CAMPAIGN COUNTDOWN

6th District Readies for Republican Primary

By Tim Pugmire
Minnesota Public Radio
September 8, 2008

St. Paul, Minn. — Tuesday’s primary election in Minnesota’s 6th District will decide which Republican congressional candidate is on the November 4th ballot.

Incumbent Rep. Michele Bachmann is seeking a second term in the U.S. House of Representatives, but she’s facing a GOP primary challenge from a political newcomer.

Aubrey Immelman, an associate professor of psychology at St. John’s University, opposes the war in Iraq, and says he wants to provide the district with competent leadership.

Bachmann challenger

Immelman, who walked across the Sixth District last month, says he’s counting on more than Republican voters to go to the polls tomorrow.

“Of course my only way to victory is for independents and also Democrats that believe the 6th District congressional race is important to come out and support me,” Immelman said.

The winner of the 6th District Republican primary will face DFL candidate Elwyn Tinklenberg.

Bob Anderson is also running, as an Independence Party candidate.

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TODAY’S CAMPAIGN SCHEDULE — 1 PM UPDATE

At 2 p.m. today I’ll be leaving Sartell on a final campaign swing (by car, this time) through the 6th District, with brief meet-and-greet stops in Sauk Rapids, St. Cloud, Big Lake, Monticello, Otsego, Elk River, Ramsey, Anoka, Blaine, and Woodbury. On primary election day, tomorrow, I’ll be staying close to home base in the tri-county St. Cloud area.

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TODAY’S FEATURED VOTER GUIDE

Today, in an effort to inform voters about my background and core issues, I feature information submitted for the North Metro TV Voter Guide, along with information provided by my opponent.

Aubrey Immelman (R)

About the Candidate: Aubrey Immelman is a psychology professor at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict, where he has taught since 1991. He was born in South Africa, the descendent of German settler farmers, and first came to the United States 40 years ago at the age of 12. He returned to South Africa to attend college and serve in the military during South Africa’s anti-communist Border War, as an infantry paratrooper and in military psychology. He also served the U.S. military as a consultant to neutralize a specific nuclear threat against the United States. Immelman is married, with four children aged 13, 11, 9, and 2. His service activities include coaching in the Sartell Community Education and Summer Recreation program and storm spotting for Stearns County Skywarn. He spends most of his free time at his children’s football, basketball, and baseball games and taking them fishing.

Important Issues: My signature issue is the unintended consequences of the Iraq war. The invasion of Iraq has exacted a huge cost in American blood, treasure, and loss of international stature. The Iraq war has created complex security challenges for the United States. I will draw on my military experience in counterinsurgency and anti-terrorist operations, nuclear counterproliferation, threat assessment, deterrence, and psychological operations to help mitigate new threats to our national security in the wake of the Iraq war. My other core issues are public safety, enforcing immigration law, border security, and being an effective, rational voice for Sixth District residents.

Political Philosophy: I’m part of a seemingly dying breed: the traditional conservative. Traditional conservatives believe in limited government; in contrast, neoconservatives have given us the most bloated government in the history of our nation. Traditional conservatives want a balanced budget; in contrast, neoconservatives have taken us from surpluses to record deficits. Traditional conservatives don’t mire us in unnecessary foreign entanglements. In short, traditional conservative values promote small government, fiscal restraint, and a strong military focused primarily on national defense, not nation-building or preemptive war.

Endorsements: None sought

Michele Bachmann (R)
About the Candidate:
Important Issues:
Political Philosophy:
Endorsements:

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IRAQ UPDATE

Bombs Wound 14 in Baghdad

A wounded Iraqi policeman arrives at al-Kindi hospital after a roadside bomb attack on his patrol in east Baghdad, Iraq on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008. (Photo credit: Karim Kadim / AP)

BAGHDAD (AP, Sept. 7, 2008) — A series of roadside bombs wounded at least 14 people Sunday in eastern Baghdad, police said, in a sign of the ongoing security threats despite a sharp reduction of violence in the Iraqi capital. …

Suicide Bomber Kills 6, Wounds 54 at Market in Iraq

Muntazer Ahmed, 4, was wounded in a suicide bomb attack on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008. (Photo credit: The Associated Press)

BAGHDAD (AP, Sept. 6, 2008) — A suicide car bomber blasted an outdoor market Saturday in a northern Iraqi city, killing six people and wounding 54, police and hospital authorities said.

The attack in the mainly Turkomen city of Tal Afar took place one day after a suicide car bomber struck a convoy carrying ex-Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi in Baghdad. The former Pentagon favorite escaped injury but six people, including five of his bodyguards, were killed.

Saturday’s attack occurred in the same Tal Afar market where a suicide truck bomber killed 28 people and injured 72 last month. …

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TODAY’S FEATURED YouTube VIDEO

John McCain Acceptance Speech — View From the Park

Below is video I took of the first five minutes of John McCain’s acceptance speech for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, as seen from the MSNBC outdoor set in Rice Park outside the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, venue for the 2008 Republican National Convention, Sept. 4, 2008.