Archive for the ‘Ken Martin’ Category

This accusation was inevitable. With Keith Ellison trailing heading into the final week of the campaign, it was inevitable that the Ellison campaign would create this type of BS story at the last minute.

According to the article, “For Ryan Durant, a former high school classmate, Wardlow’s views aren’t just a question of policy. They’re personal. Durant remembers Wardlow as a high school bully who repeatedly harassed him for being gay and as the person who mocked him after he attempted suicide in the 10th grade. Both Durant and Wardlow attended Eagan High School and graduated in the class of 1997. In an account corroborated by several other students, Durant, 39, alleges that Wardlow, who is now 40, bullied him for years because of his sexual orientation. He said Wardlow called him derogatory terms like ‘fag’ and ‘faggot,’ and then escalated to more personal insults such as ‘people like you should be shot.'”

Why wasn’t this reported decades ago? Where’s the evidence that this happened? Further, how does Durant explain this?

I categorically deny these allegations about me when I was 14 years old. I never did or said anything remotely like the things alleged. … Clearly, Ryan Durant is politically motivated. In late 2009, before I held any political office and just after I announced my candidacy for State House, Durant posted on Facebook that he would consider voting for me.

The statement continues:

“Now, Durant frequently compares Republicans to Nazis on his Facebook page, and he recently ‘liked’ Ellison attack dog William Davis’s Facebook comment that Republicans should be sent to the guillotines. The change demonstrates that the allegations are politically motivated lies. Ellison has shopped this story to multiple media outlets as a last-minute ‘Hail Mary’ to save his failing campaign. It will not succeed.”

Clearly, Durant is a partisan. Clearly, the Ellison campaign is flailing. If ever there was a match made in heaven, it’s between Durant and Ellison. Ellison won’t admit that he bullied his ex-girlfriend:

Ken Martin won’t admit that his ‘independent’ investigation was a sham. Ryan Durant can’t afford to admit that he’s now a bitter partisan. Whichever way you slice it, this is a match made in political hell.

Last night on Almanac, Ken Martin, the DFL Party Chairman, did his best to appease the #MeToo movement activists while still defending Keith Ellison. Suffice it to say that he didn’t exactly thread the needle. Martin started by saying that all victims of sexual abuse or assault need to be taken seriously, which is why the DFL undertook an “independent investigation” conducted by the DFL’s official law firm.

Martin failed to highlight the fact that the ‘investigating’ law firm has contributed $500,000 to DFL candidates in the past, including $50,000 to Ellison. Then again, what’s a half-million dollars amongst friends, right.

Another thing that Martin didn’t highlight is the fact that Karen Monahan produced evidence of Ellison’s attack by having her doctor release a document that stated she was physically and mentally abused by Keith Ellison. Despite that proof, Martin still doesn’t believe her:

“I support Karen bringing her allegations forward, and I support there being an investigation into those,” Martin said. “We conducted an outside, independent investigation, and that investigation showed we could not substantiate her claim of domestic abuse. And so I do not believe her; I believe our investigation.”

I can’t take seriously an investigation conducted by a highly conflicted law firm. One conservative I talked with put it this way:

You also have the spectacle of a paunchy, bloated DFL chairman Ken Martin telling us he doesn’t believe her. Instead, we are implausibly expected to believe the DFL’s own “outside” investigation of the matter. Yes, the fox has definitely concluded that there is no evidence he was in the hen house on the night in question.

What could possibly go wrong with an investigation like that? Here’s Chairman Martin tap-dancing as best he could:

Calling that investigation an “independent investigation” is insulting. Further, while Martin used a soft tone of voice, the truth is that he still called Ms. Monahan a liar. That’s one of the reasons why I think Martin isn’t a man of integrity.

Another reason I think Martin isn’t a man of integrity is because he’s defending Keith Ellison, a man who has supported cop-killers like Assata Shakur in the past. Martin is defending Ellison for purely partisan reasons. It’s impossible to think he honestly thinks Ellison is an innocent man.

When the Democrats’ target was Brett Kavanaugh, the #MeToo and #BelieveHer movements were urgent matters. The minute Justice Kavanaugh got confirmed, the Democrats’ war cry died. When Keith Ellison became the focus, the DFL circled the proverbial wagons and started protecting the alleged sexual assaulter.

Harold Hamilton summed things up perfectly when he wrote “With no GOP targets on the front burner, the volume has been turned down, especially since the weapon is now focused on Democrats like Keith Ellison. In fact, the hypocrisy is shameless and appalling. The faces of Minnesota’s feminist movement, including Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, and erstwhile gubernatorial candidate Erin Murphy (she of the corny and childish “politics of joy” campaign) have all voiced their support for Keith Ellison and his campaign for attorney general.”

Then he wrote “There is no shortage of photos and video of these leaders happily standing with this credibly accused assaulter and friend of anti-Semites. You also have the spectacle of a paunchy, bloated DFL chairman Ken Martin telling us he doesn’t believe her. Instead, we are implausibly expected to believe the DFL’s own ‘outside’ investigation of the matter. Yes, the fox has definitely concluded that there is no evidence he was in the hen house on the night in question.”

The sad thing is that the DFL’s defense of Keith Ellison won’t save him. At this point, it isn’t likely that he’ll win the AG election. In fact, after he’s defeated, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was forced to resign as deputy chair of the DNC. Once that happens, Ellison’s political career will essentially be over.

When this election passes, the DFL will have lost an important tool to affect progressive change. They will have lost the Minnesota AG’s office to torment companies. That will really hurt when you add their loss against Justice Kavanaugh.

After that string of losses, will the DFL take the time to examine what they did wrong? Anything’s possible but I wouldn’t expect a major shift away from their insanity. That wouldn’t be convenient.

Ken Martin, the chairman of the DFL (Minnesota’s Democratic Party), has just exposed himself as a two-faced liar. When Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford was outed by Sen. Feinstein, Democrats insisted that all women who’d claimed to be abused had to be believed. Mazie Hirono, (D-HI), said that Justice Kavanaugh was guilty until proven innocent.

Yesterday, Ken Martin said that he doesn’t believe Karen Monahan, the ex-girlfriend of Keith Ellison. Ellison is the DFL candidate for Minnesota AG.

The chairman of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) on Wednesday directly challenged the credibility of the woman accusing Attorney General nominee Keith Ellison of domestic violence, telling a reporter, “I don’t believe her.” Ken Martin said that he instead “believes our investigation,” referring to a probe conducted by a partner at a law firm that donated more than $500,000 to Democrats since 1998, including $50,000 to Ellison.

It’s stunning that the Twin Cities media hasn’t laughed Martin out of the state after that sham investigation. Further, it’s disgraceful that Martin would say he trusts the woman who can’t corroborate her allegations from 36 years ago but doesn’t trust the woman who contemporaneously told a doctor about her attack and has released medical documents identifying Keith Ellison as her attacker.

Ken Martin is a dirtbag incapable of telling the truth.

According to this AP article, the DFL’s investigation (I use that term loosely) into Keith Ellison’s alleged domestic abuse is drawing to a close. What that investigation will find is anyone’s guess.

According to the article, “The longtime Minnesota congressman and Democratic National Committee deputy chairman has called the allegations false and tried to ride out the storm of questions after winning the Aug. 14 primary. But the old sexual assault allegations that have thrown Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination in doubt have renewed focus on Ellison and a six-week old investigation into his conduct that has shown few outward signs of progress.”

Ken Martin, the chairman of the Minnesota DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) party is getting frustrated:

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin said he believes the investigation has concluded and that a final report should be issued in the coming days. “I’m starting to get a little frustrated because it’s been a long time now, almost two months,” he said. “I hope soon. I hope any day here.”

That won’t happen after Karen Monahan’s Twitter rampage last night:

Example of a misogynistic narcissist conversation.
Keep reading tweets after this to get the full convo. pic.twitter.com/IKvGgTXfvF

— Karen Monahan (@KarenMonahan01) November 25, 2017

That’s just one of her tweets. Here’s another:

April 2018 pic.twitter.com/7ucO8GwD6z

— Karen Monahan (@KarenMonahan01) August 12, 2018

Then there’s this:

2nd
April 2018 pic.twitter.com/sNSvccEUON

— Karen Monahan (@KarenMonahan01) August 12, 2018

Based on this new information, I’m skeptical that the investigation is finished. I suspect this is just getting restarted. If these types of tweets keep coming out, the DFL won’t have a choice but to throw Ellison under the #MeToo bus.

It’s time to stop pretending that Antifa is the only bunch of violent actors in the DFL or the Democratic Party. I’m not disputing that Antifa and anarchist organizations affiliated with the Democratic Party don’t pose a threat to conservative politicians. I’m simply arguing that violent behavior on the left isn’t confined to anarchists and Antifa. This LTE highlights the left’s violent (and frightening) behavior:

To the editor:

Has the radical socialist left become unhinged? The latest incidents include reprehensible threats of harm against the children of Republican officeholders. Our own U.S. Rep. Jason Lewis has received threats of violence against his daughters. The threats of harm to his daughters necessitated a call to the Capitol Police.

Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-New York, also received threats of violence against his daughters. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Florida, was threatened by a man who said he would kill Mast’s children. Fortunately, police were able to arrest the man.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California, “suggested” to her followers they verbally attack members of the White House staff and other conservatives — even when they are in a restaurant enjoying a meal!

Locally, Republican state Rep. Drew Christensen has had a campaign sign set afire and others slashed. I point out again that all these threats are made against Republicans. My resolve has thus been strengthened and I will proudly support Jason Lewis and Drew Christensen.

The latest smear against Jason Lewis for comments he made on his radio show decades ago is appalling. He was hired to be provocative and had the right of freedom of speech, the same right that liberals attempt to take away from anyone who doesn’t agree with them.

That’s before talking about the lunatic Bernie supporter who shot House Majority Whip Steve Scalise last summer in Virginia. That’s before talking about the ‘comedian’ who accused Sarah Huckabee-Sanders of being a traitor of women.

People that violent aren’t capable of making rational decisions. Putting them back in power would be a terrible mistake. Giving in to the left’s violence will only embolden them. BTW, this isn’t the first time violent lefties have threatened Rep. Lewis’s family. Check this out:

This isn’t the Democratic Party of Paul Wellstone. In fact, I’m betting that most of these lefties don’t even know that Wellstone often was a guest on Lewis’s show, where they frequently debated issues. Sen. Wellstone loved discussing issues. These violent Democrat thugs aren’t interested in discussing issues. These Democrat thugs are mostly interested in shutting down debate while stirring up violence. It’s time for people of all political stripes to criticize this growing faction of Democrat thugs.

I just got off the phone with Mitch Berg, who told me that Erin Murphy has picked Erin Maye Quade to be the Lt. Gov. candidate on her ticket. I told Mitch that nothing says geographical and ideological balance like a pair of gun-grabbing Metrocrats that hate mining. BTW, you’ll want to read Mitch’s upcoming post to hear his perspective on this. Trust me when I tell you that he’s got a perspective that you won’t hear from the Twin Cities media.

Here’s a little background on EMQ: “Quade first rose to prominence in speaking out on sexual harassment at the State Capitol — a #MeToo movement that ultimately led to the resignation of two prominent state legislators. Quade also led a 24-hour sit-in on the floor of the State Capitol in April, calling for a vote on several gun control bills before the session’s end. Quade is the first openly LGBT candidate for statewide office on a ticket endorsed by a major party. At 32, she would also be one of the youngest people to serve in the office.”

In her first gubernatorial-level decision, Murphy failed miserably. The Lt. Gov. must be able to step in as governor if, God forbid, something happens to the governor. Erin Maye Quade fails that test:

Maye Quade is serving her first term in the House and previously worked for U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison doing constituent services and organizing for DFL campaigns. She is a lifelong resident of Apple Valley, where she lives with her wife, Alyse, who also organizes for the DFL Party.

Basically, she’s a high profile activist. What’s funny is that Murphy doesn’t admit that this ticket won’t be well-received outside the Twin Cities metro:

She’s a powerful leader who serves with integrity and authenticity. Representative @ErinMayeQuade and I are ready to keep growing our coalition in every corner of Minnesota and win in November.#TeamErin #mngov #DFL2018 pic.twitter.com/beOtzfCICU

— Erin Murphy (@epmurphymn) June 3, 2018

Here’s the thing: Erin Murphy hates farmers almost as much as she hates miners, loggers and gun owners. The thought that Murphy and Quade will appeal to more than 12% of rural voters statewide is ridiculous. I’ve got to think that the NRA is chomping at the bit to go after this ticket. In the Eighth, I’m betting that there are tons of DFLers that can’t wait to vote against this ticket. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if they vote for one of the GOP tickets.

Ken Martin won’t admit it but he’s got to be afraid of what this ticket would do to the DFL this November.

Minutes after Tim Walz withdrew from the endorsement fight, the DFL endorsed Erin Murphy to be their gubernatorial candidate.

This was an event-filled, tumultuous, convention. The first shock happened when unknown Matt Pelikan trailed DFL Attorney General Lori Swanson by just 5 points, with Swanson at 52.2% and Pelikan at 47.2% of the vote. Before they started the second ballot, Swanson pulled out, handing the endorsement to Pelikan. When Erin Murphy won the endorsement after Tim Walz withdrew from the endorsement race, rumors started swirling that Swanson might jump into the DFL gubernatorial primary instead of fighting through the DFL AG primary.

Meanwhile, another rumor has it that Ryan Winkler will run in the DFL AG primary if Swanson opts for the DFL gubernatorial primary. If AG Swanson runs in the AG’s primary, she’d probably win. If she runs in the gubernatorial primary, her chances of winning drop significantly. In both instances, though, her chances of winning the general election aren’t that great, though they’d be better if she ran for AG.

As for Murphy’s chances, they aren’t good. If she defeats Tim Walz, she’ll only do so by running far to Walz’s left. Single-payer health care isn’t popular in Minnesota. People didn’t trust MNsure. They definitely won’t trust single-payer. Further, it’s quite possible that she’ll lose to Tim Walz while pushing him farther left than Walz can afford to go to win the general election.

Murphy’s victory makes life difficult for Chairman Martin because it’s dragging the supposed frontrunner farther left than Martin wanted. Next, whoever wins will have gotten dragged so far left that it’ll be virtually impossible to win in November, mostly because Murphy is a hostile environmental activist. To win, she’ll have to alienate miners and union construction workers like pipefitters. Think heavy equipment operators, too.

This isn’t the script the DFL wanted written at convention-end. Most likely, they’ll have primaries in Tina Smith’s seat, the open Nolan seat, the possibly open State AG seat and the governor’s race. It’s the exact opposite of what Chairman Martin hoped for.

Finally, this situation virtually guarantees a Republican governor in November. Add to that the likelihood of Republicans winning the auditor’s race and the definite possibility of Republicans winning the AG race, coupled with the strong likelihood of maintaining their majorities in the Minnesota House and Senate and you’re looking at a pretty difficult year if you’re Chairman Martin. That’s before mentioning the likelihood of winning the First and Eighth U.S. Congressional districts.

This year, Minnesota has none of the makings of a blue wave.

Prior to Saturday’s DFL Convention, I thought that the DFL’s best chance to hold a battleground congressional district was the Eighth District. Based on Saturday’s CD-8 DFL convention outcome, I won’t predict that anymore. Based on reports like this article, it sounds like the convention ended in discord.

Sam Brodey reports that “it’ll take an August primary to determine which of these Democrats earns the chance to compete in the general election, and that primary has the potential to showcase the party’s rifts on issues like mining and immigration, which were on full display at Saturday’s convention.”

One of the early casualties was Rep. Jason Metsa. Rep. Metsa got into the race late. Still, he might run in the DFL primary. Others sure to run in the DFL primary are Joe Radinovich, Leah Phifer and Michelle Lee. Each of those candidates have flaws.

For instance, Phifer is an environmentalist who worked for the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That put her at odds with “members of the Latino DFL Caucus.” Rep. Radinovich was a one-term wonder from Aitkin before losing to Dale Lueck. After that defeat, Radinovich was Nolan’s campaign manager before becoming Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s chief of staff. When Nolan endorsed Radinovich after the 6th ballot, Frey held up a sign announcing Nolan’s endorsement.

Frey, who traveled to Duluth to work the floor for Radinovich, got on top of a chair with a hand-written sign broadcasting Nolan’s endorsement to the delegates. But ultimately, Nolan’s support was not enough for Radinovich to eclipse Phifer.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that DFL State Party Chair Ken Martin addressed the convention:

Addressing delegates earlier in the afternoon, Minnesota DFL Chairman Ken Martin urged delegates to unite behind a candidate. “If we come out of here divided, we’re not going to win,” he said.

It’s still to be decided whether the primary will split or unite the DFL but it can’t be denied that the DFL isn’t off to a good start of uniting the party. It can’t make Martin feel good that the candidates essentially ignored his exhortation to unite.

Looming large over the convention was a candidate who wasn’t even in the room: Republican Pete Stauber, who is a lock to earn the CD8 Republican Party endorsement. Democrats are concerned that a bitter and drawn-out primary will give Stauber time to raise money and consolidate support, boosting his campaign to win this seat in November.

National Republicans like Stauber, a St. Louis County commissioner who formerly served with the Duluth Police Department, and they view CD8 as one of their best pick-up opportunities in the entire country. President Donald Trump won here by 15 points in 2016, and Republican candidates are making inroads in places like the Iron Range, which has been a DFL stronghold for the better part of the century. Nolan’s retirement, in the eyes of the GOP, only increased their chances of flipping CD8.

The biggest advantages of not getting primaried is that the opposition doesn’t get additional ammunition against the candidate, in this case, Mr. Stauber. The other advantage is the opportunity to open some deep philosophical differences. Mining is something that the DFL, especially Chairman Martin and Congressman Nolan, have worked hard at avoiding.

That’ll be difficult in the primary since Radinovich is from the ‘other’ Range, aka the Cuyuna Range. Meanwhile, Phifer is a diehard environmental activist. Those wings of the DFL mix together like the DLC wing and the MoveOn.org wing of the DNC.

At minimum, the DFL will spend this summer fighting and burning through cash while possibly dividing the party for both the congressional candidate and the gubernatorial candidate. If the DFL isn’t united this time, it will be a tough year for them up-and-down the ballot.

Technorati: CD-8 Convention, Joe Radinovich, Mining, Environmental Activists, Leah Phifer, DFL Latino Caucus, Immigration, Jason Metsa, DFL Primary, Ken Martin, Rick Nolan, Jacob Frey, DFL, Pete Stauber, MNGOP, Election 2018

Earlier this afternoon, Tim Pawlenty announced that he’s running for governor. Within hours, the DFL candidates and DFL State Party Chair Ken Martin had issued defensive-sounding statements.

For instance, Tim Walz, the supposed DFL frontrunner, issued a statement saying “Tim Pawlenty was a bad governor, and he’s not the leader Minnesota needs. When he was running the state, Tim Pawlenty made decisions that hurt working Minnesotans. Those decisions really hit home on the issues of health care, education, and infrastructure.”

DFL State Party Chair Ken Martin’s statement said “Minnesota needs a governor who will fight for everyday families. That’s not Tim Pawlenty. As governor, he deprived thousands of Minnesotans of affordable health care. He jeopardized our children’s education. He devastated our budget, and left roads and bridges across the state to crumble. From health care to education to infrastructure, Pawlenty failed our state. We need an honest leader who will fight to build a better Minnesota—not a Wall Street lobbyist who cares more about the wealthy than everyday families.”

With all due respect to Tim Walz, he isn’t a leader. Tim Walz is a pander bear. He’s one politician out of 435 politicians. He’s never had the responsibility of being the man before. He’s been a reliable vote for Nancy Pelosi, nothing more. What’s worse is that he abandoned his allies the minute he started running statewide. This wasn’t a decision based on gathering new information, then making a principled change. When Tim Walz attacked the NRA, it was a purely political calculation.

As for Ken Martin, he’s fought hard to hide the DFL’s contempt for blue collar Iron Rangers. That’s why President Trump won the 8th district by 15 points. President Trump is fighting for the Iron Range while Ken Martin is fighting the working families of the Range.

Amidst all of the DFL’s angry words, Tim Pawlenty reintroduced himself to Minnesotans with this upbeat-but-realistic appraisal of Minnesota:

The DFL’s angry responses are telling. Is it because they know that their candidates are back-benchers compared to Tim Pawlenty?

Technorati: Tim Pawlenty, MNGOP, Tim Walz, Ken Martin, DFL, Election 2018