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Wednesday, January 08, 2014

Well, good, and fine the "Meet Tom" page of the campaign site, but where, sir, do you stand on issues? On something as simple as your own track record?


From here. http://emmerforcongress.com/meet-tom.cfm

The Right Choice for Minnesota's 6th Congressional District
A Life-long Passion for Minnesota

In 1907, Tom's great-grandfather, John W. Emmer, came to Minneapolis with two of his brothers to found a business that eventually became known as Emmer Brothers Lumber.

In the early years, they provided lumber to build summer homes and cabins around Lake Mille Lacs. Tom's grandfather joined the company in 1933 and his father and uncle took over in the 1960s as the company shifted to lumber wholesaling. Today it's known as Viking Forest Products, with Tom's brother, Jack, continuing in the business.

Growing up around the company, Tom learned first hand the value of hard work and the everyday pressures faced by employers and the families who count on them.

Tom was born in 1961 in South Bend, IN as his father finished his degree at Notre Dame. He grew up in Edina and went to St. Thomas Military Academy where he grew in his faith and learned leadership through the JROTC.

[...] But his life really changed when he met a girl from Arden Hills named Jacquie Samuel. It was true love and they married in 1986. Today they are blessed with seven children — six boys and one girl.

[...] In 2004, he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives and re-elected by overwhelming majorities in 2006 and 2008.

Tom relinquished his seat in the State Legislature to run for Governor in 2010. Tom's message of redesigning government and putting people back in charge of their own opportunities resulted in a broad victory for Republicans and nearly one million votes throughout Minnesota, even though his bid ultimately came up less than one half of one percent short of victory.

After the 2010 election cycle, Tom entered the radio business as a conservative radio host on Twin Cities News Talk AM1130, quickly becoming a force for political commentary in the Twin Cities metro area. His show has become a favorite for conservatives across Minnesota.

Family is why Tom Emmer entered the political arena nearly a decade ago. Four generations of Emmers have enjoyed Minnesota's prosperity. Tom wants to ensure the next generation of Minnesotans will be blessed with the same opportunities.

Tom believes government has grown too large and has strayed from its duty of service for the people. By keeping taxes low and making government a resource - not a restraint - for individuals and businesses, we can move our country toward a path of prosperity.

Wow. A candidate for prosperity and responsible government. Now who can fault that? Then there are a few questions such as one about family reproductive liberty and choice, things of that sort.

Stay tuned?

Expect more of the same since the run for Governor - including flameouts such as the hundred grand restaurant servers, the contractor endorsement video? That's about Tom too.

Also, that sentence, related to his failed candidacy in 2010, "Tom's message of redesigning government and putting people back in charge of their own opportunities resulted in a broad victory for Republicans and nearly one million votes throughout Minnesota, [...]," seems to spin favorably the actual election results, 2010 being a banner year for Republican legislative candidates with Emmer not part of that banner.

Certainly 2010 was a better year for Republicans in Minnesota than 2012, but wasn't that 2010 election the lead-in to the MNGOP party having a follow-up meltdown with leadership and financing difficulty exposed - and a purge? Sutton and Brodkorb ousted, replaced?

One's Tom's credit. The other, not Tom's fault.

If you say so ...

Surely Emmer is free if he wants to, to say he was responsible for those 2010 Republican victories, while losing.

Yet history has multiple judges. PiPress in its November 16, 2010, post-election reporting focused on another aspect:

After a statewide Democratic landslide election in 2008, the pitifully small Senate Republican caucus — they held just 21 of the chamber's 67 seats last year — turned to Koch to head their 2010 election team. Representing a safe Republican district, Koch was free to spend much of the next two years recruiting and helping GOP Senate candidates.

She crisscrossed the state, enticing potential candidates to run and later helping them develop campaign strategies, raising money, knocking on doors, pounding lawn signs and listening to and encouraging the hopefuls.

"We knew we'd get outspent" by the Democrats, she said, "but we also knew we had good candidates, the right message, and we couldn't be outworked. We pushed the candidates heavily to be out early, often and all the time."

Her work paid off. Republicans gained 16 Senate seats in the election, giving them a 37-30 majority — a feat that many political observers thought all but impossible.

Sen. Geoff Michel, R-Edina, said the leadership Koch demonstrated during the campaign was key to her election as majority leader.

"I don't think anyone knows this freshman class better than Amy Koch," Michel said, and the first-termers will compose a majority of the GOP caucus.

Outgoing Senate Minority Leader David Senjem, R-Rochester, appeared to be the heir apparent to the caucus' top post, but he decided not to run for the job.

History has also noted how grateful Michel and Senjem proved out, for the effort and results Koch yielded. Tom, he was quiet about all that, while anything but quiet, on talk radio. Amy under the bus, not his issue. Talking talk radio up to and through the 2012 election, influential in that role ...

What, they just did not listen carefully enough? The perception but not the message held the flaw?

He did do better than Mark Kennedy against Klobucher. Not as close as Norm against Franken. And party discord and disarray did follow after his loss. But he talked on, that being his skill set.