A candidate, like a man, is known by the company he keeps.
In the race for U.S. Senate, candidates are lining up some of the biggest names in GOP circles to back their candidacy.
For example, Saint Louis County Commissioner Chris Dahlberg recently secured the endorsement of media mogul Stanley Hubbard.
For some candidates, the list of supporters isn't so big, and in this case, isn't so Republican.
The Watchdog has obtained an invitation to an upcoming fundraiser for Abeler that is hosted by individuals with, ahem, a rather "obscure" record of supporting the GOP or GOP candidates.
Check out some of the names on the host list:
Bill Erhart
Dan Erhart!
Jim Kugler
Leo Luskey
Natalie Steffen
Sarah Strommen
Really? Dan Erhart? What candidate thinking clearly would want the Judas Kiss of Erhart's support? Really? Dan Erhart?
A review of state and federal campaign finance records shows that the folks listed above certainly have no meaningful record of supporting the GOP or GOP candidates.
In fact, many have donated to causes and candidates opposed to Republican candidates and Republican principles.
For example, Dan Erhart has made numerous contributions to DFL candidates.
Natalie Steffen has donated to Women Winning, a liberal special interest dedicated to electing women who support abortion on demand.
According to their web site, the mission of the group is to "encourage, promote and support pro-choice women's leadership in all political parties and levels of public office."
So Jim Abeler counts among his strongest supporters a person who has donated to a pro-choice special interest?
[Bolding and punctuation as in original, link cleaned up from Hamilton's tracking link to a real one because it is plain bad manners to use tracking links against one's readers - something politicians' websites do, but then Hamilton's a politician after all, so ...] This link.
BFD. Abeler does not wish to stone Natalie Steffen. Shame. Shame on Jim. Make Abeler himself wear a hairshirt and a Scarlet Letter. A Scarlet "A." Just as in the book. The gall of not refusing the support of Ms. Steffen. [The other guy got Stanley Hubbard, wow, what a coup, the uber-right-wing broadcasting mogul, a kindred canine, yes, yes, yes.] Keelhaul Jim Abeler for respecting Natalie Steffen, who respects choice, unlike the dogmatic dictatorial sorts for whom having the Liberty of Choice is anathema (liberty in truth not being their forte). Get the tar. Get the feathers. Get the rail.
Is this a scene from Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? A witnessing of Abeler's odyssey? It seems so.
And what's a screed by the Anoka County Rabid One, without some reflexive autistically obsessing comment, per usual, about the woofer's personal devil Dan:
To be fair, Abeler's invitation lists these individuals as "business leaders" and not "conservative leaders" although we think the former label is nearly as ridiculous as the latter.
Since when has Dan Erhart been a "business leader?"
So just how many jobs have these "leaders" created?
It seems rather odd that in a crowded GOP field for U.S. Senate, Abeler would tout the support of folks who have so little influence in GOP circles.
Perhaps Abeler doesn't intend to run as a Republican?
After all, he has very little chance of securing the endorsement or winning a GOP primary.
Is a third party candidacy in the offing?
Time will tell.
"To be fair ...". Yeah. Sure. If you bark it, so be it, fair as can be.
Then in that blog post, a woofing segue to a new face at the Chairman's league.
What a guy, that dog.
Who knows? He may even bark at Al Franken, some day. Any day now. Possibly and Perhaps. Al's people can just laugh and laugh. And laugh.