Politics in Minnesota: The Weekly Report - Vol. 3, Issue 13 - 9/28/2007
The Race To Replace Ramstad
On the DFL side, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) will be in town this weekend to interview potential Democratic candidates to run for the open seat to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN 3). Our understanding is that the list includes Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) and Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-St. Louis Park). Bonoff set up a campaign web site this week.
The DFL may have another candidate in Edina Mayor Jim Hovland. We talked to Hovland yesterday and he confirmed he's "looking at the race and thinking it through." Municipal races are nonpartisan affairs, and some Edina-ite types we talked to had always assumed Hovland was a Republican. While noting he grew up in a strong GOP household in South Dakota, Hovland said he would definitely run as a Democrat. Andy Luger and Hubert Horatio "Buck" Humphrey IV decided against running.
On the GOP side, don't expect much, if any, involvement from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). That group is broke. The latest Federal Election Committee report shows that the NRCC has $1.6 million cash on hand...along with $4 million in debt. The DCCC reported $22.1 million on hand.
Surprisingly, two candidates considered to be in the top tier have said no to a Congressional bid. The two are Sen. Geoff Michel (R-Edina) and GOP National Committeeman Brian Sullivan. The latter was assumed to be the heavyweight in the race, given his own deep pockets and the likely support of the financial GOP heavyweights in the Freedom Club. In case you missed Michel's email announcing he was out, here's a poignant and spot-on comment about not running:
"It would be worth the effort if Congress was an institution that was working well. It is not. The life of a member of Congress is now perpetual campaigning, countless hours on the phone raising money, and incessant travel. Members of Congress seem very busy doing everything but the actual work of the people. I have four young daughters and a wonderful wife. Trading soccer games, piano recitals and dinners at home for frequent flyer miles and long distance phone cards feels selfish to me."Another GOP candidate is Bill Guidera. We don't know much about Guidera other than he's registered as a lobbyist for Microsoft.
As best we can tell, there are three GOP candidates actively working the phones. They are Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Eden Prairie), Rep. Joyce Peppin (R-Rogers) and Rep. Kurt Zellers (R-Maple Grove). This is an intriguing triumvirate because on the major social and fiscal issues (and the votes cast on them in St. Paul), the three are ideologically interchangeable. Paulsen would appear to be the front-runner, and look for him to start nailing down and announcing big name GOP endorsements. However, gender could be a factor.
Will gender matter in this race? We're not sure. The pressure is off, now that each party has a "token" woman, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R- MN 6) and U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN 4). There seems to be more talk of female factor importance in DFL circles, although Simon may be able to negate that, given his personality and voting record. For the Republicans, gender is less of an issue. However, if the DFL puts up a woman, some Republicans we talked to think a white GOP male candidate has a serious disadvantage.
Two other names frequently mentioned on the GOP side, former Rep. and GOP AG candidate Jeff Johnson and Sen. Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove), are far more likely to run for the Hennepin County Commissioner seat being vacated by retiring Commissioner Penny Steele. Finally, Hennepin County Attorney Rich Stanek remains coy about his Congressional ambitions (which has led several reporters we know to conclude that Stanek won't run but is enjoying the courtship).
The Rammer Is Rich
The latest Federal Election Commission (FEC) report shows U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN 3) sitting on a pile of dough. $772,430.56 to be exact. Ramstad has let it be known that he will gladly refund contributions made this year (which appears to be $286,730.91). This is the normal course for retiring politicians (who find that very few people actually want their money back). It used to be that pols could personally pocket this dough or send big checks to others. No longer. The money has to be doled out according to the rules governing any political committee. When we spoke to Ramstad campaign manager, John Magnuson, last week, he was just beginning to review the rules. Besides political candidates, look for Ramstad to make a number of charitable donations, as well.
More Big Changes At The Star Tribune
There were lots of cheers from state GOP intelligentsia this week when Star Tribune Publisher and Avista Capital owner Chris Harte decided that the paper's editorial editor, Susan Albright, had to go. Albright held the job for almost 15 years, during which many Republicans repeatedly chastised the institutional voice of the paper as "being left of the New York Times." While Harte said the decision was not rooted in political differences, we're not so sure. For example, we've heard too many credible people recant stories about Albright getting pressure from Harte to lay off touting a gas tax increase after the bridge collapsed. The ostensible reason is that Harte wants more focus on local issues as opposed to national and international ones.
We're all for that. In your GOP publisher's opinion, the editorial pages have been a disaster the last few years. The always liberal institutional editorials themselves are not the problem. Rather, it's the rest of the section. Nationally syndicated columnists previously published in other newspapers first are irrelevant. The only bright spots have been the letters to the editor, (in particular, the "letter of the day,") and Lori Sturdevant's weekly political column. Plus knowing that most of the institutional editorials about state politics have been written by her. Sure, there are ardent GOP Sturdevant detractors in the blogosphere, but if these detractors took a long hard look at the state issue editorials, there is no other conclusion other than that they've been mainstream and reasonable.
Star Tribune Managing Editor Scott Gillespie will become the temporary editorial pages editor. We have no clue what changes Gillespie will make, but here's hoping that Sturdevant keeps her column and that the paper returns to seeking more local commentary. Whether the paper can get that local commentary is another issue. Much of the best thinking and writing has shifted to the Internet. Complicating that is all the former Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press journalists committed to former Star Tribune publisher Joel Kramer's new venture, MinnPost.com. [We'll have more about MinnPost in the coming weeks. However, worth noting here is that Kramer has raised almost $1 million so far to finance the effort.]
Also this week, the paper announced that Reader Representative Kate Parry is done with that job and will now become a health editor. Unclear is whether there's a new reader's rep. in the paper's future. We certainly hope so. While many papers don't have one, civic affairs minded Minnesota expects one. In the three years she had the job, Parry was slammed for being the paper's apologist. We think there's some merit to that, but given Parry has been a Star Tribune employee beholden to management, apologia was unavoidable. The smarter course is for the paper to bring in an outsider, like the New York Times does.
Meanwhile, among the working reporter stiffs at the paper, morale couldn't be lower. The general consensus is "what has Avista done right since the company bought the paper?" Hiring Par Ridder as publisher was a disaster (and an expensive legal one, at that); there have been two major downsizings; the Vikings land deal blew up; and reporters grumbling about sitting on stories.
However, one moral booster at the paper is the return of Randy Lebedoff as vice president and general counsel. Lebedoff had the job before McClatchy bought the paper and worked for several years as vice president and general counsel of TPT.
A Modest Edina Media Spectacle
A half-dozen media satellite trucks and a half-dozen joker protesters gathered
at the otherwise unremarkable Edina Southdale suburban courthouse as a court
heard the motion to withdraw a guilty plea to disorderly conduct from
beleaguered U.S. Sen. Larry Craig's (R-ID) attorneys. Patrons of the
attached Hennepin County Library drifted by, wondering what all the commotion
was about.
Larry Craig: Whose Waterloo?
U.S. Sen. Larry Craig's motion to withdraw his guilty plea was heard in
a Hennepin County District court room this week.
News reports to the contrary, we think Craig might win this motion.
Your GOP publisher was out of the country and completely unplugged when the
Larry Craig story broke. The only U.S. news she read while she was in Egypt
and Jordan were the mimeographed news sheets printed from an international
Internet news service that were hung on hotel room doors each morning.
Certainly it was amusing to see the men's room at the Minneapolis-St. Paul
International Airport achieve international importance. And, certainly the
only rational conclusion from these news sheets was that Craig was, of course,
guilty of soliciting gay sex in the men's room.
Upon returning to Minneapolis, rather than reading the news stories first, she
pulled up
the
motion (PDF) Craig's lawyers had filed to withdraw the guilty plea. And,
rather than read the motion, she first read the original source documents (the
exhibits):
- From the report filed by Minneapolis Airport Police Investigative Sergeant Dave Karsnia, we learn that putting your carry-on bag in front of you in a bathroom stall is, in and of itself, lewd conduct. Writes Karsnia in his report, "My experience has shown that individuals engaged in lewd conduct use their bags to block the view from the front of their stall." [Remember that next time you're in a stall in a bathroom airport...and never mind that there's no other place to put the bag in the stall.]
- From the transcript of Karsnia's interview with Craig, we learn that Craig was patently offering that if Craig signed a guilty plea, that would be the end of the matter. Said Karsnia, "There'll be a fine. You won't have to explain anything." Further, "[Y]ou're going to have to pay a fine and that will be it. Okay. I don't call the media. I don't do any of that type of crap."
- From the mailed form Craig used to enter a guilty plea of misdemeanor to a disorderly conduct charge, we learn that Craig circled the "I am not" represented by an attorney choice.
These documents also included discussions of eye contact, hand waving under
the stall divider and foot tapping. Maybe all that is a gay code of conduct
about which I know nothing. But the acts, themselves, would easily meet
Disney's standards for a G-rated movie.
This is the stuff that can derail a U.S. Senate career?
Then she read the motion written by Craig's lawyers. Turns out that in 2006,
Idaho's hometown newspaper, the Idaho Stateman, had been investigating
allegations relating to Craig's homosexual activity, "The Stateman's
investigation included such tactics as contacting scores of the Senator's
friends and family, demanding the Senator's FBI file and patrolling bars
and restrooms with the Senator's picture." [Emphasis mine.]
Classy. When all was said and done in the paper's investigation, the best the
Statesman could deliver was a story
"based
on a [gay activist] blogger and three anonymous sources." The paper did
not run the story at that time (it ran after the Minneapolis airport story
broke). [Of note to Minnesotans, the Idaho Statesman editor is Vicki
Gowler, who used to have the same job at the St. Paul Pioneer
Press.]
The applicable Minnesota legal standards on entering a guilty plea are that it
must be "accurate, voluntary and intelligent," and that a defendant may
withdraw a guilty plea if the withdrawal is "necessary to correct a manifest
injustice."
There doesn't seem be anything "voluntary" about agreeing to sign a guilty
plea in exchange for Karsnia not calling the media. That's coercion, plain and
simple.
As for "manifest injustice," Craig has already manifoldly suffered that.
First, from the Idaho Statesman. Writes Gowler, "In a conservative
state like ours, whether our senior senator had has sex with other men was
something I believed our readers had a right to know." Maybe, but only lefties
looking to out a conservative really care. Second, the rest of the media. All
the late night talk show jokes cannot be retracted.
Finally, there's the manifest injustice delivered by Craig's peers. Senate
Minority Leader U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called Craig's conduct
"unforgivable" and forced him to announce his resignation (which Craig has
retracted). U.S. Sens. Norm Coleman (R-MN) and John McCain
(R-AZ) called for Craig to resign. That call speaks not to Craig's conduct and
court proceedings, but rather to Coleman's and McCain's political expediency
needs. Coleman faces a tough reelection battle in 2008, and McCain, of course
is running for President.
The Boise Weekly wondered whether this whole matter was
"Larry
Craig's Waterloo?" We don't This should be a waterloo for
mainstream media, its collective rush to judgment and its eagerness to hang a
conservative Senator. As well it should be a waterloo for pols like Coleman
and McCain, who care only about their own electoral prospects. But, it won't
be.
About the only justice Craig can expect is from one
Hennepin
County District Judge Charles A. Porter, Jr. Appointed by then-GOP
Gov. Al Quie in 1982, Porter enjoys the reputation of being a straight
shooter.
This waterloo is full of losers. The straight shooter will rule for Larry
Craig.
Bits & Pieces
Former Jesse Ventura MnDOT Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg will make it official on Monday and try another run for Congress in the Sixth Congressional District against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN 6). Helping Tinklenberg is former Ventura communications director John Wodele. Already in the race to be the DFL contender is tax lawyer and community bank owner Bob Olson.
Minnesota broadcast execs shared what they learned from the I-35W bridge collapse when the Radio TV News Directors Association met recently here in Minneapolis. The panel included Bill Dallman (KMSP-TV), Jeff Kiernan (WCCO TV), Tom Lindner (KARE 11), Steve Murphy (WCCO Radio) and Lindsay Radford (KSTP TV). The article notes that KARE 11's Lindner was participating in "a traditional family flank steak barbecue" when the bridge fell. We can only hope, on behalf of Lindner's family, that he wasn't in charge of actually grilling the flank steak.
Freshman U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL-MN 5) made Saudi Arabia's Arab News for condemning a weird jab by Rep. Peter King (R-NY 3), who said that there are "too many mosques" in America and that these basically constitute an enemy fifth column: "There are too many people sympathetic to radical Islam... We should be looking at them more carefully and finding out how we can infiltrate them." More troubling is that King is the homeland security adviser for Rudy Giuliani's effort. Giuliani spit back in support of King, which all basically translated to a message that "Muslims in America are a certain kind of menace, for which veiled jabs advance our image of crusading righteousness against this internal threat." Ellison was obliged to point out that this is pretty ugly, and for that he deserves praise.
Minnesota Ellison observers note that his second taxpayer-paid-for district-wide newsletter was not printed in four-color, like the first one.
In a recent article by Marketwatch, the Minneapolis-St. Paul area is No. 1 in a study of best metro centers for business. Minneapolis-St. Paul received 329 points, 38 points ahead of second-place Denver.
David Shuster, subbing for Tucker Carlson on MSNBC, says Sen. Norm Coleman's (R-MN) lack of national media coverage isn't the media's fault. On MSNBC's Monday 6 p.m. show [YouTube], Tucker, Shuster said that despite daily interview invites, conservative senators up for reelection like Coleman and Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) routinely decline the spotlight. The answer to this mysterious ducking of unscripted attention, according to Shuster? Iraq. With criticism from the Democrats honed in on Coleman's relentless support of Bush and press releases like this one, Coleman's avoidance of potential liberal broadsides on national television (on an issue where he lacks concrete answers) seems, by most measures, quite wise.
The office of Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak announced that Rybak's new budget plan is focused on public safety. The new budget calls for 18 additional police officers and additional funding for 911 operators, community prosecutors, restorative justice programs, gang-related graffiti prevention, and a barrage of other services oriented toward enhancing public safety. While DFLers seem pleased with the new plan, the MN-GOP released a statement proclaiming that the mayor has "failed again." The main sticking point lies in what GOPers claim to be a "failure to deliver on his promise to restore the number of sworn Minneapolis police officers to 893." The Minneapolis City Republican Committee has placed quite a few yard signs around town telling Rybak to add fifty cops (and a website too).
Mayor Rybak will proclaim "Minnesota Big Ten Network Day" in the City of Minneapolis at 11:50 a.m today. The day will be marked to celebrate the launch of the new national television network dedicated to offering a wide array of men's and women's college sports.
The Republican Party of Minnesota is having its first-ever Issues Conference; to be held in odd-numbered years (replacing the odd-year State Convention). The conference will offer activists with an opportunity to study "issues of interest to the Party," including transportation, the war on terror, health care, and education. The event will be held on Saturday, October 6th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park. To register, click here. The rumor on the streets is that 2008 presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, may even make an appearance.
The Lincoln Reagan Dinner (the 2007 Republican Party of Minnesota's annual dinner) will be held Saturday, October 6th at Trocadero's Restaurant in Minneapolis, hosted by Honorary Chairs Sen. Norm Coleman and Gov. Tim Pawlenty. To join in the festivities, click here.
The University of Minnesota's Stem Cell Institute will be hosting a new series called U Discover Stem Cells. The series offers three sessions: Cancer: The first frontier in stem cell treatment on Wednesday, October 31, Diabetes: Teaching the body to heal itself on Wednesday, November 7, and Cardiac care: Fixing broken hearts on Thursday, November 15th. Speakers will include world-class scientists and the U of M's own physicians. To register for one or more of the sessions (before October 15), call Megan Tucker at 612-626-5680.
Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan and Mayor Rybak spoke in Chicago this Tuesday to the National Summit on Violent Crimes about Minneapolis' youth violence strategy. The event is hosted by the Police Executive Research Forum, the summit will address strategies and lessons learned from Minneapolis’ multiple efforts to reduce youth violence implemented over the last year.
Last week the Blandin Foundation announced several "Light Speed" grants for four Minnesota communities (Hutchinson, Staples, Windom, and Winona County). The communities will receive funds to expand their broadband capabilities in an effort to demonstrate how "ultra high-speed" connectivity can economically enhance rural communities. Efforts like this are good news for those worried about the gradual downturn in Minnesota's rural economy this year. This subject area has been a special focus for the new liberal Minnesota 2020 thinktank; they've got news about it in this article, this article, this article, and this one as well.
Minnesota announced the seven winners of its Vision Awards at its Wednesday evening banquet during the 12th annual Minnesota Development Conference in Brooklyn Park. "The seven winners serve as positive role models and champions in their respective fields," said Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Dan McElroy. The seven winners are: Catherine Jordan, John Ostrem, Yvonne Cheung Ho, Sharon Bredeson, Trish Taylor, Mike Valentine, and Judy Mortrude.
Rep. James Oberstar (DFL-6) announces Northstar Commuter Rail Project grant. This release from Monday says that the $5.6 million grant will help secure an easement from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad to permit commuter trains on their tracks between Minneapolis and Big Lake. The Department of Transportation is in the final stages of reviewing the Northstar project's request for matching federal funds. Oberstar is optimistic that the grant will be approved.
Rep. James Oberstar (DFL-6) will be hosting the Forum on Transportation and Technology titled "Our Nation's Transportation Infrastructure: Heading Toward a Crisis?" on Monday, October 8 from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Radisson University Hotel in Minneapolis. Also scheduled to speak at the event will be U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former U.S. Rep. Bud Shuster (R-9).
Rep. James Oberstar (DFL-6) blasts Supreme Court rulings on the Clean Water Act. The Supreme Court's ruling (PDF) in June 2006 on two separate cases concerning the definition of "navigable waters" and the Clean Water Act's jurisdiction, overturned the previously wide-reaching jurisdiction and broad interpretation of the Clean Water Act. The definition of what can be considered "navigable" has been significantly narrowed as has the ability of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to regulate "national waters." Oberstar says the changes have resulted in an extensive permitting backlog and up to several years in delays for construction projects (press release). In response, Oberstar has introduced the Clean Water Restoration Act legislation to reverse these Supreme Court rulings, and allow the federal government to enforce the Clean Water Act under the same rules it had operated under for the past 30 years.
A throng of Minnesota House members invite you to join them as they salute Rep. Kim Norton (DFL-Rochester) on Monday, October 8. To RSVP, contact Robert Cline at robertclineaia@charter.net.
The Civitas Conference on Charity will be held September 28-29th. It is a MacLaurin Institute program co-sponsored by the Center of the American Experiment. Join policymakers, practitioners, non-profit leaders, students and faculty for a national conference at the Hubert H. Humphrey Center on the U of M's West Bank campus, exploring the collaboration between government and faith-based organizations in the delivery of social services.
Gov. Pawlenty will be hosting a dinner on October 15th at the Minneapolis Club in South Minneapolis. If you'd like to attend, please RSVP to rsvp@TimPawlenty.com. The recommended donation is $250 per person.
At 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 5th, Youth Against War and Racism, a group of high school students oriented against military recruitment and war, is having a metro-wide planning meeting at the Common Roots Cafe at 2558 Lyndale Avenue South in Minneapolis, intended to build momentum for a school walkout on November 16th. Email against.war@gmail.com for more information.
The Army of None" campaign against military recruitment will come to the Twin Cities from today through September 30th. Magers and Quinn booksellers will host a couple of events with peace activists David Solnit and Aimee Allison talking about their "Army of None" counter-recruitment book. They'll appear at St. Paul's Rondo Library at Dale and University at 1 p.m. Saturday, and Sunday afternoon at the Jack Pine Community Center at 2815 East Lake Street in Minneapolis. More details here.
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