Friday, September 05, 2014

JEFF JOHNSON: "As the leader of the Republican ticket, I tried hard to remain patient with Michelle MacDonald during these past few weeks. Her actions, however, show me that she is not interested in waging a serious campaign and I can no longer support her. I’ll likely be writing someone in for Supreme Court Justice."

Let's see. Mr. Johnson writes in his choice. Readers, guess: Would that be Tim Tingelstad or Dan Griffith? With a quote like that, the press should follow up with a "Who dat?"

That was reported on Brodkorb's blog, done via a press release from the Johnson campaign, where press release docs cannot be asked follow-up questions. Timing of the Johnson write-in suggestion seems to involve a cause-effect relation per facts reported in Abby Simons' latest Strib item in the ol' MacDonald bridge burning saga, (every Republican in the state doing some burning apparently - torches and pitchforks in hand), i.e.:

Embattled Supreme Court candidate Michelle MacDonald files GOP complaint

Article by: ABBY SIMONS , Star Tribune
Updated: September 4, 2014 - 12:11 AM

Jeff Johnson says he won’t vote for Michelle MacDonald, who complains party leaders tried to force her from the ticket.


[...] The ongoing dispute between MacDonald and the party continued to escalate after her news conference announcing the complaint, with the GOP candidate for governor, Jeff Johnson, making it clear he no longer supported her campaign.

[..] Senate Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, also lashed out in frustration at MacDonald following her news conference.

“To me, the real question, is why isn’t she running a campaign? This whole focus seems to be, ‘We’re going to be going after the people we don’t like or the people who disagree with us,’ ” he said. [Well, she is a Republican after all.]

Minnesota Republican Party spokeswoman Brittni Palke declined to comment Wednesday.

Strib photo -
85-pages, brevity is wit
The 85-page complaint filed with the state Office of Administrative Hearings accuses the Minnesota Republican Party, its executive committee, Chairman Keith Downey, attorney Patrick Burns, Judicial Election Committee chairman Doug Seaton and former state auditor and former Republican National Committeewoman Pat Anderson of violating the Minnesota Fair Campaign Practices Act.

MacDonald alleges they conspired to deter her from continuing to run as a Republican for Supreme Court justice, despite her having received the party’s endorsement at its May convention.

Well. Considering that preparing an 85-page complaint demands time, what's left on the clock for campainging? It's one or the other, she made a weighty choice, and "disagreeing with her" in Hann's words includes me, with regard to that online video of MacDonald's book-waving endorsement speech grandstanding. Yet, so far, I am lucky to not be named in the MacDonald complaint (not a Minnesota Republican being the measure I suppose).

Things like that can be amended ...

UPDATE: A thought experiment - complete in your mind, "A vote in November for MacDonald is like ... ".