Tag: U.S. Senate

Karin Housley Ad Accuses Tina Smith Of Profiting From Shady Dealings

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — There’s an eye-catching new political campaign ad from Republican U.S. Senate candidate Karin Housley.

It accuses Democratic U.S. Senator Tina Smith of personally profiting from ethically shady business investments. How true is it?

The ad is an homage to a popular Corona beer television commercial featuring a couple sitting on beach chairs on an ocean. Featuring the sounds of ocean waves, and the clinking of champagne glasses as if toasting.

But that’s where the similarity ends. Housley’s ad goes on the attack. Against the serene ocean backdrop, words appear on the screen: Tina Smith “profited from the opioid crisis.”

View the complete article by Pat Kessler on the WCCO website here.

Three Times Karin Housley Would Have Gutted Protections For People With Pre-Existing Conditions

St. Paul – Karin Housley has repeatedly supported health care plans that would not protect people with pre-existing conditions.

Here are three times when Housley would have gutted protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

1. Housley supported the 2017 Republican Health Care Plan (That Would Have Gutted Protections For Pre-Existing Conditions)

Housley supported the Republican health care plan that failed in Congress last year by one vote that would have gutted protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The Republican plan also would have increased people’s health care costs and imposed an age tax which would have allowed insurance companies to charge older Americans up to five times more. Continue reading “Three Times Karin Housley Would Have Gutted Protections For People With Pre-Existing Conditions”

Karin Housley and Pension: A Casual Disregard for Doing the Work for Minnesotans

When it comes to the issues, Karin Housley is unprepared and uninterested. The latest example: she is unaware of the crisis putting the pensions of more than 22,000 Minnesotans at risk.

During a recent AARP Minnesota tele-townhall, Housley was asked by a caller if she was familiar with the Central States Pension Fund, which holds retirement money for 22,000 Minnesotans and faces insolvency in just 7 years. After several seconds of silence, it quickly became clear that Housley was both unaware of the pension fund’s existence and unable to answer the question.

It’s impossible to convey just how unprepared Housley was on this issue facing tens of thousands of Minnesotans. At the end, the moderator kindly informed her about the pension fund. Click here to hear Housley’s unbelievable and inexcusable answer for yourself. Continue reading “Karin Housley and Pension: A Casual Disregard for Doing the Work for Minnesotans”

Karin Housley’s “Rubber Stamp” Reveals What We’ve Known

Over the last few weeks, we have looked at Karin Housley’s long record of listening to powerful special interests and party leaders at the expense of Minnesotans. And we have seen how her casual disregard for doing the work on the issues leads her to side with these powerful interests to do things that hurt Minnesota. It’s a pattern, and this week it revealed itself again in two very big ways.  

First, Karin Housley literally said in an interview she will be a “rubber stamp” for President Trump – leaving no doubt that she will listen to and be led by powerful party leaders, not Minnesotans. And President Trump heard Housley’s message loud and clear – telling rallygoers last night, “We need her. We need her vote.” What does this mean for Minnesota families? When the Republican health care plan that would have gutted protections for people with pre-existing conditions failed in Congress last year by one vote – Karin Housley’s rubber stamp would have been the deciding vote that ripped those protections away.

Second, in ECM’s endorsement — For U.S. Senate: Our choice is Tina Smith – Housley’s refusal to do the work to learn the issues revealed itself in plain sight. The board wrote that Housley’s responses on issues “came up short,” “offered few details,” and “some answers were vague.” In contrast, they praised Sen. Smith for her “depth of knowledge of the issues.”

Bottom Line: Minnesota voters should believe what Karin Housley says herself: she will be a “rubber stamp” for her party leaders – even when it’s bad for Minnesota.

Karin Housley and the National Debt

A Casual Disregard for Doing the Work for Minnesotans

It’s clear that there is a pattern here. On issue after issue, Karin Housley has demonstrated a casual disregard for doing the work that Minnesotans expect of their U.S. Senator. Today, let’s look at Housley’s inability to explain how she would reduce the national debt.

In a recent interview, Housley declared that the “the national debt was one of the reasons that I ran” and proceeded to say that “we need to look at the programs that aren’t working” to reduce the debt. But when asked in that same interview to name a specific program she thought was not working, Housley was unable to name a single example and could only say: “I think really looking at programs that aren’t working and really where can we shorten things up there.”

Again, that is an answer a person gives when they have not done the work to understand the issue to solve problems. The result? Housley is once again left to be led by powerful special interests and party leaders who do not have Minnesota’s best interest at heart.  Continue reading “Karin Housley and the National Debt”

Housley and the GOP Tax Law: A Casual Disregard for Doing the work for Minnesotans

Karin Housley has demonstrated a casual disregard for doing the work to learn about the issues that affect Minnesota families. Today, let’s look at Housley’s inability to explain what she would do on the Republican tax law.

When asked recently whether she thought changes should be made to the Republican tax law, which adds $1.5 trillion to the national debt and risks major cuts to Social Security and Medicare, Housley declared, “We still need to make some tweaks, it’s not perfect.”

But when pressed on what tweaks she would like to see to the law — which also provides 83% of its benefits to the richest 1% of people and gives a trillion-dollar tax cut to big corporations, including prescription drug companies, big oil and Wall Street — Housley was unable to name a single change she would make to the federal law. Her only response: “Well we have here in Minnesota, where we didn’t get the tax conformity bill.” Continue reading “Housley and the GOP Tax Law: A Casual Disregard for Doing the work for Minnesotans”

Housley and McConnell: A Pattern of Listening to Special Interests and Party Leaders, not Minnesotans

These last two weeks we have outlined for you Karin Housley’s record of siding with special interests and her party leaders. On issue after issue – whether it’s health care, opioids, equal pay, workforce development – she has proven she will listen to them, not Minnesotans.

There is no better example of this than when Housley was unable to name a single issue or area where she would differ with Senate Republicans because no one had told her where she should differ from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

On a recent WCCO Radio interview, Chad Hartman asked Housley to name “an example or two where you disagree with the Republican ideas in the Senate.” Housley, unable to give a specific example, ended her answer by saying: “no one has said anything to me that I want you to differ from Mitch McConnell or President Trump on.”

This is why it is unsurprising that Housley supported the Republican health care plan that failed in Congress last year—which would have gutted protections for people with pre-existing conditions—or that she supported the Republican tax plan that gives 83% of tax cuts to the richest and big corporations, including prescription drug companies, big oil and Wall Street. It’s what special interests and Mitch McConnell would have asked her to do.

Bottom Line: Karin Housley continues to prove through her actions and her words that she listens to special interests and her party leaders, not Minnesotans.

Housley and Health Care: A Casual Disregard for Doing the Work for Minnesotans

Karin Housley has demonstrated a casual disregard for doing the work to learn about the issues that affect Minnesota families. Let’s now look at her inability to explain what she would do on health care.

Earlier this year, Housley was asked at a local event how she would save the health care system. Unable to name a single policy or idea, Housley said, “First, we have to get more Republican senators in the United States Senate. That’s number one.” Then, still unable to name a specific policy or idea, she said again, “So what we really need is to get Republicans in power across the board and get more Republican senators so we can change the health care system.”

That is not a solution. It’s the answer a person gives when they have not done the work to solve problems. The result? Housley is led by powerful special interests and party leaders who do not have Minnesota’s best interest at heart.  Continue reading “Housley and Health Care: A Casual Disregard for Doing the Work for Minnesotans”

New Polls: 50% of Voters Oppose Kavanaugh

New polling released this weekend shows Brett Kavanaugh is historically unpopular and that voters believe Senate Republicans should delay his confirmation until more hearings and a thorough investigation can be completed.

The majority of voters oppose Brett Kavanaugh. He is historically unpopular:

  • 50 percent of voters oppose Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

  • Kavanaugh is underwater by 10 points, which is down 9 points since last month.

Voters believe Dr. Blasey Ford and want Senate Republicans to delay Kavanaugh’s nomination:

  • Nearly 6 in 10 Americans want Senate Republicans to delay a vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination until after more investigations and hearings are done.

Want to Know More About: The Kavanaugh Hearing

Savannah Guthrie: “New Allegations Against Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Throwing His Confirmation Process Into Turmoil And Further Uncertainty.” [Today, NBC, 9/24/18; VIDEO]

Peter Alexander: “Just Days Before Brett Kavanaugh Was Set To Defend Himself Against An Allegation That He Assaulted A Classmate In High School, A New Allegation From His College Years.” [Today, NBC, 9/24/18; VIDEO]

Gayle King: “We Have A Second Allegation Of Sexual Misconduct Conduct Against Judge Kavanaugh This Morning.” KING: “We have a second allegation of sexual Mississippi conduct against judge Kavanaugh this morning. It raises new questions over his Supreme Court nomination. One of his Yale classmates tells ‘The New Yorker’ magazine that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party about 35 years ago.” [This Morning, CBS, 9/24/18; VIDEO] Continue reading “Want to Know More About: The Kavanaugh Hearing”