Bluestem Prairie: news about Tim Walz (MN-1)

Saturday morning news digest:penny pinchers' edition

The Red Wing Republican Eagle reports Sarvi sets his sights on Congress.  Sarvi is compared to Walz by DFLers, and today marks his first day as a fulltime candidate.  Go over to Steve's site and show him some greenback love. Consider volunteering.

One of the things Steve will need in Washington D.C. is the ability to pinch pennies, since the cost of living is among the highest in the nation. MinnPost's feature Political penny pinchers: Minnesota's congressional delegation tries to cut living expenses takes a look at the situation:

. . .Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Reps. Tim Walz and Michele Bachmann say they were blown away by real estate prices in Washington, where one-bedroom apartments start at $250,000 and rent averages at $1,100 a month.. . .

. . .In 2006, it cost about $80,000 a year to live in the DC metro area, while the cost of living hovered around half that in Minneapolis.

(The cost of living in Mankato is close to the metro average, a union friend who negotiates contracts in both places tell us.)

Cost cutting
Certainly, members of Congress make plenty of money. The salary for rank-and-file members is $169,300 this year, and that sum is annually adjusted to match the cost of living in Washington. (According to the U.S. Census Bureau [PDF], the median household income in the United States was $48,201 in 2006.)

Walz returned his raise to the U.S. Treasury

While no member of Minnesota's freshman class is poor — Klobuchar, Ellison and Bachmann all have law degrees, while Walz was a high school teacher — they're not independently wealthy like former Sens. Rudy Boschwitz or Mark Dayton, whose net worth was nearly $4 million in 2003. . . .

. . . The Minnesota delegation has also cultivated their own money saving techniques for living in the city. Like Ellison, Walz moved to an efficiency apartment after sharing a place with another member of Congress that cost as much as his mortgage in Minnesota and provided about a quarter of the space.

"It was a hole in the wall," he said.

Walz's assessment?  Typical Tim:

Walz says that all the annoyances that go along with being a member of Congress are "just part of the job."

Speaking of pennies, legislation to change the composition of metals in them is making its way through Congress; the Bush administration isn't happy with the measure. In To coin a phrase, live with it, the Mankato Free Press board gives the administration a thumbs down:

Thumbs down

To the U.S. Mint and the Bush administration for yet another attempted executive-branch power grab.

Article 2, Section 8 of the Constitution explicitly gives Congress the power “to coin Money (and) regulate the value thereof.” Legislation that passed the House Thursday that would change the metallic composition of the penny and nickel — a measure intended to make it cheaper to make those small-denomination coins — is being opposed by the White House in part because it only allows the Treasury Department to suggest a specific composition rather than make the decision on its own.

The measure thus reserves to Congress a power the Constitution allots to Congress. The administration should live with that fact.

The Austin Daily News editorial board writes that The future of ethanol is more than just corn. The Fairmont Sentinel reports Coleman praises farm bill.

Speaking of the Farm Bill, our friend Bruce at the Minnesota Farmers Union (we're a member) sent us a press release praising the legislation:

Minnesota Farmers Union is pleased that the farm bill is moving forward.  It has been in the works for 2 years and on the verge of passing for over 7 months.  People from Farmers Union, in Minnesota and on the National level, have been fighting for our policies for a long time,” said Doug Peterson , Minnesota Farmers Union President.  “It is encouraging that items like Country-of-Origin-Labeling (COOL) implementation, and a funded permanent disaster assistance program, two Farmers Union priorities, are in the bill.”

“This is a great reform bill.  It offers balance on conservation and nutrition and reduces direct payments and offers better risk protection for farmers.  Real reform was achieved by eliminating the triple entity provision and requiring direct attribution for farm payments.”

“This bill also includes much needed funding for nutrition which was increased by $10.36 billion dollars. President Bush is still threatening a veto on this bill, however I think he would be hard-pressed to veto a reform bill that increases food and nutrition funding for the needy.”

Other Farmers Union policies included in the bill are:

$5 billion funded for a permanent disaster assistance program;

An increase of $10.3 billion for nutrition programs

Assistance to food banks increased by $1.25 billion

$365 million  for a fruit and vegetables program;

$1.1 billion for the renewable energy industry;

Creates a loan guarantee program to develop production of dedicated cellulosic energy crops;

Makes COOL implementation mandatory;

Imposes eligibility caps based on the level of farm income;

Increases funding for Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program to protect our natural resources;

$60 million to purchase food overseas to feed people in need;

For the first time there is a Livestock Title that includes non-binding arbitration, interstate shipment of meat, contract reforms and improvement of Packers & Stockyards Act;

Conservation funding increased by $6.6 billion;

7-state pilot program for fruits and vegetables directed at smaller farms and processors; and

Blenders credit for cellulosic ethanol from 51 cents to one dollar per gallon.

“I want to thank both National Farmers Union President Tom Buis and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson for working and fighting so hard for family farmers. I am optimistic that their hard work will pay off and this farm bill gets passed and signed by the President,” said MFU President Doug Peterson .

The farm bill is scheduled to be on the House and Senate floor Wednesday, May 14^th. It is not clear whether or not President Bush will sign the bill.  More details about the provisions of the bill will be available as it moves through the process.

Minnesota Farmers Union is a membership based organization that works to protect and enhance the economic interests and quality of life of family farmers and rural communities.

 

Post Bulletin: Southern Minnesota's congressional delegation on Farm Bill

The Post Bulletin's Ed Felker has the scoop on the response of Southern Minnesota's leaders on the Farm Bill in Delegation pleased with Farm Bill programs  Here's Walz's reaction:

. . .Rep. Tim Walz, D-Mankato and a member of the House Agriculture Committee, saw three priorities included in the bill, including his top measure, a new pilot program to let farmers switch acres to fruit and vegetable programs without permanently losing their eligibility under traditional crop subsidy programs.

The Farm Flex program language would target four or more Midwestern states, though the final details were still uncertain. Walz also won provisions to streamline the enrollment of organic farm acres into federal conservation programs and, with Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., incentives for landowners to rent or sell to beginning farmers and ranchers.

Walz, in a statement, said he was excited to see the bill moving forward after months of deal making. "This bill makes important new investments in nutrition, conservation, rural development and energy programs, and continues to provide a farm safety net that kicks in when crop prices are low, and tapers off when crop prices are high," he said. . . .

Representative Kline is preparing a statement for when the bill comes up next week. Senators Klobucahr and Coleman, both Senate Ag Committee members, support the bill; Coleman

previously said he would work to round up votes to override a veto, and reiterated that stance Thursday. "This process has been about compromise from day one, and the bipartisan agreement reached by the conference committee is a bill that for America that contains significant reforms all sides can agree on," Coleman said in a statement.

A companion article by PB reporter Laura Gossman, Farmers, food banks want farm bill passed soon, looks at local reaction. A couple of responses to the President's veto threat:

Minnesota Farm Bureau president Kevin Paap, a farmer from Blue Earth, thinks the bill fairly balances nutrition, conservation and farm programs.

He's more worried about what might happen if the bill doesn't pass.

"If the bill doesn't pass, there's no Plan B," Paap said. "We need to move on this so we can provide some long-term certainty for our farmers." . . .

Two-thirds of the legislation involves boosts to nutrition programs that benefit food banks.

"We rely on federal foods to feed people in our communities," said Charla Irwin-Buncher, communications director for Channel One Food Bank in Rochester. "It's especially crucial right now because more and more people are in need of our services."

In April, 250 new Olmsted County families started using Channel One, Irwin-Buncher said.

. . ."Every day that goes by is a day that we are being withheld food we could be using," Irwin-Buncher said. "The farm bill has to be passed."

Irwin-Buncher's opinion provides a sharp contrast with mindless pundits who bitch about the bill and hunger.

Ixnay on the apple pie, too? WaPo reports House GOP votes against moms

We've been chronicling the financial and ethical woes of the NRCC and House Republicans for the last few days here at the Bluestem Prairie. And after Congressman Walz mentioned the nuisance votes that House Republicans, we went to Thomas and looked at the frivolous motions to adjourn that were impeding the people's business over the last few days..

But nothing prepared us for Dana Milbank's headline this morning in the Washington Post: Republicans Vote Against Moms; No Word Yet on Puppies, Kittens.  The details:

It was already shaping up to be a difficult year for congressional Republicans. Now, on the cusp of Mother's Day, comes this: A majority of the House GOP has voted against motherhood.

On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day," when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), rose in protest.

"Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote," he announced.

Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who has two young daughters, moved to table Tiahrt's request, setting up a revote. This time, 178 Republicans cast their votes against mothers.

It has long been the custom to compare a popular piece of legislation to motherhood and apple pie. Evidently, that is no longer the standard. Worse, Republicans are now confronted with a John Kerry-esque predicament: They actually voted for motherhood before they voted against it.

Republicans, unhappy with the Democratic majority, have been using such procedural tactics as this all week to bring the House to a standstill, but the assault on mothers may have gone too far. House Minority Leader John Boehner, asked yesterday to explain why he and 177 of his colleagues switched their votes, answered: "Oh, we just wanted to make sure that everyone was on record in support of Mother's Day."

By voting against it?

If Boehner's explanation doesn't make much sense, he's been under a great deal of stress lately.

There's the case of one member of his caucus, Rep.Vito Fossella (N.Y.); the father of three from Staten Island yesterday announced that he has a fourth, a 3-year-old love child with a woman from Virginia. . . .

. . .For the record, Fossella did not participate in the Mother's Day vote.. . .

. . . Boehner has enough trouble to preoccupy him here in Washington, where House Democrats have been passing their agenda with little thought for Republican preferences. "The majority has taken, once again, their go-it-alone policy," Boehner lamented yesterday. "It's time for Democrats and Republicans to work together."

To induce this working together, Boehner decided to stop the House from working at all. As House Democrats tried to pass legislation to ease the mortgage crisis on Wednesday, Republicans served up hours of procedural delays, demanding a score of roll call votes: 10 motions to adjourn, half a dozen motions to reconsider, various and sundry amendments, a motion to approve the daily journal, a motion to instruct and a "motion to rise."

The high point came just after 6 p.m., when, after one of the motions to adjourn, 61 members lined up to change their votes, one by one. Forty-six went from aye to no, while 15 changed from no to aye. The maneuver ate up 28 minutes in all -- and caused an eruption by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who accused the minority of a "filibuster by vote changing."

. . . the dilatory maneuvers continued, and the Democrats finally announced that they would postpone the vote on the mortgage bill until Thursday, thereby pushing a war spending bill to next week.

Finally, Republicans decided yesterday to suspend their shenanigans; it was time to catch flights to their districts. "Never underestimate the desire of members to go home," Boehner spokesman Kevin Smith explained.

They might also need some extra time with their mothers.

For the record, Congressman Jim Ramstad (R--MN-3) joined Minnesota's Democratic Representatives in voting for motherhood after they had voted for it. Representative Bachmann and Kline voted against motherhood after they voted for it.

Will baseball and the flag be next?

Update: Think Progress has the video.

House passes Neighborhood Stabilization Act, 239-188

In his regularly scheduled weekly press conference this morning, Congressman Walz talked about measures designed to provide some relief for the consequences of the mortgage foreclosure crisis now sweeping the country. 

According to the Speaker's office, the House just passed

the Neighborhood Stabilization Act, H.R 5818,[which] will provide $15 billion in loans and grants to states to acquire vacant, foreclosed homes and was passed by a vote of 239-188 The legislation will allow local communities to rehabilitate foreclosed properties, which currently drive down surrounding home properties, and place these homes back on the market.

In Minnesota's House delegation, Republican Jim Ramstad joined the state's five Democratic representatives in voting for the measure. Republican Representatives Kline and Bachmann voted against the measure.

UPDATE: Walz's congressional office has just released the following statement about the vote, along with the American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008:

WALZ VOTES TO ADDRESS HOUSING CRISIS, BOLSTER STATE AND LOCAL ECONOMIES
Congressman says legislative measures are key to protecting middle class families from losing their greatest asset

(Washington, D.C.) - Today, Congressman Walz joined a bipartisan majority of his colleagues in passing a package of bills to address the housing crisis that has contributed to America's economic slowdown and is threatening millions of American families with foreclosure.

Walz said that the two bills, the Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2008 and the American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, are together the most comprehensive effort by Congress to date to address the housing crisis and to help American families hold on to their homes. 

"This package of housing measures will help families facing foreclosure keep their homes, help other families avoid foreclosures in the future, and help the recovery of communities harmed by empty homes caught in the foreclosure process," said Walz.  "These bills are a way to ensure that entire neighborhoods aren't affected by the wave of foreclosures that has swamped many middle-class Americans." 

In a speech this week, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke argued that: "High rates of delinquency and foreclosure can have substantial spillover effects on the housing market, the financial markets, and the broader economy. Therefore, doing what we can to avoid preventable foreclosures is not just in the interest of lenders and borrowers.  It's in everybody's interest."

Walz noted that a recent study examined ten states including Minnesota and concluded that, in those ten states alone, lost tax revenue in 2008 will total $6.6 billion due to foreclosures.  Further, an estimated 524,000 fewer jobs are projected to be created this year because of the foreclosure crisis. 

The Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2008 establishes a $15 billion loan and grant program for the purchase and rehabilitation of owner-vacated, foreclosed homes. The program helps working class families get into the housing market by requiring that homes purchased for resale through the program must be sold to families at or below 140% of area median income.

The American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008 would make middle-class families eligible to receive a tax benefit that is equivalent to an interest-free loan of up to $7,500 towards the purchase of a first home.  Existing homeowners who normally would be able to claim the standard deduction would now be allowed an additional standard deduction for property taxes up to $700 for a married couple filing jointly.

1 Remarks at the Columbia School of Business, May 5, 2008
2 Global Insight, The Mortgage Crisis: Economic and Fiscal Implications for Metro Areas, November, 2007

Photo: Foreclosed home, from MPR.

Club for Stunting Southern Minnesota's Growth scorecard released

We just looked at the The 2007 Congressional Scorecard - House from the ultra-conservative Club for Growth (because everybody wants a little growth, right?), and are not surprised to find that the group's scoring system puts Congressman Walz near rock bottom.

Not only did Walz support the idea of listening to farmers in his district like Kevin Papp instead of Beltway ideologues on farm policy, he also voted "wrong" on other issues as well.

What does the Club for Growth think Walz did wrong?  Supporting fiscally conservative PAYGO rules, for one. Voting for increasing the minimum wage.  Requiring Health and Human Services (HHS) Department to negotiate drug prices with drug companies under the Medicare Part D program.  Voting to override the President's veto on the waters resources bill that provides funding for the Lewis & Clark Rural  Water System. Voting for increased CAFE standards. Expand flood insurance. Wrong, wrong, wrong, the Club for Growth would have voters believe.

When the  Club's starts telling First district voters about how naughty their congressman is, we hope the flood victims, people who want drinking water in Southwestern Minnesota, ag sector employers and workers, and others figure out that the group could use a good rebranding: the Club for Stunting Southern Minnesota's Growth. 

Congressional negotiators will announce a final farm bill conference agreement, 12:30 p.m. CDT today

This media advisory just came our way--the interested public can tune in via the links below:

Congressional negotiators will announce a final farm bill conference agreement  May 8, 2008 at 1:30 PM EDT [12:30 CDT] in 1300 Longworth House Office Building.  The bipartisan, bicameral group will discuss the details of the final bill, which makes investments in conservation, energy, nutrition and rural development while continuing and strengthening farm income protection.

The event will also be webcast on the House and Senate Agriculture Committee Websites at: http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/audio.html or http://agriculture.senate.gov/.

WHO:  Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman, Senate Agriculture Committee
Collin Peterson (D-MN), Chairman, House Agriculture Committee
Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Ranking Member, House Agriculture Committee
Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND), Chairman, Senate Budget Committee
Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chairman, Senate Finance Committee
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member, Senate Finance Committee
Congressman Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), Member, House Agriculture and House Ways and Means Committees

WHAT: Agriculture leaders to announce farm bill conference report
1:30 PM [12:30 PM CDT]

WHERE: Longworth House Office Building
Room 1300
Washington, D.C

In his just concluded weekly press call, Congressman Walz expressed optimism that the bill would become law. Although President bush has threatened to veto the legislation, Walz noted that Senator Coleman would vote to override a veto and that ranking House ag member Bob Goodlatte was working to persuade House Republicans to do so if necessary as well.

Filling in a blank in Strib article about GOP accounting woes

There's a new story in the Strib, State GOP has its own bookkeeping woes. The headline speaks for itself. We found this passage of interest:

A left-leaning blogger tried to ask Carey about the party’s FEC reports at a news conference the GOP called last week to highlight Franken’s problems. Carey dismissed him, saying the press briefing “is something for our credentialed media here.”

Carey did not respond this week to Star Tribune requests for an interview about the FEC filings.

“Just like any political entity, the Republican Party of Minnesota continues to work with the FEC to make certain our filings are in compliance,” party spokesman Mark Drake said in an e-mail Tuesday.

The Star Tribune just can't seem to bring itself to name the blogger and the blog where he posts (basic stuff), so here's goes.  Two Putt Tommy's post is found at Minnesota Blue: A "Hypocrite Of The Week" Nominee:  republiCon Ron.  Check it out for yourself.

We now return to our regularly scheduled blogging.

Tom Cole to House Republicans: NRCC doesn’t have enough cash to “save them”

UPDATE 5/8: Please check below the fold for new revelations in the case of  New York Republican Representative Vito Fosello, whose actions have suddenly put yet another GOP congressional seat into play. [end update]

In light of his lackluster Q1 fundraising, the MN-01 Republican congressional candidate endorsed by his party at the end of March stated that he thought national party leadership would come to his aid financially.

A flurry of recent articles suggests that scenario could be growing increasingly unlikely.

Yesterday, Politico reported GOP leaders warn of election disaster.  Dire news for incumbent House Republicans included such gems as:

Shellshocked House Republicans got warnings from leaders past and present Tuesday: Your party’s message isn’t good enough to prevent disaster in November, and neither is the NRCC’s money. . . .

. . .And in a closed-door session at the Capitol, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told members that the NRCC doesn’t have enough cash to “save them” in November if they don’t raise enough money or run strong campaigns themselves. . . .

. . .Cole’s overall message was clear, said members who sat through the meeting: “If you’re not out doing your own work, and you’re waiting for the NRCC to come in at the last minute and save you, it ain’t gonna happen.” That’s how one lawmaker characterized Cole’s talk, adding that the NRCC is “not going to have the resources” to help all members “and Democrats will have a lot more money.” . . .

If the NRCC can't help its endangered incumbent members who are unable to put together sufficient war chests, we can only wonder about pie-in-the-sky thinking on the part of  a candidate who faces a primary battle with thousands of dollars less than his better known primary opponent.   Neither Republican still standing had a cash on hand balance approaching $100,000 at the end of March, while Walz  had $1 million in the bank and no debts.

And then there's today's report, House GOP rallies at White House:

Seeking to put a spate of bad news behind them, House Republicans headed over to the White House on Wednesday morning, as members gathered for a rally with President Bush. . . .

. . ."It was a lovefest," said Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) of the meeting with Bush.
Bush was introduced by House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and then took questions from members for about 45 minutes, according to GOP aides.

Given that George W. Bush is proving to be the most unpopular American president of modern times, we're hoping word of the bonding spreads from Preston to Pipestone, from Lake City to Luverne and all points in between.  That nice picture of Boehner and Bush should help.   

CQ  Politics reports in GOP tries to regroup:

Losses in two recent special elections combined with prospects for a tough contest next week sent House Republicans scrambling for change — both in words and deeds.

Minority Leader John A. Boehner told his caucus behind closed doors Tuesday that Americans won’t vote for Republicans until they fix their “brand” and convince voters they will fix Washington, according to members who were present.

An open question is whether that effort might also include changes at the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is led by Rep. Tom Cole  of Oklahoma.

Boehner has been unhappy with candidate recruitment and fundraising and angry about the embezzlement of funds by an insider.

Earlier this year, the NRCC discovered unauthorized wire transfers and belatedly learned that audits had not been conducted on its accounts for several years.

The committee ended 2006 with about $990,000 less than its balance sheet showed and ended 2007 with $740,000 less. The FBI is investigating.

Meanwhile, incumbent members have resisted paying their dues to the committee, and many retiring members have been slow to offer to transfer their excess cash — both signs of a lack of faith that victory can be had in November.

The trail of special-election defeats has fed discontent with the NRCC, the bluntest of which came from Newt Gingrich (1979-99), the former Speaker who helped win a Republican majority in 1994 for the first time in 40 years. . . .

Roll Call: Walz so far does not have significant challenge in 2008

Via Nexis, we go behind the subscription firewall at Roll Call and fish out this early-bird assessment about Minnesota's congressional battlegrounds in an article reviewing the Midwest:

1st district

Incumbent: Tim Walz (D)

1st term (53 percent)

Outlook: Likely Democratic

Freshman Walz so far does not appear to have a significant challenge on his hands for re-election in November, despite the Republican lean of his district.

Republicans had trouble settling on one of three candidates this spring. Even though the 1st district GOP endorsed Mayo Clinic physician Brian Davis, state Sen. Dick Day has decided to go against his party and run in the Republican primary on Sept. 9.

In other words, Republicans won’t have their candidate until after the summer and will have a primary on their hands in the meantime. Davis has shown that he’s willing to put his own money into the race, but Day has the benefit of being an elected official.

In a district like this, a GOP primary fight works to Walz’s advantage.

While Davis may have put a bit of money in, it's doubtful that he'll be able to front the sort of bucks that will overcome Walz's enormous cash advantage.   We've noticed that the Walz campaign has held a number of wildly successful fundraisers since the Q1 deadline on March 31, while Davis's campaign is publicly quiet about whatever efforts it may be conducting.

And unlike earlier quarters, there was no press release posted at the Davis blog or by various Republican proxies about Davis's quarterly fundraising, just rather hollow explanations by the candidate to the district press about how the candidate couldn't woo 160 delegates and significant dollars at the same time.

Those who wish to help Walz, either by contributing, or by joining his growing grassroots army, should visit the campaign's web site to learn more.

It's not as if the First is the only congressional battle in the state. The GOP has its hands full, after all.  Roll Call's assessments for the Third and the Sixth:

3rd district

Open seat: Jim Ramstad (R)

is retiring

Outlook: Tossup

Ramstad’s retirement is a major opportunity for Democrats, who have been salivating over his district for years. While this suburban district leans slightly to the right in presidential elections, Ramstad, a moderate, always won by large margins.

Republicans settled early on their nominee: state Rep. Erik Paulsen, a longtime member of the Legislature who so far has boasted great fundraising numbers. However, insiders see him as more conservative than Ramstad, and that could come into play in the general election.

Democrats initially had three candidates going for the nomination, but the party in April endorsed attorney and Iraq War veteran Ashwin Madia. Early on in the race, it appeared that state Sen. Terri Bonoff (D) was going to get her party’s nod, but Madia came from behind with a lot of grass-roots support to win the nomination at the 3rd district convention.

Unlike Paulsen, Madia is fairly untested as a candidate. In the end, the candidate that appears the most moderate — and the most like Ramstad — likely will take this district in one of the most competitive races in the country this cycle.

6th district

Incumbent: Michele Bachmann (R)

1st term (50 percent)

Outlook: Likely Republican

Freshman Bachmann might have an easier time winning this time around, but it may not be of her own doing. Bachmann has made at least two well-publicized gaffes since taking office in 2007.

Democrats have chosen former state Transportation Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg as their candidate this cycle, and he’s more conservative than 2006 Democratic nominee Patty Wetterling. The two Democrats also ran against each other in the 2006 nomination battle.

It’s possible that the 6th district might still be too conservative for a Democrat to take it. But if any Democrat is conservative enough to win, it’s Tinklenberg.

Interesting.  Now we know why the Republican Party of Minnesota uses the Ron Carey Press Release Template.

And we don't look for Steve Sarvi's campaign to slumber in the Second.  Rather, should the Iraq War veteran raise significant funds this quarter, the race will be a sleeper that could yield a November surprise for John Kline. Kline's COH is half that held by Walz or Bachmann, and, like Bachmann, Kline is playing absentee representative.

The Big E tells readers how to help Sarvi in the MN-02:  Steve Sarvi - Post-DFL-endorsement interview.  We've met Steve, he's a good guy, pretty down to earth and informed.

For an earlier Roll Call assessment on MN-01, see our post Roll Call: "Republicans failed to recruit a top-notch candidate to face Walz". Update: via the Minnesota Monitor, The Rothenberg Report rates MN-01 as "leans Democratic." 

Post-Bulletin: Pay up, Walz tells Iraq government

In Walz calls for Iraq to pay up, the PB's Washington bureau reporter Ed Felker reports:

Rep. Tim Walz joined fellow freshmen Democrats on Tuesday to demand that any new reconstruction money spent in Iraq be in the form of loans.

At a news conference, Walz, D-Mankato, and others said Iraq must begin spending its oil revenues on national reconstruction and the fuel used by American forces.

"We're losing our treasure, we're losing our youth, we're losing our military, we're eroding our readiness. The least the Iraqis can do is pay their fair share, fulfill their commitment, and let us move forward with the true fight, and that's in Afghanistan," he said.

The issue will come to a head this week when the House is expected to take up a $183.7 billion supplemental war spending bill for the rest of this fiscal year and part of next year. Walz and other freshmen Democrats late last month joined in a unanimous call that reconstruction aid, training and fuel costs be paid out of Iraqi oil revenues. . . .

Felker notes that the President and many in the Senate object to the proposal, according to the ranking member of the House Appropriations committee, Ray LaHood.

Last week, CQ Politics reported in Senators Want Iraq to Shoulder Costs:

The Senate bill’s details were still being finalized, with most lawmakers and aides declining to discuss them. Still, some of the bill’s elements are taking shape.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the first order of business. With the costs of the conflicts rising and the U.S. economy taking a downturn, members from both parties are increasingly talking about the need for the Iraqis, now awash in oil wealth, to spend more to help their country rebound.

Several members of the Senate Armed Services panel would like to shift the burden of funding Iraq’s reconstruction to the Maliki government. Several also want A-Iraqis to pay the U.S. military’s fuel costs, as well as the salaries of former Sunni insurgents who are now helping U.S. forces fight al Qaeda in Iraq.

Those senators, who include Democrats Ben Nelson  of Nebraska and Evan Bayh  of Indiana and Republican Susan Collins  of Maine, would like to see U.S. funds for such purposes be provided to the Iraqis in the form of loans instead of grants. . . .

On April 15, the Star Tribune reported that Coleman joins effort to reduce reconstruction costs in Iraq:

The Minnesota Republican, facing what could be a tough reelection battle this year, joined a bipartisan group of senators Tuesday who are drafting a "sense of the Senate" resolution that would restrict future reconstruction dollars to loans instead of grants.

"I do think it's important with the changing circumstances in Iraq," he said. "This is something that needs to be done."

Coleman, who visited Iraq in January, said the nation currently produces 2.3 million barrels of oil a day. At $100 a barrel, he said, "that's close to a quarter billion dollars a day."

The move reflects a growing consensus in Congress in reaction to the recent reports by U.S. Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker about the fragile military and political gains of the past year's U.S. troop "surge."

Members of Congress in both parties, eyeing Iraq's rising oil income five years after the U.S.-led invasion, are now seeking to minimize U.S. war reconstruction costs, which have totaled $47.5 billion since 2003. . . .

Looks like there's some interest in the concept in the Senate, regardless of what LaHood may have said yesterday.

Update: Here's a letter the 47 freshmen Democrats sent to House leaders asking that U.S. funding for reconstruction, training and fuel in Iraq be required to be repaid out of Iraqi oil revenues, via the Miami Herald:

Dear Chairman Obey and Chairman Murtha,

As you work with our colleagues to craft upcoming spending bills, we ask you to consider language emphasizing the government of Iraq’s cost-sharing responsibility.

With so many competing priorities, from emergency domestic spending to funding for our national security, it is clear that taxpayer dollars will be stretched thin. As you know, with the amount of money that we have spent in Iraq, we could fund virtually every emergency domestic priority in this country, as well as fully fund the war against terrorism in Afghanistan. As new Members of Congress, we hope to be able to return to our districts with news that Congress is asking the Iraqi government to stand up for itself. 

Specifically, we hope that you will consider language in upcoming spending bills that requires the Government of Iraq to take more ownership over the reconstruction projects and training for security forces. Additionally, the Iraqi government should take responsibility for the $153 million per month that the United States Government spends on fuel in Iraq. Both the American and Iraqi people will gain from increased involvement of the Iraqi government in these endeavors.

Whether our colleagues support or oppose the Iraq war strategy, we can all agree that when it comes to the $600 billion in American taxpayer dollars that we have spent over the last five years, we must find another way.  American taxpayers are spending $339 million a day in Iraq. The amount of money we spend in Iraq each day could house 48,000 homeless veterans, hire over 2,000 new Border Patrol guards for a year or give 2.6 million uninsured Americans access to health care. We write to you in the hopes that you will agree that it is time for us to pursue this issue in a more fiscally responsible manner.

Sincerely,

Ron Klein (FL-22), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Chris Murphy (CT-05), John Yarmuth (KY-03),Hank Johnson (GA-04), Keith Ellison (MN-05), Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01),Harry Mitchell (AZ-05), Albio Sires (NJ-13), Paul Hodes (NH-02),Steve Kagen (WI-08),Mazie Hirono (HI-02),Kathy Castor (FL-11),Kirstin Gillibrand (NY-20),Joe Sestak (PA-07),Jason Altmire (PA -04),Tim Mahoney (FL- 16),Brad Ellsworth (IN-08),Bruce Braley (IA-01), Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23), Phil Hare (IL-17), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Nancy Boyda (KS-02), Steve Cohen (TN-09), John Sarbanes (MD-03), Laura Richardson (CA-37), Nick Lampson (TX-22), Tim Walz (MN-01), Patrick Murphy (PA-08), Chris Carney (PA-10), Mike Arcuri (NY-24), Andre Carson (IN-07) Betty Sutton (OH-13), Charlie Wilson (OH-06), Bill Foster (IL-14), Jackie Speier (CA-12), Dave Loebsack (IA-02), Yvette Clarke (NY-11), Heath Shuler (NC-11), John Hall (NY-19), Jerry McNerney (CA-11), Peter Welch (VT-AL), Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-08), Zach Space (OH-18), Nikki Tsongas (MA-05), Joe Donnelly (IN-02) Baron Hill (IN-09).

Second update: A kind friend just forwarded a statement from Nancy Pelosi that looks as if the concept of Iraq helping to pay for its reconstruction will be included in the supplemental funding bill

Pelosi Statement on Supplemental Funding Bill for Iraq and Afghanistan 

Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement in advance of the House's consideration of a supplemental funding bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan later this week:

"President Bush insists on war without end in Iraq, but Democrats in Congress stand with Americans who want to bring our troops home responsibly, safely and soon, and with taxpayers who believe that the Iraqi government must begin to pay its fair share for the reconstruction of their country. 

"With Americans confronting an economy teetering on the brink of recession and struggling to afford rising prices, we are extending unemployment benefits for those searching for work and supporting a new GI Bill to help make the veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan part of our economic recovery.

"Democrats are putting rebuilding America on par with the President's priorities.  We have crafted an Iraq plan the President should sign-and one that makes the economic needs of the American people a priority once again."

Update #3: The Washington Post has more on the supplemental in Democrats Link Wishes to War Funding: Proposal Includes Troop-Withdrawal Timeline and Money for Veterans' Education.