Doug Grow wrote a little piece on R.T.'s change of heart: http://www.startribune.com/stories/465/4278636.html
Thanks for pointing this out Michael. Doug Grow's article is pretty revealing about the thin skin of Mayor Rybak. From the article:
"It was a hatchet job," he said. "But the news I'm making now is that I'm going to disclose the names of contributors. People deserve to know. I want to set a higher standard than most politicians."
Disclosure of contributors won't be made in "real time," Rybak said, because he doesn't have a campaign office set up to handle such matters. But in due course, names will be made public.
EY: So the Strib story on this helped to shed "fresh air" on who the donors are.... After all, it wasn't until after it came out in the press that the consultant who did the City Council Therapy had been a contributor to Rybak's campaign that the campaign returned the check.
Grow continues:
That Rybak is so outraged over the story of his fundraising gala shows he's like many other so-called reformers. He's quick to see the faults in others, but he's got real thin skin. (The late Sen. Paul Wellstone was a big-hearted, thin-skinned reformer who was quick to pick up a phone and tell reporters when he felt he'd been wronged, which was often.)
Throughout his campaign, Rybak dished out talk of his plans for finance reform. He implied that most of his political foes were money-grubbing dirtballs.
<snip>
Over and over, Rybak pounded home the theme that "I've been screwed by this story."
He repeatedly said that this is his first fundraiser since becoming mayor. Most pols, he said, are constantly holding fundraisers.
"I am setting a higher standard," he said.
That's the point, of course. The law didn't set the higher standard Rybak campaigned on. We in the media didn't set the higher standard. Rybak did.
Now, with his New Year's Eve bash, he appears to be lowering his standard to be a little closer to the level of mere mortal pols.
That he even thinks he needs to raise money now discloses just a little more about the man. He's two years from his next campaign. There's not even a sniff of an opposing campaign out there.
So why a fundraiser?
"I need to get my message out," the mayor said. "Some of my supporters and I are being attacked."
Attacked?
Rybak talked about a couple of fliers that were posted on bulletin boards in cafes in south Minneapolis. In the fliers, there were criticisms of the mayor and some of his allies on the council for the way they've approached budget cuts.
"Unfair," the mayor said of those criticisms.
All criticisms of hizzoner appear to be unfair.
EY: This seems to be good material for another chapter in Alice In Cyberland - which was published on the now defunct - and much missed Raucous Caucus website. This gem has been republished on my blog at:
http://lloydletta.blogspot.com/2003_12_21_lloydletta_archive.html#107212446568575199
Some members of this list will recognise themselves in the characters of this fable.
I hadn't heard before that the late Paul Wellstone was so thinskinned - but it doesn't surprise me. It's funny how many public officials and journalists are really good at dishing it out - but they have a horrible time taking it.
Rybak should be pretty pleased with the Strib lately - since they've been doing nothing but Puff pieces on his choice for Chief.
Eva Young
Near North
Minneapolis
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Blog is up:
http://lloydletta.blogspot.com
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