Today the 8th Congressional District DFL endorsed Jim Oberstar at their Convention. I had been tempted to distribute a brochure with the lovely picture of Jim hobnobbing with all the Republicans during one of their crudest bids for votes in the last couple years but eventually decided that there was little to be gained by this.
Besides’ since I was spending the last half of the week with my better half in the Twin Cities while she attended her safety convention we extended our stay through Saturday to stay with my brother and his family. Family should always trump politics.
In the morning my Brother took me and my niece for a drive around his neighborhood in the Minnetonka, Wayzata area. When we drove into a particularly secluded and well healed neighborhood I saw the names of all the residents on a little directory of the neighborhood. I’d seen rustic signs like that in cabin country before but never in a really tony neighborhood. One of the names was John Dasburg.
I haven’t followed the NWA news carefully enough to know who’s leading the corporation today as it struggles for survival but I sure recognized that name. How many John Dasburg’s there are in Minnesota I have no idea but it’s probably not many. Certainly it’s not many who live in three, four or five million dollar homes which is what all the homes in this little haven looked to be worth.
So, even though I didn’t go to that DFL convention I still managed to feel a little connection to the Congressman today since he has worked so closely with NWA over the years. A quick check of the Internet demonstrated that Oberstar had received a small contribution from Dasburg on at least one occasion, that being in 1997. I’m sure if I took the time to look I’d find other donations.
Lots of people give Jim contributions. I even saw the President of my old high school Senior class among the contributors in 97 and he was listed as having given even more to Oberstar on this report than Dasburg had.Â
When I got home I set to reading all the local newspapers I’d missed while I was away. Tom West of the Budgeteer had some interesting insights to share about the Grams challenge to Oberstar. I rather think West would like to see Grams do well but he was honest in pointing out some of our ex-Senator’s liabilities. I’m willing to bet he doesn’t quite realize how empty a shell Oberstar is. Lucky for Jim it’s going to be a good year for Democrats running for Congress.
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