Now the hardcore DFL hacks (Michele St. Martin, Tim Bonham) are finally weighing in on the list to support their Dean (Kallenbach) 6th Ward candidate. It is revealing that all they can do is continue to attack Dean Zimmerperson and now anyone who dares support him, while remaining completely unable to offer ANYTHING positive about their own candidate.
"Michele St. Martin" wrote: > > Am I the only one who's sick of sore losers? Tamir, Jonathan Palmer and Barb > Lickness should maybe give some thought to why they didn't win the > primary -- you know, a little introspection about why your campaign was > unsuccessful, or your own inadequacies as candidates -- instead of > criticizing those who did win This statement is not only gratuitously mean-spirited, but also thorougly warped. If the other 6th Ward primary candidates were just "sore losers," one would expect them to criticize BOTH candidates who won instead of expressing a preference for one of the candidates (Dean Zimmermann). It is obvious that Tamir, Jomathan and Barb have undergone introspection that has enabled them to provide thoughtful insights on the race. Given their deep involvement in the campaign and their extensive encounters with both Deans, they undoubtedly have valuable insights to share. How unfair and deceptive to dismiss their legitimate views solely based on the fact that they received fewer votes! The real significant fact is that all of the former candidates expressing opinions have negative thoughts about Kallenbach and postive feedback on Zimmerman. This is a fact that is obviously scary to Kallenbach supporters, so they try obscure it with the only tactic they seem to know: negative personal attacks. [St. Martin continues] > I've known both Deans for more than ten years, socialized with them and > count them as friends, and I am quite frankly shocked at the way Dean > Kallenbach and his campaign have been treated by a number of people on this > list. Why is it that when Dean K's close friend and former housemate Rick > Stafford runs Dean's campaign he's dissed as some sort of DFL power broker, > but no one says a peep about the fact that Dean Z's campaign manager is his > significant other? There obvious significant differences: 1) Dean Zimmerperson is known in the community for working long and hard as an activist for decades before he met his significant other/campaign manager. Dean K, on the other hand, does not appear to have any political identity other than his close association with Rick Stafford. 2) Rick Stafford has made himself very prominent in the campaign by making public attacks on opponents and apparently orchestrating all sorts of manipulative and questionable tactics to secure the DFL nomination for his candidate. This supports the perception that Kallenbach is a tool of the DFL machine, rather than his own candidate. On the other hand, Jenny, Dean Z's campaign manager, has limited her public involvement to positive statements and defenses of her candidate. > > I understand from unimpeachable sources -- including at least one diehard > Zimmerperson supporter -- that Zimmermann made the massage parlor/sauna > remark and even reiterated it. Seems to me that when he found out it was a > political hot potato, he immediately backed off and started spinning as fast > as he could that Dean K's campaign was somehow misrepresenting him! > > As a feminist, I'm outraged by this remark and Zimmermann's inherent > dishonesty in denying it. But as a long-time activist, I recognize > Zimmermann's spin job as "politics as usual" AKA "winning at any cost." Yet another highly contradicotry, unfair and warped and Orwellian statement by St. Martin. Kallenbach's own post, via Rick Stafford, indicated a consistent position by Zimmperson on this issue. Z never denied making the statement, but stated that he was taken out of context in that he was trying to make the points that 1) closing the saunas has not significantly reduced the prostitution problem, and 2) it would be most effective to focus on the underlying causes of prostitution. Zimmerperson's willingness to be controversial and advocate new and more comprehensive and thoughtful approaches is anything but "politics as usual" or "winning at any cost." It is the tactics of Michele St. Martin and Kallenbach's other puppeteers that epitomize "politics as usual" and "winning at any cost." These tactics include running a completely negative campaign. These tactis include only raising one trite issue: an appeal to people's fear of crime. These tactics include relying on suspect deals through the DFL machinery (e.g. promising a delevoper support for his proposal) to obtain support. I cannot avoid mentioning that it is tactics of the likes of Michele St. Martin and Kallenbach's other supporters that help turn many of us off to the DFL. Given the clear and huge differences in the quality of the candidates and their campaigns, it would be tremendously unfortunate and baffling if Dean Zimmerperson Zimmermann does not win. Jordan Kushner Powderhorn, neighbor of Ward 6 _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
