aaronHwarren

A yacht on Chicago's Lake Michigan.

This Sunday, the state of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic are hosting a reception at the Chicago Yacht Club. The event invitation promises "breathtaking views of Lake Michigan" and "an unrivaled occasion to meet leaders of Minnesota's remarkable biosciences industries."

Sounds fancy -- and expensive. And during debate on the House floor on Monday, Rep. Mary Holberg, R-Lakeville, falsely argued that it's all a big waste of taxpayer dollars.

See Also:
- MNGOP blames DFL for wasteful spending approved by MNGOP
- Michael Brodkorb gloats over MNGOP's money woes

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Irony alert!

Yesterday, the MNGOP's official House caucus Twitter account wanted you to ponder this thought as you tried to stay warm while April snow fell outside:

ICYMI: While you sit inside today, remember $840k in taxpayer $ went to overseas trips for artists. on.fb.me/XutxBD#DFLWaste #mnleg

-- MN House Republicans (@mnhousegop) April 11, 2013

But there's a rather larger problem with that line of thinking -- the bill allocating taxpayer funds for artists' trips was approved by the MNGOP-controlled House as part of an omnibus budget bill that came before the legislature during a special session on July 19, 2011.

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Kelly Fenton was also re-elected to deputy party chair.

Former state representative and businessman Keith Downey handily beat out three others for Minnesota's Republican Party chair spot Saturday.

Downey was first elected to the House in 2008, succeeding longtime Republican representative and "Override Six" member Ron Erhardt. He was re-elected in 2010, and lost a Senate bid to Melisa Franzen last fall in the most expensive legislative race in Minnesota history.

SEE ALSO:
Downey lists dead guys as supporters in newspaper ad
Chris Fields: I didn't call Keith Ellison a reverse racist in "reverse racism" ad

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Woodard (left) and Daudt don't believe the state's new standards reflect "what Minnesotans expect our students to learn." A judge disagrees.

An administrative law judge has ruled that despite the MNGOP's worries, the state's new social studies standards won't turn Minnesota's youth into a bunch of jihadists after all.

In her ruling, Judge Barbara Nelson called the new standards "needed and reasonable," adding that "It is inevitable that there will be disagreement between people about the content that should be included in academic standards, particularly where, as here, the subject matter involves such controversial topics as economics, history, government, and 'human' geography."

THE BACKSTORY: MNGOP leaders want Dayton to veto insufficiently patriotic social studies standards

Judge Nelson was asked to weigh in on the matter after a group of conservatives, including House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, and Assistant Minority Leader Kelby Woodard, R-Belle Plaine, wrote a letter to Governor Dayton complaining that the Department of Education's new social studies standards make "virtually no mention of the values of American patriotism."

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Franson got emotional when discussing her opposition to a DFL bill that would allow in-home care providers to unionize.

You wouldn't expect anything else, but Rep. Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, is no fan of the job the DFL-controlled Legislature is doing so far this session.

SEE ALSO:
-- Mary Franson spouts bogus autism theories at House hearing, gets shut down [VIDEO]
-- Gov. Dayton's deputy chief of staff wants Mary Franson to read the damn budget proposal

You might be surprised, however, by how bad she thinks things have gotten at the Capitol.

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As things stand right now, we don't think Dayton is too worried about a rematch.

Local conservative blogger John Gilmore was feeling pretty crummy as he left the MNGOP's "Where Do We Go From Here?" event on Wednesday night. Then things went from bad to worse.

SEE ALSO:
-- Tom Emmer can't get a job at Hamline
-- Tom Emmer: If I were guv, Minnesota would "make Wisconsin look like [an] ugly step-child"
-- "Draft David Hann for Governor" movement marred by conflict-of-interest controversy

On his car was a flyer proving the existence of something almost as unbelievable as bigfoot -- a draft Tom Emmer for Governor in 2014 movement.


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Parrish thinks the MNGOP should remain focused on social issues.

Last night, a few hundred MNGOPers gathered at the Blue Fox Bar and Grill for a "Where Do We Go From Here?" panel discussion about the future of their reeling party.

SEE ALSO:
-- Mary Franson wins recount in belated MNGOP election night success story
-- MNGOP's Dan Severson on election results: "I'm not a Minnesotan for long"
-- Andy Parrish on marriage amendment defeat: 'We won 74 out of 87 counties'

As you'd expect, different factions of the MNGOP have different views about how to best proceed, and as you'd also expect, those differences weren't bridged during the course of a single panel discussion.


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Brodkorb is curious about Parrish's sudden interest in man-on-animal sex.

Andy Parrish must've had a slow Saturday -- he spent part of his evening trolling prominent DFLers on Twitter.

SEE ALSO:
-- Rep. Phyllis Kahn on Seward voting lines: "Someone at the city should be executed"
-- Andy Parrish trolls Chris Kluwe on Twitter
-- DFL cuts MNGOP Senate staffers' salaries; Bakk cites cost of Brodkorb lawsuit

One of his targets was Rep. Phyllis Kahn, D-Minneapolis, who in 1999 authored a bill that would've repealed all state laws criminalizing sex between consenting adults, including prostitution and bestiality. (But what if the poor animal doesn't consent?)


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Allen Quist and longtime supporter Michele Bachmann have something in common.

Allen Quist got spanked by Congressman Tim Walz in November. At 68, it looked like that was the end of his political career -- until Rep. Terry Morrow, D-St. Peter, suddenly resigned, opening up a House seat.

SEE ALSO:
-- Allen Quist blames Accent Signage shooting on "deterioration of the family" [VIDEO]
-- Allen Quist directly contradicts himself on gay marriage, is called on it, refuses to clarify
-- Allen Quist ignores facts, alleges food stamp program discriminates against married couples

Last week, Quist tossed his hat in the ring in hopes of getting the MNGOP's endorsement in the upcoming special election. One thing helping his cause was the fact that he had a bunch of yard signs left over from his ill-fated congressional run.


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Ken Avidor

Headed for the sunset after November's election, Quist turned around his dinosaur and is poised for a surprising political encore.

After Allen Quist lost to Tim Walz in November, we eulogized his three-decade career in Minnesota politics with a post entitled, "Allen Quist rides into the sunset on dinosaur he believes lived concurrently with humans."

SOME QUIST GREATEST HITS:
-- Allen Quist ignores facts, alleges food stamp program discriminates against married couples
-- Allen Quist flip-flops about his research in a Mankato "anonymous sodomy" adult bookstore
-- Allen Quist under renewed fire for 'men are genetically predisposed to lead family' remark

Turns out we spoke too soon. Friday, Quist announced he's running for the state House seat vacated by the sudden resignation of Terry Morrow, D-St. Peter.


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