Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Hat tip to the Tinklenberg campaign, giving back contributions for this cycle.

It is something I don't think Strib or PiPress has yet featured, but Tinklenberg, himself, posted on DailyKos:

I came close in 2008 in large part because of the support I had from the netroots, especially Daily Kos. I am grateful to all of you who contributed to my campaign, who volunteered, or who even just recommended any of the diaries I've posted at Daily Kos. Please accept my heartfelt thanks.

El

[UPDATE: to everyone who contributed this cycle, the campaign will be sending you a refund. We thank you for your support, and encourage you to turn that money around and contribute it to another candidate or campaign that can use the help]


This is the kind of thing that should be news, even after a candidate has dropped from a race, which is a step that in no way negates an exemplary step such as this.

It is a talisman for other politicians, a lead to be followed, and for that reason alone it should be widely reported.

With the Jim Deal family of Ramsey, where I live, having been heavily involved in the cycle's contributions to the Tinklenberg campaign this will allow them the chance to redirect their support in a way that preserves their ongoing goal of replacing Michele Bachmann in Congress. I hope they pursue the opportunity with vigor and resolve.

Klobuchar proved a promising DFL candidate can carry the Sixth District, while running against its former representative, Mark Kennedy and with the IP candidate a non-factor when the DFL choice is a uniquely dynamic office holder with name recognition and a strong DFL history.




The endorsed DFL candidate will need to raise funds to contest the special interest money Bachmann has already attracted, and will attract, as the insurance industry and Wall Street do what they can to keep their representive from Minnesota's Sixth District in office.


____________UPDATE_____________
If I had a handy straw-poll plugin for the site I might put the following item up to see how the Sixth District registered voters respond. It could be a range of questions, for Sixth District caucus-goers separately, and possibly about the Governor race where prominent candidates already have said they will be in a primary, endorsed or not. [Here's the link for the below screenshot from another separate DailyKos posting, for those who would toggle to it to pursue the links it gives].



As noted, I don't know what to make of a Kos straw-poll where a nationwide audience participates on an issue directly related to Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District. Given that caveat, the impressive 2:1 majority favoring honoring the caucus process is still statistically significant (whatever the out-of-district effect).

My gut feeling is that DFL caucus-goers would even more strongly favor the favored Kos-poll result. The withdrawal of one candidate has already focused attention on a perceived need of solidarity to defeat Michele Bachmann; solidarity from early in the process onward; and a September primary contest does work a different dynamic.


________FURTHER UPDATE________
I should clarify, the step Tinklenberg is taking, refunding to contributors, is but one option he could have pursued. Forming a PAC, giving excess funds to an existing PAC, giving funds to the DFL, or to the DCCC were options he declined, in favor of refunding to his contributors.

Whatever motivated this avenue over others, it was the right path taken.

While best for every donor, large and small, it is particularly fair to donors such as the Deal family - for their contributions were investments in a particular candidacy, in very substantial amounts, and to simply route them to a PAC or party organ would cancel the individual's right to reinvest in other candidates of choice, instead of having a withdrawing politician make reinvestment choices for them.

It is a route less taken and less convenient to give even the small $25 and $50 donors their refund than to simply cut one or a few checks to curry favor with a particular PAC manager or party operative. The publicly expressed Tinklenberg moral commitment to give everyone from this cycle a refund is, under all the circumstances and possibilities, a praisworthy thing, as I hope I have better explained via this update.