So says Fox 21 News: https://www.fox21online.com/2018/08/14/congressional-candidate-stauber-ready-for-strong-primary-showing/
While picking up a glazed-raised doughnut for my cold-suffering sweetie at Mt. Royal Foods this morning one of the check outers told me she’d seen me on Fox News last night. I was practicing French then and didn’t catch their report. So I just checked and found out I’m running for Congress. Hmmmmmmm?
Well, here is the email exchange between Fox’s Dan Wolfe and me:
Jan. 20/20
Hi Harry,
Dan Wolfe with KBJR here. Just wanted to check in and see if you’re planning to challenge Rep. Stauber again in his 8th District run. As you’ve probably seen, he launched his re-election bid today.
Hope all is well with you!
Me:
Hi Dan,
I haven’t ruled out filing against Pete. Filing and campaigning are two very different things.
I just sent an email proposal to UMD’s College Republicans asking them to consider meeting me in a public forum to challenge each others views on Donald Trump. I just sent it. Its unlikely they will agree and I did tell them such a forum might not help Congressman Stauber.
I think the future of the Republican Party is in question.
Thanks for asking.
And here’s the email I sent to UMD’s College Republicans which I told Dan I didn’t expect them to reply to:
Jan 16, 20
To: umdbulldogrepublicans@gmail.com
Subject: I’d like to propose a debate. Would anyone meet me for coffee
…..We live in perilous times. I suspect the members of UMD’S CR’s would agree with me about this even if they disagree with my take on our times.
…..Almost 50 years ago when CRs were under assault during the Vietnam War our Mankato chapter was issued a challenge to defend Richard Nixon in a debate on a campus that had thousands of kids marching against the war. I disliked Nixon but felt it was important to give voice to his side. I did. I survived.
…..I would like to hold a debate with a Trump supporter at UMD. I am intensely dissatisfied with any form of debate I have seen over a lifetime of watching political debates. I’d like to talk with the UMD CR’s about my proposal and ways to vastly improve future public forums.
…..For years, in my first quarter of a century in Duluth, I got CR’s to work on various GOP campaigns I was involved with. I am not interested in embarassing them or their views. I am interested in my views of which I am very confident but the discourse is more important.
…..In a debate or discussion I would be formidable. I know a lot. I have long years in politics and public service. I look cool as a cucumber. I am not, however, smug. If you would be willing to let me come to a meeting to introduce myself and lay out and negotiate my offer I would appreciate it.
…..I am a celebrity of sorts in Duluth with fans and critics. Your entire club could not read and digest all the stuff I have blogged about or published in the Duluth Reader. But you could get a sense of what anyone debating/having a discussion with me would face. I did file to run against Congressman Pete Stauber in 2017’s GOP primary. I didn’t campaign. I got 5 percent of the Republican vote. I might do it again and if I did this debate could promote my side. As good Republicans you would have to balance the threat of knocking the Stauber campaign off balance with the publicity for UMD’s CR’s and honest public discourse.
…..I will note that even if I ran and even if I improbably won the GOP primary my wife and I will spend the 45 days just before the election in France so that I can study French. Under no circumstances do I intend to cancel this travel commitment.
…..Please have someone call me. My cell number is ________-.
…..All the best,
…..Harry Welty
This email was followed by my general proposal for a debate format although I hate to call it a “debate.” As I explained in my emails to the CR’s I have never seen a satisfying debate.
I thought I would give you my initial outline for a debate format. This is it:
.No mediator. Only an emcee to introduce the “debate” and debaters.
.The representative of the College Republicans will begin with up to 15 minutes to defend President Trump. I will have up to 15 minutes to make my case in criticism.
.The CR rep will have 5 minutes to rebut
.I will not rebut the rebuttal.
.From this point on only audience members will be allowed to ask questions and the questions will be directed to both sides for replies limited to 5 minutes.
.I am open to a couple minutes of informal questions and challenges between the debaters at this point but I would like them to be both informal and brief.
.Time in total. I don’t care.
