Tag: Erik Paulsen

Walmart halts sale of perfect gag gift: Erik Paulsen’s deep thoughts

The following article by Pete Kotz was posted on the CityPages website July 20, 2018:


For a brief moment, the searing profundity of Minnesota’s greatest statesman could have been yours for just $13. Your bathroom wall would have thanked you. Credit: Walmart

For a brief moment last week, Walmart took the early lead in the perfect gag gift standings for the coming holiday season.

Among its wares, the discount goliath trades in motivational posters. They’re the kind you often find in Aunt Kathy’s bathroom, featuring scenes of sunsets and nature’s wonders, overlaid with quotes meant to comfort or inspire.

But one seemed more designed to evoke laughter. Or perhaps consternation.

It featured a scene from what appears to be the California coast, replete with this heartrending gem: “Spending more time with my colleagues outside the Capitol helps build bipartisan relationships.”

View the complete article here.

Erik Paulsen campaign manager posts racist-looking tweet

The following article by Hannah Jones was posted on the CityPages website July 26, 2018:

Twitter

Republican Congressman Erik Paulsen is fighting to keep his seat representing suburban Minneapolis. Democrat Dean Phillips, heir to the Phillips Distilling empire, is trying to take it from him.

The two have been locking horns for a while, but a tweet posted Wednesday by Paulsen campaign manager John-Paul Yates seems to take that competition to a weird, possibly offensive place.

It included a link to a Star Tribune story about Phillips’ campaign, with a photo that showed him high-fiving a young child while a woman looked on. Both the child and the woman had brown skin.

Yates’ caption: “Come on down to the Family Detention Dock and hop a ride on the old Pipeline Pontoon!”

View the complete article here.

Rep. Erik Paulsen and Southwest Light Rail

Asking Paulsen to take a position on this is clearly asking too much

The July 26 editorial “Southwest LRT needs friend in GOP” calls on U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen to become a supporter of this rail line, which would largely run through his district. It is also a highly contentious matter.

A couple of months ago, I called Paulsen’s Eden Prairie office and asked his staff person about Paulsen’s position on Southwest LRT. He responded that Paulsen had no position because it was not a federal matter. I responded that this was curious, since a billion dollars of federal money is involved. He reiterated that Paulsen had no position.

Paulsen has obviously been walking a narrow plank because he knows that either pro or con on Southwest LRT will alienate many in his district.

Bill Hay, Edina
Star Tribune, July 27, 2018

All Paulsen cares about is re-election

To the Editor:

I’m disappointed in Erik Paulsen. When he first entered Congress, I thought of him as someone who could be trusted to act like a Minnesotan, not another politician. But his recent actions show that if he ever was that person, he isn’t now.

His “attack dog” campaigning style is intended to confuse the voter into voting for him by purposefully misrepresenting his opponent’s record. That “detention center investment” by Dean Phillips amounted to $680, according to CD3DFL. That is thousands less than the $5,400 Erik Paulsen has received from PACs funded by those centers, according to opensecrets.org.

It’s clear that all Congressman Paulsen is interested in is getting re-elected. He doesn’t want to improve politics, he doesn’t want to run a clean campaign and he certainly doesn’t want informed voters.

Holly Den Hartog, Minnetonka
Minnetonka Sun-Sailor, July 26, 2018

Paulsen won’t step up for election security

To the Editor:

Why won’t Erik Paulsen protect our elections? Erik Paulsen feigned outrage on Twitter the other day after Trump’s Helsinki press conference. He criticized Trump for siding with Putin, tweeting: “It’s clear [the Russians] meddled in our elections.” Since we’re all on the same page here, we should probably do something to make sure meddling in our elections doesn’t happen again, right?

Apparently not, according to Paulsen. He just voted for a spending bill that excluded new funding to protect our 2018 elections. The security of our elections is being threatened. Paulsen admits that, yet he won’t allow funding to secure them? It’s hard to express the disappointment I feel. Election security should be a bipartisan issue, and the fact that my congressman won’t stand up for that proves he’s not the right man for the job.

Josie Dorn, Minnetonka
Minnetonka Sun-Sailor, July 26, 2018

For Paulsen-Phillips debate, the price of witnessing democracy is $60

As a concerned citizen who has recently become involved in local politics, I am dismayed to hear that incumbent Congressman in District 3, Erik Paulsen, and his challenger, Democrat Dean Phillips, will be participating in the first debate of this election season at a luncheon, in a private venue with a $60 price tag attached on August 21.

This debate is hosted by the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce and will be moderated by KSTP’s Tom Hauser. A discounted cost of $35 is available to Chamber of Commerce members, which comes with a $400-$4,000 annual membership fee.

Political debates for any seat should be free and open to the public. An exclusive, private debate perpetuates the notion that civic engagement is only for the well-connected and wealthy.

Continue reading “For Paulsen-Phillips debate, the price of witnessing democracy is $60”

Estimated Increases in 2019 Premiums by Congressional District Due to ACA Sabotage

The following article by Emily Gee and Aditya Krishnaswamy was posted on the Center for American Progress website July 24, 2018:

A couple explores different insurance plans available under the Affordable Care Act on November 1, 2017, in Miami.

This column contains a correction.

Over the past two years, the Trump administration has worked tirelessly to sabotage the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The U.S. Congress’ repeal of the individual mandate penalty and the Trump administration’s actions to expand the availability of skimpy short-term plans are raising premiums for middle-class families. In its latest attack on the individual market for health insurance, the Trump administration also slashed funding for enrollment assistance by 72 percent and halted payments for risk adjustment, the federal program that discourages plans from avoiding sicker enrollees.

Last year, President Donald Trump’s decision to end cost-sharing assistance payments resulted in staggering increases in 2018 marketplace premiums, and these more recent attempts to destabilize the individual market will result in even higher rates for 2019. Although tax credits rise with premiums and therefore insulate lower-income individuals from higher costs, many middle-income families who buy insurance on their own will see 2019 premiums thousands of dollars higher than they would be if the Trump administration allowed the ACA to work as intended. Based on rate information to date, the Center for American Progress estimates that an unsubsidized 40-year-old will pay an extra $970 in marketplace premiums on average in 2019 because of the end of the mandate and the expansion of short-term plans. Continue reading “Estimated Increases in 2019 Premiums by Congressional District Due to ACA Sabotage”

Paulsen’s voting record is swayed by PAC donations

To the editor:

The decision by the Supreme Court for Citizen United in 2010 marked a turning point in elections. Now unlimited money can be poured in by donors and corporations in support of candidates.

I understand that many politicians don’t like this, but feel like they have to take the money to have a chance at winning. But that’s not what’s happening with Rep. Erik Paulsen. Because he doesn’t just take some money. He doesn’t begrudgingly take enough to pay the bills. He takes the eighth most of any member of Congress.

Why does he need that much? Or more importantly — why do these donors like him so much? To me, the answer seems obvious. He’s proven that he’ll vote however they tell him, whether it’s the gun lobby after Parkland or the pharmaceutical companies in a time when drug prices are through the roof. Continue reading “Paulsen’s voting record is swayed by PAC donations”

Dean Phillips to Erik Paulsen: Voters Deserve Open, Accessible Forums

Pressure mounting as Erik Paulsen refuses to commit to appear in public

Excelsior, MN – Dean Phillips today reiterated his call for open and accessible public forums where voters would have the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of both candidates. Dean has already accepted invitations from several organizations planning to host such free and open public forums, including local chapters of the League of Women Voters, a local church and local Chambers of Commerce.

Despite saying “we’ll have other debates” on WCCO Sunday Morning, Paulsen has yet to commit to any other than the TwinWest Chamber debate, which costs non-members $60.

“Candidates running for public office should participate in open forums at which they take questions from the public, and such forums should be free of charge and accommodate all those who wish to attend,” said Dean Phillips. “My entire campaign is based on the notion that representation begins with listening, and I am eager to do just that. Erik Paulsen should listen to his constituents, who are rightly demanding the opportunity to hear from the two of us and share their perspectives with us – without having to pay. We are all awaiting his response.” Continue reading “Dean Phillips to Erik Paulsen: Voters Deserve Open, Accessible Forums”