Letter to the Editor: 'Bunn is the Real High Ground'

To the Editor,

Candidate Housley spends a good deal of her recent letter defending herself by deflecting blame to others. Is this her understanding of taking the high ground? And is this how a good leader responds when mistakes are made and things don’t go as planned?

In recent forums, Housley has touted her business and technology skills, yet earlier in the campaign she didn’t seem to understand how “equal air time” rules apply to all broadcasters, and she falsely accused Bunn (personally) of forcing her to quit her local radio show.

And recently, when it was pointed out that her latest campaign finance report was incorrect, she said the MN Campaign Finance board was to blame. But it was her own campaign that had failed to upload the correct finance report. Hundreds of other campaigns in Minnesota were able to meet this requirement.

Was Ms. Housley on the high road when she blamed others for her campaign’s error? This might seem a minor incident, but it makes me worry: In public office--with the stakes much higher—how would she react when something goes wrong unexpectedly?

Housley claims she has not been negative and is instead taking the “high road”. But in her closing remarks at the Boutwell’s Landing forum she attacked Bunn for being born outside of Minnesota (So, having the wisdom to choose to come live in Minnesota should count against you?). And Housley seemed to blame the entire $6 billion State revenue shortfall (due to the Great Recession) squarely on Bunn. And somehow the fact that Bunn is a trained economist makes her even more responsible for the bad economy?

Housley and the special interest groups supporting her campaign have sifted through Bunn’s public record, pulled things out of context, and then spun these against her. Now Housley is uncomfortable with others criticizing her public record – e.g., her book on investing. Housley has touted this book as a key professional credential. So why is highlighting what the business press actually had to say about the book – that its advice was unsound and led to performance far worse than the overall market – why is this unfair? Isn’t it possible that this information could be relevant to evaluating Housley’s thinking and judgment.

Finally, and most importantly, throughout the forums, I have heard Housley speak in GOP sound bites, clichés and anecdotes, but I haven’t heard her discuss details of specific policies and issues. She claims she would be able to work in a bi-partisan way, and get things done. But I haven’t seen her point to a major issue where she would challenge her party’s line, work with others, and demonstrate independence of thought. I’m worried that she is more likely to add to the partisan gridlock than to try to undo it.

I find that Bunn, on the other hand, speaks more truthfully about the challenges we face. Julie has the knowledge to be independent of political parties. She cites examples that demonstrate her independence and her bipartisanship. She relies on facts, evidence, best practices, and thoughtful analysis in her decision-making.

I’m convinced that Julie Bunn’s focus is serving our needs here in District 39 and in our State as a whole. She shows a level of discipline and work ethic that I admire, she does Minnesota and our district proud. I’ll be voting for Julie Bunn on Tuesday.

-- Roger Miller, Stillwater