Let me begin with an unusual confession. I have never been drunk. Honest! The initial reason for this is that I don't like the taste of beer and as a college student I couldn't afford anything harder. The continuing reason is more important. I quickly learned that my sobriety earned immense rewards in college. I was the guy that the girls trusted to walk them home after a night of drinking. I was the guy who never had to fight a friend for his keys in order to drive him home. I was the guy my friends could count on when their own judgement was a bit clouded. That trust was worth more than any buzz a few too many beers could give me.
Political integrity is much the same in my eyes. While I don't believe that taking money from political action committees is bad. I do think that too much of it can cloud a candidate's judgement. Recent campaign finance reports show that more than 66% of Senator Wiger's 2010 fundraising has come from lobbyists and political action committees. While the Senator has every right to accept those funds, I have made the commitment to the citizen's of Minnesota that I will not accept any contributions from PACs. This means that at the end of a long campaign season funded from the well of political action committees, you can trust that my judgement will be clear and my political commitment will be focused on the concerns of our citizens and not with the narrower interests of any political action committee.
Your trust is worth more to me.
