Dayton, AFSCME reflect on endorsement
Two days after endorsing former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton for governor in 2010, officials with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 5 held a news conference today with their candidate.
They explained how they view Dayton as the most electable DFL candidate, with two statewide wins under his belt. Dayton is seeking the DFL party endorsement, but he's also planning to run in the primary. AFSCME Executive Director Eliot Seide isn't concerned about the potential of working against a DFL-endorsed candidate.
"We're neither Democrat nor Republican. We're union members, and we support the candidates we think best support working families and have the best ability to win."
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Listen to the news conference audio here:
Also, the Republican Party of Minnesota weighed in today with a harsh assessment of the union endorsment.
Here's the GOP news release:
AFSCME Endorses Self-Admitted Failure Mark Dayton
St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton today issued the following statement regarding AFSCME's decision to endorse Mark Dayton for governor.
"Mark Dayton was named one of Time magazine's 'worst senators' in America and he even gave himself an 'F' for his lack of accomplishments in Washington. While that may be the kind of 'experience' AFSCME is looking for in the next governor of our state, I find it hard to believe Minnesotans will find much to praise in Dayton's hard-left record of ineffectiveness and ineptitude. All the money in Dayton's trust fund can't change the fact that he doesn't have what it takes to lead."
Meet AFSCME's Endorsed Candidate Mark Dayton:
Dayton Graded Own Senate Performance An "F." "If U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., was to grade himself on his accomplishments in Congress, it would be an 'F,' he told students Thursday at the Renville County West High School in Renville." (Tom Cherveny, "Senator Says He Gives Himself An 'F,'" West Central Tribune, April 21, 2006)
Time Magazine: Dayton One Of America's Five "Worst Senators." "When he was elected in 2000, Minnesota Democrat Mark Dayton seemed well prepared, having worked as an aide to Walter Mondale in the 1970s. But he has exhibited erratic behavior since then: in October 2004 he shut down his office for almost a month, citing an unspecified terrorist threat." ("America's Worst - Mark Dayton: The Blunderer," Time, April 14, 2006)
Time: Dayton "Passed Few Bills," Tried To Create A Department Of Peace & "Confounded His Colleagues." "Inside the Senate, Dayton has passed few bills partly because some are too liberal for the Republican-controlled body, including one that would have created a Department of Peace and Nonviolence. He has confounded his colleagues by complaining about basic facts of the job, such as his limited power in a chamber where authority derives from seniority." ("America's Worst - Mark Dayton: The Blunderer," Time, April 14, 2006)
Bizarre Dayton Shut Down His Washington Senate Office Over Theoretical Terrorist Threat. "When Senator Mark Dayton shut down his Washington office last week, ostensibly out of concern for his staff's safety, many on Capitol Hill wondered if the Minnesota Democrat knew something everyone else didn't. The answer, it turns out, is far from it. Dayton last month received the same briefing as his fellow Senators about a CIA worst-case scenario involving simultaneous terrorist attacks across the country. Yet he apparently took the hypothetical threat as an imminent one. 'Most people who heard the briefing,' sniffs an intelligence official, 'understood the context. It was theoretical.'" (Elaine Shannon, "Why Didn't 99 Other Senators Close Up Shop Too?" Time, October 25, 2004)
Hard Left Dayton Attacked Governor Pawlenty For Refusing To Tax Raises. "That Pawlenty won't raise taxes 'even one penny,' Dayton said, 'is a disgrace.'" (Brad Swenson, "Beltrami County DFL fundraiser: Gubernatorial candidates blast budget," The Bemidji Pioneer, February 17, 2009)
Dayton's Odd Behavior Troubled His Own Staff. "His 1998 field director, Monte Jarvis, says Dayton didn't trust his staff, and micromanaged the campaign. 'He worried about the cleanliness of the refrigerator and the way the newspaper was situated on the table in the morning, and if it was out of order,' Jarvius recollects." (Laura McCallum, "Senate Candidate Profile: Mark Dayton," Minnesota Public Radio Website, August 1, 2000)