This is not set up as a forum nor a debate, but as Marguerite “Margot” Rheinberger explains it is a “Conversation” between the candidates and her, the moderator. Calling her a moderator is a stretch. She at times berates May Lor Xiong, cuts her off and allows extra time for her crony Betty McCollum to answer.
This video was streamed live from 2:30 pm to 3:25 pm on September 28, 2024 from the Valley Access Channel TV Studio (VAC-TV). The Stillwater Gazette
To help people know when and what is asked of the two endorsed candidates, the time stamp from the start of the video and what was the question asked by Margot Rheinberger. I’ve made some comments when Betty McCollum starts to spew misinformation.
When and What is Asked of Rep Betty McCollum (DFL) and May Lor Xiong (Republican)
4:10 Introduction by Margot Rheinberger
5:01 Question 1: Tell us about yourself, any background you would like to share with viewers?
8:08 Question 2: Prior to becoming a Congresswoman what was your political background (directed toward Rep Betty McCollum)?
9:25 Question 3: May [Lor Xiong] do you have any political background experience?
10:18 Question 4: Margot mentions that it is interesting when you are talking to constituents if there are similarities to what people are saying. What are the main issues and concerns of constituents? (Directed toward May Lor Xiong)
13:54 Question 5: My guess is over the years there are diehard fans, um diehard admirers of you (Directed to Rep Betty McCollum)
Betty answers the same question asked of May Lor Xiong as a way of saying “I Do that too,” but she doesn’t.
Betty doesn’t answer the softball question but does some damage control here. Mentioning the Inflation Reduction Act which had nothing to do with inflation but it pushed climate change legislation and made inflation worse. May Lor’s response shows that under Betty people’s lives have gotten worse.
Betty gets “extra time” to talk about abortion and losing reproductive freedom if Trump is elected.
Then she talks about safety in the form of more gun control. She talks about teaching in a classroom after a student had just committed suicide the day before (I wonder how to fact-check this). She wants trigger locks, safe gun storage. Then she lies about what people ask her about hope and opportunity in the economy.
19:19 May Lor Xiong responds to this 5 minute kitchen sink answer by Betty McCollum.
21:32 Betty McCollum responds to May Lor Xiong who brought up a School Safety Plan put together by 2 men in Lakeville MN School System.
Betty McCollum brings up some misinformation about the lapse of the assault weapons ban. This misinformation is completely bogus. Here’s Mr Colion Noir to explain what an Assault Weapons Ban doesn’t stop mass shootings click here. Don’t believe him because he’s a 2A Lawyer? Here’s someone from the Washington Post talking about the 1994 Assault Weapon Ban.
Then Betty goes off on a tangent about immigration bills. She talks about losing due process in these bills. Should talk about the loss of due process for the 4 officers in the George Floyd case where they were declared murderers without a review of the case files.
She brings up some misinformation she put out in 2020 when she ran against Sia Lo about how Trump wanted to ship Hmong back to Laos. This is totally false. She gets a Pinocchio nose for this.
23:44 May Lor Xiong responds to this lie about the deportation back to Laos claim by Betty McCollum. Then Margot tells May Lor to let Betty finish her lie.
May Lor says that bill was started under Bill Clinton. Then Betty said she didn’t serve then.
24:15 Betty asks a question to May Lor Xiong about President Trump wanting to deport illegal immigrants without due process.
Sounds as if there are no rules in this “conversation.” Margot Rheinberger has completely lost the control of this.
May Lor Xiong points out how Betty has voted against Title IX and about crimes against women by illegals.
25:40 Betty says she’s not going to argue but she has the facts on her side. She says she’s proud of her record on this subject.
What subject is it? Lying to scare Hmong to think they will be deported if they vote for President Trump?
Margot finally asks a question after Question 5 about 11 minutes before.
25:56 Question 6: Any certain issues that you have gone with that you changed your convictions over the years due to eh you just changed (Directed toward Betty)?
Betty starts to talk about how she is the lead Democrat on the Defense Appropriations Committee and it’s $800 Billion budget. She starts to describe how the money is spent on healthcare for Vets. That’s funny because in late 2017 through early 2018 I went to her office to get her to request the VA Pay my Ambulance bills. I didn’t have health insurance but only had the VA-Minneapolis for healthcare. Only at the Congressional level can Veterans get traction at the VA. So I detail it in the following link, VA Labyrinth. The part where I dealt with Betty McCollum’s office I need to do a part 2 to it. But the short story is her staff told me they can’t force the VA to pay for the ambulance bill which was $3150 for 2 ambulance visits in a 30 hr time frame, (warning it’s a really long post, but I wrote it that way so you knew what kind of misery I was in).
She goes on saying the DoD spends the most on energy and she pushed for alternative energy sources for the DoD. She mentions we need more money in the State Department.
28:43 The same question to May Lor Xiong.
30:10 Without being asked a question Betty McCollum counters May Lor Xiong
She mentions that we need to care about the Ukraine, Darfur. She brings up cyber crime as a problem at the DoD. She mentions Metro State University is a treasure (it’s really a community college). She equates sending applicants to the military academies as how she cares about Vets. Take it from me she doesn’t care about Vets at all.
32:35 May Lor Xiong asks the question about the Southern Border. Then explains about the ill effects of having an open border.
34:11 Margot Rheinberger interjects while May Lor Xiong is speaking and says they have to tone it down. I’m guessing because May Lor is landing some devastating political blows to Betty McCollum’s lies and misinformation. This is really professional misconduct. She’s showing her bias by protecting Betty McCollum. She isn’t even upset Betty didn’t answer a few of the softball questions directly
34:20 Betty McCollum counters May Lor Xiong saying she’s been to the border often.
She said there are people opposed to Trump’s border wall because it will change their property lines. This makes no sense as the land that is owned along the border doesn’t go right up to the actual border. A lot of that land is useless desert.
She goes on to disparage MAGA Republicans. (Margot lets this personal attack float without a comment to “tone it down.”) She suggests that MAGA Republicans are against illegal shipments of Fentanyl into the country, more misinformation. Shock she says China is poisoning us with Fentanyl. She can say this because she knows her side won’t fact check anything she says.
37:32 May Lor Xiong responds asking why no one in CD4 has ever heard her stance on the border, nor on fentanyl. She says Betty has been in office for 23 years and yet she hasn’t weighed in on this at all. Betty blames Trump who was in for 4 years and Kamala much more years (actually from 2017 to 2021).
38:52 Betty McCollum responds saying her record on these issues are out there on her website. She says she is not in the majority and she doesn’t get a choice in what bills come to the floor. Yet in her previous response she talked about her bipartisanship with non MAGA Republicans.
(15 minutes since the last question by Margot)
39:57 Question 7: Does the US Debt Concern you?
41:39 Betty Responds to May Lor Xiong’s response to the question.
Betty McCollum spews out misinformation saying the Debt went up under Trump and the Middle Class is way overtaxed because of the 2017 Trump tax cuts. She says Amazon should be paying for the same streets that she drives down. Businesses never pay taxes as they pass the cost onto consumers and this also contributes to inflation.
Then she says we need to make sure the Ukraine doesn’t lose to Putin. I wonder if her contributors from the Defense Industry is speaking now instead of her. She also says Putin is the aggressor in the war there. Yet there is ample evidence the Ukraine shelled Russian cities and the News Mafia was claiming Russians were invading when they were about 160 miles away doing war games. Click here for a video about this.
44:29 May Lor Xiong responds to Betty McCollum. She says that Betty has been there for 23 yrs and she hasn’t done anything about the economy, but she gladly blames Trump for her failings.
May Lor mentions the USA is putting out more money than the surrounding countries around the Ukraine. This was one reason why Trump wanted to pull out of NATO because we pay more than most of the NATO countries combined for their defense.
45:59 Betty McCollum responds and says May Lor Xiong is incorrect about how much the USA is paying to keep the Ukraine fighting a war. (FACT CHECK this)
Then she touts that the Feds paid for 2 airboats for Search and Rescue on the Scenic St Croix waterways. She also talked about equipment Ramsey & Washington Counties should pay for themselves not get Federal aid.
She implores that May Lor doesn’t know what she has done. The big question is why are cities and counties getting federal aid that they should be paying for themselves?
47:39 May Lor Xiong responds saying that it isn’t from her but from the people of the Fourth District.
47:59: Margot comes to Betty McCollum’s defense and says that Betty McCollum has won by a lot in the past and that should show that there is one voice that agrees with Betty McCollum.
Margot is testifying for Betty McCollum. If I were May Lor Xiong I would have stood up and walked out as this isn’t a fair fight of 2 on 1.
48:17 Betty McCollum says there is vocal opposition. She placates May Lor Xiong as if she’s ignorant on how great Betty’s prowess as a US Rep is.
48:25 May Lor Xiong responds saying 23 yrs ago there wasn’t a Hmong Homeless encampment but now there is.
49:25 Betty McCollum responds saying that she voted against portions of Trump’s Project 2025.
Another misinformation moment. Project 2025 wasn’t generated by Trump nor any Republicans. It’s a propaganda piece the Democrats use to bash Republicans with. They have nothing to run on other than fabricated opposition points.
Margot wakes up from her nap.
50:10 Question 8: Are there any other topics brewing that you want out (directed at May Lor Xiong)?
Margot interrupts again and asks another question
“How do you think she keeps getting re-elected if this group seems to be against her. I’m puzzled,” Margot looks puzzled. Then asks, “You’re using a real sweeping “the people” want this, she’s not doing that, but she keeps getting re-elected by big numbers. How do you balance that I mean.”
this is Margot committing professional misconduct. This isn’t a fair “conversation.”
53:02 Then Margot continues to berate May Lor Xiong
“I’ve done forums with those so-called Challengers and they also promise the same things. I mean that’s just kind of the way, uh, it’s all good rhetoric, um, until you get there and you see how hard it is when you have to change lots and lots and lots of minds and uh and you have budget issues go ahead Betty.” Margot Rheinberger, moderator
53:20 Betty McCollum responds saying it isn’t how she wins. She says she gets a report card every 2 years.
She goes on a condescending speech towards May Lor Xiong like she’s a child. May Lor Xiong fled from Communists in SE Asia when her parents were being hunted by them, her mom was pregnant with May during their flight from the Reds in Laos after the end of the Vietnam War. She is a survivor and to be talked down to by a socialist who removed her faith from her campaign and US Congress sites shows Betty disrespects People of Faith too.
56:10 Margot tells May Lor Xiong she can have a final comment, but keep it short because she promised to someone that she was going to leave at a certain time.
56:15 May Lor Xiong gives her final comments.
56:56 Betty McCollum rudely interrupts defending herself from what May Lor Xiong is saying.
57:41 Margot says she really enjoyed the passion of the candidates.
uh no you didn’t. You interrupted May Lor Xiong, you berated her and you gave Betty McCollum extra time to spew out misinformation.
Readers:
I, Publius Jr, made comments here and there largely when Betty McCollum starts to spew out misinformation as if it is true. She’s never been held accountable for any of her actions or having a deaf ear to the District’s concerns. People are moving out of here because to make a small fortune here you have to start with a larger fortune. I’m biased but May Lor Xiong kept to her message that Betty McCollum doesn’t listen to anyone. May was up against 2 assailants and I think she got her message across.
Betty does nothing for her Paycheck. Speaking of paychecks, Betty gets much of her campaign cash from employees who work for Heartland Realty Investors, Miscellaneous Defense Contractors (this is why she kept mentioning about her work on the DoD Appropriations Committee). I wonder if they know she tried to permanently ground the Air Force Thunderbirds, and the Navy Blue Angels and end the NASCAR sponsorship by the US Military?
The information about donors to Rep Betty McCollum came from OpenSecrets.org, they are a nonprofit nonpartisan group that tracks contributions, donors, PAC money, Lobbyists, mostly for US Congressional and Presidential races. Chip them a buck or two they really are worth it.
We need a standard for debates in this state that nonpartisan groups need to meet in order to put on a debate. The League of Women Voters in St Paul put on their tap dance routine making sure the DFL candidates are never asked questions they can’t answer while making Republicans look like cartoon villains. It’s vaudeville skits to these charlatans like Margot Rheinberger. If she worked for a credible newspaper she would have been fired for this performance where she suckered in the Republican candidate and then gave her crony Betty McCollum extra time to counter May Lor Xiong who is a strong candidate.
Why does Betty McCollum always win? Probably Party apathy. The DFL will tell those on government assistance the Republicans want to cut their benefits and on cue, the Republicans propose this. ~~ Publius Jr.
This post was not authorized by any candidate, candidate’s committee, nor any PAC, Lobbyist group, any Republican organization. The comments outside of the questions listed and some of the responses are my own opinion–that’s still protected by the 1st Amendment. I did not get compensated in any way for posting this, even though it was quite a chore listening to the lies of Betty McCollum and her crony Margot Rheinberger. ~~ Publius Jr.