Minnesota Campaign Report

No More Content

2006-06-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

The DFL State Convention is over, and so is content posting to this Blogspot site. You should be forwarded soon to the new MNCR - if not, click this link: http://www.mncampaignreport.com

Robocalls

2006-06-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

It appears Ryan Flynn of MN Governor and now Blogs for Pawlenty was also known as Republican Minnesota until he inexplicably stopped posting there (courtesy of Eva). The plot thickens - check out her comment on the previous post below for more info. Disclosure called for, methinks.

Just an aside, however - on to the meat.

You know, this past week, I had to hand it to the Lourey campaign - they followed up the Baylor announcement with a DVD mailing and an accompanying robocall, which I can only assume targeted delegates and alternates to this week's State Convention. Northern Debater brought up some good points, with which I had to agree.

And then they followed up with another recorded robocall. And then another, this one with an auto-poll.

Let me say that again - a week out from the convention, and they're conducting an automated phone poll.

I sincerely hope the results of this poll aren't used at the convention to demonstrate Lourey's leading position going in. For one thing, automated phone polls are notoriously unreliable - it will quite severely tilt toward the candidate conducting the poll. Kelley supporters are likely to listen to the end of a message from Senator Kelley just as Hatch supporters would listen all the way through a recorded message from AG Hatch, just as Lourey supporters are more likely to have listened until the poll at the end of this message.

There was another paragraph here, but I left it out because of the negative undertones contained therein. Let's leave it at "to summarize, a good move (and that's something, coming from me) quickly turned bad." Let's see what effect that has on pre-convention Monday.

On Running Mates and Opponents

2006-05-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

Last day of May! Eleven days till the end of the State Convention AND the end of new content here! Update your links: http://www.mncampaignreport.com

In a yawner of a news piece, since accurate rumors have already been in the wild for several days, Becky Lourey will today announce Tim Baylor as her running mate. Mr. Baylor is a business leader in Minneapolis, is a former Vikings player, and is black. All of these things make sense - as a candidate from Greater Minnesota, Lourey needs to have something to appeal to Metro voters, and inroads in minority communities are important as well. Although I’m sure the campaign will say it’s solely because of Mr. Baylor’s leadership qualities and great work ethic, we cannot forget that it’s politics first, last, and always. For all candidates.

As for the Opponents bit in the post title, have a look at this MSNBC article on the US Senate Race. Especially this excerpt:

For his part, Republican Kennedy will make national security a dominant issue.

“How you win the war on terror is going to be one of the top issues” in this race, Kennedy said. “Clearly there have been mistakes made in the war on terror. And there have been corrections made. But the real question is: what is your focus? Is your focus just impeaching the president and having partisan investigations? Or is your focus on how to win the war on terror, how do we keep America safe?”

Considering how screechy Mr. Kennedy is in person, we must remember that most Minnesotans won’t see or hear him in person or on TV until the very late stages of the campaign. But this statement, whether from Kennedy’s lips or not, is a very carefully laid out set of talking points that Republicans across the Federal spectrum will use to defend themselves against a slaughter in November. My point is this - Kennedy has an uphill climb against sagging approval ratings for Congress and the President, but he is not stupid. Nor are his people, and none of them are to be underestimated. The Senate race must not be taken for granted, and the Minnesota race is nothing like that in Connecticut, to which the article draws a parallel. This is not the time or the place for an ideological purity debate. Mark Kennedy would be vastly worse for progressive ideals than either of the DFL candidates, but only one has demonstrated the ability to raise the money necessary to stare down the Republican machine. Forcing Amy Klobuchar to spend her way to the DFL nomination in September for the sake of ideological purity would be a pyrrhic victory of the worst sort.

On the Race for Governor

2006-05-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

This site will be going dark for new content after the DFL State Convention, June 9th-11th. Update your links: http://www.mncampaignreport.com

In a well-worn thread at MN Publius recently, Centrisity's ever-poignant Flash makes a good point in comment #25:

This thread demonstrates why the GOP wins the Governor's chair in what should be a Blue State. A bunch of bickering loyalists blindly parroting campaign rhetoric without considerng the damage it may cause their opponent should they become the eventual nominee.

You all have a great time in Rochester, I'll be in the garage . . . . drinkin'

Mmmm....beer. The cause of and solution to all the world's problems. No, the point is generally well-taken - intra-party bickering, if we allow it to taint our views of the candidates too strongly, will lead not only to us as individuals not working as hard as we can to replace Tim Pawlenty with a DFL Governor, but this dispirited lack of action could in and of itself cause that DFL candidate to fail. We must not allow single issue disagreements with any of the three gubernatorial candidates to sway us from the knowledge that any of the three would be better than Tim Pawlenty. The same goes for our candidates for US Senate. The trolls who would have you believe otherwise are just that, and are missing the big picture. I accept no fiercely negative comment on any blog or message board as credible unless its author reveals either their identity or makes clear their political loyalties via explicit disclaimer.

That being said, I am firmly of the opinion that the reason the commonly held perception of DFLers and Democrats as cats in need of herding, own-children-eaters, whatever, is merely a product of history. If the Republicans spend a few years in the political wilderness, I submit that we might see a very similar scenario to what we saw recently in the CD6 GOP convention - lies, backstabbing, manipulation, etc. To send them into the wild so Minnesota can be brought back to the national fore as a progenitor of progressive success should be a goal around which we can all pull together.

Happy Memorial Day

2006-05-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

End of the month, this link won't be showing anything new, so change your bookmarks - http://www.mncampaignreport.com

As the title says, happy Memorial Day. Have a beer or three, barbecue with friends and family, do whatever it is you do to celebrate the unofficial start to summer if you can stand the heat - but whatever you do, do take a moment out of your day to remember those who, for better or worse, have given their lives for America because they were asked to do so.

I had a chance yesterday to attend a meet-and-greet with Mark Ritchie, Wendy Wilde, and Andrew Borene in an air-conditioned home in Minnetonka. Had I gotten the chance to do so, it would have been a perfect opportunity to interview Mr. Borene, who's running in a blue-trending Senate District in Edina and has a great chance to keep the DFL majority solid. I'll get to him at some point. Having permanent office space this early in the campaign means the campaign is doing very well. Mr Ritchie, the guest of honor, noted that his campaign was almost at their fundraising ceiling, and had begun raising funds for the coordinated campaign fund, an activity certain to garner good feelings from the party. Judging from his comments on the convention, it will be a very interesting time for those delegates and alternates still left on Sunday.

Ms. Wilde also had a chance to speak, and she's a candidate I did get a chance to speak with, although not one-on-one. According to Wendy, she's brought on John Wodele as a communications manager, and she's hoping that the Ventura connection will help to bring over independent-leaning voters in the 3rd. She correctly expressed exasperation that several big-time DNC donors across the country have also donated to her Republican target, Jim Ramstad. These people do need to learn that whether Mr. Ramstad is a nice guy or not (maybe, haven't met him), a moderate or not (voted 82% with President Bush last year, so I'm leaning toward not), his presence in Congress and lockstep-Republican voting record on many issues enables a right-wing extremist agenda to drive this country into the dirt.

I wonder if the Freedom Club of America has donated much to Ramstad....

One last thing about the meet-and-greet. There was a certain group at Camp Wellstone in 2005 that turned out to be pretty impressive. Check out this roster:

Mark Ritchie - candidate for Secretary of State
Tim Walz - candidate for Congress, CD1
Betsy Sheurer - Hopkins school board member, elected 2005
Andrew Borene - candidate for State Senate

and a couple of other notable-and-quotables from the political scene. Not a bad performance, I'd say, from a pretty small group.

Told Ya So

2006-05-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

If you've been to http://www.mncampaignreport.com, you know that I already posted a quickie today about there not being much news. If you haven't, however - why haven't you? Of COURSE there would be news today! Dan Dorman (R), representing district 27A in the State House, has decided to retire from that role. From his announcement message:

At noon today I am going to announce that I will not seek re-election. Serving the people to District 27A for the last 8 years has been one of the best experiences for my family and me.

Two years ago, I considered not running. The 03 and 04 sessions were difficult times in St. Paul for Greater Minnesota and when the Republican Caucus went to 81 it felt like the moderate voices were no longer heard. But I decided to give it one more try. After winning relection, the Speaker of the House asked me to serve as the Chair of the Capital Investment Committee. Boy am I glad I stayed.

Serving as the Chair of the Committee I was able to leave my mark on two really good bonding bills. Bills that I think will make Minnesota a better place to live, work and play. In addition, I got to work closely with some great people. Including but not limited to the Committee Administrator LaRissa Peltola and the Committee Legislative Assistant Rory Koch.

…

I am not sure what the future holds, but our oldest son is finishing up 10th grade and our other son 8th grade. I know I want to be around more. It has always seemed that as one door closed another opens. So for now, I am taking a break but don’t be surprised to see me back in some fashion.

Dorman has a reputation in St. Paul of being a strong moderate voice in what he cites as an increasingly un-moderate Republican caucus. His retirement joins a litany of departing legislators, a slight majority of whom are Republicans. Courtesy of Minntelect, the DFL already has a contender lined up in Robin Brown, a teacher and horse breeder from Austin. Dorman beat his 2004 opponent 56-37 with a third-party candidate taking a small percentage, so this new open seat doesn’t immediately become a horse race until Ms. Brown does something to make it one. However, The Senate District does have two DFL incumbents, and if they’re smart they’ll work with Ms. Brown to build a unified message for the entire district. It’s yet another seat the MN-GOP is going to have to fight to defend, expending valuable resources there instead of districts already identified as battlegrounds.

MN-05: Erlandson In

2006-05-25T07:02:00.000-07:00

http://www.mncampaignreport.com. You know what to do.

It’s not really news, but it’s worth some more analysis - Mike Erlandson has confirmed that he will face Keith Ellison in the September primary in CD5. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see at least one or two of the other non-endorsed candidates drop at this point - Rep. Ellison will get the lion’s share of DFL loyalist votes, and if the rest are split four ways, Ellison will win walking away.

As some other folks have noted, however, I don’t think it’s altogether a terrible thing that a competitive primary take place in Minneapolis and its first ring suburbs. Congressman Sabo did announce his retirement after precinct caucuses, giving potential candidates an extremely short period of time to organize within an already-determined universe of DFL delegates. Very tough position to be in for all involved. That the Republican candidate can’t seem to hit the broad side of a barn with a complete political sentence only confirms that this race should and will be decided in September, with plenty of time after that for the nominee to get on the campaign trail with other DFL candidates across the state.

All in all, CD5 represents an opportunity for the DFL to show Minnesota our quality as a political organization and as individuals. If the political sniping can be kept to a bare minimum and on a professional level, it will demonstrate that we, as Democrats, are unafraid of honest debate of the issues. It will provide a stark contrast with the endorsement-battle shenanigans conducted by a certain GOP-endorsed congressional candidate just to the north of CD5.

DKos Poll and a Few Words on Money

2006-05-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

http://www.mncampaignreport.com. Change it up.

I don’t pretend that the DNC will make its decision on where to hold the 2008 Convention based on the musings of a few thousand respondents to a DailyKos poll….but as I’ve noted before, Minneapolis is a perfect place to have the 2008 DNC. And more. Anyway, check out the poll and vote for the Mini-apple!

But that’s not what this post is really about. In conjunction with my previous post on Gil Gutknecht’s latest fundraising attempt, I look a quick look at his 2004 cycle fundraising, in particular his top contributors. See that donation of ten-large by Freedom Club of America? This set off some warning bells. I don’t like organizations that include the word “Freedom” in their name; it usually means something nefarious and decidedly non-freedom-espousing. I tried Googling “Freedom Club of America” and didn’t come up with an official homepage, only references to the group as a small group of wealthy Twin Cities businessmen who have, since their inception in 1997, become heavy hitters in upper-Midwest fundraising for conservative, pro-business Republican candidates.

Here’s the group’s FEC listing. I dug a bit deeper, and found some very interesting names and very high dollar totals on their list of donors (amounts are in aggregate since 1997):

John Trautz, Reliance Development Co: $6000
John Hinderaker: $5000. You know him as AssRocket of PowerLine infamy.
Ron Eibensteiner: $6500. Former MN-GOP State Chair
William/Bill Lurton of Long Lake: $5000
Cliff Olson, PAC Treasurer, New Hope: $6500. Mr Olson is also the Chairman of AbelConn LLC, an aerospace technology corporation which was formed in 1997 and is listed at the same address as the Freedom Club. Not a big deal that they’re in the same place - if a donor wants to send a check to the Freedom Club, no doubt they would address it to the Treasurer, who has a day job. The 1997 part is interesting, but also not necessarily important.
James Bissonett, Eden Prairie: $19,000. Wow. Heavy hitter here.
Robert Cummins, President of Primera Technology: $28,500
Joan Cummins, wife of Robert Cummins: $9,000 - in matching amounts to Mr. Cummins’s donations, on the same dates.

Wow. Between the two of them, Mr. and Mrs. Cummins donated $37,500 to the Freedom Club Federal PAC between 1997 and 2006. Now, to be fair, this isn’t really a whole ton of money for political donors. But take a look where else their money went:

$5000 to SOUTH DAKOTA REPUBLICAN PARTY on 10/04/04
$2000 to GUTKNECHT FOR U.S. CONGRESS COMMITTEE on 03/26/04
$2000 to GUTKNECHT FOR U.S. CONGRESS COMMITTEE on 03/26/04 (Matching donations from husband and wife)
CUMMINS, BOB, (Zip code: 55391) $1000 to SWIFT BOAT VETS AND POW’S FOR TRUTH on 09/01/04

And that’s just in the 2004 cycle. Their names show up ALL OVER conservative fundraising lists over the past five election cycles. Just who is Robert Cummins?

He doesn’t like the public school system.
He has donated heavily to organizations pushing for gay-hate to be enshrined in the State Constitution.
Lo and behold - he is listed as the the founder and past President of the Freedom Club by the Center for Public Integrity.

So here’s the thing. This group obviously has no scruples about the candidates and character-smear groups they support. They want to win, because they’re businessmen, and they want to be allowed to do whatever the hell they want to do in order to make money. Should their companies be allowed to make a decent profit? Of course they should. Capitalism is great as long as the middle class has a chance at it. But that’s another post for another day.

The question we face now is this: should Gil Gutknecht be allowed to get away with smearing Tim Walz’s hardfought success in fundraising when Mr. Gutknecht accepts big chunks of money from people like Mr. Cummins, who do the dirty work of demolishing the institutions that made this country great so they can make more money and Mr. Gutknecht can pass himself off as a “moderate”? I leave that to you.

Gil Gutknecht on Gil Gutknecht

2006-05-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.mncampaignreport.com. Update your links. That means you, Northern Debater.

We here in the blogosphere have been quivering in anticipation of the fireworks to come in Minnesota's First Congressional District between incumbent Republican Gil Gutknecht and DFL challenger (and Fighting Dem) Tim Walz. After trouncing Leigh Pomeroy in 2004, it seemed as though Mr. Gutknecht would be fairly safe in a largely rural, traditionally conservative district. That was before Tim Walz. All of a sudden, Mr. Walz started reaching across all the old political lines and impressing people across southern Minnesota, and Gil Gutknecht got downright scared. Scared of a straight-talking guy who didn't drag President Bush's failed policies around like a ball and chain, and who started raising a lot of money.

How do I know Mr. Gutknecht is scared? Well, don't take my word for it. Take Mr. Gutknecht's word for it! From a source close to the campaign, I received a copy of Mr. Gutknecht's latest fundraising letter. The full copy will be coming as soon as I get the PDF edited for publication, but here are some excerpts along with comments:

I'm writing to you today because I want to bring to your immediate attention the danger of ignoring the very real threat that the Democrats pose in 2006.

The Wall Street Journal article highlights the Democrat's chances in the 1st District by saying, "The Republican nightmare here in the First District is a burly, high-school teacher and coach who is running as a Democrat but evokes House Speaker Dennis Hastert as a younger man."

This confirms what I've been saying all along about liberal Tim Walz's candidacy...and the fact that state and national Democrats are rallying around him hoping for an upset this November.

In short, I am facing the biggest challenge by the Democrats since being elected as your Congressman in 1994.

Liberal! Hey, liberal Walz! He's a Democrat, he's liberal! Liberal liberal liberal! Some children are scared of the boogeyman in their closet, apparently Mr. Gutknecht and his Republican colleagues would rather face the boogeyman than a liberal. But reality comes back and bites us once again - words like "liberal" and "conservative" are just words. How a candidate communicates with the voters and how well each demonstrates his intestinal fortitude and values are vastly more important than the slimey labels that get thrown around over the course of the campaign.

Liberal.

Tim Walz will tap into millions of dollars of out-of-state, left-wing cash that the Democrats are raising from their friends from Hollywood to Boston.

The Democrat's left-wing agenda will result in higher taxes, more government control, higher health care costs and no solution to illegal immigration...while burdening working families with skyrocketing taxes.

The Democrats want to do away with President George W. Bush's tax cuts and raise taxes by over $2 trillion. Just imagine what it would be like it the per-child-tax-credit was completely eliminated...that's why I will work to keep President Bush's tax cuts in place - permanently.

Reality to Mr. Gutknecht - you're making numbers up. Reversing President Bush's tax cuts would increase our government's solvency after nearly six years of ballooning deficits, brought about by irresponsible Republican policies of not living up to our commitments and pushing debt on to our children and grandchildren. Your party has already spent tax money that won't be paid until I'm eligible for Social Security if your party is left in power. And that's a long time off.

Illegal immigration is a homeland security issue. While left-wingers are trying to make this a political issue by inciting mass protests, we must hold our ground and increase funding to control our borders and enforce immigration laws.

Increase funding from where? You've already said you'll try to make Bush's tax cuts permanent. Where is this money coming from, Mr. Gutknecht?

Fighting for affordable prescription drugs will continue to be an important part of my legislative agenda. Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical industry still stands in the way of making prescription drugs more affordable by blocking key reforms.

Let me get this straight. Your party controls both houses of Congress AND the White House, and it's Big Pharma that's blocking key reforms? You're kidding, right? Please describe exactly how it is that the pharmaceutical companies are blocking reforms. Are they contributing heavily to Republican leaders in the House and Senate and bribing them to keep these reforms from seeing the light of day?

Using the threat of an upset to rally one's voting and fundraising base is nothing new in electoral politics. But this effort by Gutknecht's campaign is, frankly, a little sad. Not only does his staff appear to be grammatically disinclined (perhaps a product of the so-called No Child Left Behind educational standards), but they're simply making things up! You're facing a challenge for many reasons, Mr. Gutknecht. Foremost among them, CD1 Democrats have found a candidate who speaks to the values of all your constituents. But only slightly behind that, you've failed. The Contract with America that put you in office has failed. It's time for a new Contract with America, one that doesn't involve the Republican Party leading our country in the wrong direction as they've done since 1994.

State Legislature Open Seat Races

2006-05-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

My apologies to the LeftyBlogs community for this post (probably) showing up twice. Soon enough I'll get around to removing the blogSpot site and making sure all posts there link to http://www.mncampaignreport.com. So should you (hint hint).

Courtesy of Minntelect, here's a list of open seats in the State Legislature, along with a little analysis of how next year's House and Senate could look. Yes, I'm reaching for something to post. Too bad.

The following list obviously leaves out competitive races involving incumbents. However, among these seats alone, there's an opportunity for the DFL to take control of the State House and keep its solid, gay-hate-ballot-question preventing majority in the Senate. These are good things.

Senate Seats:

8 Becky Lourey (D): In spite of Senator Lourey's campaign theme stating that she's beaten conservative incumbents in a conservative district, this one is probably a keeper for the DFL, especially with her son Tony running to replace her.
23 John Hottinger (D): Rural/exurban district, retiring DFLer in a reddish area. Without looking at two-party registration numbers and local polls, this might be the GOP's best chance at a pickup in a truly open Senate Seat.
30 Sheila Kiscaden (I): Traditionally red Rochester has recently trended toward the DFL, electing Andy Welti and Tina Liebling to the House on the SD30 side of town. Should be a hold, but depends on races higher up the ticket to keep DFL turnout high
31 Bob Kierlin (R): Having not heard a whole ton about SD31, I'm reluctant to make predictions. However, unless Tim Walz pulls off a miracle in this rural district, the local candidates will have to settle for helping propel Walz into Congress.
52 Michele Bachmann (R): A district that put a wingnut like Bachmann in office can be depended upon to vote Republican once again.
57 Sharon Marko (D): Another likely hold for the DFL with Rep. Katie Sieben running to replace her counterpart across the Capitol.
62 Wes Skoglund (D): DFL hold
63 Jane Ranum (D): DFL hold

Special mention:
15 Tarryl Clark (D) and 43 Terri Bonoff (D): Both Senators were elected in special elections last year, so the vote totals in those elections are both low and not entirely useful for projections of this November. If the GOP picks up either seat, it will most be SD15. See yesterday's post on Jim Knoblach's retirement from 15A for more on that one.

House Seats:

15A Jim Knoblach (R: See yesterday's post.
18A Scott Newman (R)
23A Ruth Johnson (D)
28A Jerry Dempsey (R)
29B Fran Bradley (R)
33B Barb Sykora (R): Possible DFL pickup. Western Minnetonka may be one of the richer areas in the West Metro, but like Edina, many in SD33 are sick and tired of being handed money by Republican administrations when they want to contribute to the common good. Carol Eastlund lost by a hefty margin in 2004, but against a non-incumbent Republican, she could make a strong showing this year.
43A Jeff Johnson (R): With Johnson preparing to battle Matt Entenza for Attorney General, Sandy Hewitt (DFL) is running against Sarah Anderson, a former Republican staffer at the Capitol. Plymouth represents the more conservative half of SD43, but coordinated campaign efforts are already underway
43B Ron Abrams (R): I've talked about him before, but John Benson is coming off an extremely strong showing in 2004, and Ron Abrams is leaving for a judgeship. Suppress Republican turnout a bit, add a few hundred DFL votes, and Rep. Benson will be a reality.
50A Barb Goodwin (D)
50B Char Samuelson (R)
51A Andy Westerberg (R)
52A Ray Vandeveer (R): Vandeveer is running for Michele Bachmann's seat in the Senate. Likely Republican Hold
53B Doug Meslow (R)
57A Katie Seiben (D): Likely DFL hold
58B Keith Ellison (D): More-than-Likely DFL hold
63B Dan Larson (D): Is the GOP running a candidate?
64A Matt Entenza (D): GOP wins 64A = pigs fly.

Knoblach Out in 15A

2006-05-22T12:39:00.001-07:00

So it's as tired a theme as a Republican official talking about "tax relief." Still - update your links. http://www.mncampaignreport.com. Seriously. You'll regret it one of these days if you don't. Anyway, on with the post.

Via MN GOP Watch, Jim Knoblach will leave the State House after six terms representing greater St. Cloud. Upon reading this, I immediately did some quick Googling to find out who's running on the DFL ticket. I could only find definitive information on Anne Nolan, who lost in 2004 and, at last website update, was running again in 2006. Any additional information is greatly appreciated, and will be rewarded with a Snickers Bar.

In a moderate-to-conservative district, it is worth of note that Senator Clark and Rep. Haws of 15B are both DFLers. Granted they won their seats in special (read: low-turnout) elections, but Knoblach's departure represents a huge opportunity for the DFL, and puts the GOP even further on the defense. The value of a coordinated campaign between candidates for congruent districts cannot be overstated. Door-knocking and community appearances should be done together, in order to conserve resources and push hard for straight-line DFL ballots in November. The same thing is going on in SD43, and it has been yielding very positive results for the DFL's candidates for the House. Philosophically, there should be no reason why a DFLer can't be elected to fill Knoblach's chair in the House, though I would be interested to see if Señor Kirchner at The Analyst has data to amend, refute, or confirm that claim.

$ession is Over

2006-05-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

As always, remember to update your links: http://www.mncampaignreport.com is live!

What does the end of session mean for the many campaigns going on right now?

In a word, money.

According to the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board, during legislative sessions, "Candidate committees and Legislative Caucuses may not accept contributions from political committees, political funds, or lobbyists during the regular legislative session." Ostensibly this rule is in place to prevent overt and undue influence over the legislative process by nefarious forces in the lobby.

But it's not just lobbyist money that candidates are missing out on during session. If you've ever spent time near a campaign, you know how important call time is. This is the time when the candidate hunkers down in a quiet office and makes lots and lots and lots of phone calls asking for money. This personal contact is key - the potential donor gets the feeling of personal connection to the process and the candidate, and tends to be more willing to part with a large sum of money than if approached by automated fundraising efforts.

This time of year thus opens itself up to political thrusts and parries. Accusations of impropriety will almost certainly be a standard feature of the next several months, as campaigns work hard to raise the money necessary to match their strategies. As one candidate for constitutional office told me in an interview, it's not necessarily how much money you've raised at this point in the game, but how you're spending it. In races with low spending limits (i.e., everything but Governor), keeping powder dry for the stretch run will be incredibly important.

As for the race for the corner office, have a look at the spending limits published by the CFB. A lot of the controls on spending in the gubernatorial race depend on the status of the primary, but take a look at that First-Time Candidate limit. I would tend to think this is what Kelly Doran was looking at in his abortive run for Governor - being able to drown his opponents with personal money in the primary, with an advantage for being a first-timer.

More on the Stadium and Senator Kelley

2006-05-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

Remember to update your links! http://www.mncampaignreport.com has arrived, and this post can be found there in all its glory! Workers of the world, unite! Or something. Anyway, take a moment to head over there and register to comment - especially you, Eva, although comments here still function properly. Just makes more work for yours truly.

Eva tries to make the case that Steve Kelley is in trouble over the recent conference committee compromise on the Twins Stadium bill:

Steve Kelley is very vulnerable on this issue. The reason is, he caved to the stick it to Hennepin County stadium only tax. If he’d kept the metro tax - and kept transit in the bill, he’d have gotten something.

The Stadium bill he allowed in the conference committee also stripped the provision to exclude local units of goverment from the marginal sales tax increase - which means this raises local property taxes.

This bill is wrong - if the Twins are a statewide asset, the whole state should pay.

Before I start arguing this, let it be known that Eva and I, regardless of party loyalty, agree on many issues (especially gay rights), just not on the Stadium. I just disagree with you strongly on this one, Eva.

For one thing, I don’t think Kelley’s campaign is in trouble over this, and as I mentioned in that comment thread, neither does MnpAct. They warn that it complicates matters in the endorsement, but in a general election, it doesn’t have much effect. If, however, Becky Lourey’s supports are so vehemently against the stadium (as that survey massage tends to indicate) then it may be that Kelley’s path to the endorsement lies with picking up second-choice votes from Hatch’s delegates, and not those supporting his fellow Senator. Could be very interesting. See you in June on that one.

As for the transportation funding/referendum bit that got stripped in the conference committee - be real here. If that transit funding AND referendum requirement goes to the House for a conference committee confirmation, it fails. It’s a compromise, or nothing. He did his best, it didn’t work. Note: I wasn’t there, so technically, I suppose this paragraph can be taken as hearsay.

And lastly, the Twins as a statewide resource…I just don’t know. I know they pay state income taxes, and the case can certainly be made that they’re a statewide resource, but I think the case also can be made (reasonably) that they are not a statewide resource - what percentage of their ticket sales come from outside Hennepin County? Outside Hennepin/Ramsey? Outside the seven-county Metro? I’d be willing to be that an extremely high percentage of Twins ticket buyers live in the Metro as compared to ticket-buyers in Greater Minnesota. If this percentage is greater than the general population split, there’s at least a reasonable case to be made that the seven counties should bear the brunt of any financial burden - I’m fairly sure that was the thrust of Senator Kelley’s proposal.

With a referendum to boot too. That he compromised to get not just the Stadium bill done, but also the entire legislative session, shouldn’t be a shot against him.

But I’m biased.

On Ideological Purity

2006-05-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

Remember to update your links! mncampaignreport.com is coming.

But today is a good day for a substantive piece, on a subject that really concerns me: ideological purity in politics. How often have we heard "I'd rather vote Republican than vote for a Democrat who supports (fill in the issue du jour)? How many times has the Sierra Club endorsed Lincoln Chafee, a moderate Republican who is environment-friendly in his own work, but votes in lockstep with the Republican majority in their efforts to install federal judges who routinely hand down bitch-slaps to the environmental protection community?

More locally, we've seen this in relation to two issues - sports stadia for Democrats and abortion for Republicans. "I'd rather vote Republican than vote for a Democrat who supports stadiums"...."I'd rather stay home on election day than vote for a Republican who won't fight against those baby-killers".... sound familiar? Single issue candidates lose, folks. Single issue groups do not win elections, and single issue parties do not survive long in politics. Compare stadiums to education, to health care, to metro transit - vehement stadium opponents on the left would rather have a Republican in charge of those? Compare abortion to taxes, to national security, and yes, to education (Republicans care about it too!) - is turning an incumbent out on his or her ear over that one issue worth risking the middle of the political spectrum voting --gasp-- Democrat?

Unfortunately, I think the blogosphere does little to mitigate this problem; if anything, we tend to worsen it. In a medium that was intended to bring people together, finding our individual voices too often allows us to demand that political leaders convey each of our personal positions, damned be he who disobeys. I'm not saying we should all give up our pet issues - we should push them as hard as we're willing and able to achieve a better future. But to say you'd rather see a member of the opposite party in office solely on the basis of one issue - that's just silly, folks.

Change is Good

2006-05-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

Short post today - I've been up to my eyeballs in real work and work on the new MNCR. It's finally ready for an alpha-phase looksee, if you're interested, but it's definitely going to change. From here on out, posts will be showing up here and there until I'm finally comfortable enough with WordPress and the remote hosting to cut over to the new site exclusively. If you have any feedback on the site theme, by all means, register to comment and let me know. It's a pre-packaged theme that I found in the WordPress codex, but i can tweak it here and there.

But that's not the point! The point of this post is this: Change is good. In several CD conventions over recent weeks, we've seen party leaders turned out on their ears for the sake of change. This is a good thing - if those who are most active within the party sense that their leadership is not doing enough to utilize the tools at their disposal, replacing those leaders provides an opportunity for fresh ideas to find their way into the political process.

Yet the Republican Party still clings desperately to that creaky old frame that Democrats are just angry and don't offer any new ideas. Here in Minnesota that's not so easy to do - ideas come out of the DFL-controlled Senate every day on how to improve the quality of life in our state. They're derided and removed from debate and vetoed by the House and the Governor, but at least they're out there. At the national level, however, this meme simply breaks down under the weight of its own pomposity. With a Republican President, Republican Senate, and Republican House, the logic of the GOP's digs at the Democrats clearly states "We may suck, but those guys over there aren't any better."

In desperate times, change can produce positive results all on its own, simply by bringing previously suppressed ideas, people, and leadership to the fore. I'm not so naive as to predict royal flush this November and a sweep of the Congressional elections, but I don't think it's a stretch to posit that, at very least, two of our four challengers have a very strong chance at picking up two seats for the Democratic House caucus. If seven or eight other states can say the same thing, we'll be in very good shape in November.

Why Is It

2006-05-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when I say something that could be construed as incendiary, I get lots of comments and my traffic goes through the roof, but when I actually ask for comments and conversation and interaction, I get crickets? Do I have to accuse Ron Carey of killing a puppy with his bare hands to get some response here?

To make a long story short, I'm in a foul mood today. GoDaddy's hosting service is being all weird and not finding PHP files. If anyone (PatMN, I'm calling you) has experience setting this stuff up, please please please email me.

[UPDATE]: Nice of GoDaddy to tell me that they do not have PHP functionality in a Windows hosting environment. I don't think this is the whole story, but I'm switching to Linux. Sigh.....the march goes on.

I was pleased, however, to see that the MN Supreme Court ruled in favor of keeping Governor Pawlenty's Health Impact Feetax in place. It means that no emergency legislation needs to be enacted to move money around, and the wording of the opinion, in which the authoring Justice as much as calls out Pawlenty on his semantic games, lends itself easily to simply calling the HIF a tax. Taxpayers' League types were probably not going to vote for the eventual DFL nominee anyway, but imagine their ire when they find out Tim Pawlenty really did push a new tax through. And a regressive one at that! The horror!

Bright days in the corner office are few and far between lately. What with trailing three (3) DFLers in the polls six months out, bad news with his anti-everything voting base...no good. For him. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but this is what happens when one makes deals with the devil.

And no, MDE frequenters, it's just a euphemism. I did not just equate David Strom or the Taxpayers' League with Satan.

A Thought I Had

2006-05-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

Now that so many of us have been through three stages of political involvement - precinct caucuses, SD/CU conventions, and CD conventions - there's a common thread to them all that I don't think has gotten a lot of play around here - platform resolutions. Never one to be patient with my desire for information, perhaps we could gather some comments here indicating the resolutions which seemed to make progress at SD/CU conventions, and see if there are any commonalities we can expect to see on the platform ballot in Rochester.

So...gather away.

Almost There

2006-05-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

Work continues on the new MNCR - so for a while, don't use that direct URL. If you were, which neither of you was, so it doesn't matter. WordPress is installed and ready to go, now I just have to get the domain names pointed in the right direction. The end of the week is a good target. Exciting times.

Raise your hands if you watched the season finale of Grey's Anatomy last night......How about 24? How about Bush's big address? *crickets*...... Bravo, Tony Snow. Bravo.

I got my first look at the floor plan of the convention center where the State Convention will be in June, and my reaction was a cross between "wow" and "yikes". 1300 delegates, perhaps a thousand alternates, party officials, campaign staffers...it's going to be a very crowded weekend. Hopefully the AC will work.

New GOP Personal Attack Site

2006-05-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

*Begin Nasty-Gram (tm)*

For fear of giving it more press than it deserves....well, I won't link to it. The MN-GOP has unveiled a new attack site that tests the boundaries of decency, even for Ron Carey's standards. It's titled amysrecord.com, and it purports, as the GOP's MDE-lookalikes always do, to provide an unbiased account of a superior Democratic candidate's views, policies, and actions.

Cry me a river, guys. This is a candidate against whom all your memes have failed, who has outraised Mark Kennedy when you discount President Bush, Laura Bush, Dick Cheney, Bill Frist, and (lest we forget the Bugman) Tom DeLay's stumping for him among the GOP's donor base. This is a candidate who has led Mark Kennedy from day ONE by a Republican-leaning, yet independent and generally accurate pollster's numbers.

Do some DFLers have issues with some of Amy Klobuchar's issue stands? Yeah, of course. No candidate is perfect. But other than changing up the site template you use for your personal attack sites, what do you hope to gain by this? My only thought is this (and it may be giving Messrs. Carey and Drake far too much credit) is that by drooling over this "hostile workplace" and "rising crime" frame, they're trying to goad the DFL and the Klobuchar campaign into saying that her work as Hennepin County Attorney doesn't have a bearing on her potential to serve as a US Senator.

That doesn't change the fact that Republican budget cuts at the national level hit the Minneapolis Police Department hard, and that the programs hardest hit by Republican budget cuts are proven to prevent crime. Instead of blaming the County Attorney for doing her job, perhaps you should try telling your Mr. Kennedy to go back to Washington and actually try advocating for the interests of Minnesota's communities. For a change.

*End Nasty-Gram (tm)*

More Endorsements

2006-05-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Patty Wetterling and her team on their victory in the CD6 endorsing convention - Power Liberal has blow-by-blow coverage of the entire event. Representative Democracy in action, right there. No word yet on whether El Tinklenberg plans to mount a primary challenge. As I noted before the weekend, either of them can and will beat Michele Bachmann in November if they bring CD6 Dems together now and concentrate on bringing rightfully-scared-of-Bachmann moderates into the ballot boxes on our side.

Would you look at that calendar? Twenty-four days till the state convention. For reasons of volunteer work and setup, it's a distinct possibility that I'm going to be there Thursday night and taking Friday the 9th off from work. I have some ideas about blogger-specific activities we could organize - if anyone's interested, hit up the comments or email me. They'll take some setup. And quite possibly a good deal of beer. Again, if you're going to be there and you're interested, let me know ASAP.

Next quiz question for you cats - for anyone who has remote hosting for their site, which hosting companies provide the best small-cap service/price/capacity options?

More stuff coming this afternoon if some calls get returned, keep that dial right where it is.

I Love Rain

2006-05-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

Especially when I have to catch a flight out of MSP at 4:30 this afternoon. Awesome. I'll be out of town until Sunday evening, so unfortunately, I won't be able to cover the CD6 Convention this weekend. One final piece of commentary on the Wetterling vs. Tinklenberg debate, however:

I think either of them can win. El Tinklenberg has called Michele Bachmann a savvy campaigner, not to be underestimated, but her campaign skills don't outweigh her absolute wingnuttery, completely out of touch with even the conservative 6th CD and most definitely with the reality of our constitutional democracy. I think she can be boxed in easily by either Patty Wetterling or Mr. Tinklenberg, albeit from different stances, making CD6 a prime pickup candidate for Democrats.

If there's no primary. If the victor tomorrow is forced to spend money on a bruising primary battle, there won't be enough energy or money left in October to get the job done and send Bachmann back from whence she came. Unity will be an invaluable tool in this congressional race, and I hope whoever does not get the endorsement tomorrow will do the right thing and help rally the entire party around the winner.

This assumes the convention isn't completely deadlocked, of course. In that case, may God have mercy on the rear ends of CD6 delegates - hopefully the Convention site has comfortable seats in which to spend hour after hour, ballot after ballot. Hopefully it won't come to that.

One last thing - whatever happens, don't let yourself listen to a word Ron Carey says about the eventual nominee. It doesn't matter what the GOP thinks of DFLers, and he's going to excrete some press release hate either way. That goes for CD6ers as well as bloggers from the rest of the state. As I said, they're both DFLers, and either one will beat the pants off the loony who managed to get endorsed by the GOP.

Convention? Or Committee...

2006-05-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

Via the U-DFL blog, apparently Minneapolis is pushing hard for the Democratic National Convention in 2008. Nice site, but here's another idea. 'Scuse me while I whip this out.

Minneapolis would certainly be a better site for the DNC than the RNC. The city is overwhelmingly Democratic, and does not hold the same symbolic significance that New York held for Republicans in 2004. I would certainly approve of having the 2008 DNC here - it's a wild time for all involved, and would signify continuing Democratic commitment to the Midwest as a voting and value base. But I would also approve of it being held in Denver, pushing the oft-mentioned Western strategy of focusing Democratic campaign energies on quickly growing states like Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada. I would also approve of it being held in New Orleans, but in the aftermath of Katrina, it is clear that civic services are still not in good shape there. It would simply be difficult to put together, symbolic significance aside.

Here's another idea, however - what about the other DNC - the Democratic National Committee? Anyone who was at DL with Kos a short while ago heard him say the DNC needs to get the hell out of Washington DC and out into the rest of the country - where better than Minneapolis? In the seat of one of the safest Democratic congressional strongholds in the country, in a state whose Democratic Party's name and values include farmers' and laborers' interests - where better to cement the Party's connection to the grassroots? What better place to push back against Republican forays into traditional Democratic territory?

Shorter plane flights to most of the country, including those western states that will be so important in upcoming elections. Short drive to the Iowa caucuses in presidential years. A strong union tradition in the party community. Strong local womens' and GLBT groups. A great mix of urban, suburban, and rural interests in the local party. Tactically, it makes sense. Logistically, it makes sense. Symbolically, it makes sense. I'm not saying Minneapolis should be the permanent headquarters of the DNC; there's no reason it shouldn't rotate every few years among other cities. But if there's any place the DNC can and should move its HQ into if it does hear the netroots' siren song - Minneapolis should be right at the top of the list.

Any local DNC staffers...if you're reading...lemme know what you think.

MPR issues research

2006-05-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

As Polinaut mentioned in his roundup on it, it's not completely scientific, but it's an interesting snapshot nonetheless. Courtesy of Power Liberal, yes, it appears that gay marriage and abortion really are what the far right cares about. In a presidential year I would say this chart indicates a coming tidal wave for the DFL - the issues DFL candidates are pushing up and down the ballot, at the federal level and the local, reach too far into the center for the GOP to put up a credible defense. But in a non-presidential, base-turnout election, the DFL had better be working to pick off a few moderate Republicans who vote consistently and care more about their children's education than their more-conservative brethren's vision of puritanical theocracy in America. I'm confident, but just having the right issues won't be enough. It's going to take a lot of work to turn winning issues into winning candidates.

On a more self/blog/entrepreneurial-centered note, I'm pleased to announce that you can now reach MNCR via http://www.mncampaignreport.com and http://www.mncampaignreport.net. For the time being, those urls simply point you back here, but over the next month I've decided to move away from Blogger and toward my very own remote-hosted blog site. Paid for by my very first check from Google for those awesome ads over there on the right, the new site will allow me to incorporate actual ad banner management software, selling ad space directly to political organizations and campaigns all over the state.

Don't worry though, the awesome content all three of you readers have come to expect won't be going anywhere. Any suggestions for blog software? WordPress? Typo? Bueller?

Local Race Open Thread

2006-05-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

Since the departure of PatMN and Mr. Populist from our company, we haven't had any true open threads for whatever commenters want. What local races (US House or below) are on your mind on this lovely hump day?

Finally!

2006-05-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

Rasmussen polls from April have finally been published. As reported by Polinaut:

Hatch over Pawlenty 49% to 39%
Lourey over Pawlenty 43% to 40%
Kelley over Pawlenty 43% to 38%

"Some other candidate" registers between 6 and 8%.

On the Senate side, apparently Rasmussen has Klobuchar over Kennedy, 45/43, and Kennedy over Bell 44/33. In this race, I don't know that I'd trust those numbers - they're wildly different from two months ago and not much has changed since then. Given that Rasmussen's numbers in the Gubernatorial race have trended steadily upward for the DFLers, that 33% for Bell might be little more than noise.

But for Pawlenty to be trailing not one, not two, but THREE DFLers six months out...hoo boy :)

Only Semi-Political Today

2006-05-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

So the fiancee and I bought a new car last night. Solid little car, 32+ mpg, and an American car to boot. 0% financing for 60 months is a very good thing - anyone able to divine the model yet?

But that's not what I really wanted to discuss, though it is certainly a very exciting event to buy our first really-new (50 miles on the odometer) car. The salesmen we dealt with were solid people, knowledgeable and not overly pushy. But they told us, while haggling with us over the final price, that the profit margin on these small cars is already so slim that it was difficult for them to give us a couple hundred dollars off. The market and her forces make for a fickle mistress indeed. It's the big gas-guzzlers that make the car companies larger profit margins, therefore they make them because that's what people buy.

Until now, when an Explorer is standing in the showroom marked at $12,000 under sticker price. Perhaps gas prices have finally begun to get to us. In any case, this isn't really a partisan issue, though it has been and will again be used as one. At the national level, Democrats have advocated gas price relief, which doesn't solve anything in the long term, and Republicans have advocated continuing to dump money into the pockets of oil companies and the Middle East cartels. At the local level, we must advocate policies that A) provide market incentives for individuals to seek fuel-efficient cars, which will in turn force car companies to innovate and lower their production costs in building these smaller cars, and B) keep more of the end-user costs in the community instead of ExxonMobil coffers.

This is not an anti-corporate screed - businesses, even large ones, have the right to do business and make a profit. But the profits being realized by Big Oil, as a partial result of enormous federal tax breaks, do nothing for the common good. Nothing. Raising the state gas tax would increase market forces pushing for more fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly vehicles and keep a higher percentage of a community's gas costs in that community. It makes sense to me.

Maybe that came out more overtly political than it started. Thoughts? Hit up those comments.

Another Week

2006-05-08T06:16:00.000-07:00

As candidates and campaigns lick their wounds, staffers and volunteers nurse variously-reasoned hangovers, and newly-elected party officials stare down the mountain of work facing them between now and November, we merry primates of the blogosphere are left to comment on the whole ordeal.

Dan Weinand has more on CD3. If there's anyone else from CD3 covering local races, please let me know - the West Metro is going to be an absolute dogfight this year, from the local level all the way to the top. But considering how diverse the community is - Bloomington, Coon Rapids, Brooklyn Park are quite different from Minnetonka, Plymouth, Edina are quite different from Medina, Independence, etc.... - we need as much blog coverage as humanly possible.

Some thoughts on CD5 shenanigans...I'm not sure what to think. I congratulate Keith Ellison and his team - they knew what they were doing, they got the right message out to the right people, and they emerged victorious from the endorsement fight. But as Mr. Sponge has noted over at Minvolved, it sounds like the delegates could have shown a bit more class in accepting Mike Erlandson's position in that convention. The guy did lead the party for many years, which is to say nothing of the strenuous nature of his day job during that time. He was the State Chair during the 2004 elections, during which the DFL made huge gains across the state. We all know that leaders don't necessarily get all the credit for wins and blame for losses, but they should always be accorded a share in either case. Judging by the DFL's position today, it sounds like the CD5 delegates should have accorded him at least a modicum of respect for his accomplishments, whether or not they would support him for the endorsement. Some of the things overheard there were just...wow. Not cool.

Sadly, that's politics sometimes. On both sides.

Speaking of which, it sounds as though the Patty Wetterling/El Tinklenberg debate in CD6 should be...how shall I say...heated? With the GOP's endorsement of loco-wingnut Michele Bachmann for Congress, the DFL candidate has a huge opportunity to bring in moderates who are rightfully scared of Bachmann's gay-hating and nuke-tossing policies. If the upcoming endorsement leads to unity, expect a BIG pickup opportunity in CD6.

Totally off-topic question, if you've read this far - if you can drive on either a standard or an automatic transmission, and you're looking at new cars, what do you think the long-term resale value difference will be between the two?

Final Thoughts on Today

2006-05-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

Compared to the various roundups available on the DFL CD5 and GOP CD6 Conventions......It sounds like CD3 DFL was downright tame. That being said, I found over the course of the day that I have met many excellent Minnesotans over the past six months, and some of them are even kind enough to frequent my blog. Especially the all-stars in SDs 42 and 43 - Hi Reade, Laurie, Betsy, Scott, all you folks. You rock.

Also, with the update on Shawn Towle's recent problems with Checks and Balances available over at LloydLetta, I find myself wondering if my traffic reports warrant selling ad space to the various campaigns around the state. Anyone know of a really easy-to-use and Blogger-connectable blog ad software package?

CD3 Convention Roundup

2006-05-06T18:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry sorry sorry - no wireless in Hopkins High School. However, here are my notes on the day - all in all it was a successful day, well-run, interesting, and business-filled. Have a read!

------------------------------------------

10:00 – Crazy crazy crazy. Andrew Borene, John Benson, Wendy Wilde, several other candidates here. I’m finding that apparently, some folks here actually read my blog. Talked to some people, Kelley supporters and otherwise, who were put off by the Lourey campaign email that said their numbers were better because the Kelley campaign’s staff was inexperienced. Whatever. Long time ago, politically.

10:15 – Delegates sitting – odd space, very steep seating arrangement in this auditorium. No wireless however – you’ll just have to wait till I get home to read this. Many many candidates here already, both for general election and party officers. CD3 Chair looks like it’s going to be quite a horse race – Marge Hoffa has very strong support, lots of stickers in the crowd. Right now I’m in an alternate seat, but all things being equal, I think I’m going to get seated as a delegate. Electing delegation chairs now – more to come later

10:30 – Opening remarks and credentials report. ACK people moving. Gotta move.

10:50 – Amy Klobuchar is here and speaking. No delegate seat for me. Oh well, means I get to pay more attention to blogging. The credentials committee was an absolute mess. People are excited, I understand that, but come on – get someone who has a loud voice who can tell people LOUDLY what the deal is.

11:10 – Steve Kelley has arrived to speak. Heavy, heavy support in the Convention. Story of his grandmother coming to Minnesota – not the best story around the state, but here (read: Hopkins, Minnetonka) works well. Becky Lourey up next, then Mike Hatch apparently. Candidate caravan? Warm response for all three, waiting to see how many delegates Hatch gets on their feet. Focusing on health care experience. Speech done, about the same standing-O support as Lourey, but neither as much as Kelley. It’s his base, not surprised.

11:25 – Mark Ritchie up. Yet another statewide candidate whose stump speech has improved dramatically.

10:30 – Rebecca Otto’s turn. I’m beginning to like the idea of Otto running closely with either Ritchie or Sande, whoever the SoS candidate is – not only do they all have similar frames in their stump speeches, it simply makes sense – the Secretary of State and the State Auditor are both watchdog officers, one for public spending, the other for public elections. Unite the message, unite the state. Otto has improved dramatically over time, most especially since the St. Paul Straw Poll event. No idea what was going on there.

11:35 – Back to Convention business, although I fully expect there to be more candidate-speech interruptions. Terri Bonoff just showed up. Part of me wishes I had a digital camera with me…then again, too much electronic equipment. Dan Weinand is up at the mic proposing to amend the rules to keep questions in Q+A to pre-screened questions, no verbal questions from the audience. Amendment failed – sorry Dan. Reasonable idea, but I think people like to be able to ask off-the-cuff questions.

I’m hungry. Might be time for a snack.

11:53 – Snack obtained. Endorsement committee recommends Wendy Wilde for Congress. Jackie Stevenson now running the show from the podium. Kevin Smith’s name also nominated for endorsements. Nominations closed. Q+A. Jackie Stevenson on a t-shirt collection drive for New Orleans relief: “I’ve probably slept with more DFL candidates…” (interruption) “…because I get so many campaign t-shirts, and I use them as nightshirts.” A good chuckle from the crowd at Jackie’s expense. Gavin Sullivan’s name also placed in nomination.

12:00 – Wendy Wilde is up. I must say that her campaign has hit the ground running – in a very short period of time, they have printed lit, materials, t-shirts. Short, steep ramp, but she has people on the ground and willing to work.

12:51 – Went out to the lobby to shmooze – still doing Q+A with the Congressional candidates. Spoke with Mark Ritchie, Joe Barisonzi, some other activists – going to say hi to Christian Sande and try to sit down with Andrew Borene for a few minutes. Mr. Ritchie has come out strongly in favor of an ice cream social for candidates and bloggers based upon my off-beat question on the subject. Several activists and candidates appear to be shuttling from here to CD5 – I’ll be very interested to find an access point and see how that’s going.

1:00 – Still doing Q+A. Props to Messrs. Smith and Sullivan, but Wendy Wilde is going to run away with this endorsement. The CD Chair race should be interesting – my SD chair appears to have jumped off the proverbial fence. Just spied Dustin Trice, our DNC staffer, might try to get some comments from him too.

1:30 – Wendy Wilde endorsed. Been sitting out in the lobby with Joe Barisonzi talking shop. Apologizing for delegate number dust-ups, but also just yakking. Hi Eric, Hi Andy J

1:40 – WOAH. Just came back into the auditorium – Q+A for CD Chair, Marge Hoffa vs. Georgiana Ruzich. Questions on campaign coordination, fundraising efforts. Georgiana appears to be focusing on past experience, Marge on new ideas, new people. Next question is on bringing new people into the party. Hoffa sounds nervous, but has done work preparing potential answers. Question on north/south balance in electing party officers – a little off-beat, but it makes sense. Not quite as much as, say, CD7, but Brooklyn Park and Bloomington aren’t what I would call “close”. Ruzich for geographic balance, Hoffa for meritocratic approach. On candidate recruitment – Ruzich for formation of a farm team, making sure Dems are in place to succeed retiring legislators and officials – city councils and commissions. Hoffa: information sharing among campaigns is necessity for long-term success. Will you support unendorsed candidates? Hoffa: No. This process is important, we represent our communities, our districts. Ruzich: I’ve always been there for endorsed candidates, never worked against one. Unity is extremely important for us to win any election. We must always get behind our endorsed candidates to make sure they do well.

Judging by support on the floor, I think Marge Hoffa takes it. We’ll see what the results say.

1:52 – end of Q+A, balloting commencing for CD chair. Found a power outlet in the back, saved my butt at 7% battery power. Charging…..Charging…..Charging…..

2:00 – Report on endorsement: Wendy Wilde endorsed for CD3 with, apparently, a lot more than 60%. For such a short campaign so far, the Wilde effort is putting together quite a show. Election of non-chair officers and State Committee delegates and alternates. Lots of names. Snore. Get to the CD Chair results!

2:25 – Marge Hoffa elected CD3 DFL Chair. No word on the exact results, but it sounded pretty heavy in Hoffa’s favor. Gracious victory, thanked Ms. Ruzich for her years of service, followed by a standing ovation and quick thanks from Ruzich. Rules suspended, 19th Director position added for Ms. Ruzich. Classy all around.

Wait, are we almost done here? Wow! Out before 3 PM! I’ll get home ASAP to post this, and check out Power Liberal for CD5 updates!

Catch Up Tomorrow

2006-05-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

I'll catch up with you tomorrow from the CD3 Convention :-). Good times to be had - if at all possible, Dan and I will meet up and tag team. For a bit of non-political levity, I might post an amateur review of Hamlet, which I'll be seeing tonight at the Guthrie. Can't wait to see the new one.

I've updated the site template a bit, but the updates have to do with the Comments - leave one (or more) and see how they look!

Continuations and Polls

2006-05-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

I was going to put this at the bottom - but if anyone - and I mean ANYONE who reads this - has a membership to Rasmussen Reports and would be willing to share the results of their latest Senate/Governor polls for Minnesota, I would be greatly appreciative and would of course give full attribution and credit. Rasmussen's Premium Membership is expensive, but sharing is so nice. Anyway, on with the real post.

As a continuation of my previous post on party officers and how we get the best people where they need to be, here are some more thoughts. It seems apparent that we do need people who are organized, professional, and creative in positions to get the most out of our party organizations. It also seems apparent that the people most likely to volunteer for these positions do not necessarily fill those criteria, but rather are those who have the most time to give to the cause. There should be ways for us to respect the old guard's leadership and experience while still involving younger Dems with new ideas and, as it is said, verve.

Several successful corporations have used the "fast-track" approach with employees - successful young professionals are identified early in their careers, and targetted for increased responsibilities with the goal of grooming them for leadership positions down the road. I believe a similar approach can be taken in political circles - identify young, vigorously involved, creative people early on, and always keep them in mind for increased responsibilities. Give them the SD newsletter, or house party coordination, with the goal of quickly moving them into a more important position soon. If they stay put, by the time they're 30, they know the ins and outs of party organization and can really kick some tail.

Additionally, in some cases it seems obvious that the party must take on the trappings of a campaign in and of itself, but at other times is more of a social networking apparatus. Is it possible for us to codify the times at which these moda operandi should occur? My thought is this - odd years contain more social networking, volunteer opportunities not directly related to campaigns, and even (read: election) years take on a more professional, regimented effort, putting together all the connections made in the last year in an organized fashion.

This is obviously a very high-level idea, incorporating exactly zero specifics. Each BPOU will be different. But coming up with these or other ideas now will pay dividends down the road. I also owe someone a phone call about this; I'll be making that call later - you know who you are :-)

Thoughts on Party Officers

2006-05-04T06:32:00.000-07:00

Where da Wege finds time to type out this much eloquent right-on-the-money-ness, I don't know. I can type about 90 words per minute, if I don't have to think about what I'm typing, which certainly isn't the case when blogging.

And now to an aspect of political campaigns that doesn't get a whole lot of attention - party officers! I know what you're saying - probably something along the lines of "...huh?" But hear me out. A political party lives and dies by the strength of its grassroots organization - it could be said that the party's job is to get out the base vote on Election Day, and it's the candidate's job to reach beyond that base to the moderates and independents. Naturally this is a gross over-simplification, but without the base, it's close to impossible to win an election.

Which brings us to the skills and smarts of those in charge of the party, from the state level all the way down to precinct chairs and Senate District directors. The campaign-related idea here is that, well, these officers, at least at the SD Chair level and above, run for their positions just like any other elected official. Some even send out campaign literature - yesterday I received a campaign letter from the Treasurer and Secretary of the CD3 DFL, who are both running for reelection.

My question is this (and it's most certainly open for discussion) - how important is consistent leadership within the party organization? In the case of CD3, there's going to be a contest this weekend for CD Chair - is an infusion of new blood at the top a good thing? Why? Obviously these are the questions that delegates to the convention need to ask themselves before that ballot. But it strikes me as a systemic bias toward existing officers - the whole reason they're there is that people in the party know and trust them. In addition, those same officers tend (I would think) to control the keys to their own offices - it would be difficult to contest a race for CD Secretary, for example, if the sitting Secretary controls the delegate lists you would need to contact potential supporters.

Or perhaps this is all a mental exercise, and competitive elections are best left for DFL v. GOP battles. But I have to think that somewhere along the line, the best organizers and political minds should rise to the top of their party organization - how do we do that fairly?

Drinking Liberally Roundup

2006-05-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

I didn't know what to expect when I approached the 331 Club this evening. It's an unassuming building in Northeast Minneapolis, yellow on the outside, dark on the inside. I walked in, and was greeted by Markos waiting inside the door.

This should be interesting.

Markos was kind enough to sign my copy of Crashing the Gates, and asked me a few questions about the local blogosphere - namely, are we organized in any way? To be honest, I didn't know the answer - we all read each other pretty regularly, right? Does that count? But do we (left-of-center bloggers) know exactly how many unique visitors we get every week in aggregate? Do we have a mechanism for measuring our readerships' contributions to progressive campaigns? Ideas swirled. More to come.

While waiting for Markos to speak, I met, in no particular order, Flash of Centrisity, PZ Myers of Pharyngula, Rew of PowerLiberal and DFLSenate, MNObserver, Da Wege of Norwegianity, David Kirchner of The Analyst, The Cucking Stool...Eva Young of LloydLetta and Shawn Towle of Checks and Balances were also there, but I didn't get a chance to say hi. Quite the crowd. I'll have to go back at some point when turnout's not quite as heavy and there's no national blogstar in our midst.

Events of Note

2006-05-02T06:14:00.000-07:00

So. I'll be at the 331 Club tonight to meet Markos from DailyKos, on tour to promote Crashing the Gate - where will you be? Say what you want about who he's supported, the things he's said and policies and activities he's espoused...but he's a bona fide superstar in the blogosphere. I know I certainly don't agree with everything he says - technocracy vs. ideological purity can be a thorny issue - but I figure since my site gets *hundreds* of hits a day, and his gets *millions* (1,000,000 times x) he gets the benefit of the doubt.

In other news, Backbone Minnesota will be quieting down, as will Trillin. This is a shame on both fronts, but I understand their reasons for doing so. Polinaut hits it on the head - one can burn out pretty quickly doing this day in and day out, obsessing over comments and Google Analytics stats, compulsively reading down one's sidebar for new posts. Smearing peanut butter.....uhm...It takes up time, to be sure. Thanks for the recent link, MDE, I'll need it since I'm sure my inbound visits coming from BBMN will be dropping off.

On that topic (MDE's link), some thoughts: yes, the gubernatorial race is contentious. It's the top of the ticket, it should be contentious. But not personal. We're Democrats; we have to rise above the bickering and infighting stereotype the GOP lays out for us to fall into. So no more making it personal - this is an offer, not a mandate. If we all work hard and fair, it can only end well for the DFL up and down the ticket.

I'm checking in with a few sources and trying to confirm some things about the status of the CD5 race, there should be another post up later today on it. Till then, adieu. See some of you tonight :-)

Enough Self-Reflection

2006-05-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

Back to business. CD1 DFL endorsed Tim Walz this past weekend - congratulations to Tim and his entire campaign team. It's going to be a wild ride in southern Minnesota, and a bold, straight-talking DFLer who can rally party regulars and maybe turn a few moderate Republicans our way will have a positive effect on the statewide DFL ticket as well. This is to say nothing of providing new leadership and representation for CD1 in Washington DC. Go get'em, Tim.

Coming up this coming weekend, Congressional District conventions in CDs 3, 5, and 6. Each will be interesting for its own reasons. CD3, for its part, represents some activists with some really great ideas on improving DFL turnout, senior and young voter outreach, and other aspects of the effort in the West Metro. We'll also see if the party feels like making an endorsement of Wendy Wilde in her nascent race against Jim Ramstad.

CDs 5 and 6 should, for reasons that should be familiar to your gray matter, should be somewhat more interesting in the context of their endorsement battles. All indications from CD6 are that Patty Wetterling and El Tinklenberg are somewhat evenly matched in the delegate chase. CD5, with so many qualified candidates, is a mess - sentiments elsewhere in the blogosphere indicate that (in no particular order) Mike Erlandson, Keith Ellison, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, and Gail Dorfman are leading the way. If any candidate outside these four gets 10-15 delegates, that candidate could play an extremely important role in the endorsement battle coming.

This week should be very interesting as candidates finalize their pushes into these conventions. On a national note, have you read the transcript or seen the video of Steven Colbert at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner this weekend? Which now-unemployed White House lackey was responsible for allowing Steven Colbert anywhere NEAR a podium with a captive audience including the Press Corps, military leaders, and President Bush?

[UPDATE]: As MaryAnne has noted in the comments, I have missed the CD2 convention, which is also this weekend. However, I'm also not as familiar with recent goings-on in CD2 - Anyone (MaryAnne included) want to provide an update that I'll subsequently post?

Some Points and a Story

2006-04-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

Because they continually get buried by other issues, here are the links to my interviews with CD5 candidates - If other candidates or staffers are reading, the invitation is still open and waiting for you. Plus I like getting to talk one-on-one with the candidates. Makes me feel special.

Keith Ellison
Gail Dorfman

Hopefully there will be many more to come. But onward and upwards with this weekend's missive. It's not reporting per se, rather it's a story. It's my story. Since being publicly identified by Jay Ziegler, I figured that my readers and the blogosphere as a whole deserve to know where I come from and how I got involved in Minnesota politics.

My name is Joe Bodell. I grew up in a middle-class neighborhood in North Reading, Massachusetts, about twenty minutes north of Boston. After graduating from NRHS, I went to Tufts University, a bit closer to Boston, and majored in Computer Science and Political Science. My fiancee still maintains that neither area of study makes me a scientist.

You see, it's my fiancee that brought me to Minnesota. We met at Tufts in 2003. I graduated in 2004, already employed by the Kerry Campaign in the Boston field office. It was our job to make sure New Hampshire went blue - we went from a 2000 deficit of 7,000 votes to a 2004 win by more than 10,000. In the aftermath, we told ourselves that if we had won Ohio and not New Hampshire, we still would have lost. What we did had meaning.

My fiancee was slated to graduate in the spring of 2005, and wanted to move home to the Twin Cities to be near her immediate family. I decided that us being together was the most important thing in my life, so I decided to move here with her. Around Christmas 2004, we came to visit, to scope out the city so I had some familiarity with it before we moved. While here that frigid week, I was lucky enough to meet a State Senator by the name of Steve Kelley. We chatted over a tasty lunch about Minnesota politics, and he told me something that sticks with me to this day - "Minnesotans care about a lot of things, but there are a few that a big majority agree on - transportation, and education. If a candidate can focus on those things, they can really bring the entire state together." In the following months, I devoted my free time to studying the current state of political affairs here, the political history, the caucus process, and anything else I could learn about what would soon be my new home.

We moved in May of 2005, deciding to spend a few months living with my fiancee's parents in St. Louis Park while we found jobs and saved a bit of money. Steve Kelley announced his candidacy for Governor four days after we arrived. I made a couple calls, sent a couple emails, and that, as they say, was that.

Unfortunately, a political salary....is something of an oxymoron, actually. Political pay tends not to be very good, especially for the hours political staffers keep. In order to afford getting our own place, I regretfully had to interview for and find another job in technology (to put that CS major to work!). I started in October of 2005, and am still in that job now.

Politics is my passion. It's my hobby. It's pretty much the only thing I'm interested in other than my fiancee, cooking, and my cat. And baseball. Since I started MNCR in August, I have tried, albeit sometimes unsuccessfully, to regard political goings-on with a critical eye, separate from my past work and continuing support of Senator Kelley. I believe I have something to offer the grassroots, the netroots, the establishment, everyone, by my education, my passion for writing and speaking about politics, and I will continue to offer my opinions and reasons why I have them. I will be at the State Convention in June working for my horse, and others will be there working for theirs, and if the Gubernatorial endorsement is nothing more than a referendum on whether Steve Kelley deserves to be on the ballot in September, so be it. I believe he's done the work necessary to claim a right to be there, raised the money to make it possible, and will make a great Governor of Minnesota.

But that part of the story is yet to be written. Don't you worry - you'll be able to read all about it right here at Minnesota Campaign Report.

Interview with Gail Dorfman

2006-04-29T05:28:00.000-07:00

Widely considered one of the front-runners to succeed Martin Sabo in Congress, Gail Dorfman currently serves as a Hennepin County Commissioner, having previously served as Mayor of St. Louis Park, SLP City Council, and on Capitol Hill in Washington for some politicians close to my ancestral heart. More on that later, I suppose. Ms. Dorfman's bio can be read here. We talked on Friday about the myriad issues facing Minnesota and America right now, and what she would do to solve them - and how.

-------------------------

MNCR: So - what does a Hennepin County Commissioner do?

G. Dorfman: The Hennepic County Commission has an annual budget of 1.7 billion, second only to the state. We're involved in a host of issues that make a difference to quality of life - hospital and health care systems, social services for the most vulnerable among us - immigrants, mental health sufferers - we take care of all of those issues. We run the suburban library system, do a fair amount with transportation, we're one of the primary funders and instigators of light rail, and continue to work on improving the transportation system in and around Minneapolis.

People generally don't know much about this level of government except for when we confront contentious issues, but we have a big impact on the communities we work for.

MNCR: What do you consider your greatest acheivement in your role as Commissioner?

G. Dorfman: I took on the issue of homelessness on my first day in the Hennepin County Commission. In the past we've done a pretty god job managing homelessness through shelters and other mechanisms, but I've been determined to change that paradigm from managing homelessness to ending homelessness. We've made significant progress toward that end - we've build three thousand units of affordable housing, reduced family homelessness by 65%, and we're now working to end homelessness for teens and single adults. We've been creative about it, and we've become a national model to the extent that three weeks ago, I was invited to testify before the Senate Banking Committee - they wanted to know more about our ideas and programs so they could be implemented across the country.

I love to think outside the box and work with the community to get things done. A great example of this was the start of Excelsior and Grand in St. Louis Park while I was Mayor.

[Instead of imposing a design and requirements from the top down, the City Council let the community determine what they wanted in the development, and the council stuck to it, even firing their first hired developer who concluded that the community's ideas weren't feasible. Really a fantastic story all around -- MNCR]

MNCR: If elected to Congress in such a safe Democratic seat, will you be more of a progressive crusader or will you reach across the aisle to get things accomplished?

G. Dorfman: I can do both - a majority of my board are Republicans, and I've learned how to cross the aisle and talk with my most conservative colleagues to get things done. To go back to the homelessness issue, I've worked with conservative board members and demonstrated that it costs less money in the long term to end homelessness than it does to manage it, they've agreed, and we've done great things together. This is a safe seat [CD5], there's no excuse to go to Washington and play it safe. The problem in Washington is that it's become very mean-spirited and polarized. I've found when I talk to people that tey have the same values I have - my community, my kids, their schools - we have different ideas how to get there, but once we realize that common bond, then we can work on how to get there. The only problem is how you talk about these things with people who may have a different political bent. But I'm tired of just studying problems, I want to figure out ways to fix those problems.

MNCR: What's your position on Iraq?

G. Dorfman: I support Congressman John Murtha's plan for getting our troops out of harm's way, but I want to stop investing in a military-only strategy. We need to shift money to economic aid and humanitarian aid with a civilian face, not just a military one. All we're doing with our current policies is breeding hatred for America around the world, creating breeding grounds for terrorists. If we start putting more money and effort into foreign and humanitarian aid, we'll restore our position in the world, make the world safer, and stop losing lives needlessly.

MNCR: What was your reaction when you first heard Martin Sabo was retiring?

G. Dorfman: I was surprised, because I had very recently talked with him about budget issues. None of us had an inkling that this was coming. Initially I worried that he might be ill, but I was relieved when it turned out he's fine. He's served us so well for so long - he's entitled to go out on his own terms.

MNCR: What's your position on the Twins Stadium issue?

G. Dorfman: At least since 2002, I've been strongly opposed to this public funding. I'm also the only member of the board with season tickets to the Twins...it's not that I don't want baseball here, I do - but this this funding package is 80% public, 20% private, and there's no way to justify that when we have other priorities.

MNCR: Back to Washington DC - how does Gail Dorfman change the culture of contentiousness there?

G. Dorfman: When I worked on Capitol Hill, there was a different spirit of collegiality there, more of an effort to walk across the aisle and solve problems together. I'm not going to throw my hands up and say "that's impossible now!" I strongly believe that a lot of being successful is building relationships. It's the best way to get results to improve the community. I'll be clear about my progressive values, but I'll work across lines to get things done. You can be tenacious as a pitbull and still work that way.

MNCR: Who/What's your favorite:
Ice cream flavor: Mint chocolate chip
Baseball player: I love the Twins, but I grew up a huge Cincinatti Reds fan - Joe Morgan.
Local Political Figure: Paul Wellstone was a great progressive voice who has been missed. I kep hearing over and over again from delegates, "boy, we miss Paul."
National Political Figure: In Junior High, the first campaign I worked on was for Bobby Kennedy. I loved how his politics evolved over time into just a deep compassion for people who were struggling and to give them hope for the future.
Blogs: I don't read them so much, but my kids do and occasionally I look over their shoulders - they're using these codewords and I have to try to figure out exactly what they're saying. They finally told me that "MOS" means "Mother Over Shoulder".....

MNCR: You received the endorsement of Stonewall DFL recently - how do GLBT issues figure into your campaign?

G. Dorfman: They're personal issues to me, and they became more personal when my son came out. From day one I've been working on these issues on the HCC. I found out from GLBT kids in foster care that their foster parents weren't dealing with the fact that they were GLBT very well. We found we needed to do some training with foster parents on how to respond to GLBT kids when they entered the home, and we also provided information to GLBT teens beforehand so they understood their rights and the resources they could use. We've been trying to get full domestic partner benefits - we still have a ways to go, and I'm continuing to work on those issues. When our son came out, it became very clear on a personal level that he should have the same rights, including the right to marry, and I feel very strongly about that.

MNCR: It's a powerful issue all around. Any closing thoughts?

G. Dorfman: I think that the overall theme for me in this campaign is that we have to stop fighting this war in Iraq so we can start fighting for what matters here at home. That's the central message, and that's why I'm running for Congress.

MNCR: That's all I have for now - Thank you for your time, and best of luck!

G. Dorfman: Thanks so much!

More, More, More

2006-04-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

From Jay:

Pam's mistake was something that a more seasoned operator would have not engaged in, or got caught in. And, if caught, would have resigned from the campaign. Her apologizing is great, but responsibility lies at the top. Where is Steve on this?

Personally, I take everything with a grain of salt from you.

Joe Bodell a rich kid from Wayzata who is twenty years behind me. You're not a homeowner (property taxes), you're not raising a family (schools, health care and safety) and you haven't built a business over the last 15 years (taxes,health care costs and other economic issues). So, why would I listen to you on what or who's best for Minnesota?
Who's most inspiring? Motivating? Maybe even enlightening? You can certainly have the inside scoop in those things but, the bread and butter issues are tough (not impossible) to hear from a campaign where the experience is light and the ages are enviable. I think the only candidate that could get away with this is Hatch as he has a 30 year record with the DFL party and a 20 year record serving the citizens of Minnesota. His personality and name rec over-shadows the youth.

A good campaign will have a healthy mix of both youth and experience, and traditional party insiders as well as those who come from outside the DFL processes.

Get mad at the Lourey campaign if you want but, look at yours. Kelley is coming up on one year in this race. He raised decent money. His staff is from all over the state. Yet, he finds himself, not in a struggle with Hatch (who has been pretty low-key this cycle), but with Lourey who got in the race six months beyond Kelley, supposedly has no money, bad strategy, no message, a mean-spirited staff and a cow uterus story. Who put him there? If it wasn't Lourey's strength, it has to be his campaign.

Even experienced campaign staff across the spectrum from ravenous reactionary Republican to loony liberal Democrats sometimes don't know much about the blogosphere or the caveats that go along with getting involved in it. I don't blame any staffers for their mistakes in this venue as long as they own up to it.

That I am not *yet a property-owner does not mean I don't care about property taxes and related issues. That I don't *yet have children doesn't mean I can't comment on the state of public education - after all, change and progress effected now will have an effect on my children and family in the future.

You can take what I write with a grain of salt or not. This is yet another ad hominem attack, however - Joe is not a homeowner, so Joe can't comment on property tax issues. It's bogus, Jay. I'm educated, I'm engaged, I know the issues, and I can effectively argue my points with anyone. I don't expect you to listen to me, I hope you discuss with me. That's what this medium is about.

As for all three campaigns - of course Hatch has been low-key. I don't claim to be an insider, but look at the facts - he's going to the primary. He has no reason to work hard now. Long-term, Kelley's competition is Hatch (duh). Short-term, it's Lourey, since she's put forth the most effort into the endorsement.

I agree with past analyses elsewhere that have stated, essentially, that the State Convention will be a referendum on whether Steve Kelley deserves to be on the primary ballot in September. I believe he has earned that right through his work in the Senate and on the campaign trail.

Lastly, I'm not sure who told you I'm from Wayzata, but they are entirely and 100% wrong. I'm only rich in my friends and loved ones, so tell your erroneous tipster to shove it.

And Now, Back to the News

2006-04-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

Polinaut's got the scoop: Ron Abrams will finish his term representing House District 43B, and then take a position on the state bench as a judge. This leaves the local GOP an extremely short window in which to find, groom, and run a credible candidate for a house seat that could literally single-handedly shift the balance of power in the state Legislature. John Benson performed extremely well in Minnetonka in 2004, and is back for another go.

This is my Senate District.

My weekend just got a lot busier.

I Just Realized

2006-04-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

It came to me in a burst of logical clarity. Thank you, Jay/Mr. Ziegler, for affording me this clarity.

The post below this one and the comment to which it refers describe an ad hominem attack against .... me? I think. Break it down. From Wikipedia:

A (fallacious) ad hominem argument has the basic form:

A makes claim X.
There is something objectionable about A.
Therefore claim X is false.

In our particular case here, replace A with "I, MNCR", X with "anything perceived as favoring Steve Kelley or denigrating to Becky Lourey," and you've got it made.

1. I make a claim that {Lourey's numbers are off, their digs against his non-public campaign staff are uncalled for}
2. I am a former campaign staffer
3. Therefore my claim is false.

While I've been writing this, I got a comment from dflmnjim, which is insightful and worth discussing.

Personally, I think the issue of campaign team experience is a debatable issue. We are all running against a very good candidate and cmapaign team (Pawlenty that is) and we need to have our best to match theirs. Hatch clearly has put together the best team and is doing so while spending minimally. While Kelley's folks work just as hard and are learning the ropes quickly, I think Barisonzi points to something that needs attention; that Kelley hired people without experience working at this level. He didn't call them jerks, or lazy, or bad at their jobs, he just said inexperience shows when trying to count delegates.

The facts of what he wrote have not been challenged by anyone, and I think that says a lot about them probobly being true. Can Kelley people refute any of the actual facts in the email?

Hatch may have a great team - Honestly, I've only met two of his campaign staffers (Hi Ken :-) ). I can't really speak to that.

I'm curious, though, as to these "facts" you refer to. Do you mean this?

Early voter identification: Through both paid and volunteer phone banks, the Lourey campaign developed a baseline of support for each candidate.
Direct contact: Campaign and volunteer staff attended every convention and tracked all sub-caucuses - candidate, issue and undeclared � and engaging in direct delegate contact. They tracked how sub-caucuses merged, and who were elected delegates. By comparing the results with voter identification calls, the Lourey campaign is able to identify potential delegate fluidity.
Direct phone contact: Senator Lourey, surrogates, volunteer supporters and campaign staff call delegates to confirm candidate preference. Calls are made and information entered into the database from over 10 locations around the state every night.
Secondary sources: Delegate lists are regularly cross checked against other candidate�s reported donor and published supporter lists.

These aren't facts - these are things that every campaign is doing. These are activities. Maybe you're referring to this?

Assuming Support: Counting a person as a �hard� delegate based upon a public declaration of support is a three fold mistake. First, it will always tilt the count toward the campaign collecting the data. Good campaigns want comparative data, which public declarations of support simply do not provide. Second, there are many reasons a campaign might be provided inaccurate information. Because of friendships or loyalties, the choice of the delegate is often kept private for good reason. Lastly, people change their minds. For example, in its recent email the Kelley campaign quotes Arlene Pierce of Lake of the Woods and identifies her as a Steve Kelley delegate. She is not. As of this morning, she is a committed Becky Lourey delegate.

These are good points, but they do not establish, in and of themselves, the superiority of the Lourey campaign's methods or results. Maybe Arlene Pierce did say she was a committed Kelley delegate, and then later a committed Becky Lourey delegate. At best that means she should be entered on both campaigns' lists as "undecided" - clearly she likes both candidates for different reasons.

Keep it coming, folks. On a totally unrelated note, watch out for an interview tonight with Gail Dorfman, candidate for CD5.

From the Comments

2006-04-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

In response to my previous post on the Lourey delegate numbers, frequent commenter Jay (also known as David Ziegler) decides to go berserk with my archives. Check out his comment below, seriously. That is a LOT of links he looked through. Here's just an excerpt, however:

Jay:
You're mad at them for saying that the Kelley staff lack in-depth experience at this process?

From their release the day before, they were clearly taking a shot at Lourey by marking an arrow of what they beleive Lourey numbers to be. In this case their attempt was suttle [sic], but evident. The problem is, as pointed out, you can only account for your own numbers.

Pam Mccrory, a Kelley staffer, was also extremly disrespectful and insulting to the Lourey staff and the candidate. She's still a staffer and you seem to brush that under the rug. You (Joe Bodell), a recent former staffer and still very close to the campaign, have used your blog as a PR peice for Steve Kelley as well as a venue to attack Lourey and her campaign:

First - congratulations. As I've noted before, my goal has not been to protect my true identity at all costs, but I haven't gone out of my way to reveal myself to the world. That being said, you're not the first person who's been able to identify me. I'm curious, did you research me yourself, or did you get a tip? (the question isn't rhetorical, I'm really interested, if you're willing to tell me the truth).

Second, I'm not up in arms over them saying the Kelley staff has a lack of in-depth experience before this campaign. I'm up in arms over them saying that their numbers are more accurate because the Kelley staff is lighter on experience before this campaign. That is a mean-spirited argument, and says nothing about the Lourey campaign's numbers, but rather seeks to discredit Kelley's numbers by discrediting his staff's experience.

Third, I'm not brushing Pam McCrory under the rug. She is a wonderful person, a hard worker, and she screwed up. She's human. She's admitted as much. We've also already established that her activities as Molligator were on her own time and not in sight of the campaign or its staff, so your usage of the episode to illustrate campaign-level attacks against Becky Lourey is specious at best.

There is one issue remaining. It's your near-obsessive search through my archives. I encourage you to look back and see where I was trying to mislead readers about my loyalties to persuade them to support Steve Kelley. I have never done so - on the contrary, I have from the first time I wrote on the gubernatorial race been open and honest about my past role on the campaign (by the way, I was off the campaign by November, so your note about my November post "as a staffer" is incorrect). My point here is that I call things how I see them. Call it biased, call it whatever you want. I call it my honest viewpoint. Was the grain of salt I issued with Kelley's most recent numbers not enough for you, Mr. Ziegler?

I could respond point-by-point further into your comment, Jay...but I don't have time or effort to expend on it. We're all Democrats, and the less time we spend overtly attacking each other for who we've worked for, what we've done, and for how long, the better off we will all be in November.

And Another Thing

2006-04-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

If you're so confident about getting the DFL endorsement, why not promise to abide by it? Just a thought ("You" of course, addresses those who will, no doubt, respond at some point soon).

Over and out, catch you cats on the flip side.

Waiter! More Salt!

2006-04-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

There just aren't grains big enough for these email updates coming from gubernatorial campaigns*. In response to the Kelley campaign's delegate update, the Lourey campaign has no released their version of the numbers. Surprisingly, the two campaigns generally agree on one thing - Mike Hatch's support. Not much else to be had in common, however. Senator Lourey's campaign naturally lists her with approximately a 10% advantage over Senator Kelley in committed delegates (25% - 14%), with a similarly large number of unknown and undecideds. As we have all known from day one, the truth will ultimately be revealed on June 10th. Hence why I handed over a large grain of salt in my previous post on the issue.

What gets me about this email message, however, is not the delegate count. That's just politics. I can live with that. This, however, I take issue with:

Why We Know the Kelley Campaign Numbers are Inaccurate.
It is obvious to most observers that the Kelley campaign is presenting their numbers to put their candidate in the best light in order to try to build momentum entering the convention. In their carefully worded email, the Kelley campaign qualifies its count by saying "We are including in our 'committed delegates' count only those people who have been elected in a named sub-caucus, or who have expressed publicly their support for a particular candidate." Even a casual observer knows that this methodology will provide results that do not reliably compare campaigns.

Those of us who have been working on statewide races and have lived through a number of senate, county unit and state conventions can recognize the inexperience of the Kelley campaign staffers who do not have similar experience in counting delegates.

You could just let it go. You could just chalk it up to politics, maybe even "take the high road" and let the Kelley campaign publish whatever they wanted to - after all, it's just posturing, right? But no. You take the opportunity to disrespect the commitment of his staffers to doing their job the right way? Are you kidding me? Talk about the candidate all you want. His policies, his positions, his experience, his education, whatever. That, as I said above, is just politics. He's a big boy, he can handle it.

But this "holier-than-thou" routine, along with the perfectly executed straw man technique (even a casual observer knows....really let the sarcasm drip when you say it), this is bogus! Who cares about the damned numbers anymore - this is a personal attack against people who are busting their asses day in and day out. Poor us, the Kelley people are being so negative, but just remember that we still have more experience and they're a bunch of amateur hacks. Can't you respect that these people are working themselves to the bone for something and someone they believe in? Spending time away from husbands and wives and children? They're Democrats too, ya know.

You do know we're all Democrats, right? Have a heart, guys. Northern Debater has a post up on this already, and I'm sure that both campaigns do come out of this looking petty. But if I can't stand up for my friends, who can I stand up for?

*Disclaimer: Oh, forget it. It's not worth it anymore.

Wednesday Late Post

2006-04-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

So it's a late night. Big deal. While you're way up here at the top of the page, go check out my recent interview with Keith Ellison, it's worth a read. Anyway: I gots me a copy of the SD43 Convention Resolutions. The Republican resolutions. I have to be totally honest - some of this stuff I can agree with, or at least see discussing on a constructive basis. Some is total wingnuttery, however.

1. Now, therefore, be it resolved that Minnesota health care providers use only mercury-free vaccines when available, and that if a vaccine containing more than a trace aount of mercury must be given, that informed consent be obtained prior to giving the vaccine.

Reasonable enough, I suppose. Mercury is bad, informed consent with vaccines is good.

4. Therefore, be it resolved that we oppose establishing universal pre-school programs in the state of Minnesota.

I'm sure there's reasoning behind this one, but I can only hope it goes beyond "but that will cost so much money to send our kids to preschool!"

7. Be it resolved that the president of the United States be given the power of a line-item veto.

I'm not sure if I remember correctly, but I seem to remember the President (Clinton) having and using the line-item veto, and it being struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional. Just a thought, guys.

9. Revamping our social security system to ensure equity for future generations.

Sigh..."revamp" is the new "privatize," I suppose. Want to improve Social Security? Take a look at the SS retirement age. People are living longer, folks. Raise the Social Security-related retirement age, you start saving money. It can be indexed by current life expectancy even. Argue, argue, argue.

10. Be it resolved that we commend and applaud Judy Johnson for her hard work.

(clap, clap, clap)

11. Be it resolved that we urge Congress to oppose all human cloning, whether reproductive or therapeutic.

And human chimerae too, right? If behind this resolution lurks a thought of outlawing stem cell research...good luck taking that to an electorate worried about cancer rates, about Parkinson's Disease, ALS, Hodgkins Lymphoma, and Alzheimer's Disease.

12. Be it resolved that we support the President's continued commitment to achieve democracy in Iraq.

It's difficult not to be snarky on this one, but ..... does 33% mean anything? What price are you really willing to pay for a country that ***news flash*** had zero to do with 9/11? You didn't care about Iraqi democracy before March 2003, you have no good reason to care now. Other than politics. But I digress.

13. Be it resolved that we stand opposed to the MN Supreme Court decision, Doe v Gomez, which established an absolute right to abortionfor any reason in the MN constitution.

Get your constitutional law correct, guys. Supreme Court decisions at the state or federal level do not establish rights IN the Constitution, they establish rights as protected UNDER the constitution. It's an important distinction, especially with such reactionary justices as Antonin Scalia proclaiming no right to privacy "in the Constitution."

15. Therefore, be it resolved that we oppose state and federal support of International Baccalaureate (IB) and the adoption of IB by local school districts.

The person who provided me with these resolutions informed me that IB, the widely-renowned advanced high school education program, was referred to as "commie" at the SD43 GOP convention. Whatever, too many more to get to before I'm done. This next one's good, anyway.

17. Therefore, be it resolved that the Republicay Party supports and encourages school districts and teachers to include original sources showing the important role of religion in our Nation's founding while teaching history.

First science, now history, huh? At least in history you have a somewhat valid case, since it's a social science and not physical. However, are they talking about *Christian* religion? What about Judaism (early Jewish settlers in Rhode Island, for example)? Islam in America? It's really another post altogether, but the SD43 GOP is running itself into a philosophical corner here - they want everyone to know that the US was founded by Christians, when really they were a bunch of Masons who cared little for the trappings of their Puritan upbringings and were really concerned with preventing the tyranny of the majority, whether political or religions. But as I said, that's another post.

23. [Paraphrase the Bachmann Amendment].

....No use beating a dead horse.

24. Be it resolved that the Minnesota Legislature pass legislation to prohibit the promotion of the acceptance of homosexuality, bisexuality, or transgenderism when they are discussed in Minnesota public schools.

It's not about accepting homosexuality itself, you twits, it's about accepting people. As equals. As brothers, and sisters, and sons and daughters, because they're humans. And Americans, in case that slipped your mind.

26. Be it resolved that the Minnesota legislature pass legislation protecting property rights of families and individuals from inappropriate government taking through eminent domain when the property taken is transferred to private parties rather than used for a public use.

On its face, I agree with this one, but then I did some research. Read up on Kelo vs. New London for more information on eminent domain issues. The majority opinion determined that since the ED claim was not of primary benefit to the private developer, it was permissible since the city showed a strong probability of positive benefit in community development and tax revenue. Interesting stuff.

28. Making English the official language of the state of MN and the USA.

Keep all 'dem forners out too!

29. Submit to the people of Minnesota to establish term limits for all elected officials.

Good luck getting that one past a legislature filled with, ya know...elected officials.

30. Therefore be it resolved that the Republican Party supports increased state investments to expand the number of Minnesota children who are ready for Kindergarten through legislation that supports parents, improves the quality of early care and education programs, increases access to high quality experiences for all children and coordinates the efforts of parents and programs.

And you pay for these improvements....how? Since we've already established that tax increases are anathema to your political thoughts.

Now, as I end this surprisingly long post, a caveat - SD43 DFL had some pretty silly resolutions on the ballot too. I didn't vote for the silly ones, and I hoped that not many did. I would really be interested in seeing what kind of support each of these I've mentioned received at the convention - perhaps Matt Abe or someone from the SD43 GOP would be willing to comment. It is also worth noting at this time that there are a couple that I could at least envision debating on the merits....but some of these really make me remember why I'm a Democrat.

Interview with Keith Ellison

2006-04-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

Keith Ellison moved to Minnesota in 1987 from Detroit, attended the UMN Law School, and made his way as a lawyer until running for and being elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2002. We spoke over the phone today; while dueling with the T-Mobile-filtered sounds of the Capitol, I asked him some questions about his experiences in the Legislature, his campaign for Congress, and what he'll do if sent there by the voters of the Fifth Congressional District.

----------------------------

MNCR: What do you consider your most important accomplishments in the State House?

K. Ellison: I was elected in 2002, and since then I've passed five bills, and I have several more pending now - I know how to get legislation passed. I've stood up against fear-mongering tactics - the anti-marriage amendment, anti-immigration measures, and I think I've done a good job of projecting progressive values in the House.

MNCR: And what are the major issues for you in this campaign?

K. Ellison: The major issue is Peace First. We must retool our relationship with other countries on a basis of peace and cooperation, not militarism. Beyond that, economic justice is a big issue. We've seen executive pay rise steadily, middle-income wages stay flat, and poverty increase. Universal health care is a must - Americans already pay for it, we just don't get it. We must push for universal health coverage. We also need to incentivize renewable energy initiatives to make them economically feasible.

MNCR: I notice that you've used the frame "economic justice" to describe efforts to level the income chasm that currently exists between the rich and the lower classes - this sounds like an opposing frame to the well-worn Republican line of "tax relief" and describing taxes as a "burden." If elected to Congress, will you try to work mainly to advance a party-line agenda, or will you try to work across the aisle to accomplish legislation that works?

K. Ellison: I think you have to do both. Again, I've authored and passed five bills since 2002 - I've had to reach across the aisle to get those done. At the same time, I think I've spoken in a bold way for strong progressive values.

MNCR: What was your first reaction when you heard that Martin Sabo was retiring from Congress?

K. Ellison: My first thought was - is he going to be okay? Once that was assured, I started thinking that we need someone to speak out strongly against the current Administration, and I determined that I can do that.

MNCR: Have you decided whether or not to abide by the DFL endorsement?

K. Ellison: I will abide by the endorsement. If there's no endorsement, I will run [in the primary], but I think I can get the endorsement. People are listening to my message, and responding very positively. If there's an endorsement and I don't get it, I'll return to the Minnesota House and continue fighting for progressive values.

MNCR: Money question: In such a crowded race, how do you appeal to donors?

K. Ellison: I'm making the same argument to donors as I am to delegates: step forward and do your duty for your values and your country.

MNCR: Offbeat time! Who/what is your favorite...
Baseball player: Hank Aaron
Ice cream flavor: Vanilla
National Political Figure: Historically, Martin Luther King. Currently, Jim Hightower.
Local Political Figure: Paul Wellstone was just a tremendous individual.
Blogs: You know, I haven't been able to get into the blogs as much as I'd like to; my schedule hasn't permitted it, but I really would like to.

MNCR: I know the feeling of a cramped schedule. Any closing thoughts, and then I'll let you get back to work?

K. Ellison: I'd just like to leave readers with this thought - our country can be better than it is. We can relate to other countries on a basis of peace and cooperation. We can build a universal health care system. We can have a sustainable environmental policy, and we can build economic justice. If we believe it, we can do it.

-----------------------

As a busy State Representative and a congressional candidate, Mr. Ellison gets a mulligan on not keeping up with the blogosphere. If you're around tonight, go to the 331 Club for Drinking Liberally tonight, where you can meet Rep. Ellison and several other candidates for CD5.

With a Rather Large Grain of Salt

2006-04-25T13:39:00.000-07:00

I fully admit this: I'm reluctant to post this information. Given the flaring tempers and heated opinions on the DFL gubernatorial race, as well as my role in these tussles...it gave me pause when I received an email update from the Kelley Campaign containing delegate numbers.

So here's the disclaimer: Before you read any further, take these numbers as you would from the campaign itself - with a grain of salt. Accept their rationale for these numbers as well for what it is - the result of a great deal of hard work being done by human beings who care about what they're doing. Call it shilling for my former boss if you want, but hey, you get the same email updates I get, right? Has there been anything interesting lately? Commenters...start your flamethrowers!

Per the Kelley Campaign's current numbers:
Mike Hatch: 333
Steve Kelley: 280.5
Becky Lourey: 187
Uncommitted/Undecided: 555

I've removed the campaign's percentages based on these numbers because they appear to be using the wrong denominator. It's possible they've contacted about 1145 of the delegates, and that's what the percentages are based on. Their numbers are still their numbers, however. The campaign's rationale for trusting these numbers:

Why Trust Our Numbers? It’s true--there are many numbers flying around and different campaigns seem to have different interpretations. It is also true that nothing is for sure until that first ballot at the state convention. And there is always room for human error.

We feel confident, however, that our count reflects the reality among delegates. We have been conservative about our numbers. We are including in our “committed delegates” count only those people who have been elected in a named sub-caucus, or who have expressed publicly their support for a particular candidate.
--Kelley Campaign Newsletter

The message goes on to provide some anecdotal evidence of inaccuracies elsewhere, but in the interests of fairness to other campaigns, you'll have to just sign up for the Kelley Campaign's newsletter if you want to read those.

Some thoughts on these numbers:

If they're anywhere near accurate, the Convention will be interesting. They're not wildly unrealistic, in any case: all three candidates have bases of support among delegates and will try to build from them into the undecideds
Speaking of undecideds - where they go, so does the endorsement. Whoever does the best job of at least getting them to lean one way or the other will have a great chance in June. I like that the campaign is confortable enough with its delegate outreach to admit that a lot of delegates will most likely arrive in Rochester on June 9th still decidedly undecided.

So there you have it! Thoughts? Anyone? I can't imagine an evening with crickets on this one.

When in Doubt about Site Traffic...

2006-04-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

...Link to MDE. It improves your Google Analytics reports, especially when Mr. Brodkorb responds directly. Trust me. While you're here though, check out my recent work on the 2004 House DFL campaign fundraising numbers. I found some interesting stuff. You could scroll down too, but clicking is fun. Anyway!....MDE.

At Mr. Brodkorb's site, you can view in all its tactical glory the strategy undertaken by the MN GOP to execute a hatchet job against Sue Jeffers. I can't say I didn't see this coming - as soon as a candidate, any candidate decided to challenge Mr. Pawlenty on his promises (broken or otherwise) to his reactionary right-wing base, out come the hatchets to whack Ms. Jeffers, her political donation history, her campaign manager, her business choices (Sam Adams or Pabst? Sam is from Massachusetts, ya know, those damned libruls out there don't deserve to drink beer, let alone make it), anything. Maybe her dog has some skeletons buried out in the yard that can used against Ms. Jeffers.

I said it before: I don't support Sue Jeffers the candidate or Sue Jeffers the ideologue. But the hypocrisy on the part of the Republican Party here can be cut with a knife. The DFL is not facing a Party of Conservative Ideas - we're facing a Party of Our Way or Get Attacked By Ravenous Dogs in the Media Every Day Until You Drop Out or Cry on TV. That's not right for Minnesota politics, it's not right for American politics. Honest debate within and between party organizations about issues, candidates, their positions, their styles, the whole package, is what made us Americans in the first place. Suppressing that debate is no better than the regimes our President Bush seeks to supplant in the Middle East. Shame the President's minions keep forgetting that.

On a more practical (and less prose-filled) topic, I'll be speaking with Keith Ellison, candidate for CD5, today over lunch. Check back later today or tonight for the transcript of our interview.

House Fundraising Trends

2006-04-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

This one took a while. Inspired by Polinaut's recent post on the cost of votes and in-state campaign fundraising, I decided to go ahead and grab what data I could from the cited website, and put together some numbers.

In 2004, all 134 State Representatives were up for re-election. The results are well-known by now - the MN GOP hemorrhaged seats, coming very close to losing their rock-solid majority with a final count of 68-66 in favor of the GOP.

In light of the DFL's gains in the State House, here are the fundraising totals for winning DFL candidates and their opponents. If you're counting, you'll notice that some are missing - these represent the four DFL reps that ran unopposed. The opponent numbers represent their leading Republican opposition in the general, as only seven Independent or Green candidates raised more than $10,000.

DFL Winning Candidate	Amount Raised	Opponent Raised	DFL $ as % of GOP $
DORN, JOHN - 023B	$14,249	$30,348	47%
POPPE, JEANNE - 027B	$24,734	$46,764	53%
LIEDER, BERNIE L - 001B	$29,677	$54,834	54%
LIEBLING, TINA - 030A	$38,762	$58,766	66%
HORTMAN, MELISSA - 047B	$34,830	$49,064	71%
KOENEN, LYLE - 020B	$28,726	$38,267	75%
JUHNKE, AL - 013B	$27,375	$35,449	77%
FRITZ, PATTI - 026B	$42,807	$55,420	77%
SIMON, STEVE - 044A	$84,162	$90,843	93%
MOE, FRANK - 004A	$41,510	$42,447	98%
HUNTLEY, THOMAS - 007A	$26,753	$26,327	102%
RUUD, MARIA - 042A	$37,050	$35,254	105%
SCALZE, BEV - 054B	$38,530	$36,482	106%
JOHNSON, RUTH - 023A	$39,041	$36,900	106%
SAILER, BRITA - 002B	$37,608	$35,272	107%
HOSCH, LARRY - 014B	$33,191	$30,920	107%
HILTY, BILL - 008A	$18,613	$17,225	108%
HANSEN, RICK - 039A	$34,868	$32,010	109%
PETERSON, SANDRA - 045A	$55,531	$44,822	124%
WELTI, ANDY - 030B	$36,405	$27,108	134%
GREILING, MINDY - 054A	$34,546	$25,706	134%
LILLIE, LEON M - 055A	$33,481	$23,666	141%
WAGENIUS, JEAN - 062B	$19,268	$12,855	150%
JOHNSON, SHELDON - 067B	$23,129	$14,964	155%
OPATZ, JOE - 015B	$20,172	$12,838	157%
SLAWIK, NORA - 055B	$39,915	$23,973	166%
HILSTROM, DEBRA - 046B	$27,621	$15,774	175%
LARSON, DAN - 063B	$32,520	$18,077	180%
EKEN, KENT - 002A	$37,520	$20,409	184%
SOLBERG, LOREN A - 003B	$31,951	$17,275	185%
PELOWSKI JR, GENE - 031A	$32,315	$16,144	200%
CARLSON, LYNDON R - 045B	$39,870	$19,786	202%
THISSEN, PAUL - 063A	$45,063	$22,131	204%
MURPHY, MARY - 006B	$22,142	$10,603	209%
PETERSON, AARON - 020A	$45,452	$21,610	210%
MARQUART, PAUL - 009B	$28,845	$12,295	235%
DITTRICH, DENISE R - 047A	$99,360	$42,212	235%
OTREMBA, MARY ELLEN - 011B	$31,476	$13,090	240%
MARIANI, CARLOS - 065B	$16,724	$6,928	241%
LATZ, RON - 044B	$38,364	$14,754	260%
HAUSMAN, ALICE - 066B	$26,220	$9,998	262%
GOODWIN, BARB - 050A	$33,001	$12,204	270%
BERNARDY, CONNIE - 051B	$57,354	$18,935	303%
ELLISON, KEITH - 058B	$20,646	$6,592	313%
PAYMAR, MICHAEL - 064B	$27,782	$8,534	326%
SERTICH, ANTHONY (TONY) - 005B	$27,475	$8,233	334%
ENTENZA, MATT - 064A	$34,049	$9,822	347%
LENCZEWSKI, ANN - 040B	$45,471	$12,947	351%
RUKAVINA, TOM - 005A	$41,091	$11,213	366%
DILL, DAVID - 006A	$60,760	$15,886	382%
MAHONEY, TIM - 067A	$28,507	$6,572	434%
SIEBEN, KATIE - 057A	$43,935	$9,766	450%
MULLERY, JOE - 058A	$32,304	$6,795	475%
HORNSTEIN, FRANK - 060B	$43,909	$8,205	535%
NELSON, MIKE - 046A	$31,936	$5,625	568%
ATKINS, JOE - 039B	$83,508	$13,781	606%
LESCH, JOHN - 066A	$26,913	$3,994	674%
LOEFFLER, DIANE - 059A	$31,716	$2,210	1435%
KAHN, PHYLLIS - 059B	$24,852	$1,200	2071%
THAO, CY - 065A	$13,739	$425	3233%
CLARK, KAREN - 061A	$30,417	$425	7157%
KELLIHER, MARGARET ANDERSON - 060A	$43,480	$426	10207%

Note the position of the fourteen bolded names - those of the "New DFLers", those who contributed to the DFL's tremendous gain in the state's lower legislative chamber. Their position at the top of this list denotes the competitive nature of their fundraising efforts in 2004 - as a percentage of their GOP opponents' fundraising efforts, these Representatives (and current incumbents) are most likely to face competitive efforts from the GOP in 2006, looking to exploit the combination of non-presidential-year low turnout and a competitive fundraising environment.

One obvious counter to this is the result of each of these candidates' elections - even if they were outraised by their GOP counterpart, the DFL candidate got more bang for the buck. Fundraising is not everything - much depends on the personality, style, and political acumen of the candidate/Representative. But off-cycle elections are funny creatures. The current split in the House is not the DFL's high-water mark - the way I look at it, if the DFL has a Senator in a district, there should be little reason why it can't have at least one State Rep there as well, especially in the increasingly blue West Metro. Supporting each of these fourteen first-time incumbents and pushing competitive candidates like Will Morgan, Shelley Madore, John Benson, Jeremy Kalin, and others over the top could bring a DFL legislature to bear on the real issues facing Minnesota today.

News Flash: GOP is not the Borg

2006-04-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

I was trying to find a good way to simulate a "not equal to" sign in the title, but "is not" works just as well. Anyway, give this Strib article from Saturday a look-see. Basically, the idea is that Sue Jeffers, who has been running for Governor as a Libertarian, now wishes to seek the Republican endorsement against the incumbent, Tim Pawlenty. Ron Carey refuses her access to the party's state delegate list. In case you just can't make yourself click away from the brutally poignant prose....

Jeffers acknowledges that few people think she has even a remote chance of knocking off an incumbent governor at his own party's convention in June. But she says she speaks for many fiscal conservatives who are unhappy with Pawlenty's compromises and reversals on a host of issues.

"Let's slap him up a bit, at the very least," Jeffers said.

But Republican Party chairman Ron Carey noted that until recently Jeffers was running as a Libertarian Party candidate and has its endorsement. The state convention "is reserved for Republicans and Republican candidates," Carey said. "We can monitor who we want there."

Carey said the party's executive committee will not provide Jeffers with the lists of some 1,500 recently elected state convention delegates, an essential tool for organizing an endorsement campaign.

By no means am I even venturing close to supporting Sue Jeffers' candidacy in and of itself. I agree with close to zero of her economic ideas, and I've seen little from her press releases other than "I'm the only fiscal conservative in the race - LOW TAXES ARE GOOD. *ROAR* " I think her presence as a political force is good for the DFL, as it forces Mr. Pawlenty to serve the wishes of his far-right activist base, a fact aluded to in the article. From a purely political standpoint, I feel bad for Mr. Carey (!) - he's in a difficult position, and his job description includes statements about supporting incumbent Republicans, including the state's chief executive. I'm not exactly complaining about news that the Republican Party is not a monolith of political opinion any more than a Republican blogger would complain about a report depicting the DFL as a disorganized bunch of cats in need of herding. I've said it before and I'll say it again - political stereotypes help no one.

Wow. Just Wow.

2006-04-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Northstar Politics: http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/004423.php. Click there. Read it. Laugh. Read it again. Revel in Powerline's constant and unending apologist tactics and shilling for George W. Bush and his crony Congresscritters.

And besides, I had to post SOMEthing this weekend.

Updated Site Template

2006-04-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

I've updated my site template - for those of you using Internet Explorer, I'm well aware that the right side still looks a bit weird. I'm working on that part. If you're interested to see what it SHOULD look like, however, try Firefox - I'm confident you'll thank me, and not just for making your favorite local political blog look better. Overall, however, it's an improvement in both major browsers.

I've added a few links as well to blogs which I'm fairly sure aren't shilling for any campaigns or parties - if I'm missing anyone still, please let me know and I'll give'em a look-see.

Responses, Links, and Apologies

2006-04-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

Apologies first: to the Drinking Liberally crowd. Hell AND high water showed up, in the form of transmission trouble in my car. I can't think of a better personal argument in favor of a Metro-wide rail transit system. The Wege has a brief roundup of events last night at the 331, as I'm sure others will soon.

Eva Young's comment on my last post regarding Gov. Pawlenty's opposition to the DREAM Act:

"The argument against the bill needs to be why the bill is a wrong or a bad idea - rather than it's divisive, or it's immigrant bashing - otherwise those opposing the bill will lose the argument in the battle for public opinion."

Eva, you're absolutely correct, although it seems to be a moot point as the bill was passed out of committee intact yesterday. The argument goes thusly: it is in the economic and societal interest of Minnesota to keep prospective college students, whether documented or not, as close to Minnesota as possible, so they can grow into economically productive members of the Minnesota community. Opposing this bill runs counter to the ultimate goal of improving the quality of our economy and community.

But again, it's a moot point. Props to Eva for making me actually make the positive argument rather than just digging on its opposition. However, here's one that I think Eva and I may disagree on: Spotty at The Cucking Stool makes an excellent point connecting the Hate-Gays Bachmann Amendment and the Stadium issue. As far as political figures involved in these debates go, consistency is of paramount importance. For a Senator or Representative to advocate letting voters have their say on one issue but not on the other denotes a palpable lack of consistency. Statute or not, waiver or not, there are some elected officials who have been dangerously inconsistent in their approach to these two issues, and some who have been consistent regardless of what we think on the issues themselves. It's worth noting.

Another thing very much worth noting: Blue Ox on anti-choice billboards. Worth a read and worth keeping in mind. On a related note, I saw a bumper sticker this morning with the words "Abortion: the ultimate child abuse.".......hmm. That's funny. I strongly advocate policies that seek to reduce abortions and unwanted pregnancies without restricting access to contraceptives and birth control. That being said, I've always thought of drug use and drinking while pregnant as slightly worse than abortion. Sexual assault against children and minors too. But maybe I'm just splitting hairs on this one.

Congressional District Conventions coming up! Who's got excitement ahead at theirs?

Pawlenty Playing Politics Pwith Pimmigration

2006-04-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

More playing politics from Mr. Pawlenty this week - this time conflating public education and immigration! Oh joy:

Gov. Tim Pawlenty personally got involved in a House bill Tuesday because he opposes a move to let illegal immigrants pay in-state tuition rates at public universities and colleges.

The GOP governor asked Rep. Jim Knoblach, R-St. Cloud, who heads the House Ways and Means Committee, to remove the tuition provision from a larger higher education bill. The panel was scheduled to consider the bill Tuesday.

"It is unfair to provide reduced in-state tuition rates to people who are not citizens or legally here," Pawlenty said in a letter to Knoblach and the rest of the committee.

The bill would give in-state tuition rates to Minnesota high school graduates who lived in the state for at least three years. If they were living in the country illegally, they would have to file an affidavit with the institution saying they plan to apply for legal status.

Democrats including Rep. Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul, deplored the governor's move.

"He makes it sound as if these folks are trying to get away with something, when in fact they're good students, working hard," Mariani said.
--AP

This is a governor who has allowed tuition rates at state colleges and universities to skyrocket, fought tooth and nail against restoring inflation-indexed maintenance of public education funding (in turn forcing property taxes up at the local level in many areas), and he's talking about this issue being unfair?

Let me get this straight - a kid comes to Minneapolis from Mexico with his parents. He goes to high school, graduates, and applies to the U. With in-state tuition, he might be able to graduate in four years, becoming the highest-educated member of his family. Ever.

What do you think he's going to do, go back to Mexico and make a bunch of pesos? Nonsense! Much more often than not, that kid will eventually become a citizen and contribute to the social and economic fabric of Minnesota. Apparently Mr. Pawlenty thinks this is a bad thing. I can understand that he has his marching orders from DC on the immigration issue, but look at it this way - illegal immigrants about whom Mr. Pawlenty and his Beltway friends are wringing their legislative hands in earnest don't usually attempt to attend college. If they go through the public education system and want to attend a public university, I think it's safe to assume they're willing to contribute to their community and their adopted state and country.

More likely this is another stage of a political strategy designed to villify immigrants of all legal stata in an attempt to rally the conservative base to the polls in 2006. News flash, boys: if you think thinly-veiled racism is a winning political issue, you have more problems than even W's extraordinarily poor approval ratings can solve.

Open Road for Wendy Wilde

2006-04-19T07:12:00.000-07:00

After a quick meeting with my Senate District chair which turned into a two-hour Arby's trip and political talk-fest, it turns out that Tommy Johnson has dropped out of the race to face Jim Ramstad in CD3, leaving Wendy Wilde an essentially open road to the DFL nomination. Apparently another candidate has jumped in, but although he's from SD43 (my district) I can't remember his name. After college, the memory starts going.

I'm still not too optimistic about Ms. Wilde's chances, although I would happy accept pleasant surprises. She's starting very late, and I fear that an abortive or unsuccessful campaign will expend the advantages of celebrity she currently has. As Minntelect recently noted on a BBMN comment thread, CD3 as a unit is trending DFL, but it's not there yet, and it will take a gargantuan amount of work to convince moderate and conservative-ish voters that a election neophyte who doesn't live in the district would be better than an entrenched incumbent who makes his living calling himself an independent moderate.

Regardless, it is good to see a credible candidate in every Republican-held congressional district in Minnesota, for reasons that have been mentioned here and elsewhere. Credibly oppose the majority everywhere, and they won't be the majority for long.

I know StPaul_DFLer will be there - who else will be at Drinking Liberally tonight?

Some Links and Other Issues

2006-04-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

Blue Ox is right on the money about NCLB - look past the surface, and you see what NCLB has always been - a covert attempt to break teachers' unions acros the country.

Minntelect on goings-on in SD52. Interesting stuff.

The guys at MN Publius have an interview with Jeremy Kalin, candidate for House District 17B. If they're going to be doing all these interviews with local candidates, I might just have to start linking them in the sidebar. I am a mere single writer, and can only interview so many people. Speaking of which, specifics are not set, but I'm in the process of setting up an interview early next week with Gail Dorfman, candidate for Congress in CD5. If there are any other CD5 candidates or staffers who would like to get some face time in the blogosphere, please email me. I will do my absolute best to accomodate, and everyone will have a link in the extra-special MNCR sidebar. [UPDATE: This also goes for any candidates for local or state office].

DK at The Analyst has posted the Campaign Finance Board's final 2005 report on the Gubernatorial race. Some very interesting numbers in the Dems vs. Pawlenty field. Although my position regarding Peter Hutchinson's candidacy hasn't changed, It would be interesting to see where his individual contributions are coming from as well. [UPDATE: DK has added Hutchinson's numbers. Thanks!]

And if you're still reading, you're really interested in what I have to say. I'm not a huge fan of the Culture of Corruption meme being utilized by the national Democratic Party - I think it keeps the focus on the Republican Party's problems instead of constructing a progressive Contract with America. That doesn't mean I think the CoC argument won't work, it's just not what I'm going to do when I lead the party.

That being said, Dump Michelle Bachmann has a report regarding Senator Bachmann's writeoffs of her home cable bills. How big a floodlight needs to be thrown on Republicans like Bachmann, Dick Day, Rick Santorum, and their ilk before the populace understands that their self-proclaimed "humility" and "compassion" extend only as far as those words can be used to get themselves re-elected?

Case in point: The Taxpayers' League. This is an organization that claims to espouse a free market, small government, and responsible spending policies. This quote from their most recent email update might make one think differently, however:

Still want to take Government 101 from cheese-eating surrender monkeys and kraut-sniffing autobahn hooligans? As captivating and uncrusty a speaker as Barack Obama might have been at the DFLs recent "Celebrate Obstructionism" dinner, all the fancy packaging and powerhouse fundraising can't hide the fact that his speech was the same populist boilerplate (albeit in a hypnotizingly sincere form) that the Left has been using to construct the welfare state for the last 70 years.

This doesn't sound like an organization focused on fiscal responsibility. It sounds like the work of a xenophobic bunch of greedy political hacks and think-tank babies. Note the hostility with which the TPL refers to Senator Obama's populist message...what's the problem, guys? Don't like it when government serves the needs of the many instead of the super-rich few? I thought that's what a democracy is supposed to be. I could be wrong, though.

Get ready for the bombshell - I will be at Drinking Liberally tomorrow night, come hell or high water. One might say "jeez, you could have come to any DL, but you choose to show up the night Steve Kelley is there? What a political hack!" You wouldn't be entirely wrong, I guess. At this point, however, I'm more interested in meeting the people on the other end of emails I've written and received than I am in keeping some minor degree of anonymity. Here's to hoping no one decides to try with me what they did with Mr. Sponge. For their sake. Scheduling issues aside, this really is the first time I've been able to make it, and it's only a slight consideration that my gubernatorial candidate will be there as well. If you really don't want me there.....well...Rew is to blame.

Anyway, I'll be there, and I'm looking forward to it.

I'm Behind the Times...

2006-04-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

I can admit that. Tim Walz outraised Gil Gutknecht in Q1 2006. This is a big event - no incumbent should ever get outraised by a political novice. It will be interesting to see how strong Mr. Gutknecht's fundraising response is in Q2 - although he still has a large cash advantage, going into the stretch run he will almost certainly want to build some kind of momentum into his campaign. That his recent fundraiser starring John McCain apparently was a flop bodes well for Mr. Walz's campaign.

As for the mention of these numbers at Swing State Project....who is DFLer22? It's gotta be one of us. I'd tell you what my moniker is over there, but really, if you can't figure it out....well. You know. Anyway, there are several online personas I wouldn't mind knowing a bit more real-life information about....ramble ramble ramble. Get outside and enjoy the weather. Once you've clicked on my Google Ads, of course.

A Short Story

2006-04-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

There once was a town. Its name is unimportant, all that really needs to be known about the town in the times just after its inception is that its people worked tirelessly to provide for their families and held their neighbors and community in high regard. In time the town grew into a city, and in some more time it grew into a metropolis. New neighbors came, surrounding towns grew into cities themselves, but the spirit of community never left. The idea that everyone contributing to the common good led to a better life for all.

The metropolis was on the leading edge among its peers. Hi-tech businesses wanted to be there because the people were smart, hard-working folk. The public education system was second to none. Some citizens were rich by birth, some weren't. Some worked hard and pushed their way into a higher tax bracket, others worked hard and stayed where they were. Everyone contributed though, because of that old idea of the common good.

And then a funny thing happened. Whether it was a sickness that entered from outside as the common cold might, or a black spot emanating from the heart of the sprawling metropolis, no one knows. All that is known is that something happened - the common good wasn't quite so common anymore. Some politicians, some unscrupulous businessmen, some of the richer folk, and a few others who didn't really know what they were getting themselves into, decided that taxes and the government they supported were evil. They all worked together to lower taxes, using terms like "tax relief" and calling taxes "burdens."

It wasn't important that the tax system made sure that the people paying the most taxes were those who were pulling in the most money, and were mightily comfortable even after paying large tax bills - what they had left far outstripped their contribution to the common good. It wasn't important to these anti-tax crusaders to consider what those taxes paid for. It was only important to reduce them.

And that strange thing that happened got worse. Along with the roads - you see, the taxes those crusaders got cut went in part to pay for road maintenance. These brave leaders had an answer though - more tax cuts were necessary to encourage businesses to come to the area, to pay more taxes themselves and employ more taxpayers. These cuts would pay for themselves in time.

These new cuts slashed funding to education programs - the local university, high schools, advanced placement programs. In a few years' time, teachers started to complain - class sizes were going up, and they were unable to give students the attention they needed to be successful in school. Those same brave crusaders had an answer for this new crisis - they would take a portion of the tax revenue they had left, and offer "vouchers" to lower-income families so they could send their children to private schools. That, in combination with standards for public schools, would make sure every child had a chance at a good education in a private school where standards couldn't be enforced.

The public education system wasn't as important as keeping taxes low so the economy could thrive. Only these leaders were speaking in code - when they talked about "the economy" and the effect tax cuts would have on it, they were really saying "our richest neighbors and those who contribute the most to our campaigns." When they talked about "tax relief" they were really saying "refunding money to our contributors so they can buy another Mercedes and keep funding our campaigns."

The roads grew more potholes every winter. The schools continued to slide against their peers in other cities.

It didn't matter that their idea of supply-side economic theory had already been debunked several years prior; by this time it was all those crusaders knew. Tax cuts are good, tax increases are bad for the economy. And they drove on and complained ever-louder about broken roads, and opposed public transportation initiatives, and fought tooth and nail against restoring funding to public education, and recoiled in horror at the idea that every citizen could be covered by a public health care system. These things would hurt "the economy," and "tax relief" was a more sensible solution to cure the economic woes of the metropolis.

But there came a day when the government had run up a debt - it hadn't been taking in enough revenue to pay for its commitments. And the beating drum labeled "tax relief" started to sound hollow and tinny. The people longed to return to the days when the common good mattered more than attracting a big-box store to the neighborhood. They longed to once again have the best public schools anywhere. They longed for the days when everyone understood that if I pay a dollar, and you pay a dollar, and your father-in-law pays a dollar, and everyone else pays a dollar too, we can all contribute to something that benefits each of us to a degree vastly superior to what a dollar could get me.

And those anti-tax crusaders kept screaming and yelling about how evil their opponents were for ever suggesting that new taxes would be necessary and would contribute to the common good. But the people started to ignore the crusaders, because they were tired of leaders who went out of their way to enact policies that served the few at the expense of the many. From the many rose leaders who understood where the people came from, what made their community what it was, and how to get back what the crusaders stole from the people. And those leaders fought back, and in the midst of that battle we find ourselves today.

I'm not sure how this story's going to end. What role will you play in its conclusion?

20k

2006-04-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

I started MNCR last August in a fit of something resembling summer boredom. It quickly grew into an outgrowth of what I think I have to offer the political process, so I just as quickly decided I required tools that would allow me to track just how many people were hitting my new e-toy. Around September I added that silly little hit counter you see on the left - and by silly, I do mean silly. It's just a little javascript gadget, and between September and February 18th, when I last posted on these facts, it registered 10,000 hits. Yesterday I realized that at some point recently it passed 20,000. So while it's not the most accurate gauge in the world, it's something to go along with Google Analytics, which if you have it, you know that it is only slightly less addictive than crack. I'm glad readers keep coming back, and encourage you all to keep doing so.

I'll have a post up on some tax policy and politics issues later in the day, but observe for your reading pleasure the organization of candidate interviews in the sidebar. I hope to have several more congressional and state house candidates to accompany Ms. Madore and Mr. Walz on their adventures in MNCR-space. Until then, enjoy the weather - if it's nice this weekend you'll find me out on some government-funded bike trails.

Interview with Christian Sande

2006-04-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

Fourth candidate interview, third different format - I'm not sure which is my favorite. Each (email, IM, phone) has advantages and disadvantages - talking over the phone, as I did this evening with Christian Sande, means you get a much more personal feel, you can actually have a conversation....but you have to transcribe or record as you go. And you have to have a conversation, which is (surprisingly) a lot more difficult than Instant Messaging.

Christian Sande is running for Secretary of State, and had some excellent thoughts on the race, on election law, and the issues facing the entire electorate in 2006. As much as possible, I tried to ask similar questions to those I asked Mr. Sande's DFL opponent, Mark Ritchie, but email and phone have unique dynamics

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MNCR: Was there a single factor that drove you to enter this race?

C. Sande: People have been employing me for several years as their lawyer to do what they ought to be able to go to the Secretary of State for - providing basic, fundamental information about their voting rights, how to go about voting and protecting their rights.

MNCR: In your opinion, how has Secretary of State Kiffmeyer failed?

C. Sande: She's not qualified to serve. She's essentially had seven years of on-the-job training. She also comes from a partisan political background - you don't want that in the Secretary of State's office. When the Secretary of State has spent twenty years as a partisan political activist, they're automatically suspected by people on the other side of the aisle. You want everyone to be able to expect fair and honest information from the Secretary of State rather than a personal political agenda.

MNCR: Has there been any one case that stands out in your mind that influenced your decision to run?

C. Sande: I've talked about it a lot, but it's the tribal ID issue - Mary Kiffmeyer would not allow Native American tribes to vote using tribal IDs. The political motive behind her move was so brazen - she wouldn't accept tribal IDs because she said Minnesota law doesn't provide for it - but federal law does. We allow the use of tribal IDs for so many other government services, and Mary Kiffmeyer couldn't point out a single case of voter fraud using tribal IDs, and she couldn't prove that they are unreliable in any way.

MNCR: If elected, how would you treat issues surrounding companies like Diebold, who are at the center of voting "issues" in recent elections in Florida and Ohio?

C. Sande: Would you trust a voting system that Katherine Harris, Ken Blackwell, and Mary Kiffmeyer trust for use? The core issue with any voting system is the credibility of the people overseeing it. I'm worried about the trend around the nation of people with a political background, who don't have any credibility on election issues, overseeing elections.

There are really three problems that have to be solved with electronic voting [once the credibility issue is resolved].
1. Does every vote result in a paper receipt?
2. Can the system be hacked?
3. Does the system run reviewable code?
Minnesota law currently addresses the first two, but it doesn't deal with the third. We should have a law requiring that any computerized voting system use open source code that can be verified independently. If we can do that, we're getting somewhere.

But credibility has to come first. The job of the Secretary of State is to certify oting machines, not to select voting machines. Local officials should be able to choose the systems that make the most sense for their communities, and the Secretary of State can certify that those machines meet requirements. An electronic voting system isn't necessarily bad - the reason we're suspicious of it goes back to credibility.

MNCR: You've mentioned several times that the Secretary of State has to be credible with more than just the majority that elects them - but you're running as a DFLer, just as Mary Kiffmeyer runs as a Republican. How do you get from "I'm a DFLer" to "I'm going to protect your right to vote no matter what party you vote for?"

C. Sande: The fact that you're a member of a party doesn't mean it governs every decision - it's an identification of your values more than anything else. I'm an American more than anything else, and as Secretary of State I'll take an oath to uphold the Constitution.

I think my advantage is my background - what I've done as a candidate, as a lawyer, as a Minnesotan, knowing the law, knowing Minnesota, understanding issues, and resolving them in a way I think is fair. If someone's suspicious, I talk about the specifics of my plan - I will NOT run for higher office while serving as Secretary of State. Laying political groundwork, currying favor - that WON'T happen. I'll also impose a code of integrity in the Secretary of State's office - we don't have one right now. We have one for the Campaign Finance Board, but not for the Secretary of State's office. I've been working as a lawyer in election law, not pursuing a political agenda. Mary Kiffmeyer can't resist the urge to get involved in politics, whether it's a prayer breakfast in DC or the MN GOP's anti-gay CD-ROM.

MNCR: As far as the campaign process itself - will you abide by the DFL endorsement in June?

C. Sande: I will abide by the endorsement.

MNCR: Running for an office with so much non-partisanship required, will you campaign with other endorsed candidates if you get the endorsement?

The failings of Mary Kiffmeyer mirror the those of other Republicans in office. That doesn't mean I'll be running around bashing Tim Pawlenty, but their failings are the same, so I will campaign with other endorsed candidates as a united ticket.

MNCR: Off-beat question time! What/Who is your favorite:
--Ice Cream flavor: Chocolate Chip
--Baseball player: I'm torn on this one. Kirby Puckett was a great player, and stayed with Minnesota when he could have taken more money somewhere else. But I also like Shoeless Joe Jackson. There are so many great characters in the story of the Black Sox, and Jackson really was victimized in a lot of ways. All he ever wanted to do was play the game.
--National Political Figure: Historically, Robert F. Kennedy - he was incredibly smart, hard-working, he was truly in the game to accomplish something good. Currently, I really like Ted Strickland in Ohio.
--Local Political Figure: Koryne Horbal - she founded the DFL feminist caucus, she was appointed by President Carter as an ambassador to the United Nations - but she still collects money and serves food at events around Minnesota. She should be an inspiraton because she's realized change in her lifetime - it's easy for us to forget that before her work on Ms. Magazine in the 70's, "Ms." just wasn't a recognized title for a woman.
--Local Blog: I like to read local high school and college student blogs, especially from Greater Minnesota. When I was first contacted David and Andy from MinnesotaBlue, I told them to give me a call next time they were in the Twin Cities...they told me "well, we're 15 - we can't drive." I was really surprised by that, because they're smart, articulate writers.
--National Blog: Election Law Blog.

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We shot the breeze for a few minutes, and I let him get back to the business of the campaign. According to Mr. Sande, the fundraising process is going well, the delegate chase is going well. This is one race that will have a DFL candidate in June. As I mentioned, I will soon update the links so you can compare and contrast candidates before the State Convention. To all a good night. Leave your thoughts at the tone.

Update: Walz Fundraising Numbers

2006-04-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

I screwed up in my previous post when looking at the MN-01 money totals - looked at Gutknecht's page first, then this page, and thought Gutknecht's total was Walz's. However, with the filing deadline approaching rapidly, sources close to the campaign have indicated that Mr. Walz raised more in 2006-Q1 than all of last year. This is still a very good sign.

Almost the Weekend

2006-04-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the utter lack of creativity in my recent post titles. I will improve upon this starting .... tomorrow. For today, however, tune in tonight for my interview with Christian Sande, candidate for Secretary of State!

Don't let that make you stop reading right now, though. I'll be updating my link tables to include direct links to all interviews I conduct with candidates or other figures in and around Minnesota's political scene.

DK over at The Analyst has yet another insightful research post up regarding long-term changes in Minnesota politics over the last twenty-five years. This guy is great, and the maps provide a constant and refreshing break from the ALL-TEXT-ALL-THE-TIME experience most of my compadres and I provide in our spaces.

Lost in the shuffle of John McCain's recent visit to Minnesota in support of Tim Pawlenty was the fact that Senator McCain also stopped to make an appearance at a fundraiser for Gil Gutknecht - which, according to reports from Tim Walz's campaign, was something of a flop. McCain appearing with Pawlenty smacks of 2008 presidential politics, but for a sitting Senator to not be able to rally Republican donors to the aid of a sitting Congressman does not bode well for Mr. Gutknecht's reelection bid. OpenSecrets.org shows Gutknecht to be in okay shape, money-wise (Tim Walz is right there with him), but the symbolic failure of a purported GOP "All-Star" to match the fundraising prowess of his rival for the 2000 Presidential nomination might be a hitch in McCain's ambitions.

Did I forget to mention that McCain doesn't think Jerry Falwell is so bad anymore? Moderate leader my left foot.

Got a little dirt-digging project going on...with a bit more research, it may be worth posting. Until then, however, it'll have to remain a tantalizing plug right here at the end of the post. Make sure you come back to read about Christian Sande!

Busy Day

2006-04-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

For me that is, not necessarily in politics. I'll be heading home around 1 to start cooking up a feast fit for kings....or pharaohs....whatever. It's Passover, and gefilte fish is in the offing.

I'll be talking with Christian Sande tomorrow evening - are there any particular questions any readers would like me to pass on to the Secretary of State candidate?

Beautiful Day

2006-04-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

Days like this remind me all too painfully that I get the singular satisfaction of working inside, staring at a computer, with a window to taunt me with the gorgeous weather outdoors. I started my herb garden yesterday, hopefully it won't freeze on me and I'll actually have some fresh herbs to use later on this season.

At least I have dual monitors. Anyway.

But back to the action! I've never been one to bury my own content - either scroll down or click here to read my interview with Tim Walz. I look forward to meeting the candidate in the flesh, at latest by the State Convention. It sounds like he's got a great team and they're running a strong campaign. It will be very interesting to see what independent polls look like for MN-01.

I was contacted recently by a representative from one of the several campaigns for CD5's congressional seat, so there might be yet another interview in the offing. Perhaps at some point down the road, when I have this interviewing thing down pat, I'll go beyond it and set up a multi-candidate online forum....but right now I think the logistics of having 10+ candidates in one chat room at the same time would be nothing short of ridiculous.

In a (seemingly) rare non-interview-related note, how about this - dKosopedia. It's something I've been thinking about for a while, but why re-invent the wheel? We should have a centralized source for non-partisan candidate information for all of us - bloggers, campaigns, voters - to draw from. If you're reading this, certainly you have some information on various candidates locked up inside your head. Why not contribute to the general knowledge base?

My Interview with Tim Walz

2006-04-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

Flash may have gotten Illinois' junior Senator, but I shall overcome by sheer weight of numbers. That's right, a second interview in a week, this time with Tim Walz. A veteran and high school teacher, Mr. Walz's campaign for Minnesota's 1st Congressional District seat has attracted the attention of several high-profile lefty blogs, including Daily Kos, Swing State Project, MyDD, Backbone Minnesota, and others with higher bandwidth than lil old MNCR. I sat down this evening to chat with him via IM, of which I am quickly becoming enamored as a campaign-to-netroots communications tool.

MNCampaignReport: You're a school teacher and veteran of post 9/11 military operations in Afghanistan. How have these experiences prepared you to serve in Congress?

T. Walz: I sure never prepared my life around a run for Congress, but my life has prepared me well. My experience as a public school classroom teacher (and son of a teacher) has taught me the importance of investing in our children and investing in our communities. My military service has taught me the importance of giving back to our country and keeping our committments to those who serve. Authentic experiences are what has prepared me to serve in Congress.

MNCampaignReport: "authentic experiences".......without going too negative against Mr. Gutknecht, what do you see as the major difference between your experiences?

T. Walz: My opponent has spent his entire adult life in office. While I have been experiencing the effects of legislation like No Child Left Behind, my opponent has been deaf to any suggestions to make our schools, military, communities better. I have lived with the legislation that this Congress has passed and know what we can do to correct it.

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At this point we had some technical difficulties, and Tim had to switch screen names.
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MNCampaignReport: the next question I wanted to ask was about the campaign itself - as a first-time candidate, are you looking to long-time DFL activists as campaign advisors, or are you looking to bring in new blood, some fresh ideas...?

T. Walz: Both - we rely on people in the community who know me and know the kind of leader I am.

T. Walz: We have also brought in experienced campaign staff, like my Campaign Manager, Kerry Greeley, who worked at the national level with John Kerry's campaign, with the DNC, and with the DGA.

T. Walz: Experienced DFL activists are enthusiasitic, and so are citizens not previously involved - we are appealing to a wide variety of people across the state and throughout the district.

MNCampaignReport: Is there any particular image from your service overseas, particularly in Afghanistan, that really drives you on the campaign trail, or was the political frustration you experienced upon your return to the states a bigger factor?

T. Walz: I have a lifelong commitment to public service, and to making our country better. The divisiveness I've seen in politics is unhealthy for this country and something I am working to correct.

T. Walz: My service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom was in flightline security in Europe.

MNCampaignReport: Ah, you answered my next question

T. Walz: :-) [Ed. Note: Yes, this candidate for the Congress of the United States just used an emoticon smiley].

MNCampaignReport: You mention divisiveness in today's politics....on a related note, your profile on dkosopedia.com notes a Wall Street journal article from March 30th of this year that labels you a "Republican in DFLer's clothing." How do you respond to that label? Do you feel your positions match a relatively conservative district's profile, or are you trying to pull CD1 in a more progressive direction?

T. Walz: That's a misquote - the WSJ called me "the Republican nightmare in the 1st". I'll send it.

MNCampaignReport: Good to know! Thanks for the correction. [Ed note: it was indeed a nasty misprint. Mr. Walz's campaign manager was good enough to send me the full text of the article, which certainly does not refer to Walz as a "DINO"]

MNCampaignReport: The last question still stands, however - do you see yourself as an ideological match for your district, a changer-of-the-status-quo, or will your relationship with CD1 be something else altogether?

T. Walz: Both - I am far more of an ideological match for this moderate district than my opponent. This is a district that values honesty, hard work, commitment to our communities. My service to the classroom, to the military and to the communities puts me far more in touch with the district than my opponent.

MNCampaignReport: It sounds like education will be a priority if you're elected to Congress?

T. Walz: Absolutely

T. Walz: It's not a campaign slogan for us, it's a priority. Education is an investment in the future.

MNCampaignReport: What other priority issues will you have? Any particularly hot buttons on social policy? Economic? Foreign policy?

T. Walz: A commitment to fair trade policies, that keep good jobs here in MN and keep America competitive in the global marketplace

T. Walz: Much more active engagement with the world, particularly China, where we have great opportunities to make the world a better place, if we choose to take them.

T. Walz: Commitment to veterans and soldiers is unwavering - standing in front of soldiers for a photo op - as so many politicians do - is NOT the same as standing behind them when they need us.

T. Walz: Affordable healthcare for ALL Americans is an absolute national priority - both economically and ethically

MNCampaignReport: Is national universal health care is a reasonable goal for Congress to work toward, or is there a middle way between what we have now (46 million uninsured) and a full-blown national health care system?

T. Walz: America needs to come up with a system that works for everyone - covers all Americans, starting with the children, but includes choice of providers. Quality needs to be a priority.

MNCampaignReport: I am certain I could find this information on your campaign site, but I'd like to ask the question anyway - for both Democrats and Republicans, a woman's right to choose ("the abortion issue" for some) is a major issue. What's your position on the issue, and how do you communicate it to potential voters in your district?

T. Walz: I support a woman's right to choose. I also believe it is in our best interests to provide real choice - which includes economic opportunties for women, access to healthcare, pre and post natal care, childcare, etc. Statistics show that 70% of women choose abortion for economic reasons. This administration is doing NOTHING to address the real causes of why abortion is UP under Pres. Bush and was DOWN under Pres. Clinton.

MNCampaignReport: I have two more questions for now, and hopefully I'll be able to ask a few more later down the road: The first is about blogs, bloggers, the online community, and campaigns: How is your campaign actively engaging the netroots to help you succeed, and do you feel that the recent attention paid to your campaign (and those of other veteran Dems) in the national blogosphere has been helpful so far?

T. Walz: We are not actively seeking out the netroots - they are actively seeking us out. I believe that the netroots, like the grassroots, are committed citizens who want to make a positive difference in our country. Anything that engages citizens in public life is absolutely positive. Thanks for what you're doing.

MNCampaignReport: Okay, last question, since it's getting a bit late here....it's sort of off-beat: What/who is your favorite:
Baseball player? Cal Ripken - A guy who goes about doing his job with that much professionalism for that long is my kind of guy
Ice cream flavor? Cookie Dough
National political blog? Daily Kos (Markos interviewed me once)
Local political blog? MN Campaign Report of course! [Ed note: naturally this is a loaded question. Compliments and $20 bills are still welcome, however.] Backbone's populism really appeals to us. Mr. Sponge did a great job over at Minvolved.
National political figure? Brian Schweitzer, Gov. of Montana
Local political figure? Both the mayors [R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis and Chris Coleman of St. Paul]- the way they are bringing both the cities together is fantastic.

[Ed note: above answers edited to make them look pretty]

MNCampaignReport: I agree, it's been really great to see the Twin Cities really working together on so many initiatives so early in Coleman's tenure.

MNCampaignReport: That's all I have for now.....any closing thoughts, questions for me or for readers/other bloggers?

T. Walz: We really want to thank the people who've gotten behind this campaign, and thank you for taking the time to let people know where we stand on the issues.

MNCampaignReport: Well, as the campaign season heats up, I'm sure we/I will be communicating with you as regularly as possible. Thanks so much for your time tonight....and enjoy this beautiful weather!

T. Walz: Thanks, you too! Contact me anytime.

Monday Monday Monday

2006-04-10T06:05:00.000-07:00

Personally, it's my least favorite day of the week. I'd much rather have another Sunday....but alas, time marches on. If you haven't had a chance, either scroll down or click directly to my recent interview with Mark Ritchie, DFL candidate for Secretary of State. On tap: tonight: Tim Walz, Thursday: Christian Sande. Friday: H.H. The Dalai Lama.

You may have heard that Illinois's junior senator was in town stumping for Amy Klobuchar and rallying the DFL faithful at the Humphrey Day Dinner. The humor of Mark Kennedy's GOP spitting at the event should be obvious - the pot seems to be unable to prevent itself from calling the kettle black. Tom DeWho? George W. Whaa? No sir, I'm quite sure I didn't have a fundraiser starring Dick Chainie. Who's that? You could cut the hypocrisy with a knife. Major difference, of course, being that GWB, Cheney, Tom DeLay, Bill Frist, and all the other GOP all-stars who have kept Mark Kennedy's campaign operation afloat are key players in a corrupt, unethical junta which hoodwinked the nation and has driven us down the road to ruin, while Obama has devoted his political career to standing up for the middle class, equality, and social justice.

Slight difference.

In other news, this exchange between Tony from Always Right, Usually Correct and Michele Bachmann (nee gay-hate bill author) is worth a read. I've said it before and will repeat it, principled conservatives like the guys at ARUC have been forgotten in today's Republican Party. These guys are smart, and while I may not agree with what they say, can respect their positions and supporting logic. I can't say the same for Bachmann's halberdiers and their ilk.

In any case, blogs like ARUC are worth reading, if for no other reason than to remind us that the Republican Party is not a monolithic hive mind any more than the DFL is a disorganized rabble. Each is organized at different levels, and how well they reach out to independents and moderates at the grassroots level will play a large role in our political fortunes in November.

My Interview with Mark Ritchie

2006-04-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

Mark Ritchie achieved national prominence during the 2004 campaign as the head of the November 2 Campaign, leading non-partisan voter registration and national GOTV efforts. He's now running for Secretary of State, opposed by Christian Sande (whom I'll be talking with on Thursday). Some biographical information can be found on his campaign website here, and we sat down via email this morning to communicate about the campaign and some of his views on the voting system in Minnesota. Below are the short answers, later in the day I'll be posting our complete conversation for your in-depth perusal. Watch out for those ellipses - in some cases there's considerable material, but I wanted to cut it down for your first reading.

-------

MNCR: I'll skip over your biographical details for now, since readers can find them on your campaign site. My first question is a straightforward one - you've mentioned Camp Wellstone as a major factor in your decision to run for office, but what specific factors or experiences there drove you from "I think I can" to "I know I can" run for office? Were there factors outside Camp Wellstone that drove your decision as well?

M. Ritchie: ... [T]he shift from "I think I can" to "I know I can" took a leap of faith - leaving work that I loved in an organization that I had carefully constructed for twenty years. It became clear was that only "running to win" made sense and that to do that I would need to resign my position as head of the Institute for agriculture and Trade Policy so I could campaign full-time for over a year.
...
I have tackled very big efforts before - like organizing the global campaign for fairer trade and the NOVEMBER 2 voter registration campaign in 2004. From these successes I knew that I had the combination of skills and experiences needed to simultaneously run for party endorsement while campaigning statewide as part of a general election strategy. I had concluded that DFL endorsement was crucial to winning in November, but also that most DFL candidates who have been endorsed in the past spent all their money and time on endorsement, leaving nothing left over to actually win the election. When I concluded that I could "run on both legs" I moved from thinking I could run to knowing I could run and win.

MNCR: And what about your experiences specifically makes you more qualified to serve as the state's chief elections officer than Ms. Kiffmeyer?

M. Ritchie: I would come into the office having 20 years of experience successfully
running agencies and organizations. Leadership that inspires staff to perform at their highest capacity, respect for the team process needed to deliver excellent customer service, and a track record for tackling and accomplishing large-scale projects come with this real experience.

Second, although the elections division is a much smaller aspect of the office compared to the business services and other responsibilities it comes with it a level of public expectation of non-partisanship and competency that cannot be compromised. I have a dozen years of experience organizing and leading non-partisan work on elections within the non-profit community, most recently the NOVEMBER 2 campaign. This is especially important for one of the key jobs of the Office -- helping with recounts on close elections.

The perception that the Office of Secretary of State is attempting to help one party over another, as was the case with disputes that arose over the special election in St. Cloud and the controversy about how to handle absentee ballots after the death of Senator Paul Wellstone, are examples of where this experience with non-partisan election activity is so
crucial.
...
My life experiences have shown me that "one size fits all" and "my way o[r] the highway" does not work to build trust, respect, and performance.
...

MNCR: Something a bit closer to the calendar crunch: Have you decided yet whether to go to a primary in September no matter what or abide by the DFL endorsement in June?

M. Ritchie: Yes I will abide by the endorsement. [Emphasis added: MNCR]

I do know that one of the other candidates, former city alderman Dick Franson, has said that he is going to a primary.

MNCR: I myself was surprised to see Mr. Franson's name on the DFL straw poll ballot back in early March - I hadn't seen his name or heard anything about his candidacy. With the caveat that I'll be interviewing one later in the week, without going too negative, and in, say...3 sentences or less, what do you see as the major difference between you and your DFL opponents, in terms of style, background, or ability?

M. Ritchie: What I offer that the other two candidates do not includes:

Three decades of experience as a leader in agencies and organizations, including a dozen years of leading non-partisan election administration and civic engagement campaigns, coalitions and organizations, in both the Twin Cities and in Greater Minnesota -- -- I know what it means to inspire a team of people to achieve excellent performance and to feel empowered in the process.

A proven track record of successful political campaigning -- reflected by the public support I have from thousands of Minnesotans from every corner of the state and from every wing of the DFL party, and from independents and moderate Republicans --including key elected officials from Senator Dayton and Congressman Peterson in Washington to Mayor Rybak and dozens of legislators and other elected officials.

This deep and wide support is reflected in the huge victory we enjoyed in the straw poll, in the current delegate count, in our success in fundraising -- raising over twice what was raised by all the candidates - Republican, Democrat and Independent - in this race, and in the long list of official endorsements we have received from labor, farm, women, civic,
progressive, and community organizations.

[Editor's note: Technically, this is three sentences or less, though my initial reaction was that it was too long to fit into this requirement -- MNCR]

MNCR: A blog-related question to throw in between the issues - This one is prompted by some recent shenanigans unfortunately involving me directly. How do you feel about the role of blogs in 21st century political campaigns? Does your campaign have an official blog, a network of supportive bloggers? What's your position on anonymous blogging?

M. Ritchie: Blogs, zines, google, email, listservs, etc. are transforming all aspects of life and politics is one excellent example. I administer a number of list serves on a wide range of issues including election protection (mostly keeping an eye on the manipulation of elections by various means) and have seen the transformation of this specific tool over the ten years I have been doing it from a novelty to a necessity.

We don't have an official blog but we will soon. It is registered and ready to go with the launching of our new site this week. If you would like a sneak preview just let me know. We don't have a network of supportive blogs but it sounds like a good idea up to a point.

I don’t think I would be very happy in a world with a lot of anonymous phone calls or anonymous blogging.

MNCR: A somewhat-offbeat quickie questionnaire:

Who/what is your favorite ....
--baseball player?
--ice cream flavor?
--day of the week?
--national political blog?
--local political blog?
--vacation spot?
--national political figure?

M. Ritchie:
Baseball - the guy on the anti-smoking poster that my daughter and I loved - Kirby Puckett

Ice Cream - I make some of the best ice cream in Minnesota - my favorite is my tangerine sorbet but the peppermint ice cream made from the candy canes that come down from our Christmas tree is a close second.

Day of the Week
Monday. I get to write thank you notes to the folks who are helping me in all kinds of ways with my campaign.

National Political Blog
Early in the week it is Daily Kos - later in the week it is The Brad Blog.

Local Blog
My own, of course, but since it is not public yet maybe that doesn't count.

Vacation Spot
Northshore - slowly but surely trying to hike every section of the Superior Hiking Trail

National Political Figure
John Kenneth Galbraith, Sr. [Wikipedia Link Added: MNCR]

MNCR: That can be the last question for now, I don't want to take up too much of your Sunday. Thank you so much for your time, and best of luck on the campaign trail!

M. Ritchie: thanks again for making me think about a number of Important questions -- including these last ones! And thanks for giving these lower ticket races your attention -- mostly we are ignored and that has been a problem in past campaigns!!!

Back to the News

2006-04-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

It never fails. I build an IM screen name into my blog, MDE goes audio. I announce some interviews with some exciting DFL candidates, Flash gets five minutes with Barack Obama. I'm beginning to make a habit out of getting upstaged here.

I have decided that my next interview will be with the Dalai Lama. No logistics set up yet, but it will be in full-spectrum audio, HD-quality video, and will give us His Holiness's thoughts on the Minnesota political campaign season and its impact on the human condition. You'll want to watch it on a big-screen, with surround-sound. Dolby 5.1.

Upstage that, my friends. I'll have more details....soon.

Have You Noticed Molligator?

2006-04-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't, there's been a little brou-ha-ha going on 'round these parts lately. The Molligator blog issue bit me and several other folks rather hard. So for the edification of Jay, who erroneously claimed that I would be a snivelling, lying animal on the issue, I'm posting directly on it.

Here's what happened (this sequence of events can also be found over at Polinaut, where I originally posted it for Bob Collins's review):

I plugged the Molligator blog yesterday, not knowing who was behind it.
I got an email indentifying Pam McCrory as the author, along with some choice words for the Kelley campaign.
I relayed the allegations to Kelley campaign staff in the form of questions - namely, is this true, and were you guys aware of it?
While the campaign staff was expressing their skepticism at the allegations, Pam McCrory confirmed that she was behind the blog. (Implicit in their response was a denial that the campaign had anything to do with the blog itself. I have offered the opportunity for Bob Collins from MPR to review my correspondence with the campaign, under the condition that it not be re-published. It's private, after all. Hopefully Mr. Collins will take me up on it and can corroberate my factual claim that the campaign did not know what was going on, and took immediate steps to mitigate the issue.)
I responded to the campaign staff that I thought it was an extremely bad situation to get into.
Pam McCrory removed the Molligator blog - whether it was a voluntary move or directed by the campaign, I do not yet know.
At some point late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, the Backbone MN thread and Blue Ox's work appeared. I followed with a retraction of my plug and have been continuing to respond to some pretty nasty, and frankly untrue, charges (see commenter "Jay") toward the Kelley campaign ever since.

Those are the facts. As Eva Young has mentioned, I've been transparent for a long time regarding my past work and continuing support for the Kelley campaign, and my support for Steve Kelley has not wavered. I've been in close communication with Matt Filner and Jessica Null since this issue broke in order both to make sure the campaign does what it needs to in order to mitigate the problem, and to make sure they're aware of where the story goes. My sincere apologies to all readers for not thoroughly vetting a blog link and its contents before plugging it. I assure you that I will be more careful in the future. My integrity both as a writer and as a Democrat dictates that such care be taken.

The fact remains, however, that this story has nowhere else to go, other than to give frothing partisans like Mr. Jay something to scream about in their comments. Win, lose, or draw, I'll be behind the eventual DFL nominee, and will do my best here and in the corporeal world to make sure they beat Pawlenty. I'm not sure the same can be said for people like Jay. Can it?

El Tinklenberg Interview at MN Publius

2006-04-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

Link here. Those guys are upstaging me! Can't have that. I'm confirmed with Christian Sande on Thursday, so that makes three next week! Be watching for them.

This Again?

2006-04-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

Seriously? I don't blame MDE for parroting this line from the MN GOP - I blame the MN GOP for relentlessly continuing to attempt this completely false linkage between Jack Abramoff and someone, anyone in the Democratic Party. How many Democrats did Abramoff take on junkets to Scotland to play golf? Or to exotic islands in the Pacific? How many Democrats has Abramoff implicated in influence-peddling schemes in Congress since turning witness for the prosecution in the case against him? How many Democrats received money directly from Abramoff, instead of from his clients, who are both outside the inner ring of politics and free to donate money to officials of both parties?

None. Zero. The Abramoff scandal is still purely a Republican scandal, and it always will be. The GOP would do well to try to forget it, and hope the media does too. Not that that's possible, but hey, I don't mind. Let's discuss Tom DeLay's ethical standards more. Let's discuss how President Bush lied when asserting that he didn't remember Abramoff. Let's discuss Bill Frist's HCA stock transactions, and let's discuss just how close Conrad Burns was to Mr. Abramoff and his firm. These things are great for the DFL in 2006. By all means, Mr. Carey, keep it up.

Obama Coming to Town

2006-04-06T06:54:00.000-07:00

I'll be a bit busy this weekend on various projects, so I won't be able to make it to Barack Obama's appearance at a rally for Amy Klobuchar - I'll be looking for comments from those who are able to make it. While I'm still trudging through Crashing the Gate, I've been meaning to pick up a copy of his book, which is supposed to be pretty good. I mean, it won him a Grammy, it has to be good, right?

By the way, that Molligator link I posted yesterday - yeah, not so good on my part. Turns out that was being written by someone who really shouldn't have been blogging anonymously. But the entry in question has been deleted, and I'm fairly sure it won't be getting updated anymore, so no biggie. I consider the matter over.

By "various projects" up in the first paragraph, I mean "awesome interviews coming up." I'll be interviewing some candidates in various media (email, IM, in person) over the next few days, and will post transcripts for your reading pleasure.

Sunday: Mark Ritchie
Monday: Tim Walz (!)
Midweek: Christian Sande (hopefully, haven't confirmed yet)

Disclaimer: By no means is my interviewing of a candidate or the order in which I do so tantamount to support or endorsement. These guys are all heavy hitters in 2006, and I think all will make for great blog reading as we move into next week. Far be it for me to encourage you NOT to read me before Sunday, but make sure you hit me back starting then.

New blogger?

2006-04-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

Don't know how long Molligator has been around on their (her? his?) own site, but ran across it in my constant and unending Google quest for local political links. Stick around and keep updating your stuff, MG, you might make it on to the hallowed and all-important MNCR blogroll. I can understand frustration with repetitive stump speeches...they can get old, but remember that most people will hear them once, maybe twice in an election cycle. I too wasn't a huge fan of the cow's uterus story from Senator Lourey, but haven't heard the Twinkie story...what's that all about?

Anyone care to respond to Molligator's thoughts in the second post down regarding staffer shenanigans at conventions? I've never been a huge fan of going out of my way to cause consternation......oh who am I kidding. Well?

Crickets?

2006-04-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

Of course, as soon as I hit PUBLISH POST, that's when some HUGE piece of news will hit. Rooting around for good material in the last week has been tough, made more difficult by the fact that my anniversary was this week, so the fiancee and I have been out doing romantical things together. It's frustrating to think that once we actually get married, our anniversary-year indicator flips back to zero and we start over....sigh. Time marches inexorably onward.

I went to my Senate District meeting last night, and got to hear brief talks from two DFL candidates for Congress in CD3, Tommy Johnson (who has filed) and Wendy Wilde, nee of Air America, who has not filed. Ms. Wilde brings a bit more celebrity to the race, and Mr. Johnson brings a veteran's view of politics. I applaud them both for putting themselves on the line, but I'm not so high on the chances of either one to unseat Jim Ramstad, especially in light of David Kirchner's latest educational piece over at The Analyst. Ramstad is unassailable without a long, organized, well-funded campaign, and starting this far into the year probably won't be good enough for either one of these fine people.

I do have some news, however - in the next week I'll be doing more candidate interviews! Details are still fuzzy, but I think the blogosphere will be happy to read more from these candidates. Efforts are underway to get a spot with two opponents for the DFL nomination, for fairness's sake, but these should be really good - more details to come :-).

What DeLay Means to Minnesota

2006-04-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

Or, what he should mean to us right now. I'll back up. In case you haven't heard, or read any political blogs in the last day or so, Tom DeLay has announced that he will not seek re-election to Congress and will instead retire, no doubt to take up a vigorous defense of the tattered fabric of his reputation after being indicted on money laundering charges. Oh, right, and his former chief of staff just plead guilty to conspiracy charges. Oh, and they're both connected to Jack Abramoff.

Yet, in announcing that he will resign, Mr. DeLay couldn't resist getting a shot in at that Liberal Conspiracy he sees hiding in the dust bunnies in the corners of his office, saying that he didn't want to give the Liberal Democrats a chance to turn the campaign into a personal-attack-fest. We can debate whether discussing indictments, money laundering, and conspiracy charges during a campaign really amounts to "personal attacks."

So what does Mr. DeLay's resignation mean for Minnesota's campaigns? MN Publius will, no doubt, soon republish their well-worn photo of Mr. DeLay speaking at a 2005 fundraiser for our very own Mark Kennedy - tossing Kennedy a DeLay-shaped anchor shouldn't be a tremendous problem. In CD2 and CD6, however, (and CD1, for that matter) DeLay should be used as a wedge. The DFL needs to pound away on the Republican incumbents and candidates to get an answer from them - Were he staying in Congress, would you or would you not support Tom DeLay as a leader in the GOP? Would you or would you not support furtherance of the criminal charges currently alleged against him? Their answer, should they choose to make one, isn't important - it's bad for them either way we cut it. Support DeLay, you're a crook just like him. Don't support him, you're a disloyal Republican, and risk losing the base.

If the DFL opposition plays its cards right, the clamoring for an answer and the subsequent silence will become an issue unto itself. But regardless of how well DFL campaigns have exploited this weakness until now, the past several months have proven that the massive, widespread corruption within the GOP, with Tom DeLay and Bill Frist at its helm, is an issue that Democrats can and should use to wail on their Republican opponents. It's not an agenda, but it makes a great leash to use against Kennedy, Gutknecht, Kline, and the CD6 Hydra....to say nothing of in-state races. I must say, DeLay's dig, disgraced as he has become, sounded like a page right out of Ron Carey's playbook. CRITICIZE DIRTY HIPPIE LIBERALS AT ALL COSTS EVEN IF YOU'RE ABOUT TO GO TO JAIL IT'S THEIR FAULT ANYWAY. Getting a bit tinny, guys.

A couple of new projects coming up here in the next couple weeks - I'm pushing to get a few more candidate interviews in the pipe, so be watching for details.

Put Aside Politics for a Moment...

2006-04-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

"People will come, Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces.

People will come, Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come"
--Terrence Mann, Field of Dreams

Okay, so it's not technically Twins season yet for all you out there who were swaddled with Homer Hankies - but baseball is back. There should always be something we can share regardless of political bent, regardless of platform or rhetoric, regardless of position or political expediency. Baseball is as good and pure a thing as any to fill that role.

Play ball.

Been Out of Commission this Weekend...

2006-04-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

...Luckily it looks like this chest cold is clearing up on its own, without medical intervention. However, it does mean I haven't been able to make it to any SD conventions for any reason...any reports? Dan, I know yours was this weekend....Who else has reports from conventions?

Breaking News

2006-04-01T08:15:00.000-08:00

HUGE news for DFL gubernatorial candidates and state convention delegates! Sources indicate that Tim Pawlenty has decided not to run for re-election, in order to focus on plans for 2008. Early indications are that Lt. Governor Carol Molnau is the frontrunner to replace Pawlenty on the Republican ticket, but her lack of name recognition among independents and even some Republicans will most likely not help her in the end game.

Wow. April Fools :-D!!! What does this mean?

Greg Wersal

2006-03-31T11:05:00.000-08:00

Oh, THAT Greg Wersal is filing a complaint against MN Supreme Court Justices? What about this?

THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF LAWYER ETHICS INVESTIGATIONS
by
Charles E. Lundberg
Chair, Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board

Reprinted from Minnesota Lawyer (January 22, 2001)

With very few exceptions, whenever the Lawyers Board, the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility or one of the District Ethics Committees conducts an ethics investigation of a Minnesota lawyer, all of the information concerning the investigation is absolutely confidential by Supreme Court rule. Anyone who has ever been involved in the Minnesota legal ethics system learns this from the very beginning: The confidentiality of ethics proceedings under Rule 20 is one of the pre-eminent values of the entire attorney discipline system in Minnesota. (For the full text of Rule 20, see accompanying side bar.)

Having served for almost 18 years in various capacities in the legal ethics arena, I am well aware of this emphasis on confidentiality. I was therefore startled when I saw the banner headline and the first few sentences of the following article in the Dec. 22, 2000, issue of the Star Tribune:

EX-COURT CANDIDATE WERSAL FACES LAWYERS OFFICE PROBE

Former Minnesota Supreme Court candidate Greg Wersal is being investigated by the state Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility for allegedly making misleading statements about justices on the high court.

The probe could result in sanctions as severe as the loss of his license. [Emphasis mine - MNCR]

I was stunned. How in the world did this confidential information about a pending ethics investigation get to the Star Tribune? Could there have been a leak from within the Lawyers Board office? It hardly seemed possible. Few things are considered more sacred at the Lawyers Board than confidentiality.

I then remembered that the attorney in question was himself no stranger to the tactical use of headlines and press releases. (Indeed, Mr. Wersal had generated a tremendous amount of publicity during the campaign when he filed for office using a new middle name of Scandinavian heritage.) It occurred to me that perhaps he had orchestrated the press coverage of the ethics investigation himself.

After checking with the Star Tribune reporter, I learned that Mr. Wersal had in fact been the source of the information - a critical fact that regrettably was not made clear in the article. (I have heard from several people who assumed that the information may have been leaked to the press by someone inside the system, an assumption that might have seemed plausible to some, in light of Mr. Wersal’s recent spate of well-publicized federal lawsuits against the Board as part of his campaign strategy.)

Interesting. As regards Mr. Wersal's appearance before the US Supreme Court:

The U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling was a victory for the Republican Party of Minnesota and Golden Valley lawyer Greg Wersal, who believed Minnesota was thwarting free speech when it barred judicial candidates from expressing views on "disputed legal or political issues."
--Google Cached page, MN Constitution Party website

Caveat Emptor, my friends. I appreciate the linkiness for the gubernatorial delegate dust-up, MDE, but don't think that means I'm going to stop making sure all the facts are out on Republican campaign-year tactics.

MPR on Gay Marriage in MA

2006-03-31T10:42:00.000-08:00

I'm certain this article will inspire a few venom-laden screeds about how MPR's unconscionable liberal bias.

I say in response "Pffffffft."

Well? How has gay marriage changed Massachusetts? It sounds like a few thousand people have the same rights as their neighbors in case of medical emergency, untimely death, family issues, things like that. No pigs have flown, hell is still hot, Brownie's still doin' a heckuva job. Even if you don't acknowledge the importance of allowing these fellow citizens to publicly declare their mutual love, why would groups opposed to gay marriage disallow the purely civil rights that come along with marriage?

[Kris] Mineau opposes gay marriage because he believes heterosexual marriage is the glue that holds society together. He says the sole purpose of marriage is for the creation of children. He also insists that gay marriage and civil unions will erode the standard of marriage and says the children of gay and lesbian parents will be "unhealthy."
"Same-sex marriage simply says that the role of a father and a husband is irrelevant," Mineau said. "The role of a wife and mother is irrelevant. That they're interchangeable parts and we believe that they really aren't.

News flash: for all the harping about "traditional marriage," and "thousands of years of society," remember that until a couple hundred years ago, women were bought and sold as property. "Wife" was one tiny step above "slave." A man could have as many wives as he wanted, even if he wasn't Mormon. Until well after the United States declared independence, marriages were by and large economic agreements between families instead of statements of love.

Unhealthy children? Read the article. The kid in that first picture looks pretty healthy to me. Same-sex marriage doesn't say the mother and father are interchangeable - it merely says, and I think the Massachusetts experience proves it, that our community, our lives, our society, our culture will endure. Change, for sure, but these things will not come crashing down if we let the lesbians down the street sign off on each other's medical forms and raise children together. These reasons are bogus, and I think people like this Mineau character know it. They just don't want to come out and say they oppose gay marriage because they're uncomfortable around fags and dykes.

Change can't be prevented. Bigotry can. How about it, Minnesota? You don't have to overturn the current law - just don't let your votes this fall be driven by fear, conceit, and bigotry.

I admit I'm a geek (or, a bit of semi-not-political levity)

2006-03-30T18:59:00.000-08:00

So I'm watching The Matrix on TBS. The guy doing the color bits on commercial breaks is horrendously unfunny. But that's not the point.

Fantasy violence is okay for cable TV. Calling someone a bitch - that's okay. "Screw you"? Not so bad.

But I'm a geek. I've seen The Matrix a few times. I understand that some words are off-limits. I just wasn't aware that list included "God" (as in, Trinity: "God damn it") or "Jesus Christ" (as in, Neo: Jesus Christ, those things are real?) Am I over-sensitive, or has someone else noticed this?

"I know kung fu."
"Show me."

CD5: Almost Into Single Digits...

2006-03-30T12:57:00.000-08:00

...in terms of candidates, that is. Mark Andrew has dropped out, leaving (at last count) eleven candidates in the race, including Mike Erlandson, Keith Ellison, Gail Dorfman, Ember Reichott Junge, Jorge Saavedra.....and six others? Should be an interesting CD convention. I sincerely hope this one gets decided by July at the latest, so that statewide races don't have to worry about intra-city turf wars between City Councilcreatures, state legislators, and other candidates with political bases.

In other news...

2006-03-30T01:37:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for something on the latest gubernatorial-race squabble, just scroll down. Politics waits for no man. Or woman. Or other.

...You may have heard that Sharon Marko is out of the CD2 race, and Wendy Wilde, formerly of Air America Radio and currently the voice of Inside Minnesota Politics, is considering running against Jim Ramstad in the Third. Marko's withdrawal cannot be totally surprising - she did enter the race late, and her reasons are solid. Here's to hoping that the Rowley campaign can pick up their game and make it a competitive race.

As for Wilde running in CD3, I'm not yet sure. Dan Weinand has some thoughts on it, and he's actually heard her speak on the matter, so he's a better source than I am. However, I will say that if Marko's late entry was a problem in CD2, it's just as big a problem here. Jim Ramstad has built an impressive war chest, and it will take a long effort, flush with money, to be able to knock him off.

It is interesting to note that both anchors of Inside Minnesota Politics could be candidates in the upcoming. Perhaps we've found a new "diving board" into politics?

Shenanigans Post-Mortem

2006-03-30T01:07:00.000-08:00

Nothing like codeine-laden cough syrup to completely wonkify a guy's sleep pattern....yes it's 3:00 AM. Yes I'm already awake...Sigh.

As for the business that's been going on here over the past 24 hours - PatMN is right. As a partisan within this matter, I have my own thoughts on where blame lies, but the truth of the matter is that blame doesn't matter. I can say all I want that I think the Kelley campaign's parrying response was mandated by the Lourey camp's thrust and Kelley's promise to abide by the DFL endorsement, but at the end of the day, that doesn't matter either.

At this point, as far as the blogosphere is concerned, is that we all recognize that these volleys back and forth are rhetoric. If all three campaigns published their aggregate delegate counts, then readers and observers would sigh and say "well, of course 's campaign shows with a lead," supporters would believe what they want to believe, and the proof will still be in the pudding in June. But it's all still just campaign rhetoric. My time might have been better spent fisking Shawn Towles's "analysis" on the dust-up, which was a whole lot worse than the Lourey campaign's rhetoric, since it comes from a self-proclaimed "observer" but contains more than a little unsubstantiated editorialism. Unfortunately I can't get into that one just yet. Maybe later today.

My one disagreement with PatMN is on the issue of a united progressive ticket of Kelley/Lourey. If there's one thing politicians have to be able to do, it's to put past campaign transgressions behind them, especially in campaign season. A LOT could happen between now and, say, late June. We're all just going to have to keep working at it and see what happens, rhetoric be damned.

Oh I see

2006-03-29T17:56:00.000-08:00

And I thought we were back on speaking terms, Eric Mitchell. From the comments:

Our hard count of OUR delegates are accurate and we stand by them. If your count of your delegates are correct, then it appears we are exactly where we were Caucus night.

Someone asked how do we know what Hatch think. Well, seeing that we are not at war and I've been doing this for a few years and come out of the same school that Hatch's folks do, I called and asked if what your campaign was putting out lined up with what they had. He said no.

We both could be wrong in the numbers assigned to Kelley, as only Team Kelley will know is they are doing their homework and follow-up. Just like we know what exactly we have at this point without speculating on 'Uncommitteds' that we have not contacted.

Without getting into percentages or specially worded spin, the count as of yesterday was 132. If Kelley has 130, and Hatch has about that plus his command on the super delegates, its right where it was Caucus night.

Calling my campaign liars is out of order. Its actually kind of fucked up. I do know from Capitol Press Corps what was being pushed as fact yesterday and that was fucked up.

If I gave you the impression I was calling you liars, forgive me. I didn't mean to say that. What I meant to say (and indeed, DID say in an email response to your Mr. Pomroy) is that your numbers contain numerous errors that should be correctable either by getting accurate data from SD/CU Convention chairs, or by doing your homework and contacting each and every delegate. I really hope that in the future, we'll all make sure we get all the data before we issue press releases containing egregious omissions of data and facts. Seriously, how difficult is it to check for typos like "1/3 of state delegates" instead of the correct "more than 1/2..."?

As for the rest of the comment, specifically the bit about us being right back where we were on Caucus night....is that the Lourey campaign's goal? To make people think that the convention will look just like the straw poll so the one candidate who wants to bring strength back to the DFL by abiding by its endorsement will do the honorable thing, stick to his word, and drop out?

Eric, you know as well as I do that the straw poll, while great for spin, means .... not a whole lot in the real delegate chase. It doesn't take into account who actually goes to their convention, it doesn't take into account who runs to become a delegate, and it doesn't take into account organization on the part of campaigns and their supporters at the conventions.

The simple fact remains, we in the campaign-season inner sanctum can believe anything we want. We can believe our favorite candidate's numbers, we can believe Shawn Towles's "analysis," we can believe or disbelieve the rumors that Mike Hatch has told people point-blank that he can't or won't win the endorsement. Perhaps all the campaigns should ever report is THEIR delegate total - Kelley reports his, Hatch reports his, Lourey hers, etc - so that all anyone outside the bubble will ever know is whether or not SOMEONE's wrong or blowing smoke up our collective rear ends But I'm not calling your staff liars. I'm simply saying your estimates, given the data they are missing, are way off the mark, and should not be worthy of a press release designed to give supporters something to bring with them to the next series of Conventions.

In any case, I would really appreciate it if we kept the comment language family-friendly. Swearing in my comments doesn't hurt me, and it sure doesn't help you.

Lourey Campaign Returns Fire

2006-03-29T14:47:00.000-08:00

From Andy Pomroy, Assistant Field Director, Lourey Campaign:

The press release we sent out should have read 1/2
elected. Sorry about the confusion. The gap between
the numbers we released today, which go further than
any other campaign by breaking it down to the CU
level, and the total elected are the uncommitted or
otherwise unknown to us.

We are not playing with numbers, but rather trying
to get the truth out about support for the various
candidates among the elected delegates. I respect
Steve Kelley, his campaign, and everyone working
for him, but to say their numbers are the only right
numbers is misleading.

I full well acknowledge that Kelley will show more
Kelley supporters than I do and Hatch will likely
show more Hatch supporters than I do. That doesn't
change what is true which is that both Hatch and
Lourey's numbers are similar and Kelley's are quite
different.

Checks and Balances has posted on this today.

Post on this if you wish, or just use it for your
information. I look forward to reading more from
your blog.

I have to admit, at least the Lourey campaign takes the time to respond to the blogs.
And I do appreciate the last sentiment, and can let the 1/3 vs. 1/2 thing go - after all,
2 and 3 are right next to each other on the keyboard.

But this really furthers my point, Mr. Pomroy. For one thing, if you think that all three
campaigns will show their supporters leading the way, I find it difficult to then accept
your assertion that Hatch's and Lourey's numbers "are similar." How do you know
what Hatch's numbers show? You also have a close-to-zero probability of knowing
how in-depth other campaigns' numbers are - if you think the count other campaigns
are publishing is the only count they have, you're fooling yourself.

Also, the point is not to say that Kelley's numbers are the only right numbers - as I
think we can agree, there are a lot of undecideds. The point is that Kelley's numbers
are a lot more credible than yours right now. I'm not saying that just because I
support him, I'm saying that because I've seen first-hand the effort that's going into
1) Organizing SD/CU delegates pre-convention,
2) Organizing at conventions, and
3) Getting Kelley or a close surrogate in personal contact with each and every delegate,
regardless of where the campaign *thinks* they stand.

It's not a simple matter of whose numbers are right. Rather, it's a matter of whose
numbers are credible, and the Lourey's campaign's published numbers fail that test.
There are glaring holes in them, some noticed immediately by MN Liberal and
noted in a comment in my previous post. If you don't know, don't post things like
this on the campaign's website. I am not accusing the Lourey campaign of doctoring
the numbers, but it is disingenuous at best to publish these numbers in support of
Becky Lourey when they are so clearly inaccurate.

[UPDATE]: Obviously something's wrong with the formatting - Andy Pomroy, I think
your email screwed up my SPAN tags. Argh. No more copying and pasting directly
out of Yahoo! Mail....

Press Release Shenanigans

2006-03-29T12:34:00.000-08:00

...Or, How to Lie With Numbers! Which is a great book, I recommend it to you all. However, on with the post.

I'm sure I'll start getting flamed by the Lourey campaign in no time, but this is crap. So is this. In case you don't want to click away from my riveting narrative, which I can understand:

Becky Lourey, DFL candidate for Governor, announced today that with approximately one-third of the delegates selected to the DFL state convention, she is leading all other candidates in the delegate race for Governor.
...
"The most important thing to notice in the delegate count so far," said Lourey campaign spokesperson John Blackshaw, "is Senator Lourey's support is statewide. Not all of the other candidates can claim that fact. And anybody who counts delegates will tell you, candidates without statewide support cannot win a statewide election let alone a convention endorsement."

Yes, the most important thing to note is the delegate count. What Mr. Blackshaw (and indeed, this entire press release) fails to mention is that over six hundred (600) delegates have been elected to the state convention already. Where are the other two hundred delegates, if (as this release claims) only 400 have been elected?

Perhaps they came out of gubernatorial-uncommitted subcaucuses? Let's just sweep that one under the rug, since we either know those "uncommitted" delegates aren't supporting us, or we're not bothering to contact them, so that also means we can leave them out of our press release.

For example, in SD43, the Lourey campaign indicates that Ms. Lourey got 1 delegate, Mike Hatch got 3, and Steve Kelley got 6. That only includes delegates coming out of gubernatorial-race named sub-caucuses. It leaves out the 1 delegate each from the Uncommitted Peach caucus, the Uncommitted caucus, the 1 for Ford Bell, and 3 for Amy Klobuchar. To be totally honest, I don't remember where ALL of those non-gubernatorial-caucus delegates went, but I know for a fact that two of the Klobuchar caucus's three delegates were also solid Kelley supporters. So really, Kelley got at least 8, and possibly 9 or 10 out of 18 delegates from my SD.

Does this mean this "creative number management" has been going on all over the state? No, of course not. But what would you do in their position - admit you're in third place in the delegate chase, or try to massage the numbers into a more favorable outlook? I've also seen COMPLETE numbers incorporating all those non-gubernatorial sub-caucuses, and they don't look nearly as rosy for Ms. Lourey. I think you may soon see a response from the Kelley camp with a slightly different take on the current status of the chase. [UPDATE]: Here it is. I didn't expect it so quickly, but there ya have it.

Come on folks. We're all Democrats here - we're better than this. We shouldn't have to take information passed to us by fellow DFLers with a grain of salt.

And Then There Were ...... Twelve. Sort of.

2006-03-28T10:49:00.000-08:00

Rebecca Yanisch has stepped aside in the crowded race to replace Martin Sabo in CD5. From her letter to CD5 DFL officers:

Just a quick note to let you know that I've decided not to continue to pursue the race for Congress. Watching the conventions and candidates last weekend, it is very obvious that we are spending too much in staff, volunteer and financial resources to run against fellow Democrats instead focusing on winning against Republicans. I also strongly believe that having 12 people in the race makes it very difficult for delegates to come to a consensus. We need to endorse a candidate on May 6th and hopefully, my stepping aside now will help that happen.

I'd expect at least one or two more of these announcements over the next couple of weeks as candidates gauge just how much support they'll be able to gather in a very short cycle.

One more time - read that interview!

Something I've Been Thinking About...

2006-03-28T08:40:00.000-08:00

I was going to put a link at the bottom of this post, but it started getting lengthy, so here's the link to my recent interview with Shelley Madore, DFL candidate for House district 37A. It's the next post down, so you could scroll if you wanted to...Anyway. On with the post.

...in relation to recent analysis done here and over at The Analyst on the 2004 CD6 race. It hearkens back to November 3rd, 2004, when most major newspapers contained headlines declaring President Bush's win, accompanied by a US map. This map contained little blue islands awash in a sea of red, and Mr. Bush declared a "mandate" for his policies.

Those of us who were working on the Kerry Campaign knew better than to trust a map. After all, grasslands and mountains and prairies and forests don't vote. We knew that 59,000,000 votes were cast for John Kerry, and that he lost by a much slimmer margin than that geographic map portrayed.

How to demonstrate the difference between the geographic map and the bitter division in the electorate? Cartograms. Essentially, maps in which different areas are scaled not by their geographic areas, but rather by their population. Unfortunately, though I have searched with some degree of exhaustiveness, I have been unable to find Minnesota-specific cartograms for 2004 or any other election year. But if someone knows of a source, I would be pleased as punch to see them. Such a map would shed light not just on where Patty Wetterling got her support in 2004, but also how those relatively urban areas stack up against the rest of CD6, some of which is quite rural, in terms of real voting strength. Such a resource would be invaluable at the statewide level as well, to demonstrate that while the "red doughnut" around the Twin Cities certainly provides a strong base for the GOP, its large red appearance on a map can be countered by superior DFL voting strength (depending on turnout) in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, Duluth, and Rochester.

Thoughts? Resources? IM Handles?

Interview with Shelley Madore

2006-03-27T18:30:00.000-08:00

A first for MNCR, but certainly (well....hopefully) not a last. Having a linked IM for blog-specific communication is a great thing - I recommend it to everyone. We'll get together, chat, do our thing.

Shelley Madore is running for the Minnesota House of Representatives from district 37A, centered in Apple Valley. This exurban area is growing fast, and has traditionally voted Republican. That trend largely reversed in 2004 - although Ms. Madore lost her election by a little over three points, several precincts voted strongly for her and for John Kerry over George W. Bush. It is an area in political flux, and presents a strong pickup opportunity for the DFL and Shelley herself. From her website bio:

Shelley has been an active member of the community since she moved to Apple Valley, Minnesota with her husband and two children in 1991 from Boston. In the 2004 election, Shelley ran as the DFL candidate for the open seat for Minnesota House of Representatives in Legislative District 37A, which covers western Apple Valley and the southeastern corner of Burnsville. She lost by less than 500 votes with 48.85 percent of the vote.

So - here's our conversation!

--------------------------------------------------

MNCampaignReport: First things first - You moved to Minnesota in 1991 - how did you first get involved in politics and/or your new community?

S. Madore: I was active in Massachusetts with a few women's groups and once I came here I needed an outlet. I started out my "political" outreach by asking if I could help out with a huge city council project since I knew a lot about computers. From there, I was asked to fill an opening on the Urban Affairs committee and that was in June, 1993.

MNCampaignReport: This was in Apple Valley's local government?

S. Madore: Yes

MNCampaignReport: 2004 was your first campaign for state government?

S. Madore: Yes, for my first elected positon. I have been an advocate for families working with various state agencies since 1998.

MNCampaignReport: So once the campaign started, what was the driving force ir central strategy you pushed - any particular issue on the local, state, or national level?

S. Madore: I actually had been toying with the idea for a few years. The central strategy was the Fran Bradley comment in April 2003. As a parent of two children with disabilities, I had seen the stress that these families faced with managing to care for critically ill children at home. The way that he managed those budget cuts that year and his cavalier way of talking about these people just made my blood boil. So, I went to caucuses in the spring 2004 and then made my decision to run. There really wasn't one thing that moved me, it was the final straw that moved me into the race I guess. I knew I could do better and these families needed me to do that.

MNCampaignReport: So, going into the 2004 caucuses, the DFL didn't have a candidate for 37A?

S. Madore: Not on that night, at the a meeting we had two people who were nominated by the floor. I knew I should have allowed myself to be nominated but I had not even discussed it with my family. So, I came home and had lunch with a dear friend who told me that 37A was going to be an open seat because Knutson was taking a judgeship. It was then or never, so I just dove in. I assembled a team of people I knew I could work with and off I went. I did have a challenge but I was ultimately endorsed two weeks later.

MNCampaignReport: So at the official start of political season, you weren't officially a candidate, and you went on to get more than 48% of the vote. Did you know immediately that you would run again in 2006?

S. Madore: I wanted to but I was heartbroken for a few weeks. My staff actually said that I was a whiner LOL. We had done something not done in this area for more than 20 years and it was time to get going again by January 2005. So, I picked myself up and began campaigning.

MNCampaignReport: So what's different this time around? What factors do you see as of March 2006 that are going to give you the extra 3% you'll need to win?

S. Madore: The energy of my campaign. I have had business people tell me that my ideas were pro-business and that is not a norm for a DFLer. I have had many people stay engaged with me, I raised money in 2005 - an off-year - something never done down here by the DFLer and lastly, most importantly, I have my opponent already scared. He is trying to keep up with me and he is not doing too well. I think I will see a surge of support this year, not because I am a Democrat but because I have proven that my message is clear, truthful and financially sound.

MNCampaignReport: Other than raising more money, what do you see as the strongest contract between you and Mr. Cybart?

S. Madore: I believe that when you provide government that helps everyone succeed you build a community that succeeds and from there, a future that is successful. Lloyd, in my opinion, believes that dollars are what separates all of us.

MNCampaignReport: As the next state rep from 37A, what will be your number one legislative priority?

S. Madore: Number 1, I guess it will be to focus a lot of energy on bringing transportation dollars to my community. Healthcare reform and property tax relief will be the close seconds. Property tax relief will come from the state picking up its fair share of funding for our communities and our schools.

MNCampaignReport: fantastic

MNCampaignReport: The SD37 convention is coming up this weekend, right?

S. Madore: Yes, I am hoping for a good turnout. It should be well attended, we have had a lot of new precinct chairs get involved.

MNCampaignReport: If the conventions I've been to so far are any indication, it should be pretty darned strong

S. Madore: Good because I need to have each and every one of these folks get involved this year. We are going to change the course of the MN House with my one seat.

MNCampaignReport: It's very exciting! It seems like there are several DFL candidates coming back for a second shot to really build on the 2004 campaign in traditionally republican areas......very exciting to see the blue spreading out from the Twin Cities

S. Madore: It will be. I do hope that our paths cross at some point.

S. Madore: I have to go, it was terrific to do this. Thank you for asking and I would be delighted to do this again in the future.

MNCampaignReport: Absolutely, thank you so much

MNCampaignReport: Take care, good luck, and keep in touch!

S. Madore: I will.

S. Madore: Good Night!

---------------------------

So if you happen to be in the Apple Valley area, and have some time to contribute to Shelley's campaign, check it out. Her campaign site's frontpage incorporates a blog, and appears to be updated pretty regularly. It's going to be an exciting race in the southern 'burbs.

That's all from me - if you have any further questions for the next State Rep from 37A, I've heard rumors that Ms. Madore makes the rounds in the leftysphere - leave some comments.

CD5 Endorsement

2006-03-27T13:27:00.000-08:00

Not that there's actually going to be one. Considering the numbers, it's entirely possible that out of 200-plus delegates, not one candidate attracts the support of more than fifty, and a bunch of candidates move on to the primary.

But I have to say, Jorge Saavedra makes a strong case for valuing the CD5 DFL's endorsement. Instead of getting out to the suburbs to campaign for other DFLers in contested seats, how many of these urban stars will be busy on their own campaigns for Sabo's seat in Congress? The Greens do have a better chance than the Republicans of picking this seat off, but it's not a strong one at all. It's really a simple matter of team management. That second ring of western suburbs is trending blue, but that doesn't mean its DFL candidates don't need their DFL teammates' assistance to close the deal.

Watch out later tonight for the transcript of my upcoming (if all goes well, around 7:30 tonight) interview with Shelley Madore, DFL candidate for the state legislature in district 37A. :-) The post will be up as soon as I can edit it down a bit, probably by 8:30-9 PM.

A Funny Story

2006-03-26T15:39:00.000-08:00

I dropped by the SD44 Convention today. Being one of the few going on today instead of yesterday, it was crawling with campaign staffs. So I moseyed over to some of the Kelley folks, said hi, yakked for a few minutes while sub-caucuses were being called, and from my left I hear my name being called from the Hatch section. It's Ken Martin, well-known in DFL circles for years of political work. He says hi, extends his hand, and asks,

"Do I get the Where's Waldo award?"

One would have to ask Ken where between sheepish and surprised my expression fell. But yes, Ken, you do get kudos and this weekend's Where's Waldo award from MNCR :) Apparently Eva Young showed up and scoped things out at SD44, but we missed each other. I also met Dan Weinand yesterday at the SD42 Convention, which I must say was supremely well-organized - and fast for a gathering that large. We bloggers are everywhere.

So - in a low-bandwidth day, who's got good stories from the various conventions? Leave some comments, and watch this space tomorrow (Monday) night or early Tuesday morning for the transcript of an MNCR first - an interview with a candidate for the state legislature! Hopefully it will be the first of many.

Good.....Morning?

2006-03-25T05:23:00.000-08:00

Wow. I bow to The Analyst's superior mapping skillz, and more in-depth analysis. Truth be told, I do have these precinct-level numbers, I just didn't have them (or the chutzpah to pull them up) on hand when I wrote the post. Great stuff nonetheless. Perhaps next time I'll drag myself, kicking and screaming, up to that level. Minus the maps though.

Today will be a very, very long day. Not because of anything political, although that will probably take a while, but because someone intimately involved in this post got to spend the week hours of the morning in the veterinary emergency on-call office. Very sick kittie, and two very tired humans. But at least the cat is feeling a bit better, I think.

Lots of thoughts swirling right now on recent events, however. Perhaps a roundup later will be in order, if I can avoid the narcoleptic urges.

Silent Sponge

2006-03-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

Do I blame Sponge for going off the air in response to threats against his family? Not one bit.

But what I wouldn't give for ten minutes alone in a windowless room with the slime(s) that made those threats.

I think I've made it pretty clear in my blog that I like to argue politics - with anyone. Lefties, moderates, radical conservatives, whoever. That's the essence of the game. If one positive thing comes out of the catfights between the Left and Right hemispheres of Minnesota's blog-brain every three or four months, I'd say all the time spent at keyboards early in the morning and late into the night has been a resounding success.

It's not just slimy to make thinly veiled threats against a writer's family. It's cowardly. Cheap, to be sure, and the mark of a human so bereft of common decency as to make that waste of flesh and air worthy of ridicule. But most of all, it's the mark of a coward, who dares to make threats without identifying themselves. A coward who needs that rush of false self-esteem they must have felt upon hitting that SEND button.

Sponge said more than once in his last post that it was not, to the best of his knowledge, directly politically motivated. I can accept that. Whatever the source, however, the tactic smacks of the intimidation of independent media once found under Nazi and Soviet regimes. Frankly, I don't give a damn who thinks I'm comparing them to Nazis. Whoever would sink so low as to threaten a blogger's family because of something that blogger wrote demonstrates both lack of capacity for and active opposition to the principles at the core of American democracy.

If you were involved in this travesty, and you're reading this - Congratulations. I hope you appreciate how unworthy you are of the freedom you are privileged to have.

Scum.

Another quick note...

2006-03-24T13:26:00.000-08:00

Before the weekend starts: You may notice that there's a new link over on the left: IM Me! I can be reached via AOL Instant Messenger at screen name MNCampaignReport, pretty much whenever you see me online. Give me a holler, we'll yack. Other than that, to the many DFLers attending SD and CU Conventions this weekend, have fun, try to endure the convention business, and good luck becoming delegates. If you're lucky you may see me, but no free passes on where I'll be. It's a Waldo thing.

And Then There Were Three

2006-03-24T10:28:00.000-08:00

I tried to find the original post where I wondered out loud if Ford Bell would be interested in running for Congress against Jim Ramstad, but to no avail. Maybe I'll utilize my nifty new Google Search bar once I publish this one. ([UPDATE]: Here it is. Looking back, I find myself wondering just who Mike S is in real life. Onward) Anyway, I thought of it last night in reference to Kelly Doran dropping out of the gubernatorial race. Mr. Doran also lives in CD3 (Eden Prairie), and it's worth noting that, as far back as last summer, several DFL activists asked him point blank to stay out of the Senate race, and to run against Ramstad. If he had put his considerable financial resources to work there instead of in a crowded field to face Pawlenty (some estimate he's spent close to $2 million), then at very least we would have a credible challenger to face one of Minnesota's safer Republican incumbents.

But there's always 2008, I suppose. A second race switch is out of the question, in my opinion. Although he technically hasn't held his press conference yet (it's coming up at 1 PM), it's safe to say this simplifies the field a little bit, especially heading toward the September primary.

MN-Gov - Doran is Out

2006-03-23T19:35:00.000-08:00

MDE and NSP are already reporting on the Checks and Balances scoop, but sources confirm it's true - Kelly Doran is dropping out of the gubernatorial race. No word yet on Sheila Kiscaden's plans regarding a different Lieutenant Governor candidacy, but to be totally honest, I can't see her signing on to another campaign in the race. I'll defer to MDE's source if it's revealed to be true, but doing so might be an interesting PR situation.

Real Analysis: Can Patty Wetterling Win CD6?

2006-03-23T09:54:00.000-08:00

Powered by the recent success of The Analyst and my recent lack of substantive analysis on the various races this year, here's my answer: All things being equal, probably not.

[UPDATE]: DK from The Analyst has commented, and does have better numbers. Turns out pre-reg turnout was 77.3%. Replace anything you see from here down with that number, and the logic in the analysis still stands. I thought 90% sounded a bit ridiculous. Anyway....on with the post

It was no secret heading into 2004 that Ms. Wetterling was and is a bit more progressive than her district, solely on the basis of issues and positions. Her candidacy rested heavily on positive name recognition, strong out-of-district financial support, and Teflon-coated armor protecting her from family issue-related attacks. Turnout in 2004 was extraordinarily high - ~~if the Secretary of State's numbers are to be believed, over 92% of CD6's pre-registered voters made it to the polls on 11/2/2004~~ See comment above. It's closer to 77%.

Below are the county-by-county breakdowns of where votes came from, followed by corresponding base percentages (a commonly used campaign tool used to determine where a candidate's support comes from, the formula is {candidate's votes in this sub-unit} / {candidate's total votes} )

Raw Votes
...........Kennedy...Wetterling
Sherburne.. 23242.... 17754
Stearns.... 36937.... 30589
Wright..... 34451.... 24475
Anoka...... 58851.... 52563
Washington. 39993.... 39455
Benton...... 9907..... 8251

Base Percentage (%)
...........Kennedy...Wetterling
Sherburne.. 11.4..... 10.2
Stearns.... 18.1..... 17.6
Wright..... 16.9..... 14.1
Anoka...... 28.9..... 30.3
Washington. 19.6..... 22.8
Benton...... 4.9...... 4.8

Neither candidate could claim a solid base in any part of the Sixth. Instead, each candidate's support was spread very evenly over the entire district.

Of course, there are mitigating factors to be seen here. President Bush's approval rating since November '04 has gone from the toilet into the septic tank and further downward, and Rep. Kennedy has voted with the President on more than 95% of his votes. In addition, higher support for generic Democrats running for Congress could move some votes into Wetterling's column. Add to this Kennedy's absence in this race, and Wetterling might have a chance.

But remember that turnout number. 92%. Yow. Depending on increased DFL turnout will not be a successful tactic. Turnout will not be that high in a non-presidential year, but in order to win this race, Patty Wetterling will have to do ALL of the following:

Beat El Tinklenberg in an endorsement fight/primary, by no means a done deal.
Get past criticism of having dropped from the US Senate race into what might be perceived as her "second choice."
Face a Republican opponent who will almost certainly run strongly on an anti-choice, anti-privacy, anti-gay-civil-rights platform, inspiring the base that turned out for Kennedy in '04 to do the same for him/her in '06.
Suppress Republican votes who know that their Congressman will be on the ballot in the Senate Race, and will turn out solely to support him.
Keep her '04 voting base at least as intact as her opposition's, AND turn approximately 17,000 '04 Kennedy votes into '06 Wetterling votes.

Not an easy path to tread. If there are factors I'm missing, and someone (perhaps from the Wetterling camp?) would care to rectify them, by all means. I've met Ms. Wetterling on a couple occasions, and I have great respect for all she has accomplished and wishes to continue accomplishing in Congress. But the numbers don't lie. I'm sure there is a strategy afoot to accomplish each of these bullet points, it's just difficult to realistically see it happening.

But if we've seen nothing else in Minnesota's political history, it's that nothing is impossible.

Wege on the Hate-Gays Rally

2006-03-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

I could repeat The Wege's take on the recent gay-hating rally at the State Capitol, but really, copying and pasting will do the trick.

Fag bashers are the worst of the worst, the Phelpsian haters who suck the humanity out of any room they enter.

No younger person alive today will be proud to admit to fag bashing in their old age. Things will change that much, it's an unavoidable by-product of urbanization. Crowd people together and you have to learn to live with your differences.

It's not a coincidence so many of the anti-gay marriage people live outstate. The smaller the community, the less chance there is you'll be challenged on your ignorance and intolerance. But rustification doesn't make hatred any more charming, and, contrary to what Coleman says further down in his column, slickness doesn't really help sell the sickness these people carry inside themselves.

The Charlie Makidons may get their way, but it won't be because of the narrow-minded so-called men of God who are "praying" for an anti-gay marriage referendum in Minnesota this fall. Theirs is an Old Testament God, a God that strikes people down for eating shrimp or having sex with their spouse during "that time of the month." They may be serious people, but no one's taking them seriously except the whackos and haters.

I would only add that no one will take them seriously as long as those of us with true compassion and understanding of the Constitution and its conditions make sure we stand up to show these misguided fools why they're wrong.

GOP vs. ..... Tim Pawlenty?

2006-03-22T09:14:00.000-08:00

Trillin brings up some good points about the MN GOP's continuing attacks against Dean Johnson and Tim Pawlenty's recent pronouncement that the Senate Majority Leader should be forgiven and left alone. There are a few possibilities:

It's a strategic move, designed to make Pawlenty look compassionate and moderate. I doubt this is the case, given how vocal and frothy-mouthed MDE and Ron Carey have been throughout this story.
There's a rift in the MN GOP, and Carey and his people are unwilling to obey the directives of their highest-ranking elected official.

This isn't spin, folks. The Johnson story is over and done with. He apologized, admitted he screwed up, and when push came to shove, no one cared. But I doubt very much that the RNC would disobey such a pronouncement from President Bush in reference to Harry Reid. Regardless of who's saying what, it's clear that elements within the local Republican Party are at loggerheads with one another. Not what I would call an ideal situation in an election year, when their major piece of bigotry-on-paper has recently been slapped down on a vote which wasn't especially close.

Note to all nascent DFL campaigns...

2006-03-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

Want to get some free airtime for your new campaign website? Leak the URL to MDE.

I don't pretend to know a whole lot about city-level politics in Minneapolis, so I'll have to defer to any number of readers who might be from the city and thus more knowledgeable than myself on Mr. Schiff's background and chances at Sabo's seat in Congress. But it is encouraging to see DFL candidates using out-of-the-box technology solutions to get campaigns on the ground and running in extremely short order.