CQ Politics includes the contest in Minnesota's Second in Key House Races Shift, and it’s in the Democrats’ Favor. Despite Sarvi's middling fundraising, the race has been moved from Safe Republican to Republican Favored. THE RPM shouldn't take that one for granted.
The latest rankings at Cook's Political Report leaves MN-01 status unchanged at "Likely Democratic."
The CQ rankings change reflects a post at the Washington Post's Capitol Briefing blog, Dems Expect to Gain a 'Whole Bunch of Seats'. In the House:
As he has in the past, Van Hollen warned against "irrational exuberance" on the part of his fellow Democrats, and cautioned that outside groups like Freedom's Watch could help the GOP compensate for the National Republican Congressional Committee's relative lack of cash. Still, Van Hollen emphasized that "the big story is that we're in offense."
In the 2006 cycle, Van Hollen said, the DCCC spent $70 million on 47 House races, 40 of which where Democrats were on offense and just seven on defense. This cycle, Van Hollen estimated that as many as 75 seats were in play, with Democrats on offense in roughly two-thirds of them.
"We will pick up seats in the next election," Van Hollen predicted. "Even our colleagues on the other side recognize that."
Capitol Briefing also says Ethics Office Takes a Step Forward. House leaders Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner have finally announced their selections for the panel:
But today there is finally some progress toward getting the OCE going, as Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) jointly named the eight members of the office's board -- technically six members and two alternates. The members are ex-Reps. Yvonne Brathwaite Burke (D-Calif.), Karan English (D-Ariz.), Porter Goss (R-Fla.) and David Skaggs (D-Colo.), former House Chief Administrative Officer Jay Eagen and former Federal Election Commission Chief of Staff Allison Hayward. The two alternates are ex-Reps. Abner Mikva (D-Ill.) and Bill Frenzel (R-Minn.).
Congressman Walz was one of the handful of representatives who started the ball rolling on changing the House rules so that the panel could be created.
The Winona Daily News and its sister Lee newspaper, the LaCrosse Tribune look at the upswing in Amtrak passengers in More riders could spur more Amtrak service. The skinny:
That trend has spurred a group of mayors in Minnesota and Wisconsin who want to lobby for funds to expand rail service between St. Paul and Chicago. The Minnesota-Wisconsin Amtrak Corridor group — which includes mayors from St. Paul to Watertown, Wis. — gathered Wednesday in Winona to build support for a proposal to double service on the line.
Winona Mayor Jerry Miller, who organized the meeting, said expansion of Amtrak service is linked to Winona’s effort to renovate the city’s Amtrak station into a rail, bus and car hub for southern Minnesota. . . .
. . .Federal legislators from Minnesota say they’ll examine the viability of expanding passenger rail from St. Paul to Chicago, though some aren’t yet ready to pledge full support for the proposal.
Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., has long supported upgrading the Union Depot in St. Paul, which could accommodate both light rail and the Amtrak line, a spokeswoman said. Coleman “welcomes the idea of an additional train in Winona,” spokeswoman Megan Turnell said.
Rep. Tim Walz, DFL-Minn., is requesting an analysis of ridership on the Amtrak line, a spokeswoman said.
“If the passenger demand exists for a second daily train, the Congressman would be supportive of providing additional transit options for people along the line,” spokeswoman Meredith Salsbery said.
Salsbery said Walz co-sponsored the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, which could provide more than $14 billion for Amtrak capital projects — including additional trains and track upgrades — over a five-year period. The measure passed the House and is awaiting action in the Senate, Salsbery said.
The Mankato Free Press reports in Walz, Coleman: Housing bill necessary:
It was a tricky congressional task: restoring confidence in mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, helping homeowners struggling with loan payments, giving a boost to cities facing a rash of foreclosures — all while not leaving taxpayers feeling like they were bailing out foolish decisions made by homebuyers and lenders.
Democratic Congress-man Tim Walz and Republican Sen. Norm Coleman think congressional negotiators, after months of effort, pulled it off with the bill that passed the House Wednesday and is expected to clear the Senate Saturday. President Bush also has been persuaded, dropping threats to veto the bill.
“They got it right, I think,” said Walz, DFL-Mankato. “It’s a tough one. ... My first take is, I wish we didn’t have to do this.”
But the risks to the economy of a further deterioration in the condition of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac made it imperative the federal government act, Walz said.
“The fact of the matter is this is an unprecedented situation, and we have to stabilize the housing market,” he said.
Although fewer than one in four House Republicans backed the bill, Coleman said he will support it in a procedural vote today and a final vote he expected Saturday.
“This is a crisis. We have to deal with this issue,” Coleman said. “Between the housing crisis and the energy crisis, those are the two things that are dragging this economy down.” . . .
Read the rest at the Free Press. In Coleman, Franken bound for Farmfest the paper yesterday reported:
House candidates, too
At 1:30 p.m., congressional candidates will take the stage at Farmfest.
First District Congressman Tim Walz, DFL-Mankato, and his Republican opponents — endorsed candidate Brian Davis of Rochester and state Sen. Dick Day of Owatonna — have said they’ll be there.
This should be interesting, since Davis has said little to the press about ag issues. Walz serves on the House Agriculture committee, while Day has criticized the new Farm Bill. In the same article, the paper looks at name calling in the race under the subheading, Sticks and Stones, while noting Walz's recent statement on drilling and oil production.
Walz has told the press in the past that the election will be A referendum on Rep. Tim Walz, and the title for Sea Stachura's dispatch from St. Charles runs with that concept. The lead:
It's Saturday morning at Mike's Food Center in St. Charles. Democratic Congressman Tim Walz holds court in front of a display of baked beans and ketchup. Ten or so shoppers form a circle around him, nodding their heads.
"Get together and compromise. Make it work. Even those who are staunchly opposed to drilling are saying if takes a little compromise on that to get them to compromise to move toward investment in renewals, do it," Walz tells the group.
One woman chimes in, "That sounds really good."
Walz talks fast. In 2006 he beat another fast talker by six percentage points. That was auctioneer and Republican Congressman Gil Gutknecht. Gutknecht had served the district for 12 years, and in 2006 most political scientists said the district was too conservative for Walz. They said a tidal wave of anti-Republican sentiment was the only way he'd get into office. . . .
Read or listen to the story at MPR.
Former DFL congressman and IP gubernatorial candidate Tim Penny may be supporting John McCain this year, but his son Marcus staffed the DFL booth at the county fair, the Waseca County News reports in Fair game for campaigns. Some snippets:
“The fair booth gives us a chance to meet and talk with people and let them know what the party is all about and hear their concerns,” said Waseca County DFL chair Bob Hunter.
Democrats’ immediate concerns are economic, especially gas costs. On the national level, the war in Iraq is a clear second and locally, it is probably education, he said.
Katie Mullen and Marcus Penny said they were excited about working the DFL booth Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s really good to see younger people behind the booth because there are so many young people at the fair and it grabs their attention,” Mullen said.
Penny said he’s a Democrat because he grew up as a Democrat. Even though his dad, former Democratic congressman Tim Penny, changed his views, Marcus Penny said he stays with “what I grew up knowing and believing.”
This year, the added excitement for Penny and Mullen comes from presidential candidate Barack Obama. They believe he has done a lot of good for the Democratic Party, drawing new voters and disenfranchised and independent voters by bringing a new tone to politics.
Penny said, “I absolutely think he can win.” . . .
There's more at the Waseca County News.
On July 12, the Wall Street Journal editorial page scolded the Walz-Graves NCLB Recess bill, falsely claiming that if the measure passed:
schools would no longer have to file progress reports that expose achievement gaps between kids of different races, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Yesterday, the NEA fired back in Walz-Graves is Common Sense to Us:
Your July 12 editorial "Wrong Education Fix" is flat wrong in describing why the National Education Association supports the Walz-Graves bill, the No Child Left Behind Recess Until Reauthorization Act. In fact, what this bill does is very simple. It says that for the next school year and until Congress reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (more commonly known as No Child Left Behind), schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress will not be subject to additional sanctions.
The bill does not suspend any testing required by NCLB. It does not suspend any reporting of test and other achievement data required by the law. And it does not minimize or eliminate the consequences for schools and districts that have already been subject to sanctions. The bill simply recognizes that because Congress has not reauthorized the law, there should be a pause from subjecting schools to new or additional sanctions, since it is very likely the consequences applied against schools will be changed during the reauthorization process.
The Walz-Graves bill offers a common-sense, moderate approach to NCLB's current system of snapshot, multiple-choice tests that are one-dimensional and unfair to children -- a system that is widely believed to need modification and improvement.
The NEA and a diverse coalition of education, civil rights, and other organizations will continue to work hard for a final version of ESEA that will not only require testing, but provide resources for programs that improve test scores, such as smaller class sizes and quality pre-K programs.
Congress should get on the stick on either fixing or flunking NCLB--but since it's been sent to the back burner, Walz-Graves is a common-sense interim. While we at BSP aren't too keen on local schools ceding control, we also think that schools should set standards, teachers should be accountable, and yes, the "achievement gaps between kids of different races, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds" that concerns the WSJ is a very real problem.
How can NCLB be tweaked--or replaced--in order to better achieve those goals? As is the case for so many of the policy issues facing this country, we think finding the "sweet spot" between ideals and practicality is going to have to take more than bickering and simple talking points.
Polinaut notes:
The Pi Press, the Rochester Post-Bulletin and the Star Tribune pick up on 1st District Republican Brian Davis' late property tax payments.
Winona Radio also picked up the story in Davis-Property taxes; WCCO ran with Minn. Candidate In 1st Dist. Missed Tax Deadlines. Minnpost's David Bauer says:
Complicating a partisan narrative, now it's a GOP Congressional candidate with tax problems. Dr. Brian Davis, the 1st District endorsee, was delinquent on his property taxes 10 consecutive times over five years, the Strib's Kevin Duchschere reports. Davis calls it an "unfortunate oversight" and says he has no excuse.
Except, of course, that he excuses himself by blaming the fact that the bill comes in the mail.
Update: Christopher Truscott places Davis's tax tardiness ("arrogant") in the context of Republican pearl clutching over Al Franken filing in the wrong states ("stupid") in Unintended Consequences.[end update]
The Rochester Democrat has posted Congressman Walz's summer Veterans' Newsletter.
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