Rep Betty McCollum at the 2012 DFL Convention

Representative Betty McCollum spoke on Saturday June 2 at the 2012 DFL Minnesota State Convention.  The speech covered her view of the economy -- President Obama has the solution.  Her view of "Tea Party Republicans" --- obstructing President Obama's solution.

State Delegates the DFL, endorsement matters.  It matters for our candidates in congress, because it will put them on a path to victory.  In this election we need to pickup 25 Democratic seats to retake the majority in the US House.  DFL'ers, Minnesota has a job to do.

… Then followed a cheerleading listing of candidates around the state.

Well we know we can't take anything for granted, nothing can be taken for granted in this election cycle.  So you all know that we need to work hard to make sure that my three DFL brothers, Tim Walz, Keith Ellison, and Colin Peterson are re-elected as well. And two years from now we will be together to re-elect my Senate brother Al Franken. Now I have to tell you the buzz in Washington. They're talking about Senator Klobuchar cause she's bright, she's sharp, she works hard.  They're saying she's already won the election.  Well we don't take anything for granted in Minnesota and we all need to work hard, to re-elect Senator Amy Klobuchar.  We need her working for us in the US Senate.

Now as Chairman Martin pointed out, re-districting gave us a new congressional map this year.  This new map extends the 4th Congressional District into Washington County, putting my home in Saint Paul in the same district as the home of the Chairwoman of the Tea Party caucus in the House. Now we know the saying about the American flag, "these colors don't run".  Well the same thing can't be said for the Tea Party's flag. Their flag says "live free or die". Well I guess the Tea Party Caucus Chairwoman saw the new map. She decided that running away from her home gave her a chance to live free versus the alternative if she remained in the 4th District. So, for those of you who are currently living in the 4th District represented by a former Tea Party Candidate for President, you will be liberated.  I need your help in order to do that on November 6th.

Friends, for the past three and a half years our country has been digging out of the deepest most painful mess experienced in three generations. Eight years of President Bush's and the Republicans in Congress got us into an economic disaster. For the past three years President Obama has been leading us out of it. His leadership has saved millions of jobs. Prevented millions of families from falling into poverty. He has put America on a path forward. And now we can see some light at the end of the tunnel. Jobs are being created. And the economy, although its, its slowly starting to kinda build its energy back up. Well since 2009 the Republicans in Congress and their Corporate Sugar Daddies have been obstructing, stalling, and they have done everything in their power to stop President Obama's Job's agenda from moving forward and working, and we need to change that. We can change that. In order, in order to defeat President Obama you know, mean can you imagine putting in these deep deficit cuts that the Republican Tea Party's talking about? Its going to cause more hardship and more pain on million Americans. In order to gain political advantage the Tea Party Republican in Congress is willing to see America's credit rating damaged and our economy pushed into a break of crisis. It is wrong. It is just wrong. The majority of Tea Party Republicans and their corporate billionaires are attempting to execute a hostile takeover of America folks.  They're willing to destroy our economy and millions of lives if that means defeating President Obama. Democrats this country is at risk if the Tea Party, Romney crowd wins this fall. Our Tea Party opponents are determined to expand tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires.  Paid for by eliminating services for the poor, the sick, and the most vulnerable in our communities. We don't need more penthouse protections, we need to protect the social safety net. Our opponents are willing to deny Americans the most basic element of the American Dream - a job. And they're willing to do that to stop President Obama from succeeding. To me this is beyond politics. It is a betrayal of America's promise. It is economic treachery.  We must re-elect President Obama.  Stop Mitt Romney from turning America's corporate… into a corporate state in which workers, seniors, and middle class families are broken bankrupt and busted into pieces so Wall Street can profit.  Just like Romney did with Bain. Now, I'm gonna to work real hard to get myself re-elected, my Congressional brothers, Senator Klobuchar, and we are gonna work in the 4th District to help take back the Minnesota House and Senate. So I'm asking you to join me in this fight.  Our future for this country is on the line. And our future in this State is on the line as well. We need Democrats to rise to this challenge. I thank you, we need you, I thank you.

Demagogic name calling arguments are common at Conventions. They simply have no basis in fact or reality, but are regularly served up as fodder for the party faithful.  Using the appellation "Tea Party Republican" as a perjorative term, is more a McCarthyism than a substantive argument. It bears as much evidence of truth as it did when McCarthy shouted "communist" in the early 1950's.  It only creates mistrust and blocks understanding.

I guess that with the view from the far Progressive left, much like the view through binoculars from the furthest bleacher seats in a stadium, one can lose perspective and depth perception.  Thus limiting the ability to differentiate positions and ideas on the right half, or more, of the political spectrum.  Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, and even Ron Paul are conveniently forged together into one demagogic label.

Rep. Betty McCollum has been, and is, a solid, dependable, progressive supporter of the Obama White House, carrying water for its agenda.  As was demonstrated when she alighted from Air Force One with President Barack Obama earlier this week when he came to town to campaign. And in her consistent support of Obama's failed economic plans.  Evidence of that failure is demonstrated in every chart presented from the Bureau of Labor Statistics data.  The recent jobs, and unemployment report as written even in the Huffington Post  was a sober reminder of that failure.  As was the revision of the economic growth rate dropping to 1.9%.
From CNN:

The current growth rate is widely considered to be weak. A growth rate of about 3% is what economists typically expect will lead employers to engage in the kind of significant hiring needed to make a dent in unemployment.

Breaking the economy with fear, uncertainty, and punitive regulations does much more to assure the loss of that basic element of the American Dream - a job.

Compare the American Dream presented in this speech to that of the American Dream presented in, candidate for the CD4 Congressional seat, Tony Hernandez's speech at the Republican Convention in May.

This nation must return to what it once was, capturing the imagination of our worlds youth, the worlds greatest visionaries risk takers and entrepreneurs.  We must restore the American values by unraveling Obama's, McCollums, and Klobuchars's government failure.