From The "Stupid Is As Stupid Does" Department…..

…well, could be filed in the ol’ republiCon “Do As We Say (Not As We Do)” Department, too…

Yesterday, over on Brodkorb’s Blog, Michael’s newest pseudonym “Contributor” tried – TRIED – to rip Tarryl Clark for the ghastly deed of “holding a fundraiser outside of the 6th District.” Now, this is funny for two reasons: 1) Michael’s newest pseudonym “Contributor” – Luke Hellier – used to work for Bachmann, so he surely knows about the many fundraisers Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive has held outside the 6th District, such as the infamous fundraiser D*ck (cheney)in’ Cheney held for Michele on Lake Minnetonka, and 2) Brodkorb knows – KNOWS – that GOPer Eva Ng recently held a fundraiser outside of the district bounaries where she’s running, ’cause not only did MudSlingerMike tweet about it, it’s on the official Mn GOP website, where the ol’ MudSlinger is the State Party Deputy Chair!!!

And Tony Sutton had to know about the fundraiser; it was held at FEC Tony’s taco shop.

That, gentle readers, certainly qualifies as “stupid is as stupid does.”

It’s things like this, and more, why I say – often – “Hypocrisy, Thy Party Is GOP.”

Let’s look at a couple more examples:

In 2007, Mn GOP Party Chair republiCon Ron wouldn’t answer questions about his piss-poor “stewardship” of Party Finances, as documented in a June 2007 Strib story:

Party records show that money was withheld for employee retirement plans from September 2005 through May 2006, but Federal Election Commission (FEC) records reflect no deposits into the accounts during that period. In June 2006, the party made two makeup payments totaling $12,243 into the accounts.

The delay in depositing the money could have benefitted the party by giving it temporary access to the employees’ funds.

Carey didn’t explain why the retirement money wasn’t deposited promptly.

“There seemed to be some gray areas as to what was the requirement,” Carey said. Asked to explain the gray areas, he said, “I really would prefer not to get into the weeds on something like that.” (StarTribune.com)

Hmmm….”gray areas”….hmmm….”don’t want to get into the weeds”….

Where and what was republiCon Ron doing, during the summer of ’08? Ripping Al Franken over Franken’s paperwork problems, and demanding – DEMANDING! – that Franken answer questions!!!

Oh, and it needs to be pointed out that during the whole shoddy and sorry MnGOP PaperGate saga, FEC Tony was involved, except during his stint as Deputy to State Auditor Pat Anderson. And the shoddy and sorry saga apparently isn’t over…why, less than two weeks ago, the Mn GOP had to fix MORE of their (cheney)-ups:

Filings by REPUBLICAN PARTY OF MINNESOTA – C00001313
525 PARK STREET
SUITE 250
ST PAUL

The Following FEC Electronic Filings are Available:
Click on the form name to view it.
Form F3XA – 09/21/2009
FEC Filing #: FEC-433152
Period FROM 11/25/2008 through 12/31/2008
Report Type: YEAR-END
Filed 09/21/2009
Form F3XA – 09/21/2009
FEC Filing #: FEC-433149
Period FROM 10/16/2008 through 11/24/2008
Report Type: POST-GENERAL
Filed 09/21/2009
Form F3XA – 09/21/2009
FEC Filing #: FEC-433147
Period FROM 10/01/2008 through 10/15/2008
Report Type: PRE-GENERAL
Filed 09/21/2009
Form F3XA – 09/21/2009
FEC Filing #: FEC-433140
Period FROM 09/01/2008 through 09/30/2008
Report Type: OCT MONTHLY
Filed 09/21/2009
Form F3XA – 09/21/2009
FEC Filing #: FEC-433126
Period FROM 08/01/2008 through 08/31/2008
Report Type: SEP MONTHLY
Filed 09/21/2009
Form F3XA – 09/21/2009
FEC Filing #: FEC-433122
Period FROM 07/01/2008 through 07/31/2008
Report Type: AUG MONTHLY
Filed 09/21/2009
Form F3XA – 09/21/2009
FEC Filing #: FEC-433116
Period FROM 06/01/2008 through 06/30/2008
Report Type: JUL MONTHLY
Filed 09/21/2009
Form F3XA – 09/21/2009
FEC Filing #: FEC-433113
Period FROM 05/01/2008 through 05/31/2008
Report Type: JUN MONTHLY
Filed 09/21/2009
Form F3XA – 09/21/2009
FEC Filing #: FEC-433112
Period FROM 04/01/2008 through 04/30/2008
Report Type: MAY MONTHLY
Filed 09/21/2009
Form F3XA – 09/21/2009
FEC Filing #: FEC-433107
Period FROM 03/01/2008 through 03/31/2008
Report Type: APR MONTHLY
Filed 09/21/2009
Form F3XA – 09/21/2009
FEC Filing #: FEC-433104
Period FROM 02/01/2008 through 02/29/2008
Report Type: MAR MONTHLY
Filed 09/21/2009
Form F3XA – 09/21/2009
FEC Filing #: FEC-433101
Period FROM 01/01/2008 through 01/31/2008
Report Type: FEB MONTHLY
Filed 09/21/2009
Form F3XA – 09/21/2009
FEC Filing #: FEC-433099
Period FROM 12/01/2007 through 12/31/2007
Report Type: YEAR-END
Filed 09/21/2009
Form F3XA – 09/21/2009
FEC Filing #: FEC-433098
Period FROM 11/01/2007 through 11/30/2007
Report Type: DEC MONTHLY
Filed 09/21/2009
(Federal Election Commission)

Fourteen – FOURTEEN! – more “oops! We screwed up – AGAIN” amended reports??!?

Amending and re-amending and re-amending the re-amended is a long-standing pattern for Minnesota’s GreedOverPrinciples party. Amazing, when you consider GOPers like to consider themselves “The Party Of Fiscal Accountability”…

The last example I’ll use today is GOPer Governor-Candidate Marty Seifert – as explained by Dusty Trice:

Marty Seifert Gets Hit With His Own Slime!

Last Wednesday Marty Seifert held a press conference where he attacked several of his opponents by saying they might be using taxpayer money and their elected positions to gain publicity.

“I don’t know if they are doing that, but I want to throw it out there,” Seifert said. (MinnPost)

Looks like Marty Seifert combed over one very important detail. It turns out in the MN House Seifert is the chief offender!

MPR News checked, and it turns out it was Marty Seifert who claimed more money for expenses over the last four months than any other House member running for governor. (MPR via Blue Man)

Seifert has expensed $6,081 in travel, lodging and other expenses to the taxpayers since early June! (DustyTrice.com)

There’s Pawlenty plenty more examples of GOP Hypocrisy, such as Republicans Believe In States Rights (Except When They Don’t), and we’ll be reviewing them often.

Why?

Because:

“Hypocrisy, Thy Party Is GOP”

(cross-posted from MnProgressiveProject)

TwoPuttTommy On Your Radio – Tonight!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be sitting next to Host Mark Heaney tonight on “The Mark Heaney Show” from 6 to 7 pm on AM-950 KTNF – “The Voice Of Minnesota.”

I’m not sure what all we’ll be talking and taking listener calls about; however, I am sure at some point we’ll be talking about “CommentGate” – the GOP Smear of GOP State Rep. Laura Brod – link here for Brian Falldin’s round-up of CommentGate. DustyTrice.com has a good wrap-up, too, and I’ve written about CommentGate here, “Who’s IP Is It?” and here, “…a Republican staffer in the capital…” and here, “Does Andy Gildea Still Work In Rep. Marty Seifert’s Capitol Office?” and again today here, “Another Piece In The CommentGate Puzzle”.

It is indeed a sordid tale of the GOPer’s dirty politicking, but then again: you simply cannot spell “dirty politicking” without “GOP.”

So at 6:00 pm tune in the ol’ radio to 950 on the am dial, or listen via your computer.

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

Another Piece In The CommentGate Puzzle

On June 4th – over at Michael Brodkorb’s “Minnesota Democrats Exposed” – I noticed a reprehensible smear of GOP State Representative Laura Brod. While the comment making the smear, by an anonymous poster named “J” was taken down, subsequent comments acknowledging the smear were not – and I captured those comments on a screen shot. Now, regular readers here know I’ve taken shots at Laura Brod before, from nominating Laura Brod as Hypocrite Of The Month to her asinine voter fraud comments to, most recently, a complete debunking of a Canadian health care comment she twitted.

Those posts I made concerning Laura Brod are NOT about her or her private life – they are about her political activities and shots like I took are completely within the realm of acceptable politics: she ripped Al Franken while ignoring ol’ Smokescreen’s indefensible inaction during The Abramoff Scandal; she alleges voter fraud without making her case; and she made a claim about Canadian health care that simply wasn’t true.

Fair game, each and every one of ’em. The smear campaign targeting Laura Brod? Completely unacceptable.

And it’s interesting to note that the smear campaign targeting Laura Brod, according to rightwing blogger Andy Aplikowski, was orchestrated not only from within the GOP, but at the highest levels within the GOP. Here’s what Andy Aplikowski posted:

The alleged culprits of the attack are Seifert supporters with speculation of the ringleader being the candidate himself. (ChangeWeMust.org)

Last Monday, August 10th, blogger Brian Falldin, who broke and is covering this story, posted the following breaking news:

MINNEAPOLIS (CWM) — We’ve received an e-mail confirmation from Residual Forces author Andy Aplikowski that Andy Gildea was the Republican Staffer referred to in his accusatory article. (CWM.org)

Tuesday, I confirmed Andy Gildea was on GOP Rep. Marty Seifert’s staff when this smear campaign was being orchestrated; Andy Gildea left Rep. Siefert’s staff when Seifert stepped down as Minority Leader. Andy Gildea is now employed as a Research Consultant by the GOP House Caucus.

Stay tuned as this CommentGate story of dirty GOP politics (are there any other?) continues….

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

From The GOP Playbook – "When You Don't Have News, Run A Stunt."

I went to the GOP Press Conference yesterday; the GOP wouldn’t let me observe because the presser was “for members of the Capitol Press Corps only.” No problem; I figured it was probably a joke anyway. And apparently, I was correct!

From The Pioneer Press reporters’ “Political Animal”:

Republicans run health ads in 1st and 7th; we publicize them
By Bill Salisbury on August 11, 2009 11:46 AM | 3 Comments

I hate it when I get sucked in on a publicity stunt, but that’s what you’re going to read about here. (PiPress.com)

Want to read more? Read it, here. And check out the comments — especially the third comment!

And remember, yesterday’s “stunt” by the GOP is simply another example of why reasonable people cannot reasonbly expect the GOP to tell the truth.

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

Does Andy Gildea Still Work In Rep. Marty Seifert's Capitol Office?

Brian Falldin reports that Andy Gildea currently works for the House GOP Caucus, and as recently as October 9th, 2008, Andy Gildea was one of GOP Rep. Seifert’s assistants. Does Andy Gildea still work in GOP Rep. Marty Siefter’s Capital office?

A phone call and email have not been returned.

Stay tuned!

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

"I'm not just trying to smear the guy…"

Yeah, “right.” Watch for yourself:

“I’m not just trying to smear the guy…”??!?

The first clue that the guy is a rightwing paid shill is the line that green jobs “kill manufacturing jobs.”

In the first place, since when has a GOPer complained about the loss of manufacturing jobs? Does “Free Trade” ring a bell?

And since when has a GOPer complained about creating “low wage jobs”??!? I mean, the lower the wages for the serfs “employees” – the bigger the take at the top! Just ask Bill McGuire, or, say, Wal-Mart about THAT one….

But, ya gotta love how these rightwingers call President Obama’s guy a commie.

Hmmm….don’t like the guy; call him a commie….don’t like the guy; call him a commie…hmmm….

Hey! Kinda like how they called another guy they don’t like a “commie” – Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Joe Repya!

It’s getting to the point that getting smeared by the rightwing extremists should get ya a badge of honor, or something….

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

Disinformation – Makin' Stuff Up, The RightWing Way!

That bloggers wrote about Michael Brodkorb’s blatant hypocrisy with regards to Colin Peterson’s decision to no longer hold Town Hall meetings is no surprise; MudSlingerMike’s pals at his old radio gig tagged him as being in charge of “special ops.” What is surprising is one member of the traditional media picking up on it. Monday’s St. Cloud Times Editorial noted:

Really, though, the worst out of all this is the state Republican Party’s attempt to turn his (Rep. Peterson’s) comment into a campaign issue. It plans to run advertisements about it across the district this week.

“Really, Collin, 25 percent of your constituents are so out of touch they believe the U.S. government caused 9/11?” the commercial says. “So you won’t hold town meetings? They’re not out of touch. You are.”

Then what about Peterson’s neighbor, the GOP’s own 6th District Rep. Michele Bachmann?

Except for one tightly controlled forum at which she barely spoke, we don’t recall any town meetings she’s held in this area since elected.(St. Cloud Times)

This causes the question – why would one of this state’s shrewdest (cynical?) political opportunists, the ol’ MudSlingerMike himself, take such a chance at being called out for hypocrisy? Well, not by the RightWingLeaning PiPress, and certainly not by the RightWingOwned Avista Capital Partner’s Strib – no, ol’ MudSlingerMike and the GOP knows how to shove them around – remember the film of Seifert dissing the Strib at the GOP Convention? But still, why would he do that?

Perhaps what’s happening at Town Hall Meetings elsewhere might be an indication of why MudSlingerMike is disappointed. Rachel Maddow has the report; let’s look!

(Link here if video doesn’t play)

Disinformation, and organized anarchy – which Rachel called “hooliganism” at Democratic Party Representatives’ Town Halls, and MudSlingerMike of the State GOP going after DFL Rep. Colin Peterson…..hmmmm….hmmm….

Hey! Is it possible that MudSlingerMike weighed the odds of bein’ called out by the Strib and/or PiPress (somewhere between “slim” and “none”) and figured it was worth the chance to try and shame Peterson into holding meetings, in order to practice the same disinformation and organized anarchy GOPers are getting to ply elsewhere?

We don’t know, but we do know that you cannot spell “dirty politicking” without “GOP”.

Link here, for the memo Rachel referenced.

Link here, for a picture of the known GOPers in a “grassroots uprising”.

Link here to watch Brodkorb’s blatant hypocrisy.

(hat tip to CrooksAndLiars.com)

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

"I'll take dirty politics for $200, Alex."

“Here’s the answer: In 2009, they ran the first negative ad for the 2010 Minnesota elections.”

“Who are FEC Tony and MudSlingerMike?”

“You are correct!”

Smart money was betting that with the election of Tony Sutton and Michael Brodkorb, the GOP was going down and dirtier. So far, those bets look like winners. Over 15 months out, and Sutton and Broadkorb seem bound and determined to make the 2010 elections the nastiest ever.

(crossposted from <a href="http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/3675/ill-take-dirty-politics-for-200-alex&quot;MnProgressiveProject)

GOPer Party Official Trashes Veteran Joe Repya And Is Rewarded

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Joe Repya is, by any standard, an American Hero. People may not like his conservative political philosophy, but few (if any) have served this great country with the courage, valor, integrity and distinction Lieutenant Colonel Joe Repya has. Colonel Repya served in combat in Vietnam, the Gulf War in 1990, and in 2004 – at age 58 – came out of retirement to serve again in Iraq. How Colonel Repya missed The Balkans has to be an interesting story; a story I’d like to follow up on – but, that’s a tangent.

Colonel Repya challenged then-incumbent MN-GOP Party Chair Ron Carey in 2007, on a “reform the party” platform – because, clearly today’s GreedOverPrinciples party needs to be cleaned up. For this, Colonel Repya was essentially smeared called an “enemy of the party” by then-GOP Party Chair Ron Carey. An important point is Ron Carey’s campaign manager was current GOP State Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb.

Everybody got that? Challenge the party chair’s “stewardship” and get trashed as essentially an “enemy of the party”, by the guy (Ron Carey) who’s campaign Michael Brodkorb ran.

Fast forward, to last month. Tony Sutton, the GOP party’s Treasurer under Carey, is elected Party Chair. Sutton was “the man” while a whole bunch of the GOP Party’s FEC problems were unfolding – link here to read the Tostenson Memo. Michael Brodkorb, who’s plotical tactics Joe Repya has condemened, is elected GOP State Party Deputy Chair.

So, when FEC Tony and MudSlingerMike were elected Chair and Deputy Chair, Colonel Repya had had enough – he wrote an Op/Ed in the Pioneer Press titled “Why I’m leaving the Minnesota GOP.” While that Op/Ed is no longer available on the PiPress website, comments on that Op/Ed are. Nathan Hansen, GOP Deputy Chair of CD-4, did comment – here’s what he had to say:

I am Deputy Chair of the Fourth Congressional District and one of the newer anti-war Republican activists. It’s difficult for words to describe how happy I am that you are leaving our Party. The roots of your “neconservative” philosophy lie in Straussian Trotzkyite Communism. “Corporate money” influencing our Party? Nothing compared to the damage your military industrial complex (that Eisenhower warned us about) has wreaked on our Party and our Country.

I hope you will find a happy home among your fellow communists. Your days of endless illegal wars and military industrial complex domination of our party are over.
Obama is ramping up his War in Afghanistan and continues to illegally bomb Pakistan. Perhaps you can join him to satiate your bloodlust. (emphasis added) (PiPress)

Lieutenant Colenel (Retired) Joe Repya a communist??!? A neo-con??!? “…satiate bloodlust…” – WT(C)? Colonel Repya is a warmonger, too??!?

So, one might wonder how the new regime of FEC Tony and MudlsingerMike responded to an elected GOP Party Official – Deputy Chair of the 4th CD – trashing a bona fide American military hero? How did FEC Tony and MudslingerMike respond to an elected GOP Party Official essentially spitting on Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Joe Repya?

By rewarding GOP CD-4 Deputy Chair Nathan Hansen with a plum assignment within the State GOP.

Which really isn’t surprising, when you think about it – it’s a page “right” out of the GOP Playbook.

In today’s GreedOverPrinciples Party, “led” locally by Tony Sutton and Michael Brodkorb, you can expect anyone they don’t like to be slimed, smeared, and spit on.

It’s really rather pathetic – and just as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, it’s predictable, too.

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

The GOP Playbook: "She/He really isn't a ___ (fill in the blank)"

D*ck Cheney is still in the news; the subject is the outing of CIA Agent Valerie Plame and Bush The Lesser’s refusal to pardon Scooter Libby for Scotter’s role (something Bush got right). David Corn has an article on CQ.com about his appearance on Chris Matthew’s Hardball show on MSNBC discussing that issue and Time Magazine’s story concerning the last days in the misAdministration of Bush The Lesser.

That’s not the point of this post; the point of this post is how the GOP deals with their “enemies”.

And former Ambassador Joe Wilson was considered an enemy of the GOP for his speaking out about the Niger yellowcake BS. So, what play out of the GOP playbook did they run? The ol’ smear play, directed at his wife:

“Valerie Plame wasn’t really a CIA Agent; whe was just a secretary.”

Remember that? The GOP played that one over and Over and OVER, and to this day there are rightwingnuts that still firmly believe Valerie Plame “wasn’t really a CIA Agent; she was a secretary, no, wait – just a glorified coffee go-fer.”

Take the Not-So-SwiftBoat veterans: “John Kerry isn’t really a Purple Heart recipient; all it took were some bandaids.

Disgusting. Then again, coming from GOP “leadership” – it’s to be expected.

These days, the smear machine is going after President Obama:

“He really isn’t an American; he was born in the slums of Kenya.”

Unbelievable. You really have to watch:

GOP Party “Leadership” doesn’t care that it’s simply not true; what they care is that voters think it is.

The GOP Party “Leadership” uses surrogate mouthpieces like G. Gordon Liddy to spread their filth.

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)