SHHHH! Amy Klobuchar Doesn’t Want You to Know

Senator Mark Dayton Endorsed Her

(St. Paul, Minnesota) - Usually politicians who are seeking office shout their endorsements from the rooftops. Especially when the endorsement comes from the person they hope to replace. Why the silence then, when Amy Klobuchar was endorsed by Mark Dayton - the man she hopes to replace in the U.S. Senate?

“Ms. Klobuchar has been silent about lots of issues during this campaign. I suppose Minnesotans shouldn’t be surprised she isn’t talking about Senator Dayton’s endorsement either,” said Heidi Frederickson, press secretary for Mark Kennedy ’06. “From the Patriot Act to protecting our seaports to denouncing Howard Dean’s comments that we cannot win the war in Iraq, Ms. Klobuchar has preferred to keep Minnesotans guessing.”

Today’s Star Tribune highlighted Klobuchar’s silence saying, “Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar finally received the official blessing from U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, whose retirement is leaving the open seat she seeks, but there was no prominent announcement… Her challenge now is to find mainstream positions heading toward the general election, and maybe keep just a little distance from liberals such as Dayton.” (Smith and Lopez, “Klobuchar, Hatch win their DFL straw polls,” Star Tribune, March 9, 2006)

However, Ms. Klobuchar is actually quite close to Senator Dayton. When asked to describe how she differed from one of her “heroes,” Mark Dayton, Klobuchar responded, “One difference is he used to own Daytons and I used to shop there.” (Detroit Lakes Tribune, “Klobuchar vies for Daytons job,” August 14, 2005)

“Ms. Klobuchar may pretend to be ‘Silent Amy’ in Minnesota, but her actions in D.C. would put her in lock-step with Mark Dayton and the liberal fringe of her party,” added Frederickson. “She opposed Chief Justice John Roberts even though a majority of the Democrat caucus supported him. She opposed Judge Sam Alito just like Mark Dayton. She would have voted against giving our troops body armor even though a majority of the Democrats in the House voted for our troops. Minnesotans don’t need another Senator Dayton on the liberal-fringe of the party and otherwise wasting a Senate seat for another six years.”

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Senate Judiciary Committee set to Vote on Alito

Democrat U.S. Senate Hopefuls Leave Minnesotans Guessing

(Saint Paul, Minnesota) - With the Senate Judiciary’s confirmation vote on Samuel Alito one week away, Minnesota Democrats running for the U.S. Senate remain silent on whether they would vote to confirm Judge Alito to the Supreme Court.

“I have long said so long as a nominee is qualified, ethical, and faithful to the Constitution he or she should be approved and not the target for partisan political attacks,” said Mark Kennedy.

“Judge Alito has proven he meets those requirements and his judicial temperament is what we should have on the Supreme Court.”

Last week, Amy Klobuchar was quoted saying, “she has some concerns about some of Alitos views on key issues that show through his past court rulings, but she will wait until the hearings are over to review them fully before giving an opinion on how she would vote on the nomination if she was in the Senate.” (“Dayton, Klobuchar undecided on Alito,” Mesabi Daily News, January 13, 2006)

Senate Judiciary hearings concluded last Friday, and Minnesota voters are still left guessing if Klobuchar would support or filibuster Alito’s nomination.

“How long will the Democrats running for the Senate continue to leave Minnesotans wondering how they would vote on something as critical as a Supreme Court nominee?” asked Heidi Frederickson, Press Secretary for Mark Kennedy ‘06. “With the Judiciary Committee hearings over and the vote scheduled for next week, Minnesotans deserve to know if Amy Klobuchar, Ford Bell and Patty Wetterling would join the far left in filibustering and opposing this highly qualified nominee.”

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Minnesotans in House want DeLay replaced

Kennedy, Kline and Ramstad signed a petition calling for an election; Gutknecht was traveling in South Dakota.

Greg Gordon, Star TribuneWASHINGTON - Three Minnesota congressmen Friday added their names to a list of House Republicans calling for elections to replace ousted Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

Reps. John Kline, Mark Kennedy and Jim Ramstad broke ranks with the embattled Texan as two other congressmen circulated a petition calling for elections for a new leader when the House reconvenes Jan. 31.

DeLay was forced to step down in September after he was indicted in Texas for illegally laundering corporate money through a political action committee. He has scoffed at the allegations as politically motivated and vowed to regain his job.

"What I think we need out of this is stability and consistent leadership," said Kline, the first of the Minnesota Republicans to speak out. "It's my hope that Tom DeLay will recognize that he needs to concentrate his efforts and attentions on [his] legal battles."

DeLay's spokesman, Kevin Madden, said DeLay "appreciates that a majority of his colleagues recognizes that he remains committed to fulfilling his responsibilities as majority leader and that he'll be quickly exonerated in Texas."

DeLay hanging tough

DeLay, he said, "won't give in to what is essentially character assassination by insinuation."
Kline said his decision was spurred by Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff's guilty pleas to conspiracy and fraud charges in Washington and Miami this week. Abramoff agreed in return for leniency to become the star witness in a Justice Department influence-buying inquiry that could touch implicate several House members.

"Is Tom DeLay involved in this?" Kline said in a phone interview. "What's the extent of his involvement? What about his staff?

"The very fact that all those questions are being asked makes it more difficult for us to focus on policy and get going down the road [and] ... makes it less likely that Mr. DeLay's legal troubles will be resolved" soon, he said. "The climate right now is bad. It's bad for my party."
Abramoff frequently stressed his close ties to DeLay while courting potential lobbying clients. He hired several former DeLay aides, including Michael Scanlon, whose guilty plea last November opened the way to the prosecution of Abramoff.

Kline agreed to sign a petition being circulated by Reps. Charles Bass, R-N.H., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., demanding a vote of the Republican caucus.

The petitioners need 50 signatures to force a vote. An aide to Bass said two dozen had been obtained within a few hours Friday afternoon.

Kennedy, who is running for the Senate, had not signed but said in a statement that the party's "first order of business" should be electing a permanent leader and that he "cannot envision a circumstance where Tom DeLay could once again assume his leadership position."
Ramstad said the party needs to elect a new leader "to restore the trust and confidence of the American people."

Withholding judgment

The fourth Republican in Minnesota's delegation, Rep. Gil Gutknecht, was in South Dakota discussing rural energy and water issues Friday. His spokesman, Jon Yarian, said Gutknecht "is not surprised" by the development, but will withhold judgment until he sees the petition.
Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., signaled that he would not stand in the way of elections that could produce changes in several leadership posts. "This is consistent with the speaker's announcement ... that House Republicans would revisit this matter at the beginning of this year," said his spokesman, Ron Bonjean.

Kline said he'd like to see Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee, become majority leader. "I just think that he brings experience and proven ability to address problems," he said. Boehner has made no comment.

Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, who took over as majority leader temporarily, is certain to run for the post if elections are held.

Both Kennedy and Kline have benefited from DeLay's support -- relationships that have made them targets for Democrats. Shortly before Kline made his announcement his likely Democratic opponent, former FBI agent Coleen Rowley, issued a news release criticizing his acceptance since 2000 of $30,000 from a political action committee controlled by DeLay.

She noted that Kline had voted with Delay "96 percent of the time between Jan. 1, 2004 and March 31, 2005."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Greg Gordon is a correspondent in the Star Tribune Washington Bureau.

BREAKING NEWS

DINESH D'SOUZA TO SPEAK AT ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY

January 31, 2006.

Kennedy Campaign Congratulates Ford Bell

(St. Paul, Minnesota) - Mark Kennedy ’06 Campaign Manager Pat Shortridge released the following statement responding to Ford Bell's criticism of Kennedy for voting in favor of the Defense bill on Monday:

“I congratulate Ford Bell for his honesty. Finally, a Democrat Senate candidate levels with Minnesotans about where he stands on a key issue. However, Mr. Bell demonstrates that he is on the extreme left of American politics. 308 members of Congress, including more than half of House Democrats (106), among them Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Colin Peterson, stepped up and voted to fund our troops.

“Mr. Bell would have voted against defense funding for body armor, Humvees and technology to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Bell would have also voted against funding for Avian Flu preparedness, disaster relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina, and additional funds for low-income families to help heat their homes this winter.

“I hope that soon Amy Klobuchar and Patty Wetterling will be as straight forward with Minnesotans as Ford Bell and tell us whether or not they agree with him.”

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Kennedy votes to Fund Troops and Katrina Relief

Would Amy, Ford and Patty have denied funding for our troops?

(St. Paul, Minnesota) - In a bipartisan vote Monday, the House voted overwhelmingly 308 - 106 to approve the Defense bill including funding for explosive device detection equipment, armored Humvees, and body armor for our troops. The bill also contained funding for Katrina relief, Avian Flu preparedness, and assistance for home heating costs for low-income families in addition to a controversial provision to allow for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Mark Kennedy released the following statement:

“It is ridiculous that ANWR was included in this Defense bill. I have made my opposition to ANWR well known, however, during a time of war, it would have been completely irresponsible to vote against funding for the tools our troops need to win the War on Terror and get home safely.

“In spite of the inclusion of ANWR, this bill gained broad bi-partisan support with a majority of House Democrats (106), including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Colin Peterson, voting in favor of this bill. 87 House members who oppose drilling, including 74 Democrats, set aside our opposition to ANWR and did the right thing for our troops.

“In a campaign it is fairly common-place to criticize, but Minnesota families want individuals who show true leadership and will be responsible for tough choices. Because this bill contained the ANWR provision that I oppose, it became a tough choice but our troops need this funding to ensure they have the tools necessary to win the War on Terror.

“The Democrats who criticize my vote imply they would have taken the opposite position and voted against funding to provide our troops with body armor, explosive device detection equipment, and armored Humvees. Before Amy Klobuchar, Patty Wetterling or Ford Bell attack my vote, Minnesotans deserve to know if the Democrat candidates running for U.S. Senate would have voted to deny troops their funding.”

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Kennnedy Urges Senate Democrats to stop Filibustering Patriot Act

(St. Paul, Minnesota) - During a White House Press Conference on Monday, President Bush specifically called on Congress to pass the Patriot Act renewal, which has already passed the House but was blocked by Senate Democrats last week. Bush said, “In a war on terror we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment.” (Terence Hunt, “Bush Says NSA Surveillance Necessary, Legal,” Associated Press, December 19, 2005)

“It is troubling to see Mark Dayton vote to block this bill when he supported passage in 2001,” said Mark Kennedy. “Not only does the compromise provide more judicial review and additional protection of civil liberties but it also extends key measures to help law enforcement in their pursuit of terrorists who seek to do us harm.”

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, we needed to improve the communication systems used by law enforcement by giving them the same tools to go after terrorists that they had to go after drug dealers and the mob. The Patriot Act of 2001 passed almost unanimously. Last week however, 35 Democrats who previously supported the Patriot Act, refused to even bring the renewal to the floor for a vote. Several key provisions are set to expire at the end of the year if no action is taken.

“It is troubling to see the Democrat party move from nearly universal support for this important tool to keep Americans safe, to a purely partisan maneuver to block this legislation that is desperately needed by law enforcement,” added Kennedy. “By continuing to block passage of the Patriot Act, Senate Democrats are placing politics ahead of the safety and security of the American people. Minnesotans deserve to know if the Democrats running for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota would follow Mark Dayton’s lead to put politics ahead of national security.”

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Iraqis Vocal on their Future; Democrats Remain Silent

Record Number of Iraqis vote but the approach favored by Amy, Ford, andPatty wouldn't have given them the chance

(St. Paul, Minnesota) - While the outcome may not be known for severalweeks, one thing is certain about the historic election that took placeyesterday in Iraq: Democracy is on the march! A record number ofIraqis,between 11 - 15 million, voted including a much higher turnout ofSunni's,causing some polling locations to run out of ballots.

Mark Kennedy released the following statement:"Yesterday's historic election proves that the people of Iraq arestandingup to the terrorists, and democracy can flourish in the Middle East. Inlight of the success of the Iraqi people yesterday in their efforts toelecta representative democracy, it is especially important for the people ofMinnesota to know if the Democrats running for U.S. Senate still believethat the people of Iraq didn't deserve this chance."

"The Iraqi election is no doubt historic, but if America is to remainsecure, elections, freedom, and democracy must become common-place in the Middle East.

Despite yesterday's remarkable events, if Amy, Ford and Patty's view that the liberation of Iraq wasn't the right policy had prevailed, the only Iraqi election would have been another one with Saddam Hussein getting 100% of the vote.

Their refusal to denounce the comments made by Howard Dean stands in stark contrast to the statement made by the voters in Iraq yesterday."

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