Slow burn on state Rep. Franson's food stamp comments

Days after Minnesota Rep. Mary Franson released, and then retracted, video comments that appeared to compare food stamp recipients to animals, the reaction continues.

Last Friday, Franson, a Republican from Alexandria, released a videoed legislative update that included her saying, "I'll read you this little funny clip that we got from a friend. It says Isn't it ironic that the food stamp program, part of the Department of Agriculture, is pleased to be distributing the greatest amount of food stamps, ever. Meanwhile, the Park Service, also part of the Department of Agriculture, asks us to please not feed the animals, because the animals may grow dependent and not learn to take care of themselves."

The Star Tribune and local bloggers quickly wrote about the video.

But the scattered reaction to the video, which Franson took down, is still rolling in.

Three days after the video was released, the liberal Huffington Post wrote about it.

Late Tuesday night, the Minnesota Republican Party condemned the ugly emails Franson shared Monday, which she received in the wake of the video. The Minnesota GOP repeated its condemnation on Wednesday morning.

"Today is a sad day in Minnesota, with malicious, hate-filled attacks threatening physical violence against Rep. Franson and her three children. This might be the kind of Chicago-style politics that has, unfortunately, infected too many corners of public life, but it sure isn't the Minnesota way," Republican Party Chair Pat Shortridge and Deputy Chair Kelly Fenton said in a statement.

"We demand that Representative Fransen resign. Elected officials have a basic responsibility to the people of this state and she has violated her position," Angel Buechner of the Welfare Rights Committee said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Franson herself continues to take on critics on Twitter, including tweeting a link to her campaign website so that backers can offer her financial support.

On Monday, she told Hot Dish that her critics are, "not even talking about the issues. If they're upset, talk about the issues. Name calling, vulgar name calling?"

She also said that the reaction has been"a learning experience, for sure. It also opened my eyes to how vile some people can be."

Republicans have called on Democrats to denounce the reaction Franson received. Democrats have called on Republicans to denounce the original comments Franson made.

As several readers have noted, the U.S. National Park Service is a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior, not, as the original Franson comment said, "part of the Department of Agriculture."

Meanwhile, the Alliance for a Better Minnesota, which has gathered 2,500 signatures to demand Franson apologize, took up the Republican call to denounce the ugly comments Franson as received.