A Bluestem Prairie

New York Times: Gil Gutknecht and....Spam brownies?

A reader hipped us to the New York Times' discovery of Spam (the kind made in Austin, Minnesota) and its re-discovery of former MN-01 representative Gil Gutknecht. Money quote:

“There are all kinds of people who have an emotional connection to Spam,” said Gil Gutknecht Jr., the former Minnesota congressman, who was in the gift shop at the Spam Museum buying a Spam tie, sweatshirt and earrings. Mr. Gutknecht recalled that he once served as a judge in a Spam recipe contest.

“The best thing was Spam brownies,” he said, with more or less a straight face.

We checked the official Span web page and discovered that Hormel hasn't included that recipe in its database.  Since one can't argue taste, we won't.

Value, though, is another question, and so we found ourselves puzzled when the Times implied Spam is a budget food. A 12 oz. tin of Spam costs $2.75 at the Spam store, and with the prudent use of coupons, we've found we're able to buy fresh meat for less than that. Each to his or her own, we guess.

Photo: Spam sushi. Honest.

Friday morning digest: Walz sweeps middle school contest

Update: We have no idea what G.R. Anderson was smoking when he wrote his Minnpost article which posits this race as a model of civility. Sounds like neither he nor Hamline prof David Schlutz has ever seen a Davis  television ad or press release or read any of the district dailies

Since Davis doesn't have any money to advertise in Twin Cities' media markets, it's quite likely neither has. Trust them: they're experts. Joel Kramer pays good money for this tripe? [end update]

The Mankato Free Press reports in Mock elections give students taste of voting:

After months of preparation — both in and out of the classroom — Dakota Meadows and Mankato East hosted mock elections on Thursday. Dakota Meadows’ election, coordinated through National Student/Parent Mock Election, was decidedly in favor of Obama, who garnered 347 votes to McCain’s 153. In the U.S. Senate race, Franken won by just eight votes while Tim Walz, in the U.S. House race, won in a landslide with 75 percent of the vote. Results from Mankato East’s mock election, through the Youth Leadership Initiative, weren’t announced until this morning.

KEYC-TV covers the same story in Kids Take Part in Mock Election.

Walz has been on the campaign trail with Franken this week. In Franken, Walz rally DFL faithful in Owatonna, the Owatonna People's Press reports that a crowd of 175 gathered at the local Elks Club. KEYC-TV say in Franken Rallies with Walz in Mankato:

Al Franken made a campaign stop in Mankato today.The senate candidate was joined by Congressman Tim Walz and Senator Amy Klobuchar at MSU.During ''For the Middle Class, For a Change'' rally, Franken said he plans on helping Minnesotans and Americans reach for what he called the ''promise of America,'' something he says has become a distant reality over the last 8 years.Al Franken says, ''What I believe is that what this election is about and what the next 4-8 years are gonna be about is bridging that chasm and fulfilling once and for all the promise of America.''The team started their campaign earlier in the day with stops in Rochester, Owatonna, and Faribault.

The Mankato Free Press profiles Brian Davis. Nugget:

He’s an opponent of abortion and gay marriage, is doubtful that fossil fuel consumption is the primary reason for global climate change and opposes embryonic stem cell research. He wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, would like to eliminate the estate tax and would be interested in studying a nationwide sales tax as a replacement for income taxes.

Jeepers. Didn't Davis tell the Post Bulletin just a couple of day ago that he'd only mentioned the sales tax "on one occasion"? 

Davis's pivot makes this statement in the MFP profile all the more ironic:

“Minnesota is a great place, and a lot of people look at the candidates for who they are,” he said. “And they may not agree with them on every issue, but they feel they can trust that person to be straight with them

And we suspect that those in Southern Minnesota's renewable energy industry will raise their eyebrows at this, given the importance of the production tax credit:

He also said he’s opposed on principle to the numerous tax credits available to individuals and businesses, something he considers government micro-managing of the economy.

And when it comes to PAYGO, in Brian Davis's world, evasive is the new straight shooting:

Davis also doesn’t say whether he would support the pay-as-you-go budget rules — a strategy to reduce budget deficits by requiring that any new spending increases or tax cuts be offset with spending cuts or tax increases in other parts of the budget: “That’s one strategy.”

The companion profile for Walz, Walz hasn't slowed down, was published in yesterday's Free Press

MFP reader Jim Ackil writes in Walz helps environment:

. . .In his first term in the United States Congress, Minnesota’s First District Representative Tim Walz has earned the support of two nonpartisan environmental groups, the League of Conservative Voters and the Sierra Club. Both organizations are endorsing Walz for a second term.

LCV President Gene Karpinski said, “Congressman Walz has done a great job of reaching across the aisle and working with other freshmen members of congress to promote bi-partisan legislation that will make a real impact on the environment and the economy. He has bright new ideas for his next term and will continue to be a strong ally for clean energy in Congress. He has supported groundbreaking initiatives that will end our addiction to oil, invest in renewable energy sources and create jobs right here at home.”

I hope others will join me in voting for Walz so that he can continue this good work.

CQ Politics observes Democrats Could Make History With Big Back-to-Back Gains. As we posted earlier this morning, CQP had this to say about the MN-01 race:

The Republican Party’s endorsed candidate, oncologist and neophyte politician Brian Davis, has not gained much traction against freshman Walz. The incumbent has a serious financial lead in the district, which runs the width of the southern part of the state.

The 2008 race stands in sharp contrast with that of 2006.  CQPolitics and other political handicappers have moved their predictions steadily toward the incumbent as this year's Election Day draws near. Two years ago, the race was red hot, with media and third party groups drawn to the district as Gutknecht and Walz duked it out. This year? Barely on the radar.

In the netroots, Jeff Rosenberg revives his analysis From the archives: Walz’s secret to success in CD1. It's a solid piece, though we tend to shun labeling anything about successful campaigns as "secret." It's no secret that the Walz camapign is smart, strategic, well-funded and firmly planted in the grassroots.

Gustavus Adolphus College talked to Walz campaign worker Alex Knutsen in Alumni Hit the Campaign Trail:

Alex Knutsen has been hard at work for months working to re-elect Congressman Tim Walz in the first district. He considered jobs in the corporate sector, but is confident that his choice to work for a campaign following graduation was the right decision. He says this job has taught him that, "compensation for the effort you put in comes in many forms."

Between the long hours and grueling schedule, especially as campaigns make their last push before voters hit the polls, Knutsen finds many aspects of his work rewarding. "[The knowledge that] the work I do directly contributes to the encouragement of ideas, to the empowerment of others, and to the process of making laws work for people, means more to me than the sort of rewards I saw myself earning in any number of positions," Knutsen said. He says he receives intangible rewards from his daily work all the time. "In this job," he said, "those rewards greatly out-value anything money can buy."

Looks like Congressman Walz is helping to grow the bench of positive, progressive political talent in Southern Minnesota.

In non-campaign news, the New Ulm Journal says nearly 400 Southern Minnesotans have money coming to them in Old addresses create IRS check backlog:

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced Thursday that 399 Southern Minnesotans have not yet claimed their economic stimulus or regular refund checks.

First District Congressman Tim Walz urged taxpayers still waiting for IRS checks to update their addresses so the IRS can send them out.

"If you haven't gotten your check yet, the time to act is now - the IRS needs your updated address by Friday, Nov. 28," Walz stated in a press release.

Brown County residents who have not yet claimed stimulus or refund checks include Sleepy Eye residents Waldemar and Jean Harmening, James J. Hernandez and Garrett M. Meyer; plus Springfield resident Cory B. Prescott.

Addresses can be updated with the "Where's My Refund?" tool at IRS.gov.

It enables taxpayers to check the status of their refunds.

Taxpayers must submit their Social Security number, filing status and amount of refund shown their 2007 return.

The tool will provide the status of their refund and in some cases, provide instructions on how to resolve delivery problems.

Taxpayers without internet access should call 1-866-234-2942.

In Minnesota, the average economic stimulus check was $560.

Taxpayers who continue to have trouble receiving their checks or have other outstanding issues with the IRS should contact Walz's Rochester office at 507-206-0643.

Through September 2008, the government distributed 116 million economic stimulus payments. About 279,000 checks remain undeliverable across the country.

The Waseca County News reports that convicted Enron exec Jeffrey Skilling has left the building and has been transferred to a correctional facility in Colorado.  FCI Waseca is converting to an all-women's prison by the end of the year.

And in honor of those middle school kids, here's a Walz ad about "Lessons":

Photo: Congressman Walz visits his old classroom; photo credit New York Times.

Boehner to stump for Paulsen and Davis

We read this tidbit at the end of a longer article in Politicker OH:

Next week, Boehner is scheduled to travel to Minnesota, where he will host events for Republicans Brian Davis and Erik Paulsen, candidates in the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts.

Given the boost that Boehner's 2006 visit to Minnesota State University--Mankato gave to former Representative Gil Gutknecht's bid to keep his job, we look forward to the event.

It should also signal that this one won't be over until it's over. Resist apathy, and contribute to Tim Walz's campaign so he can get his message out--and volunteer for the ongoing voter contact and coming GOTV efforts needed to keep this seat blue.

Celebrate Gus Walz's birthday: attend Mankato debate

October 13, 2006 was a momentous day in the Walz campaign: little Gus was born, the high point of a week that showed the congressional race his father was running had become increasingly competitive.

Two years later, Gus's dad will be debating his own challenger:

. . . More convenient for Mankato-area residents will be a 7 p.m. debate on Oct. 13 between Congressman Tim Walz, DFL-Mankato, and Dr. Brian Davis, R-Rochester, at Ostrander Auditorium at Minnesota State University. The debate, sponsored by the nonpartisan Debate Minnesota, is free and open to the public.

MN-01's not the same barnburner it was in October 2006.

To put this year's race in perspective: by October 13, 2006, Newt Gingrich had already been the headliner at a Gutknecht fundraiser in Rochester in mid-September.  Then Majority Leader John Boehner was in Mankato stumping for Gutknecht on October 12. Former Georgia Senator Max Cleland toured Southern Minnesota with Walz on October 11. Later in the race, both Senator Barack Obama and First Lady Bush would make separate appearances in Rochester.

The national talent was coming through the district; we see little of that this year, another indication that this race isn't on the national party and caucus frontburners.  An independent poll conducted between October 8-10 had the Gutknecht-Walz contest in a statistical dead heat. Is any independent polling taking place in this district at all this year? Has any independent organization or news source thought it worth the time and expense?

One thing we do know is that the Walz campaign is working its tail off with phone banking, door knocking and other voter contact. Four ads are running.  It's the largest grassroot campaign Southern Minnesota has ever seen.  Volunteer to help keep Tim Walz working for the district (and contribute if you can).

Then turn out for the debate. Birthday party hats optional.

Photo: Gus and Tim Walz share a moment. From Cornerhouse Comments.

MN-01 candidates and their online friends

The Rochester Post Bulletin has published Candidates use Internet to reach voters, a lovely story about using the Internet.

We were charmed by this passage:

"For Davis' campaign for the 1st District U.S. congressional seat, Facebook and MySpace are being used to mobilize young, potential voters.

"The under-40 crowd reads it a lot more, and it's just another way to communicate to folks, and it is a way to build up the grassroots network," said Brad Biers, Davis' campaign manager."

That reference to the Davis campaign's "use" of MySpace especially curled our toes. Our delight derives from the fact that the "Brian Davis for Congress" MySpace page, linked at the bottom of the PB article, reveals that the smirking Doc Davis and his campaign have exactly two friends this evening.

We've saved a screen shot in order to document the moment.

One of Davis's two friends is "Tom."  When we click on Tom's photo in the Brian Davis for Congress MySpace page, we learn that Tom  is 32, male, and lives in California. We also learn:

I'm Tom and I'm here to help you. Send me a message if you're confused by anything. Before asking me a question, please check the FAQ to see if your question has already been answered.

I may have been on your friend list when you signed up. If you don't want me to be, click "Edit Friends" and remove me! . . .

In short, Tom is the default friend everybody gets when he or she signs up at Facebook. As a consequence, Tom has 239,816,139 friends. Readers must judges for themselves how active Tom is in promoting Davis's ambitions.

The other friend is 29-year-old Melissa, from Fredericksberg, Iowa, who works for Victory Enterprises, a political consulting firm Davis hired. According to his Q2 FEC report for the period that ended on June 30, the Davis campaign owes Victory Enterprises  two sums: $ 8725.35 and $ 5696.14, both for "Campaign Materials/GOTV Consulting."  The larger amount, $8725.35, also appears on his Q1 FEC report for the period that ended March 31.

That's it.  Maybe there's more action happening at Davis's candidate Facebook page or at his campaign  Facebook page. The Post Bulletin reporter apparently didn't know about both the candidate and campaign pages.

The candidate page lists 80 supporters. The Brian Davis for Congress page has 93 members. There's one wall post, and some videos, photos and press releases.

Senator Day doesn't have either a MySpace or a Facebook page.

Walz? His candidate page has 1,376 supporters, like the article says. There are 218 wall comments. A couple of fan photos. There's a bit less action here, but vastly largely numbers than Davis has.  Tim Walz for U.S. Congress! boasts 500+ members.

However, perhaps the best barometer for measuring the difference might be to recall the upstart Walz's campaign's experience with Facebook organizing in 2006. Led by the brilliant National Merit scholar Nick Burkhart, Walz's campaign Facebook group had 500+ members by the time KAAL-TV reported on the story on July 25, 2006.

It's quite a contrast. At the same point in the campaigns, fewer than 100 people have signed on with Davis. Two years ago, over 500 had joined Tim Walz's group. (Gutknecht, too, had a Facebook group, though  two summers ago it attracted numbers closer to those Davis now enjoys.)

How ironic that the Post Bulletin article was published, exactly two years to the day as the earlier story. How unfortunate that the PB readers aren't provided with the contrast between the two challengers' campaigns---only with Mr. Biers braggadico.

Radar love?: Will Minnesota's "Emerging Races" repeat 2006 surprise DFL win?

Around the Minnesota blogosphere, progressive bloggers paid attention when the Democratic Congressional Campaign added Steve Sarvi (MN-02) and El Tinklenberg (MN-06) to the "emerging races" list.  Readers can find out more by reading MN-02, MN-06 on DCCC's radar at MNCR and Steve Sarvi now on DCCC's radar at MnBlue

Ashwin Madia is already on the "Red to Blue" list in a race that's rated a tossup and is rumored to be lookin' good for the young Iraq War vet.

There's an article up at CQPolitics this morning about the development in More Democrats Pegged for National Party Aid:

In addition to the 14 “Red to Blue” candidates, the DCCC released Wednesday a list of 20 “emerging races.” A Democratic source with close knowledge of the committee said these candidates “could very well be next in line” to become “Red to Blue” candidates, but for now, the party is closely monitoring them. The emerging list’s intent is both to prompt others to support these candidates as well as motivate the campaigns themselves to further excel, according to the Democratic source.

Those watching the Walz-Gutknecht race in the First two years ago around this time--and reading people like Joe at MnCR and the guys at MnPublius (their 2006 archive is another victim of the Great Crash)  before BSP made its appearance in July 2006--may remember that Tim Walz didn't get put on the "emerging race" list until September. The Swing State Project notes his emergence on September 18, 2006.  While we weren't surprise when Walz upset Gutknecht in November, most convnetional thinkers were stunned.

Walz didn't hit the "Red to Blue" list until late October.

DFLers and Democrats everywhere should pay attention. First, supporting Sarvi and Tinklenberg  (nice light bulb, El!) has the potential to take another congressional  seat now held by a Republican. Click on the links above to help them.

Second, as far ahead as Walz looks in terms of fundraising and polling, the First can't be taken for granted While the Republican candidates Day and Davis are in a primary battle and have raised far less money that Walz had at this time two years ago, it's important to continue to contribute to and volunteer for Walz's campaign. Click here to find out how.

Sarvi and Tinklenberg are on the radar. Help them out.

A tale of two conventions: shadowy traces on a gym wall

While the Republican Party tries to draw comparisons between Walz's strategic position in 2008 and former Gil Gutknecht's at this point in the 2006 race, the contrast between the two is far greater than any similarities.

For not only did Walz have roughly $340,000 more cash in hand at the end of  Q1 2008 than Gutknecht had at the end of Q1 2006, Walz vastly outraised of over his Republican competitors combined in this past quarter. By way of contrast, Walz outraised Gutknecht in Q12006,  a trend that would continue.

Moreover, Gutknecht was so confident that no one was losing any sleep over Walz that he skipped his own endorsing convention in 2006, according to a Post-Bulletin article we found via Lexis-Nexis:

May 8--SIOUX VALLEY, Minn. -- It might have been a bit unorthodox for a candidate not to be present at his own endorsing convention, but it didn't alter the outcome.

U.S. Rep. Gil Gutknecht was unanimously endorsed as the Republican Party's candidate for the First Congressional District.

A spokesman for Gutknecht said a scheduling conflict prevented the six-term congressman from attending the convention on Saturday. He was to serve as host to members of the Canadian Parliament in Charleston, S.C., at the same time that the endorsing event was held.

Instead of a flesh-and-blood incumbent, the more than 150 delegates who attended the convention at Sioux Valley Lutheran Secondary School, about 130 miles west of Rochester, had to content themselves with a video of Gutknecht projected on the wall of the darkened gymnasium. . . .[Post-Bulletin, "Gutknecht misses own endorsement," 5/8/2006]

Not so for Representative Walz. He'll be in Albert Lea tomorrow for his endorsement, knowing as he does that his grassroots campaign will need the help of DFL activists and others standing beside him. As the Rochester Post Bulletin reported earlier, the gathered Democrats will be voting for hotly-contested delegate spots at the national convention in Denver, so tomorrow's turn out should be strong.

Why, we even anticipate that some Republicans will show up for the excitement.

And since the Walz campaign is taking nothing for granted--not even the $1 million in cash reserves--a fundraising dinner will follow the convention.

From "maverick" to "moderate": reconstruction of the Gutknecht fables

In today's Washington Post, blogger Ben Pershing writes Tom Davis and the 'Dying Breed' of Moderates. Pershing points out that:

When Ramstad announced his retirement in September, he said he was part of a "dying breed of Republican moderates," and things have gotten a lot worse since then. Davis is now the 21st House Republican to announce his retirement this cycle (not counting House members who are leaving to run for other office), and moderates make up a full 48 percent of that list.

Using membership in the centrist Republican Main Street Partnership as a guide, Davis is the 10th self-identified GOP moderate to call it quits, following Reps. David Hobson (Ohio), Ray LaHood (Ill.), Jim McCrery (La.), Deborah Pryce (Ohio), Ramstad, Ralph Regula (Ohio), Jim Saxton (N.J.), Jim Walsh (N.Y.) and Jerry Weller (Ill.). (An 11th RMSP member, New Mexico Rep. Heather Wilson, is running for Senate.)

An interesting point, for we read the daily scorn for RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) written by our conservative blogger brethren. 

Indeed, their pro-conservative tracts promise the Republican Party faithful that they will restore the fortunes of the incredible shrinking pachyderm clan only if everyone climbs aboard a right-ward sailing ark amid the rising tide of Democratic victories.

We're seeing this bombastic argument getting some extra padding and ordinary journalists seem to be helping stuff the figure as well. Indeed, Pershing himself goes on to mention moderates defeated in the last cycle:

And this isn't the first cycle to decimate the moderate Republican ranks. In 2006, the GOP was unable to protect two New Hampshire centrists -- Jeb Bradley and Charles Bass (now the RMSP's president) -- as well as Reps. Nancy Johnson (Conn.), Rob Simmons (Conn.), and Gil Gutknecht (Minn.). Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (N.Y.) chose to retire.

Pershing must be using a different metric to define "moderate," for 2006, since Gil Gutknecht was not a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, so far as we're able to determine. And we've met Jim Ramstad, and Gil Gutknecht is no Jim Ramstad.

An old Project Vote Smart page lists Gutknecht's caucus memberships:

Floor Leader, Minnesota House Republican Caucus, 1992-1995
Congressional Family Caucus
Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus
Vice-Chair, Congressional Study Group on Germany
House Immigration Reform Task Force
Medical Technology Caucus
Republican Study Committee
Theme Team
Co-Chair, Upper Mississippi River Congressional Task Force

Our attention was drawn to Gutknecht's membership in the Republican Study Committee, a conservative caucus in Congress that's often contrasted with the more moderate Main Street Partnership. See, for example, Spending proposals leave moderates in tough position, an article originally published in the March 20, 2006 National Journal:

Looking over Nussle's shoulder is the Republican Study Committee, more than 100 members strong, which is insisting on reconciliation. "You don't lose weight until you get on the scale every day," Pence, the RSC chairman, said in an interview. "We're adamant."

Conservatives say that their party must appeal to its base, and they contend that moderates haven't been hurt by fiscal conservatism in the past and wouldn't be hurt by it this November. "There were moderates in the Congress when we passed the Contract With America in 1994," said Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., a former RSC chairman.

House conservatives expect their chamber to agree on another round of reconciliation -- and the Senate, too, once the budget resolution goes to conference. "Sooner or later, we expect the Senate to get this," said Rep. Gil Gutknecht, R-Minn.

For their part, Republican moderates believe that any large reconciliation measure will doom them on Election Day. "Their constituents are watching how much is being cut," said Sarah Chamberlain Resnick, executive director of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a moderate organization with members on and off Capitol Hill. "The real key is that the base in a swing district is very different than the base in a Republican Study Committee district."

Yup, two years ago, Gutknecht was doing cameo appearances as a conservative for the Republican Study Caucus. His December 6, 2006 farewell roast by the caucus is noted in the Congressional Record (H8876-H8882).  As much right-handed back-patting as one would ever want to read.

So when did he get spun into a moderate by the D.C. Press Corps? A couple of  "maverick" votes were cited by Vin Weber in a 2005 article about a possible U.S. Senate bid. The Strib's Kevin Diaz wrote him up as a "maverick" in the fall of 2006, despite his voting over 90 percent in his party and President. Next, Gutknecht was tapped as a "moderate" by writers at The Politico last fall.

And here we are, with former Congressman Gutknecht now described as a full-blown moderate, despite his conservative voting record,  conservative caucus memberships, and all. It took less than a full electoral cycle for Gil Gutknecht's reincarnation as a full-grown RINO in the memory of the Washington press corps. We can only wonder who fed them that line.

This fable might help help conservative bloggers paint by numbers and the candidates in the three-legged race for GOP endorsement in the First mud wrestle over who is the "true" conservative closest to the heart of the deep red beating heart of the district.

The truth remains, aside from all these grim fairytales. Gutknecht was a conservative defeated by a Democrat in a swing district that's trending blue in a state legislative races as well.

Wednesday news digest: Toil and tears edition

We tear up just thinking about the onion harvest in Hollandale. Too bad there aren't more locally grown onions available.

Don't cry for Gil Gutknecht, Minnesota. He's found work and he's sticking to his to-do list. According to today's Post Bulletin article, Gutknecht adjusts happily to life outside the limelight:

The former auctioneer serves as a consultant or is involved with six different companies, he said. He is also involved in conducting market research in Russia and drops hints about an energy deal in the works that could make headlines in the Wall Street Journal. But Gutknecht declines to provide specifics.

"The CEOs of those companies would not particularly want to read about them in the papers now," he said.

Yet some have been surprised at how complete Gutknecht's disappearance from public life has been. Gutknecht's loss to Mankato high school teacher Tim Walz was one of the stunning upsets of the 2006 election. Gutknecht not only lost the district but was bested in his home county of Olmsted.

DFL Chair Brian Melendez cries foul in Coleman’s lack of action on Iraq speaks louder than words:

In a recent letter published by The Free Press, Minnesota GOP Chair Ron Carey took aim at Democrats and their position on the war in Iraq.

How ironic. When most Minnesotans want a responsible end to this war, and when Democrats like the First District’s Rep. Tim Walz are working to safely and responsibly redeploy our troops from Iraq, Sen. Norm Coleman continues to stand in the way, supporting this failed president and his war in Iraq.

Coleman was elected in 2002 as a strong supporter of President Bush and the war in Iraq. Not until the war became unpopular did Coleman publicly express doubt.

But express doubt is all that he did. Actions speak louder than words, and when it comes to the war in Iraq, Coleman says one thing but does another.

Despite claiming that it’s time for a change of course, Coleman consistently supported this failed president and the war in Iraq, voting 10 times this year alone against changing course or setting a timeline for bringing troops home. . . .

Update : 3:30 p.m. 11/28: Brian Melendez works it in another letter in the Albert Lea Tribune in response to Carey. This time the letter's on Coleman's record on veterans' issue. Melendez pulls no punches. End update.

There are other candidates for the Senate job. Retired Post Bulletin editor and publisher Bill Boyne thinks Ciresi particularly well suited for Senate seat. At I Don't Hate America (the best Minnesota liberal blog left off MDE's blog roll), DJ takes in another DFL senate candidate forum, as does MnBlue, The Wege, and others.

At MnCR, Joe Bodell talked to Walz's new chief of staff.  And now we're off to work ourselves.

Does the spirit of Gil Gutknecht haunt Randy Demmer?

Reading an article in the Rochester Post Bulletin about a new law that removes wind energy production taxes from school district's revenue streams, we stumbled across this passage:

Republican Rep. Randy Demmer of Hayfield added that he had no idea this provision was put in the education bill when he voted. He has scheduled a meeting with education officials to discuss the policy and see if "there might be some rationales I'm not aware of."

Demmer didn't know what was in a bill he voted for?  Hmmm...what First District Republican legislator does that bring to mind?  Let's see..

Oh yeah, now we remember--that DM & E Railroad loan provision Gutknecht didn't know about when he voted on the transportation bill it was in:

Gutknecht campaign spokesman Bryan Anderson said it was “problematic” that the DM&E Railroad loan provision “was placed in the transportation spending bill late at night without a lot of members knowing about it.” Gutknecht was one who didn’t know about it.

A candidate for the Republican endorsement in MN-01 seat, Randy Demmer is campaigning on returning to traditional Republican values. We see now that he means it.

Update: another reminder of this spirit in action, last fall's lovely "Railroaded" Youtube:

How good is Larry Sabato's crystal ball?

Not very.

Via Polinaut, we discover that Larry Sabato has put Tim Walz on his list of the Freshman Fifteen.

Sabato is far away from the prairies of Minnesota, where we remember his November 6, 2006 prediction in the First  when Sabato put the seat in his "Ferocious Fifty" list:

November 6, 2006 Update:

Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R) will win reelection over Tim Walz (D). . .

Some of the information in his most recent assessment is quite curious. Sabato has the seat leaning both Democratic (in the outlook) and Republican (in the short text). Moreover, Sabato still lights a candle for the return of Gil Gutknecht, and mistakes the pent-up ambitions and numbers of GOP contenders with strength as candidates. Conservative columnist Barry Casselman was more astute in a recent interview in Roll Call:

"So far there's been nothing remarkable about the Republican field," Casselman said.

Someone could come along and prove formidable but, at this early date, that is not the case, Casselman added.

No doubt about it: the 2008 race is starting early. And if these early signs hold true throughout the campaign cycle, it looks as if the GOP will engage in negative bombast, while Walz and his allies stress his work on veterans issues, ethics reform, agriculture, rural development and transportation, and his extreme accessibility to his constitutents, whether in the district or in DC. 

The Mankato Free Press had noted before the election that if Walz were to work as hard in Washington as he had in campaigning, he would make a good congressman. So far, that seems to be the case--though scholars at the University of Minnesota may not be able to see what's on the ground in Southern Minnesota.

Fun stuff and a disclosure: Summer festivals are in fun swing in rural Minnesota. One special event in Waseca beginning today will help the surviving members of the Kruger family, who were the victims of a brutal home invasion and double murder this winter. The Kruger Aid Fest began last night. Tomorrow night features a rock concert with a lineup that includes Golden Smog and City Mouse, as well as one of Bluestem Prairie's first readers last summer, Fast Annie McLoone. McLoone is a Waseca native.

The Worthington Daily Globe covers this weekend's windsurfing regatta on Lake Okabena and music festival, the Post Bulletin touts Winona's cultural boom (Shakespeare and Beethoven festivals, as well as strong summer theatre) and there's music in a quarry near Mankato. Yeah, it's that quarry--the very one.

The Mankato Free Press has a pretty good roster of area summer festivals in south central Minnesota; The Lee Groups's River Valley Newspapers provides this list for the Coulie area in SE Minnesota.

Disclosure: We have to miss any fun this weekend because we're going out to Washington DC on Sunday to be trained as citizen-advocates by the Audubon Society. We'll be arguing for conservation measures in the 2007 Farm Bill (for us, this is hitting the trifecta: birding, politics and the Farm Bill). 

BSP will post from within the Beltway, where we promise to keep our bull detector until we return to God's country late Wednesday. We're meeting with members of Minnesota's congressional delegation (or their staff) who are on House and Senate Ag commitees  It's for the ducks. For the pintail ducks,  a lovely prairie bird.

 

Another sign of the times: property management issues in Rochester

Some weeks ago, we reported that the web page for the First Congressional District Republicans had not been updated since Spring 2004. 

Fortunately, our GOP brethren have since made necessary repairs, although they do seem a bit confused, since the page randomly lists a GOP U.S. Representative from Minnesota:  either Jim Ramstad, Michele Bachmann, or John Kline, depending upon the luck of the draw.  None of the three represent MN-01, and none of the other GOP congressional district pages uses this confusing design. 

Who is congressman in MN-01? Perhaps the state GOP can be forgiven for not knowing if they've visited the Omsted County Republican offices recently.

A friend sent us photos from Rochester this morning, documenting a bit of a property management issue in Rochester: the exterior of 1530 Greenview Dr. SW still sports lettering that indicates the presence of Congressman Gil Gutknecht's official office, which was in Suite 108. Now, this outdated signage is clearly a responsibility of the building's property manager, rather than the former Congressman. 

However, given that the Olmsted County Republicans are located in Suite 114 at 1530 Greenwood, we think they might take a bit of leadership in asking the building's management to remove the signage.

Perhaps after they update their web site, which still asks people to vote on November 7, 2006. Some fascinating audio files there of local radio ads as well.  Oh, and there's this fascinating page for Olmsted County from 2004 on the State Republican web site.  The entry for January 19 is our fav:

Olmsted County Republicans get ready for an exciting election year! Plan to get involved and help re-elect President George Bush, First District Congressman Gil Gutknecht and MN State Representatives Bill Kuisle, Fran Bradley, Randy Demmer and Carla Nelson. Lets keep them in office!

Heckova job.

Rothenberg Report: 1st CD difficult seat for GOP snapback

Via Real Clear Politics, Stuart Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report discusses the possibility on a GOP snapback of House seats in 2008.  He doesn't put MN-01 high on the list for GOP salvage operations:

The possibility of a GOP snapback also is minimized by the nature of the ’06 wave. Almost half of the districts that turned from Republican to Democratic are either competitive or Democratic-leaning, and as long as the freshman Democrats in those districts don’t stumble badly, history suggests that they will be difficult to dislodge.

Former Republican Congressmen Charles Bass (N.H.), Jeb Bradley (N.H.), Michael Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Gil Gutknecht (Minn.), Nancy Johnson (Conn.), Sue Kelly (N.Y.), Jim Leach (Iowa), Anne Northup (Ky.), Rob Simmons (Conn.) and Clay Shaw (Fla.) didn’t lose because they were terrible candidates. They lost because they were in marginal seats or in districts carried by Al Gore in 2000 and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004. It will be very difficult (though obviously not impossible) for the GOP to retake those districts, even if former Members run again for their former seats.

Thursday evening digest: Walz on farm bill spending and other monetary matters

Rochester Post-Bulletin: Walz wants increase in farm finance
Today's Post Bulletin reports that Walz wants increase in farm spending:

Freshman Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat representing Minnesota's 1st District and recently appointed to the House Agriculture Committee, says he wants farm spending increased, not decreased, as called for in President Bush's proposed farm bill.

Bush's proposal, issued Wednesday, would reduce overall farm payments by $18 billion over five years. Walz, who will have a hand in the House's farm bill legislative process, said he sees the need to spend more, not less. "Some of the rural development programs have been seriously under-appropriated," he said.

Like Bush, Walz favors the current farm bill's approach and does not support radical changes. The farm bill -- really a series of federal programs -- gives farmers payments and other help to supplement their incomes, support crop prices and manage supplies. . . .

. . .Walz said he would like to see additional spending on renewable fuels programs and conservation. "Obviously we want to see that energy title strengthened," he said, along with changes to the Conservation Security Program. . . .

Campaign finance: Walz FEC report
While bloggers on the right and left engaged in heavy breathing over reports in Roll Call and The Hill about the state of freshman representives' fundraising, we read Tim Walz's end-of-year report. The summary page of receipts and disbursements indicates that the Walz campaign began the reporting period with a mere $3754.14 in hand and ended the year with $29,528.17 cash in hand. 

Walz reported just over $51,000 in net contributions for the period, while paying off bills.  Check out the report itself for additional details.  Updates: At Minnesota Monitor, Joe Bodell provides an analysis of how efficiently campaign dollars were spent.  The Rochester Post Bulletin takes a look in Walz turns in year-end campaign finance report.
 

GOP Mark Meyer's exploratory committee's  "Statement of Organization" is online at the FEC as well.

Novak: Gil Gutknecht's moving sale
Robert Novak repeats the old news about Meyer's interest in MN-01 at Human Events, while dishing about former Rep. Gil Gutknecht's moving sale:

The decision by Rep. Gil Gutknecht to sell his well-located Capitol Hill condo and leave everything behind -- including all of his furniture and even his Select Comfort bed -- gives a strong impression that he will not be running to get his seat back any time soon. Democrat Tim Walz defeated Gutknecht by a wide margin in one of the big surprise upsets of 2006.

Netroots
I Don't Hate America looks at the DM & E decision in Final FRA Decision on DM&E - Within “90-days”. Minnesota Monitor looks at Minnesota in the News, Feb. 1.

OLLIE OX UPDATE: CQ Politics on national congressional campaign committee FEC reports
CQ Politics' Bob Benenson reports:

The year-end 2006 campaign finance reports from the major parties’ congressional campaign committees, which were filed with the Federal Election Commission by Wednesday’s deadline, show at least one thing: the amount of debt a committee accumulates is not always directly proportional to its electoral success rate.

For example, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) — stung by the 30-seat loss last fall that cost the GOP its House majority — also ended 2006 deepest in debt among the parties’ four congressional campaign committees, according to analysis by CQ’s Political MoneyLine.

        The NRCC, which reported taking out a $1 million loan Nov. 30, ended the year with debts of $14,386,926. The committee reported $1,401,618 cash on hand as of Dec. 31. NRCC Report

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which gained more House seats than in any election cycle since 1974, also ended the year with a fairly heavy debt load, though not as large as that of the Republicans. The DCCC reported debts of debts of $9,311,416 and cash on hand of $776,981 as of Dec. 31. DCCC Report

      

Bloomberg: Gutknecht on retirement

Bloomberg's Julianna Goldman writes that Ousted Republicans Have Less Fame, More Fortune in Their Future. 

After 26 years in Congress, Clay Shaw knows what he wants his next job to be: corporate director.         

Shaw, a Florida Republican who was defeated in his re- election bid in November, has deferred offers from Washington law firms and rebuffed an inquiry to teach while he pursues his dream.         

``It's not a 9-to-5 job, and you can serve on a board and live just about anywhere you want,'' he said.         

Shaw, 67, is one of the 22 Republican representatives and six senators lining up new careers after being ousted from the offices that afforded them media attention, devoted aides and a $165,200 congressional salary.         

Their losses may ultimately prove to be a financial windfall. Former lawmakers can expect wages from $250,000 to $2 million a year in the outside world, said former House Republican leader Dick Armey, 66, a senior policy adviser with the lobbying firm DLA Piper in Washington.         

``I know of only a few cases where members failed to make more than they did as members of Congress,'' Armey said.

Some of the beaten Republicans -- no Democrat running for re-election lost -- are following the traditional route to wealth: lobbying. Defeated Montana Senator Conrad Burns, 71, was hired by Washington-based GAGE Business Consulting and Government Affairs, a lobbying group founded by his former chief of staff, Leo Giacometto. Burns, who by law can't lobby for a year, will bide his time this year as a ``senior adviser,'' according to the firm's Web site.         

Abramoff Links         

Burns' link to lobbyists contributed to his election loss. He received more money than any other lawmaker from Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to corrupt public officials.         

For Burns and other lawmakers, being out of office will allow them to enjoy life away from public scrutiny. Former Minnesota Representative Gil Gutknecht, 55, doesn't have to worry about most House ethics rules or the criticism of political opponents when he lines up paid speaking appearances before interest-group members.         

``I can play golf with them and not have to figure out what's right and what's wrong,'' Gutknecht said.

Can we assume that this means Gutknecht won't be running for office again?

What's the frequency, Gilbert: an odd media tale of the old First

A friend who made the trek to the swearing-in festivities last week has shared an eye-opening tale.

While touring Representative Walz's new office, she learned that the four televisions transferred from departing Representative Gil Gutknecht's office were set to allow access only to CSPAN, CSPAN2 and Fox News. Walz's staff had to reprogram the sets in order to watch CNN and other cable news programs in addition to those enjoyed by Gutknecht and his staff.

Perhaps the rigid viewing choices explain why Gutknecht seemed so out-of-touch in debates, and his campaign failed to see what hit them in the First.

December 31 digest: Glad tidings of bipartisan cheer

Since the Minnesota legislature convenes on January 3,  several MN-01 daily papers take a look at their local lawmakers' expectations in this weekend's editions.

Winona Daily News: Let's be friends!
In Brian Voerding's article, Let’s be friends: The Legislature looks to get along in ’07, area DFL lawmakers hopes for concord and action.  State Senate version:

Bipartisan cooperation has been a talking point for Democrats, who took control of the House and widened their majority in the Senate in the November elections.

While DFL lawmakers now have the numbers to pass bills regardless of Republican opposition, they say they’re more interested in working together and setting a new tone in the statehouse. Sessions have been marked by bitter partisanship in recent years, including the 2005 session that caused a partial government shutdown.

Only time will tell whether relationships next year will be collegial, if not congenial, although a paucity of controversial issues could help. Some legislators, though, already have high hopes for cooperation across party lines.

Winona’s DFL Sen.-elect Sharon Erickson Ropes pointed to this year’s freshman orientation as an early sign that teamwork is a high priority. The orientation, both bicameral and bipartisan, was a first for the Legislature. Democrats sat next to Republicans. House members sat next to senators.

“It’s an indicator of an effort to reach out to everyone,” Ropes said. “You get to know your colleagues as people, because we’re all new, going through the same process.”

And, Ropes said, they all got along just fine.

20-year veteran House member Gene Pelowski concurs:

Longtime Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, has seen it all in his 20 years as a legislator and said he’s hopeful that next year will mark a new trend. As speaker pro tem of the House, he plans to use his influence to bring the same values of nonpartisanship that he uses in his model legislature program for high school students.

“I think (talks of cooperation) are real, and hopefully something that will permeate everything,” Pelowski said.

In Surplus is temporary; needs are now, the Winona Daily News' editorial board hopes that lawmakers will work on longterm property tax reform, rather than a one-year tax relief plan put forth by former speaker Steve Sviggum. The editors also think it's about time to attend to the state's needs:

. . .Recently, outgoing Minnesota Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum has made rumblings about introducing a bill that would give a one-time 15 percent break on state property taxes. While we doubt this bill would even make it out of committee in the upcoming DFL-controlled House, it is a very bad idea, one that’s been tried before and even one that other Republicans may not support.

One may argue that a state surplus doesn’t belong to the government, it belongs to the taxpayers. And that is certainly a legitimate point.

But throughout the campaign season, we heard about the dysfunction of our state education system. We were reminded that health care continues to gobble up resources. And we can’t forget that roads and bridges are crumbling right beneath our tires and feet.

With that much need, why would we give money back, especially when no one will feel the pocketbook pinch since the money has already been collected?

Maybe those issues were really just boogeyman tactics designed to scare voters last November. But will it take a bridge falling apart with motorists on it to get us to realize the state has needs, not just wants?

Property tax relief is also one of the issues we heard a lot about during campaign speeches and debates. But it seems to us that there was always an adjective before the word property — and that adjective was “permanent.” There’s a lot of merit to talking about permanent ways to decrease property taxes. However, a one-time relief effort just dodges an inevitable bullet. It doesn’t solve the problem, only eases the pain momentarily.

Furthermore, legislators on both sides of the aisle seem to have pretty long lists of things that must be done — money that must be spent — to make sure infrastructure like roads, police departments and schools are maintained in the future.

We seriously question whether giving what essentially amounts to a rebate could even do as much good as it can when Minnesota invests it in education, higher education, health care or even roads? . . .

Austin Daily Herald: Priorities, priorities
In Spam's hometown, Sparks, Poppe set priorities for 2007 Legislature.  A taste of those priorities:

. . .Sparks said that first and foremost, balancing the budget has to be “our No. 1 priority” . . .
. . .Poppe said she wants to improve communication with her constituents during her upcoming term.

“That is the key piece in being a good representative,” she said. . . .

. . .Poppe said she wants to stick to the basics this term: an education the public can feel confident in, affordable health care and good public transportation, which fuels economic development.

“I don’t think people want us to focus on things that don’t matter in their lives,” she said.

Mankato Free Press:  District sends newbies to St. Paul
The Free Press's Mark Fischenich writes that Mankato prepares to send a new crew to St. Paul.  All three legislators from Senate District 23 will be new.  Fischenich writes:

For years, when Mankato residents wanted something from the Minnesota Capitol, they knew who to ask. In the Senate, it was John Hottinger. In the House, it was John Dorn.

Including Rep. Ruth Johnson’s three nonconsecutive terms representing North Mankato, St. Peter and other parts of Nicollet and Sibley counties, the three lawmakers had a combined 42 years of legislative experience.

Starting Wednesday, Mankato/North Mankato’s three lawmakers will have a combined zero years of legislative experience. Along with being rookies, the three share enthusiasm for public service, a commitment to learning fast and a determination to do well for their constituents.

They also share interesting and winding roads from where their lives started to the limestone seat of Minnesota government in St. Paul.

But if the legislators are new, they are not without significant experience. They’re part of a new class of legislators who come to the Capitol not as young political operatives who won elections in districts where people mostly think like them, but are rather experienced “mature” people who bring broad experience and knowledge with them, says Sen. Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, who appointed Kathy Sheran to two budget committees — something he says is unheard of for freshmen legislators.

The rest of Fischenich's article profiles Kathy Sheran; tomorrow, he'll look at Kathy Brynaert.

Netroots: And we’ll tak a right gude-willie-waught
DailyKos diarist KKJohnson takes up Gil Gutknecht's statement blaming Condi Rice for the situation in Iraq. Gutknecht had pinned Iraq policy on Rice, and his political "demise" on that policy in the Rochester Post Bulletin interview published last week.  Make sure to read the DailyKos comments. Retirement balls, indeed.

We thank Norwegianity for the toast.  But the netroots' share in helping elect Tim Walz belongs to every blogger who pitched in and helped spread the word about a rising prairie progressive: raise a glass to all.  We'd like to give a special toast to two blogs gone dark: Backbone Minnesota and minvolved. Auld Lang Syne, bubs.

News digest: Walz win in 2006 top stories and more

The Winona Daily News looks at top stories in its area for 2006.  Here's the write-up for politics:

Walz unseats Gutknecht

Tim Walz, the fiery-yet-affable teacher from Mankato, became the poster child of the Democrats’ sweep of both the U.S. House and Senate in the November midterm elections when he ousted six-term incumbent Congressman Gil Gutknecht, R-Rochester, in a close race that most pollsters and pundits ignored until September.

Within the state Legislature, DFLers widened their majority in the Senate and re-captured a majority in the House. The House takeover was marked by a number of tight DFL victories over long-time Republicans, including La Crescent Rep.-elect Ken Tschumper’s 52-vote win over Rep. Greg Davids, an eight-term Republican from Preston.

Of the five state legislators who will represent Winona and the surrounding area in 2007-08, four are Democrats. Prior to the November elections, three of the five were Republicans.

Minnesota Central: Best and worst list
McPherson Hall, whose Minnesota Central blog had been quiet for a while, reflects on the political year.

Mankato Free Press:  Tim Penny's radio show
Our fiscally moderate friend at Minnesota Central is a big fan of former representative Tim Penny. The Mankato Free Press reports on Penny's radio show, broadcast from Waseca's KOWZ.

After a long stint in politics, Tim Penny has discovered you don’t have to be in elective office to examine the issues and make a difference.

In Waseca, the 55-year-old former congressman is asking the questions he thinks people want answered as host of the weekly radio show It’s Your Call on KOWZ-AM 1170.

A few minutes before 11 a.m. on a recent Friday morning with coffee cup in hand, Penny climbs the steps to the cramped radio studio of KOWZ in the back of the Nelson Realty building in downtown Waseca.

“I try to ask the questions I’ve heard people asking around town,” Penny said. He invites a variety of local people to answer those questions on the air.

Since his first show in September, past and present government officials, the heads of organizations, high school students and other local notables have shared the microphone.

During a recent program, Penny shook hands with his radio guest, jotted a few notes on the back of his mail and adjusted the microphone, waiting for his cue from Bob White, the station’s sports director.

Chuck Noble, a CPA, gave listeners end-of-the-year income tax tips, prompted by a few questions from Penny. Mayor Roy Srp filled in the rest of the hour. Penny describes his radio slot as “somewhat political but low key.” While he tries not to throw softballs, Penny also notes he doesn’t set his guests up for a “gotcha” interview.

“I like the interviewing techniques Gary Eichten on (Minnesota) Public Radio uses,” Penny said. . . .

The show is being considered for a statewide audience.

Worthington Daily Globe: Swift & Co coverage
A fascinating pair of articles in today's Worthington Daily Globe.  One chronicles the contributions Swift & Co. makes to the Worthington area; the other looks at the effects on Worthington of a long-term decline in real wages in the meat packing industry.  Reporter Julie Buntjer wrote the pieces.

In Being a good neighbor?, Buntjer notes:

Throughout the course of the past two weeks — since Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials conducted a sweep of Worthington’s Swift & Co. plant in search of identity thieves and illegal immigrants — comments regarding Swift’s impact on the community have been easy to come by. Yet the topic often overlooked in those conversations on the street or in letters to the editor are positives that Swift has brought to the region.

[snip]

More than just the name has changed at the Worthington facility in those 42 years, and that’s clear simply by driving past the plant on the northeast corner of town. Remodeling and expansion projects over the years — the latest completed in 2004 — have taken the company to new heights in Worthington. Today, Swift has 2,300 employees and an annual payroll of $64 million with two full production shifts and a third shift to conduct maintenance, clean-up and rendering.

Thanks to advancements in technology and expanded space, Swift today can process 1,100 hogs per hour — nearly four times per hour than when the plant first opened. Efficiencies in processing have opened the doors to the region’s pork producers to grow the steady supply of animals needed to keep the plant in operation.

“All of our hogs are purchased from within a 200-mile radius of the plant,” said Andersen-Martinez, adding that the company’s most recent data shows $661 million being paid per year to those pork producers. “That $661 million is 4.4 million hogs (processed) per year.”

The plant needs more than just pigs to remain in business, and that brings in an entire realm of economic benefits.

From Jan. 1, 2005 through Nov. 2006, Swift & Co. contributed nearly 30 percent of the share of the retail electric revenues taken in by Worthington Public Utilities. During that same time period, the company’s water fees made up close to 40 percent of the total water revenues taken in by the utility, according to WPU director Scott Hain.

[snip]

With a $64 million payroll, $661 million paid to local pork producers, $5.3 million paid in utilities, $6.3 million in state and federal withholding and $1.2 million in property and vehicle taxes, Andersen-Martinez said those dollars multiply throughout the region. According to RIMS (Regional Input-Output Modeling System) multipliers, Worthington’s Swift & Co. can be attributed to the creation of 14,000 additional jobs — above and beyond those within the plant — and another $251 million per year in economic earnings in the region.

Its employees buy homes here, rent apartments here, buy groceries and supplies in local stores and support community causes. According to Sean McHugh, spokesperson for Swift & Co.’s headquarters in Greeley, Colo., the Worthington plant provided more than $47,000 in cash and in-kind support for organizations including the local food shelves, Hospice Cottage and the Worthington Area United Way — as well as a special $52,000 contribution to support families of the ICE investigation. In addition, employees contributed $12,200 for the American Cancer Society’s Nobles County Relay for Life in 2006; and $52,200 for the Worthington Area United Way during the 2005 campaign.

Another side of the story in the companion article, Low wages change face of processing industry:

Some have said that when Swift Independent purchased the former Armour’s plant in Worthington, so began the town’s demise. Wage reductions and increased expectations forced people to leave the processing facility behind — to be replaced by workers willing to do the job for whatever pay they could get.

Back in 1983, one local man left his job on the line after 19 years with what he believes was a relatively good company in Armour’s. The union was strong — it had gone on strike several times seeking improvements in working conditions and increased wages — and everyone seemed to get along, whether they were line workers or office personnel.

Armour’s paid some of the best wages in town back then, and benefits were good, too.

“We had a waiting list when we worked there of people wanting to come work,” said the man, who spoke to the Daily Globe on condition of anonymity.

Teachers would sign up to work for Armour’s during their summer vacation, and the unemployed would show up each day in hopes someone called in sick or couldn’t make it into work, he said. But when Armour’s closed and Swift Independent came in two months later, the pay being offered was considerably less. It forced many, including him, to begin a new job search.

When he lost his job in 1983 due to the closing of Armour’s, he was making $11.75 per hour on a line that processed 550 hogs per hour. He can’t recall what Swift Independent was willing to pay, but remembers it was nowhere near the living wage he’d been earning.

Now, some 23 years and three changes in ownership later, the starting wage at the pork processing plant is $11.50 per hour — roughly 30 percent less when considering inflation — and it is processing 1,100 hogs per hour.

According to James Mintert, an agricultural economist at Kansas State University, meatpacking wages once ran 14 to 18 percent above the average manufacturing wage. Today, the wages are 25 percent below the average manufacturing hourly rate.

So who, or what, is responsible for the bubble bursting in the food processing business?

Those who have worked in the industry blame it on non-unionized companies.

[snip]

In 1980, about 46 percent of meatpackers were unionized. Today, about 21 percent are, including Worthington’s Swift & Co.

In Worthington, the inability to find enough people willing to work at the new, lower wages offered by Swift Independent forced the company to find new tactics to bring in employees. In the years that followed, a slow yet steady stream of immigrants — both legal and illegal — came to town to fill the jobs.

Some may argue that they took jobs away from local residents, but what many don’t consider is the declining number of people who want to work in a processing facility. As the former Armour’s employee pointed out, the work isn’t glamorous. Employees stand, often in one place, for up to eight or 10 hours a day on a concrete floor. In addition, their work is repetitious and typically involves yielding dangerous equipment such as knives or saws.

Today, immigrants make up 50 percent of the workforce, according to data from the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.  . . .

Washington invitations
Tim and Gwen Walz invite those who can make it to Washington D.C. on January 4 to a couple of receptions.  It's our first duty day for the semester, alas, so we are staying put in Minnesota, but we anticipate Representative Walz's cheerful communication staff will supply details on all the fun.

Rochester Post Bulletin: Interview with Gutknecht
The Post-Bulletin's Ed Felker interviews the Republican leader  in Gutknecht reflects on 12 years in the House.  In this interview, he attributes his "demise" to the Iraq situation:

Do you still support the president's approach to the war?

A: I'm not sure I know what the president's approach is. One of the real problems this administration had is they are just miserable communicators. If they had expressed from the beginning a clear vision, the American people would have stood behind that vision for a very long time. But the vision has been somewhat misunderstood, that's the term I would use. ...

The White House indirectly sowed the seeds, I might say, of my demise, by things that they did early on that didn't prove to be correct. Not that they're evil, or whatever, but they didn't think about the consequences down the road if that wasn't correct. ...

I would put under a bigger umbrella, the whole notion, the whole theory, and I have to blame (Secretary of State) Condoleezza Rice for this, the whole theory was that they would be so pleased to be out from under the yoke of Saddam Hussein that they would put aside their secular differences and unite behind the banner of secular democracy. Well, the Iraqi people do want democracy, but they first want justice. The Sunnis and Shias have scores that they want to settle, and I don't think we thought through what those scores were and how violent that could become.

It's easy for me to be critical today because I didn't see that and didn't understand that. ... I did not understand how deeply rooted the secular differences were in Iraq, and it would continue to fester and in some respects flare up 31/2 years later. No one could have predicted that, I shouldn't say that, no one was predicting that four years ago, but we certainly understand that today.

 

KARE 11: Walz win among top stories of 2006

KARE 11 reports:

In the 1st District, a first time politician "taught" a lesson to a long term incumbent. High school teacher and military veteran Tim Walz upset Republican Gil Gutknecht.

To be honest, this description is typical of what's wrong with much news coverage.  Cuteness over substance: Walz wasn't out to "teach" Gutknecht a lesson; he sought to provide better leadership and representation for the district's voters.

Since being elected, Walz has been engaged in a whirlwind of activity on issues ranging from the DM & E dispute, renewable energy and immigration.

Quotes of the year from Albert Lea: Gutknecht and Walz

Memorable Quotations from Albert Lea
Sandwiched in with residents' exclamations about lakes burping methane gas and giant puffballs growing on lawns, notable quotables from the contestants in the Fighting First's congressional race appear in the Albert Lea Tribune:

“I’m just out shaking hands and kissing babies.” — U.S. Rep. Gil Gutknecht in Albert Lea in October. The Republican candidate failed to win a seventh term as the 1st District representative.

“I definitely never planned my life around doing this. But my life prepared me to do this. People were asking for a real citizen with leadership capability.” — Mankato teacher Tim Walz in February at the Albert Lea Union Center. DFL candidate Walz defeated Gutknecht to win the 1st District congressional seat.