Bluestem Prairie

Geography lesson: MNGOP House redistricting guru totally worries about Rochester

Each day, Bluestem finds more reason to head to the Jeffers' Petroglyphs to carve Tom Wolfe's edict (about the disadvantage of the novelist in the age of absurdity) into the sacred red rocks.

Take the recent episode starring Sarah Anderson, the Republican representative from Plymouth, which the editor believes to be located in the near western suburbs of Minneapolis, rather than Massachusetts or England.  In an attempt to deride Minneapolis Mayor Rybak, Sarah Anderson provides a clear demonstration of her expertise, via our friends at The Uptake:

Fun facts: Anderson chaired the Republican redistricting effort in the House. Rochester, Minnesota, home of the world-famous Mayo Clinic, is Minnesota's third largest city. Bluestem recommends that Anderson head south on Highway 52 to the Med City, where Congressman Tim Walz, a former social studies teacher, will cheerfully give her a lesson in reading maps.

Greater Minnesotans are used to people not knowing where to find Darfur or Ceylon, but Rochester shouldn't be a problem.

Emo Senator: Amnesia plot twist thickened as Mike Parry forgot which office he was running for

The screenwriter furrowed her brow as she read the end-of-year campaign finance reports from The Emo Senator's state and federal races.  Could it be as she feared? Had the Belle of Waseca County, Mike Parry, R-ALEC, suffered yet another bout of his famous amnesia? 

The malady strikes our hero so often when it comes to money and holding office. Just last year, he defended taking full per diem because he had no other income during the session--forgetting that he owns and operates a Godfather's Pizza in sunny Waseca, Minnesota.

What office did Mike Parry campaign for once he declared himself a candidate for Congress?  Judging by his congressional committee's spending, he didn't put out for mileage to drive around the sprawling First Congressional District, which extends across southern Minnesota from Wisconsin to South Dakota.

Other congressional campaigns in Minnesota's rural areas, like Republican Lee Byberg's race against Blue Dog Collin Peterson in the Seventh, are ponying up for gas. Several staffers are reimbursed for gas in incumbent Tim Walz's report.

How does our hero travel these distances without spending money on gas? Astro-projection? Teleportation? A sprinkle of former senator Dick Day's famous foo-foo dust? A sudden burst of charity on the part of campaign volunteer Ben Golnik, who accompanied him on a two-day from Winona to Worthington? 

The screenwriter doesn't know, but did find that in Mike Parry's other campaign, he was filling up at local gas stations quite regularly. There's the state campaign finance reporting of gas purchases: $48.50 on November 15; $73 on November 18; $71 on November 25th,  $48.65 on December 2; $64.06 (including a car wash) on December 12; $68 on December 16. 

For that much gas, Mike Parry must have doorknocked much of his district for the state senate campaign in November and December.

Indeed, the state report shows a great devotion to the state bid. Mike Parry purchased and activated a phone on September 3--the first phone for the state level campaign in 2011--and began paying Verizon for phone service on October 7, with a charge of $123.52, followed by payments in November of $153.44 and December of $148.03.  There are no phone or cell expenses in the Congressional campaign report to the FEC.

Parry also purchased other equipment for the senate campaign. On November  28, he visited the Owatonna Office Max and purchased card scan equipment for $182.94. Radio Shack supplied a power strip and USB cable on October 1 for $34.18 and there's the Ipad purchased a few days later from the Apple Store in Bloomington for $688.32, a better way to tweet spiteful remarks about the staff at the governor's residence perhaps--though maybe not Walz.

Then there's the dedication of Senator Parry's state campaign workers, who drove all the way to The Cities (or was it Duluth?) to attend a campaign meeting on October 6 at Pizza Luce, where they ordered $76.03 worth of food and beverages.  Persumably, they forgot--like Parry himself back in early summer--that The Belle of Waseca County owns a Godfather's Pizza.  Certainly, it's more forgettable fare than Pizza Luce.

Another indication that Parry may be carrying on a state senate campaign: using that campaign committee's dollars--reported as campaign expenses--for 2012 dues and county fair registrations. There's the $185 going toward 2012 dues for the Faribault Chamber of Commerce, for instance.

And residents of Steele County can look forward Mike Parry's appearance at the Free Fair as a state senate candidate, since the state-level committee shelled out early for a $500 SCFF sponsorship on November 16, 2011. (All earlier fair sponsorships had been paid at the time of the fair, held each year in August).

Forgetful as our hero is, certainly he'd never forget that state campaign funds can't be spent on federal campaigns.

Indeed, Emo Senator was so intent on campaigning for the state senate, that he closed the year with only $42.95 in his committee's account.  Now that he's back on track for campaigning for congress--having only spent $3402.14 last year, while banking $29,182.86--we'll no doubt see more spending from that account. Tune in again!

Or maybe it will be more foo-foo dust renewable energy used for mileage, since the Emo Senator now recalls only congressional campaign stops since October, according to the Owatonna People's Press:

Parry, a Waseca Republican whose district includes all of Steele County, announced in October he was running for the Republican nomination. Since then, he has scheduled many meet and greet events at the crack of dawn.

“Part of the reason is that I’m a seated (state) senator and so I’m working all day long up at the Capitol,” Parry said. “We’re taking Saturdays and Sundays and we are doing meet and greets all over the First District.

Stay tuned.

Photoshop image: the Emo Senator, by Tild.

 

The Crisis (of credibility): Mike Parry discusses "common sense"; Tom Paine rolls over in grave

These are the headlines that try readers' souls. An urban legend, like hell, is not easily conquered, as Mike Parry's continued campaigning against an imaginary EPA dust rule demonstrates.

One has to hand it to Huckle Media, publishers of the Owatonna People's Press, for at least putting Senator Mike Parry's notion of "common sense" within quotation marks. In Parry discusses ‘common sense’ there's this gem:

“Does it make good common sense for Congressman Walz to vote against agriculture?” Parry asked. “It’s exactly what he’s done. He voted against the Cambodian and Panama trade agreements. That’s about a $9 billion export market for this state of Minnesota.”

Parry said Walz has supported the Environmental Protection Agency, which Parry says wants to control the dust coming out of the back of a combine.

Perhaps Parry should take a refresher course on both his talking points and geography (perhaps he could sit in on one of Walz's guest social studies classes in district schools). Presumably, Parry is talking about the Colombian free trade agreement. Colombia and Cambodia? Close enough, one supposes; they both begin with a "C."

Walz wasn't against agriculture, but concerned about other issues.  The Rochester Post Bulletin reported in October:

Walz voted for the South Korea Free Trade Agreement saying it will benefit farmers in southern Minnesota. But he voted against agreements with Colombia and Panama. He said he has serious concerns about Colombia's human rights record and corruption and instability in Panama.

“I believe that as the leader of the free world, the United States must be guided in its trade policy by our values,” he said in a written statement.

No doubt Parry is guided by his values, too: he's a ALEC member willing not only to allow corporations write the bills he introduces, but to craft fiscal notes for budgets in which work might be outsourced to them. Lovely.

And then there's that complete nonsense about combine dust. Since this is Mike Parry, it's not surprising that he keeps spouting material that was stale in November, as BSP noted in Emo Senator: battling phantom EPA dust menace key to Parry's totally straightforward campaign:

Bluestem agrees that a rule against combine dust would be devastating to farmers. However, far more devastating to the political process is basing campaigns on pure cow flops, as legendary Minnesota politician Magnus Johnson liked to point out about the Republican platform of his time.

Parry is riding that manure spreader. The Washington Post reported in Bill to ban phantom EPA dust rule approved by House panel:

Earlier this year, Republicans found what they saw as an ideal talking point to illustrate a federal bureaucracy gone batty.

The Environmental Protection Agency, they warned, was trying to regulate something only God could control: the dust in the wind.

“Now, here comes my favorite of the crazy regulatory acts. The EPA is now proposing rules to regulate dust,” Rep. John Carter (R-Tex.) said on the House floor. He said Texas is full of dusty roads: “The EPA is now saying you can be fined for driving home every night on your gravel road.”

There was just one flaw in this argument: It was not true.

The EPA’s new dust rule did not exist. It never did.

Still, the specter of this rule has spurred three bills to prevent it , one of which was approved Thursday by a House subcommittee. It sparked a late-night battle on the Senate floor. GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain cited it in a debate as a reason to eliminate the EPA.

The hubbub over this phantom rule — surely one of the most controversial regulations that never was — involved a slow-moving federal agency and a Republican Party with the EPA in its crosshairs.

"Common sense" like that possessed by Mike Parry makes nincompoopery completely redundant.

Photoshop image:  Fiddle-dee-dee on geography and facts, Flouncette O'Parry. Image by Tild

Bonus: Some campaign advice from Weird Al Yankovic:

Emo Senator: Mike Parry said he had no goal for fundraising & he meant every word of it

Loyal fans of Emo Senator, southern Minnesota's most beloved telenovela, will remember that Mike Parry's congressional campaign stops are drawing voters like Limburger cheese attracts the ladies. In Emo Senator: lost episode shocks Mike Parry fans, the Austin Herald reported that two men gathered for coffee with the Belle of Waseca County.

It's looks like his campaign checkbook is just as attractive.

Minnesota Public Radio's Brett Neely reports in Congressional fundraising numbers streaming in:

First District Rep. Tim Walz raised $210,000, making 2011 a million dollar fundraising year for the former teacher. His campaign has $617,000 in the bank. Two of Walz's three Republican challenger Allen Quist raised $6,200 for the entire year. A third opponent, Mike Parry, has not yet released his fundraising totals.

Within ten minutes of each other, devoted Emo Senator admirers pointed the screenwriter to Senator Parry's FEC filing:

Covering Period 09/14/2011 Through 12/31/2011:

	Column A This Period	Column B Election Cycle-To-Date
6. Net Contributions (other than loans)
(a) Total Contributions (other than loans)	32585.00	32585.00
(b) Total Contribution Refunds	0.00	0.00
(c) Net Contributions (6(a) - 6(b))	32585.00	32585.00
7. Net Operating Expenditures
(a) Total Operating Expenditures	3402.14	3402.14
(b) Total Offsets to Operating Expenditures	0.00	0.00
(c) Net Operating Expenditures	3402.14	3402.14
8. Cash on Hand at Close of Reporting Period	29182.86
9. Debts and Obligations Owed TO the Committee	0.00
Itemize all on SCHEDULE C or SCHEDULE D
10. Debts and Obligations Owed BY the Committee	0.00
Itemize all on SCHEDULE C or SCHEDULE D

When he entered the congressional race in early October, the Emo Senator told the Mankato Free Press that he didn't have a fundraising plan, but that he felt very good about himself. Veteran political reporter Mark Fischenich wrote in Parry to challenge Walz for Congress:

Parry hasn’t set a goal for campaign donations but said he has strong skills in fundraising.

“I do know that I’m a hard charger. I work from sun-up to sun-down and then some.”

Senator Parry hasn't done much had charging, spending only $3402--including one $600 in-kind contribution for munchies--so Bluestem can't speculate on just how hard it may have been. Such fundraising figures surely could barely cover the copying fees for the  crack public-relations legal team recently hired by Parry's best-known campaign volunteer, Michael Brodkorb.

Curious items in the contributor list suggest that Parry's on-and-off again amnesia has affected his accounting.  Information has been requested about the occupation of one "Gretchen Hoffman" of Vergas, Minnesota. Bluestem has it on good authority that Ms. Hoffman is a state senator. 

Additionally, Parry seems to have forgotten what Dick Day did for a living when he wrote the check.

Most of the rest of the haul is standard issue Republican checks--no surprises there, other than the fly speck quality. 

The contrast with earlier  Walz challengers? Eventual (and spectacularly dismal) 2008 nominee Brian Davis took in close to $55,500 in late 2007. Former Senator Dick Day was also seeking the seat, and raised nearly $53,000. Randy Demmer, who won the nomination in 2010, took in about $35,000 during the same time period in 2007.

Looking at 2010 cycle figures, we learn that the Demmer campaign closed 2009 with a $19200.00 haul, though the campaign remained in debt to the tune of $135,150.00 in loans from the candidate to himself. At the end of 2011, $92,000 of that debt remained on the books. Quist, who lost the endorsement after several rounds of balloting at the 2010 convention, took in $32,853 in late 2009. 

Two other candidates, Jim Engstrand (now running for Congress in Texas) and Mr. Conservative, Jim Hagedorn, who moved to sunny Blue Earth to run, and who is now supporting Newt Gingrich from an undisclosed location.

But all hope is not lost, completely, if we turn our eyes to fundraising in the legendary 2006 election that swept Walz into office. Mostly lost, but not totally.

And the 2005-2006 unknown who challenged six-term representative Gil Gutknecht?  At the beginning of 2006, Walz had $78,103.24 cash in hand, having just experienced a final quarter in which he'd deposited $48,444.39 in the bank. The campaign carried $5755.93 in loans the candidate had borrowed from Wells Fargo.

Gutknecht, whom Walz would defeat in one of the biggest surprises of 2006, entered that fateful year with $620,101.24 in the kitty, having just raised $144,406.57. 

While the Walz and Gutknecht totals are close, the candidates' approaches are far different. Gutknecht failed to preceive the Walz campaign as a threat until well into 2006, whereas Walz is listed as one of 20 most vulnerable Democrats by his own caucus's campaign wing. 

What will happen?  Tune in again--this is an episode of Emo Senator, after all. Anyone, except for Walz himself, may well be surprisedby what Mike Parry will do or say.

Image: Mike Parry, the Emo Senator. By Tild. With that sort of fundraising, of course he has to wear the parlor drapes from Tara.

Earlier episodes:Emo Senator: lost episode shocks Mike Parry fans

Emo Senator: Amnesia! Mike Parry forgets he's his own boss during MNSCU benefits hearing (a complete list of episodes is found at the end of this post).

 

Emo Senator: lost episode shocks Mike Parry fans

Fans of Emo Senator, southern Minnesota's most beloved telenovela, weren't surprised to learn that Senator Mike Parry's amnesia had returned and the Belle of Waseca had forgotten that he doesn't have a boss who forces him to take vacation time.

More shocking? The lost episode of Emo Senator a reader dug up in the Austin Herald. The day before Parry's grandstanding performance in Emo Senator: Amnesia! Mike Parry forgets he's his own boss during MNSCU benefits hearing, voters in Spamtown seem to have forgotten that Parry is running for office.

In the lost episode, Sen. Parry talks campaign in Austin, the fan called this passage to Bluestem's attention:

Sen. Mike Parry, R-Waseca, spent Wednesday morning drinking coffee and talking politics with two men at the Mower County Senior Center.

The stop was one of many meet-and-greets Parry will hold this month as he campaigns for Democrat Rep. Tim Walz’s congressional seat.

Parry said he has been meeting many new faces on the campaign trail and has been well received.

Two men at a campaign stop?  Stupendous!

Arch rival Tim Walz visited Austin the next day, the paper reports in Walz tours Innovance in Albert Lea:

First District Congressman Tim Walz, D-Minn., looked at Albert Lea’s Innovance Inc. Thursday as a successful business model for creating and maintaining jobs.

The parent company to four businesses — Lou-Rich, Almco, Panels Plus and Exact Manufacturing — Innovance now has 340 full-time employees and 30 temporary or part-timers. It has three facilities in Albert Lea and one in Hayward.

“It’s a powerful story,” Walz said of the company’s growth. “It’s positive to walk around here.”

Meeting with company officials and a few other business leaders, Walz had a roundtable discussion about the company and then took a tour to see how the business operates. . .

. . .After his visit at Innovance, Walz was slated to visit Albert Lea City Hall to meet with some of the city’s leaders.

Tune in tomorrow for more tales of Emo on the campaign trail--and the money trail, as the deadline approaches for Parry and Quist to report on their Q4 2011 fundraising. Walz raised $1 million last year and ended 2011 with $617,000 in the bank.

Image: Emo Senator, by Tild.

For all past episodes, see Emo Senator: Amnesia! Mike Parry forgets he's his own boss during MNSCU benefits hearing

Emo Senator: All those MNGOP kids with their pumped-up kicks can run on property tax hikes

As we rejoin the Emo Senator, star of Southern Minnesota's best-loved telenovela, our hero is appearing in the pages of the Waseca County News with a gaggle of local elected officials who are mistaken by a headline writer as legislators.

The Belle of Waseca County brags to area mayors and county board members concerned about rising property taxes that the Senate Caucus has rummaged through the adults' closets for footwear:

Parry said the Republicans “took a hit” by getting rid of the Market Value Homestead Credit. “We’re taking the blame but we can take it. We’ve got big boots and high heels. The governor accepted it and it’s time to quit playing games,” he said.

Kuntz said not everybody understood the ramifications of the change.

“No one did the homework on this. Outstate Minnesota took a bath,” Johnson said. Jasinski said the elimination of MVHC caused huge shifts, 15-20 percent higher values, and much more tax on businesses.

His own business saw an increase in taxes of 13.8 percent and the tax on his home increased by 10.2 percent, Parry said. The elimination of the credit came in during the last hours of budget negotiations and is what happens when there isn’t adequate time to do the research, he said. Still, Parry said the Republicans don’t want to revisit the issue.

“As you deal with LGA, remember MVHC,” Whiting said. Almost all the city officials told Parry their cities are not able to reduce their budgets any further; that they are at the bare minimum in revenue.

Meanwhile, those dirty hippies at MNPublius chastize the GOP for the bump in property taxes (though nothing about the fashion sense):

While they fought tooth and nail to protect millionaires from paying their fair share, the Republican legislature had no such qualms about hurting the middle class. Their cuts to local government aid and changes to the property tax system mean real pain for Minnesota families.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. Here’s what a nonpartisan House Research study concluded:

Statewide, property taxes would increase by $413 million, or 5.2%, if all local taxing jurisdictions were to adopt their proposed levies…. Increases on the largest property types are 4.9% on residential non-homestead property, 8% on regular apartments, 4.2% on commercial industrial property, 11.4% on agricultural property, 11% on low-income apartments, and 4.8% on seasonal-recreational property.

When you dig into the details, things looks even worse — especially in Greater Minnesota.

Don Davis's Capitol Chatter has more:

Property taxes outside of the Twin Cities are rising faster than for those in the state’s largest metropolitan area.

Taxes to be paid this year are up an average 3.1 percent in the Twin Cities, a Minnesota House report shows, but for others the increase is 8.7 percent.

Increases reach the double digits for rural townships, cities in taconite mining areas and Duluth.

Parry flounced down to the Waseca City Hall to talk about shoes following a rumored closed door meeting in his senate office with his key (and possibly only) campaign advisor Ben Golnik (our sources claim to recognize that voice anywhere).  Bluestem will be curious to see how many meetings Parry has with members of his congressional campaign in his state senate office.

It's not illegal on the federal level, but such behavior may raise eyebrows about our beauty's behavior.

Parry is trying to position himself as a reformer ready to storm The Beltway, but than frame may simply be a signal that our hero is having another bout of amnesia equal to that suffered in last spring's episode, during which Emo claimed he needed all the per diem money he could snatch since he had no other source of income.

Fans cheered when he later remembered that he owns a Godfathers Pizza in Waseca and position himself as a small business owner.

As a reformer (he heads a state senate committee with the word "Reform" in it, right?) will Parry follow the high road taken by Dick Day, his predecessor in Senate District 26?

As the Rochester Post-Bulletin reported in 2008 when Day was running in the Republican primary for the honor of losing to Walz in November of that year:

Day said he raised about $25,000 for the first quarter but did not pursue donors aggressively because the state Senate is still in session. He said he was uncomfortable meeting with donors before adjournment in mid-May.

Parry does love consorting with corporations, to the point that he bragged about corporations that hoped to get contracts with the state submitting budget estimates.

In 2000, Common Cause criticized DFLer Steve Novak,* then chair of the Minnesota Senate Jobs and Energy Committee, for taking over $40,000 in contributions for his congressional campaign from lobbyists, business executives and PACs for businesses that had issues coming before his state committee. Under state ethics rules, legislators can't collect contributions for state-level office from lobbyists while the legislature is convened.

Federal law doesn't forbid it, however; but if while the Senate meets, Parry chases contributions from companies that would benefit from the sort of outsourcing and privatization that Parry considers to be state government "reform," it will be curious to see how Golnik pitches that revenue stream to the media. Who defines reform this way? What fashion sense does tht show?

Bluestem wouldn't want to be in his shoes. We fear what sentiment that might foster in the people.

But the first FEC report that reveals a slice of fundraising during the session won't be due and public until mid-April.  Until then, Emo Senator fans can speculate among themselves as to whether our hero will prove to be as ethical as Dick Day.

Image:  The Emo Senator, by Tild

*   (Update: An earnest Washington County Commissioner took it upon herself to write and tell me that the story below is 12 years old; yes, dear leader, the story about something that Common Cause objected to in 2000 is twelve years old, and it's reprinted here because it's no longer online at the Star Tribune--hence the need to document.

That little star thingie [*] is called an asterisk, and people who paid attention to basic conventions of reading and writing in junior high understand that it usually signals that another asterisk will appear below the main article and, following the second asterisk, an explanation or footnote will appear. It this case, it's an article that documents my statement about  Common Cause's 2000 criticism of a Senate committee chair who took money for his congressional bid from interests appearing before his committee.)

Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
May 6, 2000, Saturday, Metro Edition
Legislators' in-session fund-raising draws fire;
A watchdog group says that PAC and lobbyist donations to five state senators and representatives who are running for Congress, while legal, aren't right.

Conrad deFiebre; Staff Writer

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 5B

LENGTH: 945 words


Five of six state legislators who are running for Congress have raised a total of more than $60,000 in campaign money from lobbyists or interest groups during the legislative session, a practice that drew criticism Friday from Common Cause Minnesota.

     "This may be legal, but it doesn't make it right," said Bruce Miller, executive director of the political watchdog group. "No wonder people are cynical about government when things like this happen. It has all the appearances of a shakedown."

      He called for the legislators to give the money back.

     The biggest in-session fund-raisers didn't return calls for comment Friday. But Sen. Steve Kelley, DFL-Hopkins, said he had no intention of sending back the $3,750 he has received during the session from special interests.

     "My current reaction is no," he said. "I think I've acted legally and appropriately." He also said the contributions had no effect on his votes in the Senate.

     Rep. Mary Jo McGuire, DFL-Falcon Heights, who listed a single lobbyist donation of $250, also said she won't issue refunds to lobbyists. "I felt that to be a viable candidate I had to take their money," she said. "The rules are there, and I have to play by them until I can change them."

     Since 1990, Minnesota legislators and party caucuses have been barred from raising money for their legislative campaigns from lobbyists and political action committees (PACs) during legislative sessions.

     But a series of state and federal rulings has created exceptions for legislators running for other offices. That has allowed Kelley and Sen. Jerry Janezich to raise money legally from lobbyists and PACs for their U.S. Senate campaigns. Likewise, McGuire and Sens. Steve Novak and Linda Runbeck have accepted special-interest money for their campaigns to replace U.S. Rep. Bruce Vento.

     Only Rep. Betty McCollum, also running for Vento's seat, has refused lobbyist and PAC money during the session.

     The ban on in-session fund-raising is intended to avert the possibility or the appearance of special interests buying legislators' votes. But a Star Tribune review of the six candidates' federal campaign finance reports for the first three months of this year shows dozens of lobbyist and PAC donations since the legislative session started Feb. 1.

.

Chairmen cash in

     By far, most of the cash has flowed to Novak and Janezich, the only two in the group who head legislative committees.

     Novak, DFL-New Brighton, is chairman of the Senate Jobs, Energy and Community Development Committee, which wields influence over Minnesota utilities. The $37,900 he raised from lobbyists and PACs during the session largely came from lobbyists and PACs for utilities interests such as AT&T, MCI, Minnegasco, Northern States Power Co. and U S West Communications.

     Novak's total does not include several thousand dollars more from executives of those and other utilities who are not registered lobbyists.

     Janezich, DFL-Chisholm, is chairman of the Senate Economic Development Budget Committee. He raised $17,600 from lobbyists and PACs for a broad range of economic interests, plus $2,500 from three Minnesota Indian tribes that are not listed as PACs.

     As a freshman state senator, Kelley does not head a committee. Runbeck, R-Circle Pines; McCollum, DFL-North St. Paul, and McGuire are members of minority caucuses and also do not head committees. Runbeck and McGuire each raised $1,000 or less from special interests.

     McCollum said Friday that her refusal of money from lobbyists and PACs was only for the legislative session, which she hadn't expected to extend beyond today's DFL endorsing convention in the Fourth Congressional District.

     "I unilaterally disarmed enough during the session," she said. "But I have raised all the money I needed to go after the endorsement, even though I knew I stood to be criticized for not raising a lot of money."

     As it stands, McCollum goes into the convention having raised $12,875 through March 31 of this year, far behind Novak's total of $91,225. McGuire reported raising $15,900 overall.

     Runbeck raised a total $34,886, including $1,000 from a PAC, en route to winning the Fourth District Republican endorsement last Saturday.

     Kelley, meanwhile, noted that nonlegislators running for Congress face no complaints about the source of their funds and no drain on their campaign time from serving at the Capitol.

     "Our competitors are out contacting delegates and raising money," he said. "We've been spending most of our time doing our jobs. It makes it nearly impossible for people in office now to run for federal office."

Legislators' fund-raising

     Five state legislators running for Congress have accepted campaign contributions from lobbyists and/or PACs during the legislative session, which began Feb. 1.

 

                       Lobbyist              PAC

Legislator        contributions    contributions      Total

Sen. Steve Novak,

     DFL-New Brighton $18,900           $19,000    $37,900

Sen. Jerry Janezich,

     DFL-Chisholm       $3,405           $14,200    $17,605

Sen. Steve Kelley,

     DFL-Hopkins        $2,750            $1,000     $3,750

Sen. Linda Runbeck,

     R-Circle Pines          0            $1,000     $1,000

Rep. Mary Jo McGuire,

     DFL-Falcon Heights   $250                 0       $250

Rep. Betty McCollum,

     DFL-North St. Paul      0                 0          0

     Source: Candidates' federal campaign finance reports for Jan. 1-March 31, 2000.

Emo Senator: Parry praises own self for chairing really long Republican senate caucus meeting

As we tune in this morning to another episode of Emo Senator, Southern Minnesota's best loved telenovela, we find the Belle of Waseca County engaging in an inappropriate relationship.

With himself.

The Owatonna People's Press reports in Parry: Senjem is right choice to push GOP agenda:

Parry, whose district includes all of Steele County, called it “a great honor” to be selected by the caucus to lead the headline-grabbing, closed-door session to replace Amy Koch, who resigned amid revelations she had an inappropriate relationship with a Senate staffer.

“I told my colleagues we were going to run this like a committee meeting with the kind of decorum and everything that I like to have,” Parry said in reference to Tuesday’s meeting. “It was a long day. We discussed many things about the last 10 to 15 days that have happened, got through all of that, took a break for lunch and came back and finished up some more discussions and then started up the election process.”

Because everybody knows how decorous our dear Emo Senator is. Not to mention laconic. But he goes on:

“I think most importantly we have a leader who, even when he was in the minority, was a very solid minority leader and he knows a lot of people. He’s a great fundraiser, and he and Sen. Koch worked hand-in-hand to win us the majority in 2010 and he’s planning on making sure that happens again in 2012,” Parry said. “Some people might say, ‘Well gosh, he’s 69 years old.’ Well this guy has got sometimes I think way more energy than I do, and you know, I’ve got a heck of a lot of energy.”

Parry likened Senjem to the Energizer Bunny, saying he “never quits and is on unlimited battery power.”

The scriptwriter has read a lot about Dave Senjem, but has yet to read comments about his age. Perhaps this is an internal Republican debate. The article does mention that four Senators initially put themselves forward for consideration, and after talking a long time, only two remained. They talked more and a vote was held.

Our hero wouldn't name the names of the other candidates, but Gary Dahms did tell the New Ulm Journal in Dahms praises Senjem election:

Dahms said he though both candidates, Senjem and Sen. David Hann, would have been excellent for the position. He said that he hopes that Senjem will better fit for helping to meet rural Minnesota's needs. . . .

He said Senjem is very good at being able to reach across the aisle, which he said will be very useful this next legislative session.

Take that, Owatonna headline! Other newspapers also stress Senjem's ability to compromise, rather than push a "GOP agenda."  The Mankato Free Press editorial board writes inOur View: A good choice for Senate GOP:

Senjem doesn’t see compromise as a dirty word, and the leaders of the Republican Party who were advocating such with virility are now gone.

While the Emo Senator may miss Micheal Brodkorb's virility, he still has Ben Golnik. And then there's Mike Parry's own high sense of self-regard.

The editors of Senjem's hometown paper note:

We don't know what went on during that lengthy meeting, but it's the conclusion that matters, and in this case, we couldn't be more pleased. Senjem is a uniter, not a divider, and that bodes well for the upcoming legislative session.

Furthermore, we applaud Senate Republicans' decision to do what we'll call an "extreme makeover" of their leadership. The GOP badly bungled its handling of the scandals that embroiled Sen. Amy Koch and communications director Michael Brodkorb. . . .

Will Senjem keep Mike Parry in as high profile as Brodkorb positioned him?

Will a struggling caucus pour as much attention on a one-term senator who will be leaving office to run for congress as the former Senate majority communications director (and volunteer de facto congressional campaign manager did)?

At least Emo still has Ben Golnik to love him.

Tune in to future episodes!

 Image: Mike Parry as envisioned by the divine Tild.

A modest proposal for Allen Quist, who wants to defeat Walz in order to reform franking system

Over on his website, Allen Quist has the fainting fantods over Congressional Democrat Tim Walz's use of congressional franking. Not that that condition is surprising, given that he was bewailing the lack of character of failed MNGOP leadership over on his Facebook page just before Christmas.

In Congressman Walz: Stop mailing campaign materials at taxpayer expense, whomever is writing Quist's material fumes:

. . .“It is difficult to find any concern for taxpayer expense in these mailings,” Quist said. He noted that the mailings are four-color, on high quality glossy paper and printed in union shops. “No expense is spared in these mailings,” Quist stated. He also said this wrongful use of taxpayer money is especially outrageous when huge federal deficits are the order of the day.

According to Quist, Members of Congress hide behind two excuses in this improper use of taxpayer money. The first, he said, is to say that Members of Congress from both parties engage in the practice. Quist’s response is: “Even if ‘everybody is doing it,’ that doesn’t make it right.”

The second excuse, according to Quist, is that Members of Congress say the Franking Commission approves the mailings. Quist’s response is that the Franking Commission needs to be reformed as well.

Quist said the abuse of the franking privilege typifies what is wrong with Washington. The Congressional franking procedures are structured to give the appearance of propriety, while the real issue of whether a piece is informational or political is overlooked, he stated.

Quist said that if he is elected to Congress, he will refuse to send out political mailings at taxpayer expense, and he will also work to reform the system so the abusive practice is stopped.

Bluestem was curious about just how much Congressman Walz was spending on franking so we visited the U.S. House of Representatives Statement of Disbursement webpage, where Congressional office costs are published in search PDFs.

There we learned that Walz's franking expenses, found here on page 2288 (397 of 957) are $4,663.10 for the year-to-date (the YTD figure in the last quarterly report covered the period from January through September).

Since Quist accuses Walz of abusing the system, while implying that he's spending big bucks on the mailing--though never actually bringing up a dollar figure--we checked out the rest of Minnesota's federal representatives' franking to see how the Mankato teacher and retired soldier compares to his colleagues.

And indeed, Walz is spending the most of any United State Representative--if all one looks at are the records for the four DFLers in the House.

Bottom of the heap? Fifth District Congressman Keith Ellison, who used only $1055.04 for franking YTD (PDF here, p. 758). Next up in the pack, Blue Dog Seventh CD Congressman Collin Peterson follows with $2907.98 (PDF here, p.1741 [800 of 959])  Closely at his heels, Fourth CD Congresswoman Betty McCollum spent $2,982.22 in franking dollars YTD (PDF here, p.1484, [543 of 959]).

That's a total of $11,608.34 use of the franking privilege YTD by Minnesota's Democratic U.S. Representatives.

Since we've seen that Quist isn't afraid to criticize his own party nor abuse of the franking system by both parties (and he brought this up), it's only fair to check out spend by the Republican half of the state's delegation.

Chip Cravaack is the piker in the bunch, spending a mere $10,693.97 for franking YTD (PDF here, p. 607).  Next up? The office for which Quist's own wife once worked: Michele Bachmann spent $16,447.16 YTD. (PDF here, p. 212).

[Bonus update: Dump Bachmann notes in Bachmann & Her Abuse of her Franking Privilege that in 2009--while Quist's own wife Julie was district director for the Sixth CD Congresswoman--Bachmann's office spent a lot more money:

Bachmann reported spending $217,197 on franked communications and made 4,102,827 contacts with constituents during 2009. That ranked her 57th in the House in terms of money spent and 12th in the number of communications sent.

Not a peep about that during Allen Quist's 2010 bid for endorsement in the First]

But while Cravaack's office spent nearly as much for franking as all the Minnesota Democrats combined, and Bachmann bested the collective figure by several grand, they're almost spending like Democrats when it comes to John Kline and Erik Paulsen, who must never, ever use the phone or email to converse with constituents.

John Kline's office has spent $36,115.96 for franking YTD  (PDF here p. 1276 [335 of 959]), while Erik Paulsen sits on the top of the heap by virtue of having spent $38,707.12 YTD  (PDF here  p.1703 [762 of 959]).

That's a total of $101,964.21 of franking YTD by Minnesotan's Republican Representatives. Perhaps none of those pieces would look like campaign literature to Mr. Quist. It's a judgment call, after all, but those dollar amounts are what they are.

Given Quist's outrage at the franking system and a potential dilemma posed by redistricting, Bluestem Prairie offers the Nicollet County farmer and former state legislator a modest proposal that could resolve both outrage and residency issues. 

Under Republican redistricting plans, Nicollet County will be moved from the First to the Second. MPR reports that Quist is renting an apartment in Byron in order to live in the First and battle Walz should the MNGOP get its way in redrawing the borders for the First.

Bluestem recommends that he save his money,  stay put on the farm, and primary the free-franking John Kline instead.

Photo: Allen Quist,furious about franking.

Highway to hell: why Emo Senator's adviser Golnik shouldn't recycle some old MDE posts

One of the evergreen anti-Walz complaints that Minnesota Democrats Exposed used to drag out in election years was a reckless driving rap from when Walz lived in another state, in another century.

It's never gotten much traction, but while MDE founder Michael Brodkorb was running Mike Parry's 2010 campaign, Republican friends warned us to expect yet another retread of that lore.  Now that Brodkorb is back to being the Twin Cities' media's favorite anonymous source for political dirt (this time on his fellow Republicans), facts suggest that Parry's campaign is best to avoid this talking point.

Parry's campaign now seems to be Parry and former RPM executive director and current public affairs flack Ben Golnik.  As it happens, Golnik's own brother Jon is seeking to unseat Representative Niki Tsongas in the new MA-03.

During the Republican primary in 2010, news reports emerged close to primary election day that Jon Golnik, who had then-presidential contender Tim Pawlenty's endorsed via the Minnesota Republican brother, had been picked up in 2001 as he drove home from an AC/DC concert and charged with driving while drinking and smoking pot:

[Jon] Golnik’s license was suspended. The driving under the influence of alcohol charge was continued without a finding, which allows defendants to avoid jail if they stay out of trouble. A marijuana charge was eventually dismissed.

In an interview yesterday, [Jon] Golnik acknowledged drinking and driving, but said he had not smoked marijuana and did not have rolling papers, as police said in their report. [Jon] Golnik said he was on his way home from an AC/DC concert at the FleetCenter when he was pulled over.

the news didn't seem to stick: Jon Golnik won the primary but lost the general to his Democratic opponent in the general.

Let's hope that Ben Golnik and Mike Parry won't use the sort of material in Minnesota that would be stoked to disqualify the former's own brother out East. 

Photo: Jon Golnik, who got stopped driving on the highway to hell and thereafter drove carefully, to the point that he abstained from driving to his polling place in most elections.

Choosing one's companions: Gil goes from John Wayne Gacy to outing Bixby fraudsters

Former First District Congressman Gil Gutknecht never was exactly one to discern character flaws in his running buddies. From John Wayne Gacy, his chicken shack boss in Gil's teen years and friendship with teen family killer David Brom to golf outings with page-molesting colleague Mark Foley, Gutknecht remained clueless, if not competely oblivious, to the character flaws of his companions.

He's getting a little better at it.

As BSP noted last spring, leaving office in 2007 did little for his ability to form first impressions, though it looks like he's learning to clean up after his companions. Gil hooked up with Bixby Energy, first as an investor and now a director. On December 14, the Department of Justice issued the press release, Bixby Energy Systems admits responsibility for securities fraud committed by its officers and agents.

According to the Pioneer Press, Gutknecht is one of two new company directors who is cooperating with federal authorities after ousting the fraudsters. 

Bluestem hails Gutknecht's character development.

Photo: Former congressman Gil Gutknecht.

Quist to moderates: drop dead

Last week, Allen Quist entered the race for the Republican endorsement as a candidate in Minnesota's First Congressional District. Should he gained this honor, he'll challenge Tim Walz, a task that has humbled other men in the last three elections.

Quist's talk points aren't much different from the last turn in 2010,when he lost the endorsement to Hayfield's Randy Demmer.  Austerity, anti-Obamaism, the usual GOP toolkit. But there are a few special new wrinkles this year.

"Walz is part of the problem," he told the Albert Lea Tribune, and  rival Mike Parry should stay in the Minnesota Senate because the Republican Party must hold the body. That's odd logic, given the fact that a Republican held that seat before Parry, and logic that offers little to those who aren't Republicans for supporting Quist.

And Quist is a-okay with that, as he intends to run as a "hardline Republican." The New Ulm Journal reports in Quist makes campaign declaration in New Ulm:

He also said he doesn't believe reaching out to moderates and Democrat voters is as important as it was in previous elections.

"I think there has been a paradigm shift. The old Republican and moderate distinction isn't as relevant anymore. I've listened to residents [of the First District] and that's not how they view the world. They view it in terms of the candidate making a difference and whether the candidate can solve problems," said Quist. "They also want somebody that's willing to buck leadership to accomplish what needs to be accomplished."

Apparently, Gutknecht, Davis and Demmer just weren't hard enough.

Photo: Allen Quist, getting his GOP mojo on.

 

 

Emo Senator: recycling 2010 slogan, Quist makes it a GOP gopher twofer in Minnesota's First

As we rejoin the Emo Senator after Southern Minnesota's most beloved beloved telenovela returns from its holiday hiatus, we find Senator Mike Parry's volunteer congressional staff bitterly contemplating hitting the delete key.

With MPR's report that Allen Quist is jumping into the race for the Republican endorsement in Minnesota's First Congressional District, the campaign will no longer be able to claim that Parry is the only Republican candidate in the swing district held for three terms by the happy warrior Tim Walz.

Walz is currently riding high in his campaign to outlaw insider trading by members of Congress.

Tom Scheck reports in Quist making another run for Congress:

Allen Quist is making another run for Congress in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. He is scheduled to formally announce his intentions on December 1, according to a letter he sent to GOP activists. The letter, obtained by MPR News, has a banner that says "Allen Quist for Congress, 'Restoring the American Dream."

"I am announcing to you that I will become a candidate for First District Congress," Quist's letter to activists said. "I intend to announce on December 1."

The letter said Quist will be making campaign stops in Winona, Rochester, Austin, Albert Lea and Owatonna on Thursday. He'll campaign in Mankato, New Ulm, Fairmont and Worthington on Friday. Quist's wife, Julie Quist, declined to answer questions about the letter when contacted by MPR News. . . .

In his letter, Quist said he's making another run for Congress because "grassroots Republicans have encouraged him to run." He also said the country needed "leaders who understand that our country is being taken over a cliff." . . .

Loyal fans still infer that despite this new development, Senate Majority Leader Michael Brodkorb has no regrets abandoning his role as deputy chair of the state Republican Party, given the impecunious way of the Failed Burrito Baron has gathered his rosebuds at the top.

No one can accuse Quist of spendthrift ways. The evangelical Christian is recycling his campaign slogan from his 2009-2010 campaign: Restoring the American Dream.

Last cycle, Quist's website went live on Halloween; this time, he's waiting to announce until after Thanksgiving. Perhaps the tough old bird knows his internecine rival too well--the Emo Senator won't be getting a chance to tweet that this bid is a turkey. For himself, Quist insists that Emo shouldn't ditch Senator as his last name.

Meanhwhile, our hero is due for another bout of amnesia, as the southeastern Wisconsin BizNews reports Wisconsin had more October job losses than any other state. Surely, Mike Parry will forget the ambitions he nurtured last spring, when the City Pages mentioned the Belle of Waseca County in its report, Minnesota Republicans want to be like Wisconsin.

Photoshop image: Now what was it that Flouncette was saying about Wisconsin being open for business? Bluestem thanks the great Tild for the new image, updated with the parlor curtains.

Earlier episodes of Emo Senator below the fold.

Emo Senator: battling phantom EPA dust menace key to Parry's totally straightforward campaign

This morning's episode of Emo Senator, Southern Minnesota's most beloved online telenovela, is brought to you by a sharp-eyed farm activist in Steele County. This friend called Bluestem's attention to Emo's star performance in an Owatonna People's Press video at the bottom of the article, Sen. Mike Parry kicks off Congressional campaign.

A classic moment of Emo Senator starts around the eight minute mark:

Another thing about it is this combine dust. We don't need it. You know that's a rule and regulation that will be devastating to our agriculture, to our farmers.

Bluestem agrees that a rule against combine dust would be devastating to farmers. However, far more devastating to the poltical process is basing campaigns on pure cow flops, as legendary Minnesota politician Magnus Johnson liked to point out about the Republican platform of his time.

Parry is riding that manure spreader. The Washington Post reported in Bill to ban phantom EPA dust rule approved by House panel:

Earlier this year, Republicans found what they saw as an ideal talking point to illustrate a federal bureaucracy gone batty.

The Environmental Protection Agency, they warned, was trying to regulate something only God could control: the dust in the wind.

“Now, here comes my favorite of the crazy regulatory acts. The EPA is now proposing rules to regulate dust,” Rep. John Carter (R-Tex.) said on the House floor. He said Texas is full of dusty roads: “The EPA is now saying you can be fined for driving home every night on your gravel road.”

There was just one flaw in this argument: It was not true.

The EPA’s new dust rule did not exist. It never did.

Still, the specter of this rule has spurred three bills to prevent it , one of which was approved Thursday by a House subcommittee. It sparked a late-night battle on the Senate floor. GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain cited it in a debate as a reason to eliminate the EPA.

The hubbub over this phantom rule — surely one of the most controversial regulations that never was — involved a slow-moving federal agency and a Republican Party with the EPA in its crosshairs.

This isn't the first time--or the only time--The Emo Senator stood on the Republican "platform" during his two-day swing through Southern Minnesota towns with daily newspapers and a dozen GOP activists able to swell the progress.

Take his claims to a reporter at the New Ulm Journal. Josh Moniz writes in today's Parry talks politics in New Ulm:

. . .He addressed a group of 10 local residents, primarily Brown County Republicans of Minnesota (BCR) members, at the Ulmer Cafe. His visit was part of his two-day campaign kick-off tour that consists of nine stops in the district.

. . .He called his legislative record strong. He said he can both press those he disagrees with and reach across the aisle to accomplish work. He said Walz lacks bipartisanship and accused him of voting in lock step with President Obama.

This statement must leave his fans totally baffled and shuffling through past episodes to figure out just what the hell the Emo Senator is talking about with regard to his own bipartisanship.

Is it flouncing out of a budget meeting during the government shutdown?

Or calling the Governor lacking in feelings while calling for his resignation?

Or his famous failure to yield to questions from a DFL colleague on the Minnesota Senate floor? 

That particular episode prompted a defense from Congressional candidate and Senate Majority leader Michael Brodkorb that Democrats so did it too. Unfortunately for the Republican caucus, the City Pages' Erin Carlyle deftly pointed out the flaws in the Dark Lordkorb's assertion:

But the truth is that the two situations are actually pretty different. In 2009, the Senate was in the middle of a roll call vote, after all debate was supposed to be closed. When Cohen asked his question last week, the bill was up for debate on the Senate floor--the appointed time for asking questions.

"I can't think of another situation that's parallel to that, where they just literally refused to answer questions," says David Schultz of Hamline University. "It's pretty unusual--and I've been observing it for 15 years."

But the Emo Senator didn't stop there. One of his talking points is that Walz has "sold out" to a Washington crowd, but Mike Parry himself is quick to defend his introduction of model bills written by the American Legislative Exchange Council's corporate bill factory as mere "information" that's useful. From today's NUJ article:

Similarly, he said he thought his work with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) would not be a factor. ALEC is conservative non-profit policy organization that consists of legislators and members of major corporations. The organization has generated controversy over accusation of business professional providing "template bills" for legislators to pass. Parry is a member of ALEC's Minnesota branch.

"What I get from ALEC is information. The more information I have, the more I can make the right decision," said Parry.

That's the ticket, yeah. Those wishing to gather more information about ALEC might start here. Longtime fans of the Belle of Waseca County may also remember how Parry bragged about private companies were providing budget figures for the Republican Senate majority. Bluestem noted at certain issues with this approach in Looking a gift Little Pony in the mouth: Are Parry's pals poster kids for privatization's perils?

But perhaps on The Emo Planet, that's not selling out.  As a friend fondly says, grifters have to grift.

Parry also defended taking a salary during the shutdown and drawing full per diems during the session to the NUJ. This is classic straight-talking,Mike Parry-style, who so did not take all the out-of-session per diems he was entitled to:

Parry said his decision to take pay during the state government shutdown would not affect his campaign. He was one of the few to publicly defend his decision.

"I work my tail off for the citizens of this state," said Parry. "I believe that if you look at my records, you would see I only took 52 percent of the allotted per diem I could have taken."

Parry, who took the full per diem during the regular session, said his figure comes for the out-of-session per diem he could have taken but turned down.

Bluestem expects little of the Twin Cities press corps, but perhaps they might take a look at that claim, and see which Senators do take out-of-session per diem.  A truly enterprising reporter might dig into the actual extent of Parry's out-of-session self-sacrifice. Just who often has he failed to claim out-of-session per diem due to him while going about the people's business? Does he draw any out-of-session per diem? And what records does he have of official senate business conducted on his own dime? Or should voters take his word for it?

Dust. Reaching silently across the aisle by refusing to yield. Calling ALEC corporate factory bills "information." Out-sourcing budgeting to the private sector, which then might score contracts. It's a career fueled by urban legend and redirection.

All epsiodes certainly add irony to the lede in the Worthington Globe's article today:

He describes himself as a straightforward person who is disappointed with the spending in Washington, D.C.

Republican State Sen. Mike Parry stopped in Worthington Friday afternoon to speak about his upcoming bid for the congressional seat currently held by Tim Walz — the 10th such stop in two days.

Straightforward never looked so tangled, and the number of stops? Somewhere between New Ulm and Worthington, another town was added. Not even the Post Bulletin's Heather Carlson gave him that extra ghost town.

Bonus: The Star Tribune's Rachel Stassen-Berger, who so never reads this unnamed country blog, gets the political acumen award today for this tweet:

@RachelSB R. Stassen-Berger

Suspecting @mikeparry isn't tweeting his own tweets since last bunch have been @mbrodkorb RTs. Maybe it's a Brodkorb @klout score lifter.

Perhaps she and others might ask why Senate Majority Leader and Parry volunteer Lord Darkkorb is tweeting at all about a congressional campaign while he is at work for the state senate in St. Paul. Perhaps his public sector job allows unlimited coffee breaks to check on what the candidate he's advising for federal office is up to in the field.

Tune in next week as The Emo Senator does Windom and Blue Earth (or so our star promised in the OPP) where people want to know exactly who he is.

Photo: Mike Parry, the Belle of Waseca County and Emo Senator, now flouncing through southern Minnesota.

Earlier episodes below the fold.

Emo Senator: throngs of 10-20 people crowds cheer Mike Brodkorb's rural regency

Fans of Emo Senator, Southern Minnesota's best loved online melodrama, will not be let down by today's episode, as Mike Parry writes a check with his mouth no ass could ever cover.

As readers tuned in Thursday, the tweets flew in to Mike Brodkorb's adoring Twin Cities media, noting the huge crowds gathering to greet titular congressional candidate Mike Parry. Doubtless the distant press and flacks will confirm whatever the Regent tells them to say.

Local newspapers that had reporters on the ground must be mistaken in their stories. The Winona Daily News reports in  Parry kicks off race for Congress in Winona:

Mike Parry sat at the head of a Hy-Vee dining-room table Thursday morning, his hand curved around a cup of steaming coffee.

With him were about 10 people, a few nibbling eggs and toast while others asked the Republican state senator from Waseca questions about his decision to challenge U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., for the state's 1st District congressional seat. About 30 others in the dining room listened at times, or just enjoyed breakfast.

The paper notes that Parry wouldn't have voted to raise the debt ceiling, thereby demonstrating his willingness to default on the national debt in order to score postmoronic political points. No wonder Doug Grow loves this guy.

In the Albert Lea Tribune, no crowd counts are given in Parry stumps in Albert Lea, but it's another restaurant stop, the photo op equivalent of stuffing the ballot box.

The Post Bulletin's Heather Carlson, who never met a Republican talking point she could unpack, does her usual crack job in  Parry talks jobs on his first campaign swing in U.S. House race.

More of the same at the OPP's Sen. Mike Parry kicks off Congressional campaign.In this report, The Belle of Waseca County promises he'll keep up with his state senate duties, and only bother voters late at night:

Sitting across the table from Sen. Parry at the Owatonna restaurant, one local resident asked how the senator will balance his current duties with the rigors of the campaign.

“That’s the one thing before I made the decision to run for Congress I spoke with our majority leader (Sen. Amy) Koch, and I told her of my desire to run for Congress and I made a promise to her I wouldn’t let my chairmanship duties down,” Parry said, who is chairman of the State Government Innovations and Veterans Committee. “I’m honored to be there, honored to have a chairmanship and I told them that would not fail, as I’m still a state senator.”

Though the dual responsibilities could create a lot of late nights, Parry promised he wouldn’t miss a vote in the Senate while continuing to campaign at the same time.

Bluestem will keep an eye out to see what else he misses--and whether he takes per diem payments for those days. Fans of the Emo Senator may remember that Parry had a difficult time attending to his duties as a Waseca City Council member. Bluestem is chacking on how he's done with his senatorial duties (given the whining about needing a pay raise, perhaps he's shown up).

The Austin paper has yet to report.

The DFL made a dramatic entrance in this epsiode, sending out a press release branding Parry as a Tea Party politician.  Long time fans of Emo Senator instantly recognized this as a case of mistaken identity. Mike Parry isn't a teabagger. He's a made ALEC man all the way, a reliable tool who can be depended upon to slap his jackets on model bills from the corporate bill factory.

In addition to his sound bite on the debt ceiling, the Emo Senator is carrying on about The Importance of Education. Fans of this online telenovela can look forward to high drama on this one, since Allen Quist (seriously considering jumping into the race) has in the past had the decency to call for the elimination of the federal Department of Education, while Parry is simply calling for freezing the debt ceiling and slashing spending.

Doubtless we'll hear Emo totally agree with Congressman Klein's plans to cut federal aid for higher education, which is of course the best way to make sure our youth are educated.

One added note. Josh Moniz at the New Ulm Journal provided a preview of today's episode in Parry kicks off Congressional campaign for 1st District, including excellent coverage of the potential Quist bid. One passage in the article does need clarification, however:

He has gained a reputation for being a deeply conservative and a loudly outspoken politician. During this year's state government shutdown, Parry was one of the most active commentators, repeatedly calling for the resignation for Gov. Mark Dayton. He also strongly supported his decision to take pay during the shutdown.

By "his," Moniz is referencing Parry's own salary. Dayton himself didn't draw a salary during the shutdown. Moreover, Walz has returned all congressional pay increases to the US Treasury since being sworn in in 2007. in contrast Parry has whined about his senate salary, at one point claiming it was his only source of income, although he runs a Godfather's Pizza franchise in Waseca, and took his legislative salary while the state government was shut down, and still found time to bitch about the gardener at the governor's mansion (the gardener was laid off at the time).

Photo: The Emo Senator, now flouncing across Southern Minnesota, with a "great crowd" of less than 20. Picture tweeted with "great crowd" description by one of his campaign staff.

Earlier episodes below the fold.

Emo Senator: Will Quist's holy rolling upstage Brodkorb's progress across Southern MN?

Update November 4: For the latest epsiode, please visit Emo Senator: throngs of 10-20 people crowds cheer Mike Brodkorb's rural regency. [end update]

We last left the Emo Senator, hero of Southern Minnesota's most beloved online telenovela, basking in the praise from The Draz, made public in Parry's own press release.

And already, volunteer toadeater Ben Golnik is tweeting pictures of the throngs paying homage to the legislative star at the Hyvee in Winona.

Stops are also planned in Albert Lea, Austin, Rochester and Owatonna, the Winona Daily News reports in Parry to kick off campaign tour in Winona today.

Golnik is also tweeting about junk food available at the Owatonna Kwik Trip. May he find them at every Kwik Trip along the route, along crowds just as large as those at the Winona Hyvee.

But a shadow has been thrown over Brodkorb and Golnik's ambitions as volunteers.

Just as the departure of Mazeppa's mental midget cleared the path for Mike Parry's titular bid for congress and Dark Lord Brodkorb's climb on to the federal money train (and his escape from the train wreck of MNGOP party finances), the ghost of other failed races rises from the past.

Yes, Allan Quist, who conceded the 2010 Republican endorsement to Demmer after eight ballots, is seriously considering throwing his hat into the ring again. Mnindy's Andy Birkey reports in Allen Quist mulling challenge to Tim Walz:

Former legislator Allen Quist announced on his campaign website Wednesday that he is considering running against Rep. Tim Walz in Minnesota’s First Congressional District.

Quist lost the Republican endorsement to former legislator Randy Demmer in 2010. Quist, who is a longtime religious right activist, has run for office several times, including a primary challenge to Gov. Arne Carlson who Quist thought was too liberal.

“I wish to thank all the patriotic Republicans who have been encouraging me to become a candidate for First District Congress,” Quist wrote on his website. “Be assured that I hear what you are saying, and I am now leaning in the direction of aggressively going for it. I will make a final decision soon.”

Quist ran in 2010 for the Republican endorsement and made national headlines for his statements at the Wabasha County Republicans Christmas Party when he said that defeating liberals was more important than defeating terrorism. He lost the endorsement to Randy Demmer, who lost in the general election to Walz.

Perhaps that good crowd at the Hyvee is comprised of the non-patriotic Republicans in Southern Minnesota, since the patriotic one are somewhere else goading Quist into entering the race. Quist will have to step it up to match The Emo Senator's peerless mad skillz with the twitter.

Tune in tomorrow for the next exciting episode of Emo Senator, now featuring the Dark Lord and the Toadeater. Sadly, it's not the name of the House band.

Photo: Ben Golnik tweeted that this is a good crowd for the Emo Senator and who are we to argue.

Earlier episodes of The Emo Senator below the fold.

Emo Senator: Brodkorb campaign sends out a press release on Draz settling for state house

Fans of the Emo Senator may remember our last episode of Southern Minnesota's most beloved telenovella, in which the Dark Lord of the Minnesota Senate jumped into the First Congressional race.

Minnesota Senate Majority Michael Brodkorb continues his bid for office in Minnesota's First Congressional District, under the guise of managing the Emo Senator's campaign. PIM's Brian Bierschbach reports that Brodkorb has emailed a press release announcing the collapse of the congressional aspirations of The Draz:

Republican Rep. Steve Drazkowski has endorsed Sen. Mike Parry’s campaign against  DFL Rep. Tim Walz in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District after previously considering his own bid for the seat.

Parry, a two-term senator from Waseca, announced the endorsement in a campaign email on Monday.

The email reminded Mike Parry that he owns a small business (a fact he fortuitously forget last spring when it came time to take per diem; during that episode bout of amnesia, The Emo Senator wanted a higher salary for his state legislative duties).

But that cash stream certainly isn't enough for the real candidate on this ticket, Senate Leader Brodkorb, who jumped ship from a financially sinking Republican party to make his congressional bid by proxy.

Fans of the Diva Empress of Waseca look forward to watching Parry spin Congressman Walz's own refusal to take any of the pay raises U.S. representatives have received since the Mankato DFLer was elected in 2006. Walz returns all raises to the U.S. Treasury.

Stay tuned for more exciting press releases.

Related posts: The Emo Senator: Upstaged by Twin Cities volunteer, Mike Parry grows suddenly silent

Failed burrito baron's financial genius makes headlines again; Strib glosses over details

Tim Walz, congressional pay, and the Heinrich maneuver

More episodes below the fold.

The Emo Senator: Upstaged by Twin Cities volunteer, Mike Parry grows suddenly silent

Those following Emo Senator, Southern Minnesota's most loved telenovela, weren't surprised last Friday when Mike Parry, the drama queen of Waseca County, hopped into the race for Republican endorsement in Minnesota's First Congressional District.

It was a moment worthy of Mark Twain.

That narrative arc was further fleshed out Monday morning's Facebook announcement by Senate Republican Caucus Communications chief Michael Brodkorb (who wrestles under the name Spawn of Turd Blossom or STB as left boggers affectionately call him) that he was resigning as deputy chair of the Republican Party to volunteer to work for the Emo Senator.

Fortunately, the dark lord of Eagan will still draw his publicly-funded salary from the Minnesota Senate, so the opportunity costs of campaigning throughout the sprawling First should be covered.

And given the sycophantic nature of close personal relationships that STB developed with the more sedentary members of the Twin Cities media while "anonymously" blogging at Minnesota Democrats Exposed (and working as research director for the Republican Party of Minnesota), Emo Senator fans can anticipate much fawning coverage of Parry from outside of the rural district's media market now that Brodkorb has leapt into the race.

After all, Twitter makes it quite easy to avoid the drive to Houston or Luverne. Reporting the retweets of a horde of Republican employees posting from St, Paul  as news from Southern Minnesota will make the entire process cost effective for editors' bottom lines. Gas is expensive, after all.

Given the mouthful of shot the Twin Cities tweeting media companions have swallowed, Emo Senator fans shouldn't anticipate anyone in the press pool to leap high in covering this race.

More shocking, but not surprising to those who have kept a close watch on Emo Senator, is Mike Parry's sudden silence in the face of Brodkorb's entrance on stage. The Albert Lea Tribune's coverage of Michael Brodkorb's bid for congress is typical of yesterday's news cycle:

. . .“I believe Sen. Parry can put the 1st Congressional District where it belongs — in the Republican-win column,” said former Minnesota GOP Deputy Chairman Michael Brodkorb. “I have worked closely with Sen. Parry since he was elected in a special election to the Minnesota Senate in January of ’10 and genuinely believe he is the right person to do this.”

Brodkorb on Monday announced he had resigned from his position with the state Republican Party to serve as a volunteer advisor to Parry.

Parry could not be reached for comment. . . .

Given the younger man's upstaging of the candidate, Emo Senator fans schooled in the grand Hollywood tradition are advised to getting the popcorn. It's all about Mike Brodkorb, though having a client named Mike should make the confusion easier to report.

Photo: Mike Parry, the Belle of Waseca County, is upstaged by a younger Mike.

Earlier episodes of Emo Senator below the fold.

Emo Senator: Southern Minnesota's beloved telenovela diva sets sights for national stage

For many weeks, fans of Emo Senator, Southern Minnesota's most popular online telenovela, have anticipated the flouncing of a hopeful Mike Parry onto the national stage

Friday, Waseca's rising political star announced his bid for Congress, a move foreshadowed in earlier episodes. In early September, readers thrilled to the drama of The Emo Senator: Mike Parry ends press conference when asked about congressional plans and in October, The Emo Senator: Mike Parry may flounce into MN-01 congressional race against Walz.

Most reports of Parry's grand entrance reflect the press release style in American politics; typical is the report by the Tea Party BFF Heather Carlson at the Rochester Post Bulletin, a reporter who confirms all doubts about the value of a masters degree in journalism.  Look to her reporting for the Republican narrative arc in future episodes.

Over at the Mankato Free Press, veteran political reporter Mark Fischenich looked beneath the press conference at our hero's political career in Parry to challenge Walz for Congress:

A Waseca state senator, who has gained a reputation as a deeply conservative and sometimes combative lawmaker during his 21 months in the Legislature, announced Friday that he intends to knock off Congressman Tim Walz in next year’s First District contest. . . .

A former broadcaster and manager in the radio industry and currently co-owner of a Waseca pizza restaurant, Parry said he’s confident he can match Walz in fundraising and win the race.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe I could do that, and I know I can.”

Clearly, the Emo Senator's fortunes have changed dramatically since last spring, when he complained to Minnesota Public Radio that his state senator salary was driving him to the poor farm, as he had no other income:

For while Parry doesn't feel that the upper two percent should be taxed according to their ability to pay, he should be paid according to his needs:

"This is for the session, my job. I have no other job at this point in time," said Sen. Mike Parry, R-Waseca. "I'm here to do the work of the people, and I believe what has been established is fair." Waseca is one of the lawmakers that took the maximum amount — which added up to $12,040 for the session.

 

Parry, who chairs the Senate State Government Finance Committee, said lawmakers put in long hours and that the per diem is a part of the salary package for each legislator. He said he would be open to eliminating daily expenses in exchange for higher pay.

 

"I would suggest that per diem go away, but that we come up with a salary that would match the needs of the person coming up here," he said. "You get it too low [and] people can't afford to come up here unless they have deep pockets or are very wealthy like the governor."

 

Fortunately, our hero recovered from his unfortunate bout of amnesia and now remembers he owns a restaurant.  However, some lingering symptoms persist in his campaign rhetoric. Fischenich points out that his talking points against his new foe, Congressman Walz, have been used before with little success in wooing Southern Minnesota's voters:

“When he gets to Washington, he votes with his ultra-liberal friends,” Parry said.

Those three votes were the prime targets of Demmer in last year’s election and were the focus of hundreds of thousands of dollars in outside attack ads by various conservative interest groups. Despite the Republican wave that tossed Democratic incumbents aside in droves and gave the GOP control of the House, Walz topped Demmer by 5 percentage points.

The Free Press takes note of the Emo Senator's drama queen ways that telenovela fans find so riveting:

Public opinion polls have also showed frustration with the inability of Congress and the president to compromise and work together during a time of economic crisis, and Parry received some criticism for sometimes pugnacious comments when Republicans were deadlocked over the state budget with Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton.

He reportedly walked out of a meeting between Dayton and Legislative Republicans, called for Dayton’s resignation and once declared that Dayton “has no feelings.”

Will The Emo Senator parse Tim Walz's feelings via indiscrete tweets? Will he criticize the Walz family lawn care style? Tune in for the next episode.

Image: The Emo Senator, by Tild. Paperwork for his campaign was filed Friday, but has not yet been posted by the FEC.

Related posts below the fold.

The Emo Senator: Mike Parry may flounce into MN-01 congressional race against Walz

When fans of the Emo Senator, Southern Minnesota's favorite online telenovela, last left our hero, the capricious lawmaker from Waseca was hoping to punish Governor Dayton and his evil gardener by preventing daycare providers from secretly voting for a union.

Not that the Emo Senator wants a majority signup election--but no union election at all.

But as predictably as the rain and snow that falls on the verdant forests, fields and prairies of Minnesota's First Congressional district, Mike Parry is contemplating letting someone vote. For him, in the 2012 race against Tim Walz.

Friday's Morning Take reported:

CD1:  State Sen. Mike Parry has been meeting with activists and operatives and seriously considering running in 2012 against Rep. Tim Walz.  Speculation that he would announce Monday is not true.  However, according to people close to Parry he is making calls to key GOP donors in the next few days and is expected announce in the coming weeks.  Parry has told some that the field will be clear and that fmr. Rep. Randy Demmer isn’t going to run, and neither is Sen. Julie Rosen.

However, the Shadow of the Draz still lingers. Forum Communications veteran political reporter Don Davis writes in Redistricting: New districts mean many would-be candidates not ready to pull trigger:

State Sen. Parry, of Waseca, says he is thinking about running against Congressman Walz and is checking with potential donors and other supporters.

Sutton said that it probably would be pretty safe for Parry to get into the race because Mankato and Waseca are close and likely to be in the same district after Feb. 21.

However, for Rep. Drazkowski, from Mazeppa, launching a Walz challenge now is different.

“That is a little bit more of a political crapshoot,” Sutton said, because Drazkowski lives in a county that borders the 2nd Congressional District, represented by fellow Republican John Kline. “He lives on a border county that could flip back and forth between the second and the first.”

Party chairmen do much of the congressional candidate recruiting and are struggling in 2011.

Last month, Sutton told the Winona Daily News MNGOP would consider backing Draz before the convention.

So far, neither Parry nor Drazkowski show up in the online database of filings at the Federal Election Commission.

Will the Emo Senator throw off the last vestiges of false modesty as he throws his hat into the ring? Will The Draz take the plunge? Will the gardener at the governor's mansion outdo Parry's standards for home lawn care? Tune in to the next episode!

Photo: Mike Parry, the belle of Southern Minnesota. Image by Tild.

Related posts below the fold.

Walz stops at Austin grocery on Tuesday; Draz plans secret day Deform 2.0 meeting in Rochester

Southern Minnesotans will have a chance to meet with legislators in Austin and Rochester (provided, of course, that the Post Bulletin decides to share the day of the event in its posting).

Update: In the comments, Danny  notes:

The Reform 2.0 forum will be on Thursday 9/29. The Republicans may not want to tell others when it is, but they have to tell their own supporters.

The Austin Herald reports in Walz plans stop in Austin:

Congressman Tim Walz will make an appearance at Hy-Vee in Austin next week.

The democratic lawmaker will be at Hy-Vee on Tuesday as part of a “Congress on Your Corner” stop. Walz has several stops planned throughout southern Minnesota this fall, according to a news release.

“Hearing the thoughts and ideas of southern Minnesotans is the cornerstone of our representative democracy. I am looking forward to the opportunity to hear from folks,” Walz said in a news release.

Walz is scheduled to be at the grocery store from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Minnesota House Republicans are bringing their Deform 2.0 to Rochester next week. Bluestem hopes that the Rochester Post Bulletin will deign to share an important part of the basic Journalistic Five W's and tell readers what day the Town Hall meeting takes place.

Perhaps the Republicans failed to include that information in their press release since the day is missing in both versions of the announcement in the paper (article and blog post). Perhaps this is a secret the PB political reporter and Tea Party stenographer Heather Carlson is keeping to herself in Republicans to hold town hall on reform:

Rep. Mike Benson of Rochester, Rep. Steve Drazkowski of Mazeppa and Rep. Duane Quam of Byron announced the town hall yesterday, which will focus on the GOP's "Reform 2.0" initiative for the upcoming legislative session. The town hall will be from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Century High School, 2525 Viola Road N.E. in Rochester. Minnesota House Majority Leader Matt Dean is also expected to attend.

News reporting or treasure hunt?  Perhaps the legislators are simply aping the habits of corporate bill factory ALEC and aiming for a selective audience. Bluestem can't wait to blog about the Drazkowski for Congress campaign.

Photo: Screenshot of the PB blog post. I commented about the missing day earlier in the week but no correction has been made. (11:36 a.m. Saturday, Central time)

Related posts: Sutton tells Winona Daily News MNGOP would consider backing Draz before convention

If Republicans knew where to draw the line, Drazkowski would so run against Tim Walz

Drazkowski proposes outsourcing own job to corporate bill factory in bold redesign move