Minneapolis / St. Paul News Blog

Dan Lacey

Dusty Trice with a pancake on his head

​The sounds you hear are the mourning cries of Michele Bachmann foes everywhere: Liberal blogger Dusty Trice, who wielded a video camera like sharp stick when it came to popping GOP balloons ahead of Election Day, is calling it quits.
 
Trice lampooned the always quotable District 6 Republican congresswoman on a regular basis.

"I was actually getting ready to close up shop right after the State Fair, but I was getting so much national attention from my videos that I figured I should stick around for a few more months," he says via e-mail.

​Paul Thissen, the man people call the smartest lawmaker in Minnesota, was at another one of his endless campaign shindigs for Governor last week. This one called for a karaoke. As the child of the MPLS Sound, Thissen blasted out a rendition of "1999" with help from his wife, Karen. Who knew lawyers had such pipes?

​In the dark about how this Instant Runoff Voting jive actually works? Unsure what Instant Runoff Voting even means? Fret not. The city of Minneapolis has got you covered.

​Hey kids! Have you heard the news? Joe Biden, America's perma-grinning zany uncle, will be in Edina tonight to raise funds for his party's re-election efforts!

The event is expected to attract a diverse group of wealthy progressives devoted to helping the little guy-- more specifically, the kind of people who understand that the best way to do so is not through charity work or setting up scholarship funds, but by donating healthy amounts of cash to political machinery ostensibly devoted to progressive ends. (Plus, the cocktail-fueled conversations are more interesting, it feels cool to be seen, and networking opportunities abound in a way that makes voluntary philanthropy look antiquated and hence totally not worth it. What's the point of being compassionate if nobody knows you're compassionate?)

​Paul Thissen, the darkhorse of the entire gubernatorial race, nabbed a major score yesterday when the MN Nurses Association threw their surgical masks behind him. The powerful, 20,000 nurse-strong union body declared Thissen a candidate who, "exemplifies the characteristics we expect of a Governor." And we bet they didn't even know he's also awesome at the Donkey Kong arcade game...

​ The forever-DFL-long-shot candidate for every political office imaginable, Dick Franson, is at it again. This time he is running to oust Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak this November and he's got an interesting plan when he (never) becomes mayor of the City of Lakes.

Not only will he have a total hard-on for police chief Tim Dolan, but he's going to help the police out by going out into the trenches himself. That'll teach those criminals who they are messing with.

In his latest campaign fax, Franson states:

"I will personally go into high-crime areas at night to find out what's happening. I will be the best friend the police force has had since Hubert H. Humphrey"

Just what we want in a mayor. A wanna-be cop busting up drug deals and knocking out murderers with his own two hands.

And if we can't gather the votes to get this good man in office in November, we'll have yet another chance in 2010. Thank goodness! Franson says he will be running for secretary of state. He proudly proclaims this is his 25th run for public office and 2010 would be his third run for secretary of state. Psssst. Might not want to remind us how many times you've failed. Isn't that embarrassing?

​
Chris Coleman will not run for governor in 2010. The St. Paul mayor announced his decision this afternoon. For some, including many union members who were leaning toward him for their endorsement, it's a surprise. But for those who saw Coleman at DFL campaign stops across the state, it's not much of a shock. The dude has a hard time connecting to rural Minnesotans, and truthfully, he's just really, really, boring.

​ The Republican State Party convention this weekend included an early glimpse into a potential candidate for the 2010 governor's race. State Rep. Marty Seifert won the straw poll Saturday with 454 votes (37 percent of the vote), easily taking the lead over second place state Rep. Tom Emmer who had 283 votes. Former State Auditor Pat Anderson took third, state Sen. David Hann came in fourth, none was fifth and state Rep. Paul Kohls came in sixth.

So how is Seifert winning over Republicans? He told the crowd he was conservative before conservative was "cool." Huh, that's a new one.

No more "very likely." He said he's running.

​
This morning, RT Rybak casually announced he's running for governor to City Pages at the AFL-CIO forum held at the Ramada Inn. While waiting to take the stage alongside the other DFL gubernatorial candidates, and Mayor Chris Coleman, he took the time to come up and shake City Pages's hand. It was in this brief moment he allowed his mouth to slip out the words many wanted to hear.

​ Rep. Betty McCollum's will formally introduce legislation today that would ban corporations convicted of a felony from receiving federal dollars. And because McCollum is just so freaking clever, she name it the "Against Corporations Organizing to Rip-off the Nation Act" (ACORN Act). We totally get it.

Here is the release:

Washington, DC -Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) is circulating a 'Dear Colleague' encouraging Members of the U.S. House to co-sponsor the Against Corporations Organizing to Rip-off the Nation Act of 2009 (ACORN Act). The bill prohibits corporations with a felony conviction from receiving any federal funding for the five years after the conviction, prohibits corporate felons from making federal campaign contributions for five years, and limits the lobbying the corporation can do during that period. Congresswoman McCollum will formally introduce the ACORN Act on Wednesday, September 30, 2009.

Read the bill here.

 

​Ah, Karl Rove. It's a name that once elicited mixture of disgust and distain from half the country, back before the GOP juggernaut came off the wheels and ideologically shat the bed. Just reading the name sends a wave of nostalgia down our spine.

Nick Vlcek

​Tony Sutton, the GOP Chairman, fan of minimalist interior decor and Minnesota political history buff, once again had the press at his feet.  Today, the Pioneer Press ran a story documenting his rise from a modest upbringing in Hibbing, all the way to the helm of the state GOP. We can't blame them. He's the interesting political character we profiled last month.

​ Mike Jungbauer, a Republican state senator and gubernatorial hopeful, hasn't even made it to a Republican endorsement for governor and he is already under attack.

Jungbauer was putting a car in a shed on his property Sunday night when a bat came after him and bit him. He is now being treated for rabies just in case.

Our only conclusion: Blame the liberals. First Pat Anderson, another possible gubernatorial candidate gets H1N1, now we have attacking bats. And since most political accusations usually have no real basis of truth, we're going to throw another styrofoam cup out the window for creatures to choke and die on.

Happy Monday!

​ Standing inside a nearly packed Target Center Saturday afternoon, you'd probably think everyone was in love with President Obama's health care reform plan following his feel-good rally to supporters. Reality is, many people are still fighting against it and some of those nay-sayers are Blue Dog Democrats from Minnesota.

Republicans and some Democrats spoke out this weekend against the plan, citing lack of details or unease with the public option. We've rounded up some of their comments to spoil all the fun you had Saturday, watching Obama with tiny tears running from your eyes. He isn't God, people.

​
Image courtesy of St. Paul Web site

John Choi, City Attorney for St. Paul, is expected to announce Wednesday that he will be running for Ramsey County Attorney. Choi is the third to throw his hat in the ring.

Choi is expected to make the announcement from Skyline Tower, a low-income housing building in St. Paul. Choi's family lived in the tower when they emigrated to the U.S. when Choi was 3.

"Part of what John's story and who John is is basically the American dream," says Assistant Scott County Attorney Cory Tennison, Choi's campaign manager. "He comes here, his parents work two jobs to put him through school, and now here he is City Attorney of St. Paul."

Two other candidates announced their candidacies earlier this year: Dave Pinto, an assistant Ramsey County Attorney, and David Schultz, a partner with Maslon Law Firm.

Current Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner is not seeking reelection and is running for governor.

​ Last week, people critical of President Obama's speech to kids this morning made quite the stink, accusing Obama of trying to indoctrinate school children with a socialist agenda.

Big surprise: Obama's speech is totally fine and a great message for children to hear from their country's leader. The White House released the text of his speech Monday and it was clean of any potentially evil rhetoric.

Even Newt Gingrich came to Obama's defense yesterday on his Twitter feed:

Just read President Obamas speech to students.white House posted it. it is a good speech and will be good for students to hear

Remember that Presidents Reagan and Bush also talked to students nationwide. As long as it is non political and pro education it is good

Former First Lady Laura Bush approves too.

If you want to read the speech yourself, check it out here.

​Minnesota's Rep. John Kline is really concerned about what kind of horrid brainwashing President Obama has in store for the country's children next Tuesday when he does a back-to-school address to kids. Scary we know. A president who actually cares about kids! And knows how to talk to them! Blasphemy.

Of course Obama is going to get all evil-eyed, play some Raffi (do kids still listen to that crap?) and convince them to join his socialist movement. These kids are going to go home spouting off talking points about bank bailouts, saving the car industry, a public option for health care, and letting gay people be loud and proud in the military.

No. We can pretty much guarantee that Obama is going to say hello, introduce himself to many kids who have probably never heard him speak, and tell the kids to stay in school. Study hard, work hard, and think independently. What's so wrong with having the top American inspiring kids to care about going to school?

Of course someone (or a lot of people) have a problem with it. They didn't seem to mind when George H.W. Bush did it though, but liberals sure did. Kline has personally requested that Obama provide his speech ahead of time to ensure it's "appropriate" for kids.

Give us a break.

Image via

​ Seven DFL candidates fighting to be the top dog in the 2010 Minnesota gubernatorial race will attend a debate/forum tonight at the Minnesota State Fair. Be prepared for all sorts of "aw-shucks" state fair jokes that will surely have your food baby rolling.

The debate will run from 5-7 p.m. and is hosted by AM950. Watch the debate live at the AM950 booth (corner of Randall and Cosgrove).

If you can't make it to the fair for the guaranteed excitement, listen to it on AM950 or tune in here for the live video feed courtesy of The UpTake.

More information below.

​ President Obama is continuing to see his job approval ratings dip across the United States and Minnesota isn't an exception. In a SurveyUSA poll conducted here last week, just over half of Minnesotans approve of his job performance.

Conducted Wednesday and Thursday with 600 adults, the survey found that 53 percent of those polled approved of Obama's job performance. About 44 percent disapproved. There was a 4.1 percent margin of error.

That's a big drop since the SurveyUSA poll in late April where 63 percent of Minnesotans approved of the job Obama was doing and 33 percent disapproved.

Nationwide, Obama's job approval ratings have been just over 50 percent.

​ St. Paul welcomes all health care reform lovers, haters, and anyone who fears euthanasia by Obama. Rep. Betty McCollum will be hosting a health care forum tonight for constituents to talk about how much they really love being ripped off by private health care providers. It's grass roots, baby!

If you want to be part of the action, make sure to get there early. MinnPost says the space only holds 400 people.

Check out the details below.

​The recent announcement of Margaret Anderson-Kelliher jumping into the gubernatorial race should have other DFLers soiling their pants. The woman is a badass, legit and hard working, smart and battle tested. At least that's what the lobbyists think of her.

​There is yet another high-profile Minnesota Democrat aiming for the governor's seat. House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher announced her intentions and said she has filed the paperwork needed to run.

We hope all the Democrats don't slaughter each other just trying to win the DFL endorsement. This could get messy. Too many egos in one pool.

Check out her letter to supporters below.

Photo via wiki

​Alaska gubernatorial quitter Sarah Palin is learning a lesson or two from our very own Rep. Michele Bachmann. In addition to fully taking on Bachmann's ability to make up facts and spread fear across the country about all things Democratic, Palin is even citing Bachmann as a source of health care reform information.

Palin, you might want to look elsewhere. We don't exactly trust a word that comes out of her mouth these days and she's only going to bring down your goals for higher office.

Anyway, have you heard of these President Obama death panels? Sounds like Trig Palin is up first.

​ When you are on your 18th term in the U.S. House of Representatives, you get some freedom to go off on your very own political party's president. No one's holding our Rep. Jim Oberstar back.

Oberstar chairs the House Transportation Committee and has big visions for the future of the country's crumbling infrastructure. Apparently the Obama administration isn't exactly following through on their "change" mantra when it comes to our country's ability to move from one place to the next.

Oberstar spoke Wednesday afternoon at the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and had some harsh words for the president. We wouldn't be surprised if Oberstar finds his car sealed in plastic wrap someday soon. No one rips on Obama, particularly Democrats.

​The Minnesota GOP isn't letting Rep. Collin Peterson's most recent comment about 9/11 truthers in his district go. They just released a radio ad that will be played in the 7th District to call out Peterson for his comment and the Democrat's voting record.

The ad calls Peterson "out of touch" with his constituents long before he made his 9/11 truthr comments. Since the quote was published in Politico this week, Peterson has apologized.

Good luck actually getting this guy kicked out of office by voters. Peterson won last year with 72 percent of the vote.

Listen to the ad below.

​After making a slightly offhanded comment about the number of 9/11 truthers in his Minnesota district, Rep. Collin Peterson was called out by the state GOP and has now apologized in case you were offended.

On Monday, Peterson was quoted in a Politico story about the birther believers who still think President Obama wasn't born in Hawaii. Peterson said "Twenty-five percent of my people believe the Pentagon and Rumsfeld were responsible for taking the twin towers down... That's why I don't do town meetings."

The Minnesota GOP called him out for making the comment and asked him to apologize to his constituents. And he did just that.

His apology below.

​Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Tony Sutton is a little ticked off about DFL Rep. Collin Peterson's quote today in Politico. In a story about birthers (the people who believe Obama isn't a U.S. citizen), Peterson says, "25 percent of my people believe the Pentagon and Rumsfeld were responsible for taking the twin towers down."

The Republicans don't believe this stat. We're a little unsure ourselves. Twenty-five percent? You aren't exactly promoting your district as the brightest in the country. Might want to keep that little stat of insanity a secret so the country doesn't realize you are harboring all of the most paranoid in northern Minnesota.

Either way, Sutton wants an apology. His statement:

"Collin Peterson must immediately apologize for the outrageous and offensive comments he made about his own constituents. By stating that 'twenty-five percent of my people believe the Pentagon and Rumsfeld were responsible for taking the twin towers down' and that's 'why I don't do town meetings,' Peterson revealed just how out of touch and disconnected he has become in Washington. Given his liberal voting record, the real reason Peterson doesn't hold town hall meetings is because he is afraid to face the residents of his district."

​The birther movement has become quite the headache for Republicans. The group of conspiracy theorists still convinced President Obama is not an American citizen have been getting some undeserved attention after one woman interrupted a town hall meeting to spew her nonsense and the video went viral online.

Apparently these kinds of crazies stop other representatives from doing public forums too. Rep. Collin Peterson, a Democrat who represents the northwestern part of the state that leans conservative, said they are to blame for the lack of town hall meetings in his district.

 
Rep. Keith Ellison had quite a week. And we're not talking about his questionable trip abroad. The man is raking in the federal bucks. By adding up the titles in this week's set of press releases, our smiley representative has secured more than $1 million. Booyah!

Photo by aflcio2008

 The idea is simple: Maybe if you get kids to care about their community before they hit the terrible teens, they'll actually care as adults.

Rep. Betty McCollum and the Corporation for National and Community Service announced a nearly $900,000 grant for middle schools in the Twin Cities area today. 

The grant is meant to reconnect schools and communities through service learning, educating youth, and funding the National Youth Leadership Council, McCollum said.