A people's bailout: Randy Demmer talks up private sector

Sometimes the jokes just write themselves.

For instance, Mark Fischenich's article in Friday's Mankato Free Press, Demmer talks up private sector. After desultory talk about mini-donuts and moving on (nearly half the article):

Demmer has hit 10 of the 22 county fairs in the district already, and he said it's obvious that many people aren't looking for deep political discussions as much as they are mini-donuts, Kettle Korn or thrill rides. They're Minnesota Nice about it, but they're also clear.

"You can tell if they're ready to move on," he saiid.

Fischenich writes:

I always stress my belief that private sector job creation is what it's all about," he said. . . .

. . . Demmer also talks about his experience as a farmer for 18 years and later as a small business owner, that he knows about employing people, buying inventory, the impact of government regulations. . . .

Now, this is fascinating stuff, sort of, since Demmer loves a government handout as much as anyone. As I've pointed out before, Demmer loves those government checks for his business:

Then there's Demmer's own approach to government spending on Randy Demmer. Never met a government business or farm subsidy check or per diem he didn't like.

As the DFL noted back in the spring:

• Demmer's message of fiscal responsibility rings false, as he has chosen to take legislative per-diems while attending partisan candidate training in Washington, D.C. [A Monday Math Lesson: A word problem from Randy Demmer's per diem. Bluestem Prairie. 10/15/07.]
• Randy Demmer has taken $74,707 in farm subsidies since 1995. [EWG. Farm Subsidy Database.]
• Randy Demmer has received $468,911 in small business subsidies through his company RKD Properties. [1999 Minnesota Business Assistance Form and 2001 Minnesota Business Assistance Form.]

The Dodge County rumor mill has it that Demmer's bid for office is half-hearted, a way to get rid of his old 2008 campaign debt. in short, Demmer seeks to get enough contributions to pay off that $135,000 loan to himself (a privatized bailout in short).

There might be something to this. How else to explain Fischenich's breaking news about the Hayfield Republican? The article concludes:

And despite the sauna-like heat county fairs seem to attract, Demmer said he enjoys attending them. And like most fair-goers, there's a food stand that often proves irresistible.
 
"I like ice cream," he said. . . .

Update: In his running Campaign Notebook, Fischenich reports that Demmer opposed recent legisation that helped preserve the jobs of 2500 teachers and 1000 public safety workers in Minnesota:

This time, Democratic Congressman Tim Walz and Republican challenger Randy Demmer were in complete disagreement about a $26 billion bill aimed at preserving the jobs of teachers and other government workers.

All but two House Republicans opposed the legislation, signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday.

Demmer, a state lawmaker from Hayfield, portrayed the bill as "a state bail-out bill" that will add to the national debt "without leading to any private sector job creation."

Walz said the bill provides some relief to states facing deep budget shortfalls caused by the economic recession and will help prevent the lay-offs of an estimated 2,500 teachers in Minnesota and nearly 1,000 police officers, firefighters and other government employees. . . .

Randy Demmer likes those bailouts . . .for Randy Demmer. But when it comes for our kids educations or burning houses, forget about it.

Image: Randy Demmer as the Whammy, a photoshopped image which, like his campaign committee's $135,000 debt, comes from the 2007-2008 election cycle.

Sally Jo Sorensen

Sally Jo Sorensen publishes Bluestem Prairie for those who prefer take their corn with a progressive chaser.