Xcel Energy will seek regulatory approvals to develop a 201-megawatt project in southwestern Minnesota's
Nobles County, called the Nobles Wind Project, and a 150-megawatt
project in Dickey and McIntosh counties in southeastern North Dakota,
called the Merricourt Wind Project. The projects are expected to be
operational by the end of 2010 and 2011, respectively. Together, the
projects will produce enough electricity to power approximately 110,000
homes.
Congressman Walz praised the project:
"Xcel Energy's
innovative project is one piece to the solution of moving our nation to
energy independence. This is a great example of how green jobs will put
people to work in our communities while producing clean and renewable
energy to power our country."
Back to campaign news. It's Halloween, and we're hearing grim rumors from the right side of the district. In honor of the walking dead, a classic from Concrete Blonde:
Minnesotans Say Dr. Brian Davis’s Call to Cut Minimum Standards of Health Care is “Scary, Even For Halloween”
( Mankato and Rochester , Minn. ) – A group of southern Minnesota residents held press conferences today to say that they are sending a letter to Republican Congressional candidate Dr. Brian Davis to express concern about his call to eliminate certain health insurance requirements, like those in Minnesota that require treatment for specific diseases.
Dr. Davis has repeatedly said that Minnesota ’s minimum standards of care for health insurance companies—which require the treatment of diseases like diabetes and alcoholism, as well as cancer screenings—are responsible for driving up the cost of health care. As a result, Dr. Davis has called for fewer of these requirements.
"I don’t agree with Dr. Davis that Minnesota ’s health insurance requirements ‘take away choice,’” said Mary Bliesmer. “These minimum standards prevent insurance companies from taking advantage of people. Dr. Davis is on the side of the insurance companies and eliminating laws that require coverage of lifesaving treatment is pretty scary, even for Halloween.”
“We’re fortunate that here in Minnesota , we’ve got laws that protect people by guaranteeing that their insurance companies will cover important treatments and services,” said Becky Cole from Mankato . “Dr. Davis said we should eliminate many of these protections, and that worries me.”
“Real cost savings in health care come with reduced physician error, government negotiated drug prices, payment reform that rewards outcomes over volume, and inter-operable medical records to reduce duplication, and improve case management,” said State Senator Kathy Sheran of Mankato. “I am disappointed Dr. Davis offered as his center piece of health reform a proposal that increases the insurance company’s control, and restricts the power of the people to set minimum expectations for health care coverage.”
“We cannot keep tweaking a broken system of health care, and that is my primary disagreement with Dr. Davis,” said Dr. Syl Sterioff. “His suggestion that eliminating some of the requirements Minnesota imposes on insurance companies will be transformative is the wrong focus.”
“These minimum standards of care help protect people from being taken advantage of by their health insurance companies,” said Colleen Clark, a nurse. “ If Dr. Davis wants to cut back on them, that’s pretty important for voters to know.”
“In Minnesota , our laws help make sure people will get the health care they need,” said Wes Urevig, of Rochester . “The Star Tribune said that Dr. Davis’s years as a physician ‘apparently haven't inspired passion for fixing the nation's health care system or deep insights.’ I think that we can do better, so I’m supporting Tim Walz.”
Davis: We Need Fewer State Mandates. “We need to have fewer state mandates so we can have a more uniform market across the country.” [Fairmont Debate, 10/2/08]
Davis: State Mandates ‘Take Away Choice.’ “It would make a lot of sense if there was some uniformity in what are mandated things to cover and what aren’t in a particular health insurance policy. The more that a state does that, the more that they take away choice.” [Minnesota Debate, 10/13/08]
Davis: We Need Uniformity In State Mandates: “I think that how we’re going to reduce health insurance costs is that we [are going to] have some uniformity across state lines, so that you can buy insurance in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and have some uniformity of coverage.” [Minnesota Debate, 10/13/08]
Davis: Minnesota’s Health Insurance Mandates Drive Up Costs: “Because Minnesota has more requirements than any other state, Maryland is second, that does help drive up some of the cost of health insurance.” [KSTP debate, 10/12/08]
Minnesota’s Health Insurance Mandates Cover Treatment for Alcoholism, Diabetes and Cancer Screenings. Minnesota’s health insurance mandates cover a variety of treatments and services, including alcoholism, diabetes, bone marrow transplants, and cancer screenings [Council for Affordable Health Insurance, http://www.cahi.org/cahi_contents/resources/pdf/HealthInsuranceMandates2008.pdf; Minnesota State Statute, Chapter 62A, https://webrh12.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=62A]
Davis Would Cut Health Care Costs By Allowing Insurance Companies To Not Cover Certain Illnesses. “Davis also said that he would work to reduce health care costs by introducing market competition in the insurance market and eliminating state regulations that mandate coverage for certain illnesses and conditions.” [Rochester Post-Bulletin, 9/15/2008]
Star Tribune: Davis Has No ‘Deep Insights’ Into Health Care. “His years as a physician apparently haven't inspired passion for fixing the nation's health care system or deep insights. His standard-issue proposals contrast unfavorably with the fiery expertise of his boss, Mayo CEO Dr. Denis Cortese, who campaigned nationally this year for systemic overhaul.” [Star Tribune editorial, 10/27/2008]
Photo: (Above) Seriously, Murray, one of 15 black cats available for adoption at the Winona Area Humane Society, isn't scary. In today's Winona Daily News, we read: ""They're not bad luck," says Deborah Stowe, Humane
Society vice president. "They need a home, too." " Please consider adopting a shelter kitteh, especially a black one, since superstition makes them hard to place. Photo from Winona Daily News.
Update: We have no idea what G.R. Anderson was smoking when he wrote his Minnpost article which posits this race as a model of civility. Sounds like neither he nor Hamline prof David Schlutz has ever seen a Davis television ad or press release or read any of the district dailies
Since Davis doesn't have any money to advertise in Twin Cities' media markets, it's quite likely neither has. Trust them: they're experts. Joel Kramer pays good money for this tripe? [end update]
After months of preparation — both in and out of the
classroom — Dakota Meadows and Mankato East hosted mock elections on
Thursday. Dakota Meadows’ election, coordinated through National
Student/Parent Mock Election, was decidedly in favor of Obama, who
garnered 347 votes to McCain’s 153. In the U.S. Senate race, Franken
won by just eight votes while Tim Walz, in the U.S. House race, won in
a landslide with 75 percent of the vote. Results from Mankato East’s
mock election, through the Youth Leadership Initiative, weren’t
announced until this morning.
Al Franken made a campaign stop in Mankato today.The senate candidate
was joined by Congressman Tim Walz and Senator Amy Klobuchar at
MSU.During ''For the Middle Class, For a Change'' rally, Franken said
he plans on helping Minnesotans and Americans reach for what he called
the ''promise of America,'' something he says has become a distant
reality over the last 8 years.Al Franken says, ''What I believe is that
what this election is about and what the next 4-8 years are gonna be
about is bridging that chasm and fulfilling once and for all the
promise of America.''The team started their campaign earlier in the day
with stops in Rochester, Owatonna, and Faribault.
He’s an opponent of abortion and gay marriage, is
doubtful that fossil fuel consumption is the primary reason for global
climate change and opposes embryonic stem cell research. He wants to
make the Bush tax cuts permanent, would like to eliminate the estate
tax and would be interested in studying a nationwide sales tax as a
replacement for income taxes.
Davis's pivot makes this statement in the MFP profile all the more ironic:
“Minnesota is a great place, and a lot of people look
at the candidates for who they are,” he said. “And they may not agree
with them on every issue, but they feel they can trust that person to
be straight with them
And we suspect that those in Southern Minnesota's renewable energy industry will raise their eyebrows at this, given the importance of the production tax credit:
He also said he’s opposed
on principle to the numerous tax credits available to individuals and
businesses, something he considers government micro-managing of the
economy.
And when it comes to PAYGO, in Brian Davis's world, evasive is the new straight shooting:
Davis also doesn’t say whether he would
support the pay-as-you-go budget rules — a strategy to reduce budget
deficits by requiring that any new spending increases or tax cuts be
offset with spending cuts or tax increases in other parts of the
budget: “That’s one strategy.”
The companion profile for Walz, Walz hasn't slowed down, was published in yesterday's Free Press
. . .In his first term in the
United States Congress, Minnesota’s First District Representative Tim
Walz has earned the support of two nonpartisan environmental groups,
the League of Conservative Voters and the Sierra Club. Both
organizations are endorsing Walz for a second term.
LCV President Gene Karpinski said,
“Congressman Walz has done a great job of reaching across the aisle and
working with other freshmen members of congress to promote bi-partisan
legislation that will make a real impact on the environment and the
economy. He has bright new ideas for his next term and will continue to
be a strong ally for clean energy in Congress. He has supported
groundbreaking initiatives that will end our addiction to oil, invest
in renewable energy sources and create jobs right here at home.”
I hope others will join me in voting for Walz so that he can continue this good work.
The
Republican Party’s endorsed candidate, oncologist and neophyte
politician Brian Davis, has not gained much traction against freshman
Walz. The incumbent has a serious financial lead in the district, which
runs the width of the southern part of the state.
The 2008 race stands in sharp contrast with that of 2006. CQPolitics and other political handicappers have moved their predictions steadily toward the incumbent as this year's Election Day draws near. Two years ago, the race was red hot, with media and third party groups drawn to the district as Gutknecht and Walz duked it out. This year? Barely on the radar.
In the netroots, Jeff Rosenberg revives his analysis From the archives: Walz’s secret to success in CD1. It's a solid piece, though we tend to shun labeling anything about successful campaigns as "secret." It's no secret that the Walz camapign is smart, strategic, well-funded and firmly planted in the grassroots.
Alex Knutsen has been hard at work for months working to re-elect Congressman Tim Walz
in the first district. He considered jobs in the corporate sector, but
is confident that his choice to work for a campaign following
graduation was the right decision. He says this job has taught him
that, "compensation for the effort you put in comes in many forms."
Between the long hours and grueling schedule, especially as
campaigns make their last push before voters hit the polls, Knutsen
finds many aspects of his work rewarding. "[The knowledge that] the
work I do directly contributes to the encouragement of ideas, to the
empowerment of others, and to the process of making laws work for
people, means more to me than the sort of rewards I saw myself earning
in any number of positions," Knutsen said. He says he receives
intangible rewards from his daily work all the time. "In this job," he
said, "those rewards greatly out-value anything money can buy."
Looks like Congressman Walz is helping to grow the bench of positive, progressive political talent in Southern Minnesota.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced Thursday that 399
Southern Minnesotans have not yet claimed their economic stimulus or
regular refund checks.
First District Congressman Tim Walz urged
taxpayers still waiting for IRS checks to update their addresses so the
IRS can send them out.
"If you haven't gotten your check yet, the
time to act is now - the IRS needs your updated address by Friday, Nov.
28," Walz stated in a press release.
Brown County residents who
have not yet claimed stimulus or refund checks include Sleepy Eye
residents Waldemar and Jean Harmening, James J. Hernandez and Garrett
M. Meyer; plus Springfield resident Cory B. Prescott.
Addresses can be updated with the "Where's My Refund?" tool at IRS.gov.
It enables taxpayers to check the status of their refunds.
Taxpayers must submit their Social Security number, filing status and amount of refund shown their 2007 return.
The tool will provide the status of their refund and in some cases, provide instructions on how to resolve delivery problems.
Taxpayers without internet access should call 1-866-234-2942.
In Minnesota, the average economic stimulus check was $560.
Taxpayers
who continue to have trouble receiving their checks or have other
outstanding issues with the IRS should contact Walz's Rochester office
at 507-206-0643.
Through September 2008, the government
distributed 116 million economic stimulus payments. About 279,000
checks remain undeliverable across the country.
The Waseca County News reports that convicted Enron exec Jeffrey Skilling has left the building and has been transferred to a correctional facility in Colorado. FCI Waseca is converting to an all-women's prison by the end of the year.
And in honor of those middle school kids, here's a Walz ad about "Lessons":
Photo: Congressman Walz visits his old classroom; photo credit New York Times.
The
Republican Party’s endorsed candidate, oncologist and neophyte
politician Brian Davis, has not gained much traction against freshman
Walz. The incumbent has a serious financial lead in the district, which
runs the width of the southern part of the state.
The ever-sharp McPherson Hall of Minnesota Central writes in Club For Growth TV Ad for Doctor in the First District that that ad hasn't been aired--nor have many others. He contrasts the First's political ad environment with that in 2006:
. . . unlike last election where there were a number of independent groups
(such as Chamber of Commerce) running television ads in the First
District supporting Gil Gutknecht, that this year they are absent ? . . .
Our favorite retired accountant worries that Walz supporters will gain a false sense of security:
. . .The evaluation of the District’s newspaper editorial boards is that
Moderate Everyman Tim is deserving of a second term and that the
unabashedly conservative, political novice Dr. Davis is the one that is
out of sync with the district.
So is the election is over, right … hardly. Unlike
other states, Minnesota does not have an early election period … as the
media continues to report that Obama will win Minnesota’s electoral
college votes and voters see long lines at the polling booths, there is
the temptation to turn back when the lines begin to expand. Apathy is
Walz’s main challenger … and the lack of independent expenditures lulls
the voter into a state of [complacency].
That could be so--but we have to believe that the importance of the up-ballot choices will stoke voters' drive to go to the polls--and the Democratic GOTV efforts across the board are in overdrive. Photo: Our little friend Felix isn't old enough to vote, but once he learned about the complacency of the frontrunner's supporters in the 1948 election, he's been putting in triple shifts at the local DFL phonebank.
Fifty-two years ago today, our father stopped by the maternity ward of Mankato's Immanuel Hospital to see our mom and us, then went back out to canvas the streets of the Key City for Dwight Eisenhower's re-election campaign.
Since then, attitudes about fathers' roles in birthing have changed. We don't know any man who wasn't at the side of the mother of his child--with the exception of a couple of guys in the Army and National Guard, who weren't happy at being away but understood their duty.
But the crunch time of GOTV has remained a constant companion on our birthday in even-numbered years. We urge everyone to get out and volunteer--whether by phone banking, doorknocking, stufing packets, or making food for the hordes of volunteers who are giving their time in this important election.
There will be work to do on Election Day as well; one task is driving voters to the poll. If you're civic minded but not into political parties, consider volunteering for this GOTV work. Non-profits in Minnesota can hook you up with non-partisan GOTV volunteer opportunities.
We wouldn't want anyone to have to give that greedy cat a burger in order to exercise his or her right to vote.
Minnesota's Democratic nominee for U.S Senate, Al Franken, will be on
campus today along with fellow Democrat Tim Walz, a candidate for the
House of Representatives.
The event will take place at 3 p.m. in the Minnesota State Centennial Student Union Ballroom.
John Rassieur of Owatonna, Carl Witty of Kasson and Laura Askelin of
Rochester participate in a press conference Wednesday in Owatonna to
support Congressman Tim Walz, and to criticize a national sales tax
supported by Walz’s Republican opponent Dr. Brian Davis. Walz was not
in Owatonna Wednesday to participate in the press conference, but will
be appearing with Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken at 11:45
a.m. today at the Owatonna Elks Club.
Rep. Michele Bachmann is now notorious for her appearances on cable
TV news programs, having sparked significant controversy with her
recent “anti-America” statements on MSNBC. But as Politico reports,
Bachmann, a Republican, has done 23 major television appearances since
the beginning of September — far more than any member of Minnesota’s
congressional delegation. How does a freshman Congress member from the
minority party find herself in the limelight so often?
Easy. You and I pay for it.
Bachmann has built an impressive communications staff in Washington,
D.C. She has a press secretary for national media, a press secretary
for local media and a “new media director” who harnesses “the
networking and outreach power of the internet.”
According to congressional salary data, none of Minnesota’s Congress
members has more than one press secretary. Minnesota’s most influential
members, Democratic Reps. James Oberstar and Collin Peterson, who chair
the House Transportation and Agriculture committees, respectively, each
have only one press secretary.
Bachmann’s fellow freshman colleagues, Democratic Reps. Keith
Ellison and Tim Walz, each have just one communications lead, and Walz
has combined the communications director and district director
positions into one entity.
"It's an honor to receive the support of Congresswoman Bachmann," Davis
said of Bachmann. "She is a dynamic leader for Minnesota and for our
conservative causes. I value her leadership and advice, her principles
and energy. I look forward to serving with her in the 111th Congress."
No word on whether Davis holds fast to that opinion.
Over the weekend, I read something very concerning. When the Republican
candidate for Congress, Brian Davis, was asked to name a specific way
he would improve education or health care benefits for veterans, he
couldn’t come up with even one idea.
I can’t believe that
someone could run for Congress for over a year and in all that time not
manage to develop a single idea about how to improve veterans’ care. I
have heard how hard it is for veterans to make use of their educational
benefits.
When I returned from Vietnam in 1971, I was able to enroll
in law school without having to jump through all kinds of hoops to get
my benefits as veterans do today. Anyone who has taken the time to talk
to a veteran and get their perspective on these issues would have been
able to come up with an answer to that question. But not Davis, I guess.
[Robert]Youngerman is a retired major in the United States Army Reserve.
Billed as a presentation of Davis's heath care plan, last night's meeting in Albert Lea turns out simply have been a chance for Davis to rally the GOP faithful. Check out the intense excitement rippling across the faces of the faithful.
LaPrensa endorses Congressman Walz; Brian Davis didn't bother to return the four-question survey. The nod joins the long list of endorsements Walz has received.
A comment on the Post Bulletin story about the national sales tax and Brian Davis piqued our interest: the person said that Davis attended Fair Tax meetings:
Brian Davis has att[e]nded Fair tax meetings. Why doesn’t he just come clean and say that he’s for the Fair tax?
We understand that Brian Davis did attend this Rochester event in July. The Minnesota Fair Tax Roundtable, a Yahoo group, notifies readers:
News Release
Minnesota 4 Fair Tax will host a get acquainted meeting at the La Quinta Motel, 1600 So. Broadway, Rochester at 7:00PM on Wednesday, July 9th. We will be doing a Power Point overview of the FairTax, followed by discussion.
Rep. Walz, Brian Davis and Dick Day have been invited to attend.
The FairTax is a proposal before in U.S. House (HR25) to replace the income tax with a national sales tax. Nationally we are faced with many issues, but top priority is our economic future. The FairTax answers that all-important question, and you can learn all about it in
about half an hour. Bring a friend.
David Boone
District Director
Minnesota 1st District
Perhaps the Post Bulletin's Matt Stolle could call Mr. Boone and ask if Davis spoke at the event, and if so, what he said. We are told that Davis did speak to those assembled.
Davis claims that:
"I've said this is an interesting idea. On one occasion, I think I said
it was a good idea, but I wasn't ready to support it. I felt it needed
more study," said Davis . . .
If Davis spoke to the fair tax meeting in July (and it is our understanding that he did), his remark at the earlier forum isn't the only time he has expressed interest.
. . .Right now I am talking face -to-face with 2 Republican contenders against Walz, in an attempt to make the FairTax an up-front issue in the race.
Readers may recall that Davis received the endorsement at the First district GOP convention at the end of March and Randy Demmer dropped out of the race as he had promised to do. Thus, Boone would have been having his face-to-face meetings with Dick Day and Brian Davis.
According to this week's Post Bulletin story:
But another Republican, state Sen. Dick Day of Owatonna, said it has
always been his impression that Davis supported the fair tax. Day ran
for the congressional seat but lost in the GOP primary against Davis in
September. He did not participate in the debate, though.
"I've thought all along that he's been for the (fair) tax. I've
always thought that. I think his supporters would be disappointed if he
wasn't," Day said.
Perhaps Senator Day got the impression that Davis supported the national sales tax from those face-to-face meetings with Boone. One thing is for certain, Davis's assertion that the "fair tax" only crossed his mind once meets the smell test less and less.
Photo: Once again, Davis's explanations are enough to--well, you get the picture.
Al Franken is coming to Rochester on his "For the Middle Class, For A
Change" Tour with a few of his friends, Congressman Tim Walz and
Senator Taryl Clark– And we want you to be there.
Join Al & Tim on Thursday the 30th from 9:00-10:15 am at the
Masonic Lodge in Rochester for a free Get-Out-The-Vote pancake
breakfast. They will be talking about the change that Al will bring to
Washington and how he will be a partner with Congressman Walz. And,
we'll be letting you know about opportunities to help elect Barack
Obama, and the entire DFL ticket.
So join us on Thursday the 30th and don't forget to bring an
undecided friend. The Masonic Lodge is located at 2002 2nd St. SW in
Rochester.
If you can make it or if you have any questions, please let Chelsie know by emailing cglaubitz@gmail.com or calling 507.382.9879.
And what better tune to drift off into sweet dreams of butter and syrup than this 1970s classic:
In one respect, what
residents of southern Minnesota saw in 2006 from candidate Tim Walz was
exactly what they got from Congressman Tim Walz.
The Mankato West High School geography
teacher, assistant football coach and Army National Guard command
sergeant major was constantly on the go as a candidate. Voters rewarded
his energy — and promises to change the way Washington operated — with
an upset victory over six-term Congressman Gil Gutknecht, a Republican.
And during two years in the U.S. House, Walz barely slowed down.
After getting named to two major
committees, the typical number for a member of the House, he lobbied
for a third — ending up on panels dealing with agriculture,
transportation and veterans affairs.
He held more than 170 public meetings in
the 1st District, which stretches across the southern quarter of the
state. He went to grocery stores on Saturday mornings to chat with
residents, he scheduled regular conference calls with any media that
wanted to quiz him on his votes and positions.
He scheduled forums across the district to
get input from farmers as he worked on the new federal farm bill. He
called dozens of experts and constituents in the region when he was
mulling whether to support the $700 billion rescue plan for the
financial services industry.
“That was very much a sense of
responsibility — to add the openness and the accountability,” Walz said
of his attempts to put himself in front of his constituents.
According to the press release:
