Ellison Weighs in on Super Committee's Shortcomings

After it was announced last week that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction—a congressional super committee constructed to address the nation's budgetary problems—was no more, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) joined other Minnesota politicians in criticizing the committee's shortcomings.

Ellison was most critical of the committee's lack of focus on jobs. In a joint statement released with Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), who co-chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus with Ellison, the Minnesota representative said:

"After manufacturing this crisis over the summer, Republicans insisted on protecting tax giveaways for millionaires and billionaires and eliminating the Medicare guarantee. Republicans seem more committed to protecting the one percent than to finding bipartisan solutions that create jobs." (You can see the rest of Ellison's statement, along with feedback from the rest of the Minnesota delegation, in this MPR article.)

Ellison Applauds YouTube Decision to Pull Anti-Islam Ad

After a graphic, anti-Islam ad created by Ellison challenger Gary Boisclair was pulled from YouTube earlier this month, the Muslim congressman said in a statement he applauded the decision:

"The people of Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District elected me to uphold our Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion for every American. I intend to maintain the high level of civility the voters expect and deserve. And, I will continue working with our communities to organize for greater inclusion of people of all faiths and backgrounds."

Debate Scheduled

Senate District 60 Republicans of South Minneapolis are partnering with Congressional District 5 Republicans to host a debate featuring potential Ellison challengers on Tuesday night.

The debate will be held at the James Ballentine VFW, 2916 Lyndale Ave. S, and will run from 7-8:30 p.m. Talk show host Bob Davis will moderate, and Republican challengers Michael Katch, Lynne Torgerson and Chris Fields are expected to participate.

For more, see the SD-60 website.