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

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. 

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." 

Tuesday midday news digest: yellow-rumped Powerball Farm Bill edition

The winning Powerball ticket is held by a middle-aged couple in Waseca County. Congratulations to them. The bad news in Waseca: Another life lost on Highway 14.

In Subsidies at center of fight over farm bill, the Albert Lea Tribune covers the final battles over the Farm Bill. Reporter Sarah Kirchner quotes both Senator Coleman and Congressman Walz in the article:

Farm subsidies, alternative fuels and nutrition are at the top of the list of the constantly changing 2008 farm bill being discussed in Congress, but the No. 1 concern is the president’s threat to veto if there isn’t enough subsidy reform.

“It’s not everything the president wants, but it’s moving in the right direction,” Republican Sen. Norm Coleman told the Tribune. “This bill is important for so many Minnesota farmers and producers it would be a mistake to veto it.” . . .

. . .Coleman said he talked with the White House Wednesday and Thursday, and he made it clear it would be a mistake to veto the farm bill.

“You don’t kill a farm bill because you don’t get everything you want. In the end, it’s about compromise,” he said. . . .

. . .Early last week, the House and the Senate agreed on a tentative $300 billion framework for the farm bill, according to Rep. Tim Walz’s office. Currently the bill is being debated in conference committee due to many unresolved issues.

The conference committee is hoping to reach a compromise between the administration, the House and the Senate, with the goal of passing the farm bill and placing it on the president’s desk this week, according to Walz’s office.

However, the president is still threatening to veto unless the bill includes what he wants.

“It’s either his way or no way,” Walz, a Democrat serving on the Agriculture Committee, said. “That’s making it very difficult.”

When it comes to reforming the farmer subsidies, farmers in 2009 with nonfarm income more than $750,000 will not receive subsidies, Walz said Thursday. Each consecutive year, the income cap to receive subsidies will drop.

However, the Bush administration suggested an income cap of $200,000 for farmers receiving subsidies.

Any farmers with an income more than $950,000 are phased out of subsidies in the current bill, and Walz said the new bill has closed loopholes.

Another reform in the bill comes in the form of direct attribution of farm subsidy payments so no “double-dipping” is done, Coleman said.

“We think we’ve done a good job of adding some of the reform we could get,” Walz said, adding some of the farmers are using the extra income for conservation enhancements.

Both Coleman and Walz said more reform has been made to the subsidy section of the farm bill than there ever has been before, but it still isn’t good enough. Walz said President Bush is looking for fiscal responsibility.

“Nobody here is buying that, and that includes the Republicans,” he said.

While subsidies are the hot topic with the farm bill, Coleman said 65 percent of the bill is for food. That includes a $10 billion boost for nutrition.

Walz said there is more new money for the nutrition program than the other parts of the bill put together. This includes more funding for food banks and food assistance programs.

The recent farm bill also includes legislation making it the largest commitment to conservation than any other Congress has made, Coleman said.

Several billion dollars, according to Walz, are going into renewable fuels with incentives for cellulosic ethanol — which uses more of the corn stalk than alcohol from the kernel.

The 2008 farm bill includes beginner farmer/rancher legislation to help new operations get started and a fresh fruit and vegetable initiative for school meals.

With all the parts and pieces adding up, Walz said he thinks the farm bill is a good bill, and it should go through. Both sides of the aisle have worked together making bipartisan efforts to get the bill through, Coleman said.

Both congressmen said the numbers are there to override a presidential veto, if it comes to that.

Kirchner's article has also been published in the Austin Daily Herald.

In the Rochester Post-Bulletin online opinion section, there's a rousing debate over energy policy going on. The editorial board says that Voters can see through politicians' gas-tax ploys. Letter writers sound off in response to last week's oped piece by the GOP's endorsed congressional candidate in Davis should re-think ideas on oil and Stop thinking that oil is the answer.

The Mankato Free Press editorial board agrees Gas tax holiday a bad idea all around.

The Rothenberg Political Report: Open Season in 2010 mentions Congressman Walz as a possible gubernatorial candidate in 2010:

Minnesota Rep. Tim Walz (D) is focused on re-election this cycle to his 1st district seat, but he’s also mentioned as a future gubernatorial candidate. Walz was swept in with the Democratic wave of 2006, defeating then-Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R) with 53 percent, in a district that Bush carried by 4 points. Former Sen. Mark Dayton (D) is also mentioned as a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2010.

So are Tarryl Clark, R.T. Rybak, Margaret Kelliher, Chris Coleman, Tommy Rukavina and many others. The DFL bench is growing.

We have to admit: blogging here at Bluestem will be light while we work on some projects or head out to catch the North American warbler migration. The latter is one of the great ornithological events on the planet. Tiny birds, males now in their bright spring feathers, fly north from Mexico, Central and South America to their breeding grounds. Often, that means Canada, but they'll dawdle in treetops and brush on the way there.

Early yesterday evening, we saw the usual yellow-rumps, a Northern Waterthrush, Nashville and palm warblers, but few cerulean warblers as well.  Another genus of neo-tropical, the summer resident rose-breasted grosbeak, was carrying on in the trees.

These folks have the goods on recently seen birds, and it's hard not to heed their sightings and head out. Later!

Photo: A yellow-rumped warbler.

 

PB Political notebook: Walz says yes to vets; no to 2008 U.S. Senate bid

In Political notebook: Name recognition not one of Pawlenty's strengths, the Post Bulletin's Matt Stolle includes two Walz-related items:

Veterans legislation

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz was in Rochester Saturday, announcing his intention to introduce legislation called the Veterans Pain Care Act of 2008 in the U.S. House of Representatives this week.

The bill would establish an integrated pain care initiative across the Department of Veterans Affairs health care facilities. Walz said his legislation addresses concerns raised by veterans in the First Congressional District regarding the need for expanding pain care services across the VA. . . .

. . .Walz for Senate?

As former comedian Al Franken's troubles have mounted as a result of revelations he owes $70,000 in unpaid taxes in 17 states, one name that surfaced as a potential Senate alternative is U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, the Star Tribune  reported last week. But a spokesman for the representative denied that Walz was considering such a run. "He will not be a candidate for the U.S. Senate," said Richard Carlbom, the campaign's political and finance director.

Hopefully, the rest of the state will accept this news gracefully.

Don Cazayoux wins Louisiana special election

The  Hill has reported Dems add to majority with Cazayoux win in La., Associated Press notes that Democrat Cazayoux wins congressional seat in Louisiana and the Washington Post, Democrat Wins La. Special Election.

Here's some of what the Hill had to say:

House Democrats continued to expand their majority Saturday night after Louisiana state Rep. Don Cazayoux emerged victorious in a special election for retired Rep. Richard Baker’s (R) district, which had been in Republican hands since 1975.

Cazayoux narrowly beat former state Rep. Woody Jenkins for the 6th Congressional District seat. With all 512 precincts reporting, Cazayoux had 49.2 percent of the vote compared to 46.27 for Jenkins, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State. 

Republicans held the 1st Congressional District, with Steve Scalise beating Democrat Gilda Reed for the seat formerly held by newly-elected Gov. Bobby Jindal. With all 505 precincts reporting, Scalise took 75.1 percent of the vote to Reed's 22.5 percent.

But it was the Cazayoux-Jenkins race that the national parties were watching.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said Republicans failed again to “nationalize” the election by tying Cazayoux to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

“For the second time this cycle, Republicans were reminded that ‘all politics is local,’” Van Hollen said. The in Louisiana came two months after Democrats picked up their first seat of the year. In March, Democrat Bill Foster won the seat of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).

“House Republicans tried to nationalize this election, illegally coordinated with Freedom’s Watch, used false and deceptive special interest smears, and funneled nearly a million dollars into a district that Republicans held for more than three decades,” Van Hollen stated. “Don won by focusing on the concerns of LA-06 voters -- good paying jobs, affordable healthcare, and better education.” . . .

What does that have to do with Southern Minnesota?  We'll have more tomorrow.
            

Schultz Report distorts Senate rumors

We have to wonder when we read passages like this in the post The Schultz Report: Some Minnesota Dems said to be eyeing primary run against Franken:

"Tim Walz is sort of the new darling of the Democrats. Normally people wouldn't think a freshman would try to move from the House to the Senate. But the rumors about him running or being interested in running or being pushed to run were strong enough that he had to go on Minnesota Public Radio to deny that he was going to run for the Senate."

Here's the entire text of MPR's Polinaut post, Walz not considering U.S. Senate run,  published within minutes of  a 10 a.m. conference call's conclusion:

DFL Rep. Tim Walz held a conference call this morning. MPR's Sea Stachura says he is not considering a run for the U.S. Senate. His name popped up after Democrat Al Franken said he owed $70,000 in taxes to 17 states.

Poor David Schultz probably wasn't a party to that call, and doesn't seem capable of listening to the radio, googling for more information, or contacting MPR or the Walz press staff in an act of basic due diligence. He simply has invented the circumstances of the conference call.

Unlike Schlutz, we were a part of the media call. Nearly all of the discussion was about the Farm Bill. At one point, MPR's Stachura asked about the Senate bid rumors (a legitimate question), and Walz explained he wasn't interested; in fact, he was focused on representing the First and on getting re-elected so he could continue to serve the people of the First. The conference call is mentioned here in the Political Party blog at the Post Bulletin and we  blogged about it as well in Walz to reporters: Positive on Farm Bill, negative to 2008 Senate bid.

Here's the report on the Farm Bill that Stachura filed based on the conference call with the press: Rep. Tim Walz says farm bill vote could come next week.

Perhaps the Minnesota Monitor can produce a tape of an MPR broadcast in which Walz is declaring he's not running and evidence that Walz went on MPR specifically to quash the rumors. Funny, but we can't seem to locate any, while the conference call we participated in was a weekly, regularly scheduled press call.

If Schultz's commentary is based on the answer to Stachura's press call question, the post at MinMon should be corrected. It's third-hand interpretation, with no documentation--and an inaccurate account. 

The Schultz Report may be the new darling at the Minnesota Monitor, but Dave Schlutz's account of Walz's response and the circumstances that generated it has no particular relationship with reality.

 

Post Bulletin: Nap time for Olmsted County GOP?

Via Politics in Minnesota, we find this questioning headline in the Rochester Post Bulletin: Olmsted County Republicans asleep at the switch?

Here's the lead:

During her years in the Legislature, former state Sen. Nancy Brataas never had a reputation for biting her tongue when she had something to say.

Now Rochester's political grand dame is raising her voice anew, warning of the growing influence of what she calls "right-wing" extremists in the area Republican Party.

Yet other GOP leaders see the issue differently. They say the party is simply being rejuvenated by the introduction of new blood and new ideas.

At issue is the growing political muscle of area supporters for GOP Texas congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul. The tension between those views reached a flashpoint last weekend when Republicans endorsed Jacob Dettinger, a local businessman and Paul supporter, for House District 30A. The seat is now held by DFL Rep. Tina Liebling.

Brataas calls what happened at Saturday's endorsing convention an "absolute travesty." Out of 50 delegates eligible to be seated, only 19 attended, she said. Dettinger eventually won the party's endorsement to represent a district of more than 32,000 people with 11 votes.

Read the whole article. There's also an interesting companion article, War of words, philosophies at root of GOP rift, in which we find an explanation for the low turnout at the endorsing convention.  It sounds like there aren't enough Republicans activists to go around in Rochester:

. . .Yet, area Republican leaders say there is a simple explanation for why the convention was so poorly attended. The race for the endorsement was uncontested. There is less motivation to attend a convention when the outcome is preordained.

Duane Quam, chairman of the GOP First Congressional District, says there also were competing political activities going on at the same time. Statewide campaign activities for GOP Sen. Norm Coleman's reelection were scheduled for the same time. So with the conventions for Dettinger and Johnson considered noncompetitive, supporters of the candidates were instructed to participate in the Coleman activities rather than attend the convention, Quam said. . . .

Some more tidbits from the second article:

. . .since receiving the GOP endorsement for House District 30A, Dettinger has found his views on the receiving end of critical remarks by former state Sen. Nancy Brataas.

Brataas, the state's first elected woman senator who served from 1975 to 1992 and who identified with the party's moderate wing, emphasized that her criticisms should not be viewed as personal attacks. But she believes Dettinger and other supporters of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul are filling a political vacuum created by the fact that area Republicans aren't paying attention. . . .

. . .Dettinger, owner of two Erbert and Gerbert's restaurants in Rochester, is one of two House Republican candidates from the area who support GOP Rep. Ron Paul for president. The other is Jason Johnson, a technology contractor who is running for House District 29B, a seat held by DFL Rep. Kim Norton.

There's been blogosphere chatter about the Ron Paul issue in the Sixth's GOP, but no mention of the complications it's causing in the First.

KAAL-TV: Walz on the economy

Update: KEYC-TV covers the story here (video at link too):

Congressman Tim Walz is floating a suggestion he says could help lower the price of gas. The Minnesota Democrat is among a group of lawmakers calling on President Bush to stop sending oil to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The President has resisted the idea, but Walz says his concerns are unfounded. Rep. Walz says, "He's bought up to 97 percent of that, and most experts agree that if we would stop, our national security issues are not put in any jeopardy, and prices on gas would fall 24 cents a gallon." The reserve was created in 1975 to guard against disruptions to the nation's oil supply; it currently holds over 700 billion barrels worth of crude. [end update]

There's more of  Congressman Walz speaking in the video clip that accompanies this short article at KAAL-TV, Walz Speaks Out on Economy:

The rising cost of gas is forcing Washington to come up with some solutions to ease that pain at the pump.

Minnesota congressman Tim Walz spoke out about the struggling economy. Walz says he is excited to see stimulus checks make their way into mailboxes across the state, but he says more needs to be done.

“This new Congress understands that this is only the first step. That’s why we’re working on the second part of the stimulus package: to address the home loan crisis, to address gas prices, and to address some of the issues facing middle class families, like food prices.”

Walz also stresses that he wants the president to stop buying into petroleum reserves. Walz says this move will drop gas prices by as much as 24-cents a gallon. . . .

Walz to reporters: Positive on Farm Bill, negative to 2008 Senate bid

Update: It's worthwhile to read our May 2 post to read how one new media outlet played this story.[end update]

Congressman Walz just concluded a district press call that focused on the status of the Farm Bill. We'll be doing so reading about the legislation and will try to put Walz's remarks in context with other news reports. As the bill stands right now--and Walz stressed that the bill's language is fluid--it sounds like Minnesota will get some good news for prairie pothole wetlands, acreage flexibility, cellulosic energy research, and beginning farmer programs.

The press asked again about the possibility of a Senate race. Walz was firm about this: he is absolutely not going to be running for U.S.Senate this year, and considers his re-election bid for his congressional seat to be a job performance review.

Kind reminds me of an old country song.

When asked about the status of the Franken campaign itself, Walz said that his attention had been focused on the Farm Bill, updating the G.I. Bill, and next week's war supplemental bill.  What a concept: minding the people's business.

We'll be back with more Farm Bill news in a bit. In the meantime, head over to the Southwest corner of the state and read the Corner House Comments post about McCain’s Attempt to Sabotage The 21st Century GI Bill. That should steam your butterbeans!