From Minnesota Public Radio:
A spokesman for Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann's campaign says she has agreed to three debates. They are: a St. Cloud Chamber debate on Oct. 30 at the St. Cloud Convention Center, an MPR News debate on The Daily Circuit on Nov.1 and a KSTP-TV debate on Nov. 4.
Her Dem opponent Jim Graves wants more than three debates. He
needs more than three debates--which is why the Bachmann campaign is wise in refusing.
Graves needs more debates in order to raise his district profile. Bachmann's political brand is notorious (or "famous," if you prefer.) Her brand has benefited from ten years of plugs on conservative evangelical radio and more than five years of promotion in national conservative media.
The consequence of that: Graves is necessarily less familiar to the district voters. He's created thousands of jobs in the Minnesota private sector but he's a newcomer to politics. It's ironic that his status as a private sector job-creator and Washington, D.C. "outsider" represent a disadvantage in the Sixth District. It's ironic because right wingers in the Sixth regularly cite the need for citizen candidates to come into government to replace insiders.
Graves is such a candidate. And because he is, he doesn't enjoy the name recognition of Washington insider Michele Bachmann. Despite Bachmann's protestations: she's a Washington insider, a creature of the big special interests. "The people she stands up for" are not her constituents. They're the banking lobby, the big energy lobbies (recall her defense of BP during the oil spill) and the national religious right--none of whom are interested in the families of the Sixth District.
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The essential message of Graves' campaign so far is that Michele Bachmann doesn't care about the people of the Sixth District. His new ad portrays Bachmann's face splashed all over television screens--as she fails to do anything for her constituents.
That's the message: Bachmann's a egomaniacal showboat who doesn't care about the people she's supposed to be representing. And this message is true; easily proven. It's kind of amazing, but after all her years in government--years at the state capitol, years in the US congress...Bachmann has no legislative achievements to cite. No reforms that got through, no job creation record to her credit in a district that's had the highest home foreclosure rate in Minnesota.
Here's Bachmann's response to the Graves ad, from one of her campaign fundraising emails...
Yesterday, my self-funded multi-millionaire opponent poured six figures into the Minnesota airwaves to launch his first television commercial. One commercial was unlike any ad you've ever seen: it was a dishonest attempt to attack me using a tragic event that has devastated a community.
Friend, I will not stand for this. The absurd allegation presented in his sad excuse for an advertisement is nothing but a bold-faced lie, and he should be ashamed of himself.
The cliche she was reaching for there is not "bold-faced lie," it's "bald-faced lie." A bold-faced lie would look like this:
"Michele Bachmann cares about the people of the Sixth District."
Anyway: Bachmann presents no evidence that Graves' ad contains any lies--bearded, bald-faced or otherwise. She just makes the accusation and proceeds to ask for money, again.
The Graves campaign is working on raising his profile with the voters. The ads calling attention to Bachmann's indifference to the district help. And more debates would help, but Graves is unlikely to get them. Given her record on district issues, Bachmann would be foolish to agree to more debates. She does not want to enter into an extended discussion of her record on issue directly affecting the district. It's horrible.
ACTION LINK: Support Jim Graves, Bachmann's Dem opponent.
https://secure.actblue.com/...
Here's the Graves spot about Bachmann:
Capitol View announces debates:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/...