The Rochester Post Bulletin reports Michelle Obama to campaign in Rochester on Monday morning. We share the Cornerhouse Comments' sentiments. She demonstrated what a class act she is the other night on Larry King in this (and other) exchanges:
"What do you make of her running for a vice president and having many kids and being a good parent and bouncing all the balls?" King asked.
"I think she provides an excellent of example of all the different roles that women can and should play," Michelle Obama responded. "I'm a mother with kids and I've had a career and I've had to juggle. She's doing publicly what so many women are doing on their own privately. What we're fighting for is to make sure that all women have the choices that Sarah Palin and I have."
That's the sort of civility that former congressman Tim Penny and his son Marcus praise in their commentary in the Waseca County News about disagreeing without being disagreeable (they agree about the need to re-elect Tim Walz).
Looks like there's more good news for Democrats in Minnesota. CQ Politics reports in Dems Gain in CQ Politics' Four Senate Rating Changes:
Minnesota Senate (New: No Clear Favorite. Previous Rating: Leans Republican)
The Minnesota contest features idiosyncratic nominees in both major parties. Republican incumbent Coleman is a former Democrat who in 2002 very narrowly defeated former Vice President Walter F. Mondale, who stepped in as a replacement after two-term Democratic Sen. Paul Wellstone, a liberal icon, died in a plane crash just days before the election. Democratic challenger Franken, a well-known comic, is a longtime liberal activist making his first bid for public office. Throw in an unusually strong third contender in Independence Party nominee Dean Barkley — briefly an appointed senator following Wellstone’s death in 2002 — and all the ingredients for an unpredictable race were in place.
Even so, the trajectory of the race has had an unusual number of zigs and zags. Franken, a former Saturday Night Live writer/performer and former Air America radio host, nearly saw his campaign implode this summer when critics raised questions about some of his racier writings during his career as a satirist. He also faced some bad publicity about back taxes.
But Coleman also has faced flak over allegations that he got a sweetheart rental deal from a lobbyist for his Washington, D.C., residence, and more recently over whether he had received and failed to report gifts of expensive clothing.
Yet the precipitating event in Coleman’s recent slip in polls appears to be his vote in support of the controversial financial industry “bailout” legislation last week. A Rasmussen poll released Thursday found that Franken led Coleman 43 percent to 37 percent while Barkley took 17 percent. A recent poll by Minnesota Public Radio and the Humphrey Institute at University of Minnesota showed Franken leading Coleman 41 percent to 37 percent, while Barkley got 14 percent. . . .
And then there's Ash Madia remarkable fundraising in the toss-up race in the 3rd as well as favorable polling numbers. The Star Tribune reports Ashwin Madia raises nearly $1 million in third quarter. It looks as if the Republican party will have to concentrate even more of its resources on the U.S. Senate race and the Third, rather than deploy much in Southern Minnesota against Walz.
In news about the First, Doug Grow at the MinnPost reports Advocates on both sides of gun issue weigh in on elections.
MPR has posted the debate audio at 1st District Debate. The Progressive Economist attended the debate and writes his take in Fannie/Freddie reality. At the debate, we meet the Fillmore County Journal's Tom Driscoll, whose thoughtful features on rural issues and the August 2007 have drawn our praise. Driscoll keeps a fine eponymous (and nonpartisan) political reporting blog that follows races important to Southeastern Minnesota.
We look forward to his report in today's FCJ, as well as that from the Rochester Post Bulletin (it's open now in Walz, Davis wrangle over energy, economy). KEYC-TV reports Walz, Davis Go Head To Head In Debate. The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce provides links to MPR audio and news stories.
The Owatonna People's Press reports Walz, Texas congressman campaign on veterans issues:
Flanked with a number of local veterans at the VFW Post 3723 Wednesday, Walz also accepted the endorsement earlier in the day of the VFW Political Action Committee, a group that tracks members of Congress through their support of veterans issues, national security and military personnel issues.
In the article, Davis's new campaign manager recycles shopworn accusations against Edwards that have been discredited--and were rejected by voters in Edwards' own district when they were brought up by the last failing congressional campaign Spellings managed (for Edwards' opponent). As for Davis and vets? Read one vet's reaction in Brian Davis Sucks on Veterans' Issues.
Some good news for Minnesota's dairy and beef cattle industry. The Worthington Globe reports USDA allows 'split status' for bovine TB in Minnesota. Congressman Walz had urged the USDA to support the measure, which allows for cattle in areas remote from cases of bovine TB in northwestern Minnesota to be shipped across state lines without having the cattle tested for TB.
Michele Obama was also on the Daily Show this week. Here's a clip of Part 1:
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