A Minnesota Democrat learned the hard way that it’s not a good idea
to tweet comments about ISIS when running for political office.
KSTP-TV reported that State Assembly candidate Dan Kimmel of Burnsville tweeted (and posted on Facebook) a message in which he wrote that:
The Associated Press suggested that Kimmel’s decision might have come in part from a statement by state House Minority leader Paul Thissen, who suggested that the Burnsville software developer suspend his second campaign in light of the posts.
At least 131 people died and hundreds more were injured in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that shook Paris late Friday night.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks the following morning, and both French President Francois Hollande and U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to fight back in light of the attacks.
KSTP-TV reported that State Assembly candidate Dan Kimmel of Burnsville tweeted (and posted on Facebook) a message in which he wrote that:
“ISIS isn’t necessarily evil. It is made up of people doing what they think is best for their community. Violence is not the answer, though.”The post quickly received some online backlash, prompting Kimmel to delete his earlier posts and reply with a new tweet acknowledging that he doesn’t defend ISIS’s acts:
Ken Martin, the leader of the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota, issued a statement in response to Kimmel’s tweet, saying in part:I deplore the evil acts of ISIS. I do not defend their acts.— Dan Kimmel (@KimmelDan) November 15, 2015
“On behalf of the Minnesota DFL, I strongly condemn his comments. I ask Dan Kimmel to apologize to all the families who have been torn apart by the terrorist organization and their senseless violence. In this time of enormous grief, we shouldn’t be making excuses for this barbaric behavior.”Nonetheless, the damage was done. Kimmel ended up calling it quits on Sunday, apologizing to his supporters and volunteers saying:
“I am very sorry for ‘spreading ick’ on other candidates and the DFL party. I will do everything I can to help resolve the issue: most likely the best thing for me to do is shut up. The tweet was stupid. I’m sorry.”
I close my campaign. https://t.co/5SzWwePyOC via @KimmelD— Dan Kimmel (@KimmelDan) November 15, 2015
The Associated Press suggested that Kimmel’s decision might have come in part from a statement by state House Minority leader Paul Thissen, who suggested that the Burnsville software developer suspend his second campaign in light of the posts.
At least 131 people died and hundreds more were injured in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that shook Paris late Friday night.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks the following morning, and both French President Francois Hollande and U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to fight back in light of the attacks.
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