7/24/2007 9:59:00 AM Ciresi brings U.S.
Senate campaign to Sauk
Sauk Centre--U.S. Senate candidate Mike Ciresi visits with Carol Gamradt on his campaign through Sauk Centre on Monday, July 16, saying he has a proven track record of taking on special interests and will fight to strengthen the middle class.
Herald photo by dave simpkins
U.S. Senate candidate Mike Ciresi visits with Mary Kay Middendorf and her daughter, Callie Schultz, on Monday, July 16, at The Palmer House in Sauk Centre.
By Dave Simpkins
U.S. Senate candidate Mike Ciresi brought his campaign to Sauk Centre on Monday, July 16, saying he has a proven track record of taking on special interests and will fight to strengthen the middle class.
Ciresi is campaigning against comedian Al Franken and environmentalist Jim Cohen for the DFL nomination to oppose incumbent Senator Norm Coleman in the November 2008 election.
Ciresi is a Minneapolis based attorney with Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi that won the multi-billion dollar State of Minnesota and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota vs Phillip Morris Incorporated lawsuit in 1998.
Ciresi said his experience in winning lawsuits against tobacco, drug and chemical companies proves he has the experience needed to fight for people in the senate.
He noted Sauk Centre, like many farm communities, is impacted by the farm bill up for passage.
"What congress does with the farm bill is important to Sauk Centre as well as all of Minnesota because farming is so important," said Ciresi. "We need to make sure the farm bill serves family farmers and not millionaires living on Summit Avenue."
So far, Franken is Ciresi's main contender for the nomination.
"I just ask people, who do they want as their advocate on the floor of the U.S. Senate? I've lived my whole life in Minnesota, I've represented Minnesotans in court and I've won many tough battles. I've been tested in the furnace," said Ciresi.
Franken grew up in St. Louis Park, but lived in New York City as a writer and entertainer for Saturday Night Live for most of his adult life. He moved back to Minnesota around two years ago to run for Senate.
Ciresi says the Iraqi war, health care, education and protecting the middle class are the key issues in the campaign.
He supports revoking the resolution that gave the president authority to attack Iraq because the war has turned into a civil war.
On health care he would favor basic universal coverage, as well as stressing preventive medicine, improving care for chronic diseases and using information technology to cut health care costs.
He said it makes more sense to give tax breaks to the middle class than to the rich. He would support the establishment of a 21st Century Education Fund, much like the GI Bill after World War II, that would help lower the cost of education and provide education for displaced workers because of globalization.
He also said he'd support a global warming initiative that could provide jobs and improve our national defense through energy independence.
In conclusion, he said, while there is a lack of leadership in Washington, he has found there are many silent leaders in communities like Sauk Centre that work in community groups and non-profit organizations that are having a direct influence on the future.
He also noted, he must be a viable candidate because the Republican Party of Minnesota is tracking him with cameras.
"I really believe politics should be more about issues and getting things done than following opponents with cameras trying to take embarrassing pictures," concluded Ciresi.
