Sarah Palin endorses Tom Emmer for Governor! How do you like them green apples?
by Charlie Leck
TOM EMMER ENDORSED FOR GOVERNOR
My fellow Minnesotans, imagine Sarah Palin as your Governor! If you like that idea, I imagine you’ll be voting for Tom Emmer. The thought makes me quiver.
Mr. Emmer attended the University of Alaska. Maybe that’s what Sarah likes about him! He went to law school at the William Mitchell College of Law and spent some time at Boston College. Currently, in addition to his service in the Minnesota House of Representatives, Mr. Emmer is a trial lawyer.
I don’t put lawyers among the working class. Perhaps Sarah is talking about Mr. Emmer’s parents. Working your way through college and law school certainly doesn't earn one the right to claim working class heritage. My goodness, we all did that.
Ms. Palin was enthustiastic about Tom Emmer. Here's what she said on Facebook:
"A patriotic fiscally conservative ‘hockey dad’ who got his start in politics by serving on his local city councils is running for governor of the great state of Minnesota. His name is Tom Emmer, and I’m proud to support him.”
It was in my town that Mr. Emmer served on a "local" city council; and I know about his work out here.
I believe it was the Palin endorsement that put Emmer over the top. I think the Republicans made a mistake because I don't believe this man can keep it together during a tough campaign. I think he will self-destruct.
Here's a profile of the man who would be Governor!
Mr. Emmer receives a grade of 100 percent from Pro-Life groups and has gotten those high marks all the time he’s been in the legislature. The Minnesota Taxpayers Association also gives Mr. Emmer grades of 100 percent. His grades fall a little when he’s rated by business organizations and small business groups. His grades plummet when he’s graded by environmental organizations, civil rights and civil liberties organizations and labor organizations (he basically gets failing grades from all of them). None of this is surprising and it puts Mr. Emmer squarely in the camp of the new Tea Party movement and the school of Michele Bachmann. I’m sure Mr. Emmer is proud of this record. The question to be answered is whether or not Bachmann flies anywhere in Minnesota other than the conservative 6th district.
Mr. Emmer, if elected Governor, will not be willing to spend the money it will take to get Minnesota's schools back to the top among the nation's best. He's committed himself to heavy financial cuts across the board in order to reduce the size of government. Communities -- from those the size of Minneapolis to small towns like my own -- are in big financial trouble if Mr. Emmer is elected.
Mr. Emmer carries the record of an ultra-conservative and he generally acts like a libertarian on most issues. If elected he will be unhelpful in trying to establish better health care coverage for all citizens of the state. He will oppose extending the rights of marriage to gays and lesbians. He will not be willing to spend investment dollars on most programs designed to protect Minnesota’s environment and its most important open spaces. He will not be a friend of labor. Nor will he be a friend of the poor and unfortunate.
I’ve written here before about my disapproval of Mr. Emmer’s political career. In addition to his ultra conservative positions, he also acts like a bully. I can’t imagine him as our state’s governor, but the times sure are strange and I guess it could happen. Woe to Minnesota! There will be dark days ahead if he is elected.
He claims that he is not a politician and he won't play political games. His record shows that isn't true. When he had a chance to side with the members of his party on tort reform, Mr. Emmer voted for the guys who had given him money. Here's what a statement by Jim Knobluach, which was published on Midwest Spin, said about that:
"Representative Tom Emmer was one of only three Republicans who voted against each of these measures. It is not surprising that Representative Emmer is one of a very small number of Republican elected officials who has received campaign cash from the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Political Action Committee."
Oops! He slipped there from the conservative ranks for a moment -- for cash!
Quite certainly, Tom Emmer is a Palin/Bachmann type and I don't think that's good for Minnesota.
Character issues regarding Tom Emmer
When he served as a coucilperson here in our little town, he played the role of bully whenever any citizen rose to speak against any of Mr. Emmer's proposals. He would treat that person very impolitely and in an extremely rough manner, as if he were trying to discourage others from rising to speak. Mr. Emmer is a tough guy, very infatuated with himself and, I think, dangerous for Minnesota. I'll do everything I can to work against him.
Listen, Emmer's opponents in the Republican Party called to the attention of the endorsing delegates a couple of DWI (driving while intoxicated) citations against Emmer that are a decade old. Emmer's camp dismissed it all as desperation politics. No, not at all. Those citations have something to say to us about Tom Emmer. He's had plenty of other problems out here as well, including a judicial decision against him in the Wright County Court, written by a Judge Mottl, that was stern because he wasn't paying his bills.
"He doesn't pay his bills," said a very reliable source to me this morning. "It's well known out here." The case Judge Mottl oversaw is one example of this trait.
In an appeal, Judge Mottl's decision was overturned by a court that said the bills were really Mrs. Emmer's responsibility and Mr. Emmer had nothing to do with it.
Doesn't that say something about the family values that Mr. Emmer has been boasting about?
I'm terribly worried that the Republicans have nominated someone for our state's highest office who is incapable of handling the position. He doesn't have the character! He doesn't have the intelligence! And, he doesn't have the organizational and leadership skills required. Finally, Mr. Emmer is not a very creative guy. He's old-school, back-room politics, even though he says he's not.
"Democrats are salivating to get Emmer endorsed because they know things -- things that Emmer won't overcome in a campaign." It was a very bright politico who told me that yesterday.
"What things?" I asked.
"Oh, no! That we hold tight to our chest until the proper time."
"Well," I say, "he got the endorsement, so now let's see what the Dems can do with him."
I hope to goodness that this fellow is correct and that Tom Emmer will get busted before he gets to the Governor's office.
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