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.
Paulsen invites you to join his social media “conversations,” then he doesn’t interact. In a recent tweet, he says, “Did you know that in the last several months my office has held …” The tweet intends to impress us with numbers — like six Congress On Your Corner events. Advanced Twitter search found three such events since November 2016. Does “last several months” mean more than two years? Are half the events fictional?
Voter beware. For a decade Paulsen has created his image as the nice guy who’s accessible and looking out for you. It’s a myth.
Reject the myth; vote for Dean Phillips.
Clara McIver, Plymouth
Lakeshore Weekly, October 26, 2018