To the editor:< Once again, Rep. Paulsen has put party politics and special interest groups ahead of the voters. It happened with recent tax reform, where the Ways & Means committee Erik serves on crafted legislation that reduced our state income tax/property tax deduction to $10,000 per year and largely eliminated many of us from sharing in any of the highly touted tax cuts. More importantly, those tax cuts were little more than a thinly veiled effort to buy our votes, and will add $1.5 trillion to the nation’s deficit. It happened when Erik ignored the overwhelming majority of voters in our district who favor meaningful gun control in favor of garnering an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association. I think it’s safe to assume that rating includes generous financial support from the NRA as well. Now it’s happened again, where thanks to federal legislation, over 300,000 senior citizens in Minnesota will lose their existing Medicare health plan supplement at the end of the year. For 2019, our choices include (1) paying an additional $1,000 per year to retain coverage that is comparable to our current plan, or (2) joining a program where coverage is diluted with costly co-pays, and our choice of doctors/providers is limited. In either case, seniors’ health insurance is taking a big step backwards. Some readers may suspect that my criticism is partisan. Fact is, I worked for Rep. Paulsen’s political campaign years ago helping with street signs and literature. I’ve also served as a delegate at the Minnesota Republican convention. But the bottom line is our political system is broken, and we’re badly in need of newly elected officials. Rep. Paulsen has demonstrated his constituents are no longer his priority. He’s had ample opportunity to serve – now it’s time for a change. Roddy Geckler, Edina Edina Sun-Current, October 18, 2018
Category: The Real Erik Paulsen
Subjects Of Erik Paulsen’s Allina Harassment Ad Dispute Accuracy
Minneapolis (WCCO) — An ad paid for by Friends of Erik Paulsen accuses opponent Dean Phillips of covering up sexual harassment allegations while he was on the board at Allina Health.
The ad, approved by incumbent and candidate for Congress Erik Paulsen, throws the 2007 sexual harassment allegations of seven women into the spotlight.
“I was in shock, disbelief, and then angry,” Chelsea said.
View the complete October 18 article by Jennifer Mayerle on the WCCO website here.
After Erik Paulsen charges CEOs with sex harassment cover up, the blowtorch comes out
The ad opens with foreboding tones and black-and-white photos, telegraphing to the viewer that great fiendishness is at hand.
It goes on to explain his term as board chairman of Allina Heath, where, 11 years ago, seven nurses sued the nonprofit for “lewd comments, groping, and even assault.” (Message: Is Dean Phillips a pervert?)
But “Phillips and the board did nothing,” the ad concludes. (Message: Why isn’t “Shady Dean Phillips” on the sex offender registry yet?)
View the complete October 18 article by Kete Kotz on the CityPages website here.
Erik Paulsen Needs to Take His Own Advice
Paulsen’s campaign should show the civility, discourse, and restraint he called for last year
Erik Paulsen needs to start taking his own advice. Last year, the Third District Republican called for “civility, discourse, restraint, whether it’s in the political system or society as a whole.” Yet over the course of his campaign against DFLer Dean Phillips, Congressman Paulsen has run a campaign devoid of civility, discourse, or restraint.
As a member of the bipartisan Congressional Civility Caucus, Erik Paulsen has joined other representatives from both parties who have said they are “taking action to restore civility and respect in our political discourse.” But Paulsen’s campaign tactics are anything but civil and are probably enough to warrant his ejection from that club. As recently as this week Paulsen has been condemned by constituents, business and community leaders for the incivility with which he continues to launch misleading attacks against his opponent Dean Phillips.
A closer look at Paulsen’s behavior during the campaign shows a stark contradiction between his words and actions. Continue reading “Erik Paulsen Needs to Take His Own Advice”
New Record for ‘Outside Spending’ on Minnesota House Races
With nearly three weeks to go before Election Day, outside special interest groups have already spent a record amount of money in Minnesota. This week, the outside spending surpassed $27 million, more than the record $26.9 million spent in the entire 2016 election cycle.
“Money is attracted to competitive races and we’re right in the middle of that,” said Steven Schier, a political scientist from Carleton College. “I think money is going to Minnesota because the polling on both sides that we don’t see publicly shows a lot of competition, particularly in the congressional races.”
KSTP ‘Vote 2018’ Election Coverage
A review of outside spending records at opensecrets.org shows a pronounced increase in spending on Minnesota’s U.S. House races. In 2008, just $5.7 million was spent in the state. That figure jumps to $21.9 million in 2014 and now to more than $27 million.
View the complete October 17 post on the KSTP.com website here.
Vote blue
RNCC ads attacking Angie Craig and Dean Phillips, Democrats running for Congress in the 2nd and 3rd districts of Minnesota, are misleading and downright deceitful according to fact check articles in the Saturday, Oct. 13, Minneapolis Star Tribune. Not any different here in the 8th. RNCC ads attacking Joe Radinovich are equally misleading. Republicans cannot run on their record—tax giveaways, raiding Medicare and Social Security, EPA debacle, health care dismantling, fraud and mismanagement by this administration’s officials the list goes on ad infinitum. They must lie about their opponents so they can continue their control of Washington and complete the “job.”
When you see RNCC sponsorship of a political ad, know you’re being scammed. Source check the “information” being offered. These ads represent a political party so desperate to hold on to power they are stooping to the lowest levels imaginable. I have one bit of advice. Vote blue.
Marian Severt, Brainerd
Brainerd Dispatch, October 17, 2018
Flier’s attack on Dean Phillips as ‘heartless’ is false
Erik Paulsen attacks again, falsely, might I add.
Recently I received a flier telling me that Dean Phillips is “heartless” because when he was “in charge,” 12,000 nurses went on strike when their health insurance was threatened.
That is false. Here are the actual facts: Continue reading “Flier’s attack on Dean Phillips as ‘heartless’ is false”
Paulsen, NRCC, CLF Ignore Public Shaming, Double Down on Lies
Paulsen’s coordinated smear campaign reaches an unprecedented low as he ignores requests from survivors to stop who demand better
Excelsior, MN – Erik Paulsen’s desperate and disgraceful coordinated smear campaign against Dean Phillips reached new lows this week when the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), Paulsen for Congress and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) released new coordinated ads featuring claims that have drawn extraordinary blowback from one of the Twin Cities’ most important health providers, prominent Republicans, community and business leaders, and the sexual assault and harassment survivors Paulsen is using as political pawns.
The women, represented by attorney Lori Peterson, recently called on Paulsen to take down his ad and apologize for exploiting their trauma and drawing them into a political attack based on a lie. Instead, Paulsen and his special interests patrons are doubling down.
“This is the most vile, offensive and objectively untruthful campaign ever conducted in Minnesota, and Erik Paulsen is to blame,” said Zach Rodvold, campaign manager for Phillips for Congress. “In Congressman Paulsen’s desperation to hold onto power, he’s shown that he is willing to do and say anything to win, even forcing survivors of sexual assault and harassment to relive their trauma for his own personal gain. Those women have joined with Republicans, business and community leaders and people across the district in calling on Paulsen to take his ads down and apologize. That’s exactly what he should do.” Continue reading “Paulsen, NRCC, CLF Ignore Public Shaming, Double Down on Lies”
The state of the battle for the House of Representatives, explained
Republicans are playing whack-a-mole in their struggle to keep the chamber.
Three weeks before the 2018 midterms, more than a dozen Republican-held House seats appear to have tipped toward Democrats — and dozens more are in play too, according to polls and expert race ratings. Meanwhile, only a handful of Democrat-held seats appear to be in danger of flipping to the GOP.
The magic number for Democrats is 24: that is, they need to pick up, on net, 24 seats from Republicans to cement a House majority.
Currently, there are not yet that many individual contests in which Democrats are believed to have a solid advantage over GOP candidates. If we exclude toss-up contests and look only at how many races are at least leaning toward flipping, the Cook Political Report currently has Democrats favored to gain 15 seats on net. FiveThirtyEight has them clearly favored to net around 22, which would be agonizingly close.
Yet here’s the thing: There are many more remaining toss-up and other competitive contests — and they’re overwhelmingly in Republican-held districts.
View the complete October 16 article by Andrew Prokop on the Vox.com website here.
With Three Weeks to Election Day, Desperate GOP Attacks Continue to Backfire
With no positive message to run on, Republican candidates continue to resort to misleading and flat-out false attack ads.
As Minnesota Republican Congressional candidates and their Washington allies get increasingly desperate, their attacks on DFL candidates continue to backfire. With no positive message to run on, Republicans continue to resort to misleading and flat-out false attack ads.
“The outrageous falsehoods that the Republican party continues to peddle are pathetic,” said DFL Chair Ken Martin. “From accusing decorated combat veteran Dan Feehan of being hostile to our Armed Forces, to suggesting that well-regarded civic leaders took part in a sexual harassment cover-up, the GOP has stooped to new lows in a last-ditch attempt to hold on to their fleeting Congressional majority. Republicans are refusing to talk about their policy positions because they know that DFLers are on the winning side of the issues voters care about, like ensuring access to quality affordable health care, getting dark money and special interests out of politics, and creating an economy that works for all Minnesotans.”
Yesterday, The Star Tribune published an op-ed penned by several respected Twin Cities civic leaders condemning Third District Rep. Erik Paulsen for the “unprecedented” and “outrageous” lies in his latest attack on DFL candidate Dean Phillips. Unlike other attack ads this year from outside groups, the spot in question is paid for an authorized directly by the Paulsen campaign. Continue reading “With Three Weeks to Election Day, Desperate GOP Attacks Continue to Backfire”