ECONOMIC CRISIS CHANGES TONE OF RACE IN SIXTH DISTRICT

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Home | Politically Connected | National Politics | U.S. House
Economic crisis changes tone of race in Sixth District

Marlin Levison, Star Tribune

From left, Bob Anderson, Michele Bachmann and Elwyn Tinklenberg held an election debate on Oct. 1 at Stillwater City Hall.

Wall Street's meltdown and the government's bailout have become key in the three-way battle for the House.

By PAT DOYLE, Star Tribune

Last update: October 8, 2008 - 11:01 PM
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Bachmann has to go...

This is an easy one. If you think the direction our country is heading is the wrong direction, you need to vote for a change. Bachmann … read more has been a whacky pawn for the far right political agenda...and this is an agenda that has not worked. Our economy is in the tank, our status in the world is on the decline, and that's just the start. Moreover, Bachmann is so obsessed with pet social issues like legislating a definition of marriage that she hasn't gained any meaningful status in Congress. We deserve AND we need much, much better...party allegiance alone cannot justify a vote for Bachmann.
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Abortion, taxes and transportation have dominated recent campaigns for Congress in the suburbs, small towns and farms north of the Twin Cities.

But the political landscape changed in Minnesota's Sixth District when the financial crisis hit Wall Street and Washington. More than any other congressional race in the state, the showdown in the Sixth is offering voters stark choices on whom to blame for the crisis and what to do about it.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Republican, is telling voters that "hyper-regulation" by the federal government created a chain of events that caused bank failures and credit freezes. Bachmann voted against the massive rescue package that cleared Congress last week, slamming it as unfair to taxpayers.

Her Democratic challenger, Elwyn Tinklenberg, tells voters that lack of government regulation encouraged bankers to make reckless bets that brought on the crisis. He favored the bailout as a way to avert a more serious slowdown in middle America.

As the financial squeeze makes itself felt on Main Street, the candidates' contrasting positions on the bailout could determine the outcome of the race.

"People are very responsive to what the headlines are about," said Steven Smith, a professor of political science and expert on Congress at Washington University in St. Louis.

NOTE: STEVEN SMITH IS A WELL RESPECTED PERSONALITY IN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST.LOUIS.

The Sixth sprawls across Washington, Anoka, Wright, Benton, Sherburne and Stearns counties. It has been reliably Republican in recent years but is expected to be competitive for Democrats in a year when Republicans around the nation are struggling.

Bachmann, who won the seat in 2006, had a voting record more conservative on economic, social and foreign policy issues than 89 percent of her colleagues last year, according to the National Journal's ideological scorecard of congressional members. She gets more money from abortion-opposition and gun-rights groups than all but nine other members of the House.

Democrats argue that Bachmann is too conservative even for this conservative district. That line didn't work in 2006 for Democrat Patty Wetterling, a child-welfare advocate whom Republicans labeled too liberal.

But Tinklenberg calls himself a moderate Democrat and touts endorsements from police and fire groups and good grades from the National Rifle Association, which nonetheless endorsed Bachmann. He considers himself a Blue Dog Democrat, a group of fiscally conservative Democrats in Congress that has endorsed him.

Another candidate, Bob Anderson of the Independence Party, entered the race to bring mental health insurance on par with other health coverage. Because the rescue bill includes such a provision, he is now focusing on prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage for applicants with pre-existing conditions. He also stands apart from the others by his refusal to accept campaign contributions and his attack on Congress as a tool of special interests.

Still, the Independence Party endorsed Tinklenberg in the district, which voted heavily for Jesse Ventura when he ran under the party's banner for governor in 1998. Tinklenberg reminds people that he promoted the Hiawatha light-rail line and the future North Star commuter line while he was Ventura's transportation commissioner.

Transportation and oil

Transportation issues still loom large in the district, where traffic snarls and long commutes are common.

"If I had something to do downtown, I'd take the line," Patti Trott said of the North Star rail line after talking with Tinklenberg in a restaurant in Elk River, which will have a commuter station. But her husband, Karl, wanted more money spent on roads, explaining, "our priorities are out of whack."

While Bachmann has denounced the use of federal earmarks for funding local projects, Elk River city administrator Lori Johnson told her during a recent visit that the city needs all the help it can get to fix roads to ease congestion.

"We don't want to be left behind if there are earmarks, and that's the way the game is played," Johnson said.

As gasoline prices spiked this summer, both Bachmann and Tinklenberg advocated more off-shore drilling and alternative sources of energy. But they differ sharply on emphasis.

Bachmann stresses lifting federal restrictions on oil drilling. "We sit on the answer to our own problem," she said at a recent debate. "We have more oil in the United States than all of Saudi Arabia, and that's just in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming in the form of shale oil."

Tinklenberg replied, "We need to be exploring more domestically ... but we also need to move aggressively in both the areas of conservation and the areas of alternatives."

He favors increasing automobile fuel efficiency standards, while Bachmann voted last year against a measure that raised them.

NOTE: BACHMANN WON THE SEAT HOUSE LAST 2006.

On another key issue, health care, Bachmann wants to make insurance premiums and other medical expenses tax-deductible for individuals to make it easier for consumers to buy health insurance. Tinklenberg favors offering the option of government-sponsored health insurance as a competitively priced alternative to private insurance plans to achieve universal health coverage.

During her freshman term, Bachmann sometimes made news with remarks that raised eyebrows.

This summer she said expanded oil drilling and other measures would bring "immediate and lasting relief" and cut gas prices to $2 a gallon. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said it's unlikely those steps would significantly reduce gas prices any time soon.

Shortly after taking office in 2007, Bachmann told the St. Cloud Times that Iran planned to partition Iraq and turn part of it into a terrorist training ground. Her office later said her remarks were "misconstrued."

"The only reason this district would ever be in play is Michele Bachmann herself," said David Wasserman, the editor in charge of assessing House races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report in Washington. "She's a lightning rod in Minnesota politics. To the extent that Elwyn Tinklenberg is competitive, he's attracting some moderate Republican votes that's necessary to win this district."

Through mid-August Bachmann had $1.4 million in campaign contributions on hand. Tinklenberg had $200,000. Wetterling had four times as much cash at this point in her losing 2006 race.

Unless the party, union allies or others pump money into the race in the final weeks, Tinklenberg won't be able to afford many, if any, TV ads to counter a likely Bachmann ad blitz. She also has frequently appeared on "Larry King Live" to discuss national issues such as drilling or the financial rescue package.

About the bailout

Bachmann says the $700 billion bailout was unnecessary. She blames federal regulations for making it easier for people to obtain loans they couldn't repay, and she says the crisis could be overcome in part by changing accounting rules.

Tinklenberg labels her remedy "pretend accounting" and defends the package as needed to prevent credit from drying up in communities throughout the nation. He said significant oversight and curbs on executive compensation made the final package more palatable than its earlier version.

In talking with voters, he has been pointing out that Bachmann sits on the House Financial Services Committee that oversees the financial industry. She received more contributions from finance, insurance and real estate interests than any Congress member from Minnesota.

Wasserman said Bachmann needed "to be careful to ... avoid being seen as too corporate."

Smith said Bachmann's no vote on the bailout can be easily justified to constituents.

"The conservatives don't like big government and the liberals don't like bailing out fat cats," he said. "People in the middle just don't like the idea of giving away money."

But Tinklenberg can use his support of the package to define himself.

"There are signs that working-class individuals are finding their credit options disappearing," Smith said. "He's trying to show that he's a middle of the road politician who takes a pragmatic view of the problems facing the country."

Pat Doyle • 651-222-1210
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BUCKLAW - WE MEET AGAIN YOU POLITICAL HACK

So you haven't woke up yet? As I was writing my last rant - I noticed an ad running on the right side of the web page for an upcoming movie - something called "Mikey and Mylie make a porno movie" You see BUCKLAW we're all in this giant pot of water and you and I are frogs. (Can you picture that - are you with me?) and you know what happens next? Yes - the heat has been turned on under the pot and I have already jumped out of that pot. You BUCKLAW have decided to stay in the pot and continue towards your union with Winston Smith. I ask you: which flavor of Koolaid do you prefer to drink when your party boss passes the party favors? Lemon Lime perhaps? Grape? or maybe my favorite: Pickle Chocolate cherry.
posted by paulsworkshop on Oct 8, 08 at 10:44 pm |
0 of 6 people liked this comment.
Good God

Why are Republicans like paulsworkshop so rabid? Talk about fanatical. Blown up any abortion clinics lately? Paul go back to the workshop and close the door and stay there please. You're an embarassment even to the right. You seem fond of koolaid and pin the tail on the donkey, perhaps you just need some tail. Sleep tight knowing the Democrats will be in complete control of the House of Representatives, the Senate and we'll have a Democrat President. Good times are a coming and Palin will be back in Alaska "shootin" moose in a matter of weeks. Night night!
posted by Mplsuptown1 on Oct 8, 08 at 10:58 pm |
3 of 3 people liked this comment.
Michele Bachmann

I really cannot believe that anyone will vote for Mrs. Bachmann. While I have no doubt that she is a nice woman, she is an embarassment in the house. Her legislation (freedom to choose lightbulbs?), her behavior(the President is not a rockstar) and her take on the economy (too much regulation?) all add up to Mrs. Bachmann being a horrible representative. Unfortunately, my district is a yellow dog republican district and it is too late to get a yellow dog on the ballot......... Please vote for Tinklenburg!!
posted by kpersson8 on Oct 8, 08 at 11:00 pm |
8 of 9 people liked this comment.
You jumped from the pot and into the fire before you could make your point, Paul...

And that is the problem with the conservative side of political debate this election. Please tell us WHY we should put up with another four years of mismanagement and policies that have lead this country on a decline. What is it about an opportunity for correcting our direction as a country that has the right so angry? All people need to do is be semi-conscious and they'll see that things are not going well for Americans today. Can anybody disagree with that? Would you keep promoting the same ideas and strategies that have lead to where we are today if we wanted to change it for something better tomorrow?
posted by Bucklaw on Oct 8, 08 at 11:20 pm |
4 of 4 people liked this comment.
Most absurd comment of the night

Michelle Bachmann should be our next president? Oh my, oh my, oh my. That is a scary thought. Right up there with the terror of Sarah Palin possibly stepping into that spot. @@ I'm not sure what Svengali-like attraction this nutcase holds for her followers, but for the rest of us she is a true humiliation. Bachmann does have a national reputation. I have friends all over the country who look up her comments online just for laughs, sort of like they'd read a comic book. To paraphrase an ad regarding another Republican that I hear people quote everywhere I go these days, Michelle's gotta go.
posted by smccl001 on Oct 8, 08 at 11:38 pm |
3 of 3 people liked this comment.

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Campaign finance information through Aug 20, 2008
District 1 Total raised
Brian Davis, R
$614,193
Gregory Mikkelson, I
$0
Timothy Walz, D*
$2,047,132
$2,661,325
District 2 Total raised
John Kline, R*
$1,086,518
Stephen Sarvi, D
$261,861
$1,348,379
District 3 Total raised
David Dillon, I
$47,663
Ashwin Madia, D
$1,053,490
Erik Paulsen, R
$1,396,652
$2,497,805
District 4 Total raised
Edward Matthews, R
$32,100
Betty McCollum, D*
$487,304
$519,404
District 5 Total raised
Keith Ellison, D*
$952,026
Gregg Iverson, I
$0
Barbara White, R
$32,394
$984,420
District 6 Total raised
Bob Anderson, I
$0
Michele Bachmann, R*
$1,925,499
Elwin Tinklenberg, D
$533,260
$2,458,759
District 7 Total raised
Glen Menze, R
$2,621
Collin Peterson, D*
$829,221
$831,842
District 8 Total raised
Michael Cummins, R
$0
James Oberstar, D*
$1,635,075
$1,635,075
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