To the Editor:
True confession: I voted for Erik Paulsen — twice! He seemed like a nice guy, was a fellow St. Olaf graduate, and a friend vouched for him. That was enough to get this Democrat to back the “moderate” Republican. I felt comfortable with him as my representative. Are you comfortable with him? If so I encourage you to dig deeper: The truth about Erik Paulsen may surprise you.
An examination of Paulsen’s voting record reveals the truth about Erik, who works hard to maintain his “nice guy” image, even as his votes betray our trust. Paulsen has voted in favor of every single policy put forth by President Trump — even those that are devastating: the wildly unpopular AHCA, loss of our internet privacy, and stripping environmental protections. These votes are far from moderate or “nice” — some are literally deadly.
His partisan votes ignore the wishes of his constituents. Most do not want the AHCA to pass, do not support weakening pollution controls and do want Trump to honor his promise to release his taxes. Paulsen has repeatedly voted to keep Trump’s taxes hidden. Why does he deny our request for transparency? We deserve a representative who seeks the truth, not one who hides it.
While I believe Paulsen is indeed a nice guy who entered politics intending to serve, a review of his voting record uncovers a troubling disconnect between Erik the person and Erik the politician. There is nothing “Minnesota Nice” about his pattern of extreme-right voting. Paulsen ignores his constituents and prioritizes the Republican agenda over those he was elected to serve.
Kris Miner, Eden Prairie
MinnPost, June 22, 2017