Richard Painter running for Franken's seat as a DEM...how cool is this?

[jodymarie aimee]

very very cool...he is magnificent.

[JNelson6563]

1. He's not a Democrat.

He was in W's admin. #JustSayNo

[hlthe2b]

3. I think this needs to be kept in mind and MN voters need to be discerning. Still I'd not rule out..

that he has had a sincere conversion, sufficient to support even those DEM policies that would have been unlikely under Bush.

[grantcart]

37. The cool part is that he is not running as a Republican

[hlthe2b]

2. I recall that Richard Painer supported Franken and decried his being "driven" out

Richard Painter, the former chief ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush White House, issued a statement on Friday, saying as a Minnesota voter, he was “outraged by the fact that the senator chosen to represent our state is pressured by Senate colleagues representing other states to resign because of unproven allegations.”

https://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2017/12/frankens-rapid-ouster-senate-prompts-backlash-among-his-minnesota-supporters

Beyond his vigorous attacks on Trump's corruption, I appreciate that Painter stood up for Franken...

I don't know enough about Tina Smith, who was appointed to replace Franken, or how she personally felt about Franken's "semi-forced ousting", given that she was benefiting from it, but I say let the best candidate prevail. Quite frankly I will continue to believe that BEST candidate is Franken, himself, but maybe we will see his second act soon in whatever context.

[Lunabell]

4. Am I allowed to say, "DINO?

Or maybe his views on governing have "evolved".?

[tblue37]

19. His Twitter feed suggests that he has swung left on environmental and social

Last edited Mon Apr 30, 2018, 05:43 PM - Edit history (1)

welfare issues. I do think he is a more dynamic and courageous defender of those policies than Tina Smith has been. I also think he has a better chance of being elected than she does.

His Twitter feed is one I read daily.

[BannonsLiver]

32. +1

Smith is in a caretaker role essentially. A reliable vote for the agenda of Senate Dems, but not a lot of upside politically in the near and long term.

[sellitman]

5. It's not enough just to be against Trump

This guy is a republican through and through. He just has more common sense than most of his peers. Pass!

[Arkansas Granny]

6. Other than his statements regarding Trump, I really don't know much about

Painter's political views. He doesn't seem to be a typical right winger, but I don't know if he's very progressive. From his statements and interviews I've seen, he appears to be intelligent and ethical.

[Exotica]

7. Hell NO. Tina Smith FTW. We don't need anymore centre-right DINOS.

Especially in Minnesota. Minnesota isn't Alabama or West Virginia (2018 WV, not 20 years ago WV).

only

[OnDoutside]

8. Is it too early to say to all those here screaming for Franken's removal, you own this ?

[malaise]

9. Not cool at all. n/t

[Sunlei]

10. a 30yr-republican running as a D to unseat Tina Smith the D who replaced Frankin, isn't cool.

March 2018, he announced that he was forming an exploratory committee to run for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, saying he was unsure whether he would seek office as a Republican, Democrat, or independent. In April 2018, Painter announced that he would run as a Democratic (Minnesota DFL) candidate for the U.S. Senate in the primary against Tina Smith.[4]

[demmiblue]

11. No thank you. n/t

[riversedge]

12. Painter is a Republican who does not like Trump policies, nor his behavior.

[betsuni]

13. Why is it cool?

Could you please give a little context for those who don't know who Painter is?

[Deb]

14. Where did you learn this? He is old school Republican

Painter is a delight when dissing the con but hell no on the Dem ticket.

Sounds like they want to siphon $$$$ from the Dems trying to keep that seat.

[Trumpocalypse]

15. While I would vote for Tina Smith if I lived in the state

I think it is good that Republicans are switching to the Democratic party. That's how the GOP took over the South.

[retread]

16. It is "cool" in the same way a trojan horse is "cool".

[enough]

17. Not very. NT

[Nanjeanne]

18. Cool because? Where does he stand on taxes, education, immigration, unions, healthcare

Etc. etc. etc.

[Leith]

43. Exactly This

The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend.

What are his stances on all the other issues? Abortion, economics, education, etc., and how he evolved to being Democratic after willingly worked in the Bush administration.

[superpatriotman]

20. Link please

No tweets

[dsc]

21. I have no idea as I don't know what he stands for

I think that matters.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

22. No, thanks. Tina Smith, the longtime DFLer and current senator, is doing just fine.

[romana]

23. Tina Smith's seat /nt

[kentuck]

24. He left the Republican Party.

Is the Democratic tent not big enough for him or does he need to find another office to run for? He shouldn't expect Democrats to desert an incumbent Democrat to vote for him, although he may be perfectly fine running for another position.

[wellst0nev0ter]

36. We don't need another Jim Justice

Painter's got a lot to answer for before I'll even consider looking at him.

[Amimnoch]

25. I'll let the people of MI decide.

Hopefully they will retain the "D" that will win come November. Without this "D" there is no path to downgrading McTurtle from Majority leader to minority leader. Any "D" is better than any "R".

(heh, edited to show the correct state acronym.. proof that I have no business here!)

[rzemanfl]

26. Why?

Michigan.

[SharonClark]

27. He's running in Minnesota, not Michigan

[Amimnoch]

28. fixed.

LOL, kinda reinforces my position that it's up to their people.. didn't even get their state acronym right!

[snowybirdie]

29. No

Until recently he was a Republican. A good Democratic now holds that position. Let her continue if she wishes. No primary fights
PLEASE!!

[Gothmog]

30. I will wait to see who Al Franken endorses

[imanamerican63]

31. He has been itching to take Trump down!

But he is not going to win in Minnesota! We need him to take on Trump in the media and Smith fight from her seat in the Senate!

[BannonsLiver]

33. You're predictably being pilloried

But I wouldn't dismiss him out of hand, or reflexively based on his past. If he's willing to embrace Dem values on social issues and other things, I don't see what the big problem is. At least he's interesting, and not putting people to sleep, or a total non-factor.

[Retrograde]

34. Joe Lieberman was a Democrat

as is Manchin and Heitkamp. None of them seem to have or have had a problem voting against the Democratic position.

[MineralMan]

35. What do you know about his positions on issues?

I know he dislikes Trump, due to his unethical behavior. But, I know nothing about his other positions on issues important to me. I'm sure I'll learn them, but I do know Tina Smith's positions. Do you?

I want Al Franken to still be in office. Failing that, I want someone who has the same progressive goals he had. Tina comes close, despite not being as outspoken and as much of a leader. Richard Painter is an unknown quantity.

For that reason, I'm not celebrating his entry into the primary race for that seat. We have a good candidate already, in Tina Smith, although she's no Al Franken.

Why are we so quick to embrace Republicans who call themselves Democrats so they can run in the Democratic primary? We shouldn't be. That path leads to dilution of our positions and possibly even to the loss of a Senate seat to the Republican who is on the ballot in November.

We need to think carefully about these things, rather than simply having a knee-jerk reaction to someone simply because that someone has criticized Trump.

Let's be careful, shall we?

[Owl]

38. Not cool at all.

[Me.]

39. Sorry, I Like Him Too

but he's not a Dem and further troubling, he's being endorsed by Nina Turner who has expressed her willingness to support Cons.

[maveric]

40. How will he vote?

What side of the aisle?

[Kirk Lover]

41. Folks switch parties all the time. He finds himself more aligned with Democrats than Republicans

nowadays ...and I can't say I blame him.

He is utterly ashamed of the Republican party. Is this how we treat folks who want to flip or who want to reconsider?
I'm glad I'm open minded, objective and not a partisan.

Glad to have you aboard Mr. Painter !

[ehrnst]

42. I'm amazed that a man who has been a Democrat all of five minutes gets immediate consideration

even though he's running against a woman with a legacy of fighting for Democratic values.

[Greybnk48]

44. Not cool. Why not run as a moderate Republican, and pull his party left,

rather than as a right leaning Democrat (and he is right leaning, he's a Bushie) pulling us more to the right. Wrong direction!

I like Richard Painter, but he's a neo-con at heart (who happens to hate Trump). NOT a Dem.

[Ace Rothstein]

45. Not cool at all.

I don't want Republicans running as Democrats and pulling the party further to the right.

[MurrayDelph]

46. I've said this here before

I believe Richard Painter is a decent man, and if he were to get the nomination I would support him over anyone the Republicans would put forward.

But since there is already a Democratic incumbent in that seat, I would rather have her than someone who as recently as a month ago was still announcing his expectations that "real Republicans" would rise up against the crazies. If he wants to bring back the fictional "Center Right," I'd rather he not try to do it as a Democrat.