In the past years, every Minnesota political news story, it seems, includes a quote from U of M professor Larry Jacobs. Right or wrong, the director of the Institute of Policy and Governance at the Humphrey Institute is considered something of a political oracle, or at least someone who can put all the political hee-hawing in perspective.
State Rep. John Lesch, a DFLer from St. Paul, will report to Georgia's Fort Benning on Monday to begin his stint in the National Guard as an infanryman.
Finances are looking good for Phygen Coatings, Inc. The Minneapolis-based company is pioneering research on plasma sterilization. They're hoping to produce a device that would make it easy for medics to sterilize equipment in the field. Currently, no lightweight devices exist.
Phygen also has powerful folks looking out for them. Representatives Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison requested a total of $7.8 million (Ellison $3.8 million. McCollum $4 million.) in appropriations, also called "earmarks," for the company's plasma sterilization project. David C. Bell, President and CEO of Phygen, must be happy with their decision. He donated a total of $2,500 to their campaigns.
If you're interested in knowing how much it costs for Gov. Tim Pawlenty to run his office and pay his staff members, you won't find those totals in one place. Pawlenty's office has been doing a nifty little government trick to make his office budget look surprisingly reduced when in fact they are just using money from other agencies.
At least five employees from Pawlenty's office have their salaries partly paid by state agencies, reducing his office budget, says the Star Tribune.
The National Journal has released their list of voting records for 2008. Our very own Rep. Betty McCollum tied (with 11 others) for the most liberal voting record in the House of Representatives.
How did the others in the Minnesota delegation stack up?
The Detroit automakers sure love bailout money. Even with billions of government funds heading their direction, they're back at The Hill asking for billions more. They need the money to stay afloat, they say, and for them to fail would mean America fails. Of course, this isn't the opinion of others. And many foreign owned automakers produce their cars right here in the states.
But all this talk about cars made City Pages curious: What does the Minnesota delegation drive? Answers after the click:
Was Obama covering for Rybak? These guys seems to think so.
As we mentioned last night, Minneapolis cops got a big shoutout in Obama's speech last night. He said the stimulus keeps cops on the street.
"There are 57 police officers who are still on the streets of Minneapolis tonight because this plan prevented the layoffs their department was about to make."
Who would be against that? Minnesota Democrats Exposed, of course.
Well, it was quiet a week for Rep. Michele Bachmann (R). In her continual battle against pinkos, homos, Democrats and plaque, she went bat-shit crazy once again on local talk radio. Her comments landed her on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, the Huffington Post, and most every other left-leaning blog in the nation. But while this happened, the Democrats around her gave her a gift: 9,500 estimated jobs to her district. How does she do it? Answer: Sorcery.
The day after Barack Obama declared victory in St. Paul, he was at a podium addressing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, which describes itself as "America's pro-Israel lobby."
And it wasn't just Obama. McCain did it. Hillary Clinton did it too. AIPAC is a notoriously influential lobby, with organizing skills that are the stuff of legend. Following the Obama address, The Daily Show satirized AIPAC's role in politics.
Jon Stewart began the piece by calling out: "Hey Barack Obama, you just won the democratic nomination, what are you going to do now?" Cut to Obama on the AIPAC stage where the man notorious for his aversion to flag lapel pins is wearing, well, as Stewart describes it: "the Siamese U.S.-Israeli flag double lapel pin--wow!"
The Marijuana Policy Project is airing two television ads imploring Governor Tim Pawlenty to back down from his vow to veto a bill legalizing medical marijuana.
The first spot began running earlier in the month on cable channels. The second one--featuring a Ely resident whose neck surgery and resulting nerve pain have rendered him nearly bedridden--began running yesterday.
"I'm a registered Republican and born-again Christian," he says. "This doesn't have anything to do with culture wars. It's all about people in pain... please don't veto the medical marijuana bill, Governor Pawlenty."
Critics of the bill have framed it as a Trojan horse, maintaining that if we stop fining and jailing sick people who inhale cannabis smoke, we might one day cease fining and jailing healthy people who do the same. This "sends the wrong message," to quote an oft-repeated talking point.
Regardless of the bill's fate, medical morphine will remain legal.
The labor endorsements continue to roll in for Al Franken. Today the senate candidate picked up support from the Minnesota State Council of Machinists. The union represents 5,100 workers in the state. Franken has been consolidating support among labor groups in recent weeks, with Education Minnesota, AFSCME Council 5, and the state council of SEIU all announcing endorsements. This would seem another positive portent for his candidacy heading towards the DFL endorsing convention.
A group called Knowlegis has released Congressional Power Rankings. At 28 in the House, Rep. Oberstar is our most powerful member of Congress. In the senate, Coleman is 82--not much higher than Klobuchar. And despite her cloying attempts to curry favor with the Bush Administration (how'd that go?), Bachmann is among our most ineffectual representatives ... 383 (ouch!). Click through the jump to see where your elected official ranks.
Lawmakers are back at it in St. Paul and they've got taxes on the brain--the gas variety. The transportation bill DFLers are pushing calls for the first gas tax increase in two decades. The state take--which would be used to invest in transportation infrastructure--would go from 20 to 22 cents a gallon, and then, sometime this year, to 25 cents a gallon. How would we rank with bordering states?
Sen. Norm Coleman has inched up to the number five spot on Chris Cillizza's top-ten list of endangered senators. That's one spot higher than the previous ranking. The WaPo scribe heaps praise on challenger Al Franken:
5. Minnesota: Many months ago, we wrote a piece about whether the candidacy of comedian/entertainer Al Franken is a nightmare or a dream for Senate Democrats. At the moment, it appears it is the latter. He continues to raise huge amounts of money -- nearly $2 million over the final three months of 2007 -- and draws rave reviews for the grassroots operation he is building. And, in a recent independent poll Franken had a solid edge over attorney, and 2000 Senate candidate, Mike Ciresi (D) and even carried a narrow margin over Sen. Norm Coleman (R). Coleman is one of the savviest incumbents in the Senate and won't go easily or quietly. But, Franken is off to a very strong start. (Previous ranking: 6)
Former senate candidate Jim Cohen has endorsed Al Franken in the race to take on Norm Coleman. Cohen dropped out of the contest last week, citing frustration at his inability to raise money and garner press attention. The lawyer and environmental activist was often overlooked in discussions of the contest for the DFL endorsement. Here's part of Cohen's statement released this morning by the Franken folks:
"Al Franken has the right voice, compassion, demonstrated commitment to progressive values, energy and the most resources, and he will work tirelessly to ensure we defeat Norman Coleman this November. Al Franken has the right message to bring back jobs and prosperity, provide affordable health care for all, and to make America a nation where the American Dream is not just an unattainable dream but a reality once again.
Given Cohen's tepid support, it's hard to figure this will have much impact on the endorsement process. But following last week's positive poll numbers, it's another nugget of good news for the Franken campaign.
U.S. Senate candidate Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer beat out his two Democratic rivals in a straw poll conducted this afternoon at TakeAction Minnesota's annual meeting. The University of St. Thomas professor and anti-war activist received 140 votes from attendees, while Al Franken was the top choice of 107 particpants. Mike Ciresi received a paltry nine votes. All three DFL senate candidates, hoping to take on embattled Republican incumbent Norm Coleman, attended the progressive nonprofit group's gathering. Ciresi, however--perhaps sensing that this wasn't a particularly friendly crowd for the moderate attorney--left early.
Ken Silverstein has an intriguing Minnesota-related post over at Washington Babylon. The veteran muckraker delves into a fundraising organization known as the "Freedom & Security PAC" that was created in July. Silverstein discovered that the Minnesota-based leadership PAC is the work of Rep. John Kline. In fact the treasurer of the Freedom & Security PAC also happens to handle the funds for the 2nd District Congressman's re-election campaign.
Taking a break from presidential politics, Chris Cillizza has updated his analysis of the House and Senate seats most likely to switch parties in the 2008 elections. A pair of Minnesota posts remain on the most-endangered lists. Sen. Norm Coleman clocks in at sixth on the Senate side, while retiring Rep. Jim Ramstad's seat takes the eighth slot.
Norm Coleman voted with the White House 64 percent of the time last year--the lowest level of political fealty since he took office, according to a new analysis by Congressional Quarterly. In fact the senator's loyalty to the White House has steadily eroded since he took office.
In 2003 he sided with the Bush administration on 93 percent of votes, and followed that up with a 92 percent rate of GOP-loyalty in 2004. But in 2005 and 2006, Coleman voted with the White House a mere 77 percent of the time.
Surely this surge of independent thinking on the part of Minnesota's senior senator has nothing to do with the fact that he's running for re-election this year in a state where the President is held in extraordinarily low regard.
Given all the talk of deporting babies born in the U.S. to parents who do not have the proper papers (you'll find it in Matt Snyders' latest piece and in our Elephants in the Room blog)--this seems like as good a place as any to pile a few more voices on the question of illegal immigration.
Eric Black has again pushed the story of recently resigned and previously embattled Rachel Paulose a bit further. His hard-won interview with Sen. Norm Coleman about his role in "the rise and fall" of Paulose is a good read. But that's not what I'm here for. In Black's piece, Coleman re-visits, ever-so-briefly, a remarkable piece of history: Coleman, when he was mayor of St. Paul, appointed the first transgender deputy mayor in America: Susan Kimberly, a Republican.
Former Watertown mayor Steve Sarvi, a veteran of the Iraq War, filed to run against Rep. John Kline today in Minnesota's Second Congressional District. Sarvi returned from a 16-month tour of duty with the National Guard in July. The 42-year-old father of three is currently the city administrator of Victoria.
“I am very proud to have served my country in Iraq,” says Sarvi in a press release announcing his campaign. “Our district deserves a representative in Congress who will put the safety of our troops and the well-being of our families ahead of blind party loyalty."
When last we heard from convicted City Councilmember Dean Zimmerman, he was making plans for prison ("I am hoping to be able to do some teaching while I am in"). Today, with Zimmerman already serving a 30-month sentence, his lawyers are appealing his bribery conviction in the 8th Circuit Appeals Court. Want to hear how that's going? You can listen to the oral arguments here.
Eric Black has been doing his homework...as usual. His post on the investigation of U.S. Attorney Rachel Paulose provides a folly of a footnote to a story that ties Minnesota to the national scandal that led to the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales--but that's not what the investigation is about.
Of the investigation by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, underway since June, Black writes:
"The conflicts enumerated in this matter are not explicitly political or ideological, except for one instance in which Paulose allegedly made false statements about a job candidate who had liberal associations.
"But the pattern of the matters under investigation by the special counsel may shed some light on the gray area between issue of 'management style' and issues of politics.
"When Paulose took over the office, she told several of the career officials there that she demanded total personal loyalty. At least one replied that loyalty was owed to the Constitution, not to her. Many of the allegations raise the possibility that Paulose crossed the line while seeking to punish personal disloyalty."
In the spirit of homework, here's an abridged timeline of the entire Paulose debacle. It begins with a choir and a color guard. Where it ends...well, stay tuned.
Al Franken isn't clowning around. He's serious. This, we should know. The national media has done well reminding us that he's not joking, jesting, joshing, kidding, pranking, or shitting us whenever they report on his rather vigorous (one might say "serious") campaign.
For any other candidate, the sober tone of his or her campaign goes without saying—to date, no politician has won many hearts on the stump by greeting constituents with hand-buzzers or depantsing flushed opponents mid-debate. No need to dabble in is-this-guy-for-real? guessing games when the candidate in question is a former trial lawyer, military goon, oil lobbyist, or religious zealot. These people laugh seriously.
Perhaps the most interesting name to pop up in the ranks of candidates for office this year in Ramsey County is John Kysylyczyn. The former Roseville mayor has filed to run for the Roseville school board. He's one of 12 candidates vying for three seats. Kysylyczyn was elected mayor in 1999 and served a contentious (to put it charitably) four-year term. His tenure was marked by personal attacks and unusually combative city council meetings that often dragged on into the wee hours of the morning. (The drama was similar to what's been happening in Maplewood in recent months.) Kysylyczyn didn't seek a second mayoral term in 2003. Instead he opted to run for city council, losing in the primary election. For those not familiar with Kysylyczyn's leaderhip style, here's a May 2002 clip of him browbeating then-city council member (and now mayor) Craig Klausing:
No good deed goes unpranked it seems. The South St. Paul Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission is inviting residents to submit a name for the Port Crosby Area to be officially named as a park. What was once a demolition landfill will soon be a public park, quite possibly the Chuck Norris Park if pranksters filling out the naming form on the South St. Paul city website have their way. Rumor has it the e-suggestion box has been getting stuffed with the name of the aging martial arts artist, with the "significance of name" field peppered with those beloved Chuck Norris facts, such as "There is no theory of evolution, just a list of creatures Chuck Norris allows to live." The inspiration for these monkeyshines comes from an online poll conducted last year by Hungarian officials to name a new bridge across the river Danube in Budapest. The Walker, Texas Ranger star held the lead in that poll over Hungary's first king and a beloved children's book character for much of the voting.
...if he only managed to get better grades in his chemistry class at the University of Minnesota. He also shops at Wal-Mart and says--apparently with a straight face--that John McCain shares a "lineage" with great Republicans such as Teddy Roosevelt and Abe Lincoln. All this comes in a wet kiss profile in the current issue of The Weekly Standard.
Minnesota's state Senate today failed to pass a bill that would have prohibited lawmakers from lobbying at the Legislature for one year after they leave office. The bill, which failed on a vote of 33-33, was sponsored by Roseville Sen. John Marty, faithful author of years of good-government legislation that's typically torpedoed by his cohorts. We can only imagine the lawmakers who voted down the bill were only thinking of their futures, given how many of them end up on Minnesota's registered lobbyist rolls within days of leaving office.
Here's the video of St. Louis County Board member Keith Nelson making a point about the dedication to his constituents in not the most eloquent way. During a Feb. 27 board meeting, Nelson announced "If the people in my district had voted for slavery, and if the vast majority had, and I was representing them, the answer is 'yes,' I would have voted for it." Could he have replaced "voted for slavery" with "voted for banana-walnut as the state muffin?" Sure. But then there'd be no reason to watch the clip.
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