What should our response be to Sen. Mark Dayton?

[brindis_desala]

One of our few independent voices.

[BrainRants]

1. Lack of desire to raise $ is why he's getting out...

maybe start a campaign to send him a check?

[brindis_desala]

3. That's my idea but anyone know if he's being pressured to step down?

[Gator_mommy]

5. Mark Dayton

Let's please help him raise money.

[BrainRants]

11. Randi Rhodes got a shi*load of cash for Bev Harris...Hmmmm

n/t

[mopinko]

19. yeah, and

she AIN'T gonna go there again. i don't think it was all that much. sure not enough to dent a senate campaign.
not sure aar should be about raising money for candidates, anyway.

[bunny planet]

29. Randi was on air yesterday asking people to write to Senator Dayton and

send money for another campaign run. She was taken in by Harris because of her (Randi's) desire to get to the truth about the election fraud, she's human and she makes mistakes. This time she knows Senator Dayton is a sure thing and he needs our support to perhaps change his mind and run again. You better believe the Repug thugs are pressuring him. He speaks too much truth. They of course don't like that.

[Shredr]

24. It's not just lack of desire...

He knows KKKarl will go after him with all the GOP's might. Randi Rhodes was saying it'd take about $30 million to go up against that. He simply doesn't have the time to campaign AND be a senator.

[jsw_81]

32. This doesn't make any sense

Isn't Dayton worth about $50 million? Then why in the world would he be worried about raising money?

[DFLforever]

2. That's a good question

I'm from Minnesota and am not sure yet how to react to his announcement. According to what is said, it was a combination of low fund raising and recent low poll results in MN. He self-financed his 2000 Senate race and was unable/unwilling to do it again.

I'm hoping he'll be able to let out the stops against Bushco now that he's not up for re-election.

[brindis_desala]

4. I thought he was bowing out for Franken but now I'm not sure.

Hate to lose another good Minnesotan

[DFLforever]

7. Franken had zero to do with it.

[Wickerman]

6. We were just fund-raised here in Rochester 2 weeks ago

I know several who were hit. Its possible that those early forays didn't look promising. :shrug: We gave and other friends indicated they did...

[DFLforever]

9. I gave twice to him in 2004

Money I should maybe have given to candidates up in 2004 but I wanted to support him as best I could. I was also invited to several fundraisers for him by prominent DFLers. So I know they were trying -he wasn't out there alone.

These would be problems enough for him but it looked as if, on top of them, the White House was once again targeting a MN Senate seat for its biggest hit.

[brindis_desala]

8. There's a principle at stake here. Do we want ALL progressives

drummed out because they lack deep pockets. I guess what I'm asking is whether Dayton still has fire in his belly because if he does we should back him to the hilt.

[DFLforever]

12. He's got deep pockets.

He's an heir to the Target chain, created by his father and uncles, and grandson of a dept store pioneer.

I think the answer unhappily is , he doesnt't have the fire he needs anymore or he hasn't gotten the support from the MN public necessary to keep it stoked.

Edit: to add 'or'. Actually I think he was far out and ahead of the average MN voter on the issues. I always felt I knew what he was doing and why but I don't know how well he communicated to many others. For example, he's been attacked ferociously on the DU MN forum for his vote on the Ohio electors.

[brindis_desala]

16. thanks...that's what I needed to know

[BrklynLiberal]

14. Based on his performance against Rice, he sure has fire in the belly and

the courage to show it.

[latteromden]

10. My initial response was "ruin the bastard while he's still in the Senate,"

and then I realised I was just extremely and inappropriately bitter (I'd already done a whole lot of work for his campaign, and the fact that I had an internship set up there since before last year's election was the only thing that was a relatively sure thing for me). But once I finished being ridiculously selfish, I also realised that we've still got him until January 2007, and that a candidate that is unwilling to fundraise is the absolute worst to work with. He could have had group after group raising money for him, but when it comes down to it, it would only be a temporary fix. The candidate's gotta do it.

I think that he did the right thing, ultimately. We actually have a better chance of keeping the seat, now, as much as I dislike what we have to do to keep it.

[BrklynLiberal]

13. Randi Rhodes said that the Rove machine is out to get him and that seat.

She is mentioning giving him(Dayton) money right now as I am typing, to a Minnesotan calling in right now. Saying if you admire him and want him to stay in the Senate..let him know and donate to him.
Rove machine is after that seat. It will take loads of cash to keep that seat out of Rove(Repuke) hands.

[liberalla]

15. He is being targeted by Rove and Co...

for speaking the truth in August about the 9/11 Commission... remember his offices were closed briefly after receiving threats from ??? Also for speaking out so forcefully about the lying Condi...

Randi Rhodes show today was GREAT! She said she thinks this is the type of Senator we need to preserve. It will cost at least 30 million for him to run against the Rove attack machine.

You should listen to a repeat of the 3rd hour of today's show if possible (5:00pm-6:00pm ET). That's the hour she talks about Dayton. However the whole show was/is (still on now) powerful.

[KerryReallyWon]

17. he is targeted and they will take him out with the machines!!

Why raise all the money, do all that work, when they will just "fix" it? I feel the same way.

[liberalla]

22. that's why we need to work on

Real, serious, meaningful

Election Reform

[Senator]

18. He still has to answer for Jan 6th

Could be someone was planning to ask him (loudly) in a primary.

Please let me know if anyone hears/knows anything along those lines.

-------------

www.thedeanpeople.org

[Al-CIAda]

20. Video- why Sen Dayton is an American HERO -and why he is being targeted...

The non-response of NORAD and lack of defense of the Pentagon.
Testimony of Sentor Dayton and an interview with Dr. Bowman (Lt. Col. Ret. USAF) by Micheal Kane. He discusses the war games planned that very morning at the exact time the event occured.
Powerful 15 min....must see imho

http://innworldreport.net/video/2004-08-04/dayton.html

[brindis_desala]

21. I understand that. The question is- is he honestly burned out

or something worse. The Minnesotans here seem to think it's the former.

[Amaryllis]

23. What if he got the message he doesn't have to campaign? He can just keep

telling people that he doesn't have time to campaign if he is going to do a good job in the senate and people can judge him on his record. I sure wish he wouldn't quit.

[loudsue]

25. I think we should take it to Dr. Dean....

If Dean talks to Dayton, Dean can get the DFA folks on it, and Dean can CERTAINLY raise money all over the country for the seat.

If Dayton is being/has been threatened by the BFEE, he needs to SAY SO, PUBLICLY!! It's time this bunch got called on their crap!!

:kick::kick::kick:

[brindis_desala]

26. Excellent idea. We need some unbiased inside perspectives.

[bunny planet]

30. Good idea.

I will write to Dr. Dean and ask him to do just that.

[catgirl]

27. He has the fire and it's not the money

He saw what happened to Daschle and he knows Rove and co. will
try every dirty trick in the book to discredit him.

[zann725]

34. And that's exactly why he SHOULDN'T quit.

What finally stopped the HUAC were people standing up to the Committee, and saying "enough."

[bunny planet]

28. Convince him to run again and then donate en masse to his campaign.

He's going to need a lot of money to overcome what the Pillsbury Roveboy and Co. are going to be throwing at him. They have deemed his little problem with telling the truth as something that makes him one of their prime targets and they will swift-boat his ass into bankruptcy fighting off their lying machine. We must give him so much money, all it will take is 60 million of us donating $1. a piece or $10. per. I wrote to him yesterday asking him to stay in government, that we needed people like him more than ever. There is no donation section on his website so I'm going to call his office and see what's up with that. I think if we all wrote him and asked him to stay in, and keep speaking the truth, he might reconsider. Good Senators and Representatives need to hear that what they are doing matters, the Republican noise machine is so loud, sometimes they can't know how many people out here really support them unless we make it known.

Write to Senator Dayton, express to him how much we appreciated his questioning of Condoliezza and his very strong words to the 911 commission. I believe that he really was threatened when he closed down his office and protected his employees and family. We should support him .

[ClassWarrior]

31. Bingo! We have a winner.

NGU.

[zann725]

33. Don't desert us, Mark! We need "voices" of courage like yours.

Help us save Democracy!

[Wilms]

35. Dayton's Webform

I emailed him.

<http://dayton.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm>