Politics & Government

Ellison, GOP Spar Over Corporate Money, State of the Union

The Democratic incumbent and his Republican challengers had sharp disputes this week.

The State of the Union

Tuesday’s State of the Union speech saw a predictable split between Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Republican challengers, notably Chris Fields.

Throughout the speech, Fields retweeted comments critical of President Barack Obama’s defense strategy and economic proposals. Ellison, on the other hand, praised the president’s comments.

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“I think that the president was looking at this speech as a way to highlight some of his accomplishments,” Ellison told MinnPost. “He was able to do that, he was able to project a good vision. He was contrasting his vision with that of some of his opponents.”

The speech also saw Ellison and Fields exchange barbs via Twitter. Ellison tweeted, “Obama is not afraid of accusation 'class warfare'! Love to hear'm sticking up for working ppl.” Fields fired back with, “@keithellison is all about fueling division. Divide, conquer and stay in power. Thats not right. Its us vs them politics in America.”

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Corporate money

Ellison has embarked on a push to reverse the Citizens United ruling that barred government prohibitions on independent political spending by corporations and unions.

He introduced a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress and the states to regulate election contributions of for-profit corporations. Such a change would prevent companies from having an undue influence on the political process, he said.

“They do not vote, they do not serve in office, and they should not be able to buy our elections,” Ellison wrote in a Huffington Post editorial.

The proposal drew fire from Republican challenger Lynne Torgerson.

“Ellison wants corporate money out of politics so that only Unions can buy elections,” she wrote in a blog post. “The United States Supreme Court decided that corporations can contribute to political actions committees, which committees can support or work to defeat candidates. Ellison does not like this. Evidently, he only wants Unions to be able to influence elections with millions of dollars.”

Student Loans

On Thursday, Ellison signed on as a co-sponsor of a bill that would keep interest rates for Stafford Loans from returning to levels twice as high as they are now. In 2007, Congress temporarily cut Stafford loan interest rates to 3.4 percent, but the rates will climb to 6.8 percent July 1 when the cuts expire. This legislation makes the 3.4 percent rate permanent for subsidized Stafford loans.

“The American Dream used to mean something. If you worked hard, you could go to college, get a good-paying job, and not be saddled with excessive debt,” Rep. Ellison stated in a news release. “With interest rates skyrocketing, that dream is slipping away. If Stafford loan rates doubled, thousands of Minnesotans would be affected. We tell our children to get an education, and we owe it to them to keep that door to the middle class open.”

Talk to the candidates

Fields and Torgerson also have become active participants on Patch, with Fields joining in a discussion last week about the tax code following . For those who are interested, it’s a great way to engage this year’s candidates and ask them questions that haven’t been answered elsewhere. Patch would love for you to join in the discussion, too.


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