To the editor:
Our congressman, Republican Erik Paulsen, had his own “Melania Moment” at the Edina Fourth of July parade.
Melania Trump made headlines a week earlier when she visited immigrant children, presumably to show them that someone cared.
But she wore a fashionable coat that said on the back, “I really don’t care; do U?” Continue reading “Paulsen mimics Mrs. Trump”
To the editor:
The writer who stated that Rep. Paulsen’s joining the Climate Solutions Caucus brings him credit fails to note that, even if sincere, such an act is too little and too late. His record on the environment is abysmal and making a show of interest in climate issues is but a play for votes. A look at just three of his votes helps one understand how the League of Conservation Voters can assign him a lifetime score of 16 percent on its Environmental Scorecard.
On Dec. 1, 2015, Paulsen voted with the majority to disapprove or invalidate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New, Modified, and Reconstructed Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units. This was an attempt to prevent the EPA from taking stronger action to reduce greenhouse gases.
On July 18, 2017, Paulsen voted with the majority to pass the Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2017 which basically pushed back the implementation of parts of the Clean Air Act by five or more years and doubled the interval between certain assessments of air quality from five to ten years. These changes can only have damaging effects on the quality of air we breathe. Continue reading “Paulsen’s joining of climate caucus rings hollow”
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A television campaign ad featuring Minnesota 3rd District Congressman Erik Paulsen highlights his work to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
The ad also serves to put distance between the Republican Congressman and President Donald Trump.
The Congressman is featured enjoying the outdoors with his family in the ad.
The following article by Katherine Tully-McManus was posted on the Roll Call website July 25, 2018:
New rules are coming to the House for members hosting virtual town hall meetings with constituents back in their districts.
The House Administration Committee takes up a resolution Wednesday that will codify regulations for lawmakers teaming up to do joint town hall meetingson the internet.
The resolution will make changes to the Members’ Congressional Handbook, which lays out the rules and regulations for what House members can spend money on and what they can’t. For joint virtual town halls, the proposed change details how expenses should be split.
The following article by Oliver Willis was posed on the ShareBlue.com website July 20, 2018:
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) has been caught using campaign money he raised pushing pro-Trump conspiracy theories on lavish luxuries for his personal enjoyment.
According to recently filed spending reports, Nunes used his PAC, called New PAC, to buy steak dinners, limousine rides, and nearly $15,000 in tickets for the Boston Celtics, all listed as fundraising expenses.
Nunes’ PAC also spent $3,593 at the 4-star Omni Parker House hotel in Boston on the same date of the Celtics games.
The following article by Pete Kotz was posted on the CityPages website July 20, 2018:
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.”
The following article by Hannah Jones was posted on the CityPages website July 26, 2018:
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!”
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
The ad below created by the House Majority PAC was released earlier this week detailing Rep. Paulsen’s campaign contributions from the industries coming before his committee in Congress:
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
