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

Friday morning digest: down on the farm edition

KEYC-TV (CBS and Fox) ran two stories about yesterday's event at Kevin Paap's farm. Walz, Peterson Awarded For Dedication To Agriculture was the lead story on Fox:

Good evening and thanks for joining us, I'm Nicole Winters.Area farmers and Minnesota Farm Bureau officials took time away from their crops today to honor two members of Congress for their support of the ag industry.Fox Mankato's Carly Aplin tells us why these lawmakers are being honored...

Rep. Tim Walz says, "It's never about the politics, it's more about the policy."

That philosophy is one of the reasons Congressman Tim Walz and Congressman Colin Peterson are receiving the Friend of Farm Bureau Award.  Kevin Paap says, "That award is based on their voting record, their support of agriculture in the last two years in Washington."

One of the hot topics over the last two years was the multi - million dollar Farm Bill.Kevin Paap says, "You can't [have the ] Chairman of the House Ag Committee on your farm and not talk Farm Bill."President of the MN Farm Bureau Kevin Paap did talk Farm Bill with Chairman Collin Peterson at his farm today where they presented the awards... and talked about the bill that will benefit farmers in the upper Midwest.

Rep. Collin Peterson says, "We got better safety nets for our crops, we got the dairy provisions, exactly what we were looking for..."

Carly Aplin says, "The dozens of farmers and Farm Bureau officials came to the Paap farm today not only to congratulate the Congressmen, but discuss issues they face on a daily basis."

Rep. Tim Walz says, "From high energy costs and fuel costs, to input costs for them and they're also concerned about the ability to get credit because a lot of these farms operate on borrowing in the short term and selling their produce in the end, paying back the loan if that credits not available we can't put the crops in the field."Ag issues will always be a concern for both Congressmen and they agree whoever's elected next year will have plenty to do...

Rep. Collin Peterson says, "We have to keep watching the implementation of the Farm Bill... we'll have plenty of things to do."At the Paap Farm, Carly Aplin, the Fox Mankato News at Nine.

An earlier story, Farm Bureau Honors Walz, Peterson, focused on Congressman Peterson's role as House ag committee chair. 

That was a fun event, with a lot of farmers and their kids enjoying a break from harvest in the impeccably orderly and clean farm shop. One  farmer good-naturedly teased Mrs. Paap about how his own wife wouldn't dream of bringing a pie out to his shop.

In the Winona Daily News, we learn that badmouthing earmarks has consequences in Goodview discusses how to repay $4.28M loan for radium plants:

. . .The city earlier this week obtained a $4.28 million state loan to front the cost of building the federally mandated radium-filtration plants, which are under construction now. Now — for the third straight year — Goodview leaders are eyeing water-rate increases to repay the loan amid uncertainty over a $3 million federal earmark they hoped would cover much of that cost.

Federal lawmakers authorized the earmark in November 2007, but Congress must appropriate the funds before they reach Goodview, which may not happen anytime soon. In today’s economic climate, Congress faces “a very tough budgeting environment” for appropriations like the Goodview funding, said a spokeswoman for Rep. Tim Walz, DFL-Minn.

Mayor Jack Weimerskirch also isn’t holding his breath for the federal earmark authorized last year thanks to support from Minnesota lawmakers such as Walz and Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar. But the money still must be appropriated, and Weimerskirch said earmarks in general are viewed suspiciously by many legislators.

“We look at it as funding of an unfunded federal mandate,” Weimerskirch said. “But it’s still looked at as an earmark, and it has all those dirty connotations.” . . .

Worthington area Republicans tell the Globe that Stolen signs span parties. Apparently, vandals favor swiping signs for those at the top of the ticket: McCain-Palin and Coleman. People are urged to file police reports of stolen or defaced signs.

LTEs for candidates pile up like leaves. A couple highlights: in Tim Walz is a great congressman, Steve Bachler tells the readers of the Austin Herald:

I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Rep. Tim Walz a few weeks ago. I was very positively impressed. He has that rare combination of likability, integrity, intelligence, knowledge and a diligence to work hard for all of his constituents.

Walz is a great fit for us in southern Minnesota. Please remember to vote for Tim Walz for Congress on Nov. 4.

Lisa Maloney writes the Winona Daily News to say Walz has my vote. She's most concerned about Social Security. In the Austin Herald, David Woodruff writes in Celebrate officials willing to serve:

On Saturday, we were to have the honor of Walter “Fritz” Mondale’s presence at a rally in support of Rep. Tim Walz. Mr. Mondale was unable to attend due to the death of a friend. . . .

. . .I think we should quit calling or hinting that all of our elected officials are just stooges. We will have different ideas, but our society should be able to handle the differences. Legislative action is somewhat chaotic and messy. The people we elect generally are in one of two parties. Our representatives have to cooperate with others to achieve what they feel is best for their constituents. Sometimes, that means they will support something that they otherwise would reject. Big deal. We can’t all be kings or dictators. . . .

A fine letter in the Mankato Free Press about how Secretary of State Mark Ritchie is about good governance.

Blueman and veteran Hal Kimball slices apart Brian Davis's opinion of the IAVA in Brian Davis Disses Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans:  Shameless. Go read it.

The ultra-conservative Fairmont Sentinel endorses Davis: no surprise there. The editorial board has recently called for privatizing Social Security, blamed the poor for the mortgage crisis and repeated other hardline conservative talking points. Congressman Walz was earlier endorsed by the Albert Lea Tribune and the New Ulm Journal.

Other district dailies still to endorse in the race? The Rochester Post Bulletin, The Winona Daily News, The Worthington Globe. The Mankato Free Press and the Austin Herald will not be endorsing. The Strib will endorse as well.

Saturday morning digest: looking forward to the day edition

The Winona Daily News reports in New child protection center open; director looks forward to day he can close it:

. . . Among the speakers at Friday’s dedication were representatives for both U.S. Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar. U.S. Rep. Tim Walz spoke from a lectern. All three were instrumental in securing a $1.22 million earmark for the center in 2008 and releasing the funds from the Department of Justice last month after they were delayed. The hold up caused the center to take out a loan to stay open.

The center has often struggled to obtain funding, but the federal money and $2.5 million in private funds from a WSU capital campaign are expected to sustain the institution into the future. All three legislators said they will continue to support the center.

“We are standing with giants here,” Walz said.

Angela Rose, executive director of Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment, a Chicago-based child-advocacy organization, spoke of her own torment. She was abducted and sexually assaulted when she was a teenager. She relayed the trauma and how authorities handled her case.

Vieth took the podium last. He used much of his time for a rallying cry.

He talked about a hotel cleaning woman in Hudson, N.Y., who saw him speak. She told him she had been sexually abused when she was young and that it plagued her for years. She told him how important his work was, and that she would pray for him and his center every day for the rest of her life. He said the woman asked him not to forget her.

And then he challenged the audience and the world to put him out of a job.

“The grand opening of the new facilities of the National Child Protection Training Center is a great day,” he said. “But it pales in comparison to that day not far from now, that wonderful day not far from now when the work is done, when all the children are safe, and we can close this center.”

Amen to that. KAAL-TV provides a video tours of the new center in Center Cracks Down on Child Abuse. Vieth exemplifies the problem-solving ethos of many Southern Minnesotans. Confronted with his own limitations as a county prosecutor when pursuing child abusers, he worked to discover and share means by which all could fight and prevent this scourge. 

The denial of the center's application for a federal grant by the DOJ, despite its high ranking by peer reviewers, triggered Congressman Walz to call for hearings on the grant making process. The Winona Daily News reacted to the testimony at those hearings here. Murray Waas has more on the hearings at Crooks and Liars.

In his Political Notebook at the Mankato Free Press, Mark Fischenich writes about Chet Edwards' visit:

A Lone Star salute

Texas Congressman Chet Edwards — the Democrat who will be George W. Bush’s representative in Washington once the president retires to his Crawford ranch — came to Minnesota this week to campaign for Rep. Tim Walz, DFL-Mankato.

Another reason you might know Edwards’ name is he was reportedly among the final four choices on Barack Obama’s list of running mates.

But Edwards’ visit was more about his chairmanship of the appropriations subcommittee that funds Veterans Affairs, and the Waco resident praised Walz’s record on veterans issues during stops in Rochester, Owatonna and Mankato.

Edwards talked about the $16.3 billion increase in funding for veterans health care and other benefits during Walz’s first year in Congress, an amount that exceeded the combined increases for those programs in the previous 12 years.

Edwards credited Walz in particular for pushing an increase in the mileage reimbursement paid to veterans who travel to get medical care at VA hospitals, bumping it from 11 cents a mile to 41 cents in the upcoming fiscal year.

“Tim twisted my arm so hard I thought I was going to have to hire a chiropractor,” Edwards said to the group of veterans at the Morson-Ario VFW.

The political reporter also observes how dated a recent vote makes Davis's attack ad:

The second part is clearly false because the moratorium on offshore drilling no longer exists.

Walz and other Democrats eventually dropped their opposition and supported a budget bill that allowed the moratorium on offshore drilling to expire. That bill passed. Since the offshore drilling ban no longer exists, it can’t be argued that Walz’s earlier votes will “keep gas prices high.”

In short, Davis is flapping his fingers backward, as his beloved vice presidential candidate might say.

GAC mathemathics prof Max Hailperin thinks that since Walz helped veterans with transportation, such advocacy adds yet another reason to vote for Tim Walz's re-election.

The Rochester Post Bulletin reports in Mayo Clinic hires firm to explore bypass route for DM & E that Davis's mention of the hire, which he had heard about as a candidate in a briefing by two Mayo officials, was the first public mention of the hire. The option may revive a bitter debate from Rochester's politics in the late 1990s:

The possibility of a bypass running south of the city holds both promises and perils. State Sen. Dave Senjem, of Rochester, who was present at Thursday's debate, said he was stunned when he heard the news.

"It hit me like a ton of bricks," said Senjem, the state Senate minority leader. "I thought it was out of the question."

Senjem, who is employed by Mayo Clinic, sat on the Rochester City Council in the late 1990s when the council unsuccessfully tried to push the bypass option. "It was like the Civil War in Rochester," pitting the city against rural residents as well as the city against DM&E, Senjem said.

He said he had always assumed the bypass idea was dead and that whatever mitigation did occur, it would involve a recessed railroad bed and high vertical walls  running through Rochester. Talk of a bypass is likely to revive that rancorous debate, he said.

The article concludes:

At the forum on Thursday, both Davis and Walz spoke of the need to find a common solution. Davis, in particular, extolled the benefits of a multi-modal transportation hub involving rail, Interstate 90 and Rochester International Airport that would create jobs and new infrastructure.

"That would be fantastic, but we have to investigate this further," Davis said.

Walz, a Mankato high school teacher who was elected as a Democrat to Congress in 2006, opposed DM&E's plan. He indicated a new spirit of cooperation is being built among the major players. He said he has met dozens of times with the Rochester Coalition as well as nearly a half-dozen times with Canadian Pacific chief executive officer Fred Green. The Rochester Coalition includes Mayo Clinic, the city of Rochester, Olmsted County and the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce.

"We can build and expand our infrastructure. And if it is the Canadian Pacific building to move our commodities, to move our cellulosic ethanol or to move coal from the Powder River Basin -- because I'll tell you what, if you don't believe in coal, turn these lights off right now because that's where it's coming from," Walz said.

Walz focused on coalition building to resolve the dispute. Davis sounds as if he's addressing some other question.

Developing rural infrastructure is an issue that Walz has brought up at his Economic Summits in the district--and his concerns have included the electronic highway as while. In Broadband comes up a little in Local Elections, the Blandin Foundation's blog notes that Walz is one of the few who discuss the issue:

I’ve run across a couple of articles today that talk about local Minnesota elections and specifically mention broadband. I want to keep this post nonpartisan so I’m simply going to list and link to the articles I found. Also, there wasn’t anything particularly earth-shatteringly new in any of the articles – I just like to note the fact that broadband is coming up.

Rep Tim Walz of Mankato – “Government needs to help rural areas expand Internet access like years ago it did that for electricity, Walz said. The large empty areas between homes means electric cooperatives always will struggle without government aid, and the same is true to broadband, he said.”

Andy Welti 30B – a letter to the editor talks about Welti and the importance of the Broadband Task Force

I thought I’d be able to find more – sadly no; well not yet.

The Don Davis article about Greg Mikkelson has been posted to a Ron Paul forum here: Greg Mikkelson (I) Minnesota 1st Congressional District. Will Mikklelson's support for Ron Paul draw Republicans away from Brian Davis?  Davis parts company with Paul on the new FISA bill (Paul voted against it; Davis told the Mankato Free Press he would have supported it) and the war in Iraq, both important issues for the Ron Paul movement. 

While Mikkelson is the Independence Party's candidate after being the only one to file for the seat, Southern Minnesota's most prominent Independence Party leader, former Congressman Tim Penny, expressed his support for Walz's re-election in this week's Waseca Daily News.

A great article in the Mankato Free Press about Field Operations Day 1: Obama. Go read it to get a sense of the excitement about the campaign. The grassroots are pretty healthy in Southern Minnesota. Witness the news from the New Ulm Journal,  Speeches as DFL opens Obama office:

Local Democrats now have foothold in downtown New Ulm, since they opened a DFL campaign office in the space formerly occupied by New Ulm Drug.

Party activists joined local representatives and candidates for a grand opening for the office, located at 103 N. Minnesota St., Friday evening.

The office has, so far, served as a central point for door-knocking tours, as a call center, as a merchandise shop for DFL candidates and as a meeting place for local party members. Sign-up sheets for upcoming activities hand on the walls and red, white and blue balloons hang from the ceiling. Campaign stickers and signs sit on the glass shelves that line both of the walls at the front of the space.

Another sign of grassroots organizing in Southern Minnesota?  On beautiful sunny Saturdays like this one, we've noticed that our traffic plummets until nightfall, when friends return to check out the latest news and commentary.

The pattern developed earlier at the end of the summer; it strongly resembles what we saw on the Saturday before the 2006 election. Minnesota Central worries about apathy---with these new offices and the strong organizing by DFL candidates, and our own traffic patterns, we don't see the Walz campaign being lulled into sloth.

Photo: Victor Vieth.

Walz is co-sponsor of Second Amendment Enforcement Act; votes for National Capital Security and Safety Act

In the Washington Post, U.S. House, D.C. Council Wrestle Over Gun Control tells a post-Heller story:

The struggle to regulate guns in the District in light of a historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling sparked competing legislative efforts yesterday as members of Congress debated taking control of the issue and the D.C. Council  implored them to leave it in local hands.

On the most significant day of legislative activity on gun control since the high court ended the District's 32-year-old handgun ban in June, the council voted unanimously to ease some contentious firearms restrictions while the U.S. House of Representative  considered a more dramatic measure that would limit the city's power to regulate guns. . . .

. . .The House was debating a bill last night that would scrap almost all locally imposed gun control rules in the District, including the new handgun registration process. It would also severely limit city officials' ability to enact any future measure that goes beyond the firearms restrictions in federal law. The measure is expected to go to a vote today. . . .

Update #2: We mistakenly thought that the bill being discussed was 6691; actually it was H.R. 6842, the National Capital Security and Safety Act. Walz's positions on both bills demonstrate his commitment to Second Amendment rights. We apologize for the error; our new title reflects the vote, as do the edits in this post.  Here's the statement from Walz's office on his vote on 6842:

Today, Congressman Walz voted to defend the Second Amendment right of every citizen to bear arms. Walz voted for the National Capital Security and Safety Act after certain provisions were adopted that will bring Washington, D.C. into compliance with the Supreme Court's decision in Heller v. District of Columbia. Earlier this year, Congressman Tim Walz also signed on to a friend-of-the-court brief in the Heller case, in which he supported the right of citizens to bear arms.  The National Capital Security and Safety Act passed the Housetoday by a vote of 266 to 152.

"Gun ownership is a basic right in America, not to be infringed upon by anyone or any government entity," said Walz, an avid hunter and member of Pheasants Forever. "This legislation will amend the Washington, D.C. gun law to reinstate the rights of Washington residents to legally purchase guns from a federally licensed dealer. It also restores their right to defend themselves in their homes."

Walz concluded, "As someone who works in Washington, D.C. when the Congress is in session, I am proud to cast my vote to defend the right guaranteed in the Second Amendment."  [end update #2]

Congressman Walz is  also a co-sponsor of H.R. 6691, the Second Amendment Enforcement Act, and of 1399, a related bill introduced before Heller.

Last week, the NRA-PVF endorsed Walz:

“During his first term in the House, Congressman Walz consistently supported the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen, and demonstrated a strong commitment to the Second Amendment and our country’s rich hunting heritage,” said Chris W. Cox, Chairman of NRA-PVF. “Because of his unwavering pro-gun support, Tim Walz earned an ‘A’ rating and an endorsement from NRA-PVF.”

In 2006, Walz ran as a pro-gun rights candidate.

Update: Now that we're awake, we're remembering today is Constitution Day.  Find out more about the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and other amendments at the Constitution Center and the Library of Congress.

Saturday evening digest:counting down the hours edition

Minnesota Central looks at one aspect of the GOP primary in Davis opposes Palin Oil Plan:

Dr. Brian Davis’ Letter to the Editor in the New Ulm Journal seeking votes in the September 9th Republican Primary, states his bottom line as “We need to increase domestic energy production without government placing too many obstacles in the way in the form of regulations and new taxes, fees or royalties.”

Domestic energy is his primary, if not only, issue. 

Since this is a Republican Primary, the comparison to other Republican’s positions tells voters a lot about Davis knowledge of the issue.

John McCain has praised Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK) for her knowledge of domestic energy production.

Yet her policies are in stark contrast to Dr. Davis.

In August 2007, Alaska Gov. Palin called state lawmakers into special session to enact her "Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share" plan. The Palin administration said its tax plan would place Alaska about average worldwide in terms of government receipts and it would also end tax credits for past oil field investments.

The legislation that was enacted raised taxes on the oil industry and sent money to struggling consumers.. . .

Read the rest at MC. McPherson Hall concludes:

If the District is going to be represented by a Republican, Dr. Davis does not have the knowledge, experience or philosophy that will help taxpayers.

To paraphrase Dr. Davis, "I am confident that the Republicans can offer a better candidate.”
When Gil Gutknecht’s term limit pledge indicated that he would not run in 2006, I advocated State Senator Dick Day for the job. Day has legislative experience that Davis does not.
 
If you’re voting in the September 9th primary, vote Day.

Elsewhere in Southern Minnesota's netroots, Minnesota First directs his readers toward Obama's responses to questions in the ScienceDebate 2008. Congressman Walz was a supporter of the debate. The blogger also reminds us of The Stakes in the upcoming elections. Ron Amundson writes"his counter to “Huckabee speaks in support of McCain/Palin.

Just over the border in South Dakota, KDLT reports More Funding for Vet's Home.Congressman Walz announced a $723,000 federal grant to help build an addition for Alzheimer and dementia patients.

The New Ulm Journal reports on a $625000 grant for United Way for drug education programs:

The United Way of the Brown County Area received word from Congressman Tim Walz's office on Tuesday afternoon that their application on behalf of the Underage Substance Abuse Coalition (USAC) for $125,000 a year over the next five years had received full funding.

Another endorsement for Walz in Election 2008: Boilermakers recommend candidates.

Now, a closing tune from Ted Leo:

Saturday afternoon digest: competition edition

The latest Cook Political Report on competitive house races continues to place MN-01 in the least-likely-to-change category, "Likely Democratic." The handicapper defines this category this way: 

"Likely: These seats are not considered competitive at this point but have the potential to become engaged."

Cook updated ratings for two Congressional races on Thursday, as it believes the odds have improved for the Democratic candidates in two seats in Missouri and Alabama.  The assessment for the MN-01 general election has remained unchanged.

Some competition is happening in the First. There's definitely a Republican primary on. LaCrosse CBS affiliate WKBT reports in Minn. State Sen. Dick Day makes push for Congress:

In a visit to Southeastern Minnesota Thursday, Day said his 25 years of experience in politics makes him a good candidate, and he wants to make his campaign about the issues.

Those who slept through geography class  may not know that LaCrosse  is just across the Highway 61 bridge from LaCrescent. Day is not the only one working the edges of the district.

A friend who travels across large swaths of rural Southern Minnesota for his job writes:

On Highway 68 from the Brown County line north through Morgan to Redwood Falls , there are a series of groups of Republican signs. They are every 1-2 miles. They all appear on the same person’s property, namely that of a person that bought the railroad line that runs along the road in that area. Each grouping had Colemen, Davis, a local representative candidate, often McCain in small signs, but most curiously, “Pawlenty for governor” signs. They must think he has coat tails. Likely they went up for Farmfest and were left up.

That is a fair assessment, especially since the Redwood County vote is unlikely to play a key role in either the primary or general election in the First. Our sign watchers in the field also reported another Day sign up in Madelia, in a field next to the Tony Downs food processing plant.

In an interview with ABC-affiliate WXOW in LaCrosse, Day brought up immigration as an issue for the race;  Day's candidacy may get a boost from this meeting in Austin.  As the Divine Tild noted in the waning days of 2007, Day made a run for the border last year as he sought to make immigration the signature issue for the district. The meeting on Monday:

Town Hall meeting on immigration

Oak Park Mall Community Room, 1301 18th Ave. N.W., Austin. 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Panelists are Susan Tully, Midwest field director for Federation for American Immigration Reform; Ruthie Hendrycks, founder/president of Minnesotans Seeking Immigration Reform; Dell Erickson, author and educator; Ron Branstner, minuteman from California.

What looks to be a press release about the event, the Austin Herald's notice of the meeting called the panelists "experts" and today's editorial recommends that people attend it. We want to know where the employees at the Herald are scoring Pineapple Express.

Loyal readers may remember that this is the paper that employs a reporter who contacted a severe case of Davis Misinformation Syndrome that led her to write that Tim Walz had defeated Brian Davis in 2006; in reality, Walz defeated six-term incumbent Gil Gutknecht.

The U.S. State Department's Election 2008 project recently reported on immigration as an issue in Immigration Reform Major Issue in Minnesota Food-Processing City. The reporter noted the positions on immigration of the three congressional candidates in the First:

The candidates for Minnesota’s 1st District congressional seat have varying views. Republican Dick Day, who is challenging the party-endorsed Republican candidate Brian Davis in a September primary, says a fence is the way to go. He also believes in heavy fines for employers if they are found to have hired workers illegally.

Davis also favors a fence and enforcement of existing laws. He says a “tamper-proof system” should be created to determine if employees and people applying for work are legally entitled to work in the United States.

Both Davis and Democrat incumbent Tim Walz favor a system that would allow people in America illegally to return to their home countries and apply for permanent residency. Davis also thinks knowledge of English should be required to obtain U.S. citizenship.

We can't vouch for the accuracy of McConnell's reporting (which is routinely republished by the Newsblaze site in California--where a Davis supporter has already hijacked the story's comment thread to claim that only his candidate favors a border fence). She seems to face enormous challenges when it comes to identifying Congressman Walz, much less his positions on issues (the example above leaves out a lot, including Walz's position on biometric ids).

This isn't the first story in the series that we've wondered about McConnell's misrepresentation through omission. In yesterday's Republican Area in Minnesota Could Go Democratic in November (Newsblaze posting, but attributed to the U.S. State Department project, McConnell reported first:

The majority of visitors who spoke with America.gov at the Olmstead County Fair - an annual celebration of the area's agricultural economy held in Rochester - said they would vote for Obama over Republican John McCain for president.

We like that part. But then she must have burned one, suffered a relapse of Davis Misinformation Syndrome, or both:

Finding alternative energy sources to relieve high gasoline prices and confronting climate change are issues that concern the people surveyed.

Most voters said they believe every individual can do something to protect the environment, such as recycling waste, driving less and using less electricity. They split on the question of whether America should drill for oil off America's coastlines or in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.

Both McCain and Obama favor some form of offshore oil drilling. Brian Davis, the Republican-endorsed candidate for the area's 1st Congressional District seat, strongly favors looking for oil offshore and drilling in Alaska, while 1st District incumbent Representative Tim Walz, a Democrat, favors developing alternative energy sources such as wind and ethanol.

This is the second time the poor child been unable to mention H.R. 6709, which would expand offshore  drilling. Walz and the bipartisan House Energy Working Group introduced the bill at the end of July, so we're not sure why the State Department can't find it in Thomas.  Maybe McConnell scored from the Herald staff when she visited Southern Minnesota.

Former mayor of Preston and an Independence Party congressional candidate in 2004, David Pechulis writes a Letter about Oil Drilling to the editors of the Fillmore County Journal. We're not sure about his claim that refineries are working close to 100 percent of their capacity; most figures we've seen put it between 85 and 90 percent. On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that it was at 85.9 percent of capacity the week before.

In Early Voting, Minnesota First's Apollo suggests that if anyone is up for Operation Chaos action, he or she can find it in the district's Republican primary (we assume he's talking about absentee balloting):

Early voting started last Friday, so if you are going to be away from your precinct on September 9, be sure to go vote. Tim Walz is unopposed in the primary, but if anyone is feeling up for a little Operation Chaos, Dick Day is an inviting option!

While we assume that the MF blogger is teasing, we don't recommend such tactics. People should use their vote in good faith, picking the candidates they feel will best serve the country, state or district.  In Minnesota's open primary, voters pick to vote for a party's candidates, but must pick those from one party  only. And DFLers, after all, have an important U.S. Senate primary vote, so it's also in their own interest not to go down the Operation Chaos path for the sake of the congressional race.

The Winona Daily News editorial board says Sorry, we don’t need reports, just money about the Walz amendment to the bridge bill. We think that both are needed, but the editors' suggestion that the government should act on report recommendations is a good one. The trick is spending the government dime wisely.

The Fillmore County Journal looks back A year after the great Rushford flood.

Swaney gets life sentence, according to the Worthington Globe. Good.  Swaney was convicted this week for the brutal murder of 20-year-old  Blue Mounds State Park worker Carrie Nelson.

Photo: A still of State Senator Dick Day in one of two appearances on Lacrosse-Southeastern Minnesota  television news.

News digest: Southern Minnesota's fair tradition; or, class warfare in New Ulm

The Owatonna People's Press reports on A fair tradition:

It’s as much a tradition at county fairs as cheese curds and rides on the midway, especially in an election year — politicians pressing the flesh and courting voters.

A wonderful picture of DFL state 26A House candidate and local teacher Kory Kath accompanies the article. Kath talks about the importance of meeting voters, and the paper notes Republican endorsed candidate Owatonna Mayor Ton Kuntz. We do wonder if the GOP booth is ever--shall we say--awkward?:

Kory Kath, DFL-Owatonna, said he enjoys having dialogue with people even if he disagrees with them on certain issues. Their voices are important to hear, especially if he ends up representing them at the Capitol.

“To be able to have that many conversations with that many people and listening to the issues ... is so rewarding,” he said.

His opponent, Tom Kuntz, R-Owatonna, has been hanging out with state Rep. Connie Ruth, who is retiring at the end of the year, and state Sen. Dick Day. With lawn signs already out for both campaigns, Kuntz said it’s important to make his presence known.

“It’s nice neither one of us has a primary election, so we can focus on the general election,” Kuntz said.

Senator Day has a primary, though. Minnesota Republican party chair Ron Carey made a lot of noise about the banishment of Day for bypassing the endorsement process, but that exile must stop at the Steele County border. Guess local Republican endorsements just aren't that sacred these days. Day is working his home turf:

Meanwhile in the First Congressional District race, Day and Brian Davis have already made appearances at the fair. Day is challenging Davis in a Republican primary on Sept. 9 and said plans to make a stop at the fair every night. Davis stopped at the fair Tuesday and is making a number of fair appearances throughout the district for the rest of the week.

The winner will face U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who plans to make an appearance at the fair on Saturday, officials from the Steele County DFL said.

In 2006, Walz and Gutknecht met for a debate on farm policy at the Steele County Fair; it was the first head-to-head forum that featured just the First District contenders.

Elsewhere in the paper, Walz supporter Sondra Von Arb writes the editor to say Walz’s ‘Fairness Act’ helps middle class.  Despite his declarations of prior political apathy, this anti-Walz LTE writer in Winona may be in the hip pocket of the local Republicans, though we're not certainly it's the same guy.

The New Ulm Journal reports that Class warfare is taking place covertly in Brown County. It's all rock 'n roll to us.

The one-year anniversary of the deadly flooding in Southeastern Minnesota is coming up. The Rushford Tri-County Record has published a schedule of memorial events. Rushford never, ever gave up.

Randy Swaney has been found guilty of the brutal murder of Blue Mounds State Park worker Carrie Nelson in  2001; he was charged with the crime in 2007 while serving a prison term for theft in South Dakota. Nelson, who was only 20 at the time of her death, worked in on Swaney as he was robbing a state park office. Swaney faces a maximum sentence of life in prison; we hope he gets it.

The murderer of Blue Earth's "Jane Doe" will stay in a Texas prison until at least 2011, the Fairmont Sentinel reports. Former Minnesota state trooper Robert Leroy Nelson:

was convicted of first-degree manslaughter of Jane Doe and criminal sexual conduct with a child in Minnesota in 1989. He had already been convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child in 1988 in Texas. He received a life sentence in Texas, and Minnesota sentenced him to 15 years, which would run concurrent with Texas.

This was another brutal murder of a stranger. Nelson raped, murdered, and disposed of the woman's body; her identity is still unknown. Blue Earth resident Deborah Anderson has spent the last five years working to discover the victim's identity.  We posted about the case back in January and are grateful that Texas didn't turn Jane Doe's killer loose.

R.I.P., Isaac Hayes

The Washington Post reports the passing of Isaac Hayes; Created Memphis Sound, 'Theme From Shaft.' There's a Minnesota connection here: filmmaker and photographer Gordon Parks got his professional start in St. Paul after moving to the city at age 15.

What better way to remember them both than the opening of Shaft:

Mid-day news and netroots digest: pesto edition

We were out late last night cooking a going away dinner for a friend heading out for his summer naval ROTC assignment. It's remarkable how much pasta with pesto and garlic bread healthy young people can eat.

Congressman Walz's communications and district director Meredith Salsbery returned our email asking about how Walz defined "expanded drilling."  It's much as we expected, based on what he said at his Shell gas station press release several weeks ago. Walz does not favor opening ANWR, but does want to ramp up drilling and production in the National Petroleum Reserves-Alaska, which is already open but which could be put into more production.

He's more keen on better tapping areas that are already leased, but is willing to look at opening up additional off shore areas so long as such efforts are part of a comprehensive energy policy that includes environmental safeguards, as well as the development of new fuels and energy conservation and fuel efficiency. GOP endorsed candidate Brian Davis wants to open everything up, but also eliminate CAFE fuel efficiency standards and other mandates.

Walz is sticking to the notion that lease holders should use it or lose it. The "use or lose it" bill is coming up again in the House, CQ Politics reports in ‘Use It or Lose It’ Bill Revised to Win Oil-State Support Comes Back to House.

Update: The Washington Post reports in White House threatens to veto oil drilling legislation:

The White House on Thursday threatened to veto legislation being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives that would force oil companies to give up undrilled federal leases and ban the export of crude drilled in Alaska.

The bill, which the House was to vote on later on Thursday, has a "use it or lose it" provision that requires oil companies to diligently develop their existing federal leases or turn them back to the government before they could obtain new acres to drill.

Even the Pope is advocating conservation, according to the Washington Post article, Pope Says Save the Earth for Future Generations. Who knew?

Ben Pershing at the Washington Post's Capitol Briefing blog looks at Unrest in the GOP Base.

In the Duluth News Tribune, Ted Thompson of the National Association to Prevent Sexual Abuse of Children praises Tim Walz's leadership in supporting child abuse protection:

Thankfully, there are many elected officials around the country who understand this, and Minnesota Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar, along with U.S. Reps. Jim Oberstar and Tim Walz, are leaders among them.

Through their efforts, and with the help of many others, the National Child Protection Training Center program, based in Winona, Minn., has received significant federal funding, allowing training center trainers to travel to every region of the country and to train approximately 10,000 prosecutors, law enforcement officers, social workers and other child-protection professionals and organizations.

The Rochester Post Bulletin reports US Rep. Tim Walz to visit St. Charles grocery store. MnPublius picks up on the National Geographic Education Foundation award in National Geographic Recognizes Our Own Tim Walz.

The Pioneer Press issues a CORRECTION for its errors in reporting fundraising figures in the First.

The Big E at MnBlue compares and contrasts Walz and Klobuchar on recent FISA votes. He's not happy with Klobuchar.

Brian Davis's whoppers are starting to get noticed. Aaron Landry at MnPublius observes in Norm Coleman: Liar On Off-Shore Drilling:

Michele Bachmann, CD1 candidate Brian Davis and a number of elected officials across the country have said it: China, with the help of Cuba, are working to drill for oil just tens of miles off of the shore of Florida. It’s a complete lie. Although even Dick Cheney has backpedaled on it, Norm Coleman is caught still spreading the myth. [video follows]

A source in Rochester informs us that Republicans in that area are still circulating this myth, in the form of a Powerline post from May that's now repackaged and beefed up with the attributed authorship of a Phillips Petroleum heir. Snopes refutes the bogus authorship while looking at the silliness of the main claims. Disavowing the Chinese drilling myth is left to Cheney, I guess.

The Blueman laughs at Davis's spin on fundraising in Brian Davis Is A Mathematician Too?  Who Knew! Hal was flabbergasted:

Honestly...this is a Blueman first.

I have no idea where to begin here.

Once he stopped guffawing and collected his thoughts, Kimball dove into his analysis. At the end, he decides:

Ollie is 100% correct. Davis has quickly become the biggest exaggerator in Minnesota politics.

then links to an anonblog that raised a question about Davis's driving record.  One can check out  Brian James Davis's tickets by picking "I Accept" here (Internet Explorer only), then accessing his files in the Criminal Case Records section by picking the "Defendent" option on the search menu.  Is the one in Rochester the candidate? Perhaps a kind reader could check on that.

Frankly, we don't think that a handful of speeding tickets matters in an election, whether or not this Brian Davis of Rochester, Minnesota, is the Brian Davis running for Congress. As for the suspended driver's license after a ticket for operating a vehicle with expired registration wasn't paid in a timely fashion, it's not as if he's the mayor of Minneapolis.

Map: NPR-A

WDN editorial: "it's about government accountability"

While Senator Day and Doctor Davis are mouthing empty NRCC pieties about earmarks, Congressman Walz has been open and transparent about his budget requests. He's also been keen on government accountability.

Today's editorial in the Winona Daily News, Despite ranking, DOJ grant-giving full of politics, praises Walz for his actions to prompting the investigation of the project of giving grants at the DOJ:

A federal grant application by Winona State University to the DOJ appears to have been DOA.

The National Child Protection and Training Center, the remarkable WSU-affiliated program that’s on a mission to protect children from exploitation and danger, found itself thrust into the national spotlight after it was revealed that a U.S. Department of Justice administrator had passed up the center when divvying up grant money, along with many other deserving programs, in favor of programs that he had personal connections to. . . .

. . .But, adding insult to injury was the fact that the DOJ went through the hassle of reviewing and even ranking the grants based on the criteria the agency itself devised and developed.

Even worse, the National Child Protection and Training Center got the fourth-highest score. That’s the fourth-highest score in the nation. Yet, the justice department overlooked it. Winona State shouldn’t feel so bad, though. The top five programs were also passed over.

That’s when Minnesota 1st District Congressman Tim Walz stepped in, and an investigation was launched.

We applaud Walz for sticking up for the center, asking questions and pursuing this issue.

It’s not just watching out for a center that happens to be in his district; it’s about government accountability. . . .

. . .This wasn’t just some special-interest bacon in an already overcrowded federal barrel of pork. This money goes to help prepare adults to protect children.

After the center's grant was turned down by the DOJ, Walz and Minnesota's senators requested and secured earmarks for the highly effective program.

The newspaper board wants Walz and others in Congress to push for less patronage and more accountability in the administration's grant-making process:

We thank Walz and other representatives, such as R. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., for the scrutiny, but we suggest that they didn’t go far enough. Not only is it a shame and a sham that WSU and other DOJ-approved grants got passed over, it seems to represent a waste of DOJ employees’ time. It’s time for more answers — if the process is rigged in the name of politics, then so be it. But it’s even worse than that, it’s wasteful, disingenuous and takes away time that could be spent helping protect children.

Assuring the federal grant process is fair, efficient, and sticking to standards is a good idea. Please contribute to Congressman Walz's campaign by June 30 to make sure he can follow through on the next step of watchdogging the administration's own budgeting.  And sign up to volunteer--here's a great opportunity to be in an Independence Day parade with the Congressman.

Photo: Victor Vieth of the National Child Protection and Training Center.  Photo taken from Lost case led to improved prosecution, a compelling Mankato Free Press article which tells the story of how Vieth and others came to develop the tools to fight child sexual abuse. 

Watch now: Committee Holds Hearing on Grantmaking Practices at the Department of Justice

In Walz brings DOJ grant process to Waxman's attention, posted back in May, we wrote about how the WSU-based National Child Protection Training Center was denied grants by the DOJ, despite the program's grant application received a high score for grant evaluators. Instead, grants went to youth golf programs and other projects--often run by administration cronies.

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is holding a hearing titled, “Examining Grantmaking Practices at the Department of Justice” on Thursday, June 19, 2008, in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. 

Watch video of the hearing that's taking place right now.

Chairman Waxman's opening statement:

At today’s hearing, the Oversight Committee will examine the process used by the Justice Department to award millions of dollars in grants to organizations that address national juvenile justice initiatives. These grant awards were made by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, which is headed by Administrator J. Robert Flores. Mr. Flores is here today, and I thank him for testifying and for his cooperation in our inquiry.

This Committee has held many hearings on waste, fraud, and abuse in federal contracting. We’ve also held hearings on waste, fraud, and abuse in other types of programs, such as crop insurance and workers’ compensation insurance.

But we have held few hearings on abuses in federal grants. In 2006, the federal government spent $419 billion on federal contracts. It spent even more — $488 billion — on federal grants. So examination of waste, fraud, and abuse in grant programs is a high priority.

My staff has prepared a supplemental memorandum for members summarizing what we have learned from our investigation. I ask that the memo and the documents and transcripts it cites be made part of the hearing record.

Last year, the Justice Department held a competition to select worthy grants for funding juvenile justice programs. Over 100 applicants submitted proposals. Career staff at the Justice Department then conducted a peer review of these applications, grading them against criteria in the Department’s public solicitation and ranking them according to their numerical scores.

Of the 104 proposals, the career staff ranked 18 as the best qualified for funding. Mr. Flores largely ignored these recommendations. He did not fund the top-ranked program; he did not fund the second highest-ranked program. In fact, he did not fund any of the top five programs. Of the 18 organizations recommended for funding by the career staff, only five were awarded funds.

Instead, Mr. Flores chose to give the majority of the grant funding to five programs that his staff had not recommended for funding. One was an abstinence-only program. Two were faith-based programs. Another was a golf program. What’s more, they appeared to have special access to Mr. Flores that other applicants were denied.

Mr. Flores awarded a $1.1 million grant to the Best Friends Foundation, an abstinence-only organization, that ranked 53 out of 104 applications. The career staff who reviewed this application said it was “poorly written,” “had no focus,” “was illogical,” and “made no sense.” Documents provided to the Committee show that while the grant was being developed and competed, Mr. Flores had multiple contacts with Elayne Bennett, the founder and chairman of Best Friends and the wife of Bill Bennett, who worked in the Reagan and Bush Administrations.

Mr. Flores also awarded a half-million dollar grant to the World Golf Foundation that ranked 47 out of 104. Mr. Flores says that despite the application’s low ranking, the grant was awarded on the merits. But the record before the Committee raises questions that need to be addressed. We know that Mr. Flores traveled to Florida in 2006 to visit foundation officials and play golf. We know that Mr. Flores directed his staff to help the group with its proposal. And we know that before the peer review process even began, a senior career official wrote that he was “certain” the group would be funded because Mr. Flores’s chief of staff “has said as much.”

And Mr. Flores awarded a $1.2 million grant to Urban Strategies LLC, a consulting firm, and Victory Outreach, a “church-oriented Christian ministry called to the task of evangelizing.” This grant application also received a low ranking: 44 out of 104 applications. But the head of Urban Strategies was Lisa Cummins, who formerly worked in the White House Office of Faith Based Initiatives. Documents provided to the Committee show that Ms. Cummins had several high-level meetings with Mr. Flores and other Justice Department officials before and after receiving the grant.

On the other hand, the Justice Research and Statistics Association was the top scoring group out of the 104 applicants. It scored a 98 and was universally praised by career employees for its effectiveness and good work. It provides training and technical assistance to state juvenile corrections workers. But it was not selected or funded.

There is no question that Mr. Flores had discretion to award grants. He is entitled to use his experience and judgment in determining which grant applications to fund. But he has an obligation to make these decisions based on merit, facts, and fairness. And the reasoning for his decision must be transparent and available to the public.

Nearly every official the Committee spoke with, including the Justice Department peer reviewers, the civil service program managers, and the career official in charge of the solicitation, told us that Mr. Flores’s approach was neither fair nor transparent. Mr. Flores’s superior, the Assistant Attorney General, told the Committee: “I am for candor and clarity, especially when dealing with the people’s money. And that did not happen. And I am upset that it did not happen.”

The only exceptions to this view are Mr. Flores himself and Mr. Flores’s chief of staff, who has now asserted her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination.

Yesterday I received a letter from the nation’s oldest organization devoted to fighting juvenile delinquency: the National Council of Crime and Delinquency. The Council wrote:

We … have grave concerns about recent decisions on grant proposals and how these have hurt the credibility of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. … [We] expended substantial time and resources in good faith to prepare … proposals. Now it seems the review process was far from fair.

I hope today’s hearing can answer the question being raised by the Council and other groups. Ultimately, the issue before the Committee is whether the grant solicitation was a rigged game and whether it has best served children across our country. Today’s hearing will give members a chance to examine this important question.

Flashback: In early April we posted this:

Harpers: "More Corruption at DOJ?

At Harpers "No Comment" Scott Horton picks up on the "brazen politicization" of the Office of Juvenile Justice grant making process at the Justice department in More Corruption at Mukasey’s Justice Department?.

As we noted this morning, WSU's National Child Protection Training Center, which teaches law enforcement, teachers, social workers, prosecutors and others the best techniques for recognizing, reducing and preventing child sexual abuse. The center has received funding this year only because of earmarks requested by Senators Coleman and Klobuchar, as well as by Congressman Walz.

So what's the problem? Horton writes:

A Congressional probe has been launched by Henry Waxman’s House Oversight Committee into how Flores “bypassed the top-scoring bidders for National Juvenile Justice program grants, giving money instead to bidders that its staff ranked far lower,” Youth Today reports.

The probe was requested by Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), who was approached by administrators at Winona State University after the Youth Today story was published. The university’s proposal for its National Child Protection Training Center was ranked fourth by OJJDP staff, with an average score of 96.5, but it didn’t win a grant. The university is in Walz’s district, and he helped get the center $1.2 million in earmarks in the 2008 Justice Department budget, including $446,000 from OJJDP.

So the highly qualified, well-scored contenders didn’t get the grants.  But who did?  The Juvienation blog reports:

Meanwhile, Flores handed the bulk of the cash to lower-scoring organizations he deemed his favorites. Word has gotten out among organizations that scored high but didn’t win; some of them are furious and want OJJDP or Congress to explain the process. “We all play by the rules,” said Earl Dunlap, CEO of the National Partnership for Juvenile Services, whose losing bid ranked second out of 129. “The rules for Flores are pretty much whatever he decides when he gets out of bed in the morning.”

Flores, Boyle wrote, “has repeatedly pushed to get agency money to organizations that fit his priorities, which include faith-based programs and those that combat child sexual victimization.” Thus the low-scoring Best Friends Foundation (79.5), headed by the wife of right-wing moral crusader (and gambling addict!) Bill Bennett, won more than $1 million for its abstinence-only/anti-drug curriculum. Enough Is Enough, which combats sexual predation online–admittedly a worthy cause, but not quite in line with the historical mission of the OJJDP–took $750,000. The faith-based Victory Outreach Special Services got a windfall of $1.2 million but had to turn down the grant because, Boyle noted, “it doesn’t have the organizational capacity to carry it out.”

Horton observes:

The Flores contract awards help us understand once more exactly how the Justice Department defines “public integrity.” Doling out public funds to your political retainers and friends and circumventing a legally mandated public competition system is how the Republican Party and its minions understand the political game is to be played. It would be “corrupt” if Democrats played by these rules, of course, but the rules are suspended for the G.O.P. And what better venue to use to dole out contracts to political friends and retainers than the Department of Justice itself?