The Minnesota State Fair claims over 50 items on a stick, mostly edible. Some are informative, The Bill of Rights On A Stick and Pawlenty Insurance Rate Increases On A Stick. One defies categorization. Pro Choice Resources distributes a variety of sexual education literature and references and also passes out condoms on a stick. Video Link: http://theuptake.org/2010/08/3... In addition to gorging on fried grease on a stick Fair-goers can find a mind boggling array of information and insights.
New polling data came out today about lame duck Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty's anemic 2012 presidential campaign. Pawlenty's presidential hopes have never really gotten off the ground. He has continually polled in the lower single digits.
Keep in mind that this is the same flawed MPR/Humphrey Institute poll Joe dissected yesterday. In other words, because of the rightwards skewing of this poll, this news could be even worse.
Do you want the good news or the bad news first? What? Okay, but I'm going to give you the good news for Timmeh first.
...But Pawlenty easily beats former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, 59 to 24 percent.
Yup. That's right. The current sitting Governor of Minnesota whomps the Quittah from Wasilla. Timmeh wins today's tallest midget award for that one.
The rest of the news is bad.
...when it comes to whether Minnesotans would vote for Pawlenty for president, a majority, or 53 percent, consider that unlikely. Even nearly one in four Republicans, or 23 percent, say they've be unlikely to vote for him.
Ouch. A majority of Minnesotans wouldn't vote for him and nearly 1 our of 4 Republicans wouldn't support him in a primary contest.
Possibly even more stinging for the governor is a question about who would make a better president among potential Republican competitors. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney outpolls Pawlenty on that question, 45 percent to 32 percent.
He can't even beat Mittens the Mormon in his own backyard.
Is this good news that he finally got out of the lower single digits in a poll or is this a sign of the his campaign leaving the runway and hitting the first tree?
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is in a bit of hot water over a copyright infringement. Bachmann's latest attack ad against Tarryl Clark uses the Minnesota State Fair logo without permission.
Bachmann accuses Clark of raising taxes on the corn dogs, deep-fried bacon and beer people consume at the fair via her meat puppet, Wide Stance Jim. They use the logo twice in their ad. First at the 0:11 mark and then for the last 4 seconds of the ad.
Fair spokesperson Brienna Schuette said the Bachmann campaign "did not get our approval" to use the logo in the ad. Fair officials are looking into what steps to take to protect their intellectual property.
(MinnPost)
"It's unfortunate. We don't want the perception out there that we're endorsing her, we don't endorse anyone," [State Fair spokeswoman Brooke] Dillon said. "So of course our logo was misused and we want that taken down as soon as possible."
Dillon said the Fair hasn't decided whether to take legal action. Bachmann's campaign says it's looking into the matter.
(MPR)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has thrown Minnesota's sick and in need of health care reform under the bus, again. The Minnesota Independent reported that this afternoon Minnesota's lousy Governor signed an Executive Order to "Keep ObamaCare Out of Minnesota."
Gov. Tim Pawleny signed an executive order Tuesday afternoon directing state agencies to refuse "all discretionary participation" in the federal healthcare reform law. The order calls the legislation, passed by both houses of Congress and signed by President Obama, "a dramatic attempt to assert federal command and control over this country's health care system." According to a Pawlenty press release, the move orders all executive branch departments and agencies "not to submit applications to the federal government in connection with requests for grant funding for programs and demonstration projects deriving from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act unless otherwise required by law or approved by the Governor's office."
It's a slow, Dog Days of August Friday. Not that much newsworthy stuff happening. But there are three news tidbits that I saw today that impact Minnesota's 2010 elections.
First, the verdict is in that if the Republicans were in control, our current depression/recession would be far worse and the deficit would be larger. Second, corporations are going to spend $400,000,000 to influence the 2010 elections through their conservative front groups. Thirdly, only 29% of Americans agree with the Teabaggers.
The impact is that Republican policies don't work so the corporations are going to spend bazillions of dollars lying about Republican policies and smearing Democrats. The Dayton smear ad that hit the airwaves last night is only the tip of the iceberg.
Furthermore, appealing to their teabagger base is not good strategy for the Republicans, but they appear to be committed to it regardless. This, at least, is some good news.
The first call that I received this morning was a friend in a true huff. She does not like going to the State Fair bathrooms to do her business only to have the "smiling" face of "Peeping Tom" Horner peering down on her. She wrote the campaign. She is calling her political friends. So I am wondering how long before tape is put across the Tom Horner face on the picture or the graffiti of "Peeping" Tom shows up. For a candidate who specializes in media, this seems like a media blunder to me.
(Another excellent "Democratic Visions" segment produced by DFL Volunteers in SD42! - promoted by TwoPuttTommy)
The Nation Magazine named Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie America's most valuable state official and Politics in Minnesota honored Mark as politician of the year.
Leah Solo, Mark's campaign manager sent out an email alert today which in part says:
"Mark Ritchie is a great leader and a great Secretary of State. But we cannot take this race for granted. We're in a race against big money and opponents willing to make baseless accusations. Some of the biggest GOP donors in the state have maxed out to our opponent, and with the new laws, we're up against corporate money.
We expect the attacks against Mark to be frequent. We expect them to be fabrications of reality. We expect them to be largely fact-free." - Leah Solo
Readers should refer their Republican friends to Mark's conversation with Tim O'Brien on the current edition of Democratic Visions. We've posted it on YouTube:
Until this year, I did not think much of parades and I learned differently. Parades are especially important when name recognition is an issue. The Sheriff's race is non-partisan so there is not even a party label on the ballot to help build support. Parades also build community, it is an easy way for community leaders to reach out and connect with community members. Add literature, stickers and good presentation to a parade, and it is the best political outreach.
The Matt Bostrom for Sheriff campaign outreach in parades was extraordinary! First of all, the candidate, Matt Bostrom, is amazing. Matt is obviously in great physical shape, so he greets everyone that he can, going from side to side, sometimes running to catch up. Matt Bostrom has great charisma because he really cares about people and it shows. Then we have a team of happy smiling folks handing out literature, handing out stickers and handing out candy. One person is constantly introducing Matt and leading the "Say hello to Matt - Hello Matt" shout-out. With everyone in the emblazoned black and gold shirts, some just carrying signs, it is quite a crowd. An antique police car leads the parade group, occasionally announcing its presence with a siren. Sometimes the antique car needs to "rest" a few minutes, and to the great amusement of the crowd, a half dozen Bostrom people push the car. Can you tell that we are having great fun? This is a group enjoying each other on a social occasion that happens to also be political. At the end of the parade, we share the best Vote-Matt-Bostrom stories from the event, and sometimes surprising stories. Like we had a great response from the Vadnais Heights parade and Vadnais Heights is where our opponent Bob Fletcher lives. That caused me to start using the phrases, "To know Matt Bostrom, is to like him! To know Bob Fletcher is to NOT like him!".
(Excellent interviews with Tarryl Clark and Jim Meffert. - promoted by TwoPuttTommy)
Today, Bill Prendergast launches a thoughtfully alarming perspective from a Michael Tomaski column on the fear that seems to be taming the Democratic mule; the glut of conservative and conservative crazy media and the nation's economic malaise.
I doubt that Plato Avenue DFL brass are scheming with a bunker mentality (I know number of Democrats who are) but their two most potent congressional challengers, Tarryl Clark (CD6) and Jim Meffert (CD3) show no fear at all.
They are strong, tell-it-like-it-is candidates. They are motivators who have shucked the "Minnesota Nice" political procedurals in their respective takes on Michelle Bachmann and Bachmann's buttoned-down soul mate Eric Paulsen. Meffert and Clark are impassioned and honest candidates with media appeal and moxie. In its small way, DFL Senate District 42 (Eden Prairie and Minnetonka) is getting that message out on cable television and the Democratic Visions Channel on YouTube - regional television has ignored these two. So, check out these YouTubes:
See them on MTN Channel 17 Sundays at 7 pm and on Comcast Channel 15 (Eden Prairie, Richfield, Hopkins, Edina and Mtka) Wednesdays at 5:30 pm and Sundays at 9 p.m. and Bloomington Cable Ch. 16 on Tues at 2:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m. and Wed at 2:00 p.m.
Whenever I meet these two, the Democratic Mule in me starts bucking and kicking with gusto and purpose. Our timid local progressives need to join MPP and a few others in some loud snorting, braying and kicking -- Meffert and Clark have earned a stampede of media support to carry them to Washington.
Does anyone remember Jeff Larson? I do. He and Norm Coleman are close friends. He runs a political consulting firm, FLSConnect. FLS did about $1.5 million in business with former Senator Norm Coleman's campaigns. He was Norm's landlord in DC and gave him a below market, sweetheart deal on an apartment. He was also Sarah Palin's personal shopper. He bought her wardrobe after she became the VP pick for John McCain.
A prominent Republican consultant has launched a new political organization aimed at helping "pro-business candidates" in Minnesota.
Jeff Larson of the political consulting firm FLS Connect said Wednesday his "Minnesota Future" fund registered with the IRS is gearing up. The 527 group -- named for a section in the tax law -- is exempt from limits on campaign fundraising and spending that apply to party-affiliated groups.
(WCCO)
Larson never did answer the question of who paid Norm's utility bills for his below-market apartment.
Since statehood (1858), Minnesota has been led by 26 republican governors; since the formation of the DFL the current 20-year streak is the longest period without a DFL governor. The field seems more polarized than ever, with dialogue seemingly more fit for an episode of Maury than within the 'Minnesota Nice' mantra. Following in Pawlenty's footsteps, Tom Emmer also doesn't appear to believe that leadership is about compromise, but about taking credit for wins and loses.
Which other former republican governors will Emmer look to for inspiration?
Time for shakeup? The DFL high command appears to have a high powered rifle used every four years to shoot the party in the foot. I was a delegate to the state DFL Convention four years ago and watched the insiders push Mike Hatch through the endorsement. The people's choice was Steve Kelley and had he been endorsed I doubt that we would be whining about Timmy today.
This spring the state DFL insiders pushed MAK through the endorsement slot. Had RT been the endorsed candidate we would have a quite different landscape today. It was discouraging at the convention to see all the insiders working round the clock to protect MAK.
Either of these endorsees would be a super governor, but the party left the prize horse securely locked in the stable both times.
OK, I can read polls. I even pretend to be able to interpret them. And yes, Survey USA just came out with one that shows Dayton 16 points ahead of MAK and 25 points ahead of my favored candidate, Matt Entenza. We haven't seen full internals, but from what the poll's sponsor, KSTP, has trickled out it looks like Dayton has sewed up the DFL demographics most likely to show up and vote in an august primary. Yep, it's pretty obvious- unless the pollster has really blown the screening of their sample Dayton is probably going to be the DFL's nominee for governor.
Under normal conditions I'd get behind MAK and suggest other Entenza supporters do likewise. Now, I can forgive and forget that MAK and her campaign have treated me and other Entenza supporters badly- I asked for an apology for her calling me "astroturf" on tuesday and she refused. And her attacks on Matt were so dumb and counterproductive that no apology is required.
But back to the demographics of each candidate's support... Dayton hardly needs to do GOTV- his supporters are the seniors that don't need to be reminded to vote, they'll be right there in line waiting for the polls to open at 7 a.m.. MAK's supporters will be out this weekend phoning and knocking on the same old lists of long term faithful DFL voters.
But Entenza is doing something daring- daring as in daring to bring new voters to the polls. I just got home from a hip hop rally and doorknock for Matt and Robyne. The house was packed with over a hundred young supporters, including Minnnesota's hip hop all stars who are backing Matt and Robyne. They filled four busses and are out doorknocking the low turnout precincts in the hoods- the precincts that MAK's campaign won't even bother with.
This didn't happen by accident. The Entenza campaign made a point of hiring organizers from all of Minnesota's diverse communities. Those communities are united by a common language, hip hop. While MAK's campaign has been milking the same old lists of DFL voters, Matt and Robyne are expanding the base by bringing thousands of new DFL voters to the polls. So while Entenza (and MAK too) may not win tuesday, thanks to Entenza's efforts, the DFL is winning thousands of new voters.
And that's why, win or lose, I'm still backing Matt and Robyne!
I finally met Tarryl Clark in person a few weeks back in Eden Prairie for the taping of Demcratic Visions, the public issues cable and internet series that I produce for and through DFL Senate District 42 with a handful of other, unpaid volunteers from the southwest 'burbs.
Wow! Senator Clark has the heart of a progressive moderate and the smarts, moxie, confidence and drive to be the Sixth CD's next envoy to Congress. One feels comfortable and motivated in her presence. One can actually have an informed conversation with Clark. With Michelle Bachmann, one feels sequentially bemused, creeped-out and apprehensive. From a veteran TV guy's view, Taryll Clark can be the nation's next media phenom -- but one with staying power.
Tarryl Clark's segment with interviewer Tim'O'Brien is posted on Democratic Vision's YouTube Channel. Watch it after the fold ...
New polling data came out today about lame duck Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty's anemic 2012 presidential campaign. Pawlenty's presidential hopes have never really gotten off the ground. He has continually polled in the lower single digits.
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is in a bit of hot water over a copyright infringement. Bachmann's latest attack ad against Tarryl Clark uses the Minnesota State Fair logo without permission.
Does anyone remember Jeff Larson? I do. He and Norm Coleman are close friends. He runs a political consulting firm, FLSConnect. FLS did about $1.5 million in business with former Senator Norm Coleman's campaigns. He was Norm's landlord in DC and gave him a below market, sweetheart deal on an apartment. He was also Sarah Palin's 
