« MN GOP PRESS RELEASE: “TEAM MADIA CAUGHT REMOVING PAULSEN LAWN SIGNS” | Home | NARN “THE FINAL WORD” TODAY FROM 3-5 P.M. »
FOX 9: “YOUTUBE VIDEO SHOWS MADIA VOLUNTEER TAKING PAULSEN LAWN SIGNS”
By Michael B. Brodkorb | September 26, 2008
UPDATE: This the FOX 9 story about a Madia volunteer getting caught stealing a Paulsen for Congress lawn sign.
This is a horrible story for Team Madia.
“Another person in the video points out the sign stealer has an Ashwin Madia bumper sticker.
‘I also happen to be a Madia volunteer,’ she says.
A check of a license plate reveals she’s married to Dan Pollock — Ashwin Madia’s communications director and spokesperson.” Source: FOX 9, September 26, 2008
Click here for the complete story.
I’ll have the video posted later tonight on Minnesota Democrats Exposed.
###
This is a reminder that I am a part-time research consultant to Erik Paulsen for Congress. Minnesota Democrats Exposed is my personal blog and it is not created, endorsed, sponsored, or authorized by any political party, candidate, or candidate’s committee.
Topics: Uncategorized | 49 Comments »
49 Responses to “FOX 9: “YOUTUBE VIDEO SHOWS MADIA VOLUNTEER TAKING PAULSEN LAWN SIGNS””
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
September 26th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Michael–
Will you deny, with out any preconditions, without any equivocating that you were in essence staking out these signs (which were placed in a public area) in the hopes that you’d find someone taking them?
It’s simple. “Yes, I was sitting in a Perkins parking lot waiting for someone to come remove these signs from public property.†or “No, I was not ’staking out’ these signs, and just so happened that at the precise moment I was in this parking lot with my ‘friend’ who just so happened to have a camera we witnessed these signs being taken down.â€
Look, its so simple all you have to do is cut and paste one answer!
Sean
September 26th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Sean: I consider you a friend, but you’ve really lost it here. I suggest you re-read my original post.
September 26th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
If they’ll do this what else will they do? This is the party of Hatch Entenza and Franken.
September 26th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Sean, so the issue isn’t if someone connected with the campaign stole the signs the issue is how they got caught?
I guess it goes back to what the definition of stealing is… if you are a liberal its only stealing if you get caught – by the police.
I thank God everyday that He gave me the good sense to be a conservative.
September 26th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Michael– I don’t care if you’re my friend or not– I think you’re a highly paid political operative with experience in, and a history of manipulating and exploiting political situations for your professional and political gain.
I know you have a hard time answering questions Michael, and your original post does nothing to diminish my question– it is simple, and your inability just means either 1. you have a hard time answering simple questions, or 2. you aren’t telling the trust, so I’ll ask it again:
Will you deny, with out any preconditions, without any equivocating that you were in essence staking out these signs (which were placed in a public area) in the hopes that you’d find someone taking them?
It’s simple. “Yes, I was sitting in a Perkins parking lot waiting for someone to come remove these signs from public property.†or “No, I was not ’staking out’ these signs, and just so happened that at the precise moment I was in this parking lot with my ‘friend’ who just so happened to have a camera we witnessed these signs being taken down.â€
Pick one of the two Michael. It’s not hard.
Sean
September 26th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
That is, “telling the truth, so I’ll ask again:”
Sean
September 26th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Michael,
I’ve never understood your tolerance of the silly frat boys at MNpuberty.
This is a campaign between children and adults.
September 26th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
So it’s MDE’s fault that the signs got stolen? Liberals have no shame. Can’t even admit stuff when it’s on tape and in their face. They have to make up conspiracy theories. Par for the course… How do those clowns get out of bed in the morning?
September 26th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Wonder if they got coached by Phyllis Kahn…
September 26th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
I meant she. I’m used to using they when commenting on libs stealing signs. I don’t mean any offence to any gender, incase the libs on here take issue. Idiots.
September 26th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Sean, have you stopped banging the dog next door? It’s a simple yes or no question ya know.
September 26th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
I love that Sean’s entire train of thought rests on the logic that Michael knew if he put up a Paulsen sign up and waited with a camera a couple of hours, a Madia volunteer would be guaranteed to come and steal it.
September 26th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Poor Sean. I don’t know who he is but he is a loony.
God bless you Michael for catching the loony left while in the midst of committing a crime.
September 26th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Okay, this is the lamest thing ever. How many Democrats have had their signs stolen by Republican activists? I can tell you about a state Republican legislator in the southern metro that has a long history of stealing Dem lawnsigns. Or the campaign staff of a Republican member of Congress that stole campaign signs of his Democratic opponent.
It’s a norm of campaigns…everyone steals or slashes lawnsigns. Move on and talk about real issues.
September 26th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
I am staking out some signs in Maple Grove waiting for someone to steal them. Nobody yet……..
Still nobody.
Nothing
Hmmm. Sean, can you leave the neighbor’s dog alone long enough to swing by Perkins?
September 26th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Sean, here is a simple reporter’s tip.
If it is really that important to you, then just take a quick drive over to Maple Grove and ask the Perkins manager to show you the 24/7 surveillance tapes over the past 2 weeks. If you see the videographers hiding in the parking lot multiple times for long periods of time, you’ve got your answer.
Simple!
September 26th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
I live in Powderhorn Park, in the sustainable urban core. In 2004 there was one, lone Bush-Cheney yard sign. It also happened to be the only yard sing that was bashed up.
Today’s Democrats are petulant children.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
The posting of MNDEM says to get onto the real issues. Typical. Crime is not an issue to the dems I guess? In a state were the dems vote to spend more money bringing in more criminals with promises of free money, what do you expect? More in welfare than we spend in out state for the National Guard. Have you not noticed the gangbangers walking around with the long white t-shirts with the gold dollar sign ($) on them that say “MONEYSOTA”? The crimals know they are welcome in out state with open arms by the dems. Crime, not an issue. Then again, remember they elected the county attorney for the Senate that NEVER TRIED A CRIMINAL CASE! Name names, not false claims. You have some one on tape, lets see it!
September 26th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
What were Paulsen’s signs doing on public property? They didn’t seem to be concerned about that at all. It’s ok for the campaign to wave away that legality, but are outraged when someone removes them from the public property where they aren’t supposed to be in the first place.
Seems like both campaigns need to do a better job of volunteer training.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Is it stealing if the signs were illegally placed on the right-of-way? If so, have the cops charged anyone or written up a report? Or is it no different than picking up illegal litter tossed in the right-of-way? By the way, Michael, what ever happened to your big story on Sheldon Johnson stealing signs? You were going to post the police report I thought. We’re still waiting on that one. Meanwhile, can you post the police report on this one?
September 26th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
The problem is that we have yet to see a post from one Democrat who says this was wrong. I’m starting to think that they don’t think it is wrong.
The only problem Democrats have with the event is that, this time, their campaign staffer’s wife was caught. And so all the garbage about whether or not Michael was on a stake-out.
If you steal someone’s sign today, what other private property do you feel free to take? Their lawnmower?
September 27th, 2008 at 12:25 am
It was wrong, there was no excuse for the Democrat volunteer to steal the signs. They’ve apologized, now lets move on.
September 27th, 2008 at 12:36 am
What is the law about signs?
Perhaps the OLDER Boy Scouts of America would be willing to take on a project of measuring and reporting which signs are in the PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAYS, and report them to the CITY via a WEBSITE.
Or perhaps the CITIES in the 3rd CD should have email sites for people on which to register complaints.
These sites should be open to the public.
IF some people in the public take some interest in setting up some websites, having the rules for the placement of signs in a readable form, etc. then I think that there will be better placement of signs in the 3rd CD.
September 27th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Why won’t Michael answer Sean’s question?
It seems simple enough.
And it is really telling of how bad things must be going for Paulsen finding dirt on Madia if he is now paying Michael simply to lurk in restaurant parking lots.
September 27th, 2008 at 1:51 am
Why is DFL house candidate Mike Obermueller missing over 100 signs in your district Mr. Brodkorb?
September 27th, 2008 at 5:53 am
SD38 voter asked, “Why is DFL house candidate Mike Obermueller missing over 100 signs in your district Mr. Brodkorb?â€
That’s a good question, did he do anything to upset the Madia people? Did he endorse Bonoff or something? Or did Mike refuse to be seen with Madia or something like that?
September 27th, 2008 at 7:04 am
“sd42webmaster Says:
September 26th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
The problem is that we have yet to see a post from one Democrat who says this was wrong.
As usual, Peter B proves he either has a reading comprehension problem, or a real aversion to telling the truth.
I’m going with “B”, but that’s only because I’m in SD42 and am familiar with Peter and his ilk.
September 27th, 2008 at 7:55 am
And anyone whose irony alarm doesn’t immediatley start going off when Tom Lyden does a report on theft should probably get their alarm system checked.
Has Michael answered Sean’s question yet? The longer he ducks the question, the guiltier he sounds.
September 27th, 2008 at 8:38 am
Tommy:
I think what Senate District 42 is referring to is that the people who tried to defend her and I will join you in that group all made posting comments without saying that she shouldn’t have taken the signs (kind of defeats the purpose of trying to defend her). In your case you did say on a post that she shouldn’t have taken the sign only after I challenged you on it.
Sean I have made this challenge to you when you posted on different post that covered this topic are you not going to say that she shouldn’t have taken the sign?
MN Dem are you not going to say that she shouldn’t have taken the sign?
Andy are you not going to say that she shouldn’t have taken the sign? Keep in mind on the tape the lady said she is a lawyer. That makes her an officer of the court (for those people who don’t understand the concept she’s suppose to make sure the law is “Properly” enforced). So committing an illegal act to correct what she thinks is an illegal act can’t be done.
Minny Dem: Are you not going to say that the lady shouldn’t have taken the sign? Keep in mind Mike did call the police and because the lady had returned the signs to him because he challenged her the police didn’t consider the signs to be stolen. If Mike is not there the lady steals the signs or throws them away!
Leroy: I think Sean has a whole more interesting list of questions to answer in a minute. Right now you can guess which question is coming to you, Aren’t you going to say that the woman shouldn’t have taken the sign?
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
September 27th, 2008 at 8:43 am
LMAO.
You gotta appreciate the gall of a crew of twerps that delete comments they don’t like coming over here and DEMANDING answers.
Sean, the fact that Mike even allows you assholes the opportunity to comment on his blog at all proves that he is much too gracious.
I’m glad though, that you set him straight as to what friendship means to a stinking Democrat….he wouldn’t listen to me.
September 27th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Michael probably wouldn’t open your link to full frontal male nudity, either.
Tell me, Scrotee – what sort of “friend” posts a link to full frontal male nudity on his pal’s blog?
Oh – that would be an asshole like you.
September 27th, 2008 at 8:56 am
I wonder if leftists ever realize how their hypocritical lies sound to other ears.
I guess when cops are on a stakeout, the criminals shouldn’t be arrested because ‘the cops set them up.’ Right.
Lets have the war already. I’m tired of being lied to by idiots with a smile on their face.
September 27th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Sean:
Yesterday I asked you four questions which you seem to be ignoring so why don’t you answer them first:
One, are you saying that the woman had a right to take the signs. Ironic you keep posting attacks, but don’t say that she shouldn’t have taken the signs.
Two, are you saying that because Mike was in the right place at the right time that he had no right to videotape the crime and gather evidence. In that case you’re implying that law enforcement can never use what has become an unexpected tool of investigation a person catching a crime on tape because they are in the right place at the right time.
Three, are you saying that Republicans take lawnsigns on a regular basis? To the best of my knowledge when these stories come out it is a Democrat who is doing it.
Four, are you saying that any business that tries to advertise doesn’t have the right to try to defend it’s advertising? After all those signs were the protery of the Paulsen campaign and two of the Paulsen campaign employees when they noticed the act were defending their advertisement and their property. How does this woman who is the spouse of a Madia campaign have a right to “steal” a sign. The only thing she could legally do was call the police and ask for the sign to be removed if they were illegally displayed.
A couple of more questions:
Sean don’t you agree with me that proper apology is for Madia to make a public statement and to post it on his website? I checked today and yesterday. To the best of my knowledge Madia’s website has no apology on it. So to the people who say that Madia has apologized I say he hasn’t.
Sean don’t you agree with me that mortage crisis took place because banks put no standards on the loan? The reason why I’m asking is here you have a case where the standard is you can’t take the signs yet people are defending the taking of the signs. If we can’t keep this standard how can we have standards on issues you care about. Why should a CEO accept a cap on his salary (a popular issue with liberals) if that same CEO sees people breaking other laws and not getting punished plus being praised for it!
Sean so what if Mike has been a paid employee of the Paulsen campaign? As far as I’m concerned if you apply your logic the Madia campaign paid an employee whose car and spouse were there to take the signs. THIS IMPLIES THAT MADIA PERSONALLY PAID MONEY TO HAVE THESE SIGNS TAKEN! Do you really want to have to defend that argument!
It seems like Sean you have eight questions to answer before you keep trying to attack Mike on this.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
September 27th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Joh, do you see the difference between cops doing a legal sting, and some amatuer slueths placing signs illegally, and then waiting for someone else to do something wrong, too?
I thought not; of course, it does explain your party affiliation….
September 27th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Michael already stated he always has a camera on him. Seems to me if he planted them, he would have been closer to the signs and filmed her pulling them up. The film rolls when she’s crossing the street with the signs in hand.
BTW: I witnessed kids running off on skateboards with McCain signs on my street late last night. Even after they were yelled at and told the cops were called, they returned at midnight and pulled up every GOP sign in the neighborhood.
Stay classy, Dems. Keep up the great work, Michael.
September 27th, 2008 at 9:31 am
“Even after they were yelled at and told the cops were called,…”
…the kids knew you were full of shit, because republiCons cut the budget and there are less cops out on the street.
Even kids know you republiCons are liars, lassie.
September 27th, 2008 at 9:33 am
You must have been the getaway car driver, Tommy. Were they your kids?
Our city just added 4 officers.
Tommy & Dems = FAIL.
September 27th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Ashwin Madia is a chicken shit liberal who will do anything to limit your right to free speech. This is a proven fact with Micheal’s video. It really does not matter if he placed or did not place these signs. The Madia campaign has been caught in the act and it was not kids, it was an Attorney!
Democrats don’t act like adults so how can they be trusted to govern?
September 27th, 2008 at 9:47 am
“Our city just added 4 officers. “
That’s probably because 2 retired, 3 took jobs in other cities, and a nother cop got tired of the low salaries you republiCons want to offer dedicated and hardworking cops.
It’s a net loss, but in the RightWingO’Verse, “we added 4 cops.”
September 27th, 2008 at 10:08 am
When I am walking or bicycling around the neighborhood I will sometimes stick fallen signs back in the ground to “spiff up” the neighborhood. Mostly these are liberal, democrat, progressive signs. If it’s at a sidewalk corner where they tend to get knocked down I might move them back a foot or so.
I have never physically removed a sign from a property. Once, for a very minor campaign someone put a campaign sign on my property between the sidewalk and the street which is public access technically deeded to me. It turned out to be a “girlfriend” thing. My girlfriend knew the candidate but I did not want to risk the association. I removed the sign and placed it face inward on the side of my front steps and told the girlfriend to tell the guy to pick up his sign. A couple of days later the sign was gone. I assume that the guy or someone connected with him came by and retrieved the sign.
Two years ago the city of Minneapolis charged me $325 for replacement of sidewalk sections and the city expects me to mow and maintain that “public access” grass between the sidewalk and street.
I tend to get “profiled” in the suburbs with long hair and driving a classic service vehicle, a white Ford Ranger. The police tend to do a licence check online (this is logged on main computer) and a “paper” report noting my name and time. These “incident reports” are not logged in but the “paper” is saved for a couple of years. Like the Mike Hatch “gay cruise site parking ticket BS” you have to go through a lot of work to find these if you don’t know where to look.
In reconstructing this “catching the culprit” event I assume the police were called by those who videotaped the “perp”. You can detain but you have to offer the “perp” the option of calling the police. It appears this was done properly.
What totally confuses me is how the cop at the scene supposedly neglected to ID the “perp”. This needs to be dissected. The Phylis Kahn “incident” shows that these things, when verified, tend to get a lot of “ink” and citizens tend to judge the performance of government entities by news reports or “ink”. Also, even those rookie suburban cops have cellphones so they can “call up” on how to handle it.
If a cop on the scene did not record the alleged perps ID we have serious problems with political favoritism and corruption in our police forces.
A cop has a difficult job but they can “call up” with their good communications nowadays. I tend to be pro-cop. I started my http://soliah.com after the local newspapers an democratic politicians were blatently supporting Kathleen Ann Soliah/Sara Jane Olson when she (later pled guilty) to trying to bomb Los Angeles police and later being a ringleader to the murder of a bank customer, Myrna Opsahl, a mother of four depositing church collections in the bank.
Anyway, the police response should be fully dissected. It’s not like a cop cajoling you.
September 27th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Has the Media campaign fired the communications director yet for this? With marriage there is “dual responsibility” so you don’t go and figure that that Medias “communication director” couldn’t communicate the “basics” to his wife. Go figure!
Of course the newspapers won’t cover it because of “liberal biases”.
September 27th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Come on Greg part of the problem is that anybody who has come here to try to defend the lady thinks she has the right to take the signs. I’ve asked something like 5 – 10 people do you think she had the right to take the sign and so far only one person has said no.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
September 27th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Walter, you must have done your research on “Airhead America” radio. The one time I took a political sign from my public access “frontage” I put it where the campaign could pick it up and notified the campaign (via my girlfriend). The owner of a property has rights to frontage signs. The owner has the obligation to maintain the public frontage.
Why did the suburban cops not get a name of the “perp”. Hello! Perhaps the cops wer too “busy” with their revenue “speedtrap” duties.
September 27th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Greg, you must be kidding? Liberal bias? From whom? The newspaper that employs Katherine Kersten? The tv channel that employs Cyndi Brucato? Or the ever present Foxnews local outlet? In a congressional district that has had Republican representation for 48 years? Surely you jest.
Has anyone considered how this woman might feel? She did something wrong. This is true. She removed illegally placed lawn signs rather than call the police. But, as a female….consider….she was stalked with a video camera and confronted in the dark by two men. Do you want to be treated as such? How about your wife? How about your daughter? My question is why didn’t she whip out her cellphone and call police immediately and report the behavior of these two men? She could have gotten a ticket or warning or lecture or whatever from the police for illegally removing illegally plaed lawn signs but….hopefully they would have taken her complaint seriously about two men stalking her in the dark with a video camera and confronting her. I certainly hope so.
September 27th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Greg:
I think we’re having a misunderstanding here.
The point of my comment on #42 was that everybody who wants to defend the lady seems to think that she can take the sign. Even if the Paulsen campaign had displayed in error the sign that gave her no right to break the law especially since she’s a lawyer who is an officer of the court.
If this was an improperly displayed sign she calls the police or the campaign. Neither act which she did. Keep in mind you didn’t throw away the sign in your example and you notified the campaign!
Furthermore the lady as shown in the video was trying to throw the signs away. She wasn’t putting it in a proper place for the Paulsen campaign to pick it up. The Paulsen people who happened to be there had to ask her for the sign.
I hope you will apologize since I was trying to make a point about the standards of the left and what the people who have been trying to defend her think.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
September 27th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Walter. She shouldn’t have taken the signs. Her time would have been better spent driving the streets documenting all of Paulsen’s illegal signs, and then notified the responsible cities of the violations. Then the cops/highway departments could spend more of their time cleaning up Eric Paulsen messes.
September 27th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Cheryl:
The men were in a parking lot that was lit!
Mike didn’t touch her in anyway that could make her think she was being assulted.
The lady didn’t scream for help so she gave no indication that she thought she was being threatened.
The lady didn’t try to run inside for safety so she gave no indication that she thought she was being threatened.
The lady who was the one who kept bringing up the issue of having the police called. If she honestly thought she was threatened she would’ve called the police under the guise of the sign issue.
And the lady who once she got into the car where in theory that will make her safer allowed her window to be rolled down and continue the convervsation.
So since you’re desperate to attack Mike now you’re accussing him of assualt.
Like I have said you liberal democrats don’t have any standards! The fact that you think the Star Tribune is a conservative newspaper because it hires one conservative writer is the icing on the cake!
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
September 28th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
CherlP must really be concerned about people feeling threatend,,,,,,, unless it’s protestors during RNC convension.
Once again a libtard gets caught and CherlP claims that the vandal is the victom.
September 28th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
The next time you post this statement Cherl perhaps your should clarify that “anyone” does not include Madia staffers.
Posted by cherlP
“Illegal activity is not acceptable…by anyone.”