Politics in Minnesota: The Weekly Report - Vol. 2, Issue 41 - 4/19/2007
--A collection of insider news and opinion--
Let the DFL Senate Battle Begin
Mike Ciresi's entry into the US Senate race portends a massive and expensive DFL party endorsement battle.
DFL activists and insiders enjoyed the early party unity around Amy Klobuchar in 2006. That unity won't exist this time around among financial supporters and activists over the next 12 months. If both Ciresi and Al Franken keep their current commitment to honor the party's endorsement, the ultimate question will be how much is the party's endorsement worth?
Figuring that Franken has already raised $1.3 million--and there are still four more quarters until the endorsement--it is not out of line to believe that in a year, both Franken and Ciresi will have in excess of $5 million or possibly $7 million each for the endorsement. That is where their party loyalty is likely to fall apart. No modern candidate raises millions to bet it all on a convention of 800 activists.
Thus, a few options will emerge: either a convention with no endorsement, one of them ends his candidacy before the convention, or one of them breaks their pledge to abide by the party's will.
Ciresi Makes It Official
The best thing that can be said about prominent trial attorney Mike Ciresi's formal announcement that he's running for the DFL nomination to run against incumbent GOP U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman is...that it's over. The second best thing is that many a statewide candidate has had a flawless, exciting press conference about getting into a race only to fail miserably at an endorsing contest or an election. The Ciresi announcement was nothing less than bizarre.
Preface: The one sure thing about press coverage when running statewide is nice (almost puff piece-like) ink about the announcement the next day. But you have to make it easy for the media. Holding an announcement press conference away from the Capitol during a legislative session made it difficult for the regular political press corps to cover the event. That was a dumb decision.
The idea to hold it at a school was apparently to hammer home Ciresi's working class roots. The event was originally scheduled to take place at the James J. Hill Elementary School (which the Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi Foundation has supported) until someone recognized that state law forbids political activity at a school when it is in session. The event was rescheduled to take place at the International Academy-LEAP school, which didn't start classes until 10:30 a.m.
So the press conference was scheduled before that. Unfortunately, that pending 10:30 a.m. deadline meant that Ciresi was pressed for time on Q and A from reporters, to which he granted a mere two and a half minutes. This had the effect of highlighting one of Ciresi's biggest weaknesses: that he's out-of-touch, rich trial lawyer with little time for the little people.
Fortunately for Ciresi, Al Franken seems to be trumping Ciresi in the out-of-touch department. Witness this quote in AP reporter Frederic Frommer's story about how well Franken's fundraising is going with the Hollywood gang, ""'I like Minnesotans - always have,'' said Franken, who was born in New York City but grew up in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park. 'They are earnest, decent people who have fun.'" That kind of thinking and talking doesn't play well with real people, who probably don't want their potential U.S. Senator to refer to them as "they" as if they were a different breed or from a different country.
Strange contest, this one, for the DFL U.S. Senate endorsement. Two candidates who, by virtue of wealth and fame, are estranged from the Minnesota body politic. Strikes your editors that despite the wealth and fame, the field is ripe for another DFL candidate who is "one of us."
When Blogs Go Mainstream
Star Tribune Reader Representative Kate Parry's column last Sunday was a revealing example of real conversations that journalists in all media are having about the new world of blogs. For the Star Tribune, the Big Question Blog by Eric Black and Doug Tice is its biggest step outside of the journalistic comfort zone in recent memory. Since Parry addressed many of the questions we might have, let's focus on the reach of blogs affiliated with mainstream media. For media observers Parry's column is a solid read.
The Big Question has attracted a Big Audience, first and foremost because of the traffic from startribune.com, second, because Black started the blog provocatively baiting the blogging community to participate. Adding Tice gave the blog ideological balance, not dissimilar from this newsletter.
By comparison, comments on the postings at the Big Question far outnumber the comments on many of the most popular blogs in the state. For instance, as of this writing, one recent post about McCain had 140 comments. Though the average post gets about 45 comments, and in part because they average more than none post a day, the average comments per day at the blog are a comparatively hefty 86. Meanwhile, at Minnesota Monitor the most comments on any given story (Al Oertwig resigning from the St. Paul School Board) is currently 16 and that's with an average of 844 unique visitors per day. That is nearly a two percent comment rate. On the right, Michael Brodkorb's Minnesota Democrats Exposed averages just over 1,000 visitors per day had one post with 71 comments, but most had less then twenty.
As the blogosphere begins its shake-out before the 2008 elections, will mainstream media blogs become the main sources of political information? After all, breaking news is hard work and we can't see any evidence on the local level that there is a career to be made blogging. On any given day, the Big Question posts three or four times; that is more than the one or two stories that the average reporter files or gets printed in the paper.
Imagine a world where the political reporters at the Capitol are breaking the news as it happens online and the blogs are the broadcasters. We're not far off; every local television station with the exception of KSTP has blogs, as do the talk radio stations, and don't forget both Twin Cities dailies and the St. Cloud Times.
The credibility and objectivity of mainstream media blogs will ultimately allow them to transcend the partisanship and obvious leanings of other blogs. Blogs are no longer alternative media.
Damn.
FEC Round Up
The most notable numbers in the latest round of FEC reports is the increase in fundraising activity for Rep. Colin Peterson (now a powerful committee chair) and freshman Reps. Michele Bachmann and Tim Walz, who will be running in one of the most contested races next cycle.
| Candidate | Money Raised | Cash On Hand |
| First District | ||
| Rep. Tim Walz (DFL) | $187,000 | $150,000 |
| Sen. Dick Day (R) | $22,000 | $11,000 |
| Rep. Randy Demmer (R) | No Report | |
| Second District | ||
| Rep. John Kline (R) | $158,000 | $119,000 |
| Third District | ||
| Rep. Jim Ramstad (R) | $52,000 | $562,000 |
| Fourth District | ||
| Rep. Betty McCollum (DFL) | $61,000 | $75,000 |
| Fifth District | ||
| Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL) | $46,000 | $36,000 |
| Sixth District | ||
| Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) | $259,000 | $200,000 |
| Seventh District | ||
| Rep. Colin Peterson (DFL) | $229,000 | $375,000 |
| Eighth District | ||
| Rep. James Oberstar (DFL) | $226,000 | $302,000 |
Is Pawlenty Disappointing McCain? Are McCain's Problems Pawlenty's?
The Star Tribune's analysis of local donors to presidential candidates screams to insiders that Tim Pawlenty is either bucking his supporters in supporting Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), or he hasn't been much of a rainmaker for the presidential campaign he is co-chairing.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Guliani out-raised McCain in Minnesota with $71,000 to $55,000. While Pawlenty has had to raise money for his own political battles, it would seem that he could have pulled more than $55,000 out of a state in which he's raised millions.
Why hasn't Pawlenty had McCain to Minnesota for a major fundraiser? Why hasn't he sent out a fundraising request to his supporters on McCain's behalf?
And finally, as the McCain campaign has had its stumbles in the last month, insiders have wondered if and/or how damaging Pawlenty's affiliation to McCain could be for him on the national stage? The answer: not damaging at all.
It would be more damaging for Pawlenty if the DC crowd saw him as either a weak McCain supporter or damaged goods after the legislative session.
Minneapolis Library Merger Presages Pay Cuts For Staff?
One interviewer for the 2007-2008 PIM Directory (which is finally nearly ready at the presses) asked a state legislator from Minneapolis if he/she was interested in finding state funds to get recently closed libraries reopened. "No," the legislator shot back. Saving the schools comes first. Despite libraries' critical social role in teaching information literacy to a new generation while enriching the whole community, they regularly get brushed aside by more powerful concerns.
The financially strapped Minneapolis Public Library (MPL) system faces one major hurdle in merging with the more stable Hennepin County system: AFSCME Council 5, the public employee union representing library staff in both systems, has balked at the pay and benefits gap between them. On April 10, the Hennepin County Commissioners passed a set of guiding merger principles that AFSCME deemed a "poison pill" forcing wage and benefit cuts upon city library staff.
The proposed merger is only the latest episode in an ugly story: the gradual curtailing and shutdowns of city libraries, even as downtown's spectacular new Central Library draws crowds and critical praise. Since the mid-1990s, many full-time library staff have lost hours and benefits due to budget cutbacks. The vast majority of MPL funding comes from property taxes and Local Government Aid (LGA), but after 1994 MPL's revenue grew more slowly than city or park funds. When LGA cuts came down from Gov. Tim Pawlenty in 2004, MPL got slammed and operating hours got slashed accordingly.
MPL has an excellent, broad collection, with 1.14 million unique titles in the metro area, making up more than half of its 2.12 million volumes, including many non-English titles, federal and patent documents, old local works, cookbooks, sheet music, extensive photo collections and theater-related material. Despite its dependence on city LGA and property taxes, Central is effectively a regional library like many others nationally: More than 10% of its circulation goes to non-city residents, and the seven-county Metropolitan Library Service Agency system shares MPL's rare books with the suburbs. In contrast, the amply-funded Hennepin County system has a broader current collection, excellent customer service and good programs for teens and seniors.
MPL has run out of money to operate branches or finish 2000's system-wide, voter-approved upgrade project. Originally the project put $140 million towards Central Library construction and fixing up the other branches, but now branch construction has run $9 million over budget, and library revenue from property taxes gets diverted to debt servicing, rather than operations. Only 6 of 14 branches' work is complete. Restoring all 15 libraries to 6-day, 8-hour operation would cost $6.5 million over the current $22 million budget, according to a merger study by the official Library Advisory Committee [PDF]. The merger would give Hennepin County MPL's assets, but not the capital debt left over from the city-wide improvement project.
AFSCME legislative affairs director Jim Nyland says that AFSCME opposes any pay or benefit cuts, but supports the merger. Since the gap is codified through collective bargaining agreements, AFSCME would prefer to have a new agreement hashed out after the merger policy is set in place. AFSCME says previous mergers have adequately addressed wage differences: Technical colleges joining MnSCU, the Regional Transit Board joining the Met Council, and joining the St. Paul and Ramsey County Public Health Departments were successful, in their view. While restoring full-time library staff would prove expensive, what institution really benefits a whole civilization more than a healthy system of libraries? And what else can integrate seniors, new immigrants and teens into the American civic tradition?
The Fallen Fifty
With the loss of Army Sergeant Joshua Schmit of Willmar on Saturday, Minnesota reached a grim milestone over the weekend: fifty members of the military who grew up here have been killed serving in Iraq. Three Minnesotans have been killed in Afghanistan: The most recent, Army Spc. Conor Masterson, 21, of Woodbury, a medic, died April 7, 2007 in eastern Afghanistan when a bomb exploded near his vehicle.
Soldiers, sailors and Marines from Minnesota have a long and honorable history, memorialized on the grounds of the State Capitol. Ours was the first state to offer volunteers for the Civil War: merely three years after achieving statehood, 24,020 volunteers entered the war. 8,498 Minnesotans served in the Spanish-American War, 57,413 in World War I and 229,135 in World War II. The Capitol grounds feature a four inch, fifty-caliber gun from the USS Ward, which fired America's first shots in World War II as it was operated by Minnesota Naval Reserve personnel, sinking a Japanese midget sub at 6:45 AM on December 7, 1941. The Korean War memorial notes the 94,646 who served there. More than 175,000 Minnesotans served in the Vietnam War.
We take note of the quote from Archibald Macleish inscribed on the state Vietnam memorial: "We were young. We have died. Remember Us." Someday another Capitol memorial will include these names. Here we honor Iraq's fallen fifty, with fatalities listed in reverse chronological order.
- Army Sgt. Joshua Schmit, 26, Willmar
- Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Olsen, 20, Eagan
- Army Spc. Sean K. McDonald, 21, Rosemount
- Army National Guard Sgt. Greg Ninerd Riewer, 28, Frazee
- Marine Sgt. Chad M. Allen, 25, Maple Lake
- Army Sgt. William Beardsley, 25, Coon Rapids
- Army National Guard Sgt. Maj. Michael Mettille, 44, West St. Paul
- Army National Guard Sgt. James M. Wosika, Jr., 24, St. Paul
- Army National Guard Spc. Nicholas Turcotte, 23, Maple Grove
- Army National Guard Spc. Corey J. Rystad, 20, Red Lake Falls
- Army National Guard Sgt. Bryan McDonough, 22, Maplewood
- Army Staff Sgt. Kevin M. Witte, 27, Beardsley
- Marine Cpl. Johnathan Benson, 21, North Branch
- Minnesota National Guard Staff Sgt. Joshua Robert Hanson, 27, St. Paul
- Army Spc. Qixing Lee, 20, Minneapolis
- Army Spc. Troy Carlin Linden, 22, Detroit Lakes
- Minnesota National Guard Sgt. Kyle R. Miller, 19, Willmar
- Minnesota National Guard Sgt. Brent W. Koch, 22, Morton
- Marine Capt. Nathanael J. Doring, 31, Apple Valley
- Marine Lance Cpl. Robert Posivio III, 22, Sherburn
- Army Cpl. Andrew J. Kemple, 23, Cambridge
- Marine Staff Sgt. Kenneth B. Pospisil, 35, Andover
- Marine Lance Cpl. Scott Modeen, 24, New Hope
- Marine Cpl. Anthony McElveen, 21, Little Falls
- Marine Master Sgt. Brett Angus, 40, born in St. Paul
- Army Spc. Jacob Vanderbosch, 21, Vadnais Heights
- Army Pfc. Elden Arcand, 22, White Bear Lake
- Army Sgt. Mike Benson, 40, a Winona native
- Marine Sgt. Bryan J. Opskar, 32, Moorhead
- Army 1st Lt. Michael Fasnacht, 25, Mankato
- Army Chief Warrant Officer Matthew S. Lourey, 40, Kerrick
- Marine Capt. Kelly C. Hinz, 30, Woodbury
- Army Spc. Travis Bruce, 22, Rochester
- Minnesota Army National Guard 1st Lt. Jason G. Timmerman, 24, Cottonwood
- Minnesota Army National Guard Staff Sgt. David Day, 25, Morris
- Minnesota Army National Guard Sgt. Jesse Lhotka, 24, Appleton
- Army Sgt. 1st Class Mickey E. Zaun, 27, Brooklyn Park
- Army Sgt. Michael Carlson, 22, St. Paul
- Army Spc. Dwayne McFarlane, Jr., 20, Cass Lake
- Army Spc. Daniel James McConnell, 27, Duluth
- Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class David Cedergren, 25, South St. Paul
- Army Cpl. Demetrius Lamont Rice, 24, Ortonville
- North Dakota National Guard Spc. James Holmes, 28, East Grand Forks
- Marine Lance Cpl. Levi Angell, 20, Cloquet
- Marine Pfc. Moises Langhorst, 19, Moose Lake
- Marine Cpl. Tyler R. Fey, 22, Eden Prairie
- Army Chief Warrant Officer Patrick Dorff, 32, Buffalo
- Army Staff Sgt. Dale Panchot, 26, Northome
- Army Staff Sgt. Brian R. Hellermann, 35, Freeport
- Army Pfc. Edward J. "Jim" Herrgott, 20, Shakopee
Additionally, in March 2004, Pfc. Matthew G. Milczark, 18, of Kettle River was found dead in a chapel at Camp Victory in Kuwait and his death was ruled a suicide. Late Marine Pfc. Moises Langhorst was Milczark's friend and classmate at Moose Lake High School, and both signed up for the Marines at the same time, passing away just a month apart. Marine Cpl. Jonathan Schulze, 25, posthumously gained national attention after he committed suicide at his home in New Prague on January 16, after being rejected from admittance to Veteran's Administration hospital in St. Cloud on January 11. "He was a delayed casualty of the Iraq war," his father, Jim, said. Between Jan. 1, 2003 and last October, an additional 12 active-duty and discharged servicemen in Minnesota have committed suicide.
You can contribute here to charities serving the families of fallen service members, or visit the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund, Military Charity Mall, Sew Much Comfort, the Wounded Warrior Project and AmericaSupportsYou.com, which offer charitable assistance to wounded military personnel and the families of fallen warriors.
A Taxing State
Some House Republicans gleaned some interesting stats combing through the U.S. Bureau of the Census "2006 State Tax Collections" [XLS], and they have dubbed them "Minnesota Penalty Taxes." In 2006, state government collected $7,412 less from an average family of four living in South Dakota than it did for a family of four living in Minnesota. Other neighboring states also collected less per family of four than Minnesota. Iowa collected $5,256 less per family; Wisconsin, $3,536 less; and North Dakota, $3,316 less.
Freedom To Breathe...And Vote
Last issue we wrote that voting for the statewide smoking ban (the so-called "Freedom to Breathe Act") could be politically dangerous for freshmen DFL Senators who represent districts that trend Republican, conservative or working class. Mike Maguire, who does media advocacy with the Midwest Division of the American Cancer Society emailed his disagreement with our premise.
He notes that in a statewide poll conducted by the highly respected pollster Bill Morris, 69% of Minnesotans support a statewide smoking ban. Moreover, the ban has 73% support in suburban and exurban Minnesota, and the support of 77% of self-identified Republicans and 75% of proclaimed "conservatives." Maguire also reminded us that last election in Mankato, 69% of the city's voters approved a smoking ban.
The Tragedy At Virginia Tech
The tragic and horrifying mass murder by Cho Seung Hui at Virginia Tech on Monday is not about The Matrix or Counter-Strike or even gun control, as various talking heads would have you believe. It's about health care; mental health care, specifically.
It defies the imagination how someone could bring himself to do such a horrific act until you have experience with someone who is mentally ill. Then these types of events are easy to understand; it's as if a veil has been lifted. Psychotics, for example, can be extremely paranoid and often hear voices that tell them to do things.
Cho Seung Hui was one of these people and, sadly, his behavior had raised many red flags yet he still apparently did not get the continuing mental health care he so obviously needed. He was accused once of stalking and once of harassing a girl; his creative writing teacher has called him the most disturbed student she has ever seen and brought this to the attention of the school administration, urging he get care. He was even institutionalized for a time because he was believed to be a danger to himself and others, yet he was released. In retrospect, that release was obviously too early.
Compared to other states, Minnesota's mental health care system looks better than it actually is, as Minnesota Public Radio reported three years ago. One of the problems, which appears to have happened in Cho's case, is the premature release of the mentally ill, which may be explained by a demand for mental health care that is overwhelming the system.
Another problem, as the Star Tribune broached in a March editorial advocating the voluntary use of TeenScreen in Minnesota, is the early identification of people suffering from mental illness so they can get the help they need as soon as possible. Rep. Mindy Greiling (DFL-Roseville) and Sen. John Marty (DFL-Roseville) are sponsoring legislation that would make TeenScreen available to Minnesota's secondary schools and would require written parental consent before screening.
But a diagnosis of a mental illness does not guarantee treatment, which is what the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act addresses by compelling insurance companies to treat mental illness the same as they do physical illness. The bill is co-sponsored by Wellstone's friend, Congressman Jim Ramstad (R). While the bill has been criticized for failing to tie coverage to "evidence-based treatment and positive outcomes," it is nevertheless a good first step.
Greater acceptance of mental illnesses as legitimate health problems, and broader treatment of them, can relieve a great deal of unnecessary suffering and, potentially, tragedy.
Politics In Minnesota: Bits & Pieces...
The medical marijuana bill cleared the one of the last remaining Senate committees yesterday as the Health and Human Services Budget Division passed SF 345 on a 6-4 vote. Now it has to get through the Senate Finance Committee before reaching the floor. On the House side, HF 655 is also at the Finance Committee. Fortunately for the books, the bill has a number of regulatory fees built-in to cover the expense of regulatory staff hours. Projections from state agencies indicate it would quickly generate net revenue. In Rhode Island and Illinois, state legislatures, religious leaders, and major papers like the Chicago Sun-Times have recently announced support for Minnesota-like proposals.
Everyone is invited to remember the late Sen. Dallas Sams at "A Celebration of Capitol Friends" that will be held Sunday, April 22, from 5-8 p.m. at the Lilidale Yacht Club. There's no charge but please do bring a checkbook for the silent auction and/or a donation. Money is being raised to fund the Dallas Sams Memorial Highway signs fund and for local scholarships in his name. Better yet, think hard and find stuff to donate to the auction. Either bring your items to Diane Patnode in Room 303 of the state Capitol or get in touch with Nancy Silesky at nsilesky@aol.com. See everyone there.
The Citizens League is taking a run at jazzing up the not-so-sexy topic of the federal national debt. Besides injecting the potential of alcohol (in its "Policy and a Pint" series of meetings), the group is having 89.3 The Current DJ Steve Seel moderate a conversation with David Walker, Comptroller General of the US. GAO (Government Accountability Office). "America's Checkbook--Overdrawn" Policy and a Pint event is tonight, Thursday, April 19, at Solera Restaurant starting at 5 p.m. By the way, according to the U.S. National Debt Clock, your share of the national debt is $29,414.45.
The DFL features Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin for the 2007 Humphrey Day Dinner fundraiser on Saturday the 21st at the Hilton Minneapolis Hotel downtown. Tickets are available for $125 here. On the same day, the GOP hosts their 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 8th Congressional District Conventions around the state (the remainder take place the following Saturday). Also on Saturday, the 2007 Independence Party State Convention kicks off at the Osseo Senior High School.
Morning Reports
