Politics in Minnesota: The Weekly Report - Vol. 3, Issue 20 - 11/16/2007
Publisher's Note
Happy early Thanksgiving, everyone, and a reminder that we won't be publishing a Weekly Report next Friday. We'll publish Morning Reports Monday - Wednesday, but we'll take Turkey Day and Black Friday off. So, support the economy and shop next Friday (although we're betting this year's Black Friday will be blue for retailers).
Some very important housekeeping notes. Your publisher continues to hear nothing but good things (even from Republicans) about DFLer Betty Folliard's contributions to PIM. Obviously, we're pleased about that. Betty is giving readers DFL scoops and insight not found elsewhere. Don't forget that you can always email Betty directly at betty@politicsinminnesota.com and Sarah Janecek at sarah@politicsinminnesota.com. Email all hands on the Politics in Minnesota deck at staff@politicsinminnesota.com.
We trust that most of our readers know that Sarah is also writing for MinnPost.com. Here's the first post about what's happening right now in Republican National Convention planning. Make sure you check the site every day, Monday - Friday. MinnPost publishes at 11 a.m., but posts from an all-star cast (with the exception of your publisher) go up all day. Morning Report subscribers will always get links to the MinnPost political stories, if you don't have time to surf the site. But you should...there's great stuff on there you won't find anywhere else. Also, early reports show MinnPost's page view counts are far exceeding expectations. Congratulations to Publisher Joel Kramer and everyone on the MinnPost masthead.
LGA Merry-Go-Round: Betty's Take
Legislative leaders and mayors across the state seem to be in agreement about doing a Special Session to alleviate the strain on Local Government Aid (LGA). However, Governor Tim Pawlenty thinks otherwise. Behind the scenes we hear he sent a letter to mayors this week saying that there is not interest from Legislative leaders for an LGA-only bill to solve the problem before it reaches crisis level for cities. The League of Minnesota Cities and Mayors across the state, called a press conference (here's the PDF announcement) on Thursday to ask once more that this problem get resolved. Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller (DFL-Minneapolis) spoke on Wednesday of his willingness to deal with LGA in Special Session. Subsequently House Speaker Margaret Kelliher (DFL-Minneapolis) made it perfectly clear that the House is ready and willing, stating, "It is clear the governor has been troubled by his veto of the bill ever since he first issued it in June. But despite his concerns, the governor has not offered one concrete proposal for caucus leaders and their members to consider. The House remains ready to work on any property tax relief proposal the governor is willing to offer." If the governor is the sticking point, why doesn't he just say so?
LGA Merry-Go-Round: Sarah's Take
There was something almost pathetic about yesterday's press conference in which a group of mayors called for Gov. Tim Pawlenty to call a special session to restore $70 million in LGA that was cut in 2003, the horrific state budget deficit year. Maybe it was all that talk about saving taxpayer's money, "more LGA means lower property taxes." [LGA funds from the state are there because of the taxpayers.] Maybe it was all that dire talk about how cities will have to cut "core services like police and snowplowing." [Why is it always about cutting the services the public most wants, and never a conversation about cutting other programs?] Maybe it's because there was zero discussion of the reason Pawlenty vetoed the tax bill that included restoration of LGA funding. That reason was the Governor objected to other things in the bill. Things DFL leadership had stuck in there to try to stick it to the Governor (leadership thought the Governor wouldn't run the risk of suffering the wrath of those who wanted the tax bill passed, including cities because of LGA). What is more, Pawlenty warned DFL leadership in a letter (that somehow we can't find online to link to) that he would veto the tax bill if some items weren't taken out. Where were the mayors back then? Certainly not lobbying DFL leadership to give the Governor a clean bill he could sign.
The whole conversation brought to mind the ugly discussions about the original LGA cuts in 2003 and the rhetoric the DFL has successfully used since then: Rising property taxes are Pawlenty's fault. Your publisher has always been mystified by the fact that Pawlenty and the GOP gave up so easily on the issue. That $4.5 billion shortfall in 2003 was about one-sixth of the total dollar figure of the two-year budget cycle at the time. One-sixth. Take Minneapolis, the LGA cut to that city in 2003 was $37 million. Minneapolis had over a billion a year budget at the time. That means the LGA cut to Minneapolis was 3.7% of the city's total budget. Mayor R.T. Rybak likes to note the city's general fund budget is $300-million something and that's where LGA comes from, but real people don't think that way. They think (correctly) that Minneapolis has a billion dollar budget. The GOP mantra should be, "The state had to make hard choices, the cities did not. Instead, the cities cried wolf about police and fire."
Fonda Wows 'Em
Jane Fonda created incredible media buzz on Tuesday when she arrived for the inaugural Women's Leadership Awards event at the Capitol. Fonda's works on stage and screen have earned her two Oscars (Best Actress 1971 for Klute and Best Actress 1978 for Coming Home) and an Emmy (The Dollmaker). Besides producing several top internationally-acclaimed Hollywood feature films, she created the biggest-selling home video of all time - Jane Fonda's Workout. Fonda published her memoirs in 2005 entitled My Life So Far, which shot straight to #1 on The New York Times bestseller list. That same year her first film in 15 years - Monster-in-Law - went to Number 1, giving Ms. Fonda the distinction of being the first person ever to simultaneously have a #1 book and #1 movie. At age 69, Fonda, a modern American icon, now focuses most of her time on activism and advocacy: on human rights, environmental issues, and empowerment of women & girls. Her long list of accomplishments include serving as a member of Screen Actors Guild Advisory Board, on The Council on Foreign Relations Women & Foreign Policy Advisory Committee, on the Native American Rights Fund Advisory Board, and on the V-Counsel of V-Day: Until the Violence Stops. Ms. Fonda was named Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund in 1994; she established the Emory School of Medicine Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health, sits on the Grady Health System Board of Visitors, and has endowed a Chair at the Dept. of Gynecology & Obstetrics at the Emory University School of Medicine. Fonda is founder of the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (G-CAPP), and in 2000 she produced a film with the International Women's Health Coalition entitled Generation 2000: Changing Girls' Realities.
All the excitement that swirled around her was palpable, and Fonda made the awards ceremony a very special inaugural event. Through the process 26 women (not all Democrats) - all who deserved awards - were nominated. Four leaders - two legislators and two prominent citizens - were awarded honors: The Vision Award to Sen. Ellen Anderson (DFL-St. Paul); the Woman Rising Award to Rep. Kate Knuth (DFL-New Brighton); the Inspiration Award to Deborah Watts; and the Koryne Horbal Fearless Award to Coleen Rowley. Over 175 people showed up for the event, including dignitaries: former DFL House Speaker Dee Long, elected officials Sens. Sandy Pappas (DFL-St. Paul), David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm), Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), Kathy Saltzman (DFL-Woodbury) and Sandy Rummel (DFL-White Bear Lake), DFL Secretary Of State Mark Ritchie, Reps. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Minneapolis) and Carolyn Laine (DFL-Columbia Heights), DFL Attorney General Lori Swanson, Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt, candidates Bob Olson, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, mainstream media, and lots of regular folks from around the state and as far away as the 1st & 8th Congressional Districts. When the back-patting was done folks celebrated with cake, then some took a Capitol tour.
Fonda's main purpose for this trip was to give two addresses for the Convocation Series and the Anne Pederson Women's Resource Center at Augsburg College, yet she managed to squeeze in the awards event, an soiree at Ruth Usem's home Tuesday night, as well as lunch with the ladies at St. Martin's Table on Wednesday, demonstrating boundless energy as she enters what she describes as her "Third Act." Her from-the-heart Augsburg address "My Life's Lessons About Sex and Gender" on Wednesday morning brought a packed house of Augsburg students and faculty to their feet. When talking about achieving equality for women in leadership she remarked, "The opposite of patriarchy is not matriarchy. It's democracy."
Note To Self: Don't Self-Destruct
Special back-handed thanks go to GOP Chair Ron Carey and his crackerjack communications staff whose feverish efforts in sending out angry press releases managed to raise awareness of the Women's Leadership Awards Event and help make it a roaring success. Carey wrongly aimed his ire at the DFL Party for inviting Ms. Fonda to speak - thereby missing the mark. It was not the DFL Party who invited Fonda: it was the DFL Feminist Caucus, in conjunction with the fledgling group the Democratic Women Leadership Coalition, piggy-backing on Augsburg's invite that got her there. This year, many members of the DFL Feminist Caucus sent Mari Pokornowski - the DFL Feminist Caucus chair - to have a chat with DFL State Party Chair Brian Melendez about how the party focused its new 2007 awards at the Hubert H. Humphrey Day Dinner Celebration on white, male, rural, anti-choice (contrary to party platform) legislators, overlooking the great accomplishments of great women leaders and others. How did that happen? Oversight, no doubt.
Using The B-Bomb
And raspberries go to Michael Brodkorb for fueling the flames of anti-Fonda fervor amongst his followers - all from the comfort of their own home computers. He might want to rethink that strategy. It seems counter-intuitive really, when the majority of voters are women. Kerri Miller of the Midmorning Program on MPR had a program on Wednesday about Voter Blocs mentioning the whopper of all voter blocs - the 53 million unmarried women of voting age in the United States that skewed the elections in 2006. Don't make them mad.
The Huffington Post has the Sen. John McCain B-Bomb online video plus comments spanking presidential contender McCain for not distancing himself and even complimenting the offender. Perhaps Brodkorb could learn from the McCain fiasco and begin screening his commenters for hate speech. Today's Star Tribune editorial piles on, indicating conduct unbecoming... Let's hope Brodkorb and Carey show a little more Minnesota Nice when Fonda returns next June. (Cue music: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me....").
Compassion-Trained Legislator's Challenger
This week, Big Lake got a Democratic contender to run against GOP incumbent Rep. Mark Olson (R-Big Lake) who was convicted of domestic assault earlier this year. Olson was fined and is receiving compassion training. Steve Andrews (Andrews08.com), vice president of technology at Fintegra Financial Solutions in Minneapolis and co-owner of a Maple Grove Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating outlet, is running to unseat Olson (despite his conviction Olson still plans to give it another whirl). Andrews is a former member of the Monticello Housing & Development Authority and will seek DFL endorsement for Minnesota House seat 16B.
Obama Floats Minnesota-Style Government Webcasting
The Minnesota Legislature's website has excellent though often-ignored features. Besides RSS feeds permitting continuous monitoring of legislation and news, streaming webcasts provide RealMedia video and audio streams of many St. Paul meetings, bringing live footage of obscure committees to a statewide audience. While it didn't get much press, presidential candidate Barack Obama drew praise from the progressive netroots over his recent proposal to appoint a Cabinet-level chief technology officer. Their main task would be to open as many federal government meetings and activities to the Internet as possible. Obama stressed providing streaming video of official meetings, as well as permitting open comment threads about proposed legislation on the White House website! Improving rural broadband access, opening the 700 MHz wireless band, defending Network Neutrality, streamlined tech work visas, and releasing more raw digital government data to the public are also goals. Silicon Valley leaders like the plan; more about that here.
On the other hand, though, this ties into the growing 'digital divide' between wired-up affluent Americans and the millions who lack good Internet access. The good news is that computers have steadily gotten cheaper, and for just a few weeks' worth of Iraq war spending, the government could purchase thousands of $500 brand-new Dell desktops running the free Ubuntu Linux operating system, and place them in low-income areas across America. (There are even $200 Linux machines at Wal-Mart now!) What investment in America's digital future could pay off more quickly?
Bits & Pieces
U.S. Rep. Tim Walz (DFL-MN1) appointed Josh Syrjamaki as his Chief of Staff. Syrjamaki was a top aide to the late U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone, and has earned respect on both sides of the political aisle. Congrats to both Walz and Syrjamaki.
Sen. Linda Higgins (DFL-Minneapolis) and Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Minneapolis) have organized this year's Friends of DFL Women Fundraiser to be held at the beautiful Mississippi-view downtown Minneapolis condo of Peggy Lucas in at 600 South Second Street, Apt #701. The event will be December 3rd from 5-7 p.m. and inevitably hosts a who's-who of MN Democratic politicos, supporting candidates throughout the state.
CBS News featured Minneapolis' efforts against juvenile crime. Juveniles commit a large proportion of violent crime, and police are working on ways to use community policing to break the cycle.
Tens of thousands of people each year (many of whom are women and children) are still tricked/forced into prostitution and forced labor. Guest speaker U.S. Attorney Rachel Paulose, District of Minnesota, will examine the scope of human slavery and outline action to end slavery in the 21st century at the Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Center, University of Minnesota, 301 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis on Tuesday, November 20th from noon–1:30 p.m.
This sounds cool (if you're a green reader): Don't miss the 2nd Annual Twin Cities Green & Fair Trade Gifts Fair brought to you by the local non-profit Do It Green! Minnesota this Saturday, November 17th from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., at Macalester College in St. Paul (Campus Center Building at Snelling & Grand.). It's sponsored by Eureka Recycling, City Pages, Air America and Macalester College.
Some heavy-hitters are throwing a "Retire-the-Debt" Retirement Roast for former Senator Becky Lourey on Sunday December 9th from 4-7 p.m. in the Wellstone Center at Neighborhood House, 179 East Robie in St. Paul. The event will honor her 17 years of public service. All are welcome. Suggested donation is $50.
University of Minnesota computer science and engineering professor Loren Terveen dived into the global, multi-lingual Wikipedia system, and made interesting discoveries about the controversies over authorship and vandalism. Download a 90 second feature (MP3) or a longer audio (MP3) report. Surprisingly, only a tiny sliver of users author the vast bulk of the content. Terveen also found that 40% of vandalism incidents were quickly fixed within one page view, indicating its accuracy is well-patrolled.
Over in Chicago at the McCormick Freedom Tribune Museum, they've launched the 'Vote4Me! Inside a Presidential Election' exhibit, with a huge interactive touch-screen Electoral College map, created by 270towin.com. Behold the disproportionately powerful influence of Wyoming and Alaska, and toggle their results for yourself! 270towin also provides results back to 1789, and will soon offer probabilities for candidates' popular votes and thus likelihood of collecting Electoral Votes.
The Center of the American Experiment ventures into the woolly world of covert operations with William Mitchell Prof. A. John Radsan on "Iran: What Should the United States Do?" at Solera Restaurant on Tuesday, December 4th at noon. Radsan, the founder of William Mitchell's on-campus National Security Forum, was a federal prosecutor and assistant general counsel to the Central Intelligence Agency. CAE says Radsan's view is clear: "U.S. policy toward Iran... should 'go over to the dark side' and entail a 'multi-layered plan of aggressive actions.... Our most aggressive actions -- for now -- should focus on covert actions by the CIA.' Such actions 'could increase support for dissidents and separatist forces within Iran, thereby attacking the infrastructure of the regime's global sponsorship of terrorism and other disruptive activities.'" But what about the risks to American interests in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq, and from tossing more cash to Sunni fundamentalist militant separatists? It's a fascinating subject, and merely $25 for members, $30 for non-members. Contact Peter Zeller via email, online, or at (612) 338-3605.
We were deeply disappointed to hear from MinnPost that one-half of the Star Tribune's editorial cartoon team has been cut loose by those Generalissimo Avista Capital geniuses. Kirk Anderson's Banana Republic: Adventures in Amnesia cartoons are sailing into the sunset. Pungent, relevant, a little crude but always squarely centered on the pompous kafkaesque insanity of America's 21st century Banana Republic. Your Web Editor liked reading the cartoon while lunching at Mickey's Diner, only to see another terrible crisis of torture and squirrelly Democrats unfolding at "Miguel's Diner." As Brian Lambert put it, "Obviously the quarter page the Strib had been giving Anderson will not go to a Denny Hecker ad -- (but let's not give them ideas) -- and most likely will be filled with... well what? More deep thoughts from Debra Saunders and Jonah Goldberg?" Probably. The next step would be Steve Sack's mighty pen replaced with syndicated Mallard Fillmore strips. Another great move for circulation, Avista. (And where did the Boondocks go? Weak.) [SARAH disagrees: Anderson's cartoons were simplistically screedy, rarely funny and an embarrassment to the paper. The institutional cartoonist, Steve Sack, may be a leftie like Anderson, but Sack is brilliant, original and funny...and the last man standing in the state of Minnesota to do local political cartoons. Sack is an underappreciated local treasure.]
Twin Cities Open Circuit, a group focusing on tech solutions for social progress, is starting to take off. The next Open Circuit meeting is Sunday, November 18th at Common Roots at 3 p.m., at 26th and Lyndale Avenue South. There will be a presentation of new open source technologies dubbed "Short Circuits" on December 1st at Acadia Cafe at Franklin and Nicollet Aves.
Lobbyist Watch
From the Minnesota Campaign Finance & Public Disclosure Board:
Setting The Record Straight
We had a bad link to House Minority Leader Marty Seifert's (R-Marshall) grand chart of House committees. The PDF is now located at politicsinminnesota.com/files/novcommitteeschart.pdf.
Morning Reports
