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MDE EXCLUSIVE: MADIA VOLUNTEER BUSTED STEALING PAULSEN FOR CONGRESS LAWN SIGNS; HIGH LEVEL MADIA’S STAFFER CAR INVOLVED IN INCIDENT
By Michael B. Brodkorb | September 26, 2008
Last evening I meet a friend who works for Erik Paulsen’s campaign at the Perkins’ in Maple Grove. I had pulled into the parking lot for Perkins and I was talking with my friend, when we noticed someone walk across the street and take two Paulsen for Congress lawn signs out of the ground from the property across the street from the Perkins. I was stunned – this woman was stealing Paulsen for Congress lawn signs in front of a staffer for the campaign and a part-time research consultant to the campaign.
I always carry at least one video camera with me at all times, so I gave my video camera to my friend and he filmed the woman walking back into the Perkins’ parking lot with the Paulsen for Congress lawn signs. When confronted, the woman first claimed she was just “a private citizen…” But after I noticed the car she was driving had a Ashwin Madia for Congress bumper sticker, she admitted that she “also happened to be a Madia volunteer.”
According to multiple sources who have seen the video, the car driven by the Madia volunteer who took the Paulsen for Congress lawn signs has been identified as being owned by Madia’s communications director Dan Pollock. This is the same Dan Pollock who claimed this week that Madia is running a “very positive, issue-oriented campaign”:
“‘[Team Madia is ] running a very positive, issue-oriented campaign,’ Pollock said.” Source: Sun Newspapers, September 23, 2008
Having your communications director’s car used as a get-a-way vehicle doesn’t help build the case that you’re “…running a very positive, issue-oriented campaign.”
A report was filed with the Maple Grove police. But since the Madia volunteer returned the Paulsen for Congress lawn signs to me after I requested them, the police officer informed me the she will not face any charges.
If you know the identity of the Madia volunteer seen in the video above stealing Paulsen for Congress lawn signs, please send me an e-mail via my contact page.
Please check back to Minnesota Democrats Exposed for more information on this developing story.
Topics: Uncategorized | 108 Comments »
September 26th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Madia clearly sees Paulsen as a threat. And when a Marine sees a threat, he issues the order to attack (lawn signs).
September 26th, 2008 at 10:47 am
So, were the signs on a public right of way? If so, what does the law say? Can anybody take a sign down that is in the public right of way? If anybody can take such a sign down, it doesn’t matter who she was working for. If only law enforcement are allowed to take them down, that is a different story.
Lots and lots of signs (not just political signs during campaign season) get taken down for being on a public right of way. For safety reasons, self-help may be proper. Know the law before making any accusations.
September 26th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Goodness gracious that was a bummer for the Madia camp. And to admit on tape that she is an attorney while possibly committing a crime is potentially a real professional bummer for her. But wait. She’s a democrat. And democrat attorneys don’t get held accountable for bad behavior.
Any news on who she is? If the car belonged to the Communications Director then the Communications Director should know who that was. Who is the Communications Director? Have you called them?
The Madia campaign needs to come out and address this directly by correcting the behavior of this highly educated volunteer. No campaign volunteer should ever touch the opponents signs or literature. Even Phyliss Kahn knows that.
If the Perkins Paulsen Promo Poster Purloiner is indeed the Communications Director for Madia it would be appropriate to resign her position. Otherwise, make room in the Al Franken public relations cesspool for Ashwin Madia.
Minnesota? Yep. Democrats? Yep. Exposed? You betcha! Nice work Maxwell Smart!
September 26th, 2008 at 10:54 am
So, placing signs illegally is acceptable, but removing them from an illegal location is not?
And why am I not surprised that Michael is a late night parking lot loiterer?
September 26th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Public right of way? The volunteer should have called the police to pick up illegally placed signs.
Is this it? That’s what you have? A volunteer collected illegally placed lawn signs?
September 26th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Hilarious comment, Left is RIGHT. Pulling down political opponents signage “for the children”? Too funny!
September 26th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Who is to say those signs were on a public right of way. If they werfe, then this person should have contacted the authorities and let them remove them. I think she was acting as a typical liberal and doing what she damned well pleased, regardless of anyone else’s rights.
September 26th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Who is to say those signs were on a public right of way. If they were, then this person should have contacted the authorities and let them remove them. I think she was acting as a typical liberal and doing what she damned well pleased, regardless of anyone else’s rights.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Congratulations Team Brodkorb for planting signs illegally and taping someone helping the city enforce the law. Great work!
September 26th, 2008 at 11:06 am
The Madia volunteer was not just removing the signs, she was also attempting to thrown the signs away. If she had concerns about the placement of the signs, she should have called the city to have them removed. It’s not the job of Madia volunteers to enforce their definition of city code regarding lawn signs. I’m curious what role Madia’s communications director had in this incident.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Yep…she should have called the police rather than doing it herself. I just got off the phone with them in my area. Gave them a list of 3 Paulsen signs that are on public right of way for them to pick up. Not as instant but it is legal.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Aaron: You’re a liar. I didn’t place the lawn signs there, I was trying to get something to eat at the restaurant.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:08 am
From Maple Grove code:
“(f) Placement of signs on right-of-way or public land.
(1) No sign other than governmental signs shall be erected or placed for any period of time within or upon any public land except as may be authorized in this subsection.
(2) Only governmental signs, signs for a rummage sale posted no more than 120 hours in any eight-day period and signs advertising the sale of real estate between the hours of 6:00 p.m. Friday to 6:00 a.m. Monday may be erected or placed within any public right-of-way or easement. No nongovernmental sign shall be placed in a public right-of-way abutting private property unless permission to place such a sign is first obtained from the owner, occupant or other person having control of the abutting private property.
(3) Any sign other than governmental signs remaining on such property in excess of 120 hours in any eight-day period, or placed for any length of time in violation of subsection (2) of this subsection, may be summarily removed by the city or other governmental agency owning such public right-of-way or easement and, at its discretion, destroyed.
—————–
Here’s the deal about right-of-way. I’ve seen signs from all sorts of campaigns erected in public right-of-ways. Sometimes it is done on purpose. But I would suspect that most improperly placed signs are there because volunteers don’t know what the rules are.
The removal of signs from the right-of-way is specified throughout the code to be solely executed by the city or other governmental agency owning the right-of-way.
So this inspired lawyer clown from the Madia campaign that was taking down signs was indisputably beyond her pay grade.
If her “public right of way” claim authorized her as righteous citizen to police the city of Maple Grove then my trunk should be full of Madia signs when I get home tonight. I drive through Plymouth to Delano and there are a bunch of Madia signs in violation of the code.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:14 am
“I just got off the phone with them…”
That is really pathetic, Cheryl. I can imagine the reaction on the other end of that conversation..
CherylP: “…illegal! And, and there’s another one at..”
Dispacher (hand over receiver): “Hey Joe, pick up line 2, pffft.”
CherylP: “…needs to be done right away! And, and did I say about the one at..”
Dispacher: “Yes, ma’am…we’ll send SWAT over right away, thanks for calliing”
September 26th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Michael-
Of all the restaurants in the entire 3rd District, you just happened to choose the one that’s 200 yards from Madia HQ?
And be standing in the parking lot with your camcorder?
Give me a break. How dumb do you think we are?
You created an ambush so that you could manufacture a controversy, and then you chased a woman around a parking lot.
Very strange behavior, Michael.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:15 am
“No nongovernmental sign shall be placed in a public right-of-way abutting private property unless permission to place such a sign is first obtained from the owner, occupant or other person having control of the abutting private property.”
That means you can’t tell just from the placement of the sign, whether it was placed illegally.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Love the comment, Drew…..above her pay grade….
Last time I checked “volunteer” implied no pay. You get what you pay for.
If there are so many illegal Madia signs on your way home, why haven’t you called the police already?
September 26th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Just to be clear, it’s not o.k. for Cynthia Citizen to decide to go clear signs out of the right of way. The authorities reserve this right in order to keep the Hatfield’s from burning down the McCoy’s barn. Thankfully no blood was shed.
If signs are out of bounds they get pulled by the local autrhorities and either impounded or destroyed. In Wright County, where we don’t hate one another nearly as much as you cityfolk do, the county often times gives the campaign a call to say they have signs if we want to pick them up.
The only way this real estate attorney would have been in the right to remove signs would have been if they were on her own private property or perhaps in a utility right-of-way adjacent to her property line. Are we sure she doesn’t own teh land across from Perkins?
September 26th, 2008 at 11:23 am
You Damn Right Wing Mother F***ers!
September 26th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Minnvoter “Give me a break. How dumb do you think we are?”.
Answer: extremely dumb. Thank you for asking.
Even if Michael did place lawn signs there does that somehow make it legal for someone to take them down? Are all of Madia supporters so stupid (or is it arrogant) to believe they can just take down lawn signs?
This is great. Regardless of how it all began a Madia staffer was involved in this theft of lawn signs.
Way to go Michael, this is fantastic. Visible evidence and the wacko left is still in denial!
September 26th, 2008 at 11:24 am
“How dumb do you think we are? ”
Very very dumb, but that’s beside the point.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:24 am
I tend to not burden myself with managing the misplacement of signs for the Madia campaign. I could give a rip where they put their signs. I happen to think it is good when democrats break rules like that. Most voters are smart enough to know when those coveting elected office are acting outside the rules to accomplish their desired result. And at least theoretically that means folks that respect the law don’t vote for the scofflaws (Keith Ellison’s case notwithstanding).
September 26th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Pete….”volunteer” does not equate to “staffer”
September 26th, 2008 at 11:30 am
MinnVoter: I’m not sure if you read my post, but I was meeting someone to get something to eat. I wasn’t standing in the parking lot with a video camera. Please read my post again.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:32 am
It was at least according to DMV records a staffer’s car. But it may have been stolen so we can’t technically say a staffer was involved until we ascertain whether the sign stealer was authorized or hot-wired the car.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:33 am
I have to agree with MinnVoter.
It seems rather convenient that you were standing in a parking lot a few hundred yards from Madia headquarters taping a set of illegally placed lawn signs on the off chance that someone would take them down.
Awfully convenient if you ask me.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Did you have a Granny’s Omelet? No matter how many times I look at those darn Perkins menus I always default to the Granny’s Omelet. Is it just me or is that typical of all right-wing nutjobs?
September 26th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Minnesota’s anti-stalking and anti-harrassment law:
https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=609.749
“Harass means to engage in intentional conduct which the actor knows or has reason to know would cause the victim under the circumstances to feel frightened, threatened, oppressed, persecuted, or intimidated; and causes this reaction on the part of the victim.”
Under the law, it’s a gross misdemeanor for someone to harrass by doing any of the following: “stalk[], follow[], monitor[], or pursue[] another, whether in person or through technological or other means[.]“
September 26th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Leroy: You comments filled with lies are not welcomed. Please re-read my post.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Stop the presses!! Leroy agrees with Minnvoter, another liberal. Boy this has to be news because I’m sure Leroy has never agreed with another left wing wack job before!
Give me a break Leroy… you frigging idiot. There is no proof they were illegal. Sounds like the property owner had every right to put them there.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:41 am
MinnVoter: Great legal resources at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:42 am
What lies did I tell?
Were you a few hundred feet from Madia headquarters?
Did you have a video camera?
Were the signs placed illegally in a right of way?
September 26th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Leroy,
“illegally placed lawn signs on the off chance that someone would take them down”.
As always left wing wackos do nothing but lie and cheat. You like so many of your ilk have no honor.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:45 am
I wish I would have been there. But I was completely camouflaged with my video camera in deep ambush cover outside the McDonald’s by Elwyn Tinklenberg’s headquarters. Nary a single lib loon even noticed our decoys.
Fact is old Elwyn is running a pretty straight campaign so far. No out of bounds signs. No lit drops with Michele’s face PhotoShoped onto an exotic dancer’s body. He was downright cordial every time we greeted him at parades.
Aside from the rancorous leftist boobs who display their nincompoopistic blather in here each day I find most dem activists to be pretty civil.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Here’s a map of the location. Indeed, these Paulsen signs were planted on public property. Sure looks like entrapment.
I do not blame this woman for trying to get away from two men in a parking lot following her with a video camera and interrogating her. She did the right thing.
Let’s say someone put a Madia sign in public property. Then someone decides to remove that sign from public property. Is that a story?
September 26th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Leroy: For the last time, please read my post again. I’m not familiar with the area and I have no idea if there is a Madia office near where the incident took place.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Michael-
Yes, I read your post, but it doesn’t add up.
You were meeting your friend at Perkins to eat. So far, so good.
But rather than go into Perkins to eat, you and your friend decided to stand around in the parking lot to chat, even though you were hungry. That’s strange.
And then, at that very moment, you *happened* to notice someone walking down the road, even though it was dark out. Michael, that’s where your story breaks down entirely.
And again (since you ignored this point the first time): out of every possible restaurant in the West Metro, you just happened to choose the Perkins that’s 200 yards from Madia HQ?
Your story is bogus.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:50 am
I love these lefty comments! “You didn’t just see what you just saw!” Or “those signs were illegal”. You guys kill me. The end always justifies the means. If Paulson doesn’t have this in a commercial before the end of the day, he deserves to lose.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Taking a sign that is not your property is illegal, doesn’t matter where it is placed.
Same reason you do not get to steal a car from someone who parks in a no-parking zone.
Both state and city ordinance are clear on enforcement (who can remove the sign) and most also make clear that the sign will be returned to the person it belongs to.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Developmentally challenged, emotionally stunted wack jobs running around stealing signs and calling the police….marching around throwing human waste…..leaving inane comments on websites….”it’s illegal!”…”fascist police state!”……”Nazi stormtroopers!”……”Imperialists!”
Pfft.
And Democrats wonder why they get crushed at the polls.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:51 am
MinnVoter (Or is it Cam?): I’m sure the legal team at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi is working on a defense. The video speaks for itself.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Michael: It’s called google:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=minnesota+stalking&aq=f&oq=
Try it sometime.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Please tell me you ordered the chicken tender melt from Perkins!
The only thing better than catching a Madia goon (although a pretty goon I might add) is enjoying a chicken tender melt afterwards.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:55 am
MinnVoter (Or is it Cam?): Thanks for the legal advice…Please let the folks at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi know that I appreciate the legal advice.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Yeah Michael! You should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for making this poor woman break the law. Aren’t you aware it is illegal to put signs up anywhere within 5 miles of a DFL candidate’s headquarters?! Come to think of it, Perkins should be taken to task for enticing you with their appetizer sampler while Madia’s people were busy enforcing the law.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
As a paid opposition researcher for Paulsen, you are claiming you don’t even know where the Madia office is located?
Do you seem to recall when earlier on this very blog, you posted a picture of Madia headquarters with a Paulsen billboard on the roof, and directions for where people could go to see it?
To quote, well, you, It isn’t the crime, it’s the coverup that drags people down.
You have been less than honest with describing this whole affair, and as such, it should not surprise you that people aren’t believing your version of the events.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Just to clarify for you idiot liberals: Madia’s headquarters are in WAYZATA! Not MAPLE GROVE! Madia is on HWY 12, just west of 494. Just look for the big Paulson billboard.
This is a DISASTER for AshLOSE.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Michael-
It’s not legal advice. Don’t rely on it.
You can keep trying to change the subject, but you haven’t addressed any of the substantive points:
*Why did you choose that Perkins, especially if you’re “not familiar with the area,” as you said in post 36?
*Why were you standing in the parking lot rather than eating inside, as you claim was your purpose in going there?
*How many other nights have you waited in that parking lot hoping to bust someone taking a Paulsen sign?
September 26th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
LeRoy, you truly are the biggest dumbass in the world.
MICHAEL WAS HAVING DINNER IN MAPLE GROVE. 10 MILES AWAY FROM ASHLOSE’S DIGS! WHEN DID MICHAEL SAY HE WAS HAVING DINNER ACROSS THE STREET FROM ASHLOSE’S HQ? READ THE POSTS AND REPLY.
He NEVER said that. There isn’t a Perkins within a mile in ANY direction of that location.
Look in the mirror and realize what a tool you really are.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Leroy just put the smack down!
Nice try MDE, but you have fallen short once again!
September 26th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Great video grab Michael. I wonder if the lefty loons made up the same lies when the Rodney King video was released.
1.) The cameraman illegally placed a drunk Rodney King on the public right of way to entrap the police.
2.) The cameraman hid in darkness for hours until police arrived to beat up the drunk black man.
3.) The cameraman just happened to see the police beat up the drunk black man even though it was dark out.
4.) The cameraman should be arrested for harassing the police because he did some of the following: “stalk[], follow[], monitor[], or pursue[] another, whether in person or through technological or other means[.]
5.) Out of the hundreds of possible beatings going on in Los Angeles, the cameraman just happened to choose a beating that was 200 yards from his home.
Hmmm! Coincidence or Tin-Foil Hat?
September 26th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
D:
The Wayzata office you’re thinking of is for the 3rd CD DFL.
Madia’s offices are indeed in Maple Grove, right next to Michael’s favorite Perkins:
http://www.madiaforcongress.com/contact
September 26th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
IF, I repeat IF, the signs were in a public right of way, that is city property and it is not her place to remove the signs. She should’ve called the city.
Either way, a “Madia volunteer” using the comm. director’s car to go around and do this is VERY suspect.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I produced moremaps of the incident area, including using the Hennepin County GIS that shows that the land in question across the street from the Perkins parking lot was public property.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
The Madia comm. director having someone drive around in his car and take down signs is very dirty. Doesn’t matter if the sign was in the right of way or not. It is not their place to remove the sign. The city which owns that property has the authority to do that.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong here:
We have a woman who is caught picking up the lawn signs and trying to throw them away until challenged by somebody who happened to catch her.
So what is the reaction by Madia supporters. It isn’t outrage somebody will do something to embarrass the campaign. It isn’t even to apologize for the woman’s illegal behavior:
* The signs are illegally posted because the woman says so even though we don’t know based on the video exactly where they were posted and on whose property. The woman is automatically believed. Keep in mind if this woman is upset about this she picks up a telephone and calls the police to remove them. The fact that she doesn’t shows she shouldn’t be believed guys.
* Mike is called for setting up a trap in part because he picks a Perkins right by Madia’s headquarters. Get real! Maybe the friend lives in Maple Grove and wanted to meet in Maple Grove? Maybe there had been a Paulsen campaign event in Maple Grove? It’s automatically assumed by the Madia supporters that Mike picked the Perkins for a trap.
* Mike is accused of stalking a person who took the signs. It’s not stalking for a person who follows a lawbreaker and gathers evidence not to mention making an effort to recover the campaign’s property (the signs are Paulsen’s campaign property and the two being workers for the campaign implies authority to act for the campaign in this emergency situation).
Of course the lack of standards and responsibility that these democrats are showing in defending this lady is why we have the mess today. Mortage companies make loans that under old rules that would have never been made and now expect to be paid off.
If you’re rich person working your butt off take away your money and your incentive to earn more to give it away to somebody who isn’t doing anything to earn it.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
September 26th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
The bottom line on this whole mess is, Madia is riding a huge surge of popularity and success, and Paulsen is headed for certain defeat.
None of Michael’s opposition research seems to be resonating with the voters, so now he is out staking out illegal lawn signs in hopes of catching someone removing them.
If Michael had a track record of integrity, he would earn the benefit of the doubt. But he has proven over and over that his ethics are secondary to earning a living attacking democrats.
THAT is why few people believe this attack to be anything of consequence.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Apparently my link broke:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/s4xton/2990470306/
September 26th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Regardless of whether or not MBB put the signs there–and I doubt that he did–where I live the highway dept. has better things to do than police the sign ordinances and they tell you to go ahead and remove the signs yourself if they’re clearly in the right-of-way. So that’s what I do. Picked up one McCain-Palin sign and one Coleman sign illegally placed on the shoulder of the road this week. Those plastic-bag signs make great bags for picking up dogshit!
September 26th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Aaron: You’ve posted your lie link once – congrats. You don’t need to keep posting it…once is enough.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Oh, good grief, everyone. A volunteer did something stupid. That never happens with the GOP, I’m sure. She should have called city police to have them remove the signs. Michael caught her. She was driving someone else’s car who works for the campaign.
Michael was lucky and has a whole day’s hay with this. Have a blast, Michael. I’m sure no one will ever catch Paulsen’s campaign removing signs. Of course not. The GOP volunteers are all very well trained in the finer points of law as regards lawn signs. Right?
The DFL’ers just need to be vigilant in catching the Paulsen supporters putting the lawn signs up on public property in the first place. I just keep a notebook on the front seat of my car and jot down addresses and daily call the police. They do a sweep in our city for the signs and remove them for us. It’s a daily issue down here!
September 26th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
The MN GOP just sent a out a press release about this incident…
September 26th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Seriously, Michael, is this what Paulsen paid you $6,000 on August 5 for? Or is this another unpaid “hobby” like MDE?
September 26th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
No Leroy, the bottomline is this:
MB caught an Madia volunteer on tape taking down Paulsen signs.
Character assassinate MB all you want but you can’t change those facts.
MB caught an Madia volunteer on tape taking down Paulsen signs.
That’s the bottom line.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Let’s all dosclose what we get paid for political endeavors.
Me? $0
Your turn
September 26th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
…snd the cops said that she was within her right to remove the signs.
THAT is the funny part about this whole debacle. Michael himself admitted that Paulsen was in the wrong by placing the signs where he did. What he does have on tape is someone cleaning up the illegal mess Paulsen made.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Leroy: The cops said no such thing…you are a liar.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Me, too…..-0- bupkis….
I’ll take Michael’s “part time research” work anyday for the $9k he got paid for 6 weeks of work.
Drew’s right….Michael was lucky. He caught a Madia volunteer on videotape removing signs. Have you called the Maple Grove police to ask what their city policy is? Some cities just tell people to remove them if they are in illegal locations. Some will remove them for you. So, Michael, what did the police say when you filed the report? Did they say she did something wrong or not? No charges were filed by your post.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Man this stuff just falls in your lap…or these guys are doing it so much anyone with a vid camera was bound to catch one. Good Job!
September 26th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
MinnVoter wants to know how dumb we think he/she/it is.
I’m not sure there’s enough space to address that.
My democratic friends will probably blame this on Karl Rove or Carol Molnau.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Madia has had plenty of time to repudiate this type of activity and has said nothing. Volunteers get their orders from the top down and it’s no coincidence that that she was using a high-ranking campaign officials vehicle.
September 26th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
The liberals just can’t admit when they are in the wrong. Obama has the same problem, can’t admit he was wrong about the surge.
This is why none of you have any credibility – you support idiots like this broad that stole the sign. Caught surpressing someone elses free speech.
September 26th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
[...] Minnesota, sometimes the politics of elections here can get positively criminal — or at least ridiculously petty. In this case, we can add “tremendously stupid”. A campaign volunteer for DFL [...]
September 26th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
I wonder if this will be on COPS
September 26th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Hey is anyone here posting on the governmnet payroll?
September 26th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
For all of you complaining about this whole situation and making fun of people for actually calling these signs in should be ashamed. It is our civic duty to make sure that rules our followed. Most times, placement of these signs in right of ways is probably accidental and done by a volunteer who doesn’t know better. The only thing is, even if these Paulsen signs were placed in the right of way, this woman had no intent of fulfilling her obligation as a citizen by returning these signs to the city. She, & the Madia campaign, lose all credibility in this case because her intent was not to return the signs but it was to ILLEGALLY destroy and throw them away. Attempting to defend this type action is ludacris and cowardly. Both this individual and the Madia campaign need to be held accountable.
Thank you for capturing this video, and for helping to bring the truth about the Madia campaign tactics out in the open.
September 26th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
MinnVoter tried to insert a ludicrous claim in her question: out of every possible restaurant in the West Metro, you just happened to choose the Perkins that’s 200 yards from Madia HQ? Your story is bogus.
Well, Minnvoter, your comment is bogus.
If Minnvoter knew how to use Google, she would realize that Perkins on 11801 73rd Ave N, Maple Grove is a lot further away from Madia’s office on 10200 73rd Ave N, Maple Grove
200 yards?
Guess again
How about 500 yards?
NOPE!
How about 1,000 yards?
NOPE!
How about 1,500 yards?
NOPE!
The correct answer is ONE FULL MILE. That’s right! Perkins is one mile away from Madia’s office.
Don’t believe me? Check out the distance using Perkin’s direction guide
http://www.perkinsrestaurants.com/locations
I already know what Minnvoters response will be. She will say “Michael must have used a very strong zoom lens to get the video.”
September 26th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
She was BUSTEDDDDD! What an embarrassment!
You Lefty Losers need to get a life and a job.
September 26th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
What’s really amazing is the ethically and intellectually challenged Drew Emmer even showing his face in a discussion about ethics. Is there such a thing as “Wright County Syndrome?”
September 26th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
MinnyDem tries to change subject – and FAILS.
What we have is a typical liberal doing what comes natural to a liberal. Not being able to win an election on the issues they do whatever they can to undermine their opponent. Sad but true…
September 26th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Leroy:
What surge of momentuem are you talking about?
Committing illegal acts?
Telling lies?
Claiming the most important issue is getting out of Iraq the right way when if we adopt the Madia and Obama approach we would’ve left in January 2007 and Iraq will be controlled by Al Queda waiting to do more acts against the United States and Israel.
Leroy are you saying that it’s okay for a person to pick up a lawn sign? If that sign was illegally displayed and everyone who has tried to offer a defense of this lady hasn’t offered a shred of proof except her word that it was illegal displayed. Even if it is was illegally displayed she has to properly complain to the police. And even if she has the right to take the signs which I doubt she has to properly return them to the Paulsen campaign an act which she wasn’t doing.
To that person who said the Republicans who do it all the time how come I never have heard of a case where Democrats are complaining? There are at least two Democrat lawmakers who have been caught in the act of taking lawnsigns in the past.
Is there one Madia supporter let alone Madia who is willing to say that this supporter shouldn’t have done it?
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
September 26th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
She seemed pretty well coached to answer the questions about what she was doing.
Leads me to believe that she has done this before and was told what to say if she was caught.
September 26th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Drew Emmer Says:
September 26th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Hey is anyone here posting on the governmnet payroll?
—
Walter Hanson is on the government payroll. He’s a state employee we pay to comment on blogs.
BTW, I know the young lady and its too bad she did this. Her employers are aware of this and she is paying dearly for it. She should have kept her mouth shut. The mistakes of a young attorney huh?
September 26th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
The only reason her employers would have concern about this is because she got caught. If she had not got caught she would have had these signs put on the office board tracking who has stole the most signs.
September 26th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Minnvoter said “Madia’s offices are indeed in Maple Grove, right next to Michael’s favorite Perkins”.
If you consider 1 mile away “RIGHT NEXT TO”
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
September 26th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
DJZ:
As I pointed out on another post that you just made I am off today! I’m doing nothing illegal!
Of course you’re making another silly assumption
like most liberal democrats that the signs were illegally displayed because the woman said so.
In that case why doesn’t the woman come forward to tell us how they were illegally displayed? Maybe she can explain why she didn’t bother to call the cops which is her ethical duty because she is an officer of the court which means she can’t do an illegal act to remedy an illegal act.
Or are you saying it’s okay for this lady to go and take the lawnsigns?
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
September 26th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
“She should have kept her mouth shut. ”
yes, that would have made it all better.
“The mistakes of a young attorney huh?”
Are you referring to Madia?
September 26th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
“The mistakes of a young attorney huh?”
Not quite. The stultifying idiocy of liberalism is not effected by age. Lefties evidently quit maturing at about age 13.
September 26th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
NICE JOB!!!!
September 26th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Good to see Paulsen and MDE are focusing on the real issues again.
September 26th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Is our country not sliding into a depression right now while fighting two wars – and THIS is what you people are getting hot and bothered about?? Way to use dirty, childish tricks as a distraction from substantive issues. Typical. That woman did the right thing – get over it and let’s get back to substance.
September 26th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Argh:
This is a perfect example why we’re in the mess. The mortage crisis which started this whole mess was created because Congress at the urging of Democrats passed laws trying to encourage lenders to losen up on the tough borrowing requirements so people who otherwise couldn’t get a mortage could have one and get a house.
So what if they might not afford the balloon payment increase. So what if they put nothing down. So what if the government in effect told the lender they will guarentee the loan so go and make the loan.
In short standards didn’t matter.
This lady might not be happy with the fact that a Paulsen sign was somewhere she didn’t like so she took it (so much for freedom of speech or is that an issue you don’t care about).
This lady on the tape admits that is an attorney which makes her an officer of the court. She doesn’t have the right to commit an illegal act to fix an illegal act (oh lets not forget the democrats blocked reformer for Fannie Mae while their finances went down hill in part because of illegal acts). I guess a small illegal act with no money doesn’t matter to you.
Lets get to some substance. ARE YOU SAYING IT’S OKAY FOR THE LADY TO TAKE THE SIGN?
Walter Hanson
MInneapolis, MN
September 26th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
If you go to local.live.com you can see the BirdsEye view of that location and there are lots of signs there on the day the photo was taken.
Where was Ms. Moonbat on that day?
September 26th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Haven’t stupid young women learned not to get in a car with a democrat? She is lucky she didn’t die going over a bridge. Do you think the guys wife knows some tree hugging freak with boobs is driving his car?
September 26th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Unbelievable.
September 26th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Quoting Argh:
September 26th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
“Is our country not sliding into a depression right now while fighting two wars – and THIS is what you people are getting hot and bothered about??…”
No. It is about the people who want to hold office and their representatives (paid or unpaid) doing acts ranging from improper to illegal to try to assure that their ideology prevails. It is less about the act and more of what the act says about the candidate; that a candidate would allow or endorse this behavior speaks volumes.
September 26th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
At least she wasn’t a completely butt ugly staffer. Most democrat staffers are butt ugly.
September 26th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Madia clearly sees Paulsen as a threat. And when a Marine sees a threat, he issues the order to attack… lawn signs.
September 27th, 2008 at 12:36 am
How dumb do you think we are?
You are DFLers, right?
OK, seriously – judging by the resopnse I see you people putting up here, the answer is “Very, very dumb”. Bimbette was committing a crime, and the best you can do is…:
1) Ask Micheal over and over again why he eats at THAT Perkins? (SFW?)
2) Try to parse the law (it doesn’t work!)
3) Babble about Michael’s income (jealousy is almost as unbecoming as incoherence).
Face it – yet again, Michael’s eaten your (pl) lunch, and made you look like dolts.
Don’t blame him for your (pl) stupidity!
September 27th, 2008 at 8:19 am
And MBerg lets not forget one other thing:
All of those people who have tried to defend her seem to leave out until they are challenged for it, “she shouldn’t have done it”
It seems to imply that everyone of them wanted to walk across that street and take that lawnsign!
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
September 27th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Wow,
This is a fraud Michael, you are a toolbox. I thought this story was shit before I read that YOU were the one who caught them. that makes it laughable. You are sleaze and you staged this whole thing.
Its just a coincidence you were in a parking lot where someone was going to steal a sign across the street at the exact same time. Was this a sanctioned Paulsen campaign operation or were you doing this nefarious and quite ridiculous plan on your own.
And the local news eats it up, that is where the biggest joke lies.
September 27th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Yoni:
Michael has said over and over what happened, and it was not a trap. I know you think it is an unbelievable coincidence that Michael saw the Madia people take a sign. If this is a regular thing by the Madia people, and Michael is spending a lot of time in the District as part of his consulting gig, it seems likely he will eventually see it happen.
I think you are making a big mistake by continuing to post about this on this blog, you are just keeping the story alive. Even if people accept your faulty premise that it was a trap, it doesn’t make Madia’s communications director look any better. As a matter of fact I think it makes her and Madia look even more stupid, if fell into the trap of her opponent as you claim.
September 27th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Yoni:
Let me get this straight. Mike arranages to stage this. Well in that case why on earth will the spouse of Madia’s communications director agree to participate. After all she had to know when Mike was going to be there and she had to go and take the sign.
Explain that behavior away.
You can’t!
The only reason why you throw this dumb charge out is because you’re trying to divert from the issues:
* She was caught stealing the signs red handed!
* The Madia campaign won’t fire the communications director and he won’t resign.
* The Madia campaign still hasn’t announced how many Paulsen signs that they have stolen or destroyed under the orders of Madia (after all they were caught trying to steal two)
Those are the real issues Yoni!
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
September 28th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Its just a coincidence you were in a parking lot where someone was going to steal a sign across the street at the exact same time. Was this a sanctioned Paulsen campaign operation or were you doing this nefarious and quite ridiculous plan on your own.
“Yoni”, let’s say for a moment that your idea is correct.
It would imply that the sign theft in the Madia Campaign was so regular and systematic that Paulsen’s campaign could actually plan on “just happening to be in the right place at the right time”.
It would indicate that theft and vandalism are so rife in the Madia campaign that Michael can know exactly when to drive up from his home (way across the Metro) with a reasonable chance of catching Madia’s people in the act (because staking out sign thieves isn’t actually his, y’know, job).
Now,I’m a St. Paul Republican; I know enough not to be surprised by such things.
But smoke a cigarette and think for a moment; if what you say is true, what does that say about Madia and his campaign?
Hee hee. You people are so cute.
September 28th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
MBerg:
It’s amazing that this broke on Friday and there were people that were on Saturday still trying to pretend it was staged. Let alone on Sunday trying to defend it.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
September 29th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
[...] According to multiple sources, a staffer for the Minnesota DFL wearing an Ashwin Madia for Congress campaign T-shirt has been arrested for theft/burglary in the 3rd CD. The timing of this story couldn’t be worse for Team Madia, as the wife of Madia’s communications director was caught on recently on film removing Paulsen…. [...]
September 30th, 2008 at 7:40 am
[...] week, the Ashwin Madia campaign got caught stealing the lawn signs of their opponent, Eric Paulsen, in Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional district. Yesterday, [...]
October 4th, 2008 at 11:11 am
typical Bordkorb, ignore your own potentially illegality (the campaign’s) while accusing someone of stealing.
Michael, you looked like an aggressive jerk. Your ‘research’ is pretty obviously limited to ambush attack jobs.
Her better option would simply have been to call the city, yours would have been to stay in doors and not look like a turd.
Berg, is this your tone of civility rearing its head again? I wonder what MPR would think of some of your best ‘civil’ responses? My guess, they’d think you were an angry crackpot.