Tag: Rep. Paulsen

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”

Is Paulsen really a moderate?

To the Editor:

Is Erik Paulsen really a moderate? I say no. His votes, actions and inactions in the Trump era have proven exactly the opposite – that as the Republican Party has become more and more extreme, so has Erik Paulsen.

Recently, Paulsen said he supports Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. It is one thing to secretly toe the party line by voting with Trump’s positions nearly every time, but to approve a jurist as radically conservative as Brett Kavanaugh completely dispels the myth that Paulsen has a moderate agenda. Continue reading “Is Paulsen really a moderate?”

Congressman For Sale: Erik Paulsen is Bought and Sold

www.erikpaulsen.org reveals what the special interests are getting for their money

Excelsior, MN – A new online resource, “Congressman for Sale,” was launched today to help voters in Minnesota’s 3rd District understand the influence that powerful special interests have over Rep. Erik Paulsen – now the 6th largest recipient of special interest money among all 435 members of Congress.

The site exposes Paulsen’s $8,269,936 in special interest contributions by industry, showing what each received for their money through Congressman Paulsen’s votes. It provides voters with a report card from nationally-known advocacy groups, showing how out of touch Congressman Paulsen’s voting record is as a result of special interest influence, and a survey for those interested in learning more. The site also links to End Citizens United’s “Erik the PAC Man” game, where players can try to raise more money than Erik Paulsen while avoiding the constituents he all but ignores. Continue reading “Congressman For Sale: Erik Paulsen is Bought and Sold”

A Sweet New Century for America’s Most Privileged

The following article by Sam Pizzigati was posted on the Inequality.org website July 12, 2018:

America’s elected leaders haven’t ignored inequality since 2000. They’ve made it spectacularly worse.

Mitch McConnel, Paul Ryan, Donald Trump and Mike Pence celebrating GOP tax cut for the rich bill. Credit: Official White House Photo

The United States ended the 20th century on a roll — for the rich. Between 1973 and 2000, the nation’s most prosperous 1 percent tripled their incomes, after taking inflation into account.

The even more prosperous top tenth of that 1 percent did quite a bit better. Their incomes more than quintupledbetween 1973 and 2000, rising an amazing 414.6 percent.

And what about Americans of less exalted means, those stuck in the nation’s bottom 90 percent? Between 1973 and 2000, their incomes rose all of . . . 2.6 percent. Continue reading “A Sweet New Century for America’s Most Privileged”

Refusal to compromise with Democrats benefits extremists

To the Editor:

Imagine you’re in a group of 30 people. You need to get a majority of them to agree on where you’ll go for lunch. Pretty easy, right? But wait, some friends say: “We don’t like 13 of them – so don’t negotiate with those ones. Just get the other 17 to agree.”

But of those 17, five of them won’t compromise. They only want to go to that terrible sandwich shop down the road, where everything’s too greasy and tastes like cardboard. You beg and plead, but they don’t budge. So you end up not getting lunch at all.

Seems pretty silly, right? Don’t you want to at least talk to those 13 others and see if you can find a compromise with them? Continue reading “Refusal to compromise with Democrats benefits extremists”

With seat in jeopardy, Erik Paulsen suddenly becomes an environmentalist

The following article by Hannah Jones was posted on the CityPages website July 13, 2018:

Though Erik Paulsen’s environmental record borders on cartoon villainy, his new campaign ad presents him as the hero the Boundary Waters needs. Credit: YouTube Screen Capture

Eden Prairie Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen’s new campaign commercial opens with soulful piano music and a zoom in on a family photo album. Then comes Paulsen, in voiceover form:

“My parents taught me to love the outdoors,” he says. “I camp and canoe with my family in Minnesota’s Yellowstone: the Boundary Waters.”

The Boundary Waters are a gem for outdoor enthusiasts — 234,000 acres of untouched wilderness, miles from any human activity. And as the congressman sees it, they represent a key difference between his politics and those of President Donald Trump. Continue reading “With seat in jeopardy, Erik Paulsen suddenly becomes an environmentalist”