Tag: Erik Paulsen
Dean Phillips Statement on Congressional Inaction
Dean Phillips, candidate for Congress in Minnesota’s Third Congressional District, released the following statement on the Congressional inaction in the face of the Trump Administration’s separation of children from their parents:
“When kids are slaughtered in schools, Erik Paulsen offers thoughts and prayers. When kids are separated from their parents, Erik Paulsen ‘hopes’ the Administration will reverse its policies. Erik Paulsen is a member of Congress. He can pass either HR 3923 or HR 5950 or draft a bill to cease the practice NOW. We can’t wait until January,” said Dean Phillips. “This is yet another example of Erik Paulsen’s lack of leadership and action on important issues facing our country, even as Republicans and Democrats appear to be united in moral outrage.”
“Hope won’t end the practice of children being separated from their parents. Action is needed,” concluded Phillips.
Maple Grove needs new representative
To the Editor:
At his town hall on May 30th, Congressman Erik Paulsen kept trying to portray himself as a bipartisan moderate.
Erik Paulsen has still voted with President Trump on 97.4 percent of his votes. He is not a moderate, he is not bipartisan, and he does not represent the people of our district who have overwhelmingly showed we do not support the President. Continue reading “Maple Grove needs new representative”
Erik Paulsen, corporate puppet, volunteers for role as internet parrot
The following article by Mike Mullen was posted on the CityPages website May 23, 2018:
This month, GOP Congressman Erik Paulsen’s website asked visitors their thoughts on a question vexing Minnesota’s most financially available congressman:
“Do you believe President Trump should order Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller?” Respondents picked from “Yes,” “No,” or “Unsure/Don’t Know,” with a space provided for “Additional Comments.”
Critics howled. Paulsen was treating a looming constitutional crisis the same way Buzzfeed asks “Which Sex and the Citydrink order are you?” (Paulsen—light, expensive, and regrettable—is a Bellini.)
The critics are wrong. Paulsen’s on the cutting edge of focus-group politics, a burgeoning movement for vulnerable Republicans who have one position—they want to get reelected—and will compromise all others to make it happen. Continue reading “Erik Paulsen, corporate puppet, volunteers for role as internet parrot”
Open debates can air issues before election
To the Editor:
At Erik Paulsen’s recent town halls on May 30, he was asked many questions related to the health care, an issue about which I have a good deal of interest. Naturally, I was interested to hear Congressman Paulsen’s responses to these question. I was sadly disappointed. The Congressman was asked about the possibility of Medicare negotiating directly with the drug companies, something that over 90 percent of the country supports. The Congressman claimed the Congressional Budget Office had determined there would be no effect on drug prices. Actually, Congress has the authority to amend the Medicare Act requiring negotiated drug prices, which would result in significant discounts as seen elsewhere, as in Canada, for example.
Coincidently, at the Brooklyn Park Town Hall, there was a question related to the significantly lower drug prices in Canada. Congressman Paulsen’s response implied that Canada was stealing intellectual property from the USA in this regard. This bold claim was not supported with any facts or clarification. Unfortunately, the town hall format precluded a dialog, nor has a written inquiry to his office resulted in a response. We in CD3 deserve much more from our congressman. My intention here is to neither demonize Congressman Paulsen nor to confer sainthood on Dean Phillips, but I sure hope that, between now and Nov. 6, there will be open debates between Paulsen and challenger Phillips on heath care and many more issues. Airing out these issues in public will provide an opportunity to the well-educated constituents of CD3 to help separate rumor and innuendo from facts.
Derek Roek, Plymouth
Plymouth Sun-Sailor, June 13, 2018
Paulsen offers no solutions at town hall meetings
To the Editor:
I’m proud to be a Minnesotan. We value truth, honesty, integrity, and kindness. I sure wish my Congressional representative would stand up and “represent” those values, too.
When I asked Rep. Erik Paulsen (CD-3) at the May 30 town hall in Brooklyn Park what he’ll do in the next six months to stand up to the bully in the White House, he dove into the virtues of bipartisan legislation. Oh boy. This isn’t about legislation, it’s about principled leadership.
Minnesota’s Third Congressional District needs a bold advocate willing to stand up to the chief bully and his posse of lap dogs. Instead, we have Erik Paulsen, for now. Continue reading “Paulsen offers no solutions at town hall meetings”
Congressman Paulsen doesn’t tell the whole story
To the Editor:
In a recent campaign mailing I received from my Congressman Erik Paulsen, titled “Getting Results for Minnesota Seniors,” the congressman is pictured discussing issues “including health care and the national debt” with seniors. I wonder if he told the seniors that he co-sponsored the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that added $1.5 trillion to the national debt and voted three times to repeal the Affordable Care Act that would have left 32 million Americans without health care coverage.
He touts his efforts to repeal a cap on physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech language pathology services under Medicare and quotes AARP’s positive statement on repeal of the cap, but fails to mention that his tax bill will need to take millions of dollars from programs like Medicare to fund the tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. According to a letter sent to Congressional leadership, AARP CEO Jo Ann C. Jenkins condemned the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act because of the likelihood that it would lead to “dramatic cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and other important programs that serve older Americans.”
Congressman Paulsen can’t be counted on to tell the whole story. His campaign strategy appears to hinge on his constituents never checking his voting record.
Cindy Mundahl, Minnetonka
Minnetonka Sun-Sailor, June 5, 2018
Erik Paulsen’s NRA Rating
During the 2016 election, Rep. Erik Paulsen received a A rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund. You can view the email they sent to NRA members in CD3 here. He received an A- rating from the organization in 2011, a 93% rating in 2015, and 93% in 2017.
He has received $21,150 in campaign contributions from them, and has said he “would not rule out” taking even more in the future.
Since joining Congress, Erik Paulsen has voted:
- to allow those convicted of felony domestic assault to possess pistols and semi-automatic weapons
- to allow stalkers and those with restraining orders for harassing or threatening behavior to carry concealed weapons across state line
- 21 times to block legislation that would prevent people on the U.S. terror watch list from purchasing guns
- to weaken conceal-carry standards in Minnesota
- repeatedly against bills to allow CDC research into gun violence (it’s currently against the law for this organization to look into this)
- to block the creation of a Select Committee on Gun Violence
- to allow guns on college campuses and in bars.
You can check his voting record on guns here
It’s a Mystery
It’s a mystery to me why Paulsen could not simply answer “yes” or “no” to a question asked by three different people at different times during the town-hall session I attended in Brooklyn Park. The first person could not have been more clear when she asked him to respond “yes” or “no” to whether he would accept funds from the National Rifle Association. Paulsen insulted her and the rest of us by responding that he did not expect any contribution from the NRA.
Did he think we were stupid and would not notice his issue avoidance? That is when our frustrations with yet another non-answer to a question from someone in attendance boiled over and we became, in his words, “more boisterous” than those in attendance at the two town-hall sessions held earlier in the day. Yes, some of us briefly gave voice to our contempt. Continue reading “It’s a Mystery”
Finally, he takes questions* from constituents* in a public forum*
Finally, he takes questions* from constituents* in a public forum*
Regarding the May 31 article “Going face-to-face,” about U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen’s three “town hall” meetings on Wednesday, I wish the reporter had looked at and reported on the context. After not holding any public meetings for six years, Paulsen chose to schedule these meetings on a workday, on short notice, and he required constituents to enter a “lottery” — his word — in order to attend.
When I attempted to sign up, I was told I was being put on a waiting list. I arrived at the Chanhassen venue and was told that because a full house was anticipated, no one from the waiting list would be admitted. About 15 of us who were on the waiting list waited outside the venue. After the meeting began, people inside the hall informed us that there were 13 empty seats, but Paulsen’s staff did not admit any of us. And, if you were to look at the photos of the meeting that took place later in the day in Brooklyn Park, there was clearly ample capacity to accommodate more constituents, but the congressman chose not to do so. Many people were also wait-listed for that meeting.
So, we can but conclude that this is not a town-hall meeting but a tightly scripted political stunt. Paulsen does not really want to hear the concerns of his constituents; he just wants to appear to be doing so.
Mary Yee, Edina
StarTribune, June 1, 2018