WASHINGTON – The newly elected southern Minnesota member of Congress, Brad Finstad, already is eyeing re-election in 2024. He sent a mailer to constituents that purports to be a solicitation of their views. In actuality the mailer is a GOP boilerplate tool to assemble an email list of possible campaign donors next time around. The mailer asks for an email address and phone number with a detachable return-mail postcard. The mailer’s purports, however, to seek a sample of voter views through a check-off list of issues: “What issues matter most to you?” But that’s a ruse. Consider: these items from a list of issues with a binary checkbox for each:
> Second Amendment. Pointless as a yea-nay option. Everybody favors the Second Amendment, The issue is whether the amendment should be interpreted to allow unlimited availability of firearms or common-sense limits or some middle ground. Finstad isn’t measuring where constituents come down on the issue.
> Protecting the unborn. As a category, a yes-no response offers no opportunity for intelligent constituent feedback for Finstad. The binary option misses the nuanced complexity and sophistication of the abortion debate as it has evolved.
> Taxes. How can this be an intelligent yea or nay check-off category? Isn’t the question about taxes always what are the taxes for?
Other yea-nay options: Government spending? Illegal immigration? Inflation? Medicare? National security? Social Security? The mindlessness of the mailer bespeaks its purpose not as an honest query for constituent thinking but an early-onset 2024 campaign fund-raising device.
Finstad. Elected in August 2022 to fill the MN-1 seat created by the death of Jim Hagedorn. Elected to a full two-year term in November 2022.
Meaningless survey. The mailer was funded for Postal Service delivery from the congressman’s tax-funded franking account. Images: Steve Lunde
Front side. Expensively printed, glossy slick paper, full color on thick stock.