I support Dan Powers! (and a note about my future)

I will not be blogging a whole lot over the next several months, (see the end of this post for the reason,) but I wanted to make sure to leave a post on my opinion of the blow-up in the DFL CD2 race for Congress. 

Dan Powers easily won the DFL endorsement at the CD2 convention.  I thought Shelley Madore might make a more formidable opponent for John Kline, but a large majority of the delegates did not agree with me, and there was good reason for them to disagree with me.  Dan’s team outhustled Shelley’s and he prepared himself excellently for the endorsement process and for a campaign.  I like Dan and have no qualms about supporting his candidacy. 

Come Primary Day, provided there is not a John Grunseth style melt-down before that on his part, I will vote for Dan and assume he will be the candidate on the ballot in November.  While I long for that unified front, in any election, Shelley Madore has every right to continue her campaign, right or wrong.  It will definitely hurt the chances of either DFLer in November, but it is what it is.  Good luck to Dan, and best wishes to Shelley.

I look forward to working with Dan over the summer, provided he and his staff hold no grudges against me for changing my support away from him during the endorsement campaign.  I hope to work with him because I threw my hat into the ring to run for State Senate in the 36^th District.  I hope you will support me, click the “Like” button on my Facebook Fan Page Steve Quist for MN State Senate – 36th District, follow me on
http://twitter.com/Steve_Quist
and consider sending a few dollars my way to defeat my opponent, the former KSTP conservative talk-show host Dave Thompson.

I will be at the DFL convention this weekend, but a website will be up in the next week, www.SteveQuist.org.  Check that out, and let me know what you think.

Dan Powers is nice, but Shelley Madore can win CD2

At the DFL Senate District 36 convention Dan Powers said something that bothered me.  It wasn’t an issue related statement or a statement I disagreed with, it was the opening statement he made saying (paraphrased because I didn’t write down the quote):

Some people say I don’t have the experience to run against John Kline.

The implication was that Shelley Madore’s supporters or campaign was saying that about Dan Powers.  The problem I had was he started out his speech with a negative about himself.  He didn’t start with a positive about how great a candidate he is, or how much of a grasp he has on the issues that are important to CD2 voters.  He started out by telling everybody that others don’t think he is a good candidate.  

At the lunch break, I immediately went to a member of his staff and told her my opinion that Dan cannot start out with a negative.  It is perfectly fine to mention it during the speech if you want to counter it, but great marketing doesn’t start by telling everybody the rap against the product.

I don’t know if they listened to me and changed the message, but I’m guessing they did because Dan’s campaign is continually improving.  I sent him an email more than a year ago pointing out a wording problem I saw on a flyer I received.  His website and literature is now very good.  Last summer I suggested to a family member that a donation might be better served going to Mark Ritchie or Tim Walz than to a candidate I didn’t think had a chance.  Now I do think he has a chance. 

Dan’s campaign has come a long way.  In fact he had risen in my mind to the point that I decided to support him for the endorsement over Shelley Madore.  I felt like he was working hard and doing the right thing.  But I still had a nagging feeling that he was not a strong enough candidate to beat John Kline.

I’m not sure trying hard and getting better makes you the best candidate.  He has never won an election that I know of.  In fact I think he lost a couple races in the city of Burnsville.  A Powers supporter told me that “there was a reason” Shelley Madore lost two of her three races in Apple Valley.  Well that must mean there was a reason Dan Powers lost his races too.

Keep in mind, Shelley Madore ran as a DFLer in a Republican district and won.  Dan Powers ran as a candidate in a nonpartisan city election and lost.  When Shelley Madore lost her house seat to Tara Mack, the Apple Valley Republicans had spent the previous two years attacking her with everything they had from semantic arguments to dirty tricks.

Negative implications like the election loss talking points that are meant to hurt the other candidate are flying from each campaign’s supporters.

I don’t think Dan used union labor when he was a contractor…

I’m hearing Shelley won’t abide by the endorsement…

Dan has no political experience…

Shelley isn’t liked by people who used to support her…

Dan is just getting better because he is copying Shelley’s campaign…

The fact is that neither campaign is doing a great job here to win the endorsement.  Dan is working hard to get better, and Shelley hired a new campaign manager to get better. 

I’ve been struggling with the idea of do I choose the safe candidate that I know and like, or do I choose the candidate I don’t know, but who I know has the experience and toughness to win. 

I think a campaign staff change is exactly what the Madore campaign needed.  I feel like I need to choose the candidate I think is going to win.  I feel like I need to support Shelley Madore so the 2nd Congressional District finally has the representation it has been missing out on since January of 2003.

Reasons why I am supporting Shelley Madore:

• Her involvement in the community of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Her commitment to doing “the right thing” for people even if it hurts her politically
• Her knowledge of healthcare issues and her ability to challenge others on it
• Her willingness to go toe-to-toe with John Kline and other Republicans to prove they are full of it
• I think she can win, even though she is not the safe choice.  Read a blog post about that at mnpACT!

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Powers and Madore going down to the wire

This official press release (below) from Shelley Madore’s campaign was issued four days after The Big E at MPP announced it and wrote:

 “campaign changes this close to a convention is not a good thing and not a sign of campaign strength.”

 We’ll see if he is right. 

 The endorsement, provided there is one, is only 11 days away.  I’m thinking both candidates will be active.  I know Dan Powers will be.  He has a meet and greet scheduled tonight for 5:30 at the Dunn Bros in Apple Valley, and at 7:00 at Perkins in Burnsville.  Then tomorrow the 31^st, he has a meet and greet scheduled for 7:00 at the Perkins in Lakeville.  Shelley Madore does not seem to have anything scheduled, at least that I know of.   

 This is going to be an interesting endorsing convention.

For Immediate Release

Veteran Campaign Staffer Dave Griggs joins Madore for Congress Campaign

Mar. 30, 2010 (Apple Valley, Minn.) – Shelley Madore is proud to announce that veteran campaign staffer Dave Griggs has joined Team Madore as Campaign Manager.

“Dave brings vision and experience that will benefit the campaign through the endorsement on April tenth and to victory on November second against John Kline,” Madore said.

Griggs, a native of St Louis Park and 2007 graduate of the University of St. Thomas Law School, recently finished working with the Bakk for Governor campaign. He has worked three election cycles for DFL campaigns with extensive experience in field organizing. His first job after graduating from New York University was as a Second Congressional District field organizer with U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone’s 2002 re-election campaign.

With just a few days until the first quarter fundraising deadline and less than two weeks until the Congressional District endorsing convention, Dave spent his first few days on the job reaching out to staff, delegates and donors.

“I am looking forward to working with a dynamic candidate who has the experience, passion and commitment to beat John Kline in November. Shelley will be a tireless advocate for the people of the Second Congressional District, something that has been sorely lacking the past eight years,” Dave Griggs said.

For more information about Minnesota Congressional District 2 candidate Shelley Madore, please visit www.madoreforcongress.com or call 952-232-0649.

Does John Kline engage people who disagree with him?

How well do you think Congressman Kline knows what people of his district want? He sure seems to know a lot of people in his district that agree with him. The problem I fear is that I get the impression that he only listen to what he wants to listen to.

It seems his staff filters out things he doesn’t like. At his last Town Hall in Faribault, he wouldn’t take a question from one of his constituents who happened to also be a member of the media. Kline’s representative Troy Young stated the media was not allowed to ask questions.

Obviously, the Congressman couldn’t take all the questions at that meeting, but the comment on the video by Mr. Young about the media member asking a partisan question leads me to believe they are insulating the Congressman too much. I get the feeling he and his staff think they know all they need to know about what people in the Second Congressional District want.

Since Congressman Kline and his staff are as knowledgeable about what people in his district want, I’m wondering how often he checks that and interacts with people who disagree with him? I get the impression he wouldn’t even take the time to talk to me, Dave or Holly. And if there was a conversation, my assumption is that it would probably be with Mike Osskopp or another staff member doing the talking for him.

Despite the importance of the current healthcare debate, there are many constituents who won’t call him because his staff has been rude in the past, or they feel his staff dismisses their comments. That is a problem. That feeling by a large group of his constituents that they are not being represented or cared about, should be a far greater concern to Congressman Kline than the Democratic Party’s ideas or President Obama’s healthcare plan. The problem he should worry about is unwillingness by him and his staff to work for everybody in his district, and everybody in America to continually make The United States of America the best country in the world. Ignoring that large group of people because of their political opinion makes the most recent bipartisan urging by the Congressman seem quite hypocritical.

It is time for Congressman Kline to be the leader he pretends to be when he is back in Lakeville. It is time for him to step up, or step aside so that somebody willing to take on tough issues can. Earmark reform and health care reform are ideas that can’t just be ignored in protest. People desperate for help can’t wait to start over. Somebody needs to step to the front to be the leader CD2, Minnesota and the nation needs.

The DFL has two great candidates in Shelley Madore and Dan Powers willing to take over for him.

Congressman Kline, represent all of us, or step aside.

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Congressman John Kline, there is no freedom, no pursuit of happiness, no American Dream, if we are slaves to health coverage.

A Note to Congressman Kline:

It is a common theme from the folks on the right to say that Americans have the best health care in the world.  I can’t dispute that we have the best healthcare in the world.  But, what’s the point of having the best care in the world if a large number of people can’t or don’t take advantage of it because of the cost?  What’s the point of having the best healthcare in the world if people pass on seeing one of the best doctors in the world and let what might be a simple diagnosis and simple cure turn into a major illness and maybe even an incurable disease?

What’s the point of having the “best in the world” if access is based on an ability to pay?  We can have the best anything if we have the ability to pay.  The problem we have is that tens of millions of Americans don’t have affordable access to basic health care, let alone access to the best. 

So Congressman Kline, how do you tell the millions of Americans without health insurance, responsible Americans who work and don’t want to go into debt to the point that they bypass treatment at risk of death, that they have the best healthcare in the world?  How do you explain that poor children in America are suffering from diseases of neglect, many of which we might consider third world diseases like worms that could be eradicated with basic healthcare, that they have the best healthcare in the world?  How do tell the person with a serious illness, or even a “preexisting condition” who has to sacrifice their freedoms and property just to qualify for government aid to pay for health insurance, that they have the best healthcare in the world?  How do you tell the mother of three boys under the age of nine who is not only fighting breast cancer, but fighting with an insurance company dictating what treatment she should have first that she has the best healthcare in the world?  Why is it that adult children are buying aging parents needed medication as Christmas presants if they have the best healthcare in the world?

Anybody can have the best healthcare in the world if they can afford it.  That’s why people who can afford it come to this country for treatment.  It isn’t because we have the best coverage.  It is because we have the best doctors and the best technology. 

Congressman Kline, you cited the number of Canadians coming to American for treatment as part of your dog and pony show to dismiss the need for reform last year.  Doesn’t it make sense that people who can afford it would come to American doctors?  Aren’t they the best in the world?  But why are thousands of Americans going to Costa Rica, Turkey and Thailand for medical treatment?  It can’t be because they are the best in the world too!  It is because they can’t afford the best in the world!  Does that make sense to you?

Congressman Kline, what are you going to do to allow for thousands of your constituents to have access to the best healthcare in the world?  What are you going to do for the majority of Americans that make a fraction of the $174,000 a year salary you make, and who don’t have access to the same “public option” health insurance you have?  How do you justify scrapping everything when people die everyday because of a lack of basic healthcare?

There is no freedom, no pursuit of happiness, no American Dream, if we are forced to be slaves to health coverage, if we are indentured to a job because we are dependent on the company’s health insurance, if we are forced to work two or three jobs to pay for our child’s asthma medicine, or if we are a prisoner to a creditor’s garnishment because we borrowed more than we could afford to keep a loved one alive.

Congressman Kline what is your justification to allow a hell of a lot more Americans to be affected each year by an unnecessary death due to an uninsured preexisting condition, or an inability to pay for the world’s best healthcare, than are affected by that so-called “death tax” you support undyingly?  

An inability to pay for the world’s best healthcare in the country that provides the world’s best healthcare is the “death tax” Congressman Kline.  It is the ultimate tax. 

It is time for you to be a leader to make this country stronger, or step aside so that Shelley Madore or Dan Powers can be the leader so many of your constituents want.

Sincerely,
Steve Quist
Farmington, Minnesota

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If John Kline isn’t willing to show up and make a difference, oust him.

We should be happy.  We have the opportunity to talk to Congressman Kline this week.  President Obama asked John Kline to meet with him to talk about the future of healthcare reform, but it looks like Kline and other Republicans are going to turn the President down.

Republicans are suspicious that President Obama’s invitation to discuss healthcare is some sort of a plot to make them look bad.  Doesn’t it seem bad to say no to a discussion about a topic that is important to both sides simply because they are afraid of Obama?

I doubt the two DFL candidates vying to take on John Kline would say no to a meeting to discuss the future well-being of the people of the United States.  DFL candidate Dan Powers has regularly expressed a willingness to meet with any and all people to make a difference in Washington.  His opponent for the DFL endorsement, Shelley Madore, has a proven record of meeting with people and getting things done.  Both of them have been very open to ideas people have given them, and I believe would do a great job of representing the district.

There are a couple blog postings out in the blogosphere discussing Kline’s unwillingness to aid the district. 

Where is John Kline? at mnpACT!’s blog
Where is John Kline? Is John Kline at the Bottom of this Pothole? at Holly Cairnes’ blog
MN-02 : Kline Needs to Listen To The Neighbors at the Minnesota Central blog

This Friday at Faribault High School, 6:30 pm, residents of CD2 have the opportunity to give John Kline a message.  We can tell him we want him to meet with the President.  We want somebody who is open to new ideas, not somebody who dismisses ideas based on the ideology of the person who proposes the idea.  And we want a representative who can help the district, the state and the nation.

If he is not willing to show up and make a difference, then we need to oust him in favor of Shelley Madore or Dan Powers.

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Shelley Madore officially enters the CD2 race

Since I was off work today, I decided to stop by Shelley Madore’s announcement that she is officially entering the race to challenge John Kline.  The announcement was held at the Eagan Community Center. 

I recognized a few faces in the crowd, among them, Representatives Sandy Masin (38A) and David Bly (25B), Roberta Gibbons (Candidate in 37) and former congressional candidate Teresa Daly.

Shelley’s campaign manager Nick Conti-Masanz started the meeting, followed by Sandy Masin, David Bly and Teresa Daly, who all said a few nice words. 

Shelley then made a short statement:

“Today I am announcing that I will run for Congress in Minnesota’s Second Congressional District.

As a former state representative, longtime community activist, businesswoman and parent, I understand the issues in our district.  I’m ready to fight to bring jobs and economic security back to the hardworking people and families here in Minnesota and I need your support.

We need a strong leader who will work with other members of congress to bring jobs back to our community.

We need a strong leader who will create opportunities for workers to gain the skills they need to compete in this new economy.

And we need a strong leader who realizes that education is an ongoing commitment because the world does not stop changing once we graduate.

I am that leader.  My name is Shelley Madore and I am running for congress.”

A couple of notes:

• For all of you that end Modore with a long e, it ends like “door.”
• I like the green signs.  Both simple and economical.
• Finally, I like Shelley.  I think she has the skills and the presence to give John Kline a fight that he probably has not had in recent elections.  Rowley and Sarvi were fine candidates, and would have been great in congress, but Shelley has run in tough campaigns, has run through the type of crud Kline and his supporters will likely throw at her, and she seems ready for it.

CD2 Central Committee Meeting – January 5, 2010

The first CD2 DFL meeting of election year 2010 was well attended.  I counted about 35 people, with a few stragglers sneaking in later.  The Central Committee Meeting on January 5th was the last meeting before the caucuses on February 2nd.  Because it was the last meeting before the caucuses, I expected there to be a lot of caucus discussion, but a majority of the discussion centered on the CD2 convention. 

The meeting started with self introductions from the entire group.  I’ve been to CD2 meetings in the past that started that way, but it isn’t a regular practice.  I’m guessing it started that way because there were a few unfamiliar faces in the crowd.

One of the unfamiliar faces was a representative from SD26.  He spoke for Jason Engbrecht.  Jason is running in a special election on January 26th to take over the seat held by Dick Day.  Dick Day abruptly quit the State Senate to become a lobbyist.  Jason will be busy, and needs all the help he can get to defeat Mike Parry.  Parry is the Republican endorsed candidate who has shown over the last couple years of “tweeting” that he will not represent Minnesota values.  Rather, Parry will promote the values held by the most extremist right-wingers in the district.  To help Jason’s campaign, the members of the CD2 DFL voted to make a nice donation to Jason’s campaign.  Good luck to Jason.

After the Engrecht representative spoke, several other candidates rose to speak about their campaign to defeat other extremist right-wing elected officials.  The first to speak was Shelley Madore.  Shelley will soon officially announce her candidacy to unseat John Kline in Washington.  Shelley will be competing with Dan Powers for the endorsement at the CD2 Convention in April.  Dan Powers spoke next.  Dan has been officially running for the last few months, but spent a lot of time organizing DFL groups for parades during the summer before making it official.

Although we will have the opportunity to see the two candidates side-by-side over the next couple months, including the SD36 DFL Meeting at 6:30 on January 14th held at B&B Pizza in Farmington, it was the first time I had been able to compare the two candidates speaking at the same time.

Shelley has been away from the political scene for a year or so, but as she strode to the front of the room, you could sense the confidence she has.  She then backed it up with a very assertive and strong introductory speech that would challenge, in terms of presentation, most of the gubernatorial candidates I have heard from.  Dan on the other hand projects the nice guy image, and he really is a nice guy.  Dan wants to be a representative for the district, something we have not had since John Kline became a member of congress.  The two candidates have different styles, and it will be an interesting ninety-some day before we have an endorsed candidate.

Among the other candidates speaking about their campaigns were, Roberta Gibbons, Mike Germain, Derrick Lindstrom, a representative of Tom Bakk, and I apologize to the final speaker because I didn’t write down his name, but he is challenging Claire Robling in SD35.

After hearing form the candidates, the topic turned to the CD2 Convention.  The committee began discussing the amount of the suggested donation to be requested of those attending the CD2 convention.  This discussion lasted nearly a half hour.  The entire context of the discussion revolved around whether to request $15 donations or $10 donations.  The convention expenses will be slightly less this year thanks to some great work by a couple members.  That combined with the adverse economic conditions many families are facing, spurred the idea to reduce the donation amount to $10, from $15, which had been the suggested donation amount during the last few conventions.

There was a lot of discussion about the importance of the donations to the district’s financial standing, contrasted by a genuine belief that maintaining an open and easy to access forum was more important.  But what I think won the day was that the $15 donation is suggested, not required, and that the district needs as much cash as possible to support candidates running in the district.

I was happy the $15 amount won out.  I have been thinking a lot about how important it is to do small dollar fundraising for our local organizations, and the $15 suggested donation really fits that model.  It allows the organization to take away a “profit” from the convention that a $10 donation wouldn’t.  Additionally, the amount of $15, make it easy for a person with a $20 bill to donate an extra $5 without much thought.  Let’s hope attendance is high.

The next meeting will be held on a Wednesday.  Meetings are generally held the second Tuesday of every month at Burnhaven Library, but on Wednesday February 10th, the Executive Committee Meeting will not only be on a different day, but it will be at a different location, Prior Lake City Hall.  Check the CD2 website for more information.

Shelley Madore and Dan Powers at Jan14 SD36 Meeting

The Jan. 14 SD36 Central and Executive Committee meetings just got a lot more interesting. Both Dan Powers and Shelley Madore, candidates vying to unseat John Kline in CD2, have agreed to conduct a question and answer session from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. that evening. The event will be held in the meeting room at B&B Pizza in Farmington. B&B Pizza is on the corner of Dakota County Highway 50 and 3rd Street, in Farmington.

It is exciting to have both Dan Powers and Shelley Madore attend this meeting. Either candidate would be a major upgrade in representation for SD36 and CD2 residents. Come prepared to ask a tough question of either or both candidates or just listen as they answer questions from others.

The meeting is open to any DFLers in the area interested in getting to know the candidates a little better. Although the session is only a half hour, you can learn a lot. Our meetings are always open to people interested in joining other like-minded progressives to promote and help elect individuals who better represent our beliefs. If that is you, please join us.

B&B Pizza is not requiring us to have a minimum order. However, if you would like some of B&B Pizza’s delicious pizza or other food, you may call ahead (651.463.4733), and B&B will have it ready for you when you arrive. They will also be happy to take your order there and deliver it to your table.

To support SD36, SD36 candidates and CD2 candidates, we will ask for a small voluntary donation during the meeting. Please keep in mind we are a volunteer and donation driven organization, so even a small donation helps.

If you have questions about the meeting, please email us.

Shelley Madore to Challenge Dan Powers for the DFL Endorsement in CD2

It looks like Dan Powers has a challenger in his quest for the DFL endorsement to battle John Kline for Congress.

Former 37A State Representative Shelley Madore has expressed her intention to challenge John Kline in CD2. Shelley is a formidable candidate. She has already won in a long held Republican district. She is extremely knowledgeable on issues important to DFLers, especially healthcare, childcare and education.

I emailed a friend who is a friend of Shelley, she said the website should be up soon.

The race just got much more interesting.

Here are some link to blogs that announced her impending campaign:

MinnPost

mnpACT!

StarTribune