Tag: 3rd Congressional District

Viral “We Found BigfootI” Ad to Air on TV Ahead of Thursday Night Viking Game

Viewed over 1 million times, ad becomes first to air just once since 1990

Excelsior, MN – With well over one million views online and accolades from national media outlets and thousands of viewers calling it one of the best ads ever made, Phillips for Congress’s viral “We Found Bigfoot” online video is making its way to television. A 60-second version of the spot will air on TV during this Thursday’s Vikings vs. Rams pregame show.

In the two days following Bigfoot’s release online, Phillips for Congress raised over $86,000 and saw enormous support from individuals hoping to see the memorable ad run on TV.

“As Dean said, when they go low, we go hilarious,” said Zach Rodvold, Campaign Manager for Phillips for Congress. “So while the airwaves are crowded with dishonest attack ads — most of them targeting Dean as part of a coordinated smear campaign — Bigfoot uses a little humor to communicate a serious message. And it’s funny because it’s true: Erik Paulsen is the 6th biggest taker of special interest money in Congress, and spends his time courting his donors while avoiding his constituents at all costs.” Continue reading “Viral “We Found BigfootI” Ad to Air on TV Ahead of Thursday Night Viking Game”

J. Patrick Coolican in StarTribune Morning Hot Dish

Lunchtime reading

Good morning. Apologies for the tardiness.

The gamesmanship between U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen and  challenger Dean Phillips continues to impress. Paulsen’s campaign manager John-Paul Yates asked Phillips if they could use his coffee shop to film an ad:

I am writing to request the use of the Linden Hills Penny’s Coffee shop to film a political commercial. Since Penny’s has previously allowed political commercials to be filmed at their shops, we believe that the facilities are equipped to handle such logistics. To the extent that the location requires any additional build out or resources to facilitate the filming we are able and willing to provide that at our own expense without impacting the shop. We are more than willing to pay whatever fee was charged of other political campaigns to shoot at Penny’s Coffee shop.

The subtext here is that Paulsen has continued to hit Phillips for not offering employee health insurance when the shop opened. Phillips called their bluff, responding:

Thank you for your inquiry about using Penny’s coffee shop…Coincidentally, I too am running for Congress, and I operate my campaign the same as Penny’s; by offering accessibility, radical hospitality, a fun environment to which everyone’s invited, livable wages, and a healthcare plan for all full-time employees. We would be happy to host you at Penny’s to film your commercial for Congressman Paulsen free of charge, provided it’s during normal business hours. Please advise me of the date and time you’d like to shoot, and we’ll confirm if it works for our team. I’ll also commit to being onsite to ensure the experience exceeds your expectations.

View the full post here.

The Top 5 Most Creative Brand Ideas You Need to Know About Know (Hint: Bigfoot Makes an Appearance)

Welcome to the Creativity Top 5 most interesting brand ideas of the week.

5. Denny’s: ‘Mobile Relief Diner’, EP & Co
Denny’s is taking its grill on the road to provide food to people affected by natural disasters. After a trial run feeding victims of California wildfires, the Mobile Relief Diner is headed to North Carolina, with free pancakes, bacon and coffee for people hit by Hurricane Florence. The chain’s creative agency of record, EP & Co, is getting the word out.

4. Nike: ‘Fastest Ever’, Wieden & Kennedy Portland
Nike’s timing is perfect. Just days before Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge set a stunning new world record at the Berlin Marathon, this spot from Wieden & Kennedy came out: It features his feet, hitting the track like a meditative machine. It also hearkens back to Nike’s attempt to break the 2-hour marathon record in 2017, a goal that seems a bit more attainable now.

3. Dean Phillips for Congress: ‘We Found Bigfoot!’, Hunt Adkins
The Pacific Northwest’s hairiest protohuman makes a public appearance in a campaign ad for Dean Phillips, a Democrat running for the House in Minnesota’s 3rd District. Bigfoot tries to track down Phillips’ elusive opponent, Republican incumbent Erik Paulsen, in a spot from Minneapolis agency Hunt Adkins.

View the complete September 24 article by I-Hsien Sherwood and Alfred Maskeroni at the Ad Age website here.

Paulsen’s Patrons Filling the Airwaves with Even More Falsehoods and Distortions

New NRCC ad attacks Dean Phillips for something that happened two years after he stepped down as CEO of Phillips Distilling

Excelsior, MN – Just days after Erik Paulsen and the special interests supporting his campaign were called out for running false and misleading ads against Dean Phillips, party committees and special interest super PACs benefitting Congressman Paulsen are doubling down on their dishonest attacks, with the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) launching yet another smear ad featuring false claims.

The new NRCC ad claims that Dean Phillips “profited” from — and his company was “cited” for — marketing alcohol to underage people. The private citizen’s complaint to the Distilled Spirits Council referenced in the ad by the NRCC occurred in 2014, two years after Dean Phillips left his position as CEO of Phillips Distilling, and while he held no financial stake in the company.

“Negative ads are one thing,” said Dean Phillips. “But spending millions of dollars to repeatedly and intentionally mislead voters is beneath the dignity of a member of Congress and his allies. That’s why I’m on a mission to change the culture of corruption caused by big money in our political system.”   Continue reading “Paulsen’s Patrons Filling the Airwaves with Even More Falsehoods and Distortions”

Dean Phillips to Moderate Climate Change and Clean Water Issue Forum

Free educational forum to be held on Wednesday, September 26 in Wayzata

Excelsior, MN – Dean Phillips will moderate a free and open-to-the-public panel discussion focused on climate change and clean water on Wednesday, September 26. The solutions-focused educational forum will feature a variety of leading voices on the environment.

Event details:

“Everyone’s Invited! Issue Forum” – Climate Change and Clean Water

Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Location: Wayzata High School
Doors Open: 5:15 PM
Event Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Special Guests

  • Greg Page, CEO of Cargill
  • Kate Knuth, former MN State Representative and member of the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board
  • Della Schall Young, clean water professional and founder of Young Environmental Consulting LLC
  • Lia Harel, Hopkins High School student and Earth Club president

Phillips has been endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, and Clean Water Action.

Reality Check: Phillips Ad Finds Bigfoot Looking For Rep. Paulsen

NOTE: For those who’ve tried to participate in the tele-townhalls, we know that it’s like calling in to a radio program.  There’s a screener who decides which questioners will be allowed to speak (it’s rarely been anyone who doesn’t parrot GOP positions).  And, any request for follow ups to questions aren’t fulfilled.  Those who have gotten one-on-one time with Rep. Paulsen have found that what he says in those meetings a lot of the time aren’t what he does on the floor of the U.S. House.  And, what can we say about those “Congress on Your Corner”?  They were never announced to the public in more than hours in advance.  By the time people found out about them, Rep. Paulsen had usually left the location.  

 

Paulsen, super PAC teamed up to tear Phillips down with lies

To the Editor:

Here we are, about two months away from midterm election day and the voters of Minnesota’s Third District are on the edge of their seats. We are paying attention to our candidates and determining who will be the best representatives of our interests. But instead of seeing incumbent Erik Paulsen put his best foot forward, we see attack advertisements, special interest money and smear politics.

This has to end. The Congressional Leadership Fund Super PAC and Erik Paulsen have teamed up to try to tear down Dean Phillips’ reputation with lies. Is that how campaigns should run? It’s incredibly misleading and quite honestly annoying. I don’t want our candidates filling the voters’ minds with falsehoods. Let’s provide facts only, please.

Here are some facts: Dean Phillips is a business owner who is passionate about getting money out of politics, saving the environment, making health care accessible to all and much more. He is being attacked for not providing health care to his employees at Penny’s, but he does, in fact, provide for all full-time employees. Continue reading “Paulsen, super PAC teamed up to tear Phillips down with lies”

Join Dean Phillips’ movement

To the Editor:

I’m incredibly proud of the progress Dean Phillips has made in our communities here in Minnesota’s Third District. He decided to run because he was disappointed in the state our government is in and he’s come so close to the election.

I can feel the excitement coursing through the Phillips campaign. Every one of the six parades my boys (2 and 4) and I have marched in has been fun, exciting, and inspiring. This campaign is like no other. ‘Change is coming’ they say, and I truly believe it. Dean Phillips is a passionate citizen, successful business owner, eco-friendly, candidate who has my full support.

Volunteering with this campaign creates friendships, conversation, and camaraderie. Most importantly, it creates community. By creating this community, we learn how representation should really work. We learn how important our actions as voters are. From phone-banking, parades, door-knocking, etc. there’s a place for everyone to help. If I can get my two boys to go door knocking with me and have fun doing it, you can too! Continue reading “Join Dean Phillips’ movement”

Republicans hoped voters would forget they tried to kill Obamacare. They bet wrong.

Credit: Joe Raedle, Getty

Earlier this month, over a year after Republicans tried multiple times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, I asked people in the Twittersphere if their representatives in Congress had voted for repeal and, if so, if they held a town hall to explain their vote and put forward a better vision for health care. Within 24 hours, over 500 people had tweeted back their experiences.

The responses reflected not just people who disagreed with their member of Congress, but people who felt ignored by them. The list of those who chose to vote and disappear in 2017 is long, including many who now find themselves in highly contested races — among them Republicans Barbara Comstock of Virginia, Dana Rohrabacher and Mimi Walters of California, Peter Roskam and Mike Bost of Illinois, Steve Chabot and Steve Stivers of Ohio, and Bruce Poliquin of Maine.

Sensitive to criticism for avoiding their constituents, some lawmakers have taken to holding a “don’t call us, we’ll call you” style of constituent meetings. They often label them town halls, but in reality they are either paid events or telephone calls with limited capacity where only “random” questions are accepted. Few sound satisfied with these interactions. It’s certainly not representative democracy at its finest.

View the complete September 21 article by Andy Slavitt on the Courier-Express website here.

Advertising totals reveal parties’ positioning in battle for House

Republicans and Democrats are taking starkly different approaches to advertising as they race to win control of the U.S. House, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.

Many Republicans are looking to outside money to lift them in the airtime wars, and the House GOP’s allied super PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund, has been this cycle’s dominant spender on television and radio, the documents show.

House Democrats are following a more traditional route. Their campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, is outpacing both its allied super PAC, the House Majority PAC, and its rival, the National Republican Congressional Committee — but lags behind the cash-flush GOP super PAC.

View the complete September 16 article by Robert Costa on the Washington Post website here.