We had a grand time at King Turkey Day on Saturday--the organizers really know how to trash talk about turkeys and put on a show, and the visiting Texans give as good as they get. The talent wasn't so equally distributed in the political speeches.
The Worthington Globe's coverage of Saturday's speeches in Rivals Davis, Walz talk politics doesn't report on the crowd's reaction to the speakers. Davis blew his own jokes, while Walz drew laughs and cheers throughout his speech, especially when he talked about the passage of the new G.I. Bill.
Julie Buntjer reports:
Walz, nearing the end of his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives, spoke of the work he helped accomplish and the work yet to be done, while admitting he’s “as frustrated as you” when things don’t move forward.
“If we lose faith in City Hall, if we lose faith in St. Paul, if we lose faith in Washington, we’re saying we lose faith in this great democracy,” Walz said. “It’s our responsibility to rise up and move this country forward.”
Walz spoke of the bi-partisan farm bill passed by Congress and the Senate this year, as well as the “first sweeping GI bill since 1944 to care for our veterans.
“It’s our moral responsibility and a national security responsibility — take care of them and they’ll take care of us,” he said.
During his first term in office, Walz said Congress also passed legislation to fund rural water projects, including both the Red Rock Rural Water system and the Lewis and Clark pipeline.
As for energy, Walz said, “Partisan statements that don’t coincide with fact hamper us from getting solutions. We’re working on a bipartisan bill that allows us to drill in our off-shore areas responsibly — not all of them, some of them.”
Walz said he wants to take the royalties earned from offshore drilling and invest a trillion dollars in renewable energy — from wind turbines to biofuels.
“When it comes to energy, this nation can do it. We can use the resources we have here,” he said.
“The best ideas don’t come from the democrats, and they don’t come from the republicans — they come from the American public who puts partisanship second and solutions first,” Walz continued. “This nation can solve those problems, this nation can lead and this nation can do what every other generation has done before — leave this country better than the way they found it.”
The candidate's respective parade units also illustrated the level of enthusiasm. Twenty people wearing Walz t-shirts walked with the Nobles County DFL, along with Thomasin Franken and a number of her father's supporters. Davis walked with ten people, including Representative Magnus.
Parade watchers responded well to Walz, often calling him over to shake hands. Davis? Just at the moment when we could see his sign carriers coming toward us, Dale and I were startled to see a turkey vulture gliding over the street. The crowd where we stood was nonresponsive to Davis. The vulture, too, took a pass.
The scavenger may have some company with that oversight.
It's our understanding that, as of Thursday, the Davis campaign had not made a television or cable media buy for post-primary advertising. Time--and space--are going fast. Judging from Mark Fischenich's Campaign Notebook, it looks as if Davis's supporters hope the hapless doc will win on Sarah Palin's coattails:
Neal Breitbarth, a Fairmont businessman and delegate to the Republican National Convention, didn’t agree with a suggestion that Palin was the star of the convention. But Breitbarth might have been trying to protect McCain’s feelings, because he asked that Palin — not McCain — do a campaign rally in the district with GOP congressional candidate Brian Davis.
Breitbarth said he thinks the district is perfect for Palin and that residents would respond with great enthusiasm, helping Davis in his attempt to unseat freshman Democratic Congressman Tim Walz of Mankato.
We'll see if the McCain campaign decides Southern Minnesota is a good fit for the Alaska governor. Fischenich adds that she and Walz have something in common:
One organization that was a big supporter of Palin as governor of Alaska is also endorsing Walz. The National Rifle Association announced its endorsement of Walz last week, something the Democrat’s campaign publicized with a pair of press releases.
A retired Army National Guard command sergeant major, Walz has a strong record of backing Second Amendment rights.
According to Fischenich:
No debates have been finalized in the 1st District. . . although the Walz and Davis camps are said to be talking about it.
If Davis is as smart as he claims, he'll try to avoid one-on-one meetings with Walz. We've seen them twice now--at Farmfest and King Turkey Day--and the comparison isn't flattering to the Republican. It's no wonder that observers like Beyond the Polls put this seat in the "safe for now" category.
MSU-Mankato Dean of Nursing Mary Bliesmer writes the Mankato Free Press to observe Walz’ energy bill would make a real difference:
Tim Walz, southern Minnesota’s energetic new representative in Washington, D.C., along with other legislators, has introduced a new energy bill the National Conservation, Environment and Energy Independence Act, a bipartisan bill proposed to make a real difference for our future.
This is a bill that has vision for not only tomorrow but also 10 years from now. The proposed bill expands offshore drilling responsibly, lifting the moratorium on the Outer Continental Shelf in some areas as a short-term solution.
Revenues (around $1 trillion) raised from taxes and royalties on new drilling would be invested in renewable/alternatives research and conservation over the next decade and Americans may even find it easier to buy hybrid vehicles that get better gas mileage.
This is a groundbreaking bill, written by moderates from both parties who realize that partisan bickering about energy policy does not bring lasting results.
The Rochester Democrat looks at one reason why offshore drilling is more complicated an issue than Brian Davis admits in Dr. Davis’ Sloganeering Approach Ignores National Security.
In a letter to the editor, Walz supporter Ronald von Arb tells readers Walz brings integrity, accountability to D.C.
Congressman Walz will be at this morning's press conference at the new I-35 bridge and then back to Washington.
Photos: Above: from the Worthington Globe, Tim Walz and a couple of turkeys. Below: from the USGS, a stock photo of a turkey vulture. Dale was familiar with the species because they roost on the local law enforcement communications towers in Luverne; we've seen them while out birding.
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