Acts of desperation by campaigns are common in the waning days of an election, yet few are as desperate as those of the Clark campaign in the DFL primary in Minnesota's 8th Congressional District.
Although former State Senator Tarryl Clark (who lives in the 6th district) was the first to announce her candidacy in the 8th district race, her campaign has failed to gain traction in northeastern Minnesota, an area where residents dislike outsiders and absolutely loathe the idea of carpetbagging. As a result, she is badly trailing former Congressman Rick Nolan, who handily won the DFL endorsement in May. Just how desperate Clark is became obvious Wednesday, as the St Cloud resident unleashed a stunning and completely unwarranted attack on the effectiveness of one of former Governor Rudy Perpich's key jobs initiatives, and on the integrity of Cuyuna Range native Nolan and by extension, that of Mesabi Range native Perpich as well
The late Gov. Perpich recognized before most that global trade was the key to growing the economy of the Iron Range and northeastern Minnesota as well as the entire state, and sought Nolan's assistance in this endeavor. In 1987, Nolan was elected president of the new Minnesota World Trade Center, a unique state agency created to promote international trade with Minnesota businesses.
In a truly smarmy television ad worthy of Karl Rove, Clark shockingly claims no 'middle class jobs' were created by the Minnesota World Trade Center during Nolan's tenure as president, and accuses the former congressman, whom columnist and congressional critic Jack Anderson rated "one of the most respected members of Congress for effectiveness and integrity," of 'blatant misuse of public funds.'
Clark's far-flung allegations have stunned many observers, including former Minnesota AFL-CIO President Dave Roe. According to Roe, who was a close friend of the former governor and actively involved with the project, Nolan was instrumental in the launching of the Minnesota World Trade Center, and both Perpich and organized labor were impressed with Nolan's leadership:
Rick Nolan provided very effective leadership and brought thousands of jobs to Minnesota. St Paul benefited from construction jobs, and all of Minnesota benefited from jobs created by increased trade.
Indeed, the only critics were those who disliked Perpich initiatives, and the Republicans in particular hated anything the Hibbing native proposed. Roe recalls
The World Trade Center was good for Minnesota, but the Republicans strongly opposed it because, like all of Perpich's initiatives, it was progressive.
Perpich's good friend and fellow Ranger Rick Nolan also became a target for Republicans (and some Twin Cities liberals) who despised Perpich, disliked Rangers in general, and attacked any project led by a Ranger, particularly one that benefited northeastern Minnesota. Clark's misleading and false allegations are just more of this whiny drivel. But it should come as no surprise that she is taking up the mantle of the Republicans in criticizing Perpich's jobs initiative; while Nolan was working with Perpich and actually creating jobs here in Minnesota, Tarryl Clark was a practicing Republican living in Arizona who voted for union busting President Ronald Reagan in 1980, and again in 1984 over Minnesota labor's own Walter Mondale.
Isn't that special?
And now this Reagan-loving outsider-turned-packsacker waltzes in to northeastern Minnesota with her outside money and attacks the integrity of two of our favorite native sons? Attacks a key jobs initiative that opened the door to global trade for the Iron Range and was the pride and joy of the only Iron Range governor in Minnesota history? That's chutzpah.
If Clark were really from northeastern Minnesota, she'd know better than to pull a sleazy, desperate stunt like this. And it's not only insulting that she thinks we'll believe her revisionist history; it's downright delusional.
A packsacker who attacks our own and attempts to deceive us is as popular in the 8th district as a United States Steel executive on the picket line at MinnTac.
Packsacker Tarryl Clark is no exception.