The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same, or…

…how Zellers’ election demonstrates – once again – that GOP still stands for GreedOverPrinciples.

GOPers are always claiming to be “the party of fiscal responsibilty.” Are they? Let’s take a quick look!

First up, Governor T-Bag:

I’d always heard that Governor T-Bag racked up the largest fines of any Minnesota politician, EVER. Well, I don’t know if that’s true or not, but a quick google search – a REAL quick Google search (tim + pawlenty + campaign + finance + violations) – turned up this one, in second place on the first page!

In the Matter of the (Tim) Pawlenty for Governor Committee, 15475

Hmmm…. second spot, first page….website of the Campaign Finance Board….let’s look!

NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein, and other good and valuable consideration, the parties agree as follows:

1. The Pawlenty Committee agrees to pay a civil penalty of $100,000.00 to be paid to the Campaign Board and deposited in the General Fund of the State. The Campaign Board acknowledges receipt of the fine from the Pawlenty Committee. It is agreed that the civil penalty is deemed a noncampaign expenditure and shall not be assessed against Tim Pawlenty individually. (emphasis added) (Mn Campaign Finance Board)

WOW!!! T-Bag got smacked for a hunnerd-thousand smackers in fines, and T-Bag AGREED to it!!!!

And who knows? That might not be the biggest fine T-Bag paid….that was just the second hit on the first page!!!

OK, now let’s take a look at the newly elected Chair of Minnesota’s GreedOverPrinciples Party, Tony “Lost Credibility” Sutton!

From Mr. Lost Credibility’s website:

Dear Fellow Republicans,

Like many of you, I am not happy about the direction our Republican Party has taken the last few election cycles. I have been frustrated by the philosophical and ideology drift our party has experienced in recent years.

What was the party of fiscal responsibility doing? Spending money like drunken sailors in Washington.

O
M
G
!

Here you got Mr. Lost Accountability* rippin’ on the folks in D.C. when this guy was the Secretary And Treasurer of the State Party while it was leading the nation – yes, leading the nation – in screwed up FEC Reports! While them republiCons were “spending” money like drunken sailors in D.C., Tony an’ the gang were “typing” FEC reports like drunken sailors here at home!!! As noted last May at Mn Blue:

“And we anticipate filing some amendments…”

…is an exact quote from a July 20th, 2007 letter from the Republican Party of Minnesota to the Federal Elections Commission.

“SOME” amendments?

How about SEVENTY amendments!!!

One for each month of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and the months of January through November of 2007.

Is that “some”?

Ladies and Gentlemen, under Ron Carey’s “stewardship” in leadership roles, the RepubliCan Party of Minnesota has been paying fines to the FEC, going back to 2001 and a fine of $16,000. Since 2002, the FEC has repeatedly and continually asked for clarification of those monthly reports because, well, they simply don’t add up nor make sense.

And they STILL don’t make sense; just last month they had to amend their 2008 Year End FEC Filing. Tony “Lost Credibility” Sutton was Secretary/Treasurer when that was written; Tony “Lost Credibility” Sutton has been involved with the State GOP going back a long ways – he became Executive Director way back when, in 1998. And, one might wonder, what happened way back when, when Tony was Executive Director?

Well, fines! Yep – $16,000 of ’em!

So, what is one reason not to be surprised that Kurt Zeller was just elected by the GreedOverPrinciples party?

Fines!

Yep – “right” after Zeller was elected, I saw the tweet from Dusty Trice:

4. The parties agree that the Volunteers for Kurt Zellers Committee accepted excessive contributions from special sources resulting in an inadvertent violation of Minn. Stat. §10A. 27, subd. 11, in calendar year 2004.

Thanks for the tweet, Dusty! I’m sure the new Minority Leader appreciates it!!!

Now, what I found interesting, while googling to verify Dusty’s “fine” find, was this!

Click to access Zellers_Kurt_060127.pdf

IOW – the “fine” find Dusty found, was NOT the only fine!

So, it seems the “Party Of Fiscal unAccountability”, by electing Zellers to a leadership position, is merely continuing the legacy of T-Bag and Sutton. Oh – it also ensures that GOP continues to stand for GreedOverPrinciples.

Stay tuned!

* “Going forward we must be unashamed and unabashed liberty-loving conservatives – we must have confidence in our ideas and agenda and promote them loudly and boldly. Only then will we regain the confidence of the voters with whom we have lost credibility over the last few years.” — Tony “Lost Credibility” Sutton, State Chair of Minnesota’s GreedOverPrinciples Party.

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

"Hikin' the ol' Appalachian Trail!" and other current misdeeds of….

…today’s GreedOverPrinciples party.

It’s been a tough day for the GOPers. Fortunately for Kurt Zellers, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford – who turned down Federal Stimulus – got caught gettin’ some international stimulus:

Chris Cillizza
washingtonpost.com Political Blogger
Wednesday, June 24, 2009; 3:30 PM

Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) admitted in a press conference in Washington today that he had an extramarital affair with a woman in Argentina and that he will resign his position as president of the Republican Governors Assocation. (Washington Post)

Yep – a “Family Values” republiCon, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, wasn’t “hiking the Appalachian Trail” as aides first claimed; he was down in Argentina – “catching up on foreign affairs”.

Which is good for Zellers; that diverts attention away from his history of campaign finance screwups. Well, and the video Dusty Trice found and posted today – the video of Zeller trashing former Governor Arne Carlson just last May. Let’s look!

That’s Kurt Zellers, trashing former two-term Governor Arne Carlson. Way to make the small tent smaller, Kurt!

And speakin’ o’ the Small Tent Party, Lieutenant Colonel Joe Repya split ranks from the likes of Zellers, Sutton, Brodkorb, et al. In today’s Pioneer Press, Colonel Repya explains why:

“Over the years I have raised tens of thousands of dollars for GOP coffers, donated many thousands of dollars to local and national GOP candidates, worked many hours at the grass-roots level and been asked repeatedly to run for state or federal office by Minnesota GOP officeholders. So why on Earth have I decided to leave the Minnesota GOP?

Simple: When a political party becomes so dysfunctional that it no longer can operate without tyrannical domination over the grass-roots, it is time to stop enabling bad behavior from that party. I have come to the conclusion that a majority of Minnesotans and many Republicans no longer trust the message of the Minnesota GOP.

After years of ineffective party leadership resulting in a record number of defeats, lack of transparency in party dealings, alleged financial impropriety by former party employees, and numerous Federal Election Commission problems, can you really blame the electorate for abandoning the Minnesota GOP?”

OK, now I’ll surmise that the “…alleged financial impropriety by former party employees,…” has something to do with this:

Read the “confidential memo” from the Minnesota Republican Party that is the basis of CREW’s FEC complaint

(Submitted by crew on 16 July 2007 – 1:26pm. FEC Minnesota Republican Party)

CREW filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint today against the Republican Party of Minnesota and its former treasurer, Marina Taubenberger, alleging multiple egregious violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) and FEC regulations. The complaint is based primarily upon a February 15, 2007 confidential memorandum from former Republican Party of Minnesota finance director Dwight Tostenson to the Party’s Executive Committee. You really have to read that memo. Here it is:

OK, so what happened when Colonel Repya tried to ask about the alleged financial impropriety” at the state convention? Let’s watch!!!

Way to go, Tony Sutton, a/k/a “Mr. Lost Credibility”!!! Oh, and in the comments section, of the PiPress? A guy by the name of Nathan Hansen has this 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)

ROFLMAO!!! The Deputy Chair of the GOP’s CD-4 not only told Colonel Repya “don’t let the door smack ya on yer arse” — he called Joe a “commie”, too!!!

Ya really gotta admire how those in current GOPer party leadership positions honor the troops, doncha??!?

Ever hear that those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it? Well, an astute Regular Reader (thanks, Ricardo!) sent me a link demonstrating how today’s GreedOverPrinciples party’s leaders are doing just that, in an e-mail entitled “The Current State of the GOP Party”! Let’s watch!!!

Oh, and think today was bad for the local GOPers? Watch what happens if ol’ Smokescreen gets his walking papers tomorrow!

Stay tuned!!!

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)