Barnes: Congressman Paulsen Should Rebuke Bachmann's Comments

Editor's Note: The following was submitted by Brian Barnes, DFL candidate for Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District. The views expressed are solely his and do not reflect those of Patch.

In 1950, near the beginning of Joe McCarthy’s reign of terror in which he exploited the American public’s fear of communism, his colleague Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, a fellow Republican, spoke out against his attacks on innocent government employees. Senator John McCain showed similar courage Wednesday by denouncing the attacks on Ms. Huma Abedin, in her attempt to exploit the public’s fear of Muslim extremism.

My friend, Representative Keith Ellison  actions. Rather than reconsider her reckless statements, she went further and .

These attacks go beyond the standards of our political discourse, the dignity of the United States Congress, and decency itself.

Yet, what is most concerning is the silence that enables such actions to occur – specifically the silence of her closest colleague Erik Paulsen.

Representatives Paulsen, Bachmann and Ellison have been long-time colleagues in both Congress and the Minnesota Legislature, and the time has come for Representative Paulsen to follow Senator McCain’s example and rise to the defense of loyal Americans. Silence in the face of such awful attacks only allows them to continue.