Mitch Berg – The Poster Boy Of Why Reasonable People Cannot Reasonably Believe republiCons

There are a lot of differences between Mitch “Bootlicker” Berg and myself; for instance, Bootlicker Berg is a ChickenHawk while I’m an honorably discharged veteran. I take great pains to be factually correct; Bootlicker Berg simply makes (stuff) up. The biggest difference is that Bootlicker Berg is an (@rse)hole that on occasion, can be a nice guy; I’m a nice guy that on occasion, can be a real (@rse)hole. Today is one of those occasions.

Why would today be one of those occasions? Because as big of an (@rse)hole Bootlicker Berg is (and, he is) lately he’s been going too far. It’s bad enough that he simply makes (stuff) up, as has been documented here and here. There’s more; such as the time Bootlicker Berg claimed on his radio show that Erik “I’m A Moderate In The Mold Of Frenzel and Ramstad” Paulsen “ran as a conservative”; when I called Bootlicker Berg on this delusion of his, Bootlicker Berg simply moved the goal posts by claiming Paulsen ran farther to the right than conventional wisdom dictated.

And Berg twice has attributed things to me that I’ve never said; the first time prompting the following correction on his blog:

UPDATE: In a phone conversation on Monday, Mr. Tommy denied having ever said that Bush was “Selected, Not Elected”. While I was writing more broadly – many of Mr. Tommy’s fellow-travellers and blog-mades certainly did, and do – my sentence as written implies that he has personally made that claim. Since I have no objective evidence that he did, I regret the ambiguity.

Well, like I said, above: occasionally, Bootlicker Berg can buck his natural predisposition to be a complete (arse)hole and do the proper thing. His latest delusional attribution? Bootlicker Berg indicated he stands by it. Bootlicker Berg’s natural predisposition is simply to slime people, which is why I had a special badge prepared to honor those slimed by Berg and his ilk.

And I want to be clear; I am NOT calling Bootlicker Berg a “liar” – calling someone a liar connotates that they know they aren’t telling the truth. It’s a bizarre and pathetic path Berg travels to reach his conclusions, but it appears he actually believes the (stuff) he makes up is true. Therefore, he isn’t a “liar” – he’s a (cheney)in’ whackjob that in the end, simply makes (stuff) up.

Now, some may wonder why Bootlicker Berg hates government so much; I would suggest that it’s because (based on property records) the City in which he resides insists that Bootlicker Berg live like a civilized human being rather than the sloth in a sty Bootlicker Berg would prefer. That’s another difference between Bootlicker Berg and the ol’ TwoPutter; I take pride in my home while Berg treats his like a hovel – but, that’s a tangent.

Bootlicker Berg went on a rant earlier today; not content to trashing this blog, he called the author of a blogpost here on MnPP, MNBearBud, and I quote: “MNBareButt” and “Ms. BareButt” and “BareButt” and “MNBareButt”. I’d provide the link but that would only drive traffic to Berg’s drivel.

Since there are laws concerning public nudity, it’s safe to assume MNBearBud doesn’t run around “bare but” – that Bootlicker Berg, once again’ is simply making (stuff) up. What is fact is there is plenty more that clearly demonstrates Mitch Berg is completely unreasonable; has a history making stuff up; has and will continue to keep taking the cheap shots. IOW, that Berg is a complete (@rse)hole; he can’t help it – it’s simply who and what he is. And for his latest rant directed at MNBearBud, MNBearBud is hereby awared a badge of honor: “Slimed By The M.O.B.”
.

Notch one up for MNBearBud; notch another one down for Bootlicker Berg.

(cross-posted from MnProgressiveProject)

"Keep Your Government Hands Off My Medicare!"

That’s a real quote, from a “participant” (cough, cough) at a Town Hall held the other day by Rep. Robert Inglis, R-SC.

Unreal. The disinformation put out by rightwing astroturf groups are even hitting the GOPers that do hold Town Halls – which, of course, don’t include GOPers Bachmann, Kline, or Paulsen.

Not only did GOPer Rep. Robert Inglis, R-SC, have the guts to face his constituents, he also had the common sense to tell them the truth:

“I had to politely explain that, ‘Actually, sir, your health care is being provided by the government,’ ” Inglis recalled. “But he wasn’t having any of it.” (WashingtonPost.com).

And why wasn’t the “keep your government hands off my Medicare” guy having any of it? Disinformation, pure and simple. Recently, the astroturf group “Conservatives For Patients Rights (yeah, “right”) had their ad fisked by FactCheck.org. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that their analysis of rightwing claims are, well, to quote the analysis:

CPR Administers Bad Facts, Again

* It’s not true that any of the health care overhaul measures that have been approved by committees in Congress would add “a trillion to the federal deficit,” as the ad says. The Senate bill would add roughly $597 billion over 10 years, and the House bill that was approved by the Ways and Means Committee in mid-July would add a much smaller $239 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. (FactCheck.org)

Now, I’m looking at a very fancy brochure recently mailed out – at taxpayer expense – by Rep. Erik Paulsen, R=republiCon. And what does Rep. Erik Paulsen claim, in his published and mailed at taxpayer expense brochure? It’s “right” there, on page 2: “Their plan would cost over $1 trillion”

Way to go, Erik! Mailing out debunked disinformation, published and mailed at taxpayer expense.

Paul Krugman opined a little over a week ago on the subject: Why Americans hate single-payer insurance. Paul Krugman’s explanation? “Because they don’t know they have it.” And Paul Krugman uses the “particiapant” at the Town Hall, referenced above, as an example. Here’s what else Paul Krugman said:

One of the truly amazing and depressing things about the health reform debate is the persistence of fear-mongering over “socialized medicine” even though we already have a system in which the government pays substantially more medical bills (47% of the total) than the private insurance industry (35%).

In a way, this is the flip side of the persistent belief that the free market can cure healthcare, even though there are no places where it actually has; people also believe that government-provided insurance can’t work, even though there are many places where it does — and one of those places is the United States of America. (NYTimes.com)

And rather than correct the disinformation, Rep. Erik Paulsen, R=republiCon fuels the fire.

Gotta love today’s “conservatives”, doncha?

Well, in a word, “no.” And you certainly can’t trust them to tell the truth, either.

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

Hypcocrisy, Thy Party Is GOP…

…and MudSlingerMike is the mouthpiece.

By now, everyone knows the story about the MN GOP ripping DFLer Colin Peterson for Peterson’s decision not to hold “Town Hall” meetings. Dusty Trice made a great catch of State GOP Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb engaging in the hypocrisy the GreedOverPrinciples party is so well-known for. Let’s watch!

Dusty followed up that YouTube with another YouTube of Michele Bachmann ducking questions. The contrast between what GOPer Brodkorb mouthed off about and Bachmann’s actions is quite clear – link here for Dusty’s entire post.

And Dusty Trice isn’t the only one that caught the blatant demonstration of GOPer hypocrisy; the St. Cloud Times Editorial Board weighed in, too! Let’s look!

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)

Ladies and Gentlemen, MudSlingerMike is simply demonstrating – once again – why reasonable people have no reason to believe anything that the GOP says (or, “trust”, as GOP National Chair Michael Steele said).

As Dusty said, Brodkorb’s actions are “unbelievable.” Nice catch, Dusty.

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

Dude – Where's My Town Hall?

Today was the day I was going to write about how GOPer Erik Paulsen had abandoned the tradition of the accessible Jim Ramstad and is acting like the reclusive John Kline, concerning town hall meetings. However, when I logged on, I noticed on the blogwire that Gavin Sullivan beat me to it. Here’s the start to Gavin’s post, last Saturday:

Congressman Erik Paulsen’s several predecessors established a decades-old tradition of holding quarterly ‘Town Hall Forums’–in which constituents could address questions to their solon face-to-face. Upon assuming the seat, Paulsen unilaterally erased this democratic inheritance.

And Paulsen ducking out should not be a surprise to anyone. Paulsen started his campaign for congress claiming he was something he clearly is not – a moderate in the mold of Frenzel and Ramstad. Paulsen started his congressional career under a false facade; his record in congress clearly points out Paulsen is hardly a “moderate” – why would Paulsen take the chance to expose the charade in a public venue?

And what’s really not surprising is just the other day, the state GOP, led by FEC Tony and MudSlingerMike, ripped DFLer Peterson for not holding Town Halls.

Everybody got that? The state GOP’s position is:

Rip Peterson, but ignore Paulsen doin’ the same thing. Well, Kline and Bachmann, too.

Which, of course, proves once again:

“Hypocrisy, Thy Party Is GOP”

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul & Dirty Tricks, Part 4: the e-mail account

Yesterday, in Part 3: “When Soldiers Speak Out” it clearly was stated the issue isn’t Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul’s right to speak out; the issue is following established military rules, regulations, and protocol while doing so. And Department of Defense Directive 1344.10 was mentioned.

Today, we’re going to take a specific look at that Directive, and it’s applicability to Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul’s use of his official @us.army.mil email account.

There is no doubt that Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul used his official @us.army.mil account for partisan political purposes; Political Muse first noticed this use back in April. Also, a quick google search (just enter “Dave Thul”) of blogs results in two hits on the very first page – this one:

They can’t ignore you if you show up in person
17 Jul 2009 by (redacted)@us.army.mil (Dave Thul)
Written by Dave Thul. Friday, 17 July 2009 09:17. Since I have yet to receive a phone call or email back from Congressman Walz’s office about the still unexplained photo of him claiming to be an Afghanistan veteran, I decided to visit …
True North – Pointing Minnesota in the… – http://looktruenorth.com/component/content/frontpage….
[ More results from True North – Pointing Minnesota in the… ]

and this one:

Minnesota’s own phony soldier
12 Jul 2009 by (redacted)@us.army.mil (Dave Thul)
Everyone who follows politics must remember the political uproar over Rush Limbaugh’s ‘phony soldier’ comment in 2007, referring to the media’s fondness for quoting ‘soldiers’ against the war in Iraq whose service and military records …
True North – http://www.looktruenorth.com/component/content/frontpage.html – References
[ More results from True North ]

Yes, gentle readers, that’s Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul calling Congressman Tim Walz a “phony soldier.” And that BS about the photograph? COMPLETE BS. Of course, would anyone expect anything else from the party of Tony Sutton and Michael Brodkorb? But, that’s a tangent, albeit a tangent we’ll get to later. For now, back to Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul and his use of his official @us.army.mil email account.

Department of Defense Directive 1344.10, like most Defense rules, regulations, and protocols, is dry reading. On the other hand, they usually are very clear, and DoDD 1344.10 is no different.

Paragraph 4, in it’s entirety, states:

4. POLICY

It is DoD policy to encourage members of the Armed Forces (hereafter referred to as “members”) (including members on active duty, members of the Reserve Components not on active duty, members of the National Guard even when in a non-Federal status, and retired members) to carry out the obligations of citizenship. In keeping with the traditional concept that members on active duty should not engage in partisan political activity, and that members not on active duty should avoid inferences that their political activities imply or appear to imply official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement, the following policy shall apply:

That last sentence is the important one with respect to Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul; clearly, if Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul were on active duty, or was on-duty full-time with the National Guard, Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul could have the book tossed at him for all the rules, regulations, and protocols he could have possibly and probably violated. If Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul were on active duty, or in an on-duty, full-time status with the National Guard, Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul easily “could end up in jail” – to use Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul’s own words (we’ll get to the significance of those words in a later episode). So, for the sake of argument, we’ll assume Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul is NOT in an on-duty, full-time status with the National Guard. If anyone knows differently, let me know.

So, let’s review that last sentence, in Paragraph 4, before we get into the sub-paragraphs:

“…and that members not on active duty should avoid inferences that their political activities imply or appear to imply official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement…”

Now let’s look at this sub-paragraph, of paragraph 4:

4.1.4. Subject to any other restrictions in law, a member of the Armed Forces not on active duty may take the actions or participate in the activities permitted in subparagraph 4.1.1., and may take the actions and participate in the activities prohibited in subparagraph 4.1.2, provided the member is not in uniform and does not otherwise act in a manner that could reasonably give rise to the inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement.

“reasonably” – “reasonably.”

Is it reasonable for someone to infer that a blogpost critical of the President, or a Congressman, bearing an official @us.army.mil was approved by someone serving in official capacity within the US Army?

Yes, it is – unless, of course, you’re a partisan political hack and the President and Congressman being ripped is from a party other than your own.

That sub-paragraph is followed by this subparagraph:

4.1.5. Activities not expressly prohibited may be contrary to the spirit and intent of this Directive. Any activity that may be reasonably viewed as directly or indirectly associating the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security (in the case of the Coast Guard) or any component of these Departments with a partisan political activity or is otherwise contrary to the spirit and intention of this Directive shall be avoided.

“…shall be avoided.” Not “should” be avoided; “shall” be avoided. Got it? “Clear, Sergeant, AIRBORNE!” would be the response I would have given, upon being read/told/DIRECTED (we’re quoting a “Directive” here), back in the day.

Clearly, by using his @us.army.mil email account, that shows up on google searches and probably google alerts, too, Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thul is, or appears to, apply official military approval and/or endorsement.

Clearly, Steele County Republican Party Co-Chair Dave Thu’s use of his official, @us.army.mil email account was wrong. Period. End of story.

Well, not exactly “end of story” – part 5 is coming – stay tuned!

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

Meet The New Boss: "FEC" Tony!

The Party Faithful have spoken, and it’s a new day for the state GOP. Tony Sutton takes the reins, and is faced with the formidable task of cleaning up the mess left by the last administration that ran the Republican Party of Minnesota. Especially the mess left by the last Treasurer, who – not coincidentally – was Tony Sutton!

And just how big of a mess did Treasurer Tony Sutton leave for Chairman Tony Sutton? A quick check of FEC Records show that on January 15th of this year, Chairman Ron Carey and Treasurer Tony filed an amended report for September and October 2008. On January 16, they filed an amended pre-General Election report. On January 20th, they filed an amended post-General Election Report.

All in all, those amended reports are another pathetic example of the incompetence and failure of the Ron Carey Regime, which “featured” Tony Sutton as Treasurer. But have no fear; it gets worse.

On March 16th, 2009, Carey and Sutton re-re-filed an amended report of the previously amended October 2009 report.

Got that? They couldn’t get it “right” the first time; they tried and failed to get it “right” the second – and didn’t. But have no fear; it gets worse.

Worse? Yes, because on the same day they had to amend a previously amended report – October 2008 – they also had to amend the previously amended pre-General Election Report. But have no fear, it gets worse.

Worse? Yep! Surely, you’re not surprised? After all, this IS republiCon Ron and FEC Tony we’re talkin’ ’bout… and on March 19th, 2009, they had to re-re-file an amended report of the previously amended August 2009 report! But have no fear, it gets worse!

A little over a month ago, on May 22nd, 2009, RepubliCon Ron and FEC Tony had to amend the pre-General Election for the third – THIRD – time! Same day, same clowns had to amend the post-Election Report for the second time! And just to show that when it comes to incompetence the unDynamic Duo of republiCon Ron and FEC Tony has no peer, they also re-amended the 2008 Year End Report.

Folks, this level of pathetic incompetence is beyond bizarre. And it bears looking into. So, stay tuned, and have no fear – it gets worse.

(crossposted from <a href="http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/diary/3509/meet-the-new-boss-fec-tony"MnProgressiveProject)

State GOP Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb Thinks GOP CD-04 Deputy Chair Nathan Hansen Is …..

… a must-read. And that guy State GOP Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb thinks is a must-read, recently called Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Joe Repya a communist. A communist!!!

In a way, it’s quite of reminiscent of an elected GOPer – Michele Bachmann – questioning the patriotism of duly elected US Senators and Congressmen.

And it’s part of a pattern; today’s GOP has a habit of trashing those they disagree with. Especially Colonel Repya; last year republiCon Ron essentially called Colonel Repya an enemy of the party for having the audacity – AUDACITY! – to suggest the party might have a few paperwork problems.

Since it’s been established that the established GOP Party Leadership doesn’t much like The Good Colonel, and it’s been established the State GOP Deputy Chair thinks the CD-04 Deputy Chair is a must-read, and since it’s well-established the CD-04 Deputy Chair thinks The Good Colonel is a commie, doesn’t that beg the question: does State GOP Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb think that that Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Joe Repya is a commie, too??!?

Well I thought so, so I asked! Here’s exactly what I asked, in an e-mailed entitled “A Question For Deputy Chair Brodkorb:

Dear Deputy Chair (Elect) Brodkorb,

I’m looking into CD-4 Deputy Chair Nathan Hansen’s recent comments in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and I have a question for State Deputy Chair (Elect) Brodkorb:

Mr. Deputy Chair (Elect) Brodkorb, do you agree with CD-4 Deputy Chair Hansen’s assertion that LTC (Retired) Joe Repya is a communist?

A “Yes” or “No” answer will suffice; an explanation would be appreciated.

Thank you for your prompt reply.

Tommy Johnson
Blogger

State GOP Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb declined to respond for the record.

With elected office holders like Michele Bachmann and Laura Brod, and elected party officers like Nathan Hansen, State GOP Deputy Chair Michal Brodkorb likely will be ducking a lot of questions.

(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)

"False Witness! – The Michele Bachmann Story (Vol. 1)"

Well, I would have called it “The misAdventures Bachmann MotorMouth OverDrive – The Early Years” but: they didn’t ask me. At any rate, “False Witness! is now out and available. I placed the order for mine – and if you act quickly, you can too!!! Link on over to BiasedLiberalMedia.com and get your copy of “False Witness! The Michele Bachmann Story (Vol. 1)”!

Here’s part of what the entrepid Bill Prendergast has to say about his entrepenueral offering:

The first issue is about how she got started in politics. Twenty four pages of electrifying black and white comics that have never been printed before. (DumpBachmann)

All that, for a measely $4.95 with shipping included! That link, again: www.BiasedLiberalMedia.com – go order your copy now!

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

"Aware Enough" – or, Craig "Firmly Embedded" Westover, the Pioneer Press, and inComplete Disclosure

Watching the GOP’s state convention on Saturday, I heard the name “Craig Westover” during some debate from the floor. “Craig Westover”? The “Craig Westover” that bloviates at the right-leaning Pioneer Press?

Yep! THAT Craig Westover; the Craig Westover that has the following at the bottom of his columns in the Pioneer Press:

Craig Westover is a contributing columnist to the Pioneer Press Opinion Page and a senior policy fellow at the Minnesota Free Market Institute (mnfmi.org).

Does anyone see anywhere in that “inComplete Disclosure” that Craig Westover is not only involved in republiCon party polics, he’s managed to make his way to the rarified air of the State Central Committee?

I don’t, and I remember that in 2006, Craig “Firmly Embeded” Westover was not only “contributing” at the PiPress, Craig Westover was part of the PiPress’ candidate endorsement screening process.

Hmmmm… I remember from back in the day, when I was a GOPer, how hard it was to get elected just from BPOU to District; I can’t imagine that these days it’s any easier to go from District to State (especially what with all that ideological purging for purity’s sake in the GreedOverPrinciples party) and I really can’t believe some newbie – say, since December 2006 – goes from bein’ NOT involved in party politics and goes all the way to State Central Committee participant.

Bottom line? I guessed Craig Westover was up to his neck in partisan party politics when the Pioneer Press had him involved in its endorsement process.

So, I asked the PiPress the pointed question:

How aware of Craig Westover’s party activism was the Pioneer Press back in 2006, when the Pioneer Press involved Craig Westover in its endorsement process?

Here’s the thoughtful and complete answer I got:

Tommy,

Aware enough.

ROFLMAO!!!!

The Pioneer Press was aware of Craig “Firmly Embedded” Westover’s partisan political activism, and let him participate in candidate endorsement anyway ??!?

No wonder “journalism” is held in such low esteem, these days.

I thought I’d give the PiPress another shot, so I sent in reply:

(redacted)you want to make an official, “for quote” statment before I start writing?

How about you, Craig?

Craig’s in there, because I started out asking Craig about his involvement in partisan party politics, and CC’d the PiPress. Mr. Firmly Embedded seemed to get a little nervous as my questions became more pointed, at which point I switched tacks and asked the pointed question, above, to the PiPress and cc’d Craig.

Here’s what I got back, from the PiPress, after asking if they wanted to give a “for quote” statment:

Tommy,

Nope. Write whatever you want. First Amendment’s a beautiful thing.

Apparently, the PiPress knows that “journalistic integrity” isn’t incorporated in the First Amendment – because it isn’t.

And neither is “inComplete Disclosure.”

Those of you reading this, that are involved in campaigns, may want to remember this sordid little story next year, during endorsement screening time.

The Pioneer Press is going to ask you to be open and honest.

Remember that they weren’t.

Oh, and For The Record – here’s Mr. Firmly Embedded’s response to the request for quote:

“For the record, Prior to the 2008 election cycle, I was a casual GOP caucus attendee. I got active in the 2008 cycle so I could go to the state convention as a Ron Paul delegate and really got active after the 2008 convention. I have not written anything for the PiPress promoting a partisan issue other than the principles I have always pushed.” — Craig Westover, 15 June 2009

Yeah, “right.” Go with that, Craig. I have no way to verify it, but: it sounds like Fishsticks to me.

Oh, speaking of Fishsticks: apparently, I wasn’t the only one that noticed Mr. Firmly Embedded’s party activism – Spot over at The Cucking Stool noticed, too. Spot takes a look at Mr. Firmly Embedded’s backing Michele Bachmann’s “Gangster Government” rantings, and – most appropriately – includes pictures of Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff.

I’m guessing Craig “Firmly Embedded” Westover didn’t do much writing about Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, nor The K Street Project.

Come to think about it, the Pioneer Press didn’t publish much about those three, either.

Well, to the Pioneer Press and Craig “Firmly Embedded” Westover, I’m sure it was the “right” thing to do…..

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)