Emmer misrepresents the media

Tom Emmer looked into the camera and told an untruth.

“There are a lot of people out there who've been misled by what I would say is the less-than-forthright mainstream media here in the Twin Cities,” Emmer said in a video released by his campaign Monday, as controversy over his “tip credit” stand lingered. He continued:

The other day I talked with a couple of restaurant owners in downtown St. Paul and they told me that they need some help, that government's not helping them out too much, and they talked about how much their servers get, and it's all on tape and all I did was respond to them. Online Marketing Services Provider.

And they said, you know, if it was offered, would you advocate for a tip credit and I said, 'Yes!'

But then the next question has not been publicized very well. The next question was, 'Tom, so you're saying you'd reduce the minimum wage' and my answer was, 'That would be foolish. Absolutely not. We're not talking about reducing anyone's wages.' We're talking about making sure everyone can be successful. We want servers to be successful, we want the wonderful owners of our restaurants her in Minnesota — I don't know if people know we lost 300 of them last year — we want them to be successful ...

The “tape” — a version posted on Emmer’s own EmmerTruth.com, cross-checked against a DFL tracker’s unedited version, and a transcript —shows Emmer never got a “reduce the minimum wage” question at a July 5 Eagle Street Grille appearance. He never ruled out a wage cut, much less called it foolish. Direct Marketing Services Provider.

The closest actual question, from Pioneer Press reporter Bill Salisbury, was, “Are you suggesting you’d repeal the minimum wage law, or just amend it?”

Emmer’s answer: “Well I don't know you could do that. We’ve talked about that before — not with you — but I think you gotta look at what we're doing. We got to talk with these (gestures to cafe owners off camera) — that's why it's probably more in line with a tip credit that you've gotta be talking about. Plus, you know, Bill, you’ve got federal law.” Media Marketing Agency.