U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., came to the Twin Cities today to support DFL congressional candidate Ashwin Madia in his bid to replace retiring Republican 3rd District U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad with a Minneapolis fundraiser and a joint visit to Axonom, Inc., a small Edina technology firm.

The two pols discussed the need to reform health care to lessen businesses’ burden as well as the importance of education in building a skilled work force — a point Axonom CEO Clark Dircz stressed during an office tour he led. In a news conference afterward, Emanuel pitched a plan to make mandatory one year of post-secondary education.

But they could hardly ignore the current economic crisis, and Madia sketched a five-point economic plan that Emanuel duly applauded, lavishing praise on Madia as the sort of practical politician who would be welcomed in the House Democratic caucus, which Emanuel leads.

Emanuel and Madia make an interesting pair: Both are sons of immigrants with names that not everyone can spell and, after last week’s slams on Madia by Minnesota Republicans, they have both been called “carpetbagger.” In Emanuel’s case, the term was applied during an extremely rough 2002 campaign in which it took an all-faiths rally to silence harsh rhetoric many saw as anti-Semitic. In the Edina office building lobby after today’s event, Emanuel quietly counseled Madia on how to handle attacks that carry messages of racial or ethnic divisiveness.

Emanuel’s visit came on a day that Ramstad — speaking for himself as well as quoting from a statement by his predecessor, Bill Frenzel — said Madia and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee are conducting a campaign of “gutter politics” against state Rep. Erik Paulsen, the Republican candidate for Ramstad’s seat. Among what Ramstad characterized as “utter fabrications” was a DCCC flyer linking Paulsen to a Las Vegas strip-club event held by a political action committee that also donated to his campaign (Paulsen campaign video and MPR audio below). A new Paulsen ad has this for a theme: “Madia lies a lot.”

Here’s a three-minute highlight reel from today’s Madia-Emanuel news conference:

Paulsen campaign video of Ramstad press conference:

MPR audio of Ramstad press conference: