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During a Feb. 5 meet-the-candidate night for the newly formed College Republicans
U. chapter -- not to be confused with the older and more established College Republicans
-- representatives for several candidates revved up the jovial crowd with such
statements as "We need to put an end to the liberal Matheson era" and
support "the Democrat killers."
As the audience giggled off and on, Mike Clement, representing congressional
candidate Tim Bridgewater, spoke excitedly about Republican successes when College
Republicans work hard, citing the victory of Norm Coleman in the 2002 U.S. Senate
race in Minnesota.
As Clement bantered with the audience, one Republican gadfly noted that they
defeated former Vice President Walter Mondale in that race, adding: "We
had to kill off Wellstone to get it." He was referring to the death in
a plane crash of Sen. Paul Wellstone and his family before the election.
An audio tape captures laughter. But both Clement and Danielle Fowles, acting
chairwoman of the club, said they did not hear that comment and believe the
laughter was just a continuation of the ongoing banter.
