Alida Messinger, the woman telling the DFL what to do, just wrote a big check to buy a DFL legislature:
Philanthropist Alida Messinger, the ex-wife of Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton, is putting big money into overturning Republican control of the Minnesota Legislature.
Fundraising reports released Wednesday showed that Messinger gave $500,000 to the WIN Minnesota political fund. That group funneled money to the Alliance for a Better Minnesota, a Democratic-supporting independent expenditure group expected to sink significant amounts into key legislative races.
This isn’t a ‘get all money out of politics’ post. Quite the contrary. If Alida wants to write a 500,000 check to the DFL, then write another $500,000 check to WIN Minnesota, then write another $500,000 check to Conservation Minnesota, she should have that right.
Rather, this post will focus on whether the candidates this money supports will be obligated to vote for Alida Rockefeller-Messinger’s ultra-leftist agenda or they’re free to vote the way their constituents tell them to vote.
When Gov. Dayton was picking his MPCA commissioner nominee, Alida Messinger told him she’d earned the right to pick Paul Aasen, an anti-business envirolitigator with the MCEA, as his commissioner. Her wishes were granted immediately.
When the DFL got whipped in the 2010 midterms, she demanded that then-DFL chairman Brian Melendez’s head be delivered to her on a platter or her checks would stop coming in. Shortly thereafter, Melendez announced that he wouldn’t run for another term.
The bottom line is this: when Alida writes big checks, she gets what she wants.
That means anyone who benefits from her financial largess will be expected to vote for the DFL’s agenda without hesitation. That means voting for Alida Messinger’s anti-mining, anti-jobs agenda.
Tags: Alida Messinger, WIN Minnesota, Brian Melendez, Midterm Elections, Mark Dayton, Paul Aasen, MPCA, DFL, Election 2012
And Koch brothers’ check writing is no bother?
Isn’t Bill Cooper holding back on his cash with the current crop of GOP leadership? Or at least he did with Sutton-Brodkorb when they were in charge of party affairs and fiscal largesse. If that is different in kind, I would enjoy knowing how so. In agenda, clearly different, but it’s the same game big money always plays, everywhere. You buy the car you want the driver’s seat. It is why Washington is full of lobbyists who lobby. Of all things.
Eric, unlike you, I don’t mind lots of money in politics. The First Amendment is messy. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
My point isn’t that Alida shouldn’t write checks to the DFL or WIN Minnesota or Conservation Minnesota. It’s that people should know what Alida demands for her largess.
Demanding adherence to a radical agenda that ignores the will of the people is what Alida demands.
As usual, Eric Z has missed the whole point of your article. To him big money is OK when it is for a liberal cause but when Target, the Koch brother’s or any other person gives large sums of money to conservative causes, it is wrong in his mind and those people should be pointed out, mocked, protested, etc. to make sure they never do that again. Meanwhile the DFL rakes in tons of money from some very wealthy people and no one cares because those wealthy people know what is best for us all. What a crock.
The key here is for us to start writing checks! I’ve done it ansd there’s no good reason why the rest of you can’t either – unless, of course, you’ve written checks already.
But’s let be selective about it. Kurt Bills is DOA. It’d be a huge waste to donate to him. Besides, he’s a Paultard.
But there are groups that are fighting for the Marriage Amendment as well as Voter ID.
There are also a good crop of GOP freshmen (most of ‘em anyways – except for the buttheads who voted for the Vikings stadium bill) who could use our support.
Dave Osmek is Senate District 33 is GOP endorsed and is running against iffy-GOP rep Connie Doepke. Cindy Pugh is running in 33A (or is it 33B?) against iffy-GOP rep Steve Smith.
Eric:
Question are you saying that Aldia can write checks? If yes then you have no business complaining about the Koch brothers or anybody else.
As Gary pointed out the debate is what are the people accepting the money believe they have to do if elected?
The people who accept money from the Koch brothers will do an agenda that is good for you and everyone else in Minnesota.
The people who accept money from Adalia will do good for the environment, higher energy prices, teachers, etc. That agenda isn’t good for you Eric.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN