Fake All The Way Down

Democrat Governor Mark Dayton has a new TV commercial out, his second of this election year.  In the breathless hype of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the ad

showcases a real Minnesota family, as the governor describes their worries and argues that policies he pursued have helped ease middle-class burdens. 

Yes, you read that correctly, the voice you hear on the soundtrack is alleged to be that of the Governor himself.  As for the featured family (Steve and Lindsey Port), they are “real” in the sense that they are corporeal beings.  As for being a “typical” Minnesota family, that turns out to be a different matter entirely.

The Star Tribune gives the game away by noting that,

The Dayton campaign said Lindsey Port is also on the campaign team of state Rep. Will Morgan of Burnsville.

I’d say their involvement amounts to more than just that.  Combined, Steve and Linsdey have given $1,000 to the re-election campaign of state Rep. Morgan in just the past two years.  Not many “middle-class” families have the resources to drop a grand on an obscure local politician.

The Port’s are in no sense “middle class.”  Steve Port owns his own business in Burnsville, employing several staff.  In true, “What’s the Matter with Kansas” fashion, I’m not sure the Port’s—by supporting Democrats—are operating in their own self-interest as small-business owners in Minnesota.

But they do support the Democrats.  Besides the sizable campaign donations, Lindsey Port recently wrote a letter to the editor supportive of the Democratic cause.

I’m continually amazed at the inability of state Democrats to find a single unaffiliated person to appear in their ads and promote the cause.