Category: The Real Erik Paulsen

This is the week that the GOP truly became the party of Trump

The following article by Dan Balz was posted on the Washington Post website February 3, 2018:

President Trump appears to have won over the Republican establishment, as shown in its blessing of the release of a House Intelligence Committee memo alleging wrongdoing by the FBI and the Justice Dpt. Credit: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post

This was the week when the Republican Party finally went all in with President Trump. What once seemed unlikely is now reality. The Republican establishment — there are a few dissenting voices, of course — has succumbed to the power of the presidency, and this president in particular.

This coming together has taken place gradually. The path has been rocky at times. But the embrace of the president by elected Republicans could not have been warmer or fuller than shown in the past week. Continue reading “This is the week that the GOP truly became the party of Trump”

Paulsen votes in line with Trump

It’s the middle of the school year, and I’m reviewing my children’s report cards. It’s also the midpoint of the congressional session, so I thought it’s a good time to also look at my congressional representative’s performance.

A helpful rubric is found at fivethrityeight.com. “Tracking Congress in the Age of Trump” tracks and compares your congressional representative. It provides a score for how often the representative votes in line with Trump’s position. Continue reading “Paulsen votes in line with Trump”

The Only Thing the Nunes Memo Proves is That It was Massively Overhyped

The following article by Abigail Tracy was posted on the Vanity Fair website February 2, 2018:

Trump miscalculated, badly, by advocating to #ReleaseTheMemo. Will it backfire?

Credit: Olivier Douliery/Pool/Bloomberg

The much-anticipated Nunes memo, released Friday after weeks of feverish build-up on the far-right, appears to be a dud. The declassified report accuses a group of current and former Justice Department and F.B.I. officials—including James Comey, his former deputy Andrew McCabe, and current Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein—of approving applications to surveil Trump campaign adviser Carter Page without disclosing that ex-British intelligence spy Christopher Steele, who compiled an intelligence dossier used in the warrant, was paid by Democratic sources and harbored anti-Trump bias. The most damning piece of evidence is the allegation that McCabe had testified in December that the warrant would not have been sought without the dossier, although two sources subsequently told The Daily Beast that particular claim is not true. Nowhere in the four-page memo is it noted that Page had already been on the F.B.I.’s radar, after he was targeted for recruitment by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service years earlier. Continue reading “The Only Thing the Nunes Memo Proves is That It was Massively Overhyped”

Schiff accuses Nunes of altering memo before sharing it with Trump for release

The following article by Karoun Demirjian was posted on the Washington Post website January 31, 2018:

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee’s Russia investigation, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018. Credit: Susan Walsh/AP

The House Intelligence Committee’s top Democrat accused the panel’s chairman of making “material changes” to a GOP-drafted memo alleging surveillance abuses before sending it to the White House to approve its public release, a move he charges should prevent President Trump from releasing it.

Ranking Democratic member Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) sent a letter late Wednesday to chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), accusing him of “deliberately misleading” the committee, demanding he withdraw the version he sent to the White House because “there is no longer a valid basis for the White House to review the altered documents” and approve their public release. Continue reading “Schiff accuses Nunes of altering memo before sharing it with Trump for release”

Paulsen should support funding for the Census Burea

To the Editor:

I would like Erik Paulsen, as my representative in Plymouth, to speak out in Congress.  Not just vote and post brewery photo ops.  I would appreciate some leadership.  A voice where I cannot be a voice.

I a upset about the lack of leadership and funding approval for the Census Bureau.  They have a huge census coming up in 2020.  This will determine new election boundaries and distribution of funds.  I do realize that it is in the best interest of his party to not get an accurate census.  However, it is best for our country.  I put country over party  I would like Erik Paulsen to as well.

This President has yet to fill the leadership in the Bureau.  This Congress has yet to approve funding and the Bureau is already losing the ability to perform two of three dress rehearsals.  This is important stuff.  I need Erik Paulsen to please speak out.

Kerry Anderson, Plymouth
Plymouth Sun-Sailor, January 25, 2018

Half of Republicans say they think Trump is a ‘genius’ — which is probably not true but hugely telling

The following article by Aaron Blake was posted on the Washington Post website January 23, 2018:

Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in South Carolina in January 2016. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

We may have found the one poll question that communicates just how much of the Republican Party base is fully committed to President Trump.

In response to growing questions about his mental fitness, Trump tweeted a few weeks back that he wasn’t just stable, but in fact a “very stable genius.” Polling since then has asked whether people feel Trump is indeed stable, but the new Washington Post-ABC News poll goes one step further and also asks whether Trump is a genius. Continue reading “Half of Republicans say they think Trump is a ‘genius’ — which is probably not true but hugely telling”

Schumer offered Trump something Democrats hate for something Republicans broadly like

The following article by Philip Bump was posted on the Washington Post website January 20, 2018:

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) faulted President Trump and Senate Republicans for the government shutdown. (U.S. Senate)

When the New York Times first reported it, it seemed unlikely. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) offered President Trump funding for his wall in exchange for protecting immigrants who entered the country illegally as children? The most powerful Democrat in the Senate was willing to support one of his party’s most-hated proposals, just like that? The Times wrote simply that Schumer “discussed the possibility of fully funding the president’s wall on the southern border with Mexico” — which leaves some wiggle room.

On the floor of the Senate on Saturday, though, Schumer explained that it was almost exactly that: A deal on those covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that would also potentially fund the wall. Continue reading “Schumer offered Trump something Democrats hate for something Republicans broadly like”

Letter: Behavior of Paulsen staffers crossed the line

To the editor:

On Tuesday, Jan. 9, I joined 20 other constituents from Minnesota’s Third Congressional District in throwing an early retirement party for Erik Paulsen. We arrived at his Eden Prairie office with cake, party hats, noise makers, and dozens of pink slips providing reasons for early termination. Recent passage of the tax reform law, avoiding constituents, weak stances on environmental issues and voting against requiring Trump to release his tax returns were among listed grievances.

Attending such an event was out of character and comfort zone for me. Although I like to think of myself as well-informed and tend to be very outspoken on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, I cannot claim to be terribly politically active. I’ve only called Paulsen’s office once, and Tuesday marked my first visit to his office. In fact, it marked my first visit to any representative’s office. Years of frustration with the disconnect between Paulsen’s words and actions and intense dissatisfaction with the current political climate were the driving forces pushing me to attend. Continue reading “Letter: Behavior of Paulsen staffers crossed the line”

How Republican tax reform eliminated special interest carve-outs — and created a bunch of new ones

The following article by Sam Brodey was posted on the MinnPost website January 17, 2018:

Rep. Erik Paulsen holding a press conference at Insight Brewing in Minneapolis on January 5. Credit: Office of Rep. Erik Paulsen

At Insight Brewing in Minneapolis earlier this month, 3rd District GOP Rep. Erik Paulsen was raising a glass to the Republican tax bill, signed into law by the president just weeks prior.

The assorted craft brewers and beer boosters in the room were, in turn, raising a glass to Paulsen: the Eden Prairie congressman successfully included a provision in the tax legislation that slashes the taxes that brewers — as well as winemakers and distillers — pay to the federal government.

For years, the alcohol industry had been lobbying for lawmakers to cut excise taxes, an additional sales duty they face. In prior sessions of Congress, Paulsen had introduced legislation that would have done just that. That the alcohol tax cuts got wrapped up in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which permanently cuts taxes for corporations and makes other big adjustments to the tax code, is a victory for the booze business and for Paulsen. Continue reading “How Republican tax reform eliminated special interest carve-outs — and created a bunch of new ones”

The Congressman That Sold Out Minnesota

The January 17, 2018, morningtake announced that End Citizens United has developed a 15-second ad that will be running on social media.

You can view the post below: