Update: Walz is clear cash leader

posted by Edward Felker, P-B Washington Bureau

This morning I posted on Rep. Tim Walz's fundraising cash, and said we were waiting for the numbers from state Rep. Randy Demmer, R-Hayfield.

Bluestem Prairie points out that Demmer has already filed with the FEC. He reports raising $34,676 for the fourth quarter and ended the year with $42,297 in cash. He also reports $115,000 in campaign debt, based on loans he has made to the campaign, including $20,000 loaned on Dec. 31. (He first loaned the campaign $115,000 in May and took repayment of $20,000 in October before making the new loan.)

The new loan brought his total receipts for the quarter to $54,676.

With his $750,000 on hand at the end of the year, Walz was far and away the cash leader in the race, with the three Republican challengers showing bank accounts under $100,000.

Comments

[OdaSilva]

Why is this blog called "Political Party" instead of "The Walz Report?" Even Blue Stem Prairie doesn't fawn over Walz to the embarassing extent you do.

[taxpayer]

How is the above fawning over Walz?

[It's politics]

Taxpayer: 'Cuz OdaSilva's narrow frame of reference is indeed that, narrow plus divisive.

[L D Nelson]

To Mr Silva, any article that mentions Walz name, even a dry report on campaign finance, is biased.

[HFStassen]

Mr. DaSilva has a point. Looking at the postings so far on this blog, only two of them do not have Walz in them and all are highly complimentary of the congressman. Felker's reporting, if it can be called that, looks more like that of Walz' press secretary than a reporter. There could be more coverage on other topics and issues here, not to mention other politicians and both parties. Last I checked we still have two of them.

[taxpayer]

So Mr. Stassen, reporting that Walz has more cash is complimentary? No, I think what bugs you and OdS is that the PB doesn't pillory all Democrats as god-hating evile puppy-eating wanna-blow-up-more-building-terrorists that you two are sure that they are.

[HFStassen]

Well I am glad you finally came out of the closet, taxpayer, and clearly elucidated the Democrat positions on those issues. I wasn't specifically even referring to his particular article. And yes, the report of cash (which the PB has had several articles on) is a bit of a bragger on how popular Walz theoretically is. Money = support in politics, or at least that is what we are led to believe. You can crawl back into your hole now for the rest of the winter taxpayer.

[OdaSilva]

Point of clarification. I have never, ever stated that Democrats eat puppies. Stassen is correct. For those of you who can count, tally the number of Walz-related posts against posts on any other topic.

[Jay Furst]

Thanks for the comments. I'll go back through the posts and count them for my own amusement, too, but two points:
-- The guy's the 1st District congressman. His name's going to be in the paper a lot more than any of three or more challengers. Welcome to incumbency -- he makes news and generates more comment than any unnominated opposition candidate. I'll note here also that we consider coverage of the 1st District election our proprietary beat, moreso than the U.S. Senate or 2nd District House races. So expect to see a heavier load of news and comment on 1st District matters. (This isn't new, by the way.)
-- It's a blog. A log of comments. Stop the clock at any given point and somebody wins the Most Posted award.
OK, one more point, as a bonus -- Walz is a first-termer who knocked off a longtime Congressman from Rochester. He's generated intense interest and reaction from the Republican side. It's a great story and we'll err on the side of writing a lot about it.

[taxpayer]

You still haven't said how this article is fawning. I notice you didn't post a response to the articles about Day that said the reports on his money were fawning. But then you never respond to "tough" questions. Tough being things you don't like to think about and things that catch you spouting nonsense. Like if a DUI invalidates someone for school board how is it the Bush qualifies for president? And what about that ultimate flip flopper Norm Coleman?

[taxpayer]

BTW Stassen, it's guys like you that made me decide to quit the Republican party and go independent. The continual attacks, dirty tricks, lies, and self righteous whining made me decide that I didn't want to be associated with them any more.

[HFStassen]

Taxpayer, you really should refrain from direct lies. No one who reads your comments would ever confuse you with being a conservative, much less having been a Republican. If you want Norm Coleman back in your DFL party you can have him. I will give you credit though for bringing self righteous whining to a fine art. Reread your own posts.

As to my original point, I recall before Walz was ever elected that coverage of Gil Gutknecht's opponents and the positive spin on them often exceeded any reporting on the congressman himself. Gil's spin was almost uniformly negative, until he was beaten and he was given a fond farewell. I would challenge you Mr. Furst to search the articles on Walz and categorize them in the negative, positive and neutral vein and see what the tally is. Then do the same with Gutknecht during his first, or better yet, his last years in office. The bias is obvious. It has been even more obvious since Felker took the reporting role. In Gutknecht's case you mostly ignored any press he was attempting to generate. I recall the stories of his campaign "war chest" as always insinuating that he was getting outside help and that he had an unfair advantage over his beleagured opponents. In Walz' case now it is a point of pride and support. The above article is mostly neutral, but their is no negative connotation with Walz having this huge cash advantage and no analysis of where it came from. A lot of it is from outside his district and outside the state.

PS Taxpayer: I don't know of any stories of school board members getting a DUI and my commentary on their ability to serve. I have heard of a disgraceful police officer accused of a felony serving on a nearby school board. Yes, that should disqualify him.

[Rochcook]

Go cry me a river HFStassen. Backbencher Gutknecht's public appearances in his last few years as Representative were few and far between. It's hard to develop a following when you're in hiding.

[OdaSilva]

Mr.Furst,

I said posts when I should have said blog entries. My bad.

[HFStassen]

Maybe Gutknecht was actually in his office and in the house chambers doing his job rather than taking junkets and looking for the nearest microphone like Walz. Most of Gutknechts appearances in the district were barely covered by this media and almost uniformly with a negative bias. Walz is getting close to 100% positive coverage. Whatever, we could use more topics than just Walz' latest press release which he already has mailed to us at our own expense.

[taxpayer]

Well, Stassen, you are dead wrong about me. I've always voted for more Republican's than Democrats though with the rising hypocrisy of the more recent batch of Republicans it is getting more difficult.

The comments about Coleman were directed at OdaSilva. I have no problem with him (he used to hobnob with my dad), heck, I even voted for him. But OdaSilva and him demonstrate exactly what I am talking about with hypocrisy. O obviously supports him but at the same time says this:

"Once it becomes clear their selfish ambitions cannot be fulfilled where they are, such politicians switch parties and claim they have done so on their so-called, but mostly nonexistent, "principles."

Posted by: OdaSilva | Jun 13, 2006 8:28:22 PM"

My comment about the school board thing was also directed at O. He lambasted some lady for getting a DUI and wanted to know when the school board was going to investigate or punish her or something but appears to be happy to ignore president Bush's same offense.

See?

[Rochcook]

HFStassen, backbencher Gutknechts' final years in office can't be defendend can they? Did Gutknecht even have any events those last few years that were open to the public that a District Taxpayer could even talk to him or even ask him a question? HFStassen, are you calling Walz's trips to flooded SE MN junkets? Are you calling his trip to Iraq a junket? Are you saying that Walz is missing votes? Come out and say your problem HFStassen: you miss your access to Dick Larson. You didn't have any access to Gutknecht either.

[HFStassen]

Taxpayer: So you are a Kiscaden Republican then. On Coleman, I really haven't figured out what party he should belong to. Maybe he is an example of that elusive species, the moderate. Hypocrisy is not owned by a single party. A party that would support the likes of Bill Clinton and his maniacal wife is certainly not short on it. I personally have been an independent all my life. My favorite congressman was, and still is, Tim Penny. The Democrats reviled him.

As for Bush's DUI, it is a non-issue. He took responsibility for it when it happened, paid the penalties and changed his life. He is now a teetotaler. Pfeilsticker, to whom you are referring, to her credit also accepted punishment. Whether that results in any change for her is another question. She clearly has more of a problem than either the incident or her response indicated. Yes, it would lower her usefulness as a political representative if not addressed.

Rochcook: Yes, I would call Walz' trip to Iraq a junket. He accomplished nothing there and learned nothing that he didn't already know. Hie trip to the floods was not a junket. As for Gutknecht, he had many public events almost all of which went unnoticed if your source of information was this paper. As for Walz, the best way to meet him is to follow a TV portable camera and get between him and the camera. You will at least be on the photo.

[Rochcook]

OK, here's a question for everyone, you too Ed. Were there public event held by Gutknecht his last 2-3 years where people could discuss things with him? I wanted to talk to Rep. Gutknecht. I left messages at his office on the issues I was interested, sent emails, and talked to the staff. But never ever saw him in person. I got plenty of mailings and calls from him on issues I was not interested in, say abortion and immigration. So can anyone name public events held by Gutknecht, and I'm talking about things like the HYVEE visits and town hall meetings that Walz does, not Republican fundraisers. If Gutknecht did have these, whose fault is it that we didn't know about it? Gutknecht for poor communication, or for news sources not covering them? What's the deal Ed?

[L D Nelson]

I can remember one event where Gutkneckt gave a twenty-year old stump speech, and one Chamber of Commerce sponsored breakfast where he tried to rewrite recent economic history.

[taxpayer]

"So you are a Kiscaden Republican then." Huh?