Paulsen’s campaign should show the civility, discourse, and restraint he called for last year
Erik Paulsen needs to start taking his own advice. Last year, the Third District Republican called for “civility, discourse, restraint, whether it’s in the political system or society as a whole.” Yet over the course of his campaign against DFLer Dean Phillips, Congressman Paulsen has run a campaign devoid of civility, discourse, or restraint.
As a member of the bipartisan Congressional Civility Caucus, Erik Paulsen has joined other representatives from both parties who have said they are “taking action to restore civility and respect in our political discourse.” But Paulsen’s campaign tactics are anything but civil and are probably enough to warrant his ejection from that club. As recently as this week Paulsen has been condemned by constituents, business and community leaders for the incivility with which he continues to launch misleading attacks against his opponent Dean Phillips.
A closer look at Paulsen’s behavior during the campaign shows a stark contradiction between his words and actions.
Discourse
For someone who claims to champion discourse in politics, Paulsen has gone to extreme lengths to avoid discourse with his constituents. He went more than seven years without holding a single Town Hall, and finally relented under pressure by holding three “ticketed Town Halls” earlier this year. Even those events were limited by the small number of people admitted to the events.
Restraint
Paulsen has shown a shocking lack of restraint over the course of this election. Going even further than the disturbing ads coming from special interest groups, the worst attack ads in the Third District are coming directly from Paulsen and his campaign. Despite widespread condemnation of his ads and a call to pull them from the airwaves, Paulsen continues running the spots, with the most recent one launching this week with the same discredited claims.
Civility
“Nothing about the way Erik Paulsen has conducted himself in this campaign can be even remotely called civil,” said DFL senior advisor Charlene Briner. “A person’s true character is often revealed when confronted by challenge or stress. Minnesotans have seen Paulsen’s true colors for themselves and they don’t like what they see.”