I will not dwell on whether Representative Michelle Bachmann is a raging McCarthyite, a loose-lipped partisan or an unpleasant and destructive personality. It is possible that she is all three combined.
Instead I want to say "Thanks!" to Michelle Bachmann for something she did by accident: she helped introduce us to a fine and deserving candidate, her Democratic opponent Elwyn Tinklenberg. As I have said elsewhere; what a great name. Can anyone doubt the overall good sense of someone with as rootstock an American name as that? I can't.
Let's take a closer look at Elwyn "El" Tinklenberg. It turns out El Tinklenberg is far more interesting than just being the anti-Bachmann. He is a former Methodist Minister who became an expert on transportation and infrastructure issues and believes strongly that we have abandoned our responsibility to maintain and improve our infrastructure in terms of road and rail, and in regard to high-speed information networks. Tinklenberg was tapped to serve in as head of the Minnesota Department of Transportation in the administration of Jesse Ventura. How's that for working across the aisle!
What struck me as I read about Tinklenberg is what a thoughtful and reasonable man he seems. Take a look and I think you will agree. So let's all thank Michelle Bachmann for calling our attention to a talented public servant, who (with our help) will be a valuable addition to the Unite States Congress, someone we had managed to overlook. As our attention turns to the need to rebuild our national infrastructure, I can think of several committees that Congressman Tinklenberg would be a valued member of. He has the experience to back up other's ideas. He also strikes me as having the good sense and humility to know what he doesn't know. What a refreshing concept! He comes across as a decent and principled man, rather like Jon Tester.
A good starting point for finding out about someone is always wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
which has this choice quote (my emphasis). I can think of no finer assessment of a public official, can you?
After Tinklenberg announced his plans to leave Mn/DOT in 2002, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune published an editorial praising his record and service. The editorial noted that Tinklenberg told Minnesotans "not necessarily what they wanted to hear but what they needed to hear. His frequent explanations helped lift the interwoven issues of roads, transit, housing and development to the top of the state's agenda."[2]
Another source is always the candidate's website.
http://www.tinklenberg08.com/
I particularly enjoyed the photos of a parade:
http://www.tinklenberg08.com/...
Then there is always youtube.com. Here are some selected videos that gave me a good impression of Mr. Tinklenberg. I liked the one about his childhood and I liked what he has to say about hunting and fishing.
http://www.youtube.com/...
http://www.youtube.com/...
http://www.youtube.com/...
http://www.youtube.com/...
One news report notes that the Bachmann debacle on Hardball lead to a massive spike in donations to Tinklenberg's campaign, around $810,000 to date. In addition Rahm Emanuel says that the DCCC will now put $1,000,000 in ads into the race. That is a lot for a single seat, but you can bet the RNC will pump money into the race as well, to deflect the news stories. If we put in another $190,000 this week, in the next two days, we can kick more life into the story by "rewarding" Bachmann's deranged comments by raising an even million dollars to signal our distaste for Bachmann-style divisiveness and slander. When you listen to El Tinklenberg's comments on the toxic impact of slash and burn politics I think you will see that he is the perfect candidate to address the problem and help Congress move back to taking care of the nation's business in a calm and civil manner. Tinklenberg has a vision, a quiet and civil vision, that is inclusive, results-oriented and would make him a valued member of the more civil and collaborative Congress we hope to build.
We could waste our time continuing to talk about what a bum Michelle Bachmann is, and doubtless Chris Matthews will be crowing about it for the next week or so, but isn't that just piling on? Can we stipulate that she should not be in Congress and just move on? Shouldn't we just thank her for calling our attention to a fine man that we had overlooked in the heat of this epic campaign? ...and then work to get him elected? I think Bachmann is just yesterday's news, while today and tomorrow we need to be paying attention to what we need to be doing, rather than dwelling on old news. I hope someday I can meet El Tinklenberg in Congress and shake his hand. I think I'd like talking with him.