colinlee's blog

We have run a highly effective and visible, first-time, third party campaign. There is no question that we could not have done as well as we did without the unwavering commitment of our core volunteers, donors, and those who have committed to proudly show our lawn signs. When Derrick Williams of ThisWeek Newspapers called me at 8:30 this morning to discuss my campaign, he was blown away by our powerful show of competency in getting out a clear message to a wide audience very early and very often from February until November.

650 voters in Lakeville signed my petition within the first two weeks of July to put my name on the ballot, then 1250 Lakeville voters followed up this November by voting for me for the fourth highest race in this election. Achieving this level of support required the committed volunteer effort of over two dozen volunteers at various points of the race.

Before you vote this Tuesday, keep in mind which candidates work for lobbyists and special interests and which candidate works for you...

My opponents just released their voluntary campaign finance disclosures. The incumbent in my race accepted no less than $4,100 from lobbyists, PACs, and special interests. I am the only candidate in my race who has sworn to "Take the High Road" by refusing all donations from lobbyists, corporations, and political action committees.

Please compare our official numbers at the MN Campaign Finance Board disclosures website and see which special interests bought political favor from each candidate.

In the field of politics, our best solutions are rarely applied. Too often, politicians do not have the energy to seek experts who know great solutions, letting lobbyists explain mediocre options to them instead. This results in massive corporate subsidies for technologies that are
pie-in-the-sky, while innovative solutions gather dust on the shelf. Nowhere is this demonstrated more clearly than in the field of energy.

Over the last few decades, we have subsidized oil with trillions of dollars more than any other energy source. Even with these huge handouts to multinational corporations, the price has been soaring faster than inflation every year, leading many observers to wonder why our government pays them anything. If our tax-funded research and infrastructure investments cannot lower prices, then we must ask if our money is being wisely spent.

Our campaign to change the face of Minnesota politics was just endorsed by the most successful maverick in our state's political history. Governor Jesse Ventura gave us his seal of approval in the last week. We appreciate his support.

U.S. Senator Dean Barkley, who currently polls at 14% in the Senate race against Franken and Coleman, also signed on to support my candidacy. When Jesse polled at similar numbers prior to the '98 debates, many thought he had no chance to win. However, good debate performances can turn a ripple of support into a typhoon and make any third party candidate viable.

I have four or five public debates coming up soon which are listed on the righthand side of my website. Come support us and watch history in the making!

It is now the third week of June. Our campaign has been off to an excellent start since I first declared my candidacy back in February. We earned the Green Party endorsement and have almost a dozen, active volunteers who show up for meetings. We have received well over two dozen individual campaign contributions in spite of rejecting all PAC and lobbyist money, have had two articles in local newspapers, and have been at every major Lakeville event.

The Neighbors for Colin Lee had a very productive meeting last Wednesday, including a lively discussion about what it means to run a "green" campaign. I don't mean merely to run for office as a supporter of Green ideals. We also want to run a campaign that itself shows respect for our earth and water by limiting landfill waste.

To that end, we discussed the Greenest ways to handle lawn signs and campaign literature. We have printed recycled, post-consumer campaign literature with soy ink. Our lawn signs will be locally-made by a union printer as poly bags, which are not only more economical than the standard corrugated plastic, but which will be collected after the campaign to be reused or recycled as waterproof decking material.

Many Lakeville citizens are already Green and don't know it. "Green" political philosophy is about so much more than simply the environment. It is about promoting sustainability so our budget, economy, and state programs will be at least as good for our children as they are now for us. It is about a democratic political system that stems from the grassroots, not the corporate roots. It is about creating a just society that takes personal responsibility for its actions.

I will be knocking on doors around Lakeville for the next few weeks to ask you what you believe this state needs and to listen to your answers. I'm looking forward to meeting with each and every one of you in my district to have this productive conversation.

We will be marching in Lakeville's Pan-O-Prog parade on July 12th and look forward to seeing you there.

Stay strong and beautiful, Lakeville!