly said he’d held “hundreds of town hall events.” They never defined what counted. When asked about future events, Mr. Paulsen’s public schedule was said to be private. How about time frame? Hundreds sounds like a busy public schedule. But spread over eight or nine years, it’s anemic. Continue reading “Paulsen’s commercials are deceptive”

Health scare 2018: How Minnesota campaigns are exploiting voters’ anxiety over health care

Credit: Getty/Sebastian Rose

The battle over health care — something that has become a defining feature of the 2018 midterm elections — has, in the final stretch of the campaign, come down to Republicans and Democrats making two different but equally emphatic assurances to voters.

Democrats are running on the argument that Republicans, if they retain majorities in Congress, would take another stab at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, and would aim to kill some of the law’s most popular planks — including its protections for individuals with pre-existing health conditions.

Republicans, meanwhile, insist that they have never, and would not ever, attempt to undermine the Obamacare provision that helped people with pre-existing conditions access more affordable health coverage. They’re issuing a warning of their own: if Democrats take control on Capitol Hill, they will push plans that would dramatically expand government health care programs — paving the way to ruin them at the expense of the seniors and families who need them most.

View the complete October 19 article by Sam Brody on the MinnPost website here.

Outside groups flood Minnesota with $29M in political spending in four key House races

Rep. Erik Paulsen talks as DFL candidate Dean Phillips listens at their debate at the UBS Forum at Minnesota Public Radio.. Credit: Tony Saunders, MPR News

WASHINGTON – National political spending groups have deluged Minnesota with more than $29 million in four key U.S. House races, a potent symbol of the state’s importance to the battle for control the U.S. House in November.

In northeast Minnesota’s open Eighth District, one of the Republican Party’s best chances nationwide to pick up a seat now held by a Democrat, outside conservative groups have dramatically offset Democrat Joe Radinovich’s fundraising advantage. He’s raised $1.5 million, while Republican Pete Stauber has raised $1.4 million. But outside organizations have spent $7.3 million to target area voters, much of it on ads critical of Radinovich.

The largely rural district, which includes Duluth and the Iron Range, is currently represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, who is stepping down. President Donald Trump won it by nearly 16 percentage points in 2016.

View the complete October 20 article by May Rao on the StarTribune website here.

Phillips brings energy, openness, optimism

To the Editor:

Dean Phillips is a fresh new face on the political scene. From the first time we heard him speak here in Edina we were impressed by his energy, openness, optimism, and willingness to begin a grassroots campaign that has already proven to be very successful. His goal has not been to trash his opponent like so many do these days, but rather to tell us who and what he is and how he can make the lives of those he will represent better in Washington, D.C., with the current climate of political dishonesty, promises made, promises broken.

As a businessman and philanthropist Dean knows how to treat people fairly, with respect, and most of all he listens carefully to what the people in his congressional district are telling him. From day one, he said he would not take PAC money from anyone and would grow his campaign with individual contributions. His appearances on the road at gatherings large and small, debates with his opponent on public radio and at other events sponsored by local groups like, The League of Women Voters, has proven that he is more than qualified to lead us all in a positive direction. His commitment to work across the aisle in Washington, D.C., is but one thing that he feels is imperative if success can be achieved for all of us in the time of political divisiveness. We have no doubt that Dean can bring back a sense of civility to politics and our vote will be with him on Nov. 6.

Jack and Diane Lacy
Edina Sun-Current, October 25, 2018

Why I support Dean Phillips

To the editor:

The source of campaign contributions is a trustworthy indicator of who will truly represent residents of the third congressional district: incumbent Erik Paulsen or his challenger Dean Phillips.

Paulsen currently occupies the eye-popping rank of number FOUR among reps who have accepted the most PAC money. That’s right—of 435 U.S. House reps, only three take more outside money than Erik Paulsen. He’s raked in over $2.6 million from political action committees. PACs are funded primarily by corporations and billionaires outside our district, and exist for one reason only: to influence elections and legislation.

Dean Phillips? Zero PAC money. Sixty-seven thousand individual contributors, donating an average of $33 each, have provided 100% of his campaign funds. And that’s who Phillips will listen to before casting votes in Congress: his constituents. The lion’s share of Paulsen’s votes, on the other hand, reflect the interests of the outside parties that pour money into his campaign coffers.

Side note: Erik actually sits in FIRST place for taking money from politically conservative PACs. Combine that with his votes—98 percent of which support President Trump’s agenda—and it’s plain that Paulsen is a far cry from the moderate politician his commercials and campaign literature try to make him out to be.

On Nov. 6, my family and I will vote for Dean Phillips, who has proven by refusing to accept outside money that he’ll represent us and our neighbors.

Martha McNey, Excelsior
Minnetonka Sun-Sailor, October 25, 2018

Paulsen’s Final Refusal to Sign “Minnesota Way” Pledge Prompts a Loan from Dean Phillips to His Campaign

Phillips fulfills commitment made at the beginning of his campaign to compete against Paulsen’s special-interest millions

EXCELSIOR, MN – Today Dean Phillips announced that he has loaned his campaign $1,316,568.50 – exactly half the sum Erik Paulsen has taken from special interest PACs as of September 30th of this year. Paulsen has raised nearly $100,000 more since then, and is now the 4th biggest taker of special interest PAC dollars in the entire Congress.

Erik Paulsen and the outside special interest groups who support him are outspending Phillips by a 3:1 margin. Phillips, who refuses to accept money from special interest PACs, federal lobbyists or members of Congress, has raised over $4 million from more than 66,000 individuals at an average of just $36 per contribution. Phillips stated at the very beginning of his campaign that he would rather help resource his own campaign than be bought off by the special interest groups that bankroll representatives like Erik Paulsen.

“I offered Congressman Paulsen the opportunity to run this campaign the Minnesota Way – without special interest money and without self-funding – but he refused time and time again,” said Phillips. “Congressman Paulsen is benefitting from millions more being spent on his behalf on despicable ads filled with lies and objectively misleading claims. On behalf of a district that demands principled representation, I will not let Erik Paulsen and out-of-state special interests buy this election.” Continue reading “Paulsen’s Final Refusal to Sign “Minnesota Way” Pledge Prompts a Loan from Dean Phillips to His Campaign”

Frustrated with Rep. Paulsen’s false claims

Dear Editor:

As a citizen frustrated with the current political climate, I am eagerly anticipating the upcoming elections. I find myself discouraged and depressed however, at the ridiculous barrage of false advertising – particularly from our current representative, Erik Paulsen.

As someone who has voted for many Republicans and Democrats, I always look at candidates with skepticism. However, the easily disproven, fraudulent attacks by the Paulsen campaign against Dean Phillips are particularly unsettling. Of the numerous negative attacks, one stands out above the rest: the accusation that Phillips covered up harassment at Allina’s Health System Clinics. This is blatantly false, and disputed by both the business and the women themselves. Paulsen has yet to stop running the ad or apologize for the debunked claim, cynically hoping that voters simply swallow it. This new, corrosive trend of creating your own truth and lying to the public is destructive. Fabricating a story involving harassment because it is currently such an emotional issue is repulsive.

We’ve also been told that Dean Phillips avoids paying his taxes (he doesn’t) and doesn’t provide healthcare to employees (he does), and as more of these dishonest attacks are unveiled, we learn just how far Erik Paulsen is willing to go to keep his job. Continue reading “Frustrated with Rep. Paulsen’s false claims”

Phillips Presents Alternative to Anger and Division in Closing Ad

Phillips forges ahead with “decency, respect, and contagious optimism”

EXCELSIOR, MN – Today, Dean Phillips released his closing TV ad, entitled “Together”, amplifying the unifying voice that has become a hallmark of his campaign for Congress.

“In times like these, it is more important than ever that our elected leaders speak out against the hateful and divisive rhetoric that pervades our political discourse,” said Phillips. “My campaign has always been about getting people talking again, and returning to a time when Democrats, independents and Republicans worked together in the common interest. We can get there again, but it will require new leaders in Congress who are committed to putting country before party, and people before PACs. I humbly ask for the chance to be that leader for our community.”

Phillips’s closing argument echoes the themes of his introductory video, the second-most watched of this campaign. He has run a people-powered, energetic, grassroots campaign with over 66,000 individual contributors and 2,000 volunteers. Phillips’s motto is “Everyone’s invited!” – and Democrats, independents and Republicans alike have been actively involved in his campaign. And according to numerous public polls, voters in the 3rd District are responding positively to his positive, unifying message. Continue reading “Phillips Presents Alternative to Anger and Division in Closing Ad”

Change is coming and everyone’s invited

To the Editor:

We are getting closer to the election finish line, but the closer we get the more aggressive the attack ads against Dean Phillips are getting. Why?

We’ve all seen the headlines. We know how close the race is between Dean Phillips and Rep. Erik Paulsen, but I don’t understand why Paulsen endorses ad after ad attacking Dean Phillips under false pretenses. The ads run by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) are prime examples of false advertising. Should this type of campaigning be allowed? Where’s the integrity in Paulsen’s campaign?

I encourage each and every eligible voter to seek truth (which can be found from sources such as fivethirtyeight.com, erikpaulsen.org and opensecrets.org) to fully understand the situation before listening to the ads. Commercials such as the attack ads against Dean Phillips are creating division and anger. Continue reading “Change is coming and everyone’s invited”