Strib Spanks Repubs For Lying About Wetterling In Campaign Lit

[Mister Ed]

http://www.startribune.com/587/story/690973.html

The National Republican Congressional Committee has sent two literature pieces to households in the Sixth Congressional District attacking Democrat Patty Wetterling for failing to vote in three elections.

The attacks are inaccurate. Calling them merely deceptive would be a kindness. The Wetterling campaign calls them a "lie." You decide.

The Republican National Congressional Committee has been sending out shrill-toned mailers to aid Bachmann. The mailers make a big stink about Wetterling supposedly passing up the opportunity to vote in the elections of 2000, 2002, and 2004 (as if that would disqualify anyone from holding office).

Turns out that she did vote in the general elections all three years. She just didn't vote in the primaries in 2000 and 2002. In 2004, she voted in the primary -but she didn't exercise her right to vote in her precinct caucus. As far as the Repubs are concerned, that counts as not voting in 2000, 2002, and 2004.

Sheesh.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. I hope this backfires on them

Out in Oregon, during the Congressional election of 1994 or so, a fundy knuckledragger whose name I have mercifully blotted out was running against incumbent Democrat Elizabeth Furse.

Just before the election, the Republicanites put out a press release saying that she had received an improper loan of $100,000 during her first term.

Furse's bank issued a statement saying that the loan had been perfectly proper, that she had put up her rural land as collateral to get a loan for start-up expenses for her first term.

That explanation satisfied the voters, because the Republicanite's rating fell, and Furse was re-elected.

[wellstone dem]

2. I'm sure she didn't vote in her precinct caucus

I would expect she was out at the caucuses throughout the district campaigning. I don't think she voted in her 2006 precinct caucus either. How do I know? She was at mine speaking briefly.

[Minnesota Raindog]

3. No other word for it than a lie

The NRCC knew damn well what it was doing. It hoped no one would bother to ask what elections Wetterling failed to vote in. That's clear from the fact that they've sent out at least three of these mailings bearing the same lie on the front. Repeat a lie often enough and the rubes will believe it, says the NRCC and Bachmann.

Just like the lie about Bachmann being a tax litigation attorney, when she can't even practice law in Minnesota. Last night she told the Woodbury audience that she tried to keep taxes down as a tax attorney. She was a TAX COLLECTION ATTORNEY for the IRS 13 years ago, and threw people into court for nonpayment of taxes. You can look up the cases--like Marvin Manypenny of the White Earth Reservation, who earned from $5000-$12,000 a year when Bachmann came after him in federal court. But without flinching, she sat up there in front of 200-plus people and lied through her teeth.

Expect plenty more lies from Michele Bachmann and the NRCC--unless the Wetterling campaign decides to get off their ass and challenge them.

[Fierce]

4. And that's starting to look like a pretty big "unless."

They're running out of time to get their act together.