A section of the program about Rochester: Rochester
has a longstanding and politically engaged community of peace
activists, a vibrant, powerful labor movement, progressive leadership
in the Somali community, a solid history of environmental wins,
successful sustainable development advocates and growing organizing in
low-income communities.Many individuals and
organizations deserve credit for these achievements, including the
AFL-CIO SE Area Labor Council, AFSCME Council 5, Coalition for Economic
Opportunity, ECCO: Earth Community Coalition of Olmsted
County, Livable Rochester, Olmsted County DFL, SEIU Healthcare MN, SE
MN Alliance of Peacemakers and UNITE HERE Local 21. Together they are transforming a city that progressives had all but deserted just a few years ago. . . .
The footprint's an interesting site; check it out. Transit for Living's website posted the entire TAM press release here. Some excerpts:
In the last six years, politics in Rochester has been undergoing a sea
change. After more than 30 years of Republican dominance, in 2004
Rochester elected State Representatives Tina Liebling and Andy Welti.
They expanded the Democratic delegation in 2006 with the election of
State Representative Kim Norton, State Senator Ann Lynch and, in a
surprise win, Congressman Tim Walz. Expanded margins of victory in
2008 races proved these elections were not a fluke. . . .
. . .“Our recent wins come after years of work” said Abdifatah Abdinur, an
organizer and leader Rochester’s Somali Community. “People knocked on
a lot of doors and organized a lot of meetings to get us where we are
today. That people kept pushing, even when the outcome was uncertain,
says something about people’s commitment to each other.” . . .
While some observers attribute recent DFL successes in Southern Minnesota to the winsome personalities of the successful candidates, our own interviews of progressive leadership in the district suggests that Abdinur is spot on. There's no "secret weapon" or cult of personality driving the wins; mainly, hard work and smart planning are fueling Southern Miknnesota's leftward turn, along with some underlying demographic and economic shifts in the region. The service ethic embodied by leaders such as Welti, Liebling and Walz doesn't hurt either.
Rochester area labor leader Laura Askelin has assembled a flickr set of the Progressive Movement in Rochester peeps in action. Photos from set: Members of Rochester's progressive community at the Take Action Minnesota Progressive Leadership Awards Dinner (above); Union volunteers help contribute supplies as part of flood rebuilding efforts in 2007.
Congressman Walz visited a class of meddling kids (his favorite kind) on Wednesday, according the Austin version of the Post Bulletin in Students grill their Congressman:
Congressman Tim Walz, who last week was re-elected to the U.S. House
of Representatives for a second term, faced tough questions Wednesday
from some of his biggest critics: students at Grand Meadow High School
who wanted to know what he was going to do to secure their futures.
Walz,
DFL-Mankato, spoke to students about his role in Congress, and about
their own roles in the country's future. Students asked a range of
questions, from where Walz lives when he spends his weeks in
Washington, D.C., to what he plans to do about the national debt,
failing economy and job losses. Many of Walz's responses emphasized the
importance of education.
The version posted under a tamer headline, Students quiz Walz, includes an interesting Q & A session. Our friends who speculate about a potential gubernatorial bid may latch on to this item:
Walz also remained mum on whether he plans to run for governor in 2010.
"Right now I'm focusing on getting through this re-election, so no decision yet," said Walz.
Mostly, Minnesotans can't help but think about last week's election because of the Senate recount. The Mankato Free Press editorial board notes that the Acrimony over Senate race grows. Conclusion:
Voters and average citizens probably thought the
political fighting and acrimony should have ended Nov. 4.
Unfortunately, there appears to be a few more weeks or months of
political nastiness they will have to endure.
Discourse simply isn't what it used to be in the Key City. The Free Press has shut down its online forum, the paper reports in Forum shut down after users go too far. Money quote:
“I don’t want to tell people they don’t have a right to
swear — they do. Just not at my party.” — Free Press Publisher Jim
Santori, explaining the reasons behind the decision to shut down the
forum on this Web site.
We'll miss the insanity.
Coleman supporters often imply that only Franken can benefit from the recount. Not all votes will go Al's way; some shifts occurred in the recent pre-recount audit. The Cottonwood County Citizen reports in Routine audit yields extra vote for Coleman in county:
After a few
days of seeing vote corrections land on the Franken side, Republican
Senate Candidate Norm Coleman received some good news from Cottonwood
County--he gained one vote.
The error was found during a routine
audit of county scanning equipment on Wednesday. Cottonwood County
Auditor Jan Johnson said a voter used a pencil (instead of a pen) and
didn't mark the ballot dark enough.
Consequently, the vote was not read by the scanner. Only two of the county's 28 precincts were tested on Wednesday.
However, Johnson says the public should not expect a major change, once next week's local recount is complete. . . .
Since election night, [Nobles County Auditor Sharon] Balster has had to meet special requests from
both the Coleman and Franken campaigns — including making copies of all
of the tapes from the counting machines, providing information on the
number of absentee ballots mailed out, returned, accepted and rejected.
Both political parties had representatives present at last Friday’s
board of canvass meeting and Monday’s post-election review.
“My list of things to do is enormous,” Balster said.
Newly elected GOP state rep Greg Davids puts his narrow rematch victory over Ken Tschumper into perspective for the Rushford Tri-County Record:
"We
feel very fortunate (to win) because the congressional candidate
(Republican Brian Davis) got 33 percent in the district, the
presidential candidate (Republican John McCain) got 42 percent, and I
got 51 percent. So we're excited."
The 2006 margin was so close that it triggered an automatic recount in the state house district. A
Republican friend in the First shared news that Davids has been mentioned as
a potential candidate to run for the congressional seat in 2010, but
we've heard no more about this rumor. Since Davids retains his
seniority in the Minnesota House after sitting out a term, it is likely
that he will garner his share of earned media.
The 2008 GOP congresssional candidate in the First questioned the emergency food shelf aid in the Farm Bill; this may not have been the cycle to challenge such programs. Federal aid to food pantries is not enough to meet the need and is intended to be a supplement to private support. The unfortunate need for emergency food assistance is clear as we read the district's papers.
The Owatonna Peoples Press notes that about ten percent of Steele County's population is getting helping from the food shelf in Boy Scout food drive kicks off this weekend. Steele County residents should give what they can:
On Saturday, Boy Scout troops from all over Steele County will be out
in the county collecting food donations from people’s door steps
beginning at 9:30 a.m. All donated food will be sent to the Steele
County Food Shelf.
Tom Barry, district executive for the Game
Haven Council (which oversees Steele, Dodge and Goodhue counties), said
they are looking for a variety of different foods, including canned
fruits and vegetables, soup, pasta and flour, to name a few.
“We hope that people have their food out by about 9 a.m. this weekend,” Barry said. . . .
. . .If people miss putting out the food for Boy Scouts on Saturday, there
will be two other drop-off sites. They include the Steele County Food
Shelf or at the old Century 21 Building at 1836 Cedar Ave., located
next to Godfather’s Pizza. Both drop-off sites will be open from 10
a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Trom added they are looking for
additional volunteers to help sort food donations at the old Century 21
building and then bring it to the Steele County Food Shelf.
If
people don’t have food to donate, Trom also said monetary donations
help. Because the food shelf is a non-profit, Trom said the
organization is able to pay for more items at a store compared to the
average dollar.
Photo: Walz returning to his Mankato West classroom in his first term. Washington's got nothing on the tough crowd in the public schools. Photo cribbed from the NYTimes.
"There's nothing wrong in America that can't be fixed by what's right in America," according to the sign taped to the inside of the broken window at the Winona County DFL headquarters.
Winona DFL party headquarters was vandalized early Wednesday when three rocks were thrown through its street-front windows.
Two
of the rocks pierced a poster of President-elect Barack Obama, who was
projected the winner of Tuesday’s presidential election just hours
before the incident. . . .
. . .“It’s a very overtly aggressive act, and it’s not how this country can
move forward,” said Anne Morse, chairwoman of the Winona County DFL
party. “It’s more than a shame, it’s a sign of a very troubled
individual.”
Morse suspects the vandalism was planned, because
the rocks were large and did not likely come from the sidewalk or
street nearby the headquarters, 685 W. Fifth St. No one was in the
building at the time.
Police responded to the headquarters about
2:25 a.m., when someone noticed the broken windows. Officers suspected
the incident happened about 2 a.m., and they have no suspects,
according to police reports.
DFL officials replaced the glass early Wednesday, but Morse kept the rocks as a reminder of the incident.
Our friend Max Hailperin, a mathematics prof at Gustavus, left a comment about another measure of the enormity of Congressman Walz's victory on Tuesday:
It was certainly a sweeping victory. By my count, Rep. Walz lost only 71 precincts out of 749.
Additional context for the win can be gained by looking at the last few elections in the district. With re-districting, the First lost counties like Dakota, Goodhue, and Rice to the new Second (Luther/Kline), while southwestern counties formerly in the old Second (Minge/Kennedy) were added. The re-alignment led to two lop-sided victories for Gutknecht.
In 2002, Gutknecht received 61.5 percent to Steve Andreasen's 34.65 percent, with then Green Party candidate Greg Mikkelson garnering 3.75 percent of the ballots cast.
In 2004, Gutknecht was the choice of 59.60 percent of voters, while DFLer Leigh Pomeroy received 35.52 percent of the vote, with Greg Mikkelson, carrying the IP standard, bringing up the rear with 4.80 percent.
Walz won in 2006 with 52.74 percent to Gutknecht's 47.12 percent.
Because of post-2000 redistricting, results from 2000 and earlier are more difficult to apply, since counties now in the western part of the district were in the old Second. Nonetheless, however different the candidates, political climate and campaign dynamics of the contest between Blue Dog incumbent David MInge and challenger Mark Kennedy, a look at those western counties can also help in understanding Walz's win. Minge had won the part of Nicollet County that was in the old Second, along with Cottonwood, Jackson, Nobles, Murray, Pipestone, Rock and Watonwan Counties. Kennedy had won Martin and Brown Counties.
Walz's win Tuesday returns the western counties to the DFL fold on the congressional level; these are what Walz himself might consider "pragmatic" districts that look for problem solvers, regardless of party. In the state legislature, DFL State Senator Jim Vickerman and GOP Representive Rod Hamilton (one of the so-called Transportation Six so scorned by anti-tax ideologues for he supported on the gas tax override) are fair illustrations of this tendency.
So what explains the flip from Gutknecht's glory years to Walz's dominance on Tuesday? The biggest long-term shift seems to be happening in the eastern part of the district, which is trending blue on both the federal and state level. However, our personal sense is that the shift is influenced more by cultural, economic and technological changes than by a wholesale adoption of the DFL platform.
The rapid acceptance of the Internet, the growth of bioscience and tourism as industries, Land Stewardship's hand in developing a vital sustainable and organic agriculture coupled with the local food movement, and other developments have made Southeastern Minnesotans less patient with a Republican party that seeks platform purists on conservative social issues and free market ideologues. It's down-home cultural creativity, or creative capitalism gone country, and it's comfortable with the prairie pragmatism found to the west.
Throw in a team-builder like coach, sergeant, and now Congressman Walz whose leadership style involves listening and respect, a political tail wind, strong fundraising and great grassroots organizing, and Tuesday happens.
Democratic Congressmen Ron Kind and Tim Walz weren’t gloating over
their re-elections Wednesday, or the prospect of a strengthened
majority working with a Democratic administration.
Calling for “a dose of humility,” Kind said Democrats must work with Republicans to govern effectively. . . .
Democratic Congressman Tim Walz won a lopsided victory against his
Republican opponent Dr. Brian Davis. Walz collected 11,994 votes in
Steele County compared to Davis’ 6,144. Independence Party candidate
Greg Mikkelson picked up 1,004 votes.
That result is huge
contrasted with Walz’s 2006 finish in Steele County. That year, Walz
captured 7,006 votes while then-Congressman Gil Gutknecht, a Republican
from Rochester, captured 8,166 votes.
McGuire said Walz has
benefited from what he called the “Tim Penny effect” — making an effort
to be at as many places in the district as possible, including Steele
County. . . .
. . .Kath’s victory, along with state Rep. Patti Fritz’s re-election to a
third term, now leaves state Sen. Dick Day as the lone Republican from
District 26 serving in St. Paul — something that the Owatonnan
Republican has never known in his near 18 years in the Legislature. And
though he plans to work with Democrats, Day said on Wednesday there
will still be at least one conservative voice for the county. . . .
More on Kory Kath's win in A lesson in civics. Great story about an under-the-radar win. We'd been hearing great anecdotes about Kath from people volunteering to door knock in Owatonna. Kath won the seat opened by Connie Ruth's retirement.
CQPolitics looks at Congressman Walz's new colleagues. The Worthington Globe, which had endorsed Coleman, editorializes that Turnout merits Senate recount. We agree, and Coleman's whining about the cost of the automatic recount, when fewer than 500 votes seperate the top two candidates, speaks to the man's unquenchable opportunism.
There's a fine feature in this morning's Mankato Free Press about those who gave their all for candidates on both sides, Campaigns leave volunteers spent. The lead:
Amanda Barr donated
hundreds of hours to Barack Obama’s Mankato field office and worked
tirelessly Monday and Tuesday to get out the vote at Minnesota State
University. But in the end, Barr decided not to spend election night
with her fellow volunteers on the victorious night they’d all been
working toward for weeks.
“I talked to my kids. They said, ‘We miss
you Mommy,’” said Barr, a 23-year-old graduate student at MSU. “I told
my supervisor I had to go home — they’re why I started this.”
We met Barr after the Debate Minnesota forum at MSU-M, an impressive, energetic and witty young woman. The article sensitively balances the perspectives of those who worked for winners and losers.
. . .As first lady, Michelle Obama has said, she plans to make herself an
advocate for working parents, particularly military families, urging
better access to child care for all. As a first lady trying to juggle
public duties with two young children, she will be a living
illustration of the very issue she describes. . . .
We recently read a profile of Michelle Obama in More magazine, which related an anecdote from the beginning of the First Lady's freshman year at Princeton. The family of her assigned roommate complained to the administration that their daughter would have to share living space with a black woman. Now that shunned student will move into the White House as the President's best friend, love, and "his rock."
Summons an image from a very old song, and this newer adaptation by Bob Marley. The Good Book often draws these sorts of domestic analogies to explain far more unfathomable things than marriages or building projects--or elections, for that matter:
Southern Minnesota's political news is naturally dominated today by last night's debate in Rochester between Al Franken, Dean Barkley and Norm Coleman.
Update: Those who missed the debate can watch the entire uncut version or separate clips on each question over at The Uptake. Thanks Jason. [end update]
The Worthington Globe also looked at the somewhat below-the-radar fight for a veto-proof DFL majority in the Minnesota State House, publishing Forum News political reporter Scott Wente's Election to shape state House. Wente quotes our favorite Judson Township native:
. . .Democratic-Farmer-Laborites must defend seats they narrowly won in
the 2006 election that handed them control of the state House, and they
will try to pick up another five to secure a veto-proof majority.
“The
architecture that’s set up here is really, I think, set up for victory
again for Democrats,” House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher,
DFL-Minneapolis, said of the political climate....
. . .Top House Republicans and Democrats say that improving the economy
and creating jobs are key issues for voters. Democrats say the public
turns to them in difficult economic times and they already have
demonstrated an ability to pass legislation that results in job growth.
“There’s a higher degree of trust around the Democratic brand
when it comes to handling the tough economic situation and dealing with
what needs to be done to reposition the Minnesota economy to make it
even stronger,” Kelliher said. . .
If you are an eligible voter who plans to vote and
haven’t yet registered, it’s time to mark your calendar with a big red
X on Oct. 14.
That’s the deadline for
submitting a voter registration application to your county courthouse
so your name will be on the roster Nov. 4 at your polling place.
Minnesota allows same-day registration at
the polls, and that’s a convenient thing for procrastinators. But you
would save much time and effort for yourself and everyone in line
behind you at your precinct by taking care of business by Oct. 14 if
possible.
Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie
is predicting this to be “a watershed year” when it comes to voters
flocking to the polls for this presidential election. . . .
. . .Absentee ballots also have been in demand.
In Blue Earth County, Patty O’Connor handles elections and she told a
reporter the phone had been ringing like crazy for ballots. The last
time she’d seen that kind of demand was when Jesse Ventura ran for
governor.
The high interest in the election is
invigorating, and eligible voters not yet registered still have plenty
of opportunity to take part in the process.
The Owatonna People's Press reports on the rural driver's need to take extra care in A safe harvest:
It might be tempting to get frustrated when you’re late for work and
the fat raccoon in the ditch next to you just passed your car because
you’re behind a combine on Highway 14. But, farmers most likely won’t
have far to go before they can get off the roadway and out of your way.
The
first week of October has brought farmers back to the fields to begin
harvest of soybeans and corn, the main crops of the Steele County area
— but that also means the large trucks, equipment and tractors are also
back on the roads.
That's certainly been our experience, and we give the farmers a wide berth as they do their job. The recent rains may also make the soil left on roads slick up, so drivers should pay attention to road surface conditions, too. Anybody who has ever driven on a county road on a rainy day during the sugar beet harvest knows how slippery mud can be.
The title of this YouTube is "If you rear-end this, you shouldn't be on the road":
We concur with the editors of the Post Bulletin: get out and vote in the primary. However, we wonder about the highlighted passage below:
If history is any indication, not many Minnesotans will turn out for
Tuesday's primary. With no gubernatorial race on the ballot and no
significant challengers to Al Franken and Norm Coleman for the U.S.
Senate slots, it would be surprising if more than 30 percent of
registered voters show up at the polls.
Minnesota's 1st
District, however, might surpass those numbers. U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, a
DFLer from Mankato, has two potential Republican challengers --
longtime State Sen. Dick Day of Owatonna and Brian Davis, a Rochester
physician who has the GOP endorsement to square off against Walz.
Day,
the current Senate minority leader, has cultivated a maverick's
reputation and has a habit of speaking his mind. He's been highly
visible in Austin on several occasions during meetings to discuss
illegal immigration and could attract votes on that basis alone. . . .
The current Senate minority leader is Dave Senjem, who represents Senate District 29. Senjem's district includes parts of Rochester; other portions of the city are represented by DFL state senator Ann Lynch.
Photo: Dave Senjem, or an extreme makeover for Dick Day? Day is a maverick, but we don't believe that he's taken over Senjem's role as Senate Minority leader. Day did lead the state senate minority caucus until 2006.
Dick Day grabs the lion's share of earned media in WCCO's report, Republicans Face Off In 1st District Primary. From the sounds of things, Brian Davis should spend some of that money on the primary, since Day is a master at getting the press's attention.
We got a chance to look for signs of the primary yesterday in parts of Nicollet, Brown, and Blue County on the way back from the ruins of Farther and Gay Castle. When we drove
through New Ulm, we saw a few signs for both candidates in the
Day-Davis primary, and they seemed evenly matched. We were most impressed by the signage for both
Skillings and Torgelson in the 21B open seat. Neither faces a primary,
but are hustling for visibility and their work shows.
Congressman Walz and Senator Klobuchar will visit Rochester, Albert Lea, Waseca, Mankato and St. Peter tomorrow to talk about equalizing Medicare payments between states and to visit with veterans at service clubs. Details and full schedule here.
Outspoken Owatonna conservative Marlene Nelson writes to say Walz’s office staff was quick to help, in the Owatonna People's Press. When she encountered a problem with transportation to the V.A., she turned to Walz's congressional office. Go read the outcome at the OPP. This is how congressional constituent services are supposed to work.
Phil Heim of Medford did a little research and praises H.R. 6709 (National Conservation, Environment, and Energy Independence Act) in Energy bill is what we should expect. He concludes:
Without labeling ourselves as Republicans or Democrats but as Citizens,
isn’t this the type of working together we expect from our governmental
leadership? Why not call or write your representative or senator and
express your concerns?
Winona Radio reports that Women in Business will host a meeting featuring congressional and state house candidates:
Four political candidates will be the special guests at next weeks meeting of the Winona Women in Business group.
The event will take place at noon on Thursday, August 21st, at Westfield Golf Club.
First
District Congressman Tim Walz and his Republican challenger Brian Davis
will be on hand. Also attending will be Minnesota State Representative
Gene Pelowski and his Republican challenger, Rhett Zenke.
All four will address current campaign issues.
The deadline for registering for the event was August 11.There will be more forums and debates as the general election nears. One post-primary debate, sponsored by Debate Minnesota, is in the works; readers can probably expect at least as many post-primary debates and forums as Gutknecht and Walz attended in 2006.
The Austin Herald reports Local voter registration up. The local League of Women Voters is facilitating the process:
. . .Members of the Austin Area League of Women Voters offered voter
registration at the Austin Public Library Friday and Saturday in
preparation for the Sept. 9 primary election and the Nov. 4 general
election.
. . .The Austin Area League of Women Voters will also be offering
registration at its primary forum Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. at the city
chambers. The event is open to the public. Registration can also be
made at city hall, which is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m.
Minnesota's election laws allow same-day registration on election days, but registering in advance will speed an individual's time at the polling place. Those who is wish to be on the roster at their polling place for the September 9 primary need to register by August 19; for the general, it's October 14.
You may register and vote in Minnesota on the next Election Day if you:
will be at least 18-years-old on Election Day
are a citizen of the United States
will have resided in Minnesota for 20 days immediately preceding Election Day
have any felony conviction record discharged, expired, or completed
are not under court-ordered guardianship where a court has revoked your voting rights
have not been ruled legally incompetent by a court of law
Again, one need not be registered before election day in Minnesota to
vote (registration is available at the polls) but you must register.
Doing it in advance saves everybody time on Election Day.
The blogger at Minnesota First started posting because of concerns about FISA. In Here We Go Again he links to an article about a proposal to expand domestic eavesdropping. At Minnesota Central, McPherson Hall takes several looks at drilling as an issue.
Speaking of bowling--there's going to be a one-sided immigration reduction forum in Austin tomorrow night that features a panelist from FAIR. The convergence of bowling news and FAIR news is as good a superficial excuse as ever to post a video of our favorite bowling song.
It’s as much a tradition at county fairs as cheese curds and rides on
the midway, especially in an election year — politicians pressing the
flesh and courting voters.
A wonderful picture of DFL state 26A House candidate and local teacher Kory Kath accompanies the article. Kath talks about the importance of meeting voters, and the paper notes Republican endorsed candidate Owatonna Mayor Ton Kuntz. We do wonder if the GOP booth is ever--shall we say--awkward?:
Kory Kath, DFL-Owatonna, said he enjoys having dialogue with people
even if he disagrees with them on certain issues. Their voices are
important to hear, especially if he ends up representing them at the
Capitol.
“To be able to have that many conversations with that many people and listening to the issues ... is so rewarding,” he said.
His
opponent, Tom Kuntz, R-Owatonna, has been hanging out with state Rep.
Connie Ruth, who is retiring at the end of the year, and state Sen.
Dick Day. With lawn signs already out for both campaigns, Kuntz said
it’s important to make his presence known.
“It’s nice neither one of us has a primary election, so we can focus on the general election,” Kuntz said.
Senator Day has a primary, though. Minnesota Republican party chair Ron Carey made a lot of noise about the banishment of Day for bypassing the endorsement process, but that exile must stop at the Steele County border. Guess local Republican endorsements just aren't that sacred these days. Day is working his home turf:
Meanwhile in the First Congressional District race, Day and Brian Davis
have already made appearances at the fair. Day is challenging Davis in
a Republican primary on Sept. 9 and said plans to make a stop at the
fair every night. Davis stopped at the fair Tuesday and is making a
number of fair appearances throughout the district for the rest of the
week.
The winner will face U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who
plans to make an appearance at the fair on Saturday, officials from the
Steele County DFL said.
In 2006, Walz and Gutknecht met for a debate on farm policy at the Steele County Fair; it was the first head-to-head forum that featured just the First District contenders.
Elsewhere in the paper, Walz supporter Sondra Von Arb writes the editor to say Walz’s ‘Fairness Act’ helps middle class. Despite his declarations of prior political apathy, this anti-Walz LTE writer in Winona may be in the hip pocket of the local Republicans, though we're not certainly it's the same guy.
The New Ulm Journal reports that Class warfare is taking place covertly in Brown County. It's all rock 'n roll to us.
The one-year anniversary of the deadly flooding in Southeastern Minnesota is coming up. The Rushford Tri-County Record has published a schedule of memorial events. Rushford never, ever gave up.
Randy Swaney has been found guilty of the brutal murder of Blue Mounds State Park worker Carrie Nelson in 2001; he was charged with the crime in 2007 while serving a prison term for theft in South Dakota. Nelson, who was only 20 at the time of her death, worked in on Swaney as he was robbing a state park office. Swaney faces a maximum sentence of life in prison; we hope he gets it.
The murderer of Blue Earth's "Jane Doe" will stay in a Texas prison until at least 2011, the Fairmont Sentinel reports. Former Minnesota state trooper Robert Leroy Nelson:
was convicted of first-degree manslaughter of Jane Doe and criminal
sexual conduct with a child in Minnesota in 1989. He had already been
convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child in 1988 in Texas. He
received a life sentence in Texas, and Minnesota sentenced him to 15
years, which would run concurrent with Texas.
This was another brutal murder of a stranger. Nelson raped, murdered, and disposed of the woman's body; her identity is still unknown. Blue Earth resident Deborah Anderson has spent the last five years working to discover the victim's identity. We posted about the case back in January and are grateful that Texas didn't turn Jane Doe's killer loose.
. . .At a macro-level, if the vision behind this research becomes reality,
America could find itself less dependent on fossil fuels to generate
electricity. At the individual level, it could mean a home heating bill
for the average consumer reduced by two-thirds, said Hal Ottesen, a
professor at the University of Minnesota-Rochester. . .
. . .A bill supported by U.S. Rep. Tim Walz would free up more money for
such research. It would do so by opening up more offshore areas to oil
and gas exploration and using royalties from increased drilling to fund
research like the HESS project.
"We're not talking about leaving fossil fuels tomorrow," Walz said
at a press conference Friday in the shed-like annex where the HESS
project has been conducted. "What we're talking about is making sure we
shrink that dependence on those fossil fuels by coming up with
alternatives.". . .
When the bill's supporters talk about supporting conservation, this is the sort of projects they mean. Conservation isn't simply a matter of carpooling or making sure the house is sealed up for winter, but also seeking better, more efficient ways to use energy. From what we've read about the HESS research, it would help both the consumer and the society.
Brad Biers, campaign manager for fellow Republican challenger Brian
Davis of Rochester, similarly said Walz's bill does not address the top
issues facing middle class constituents, namely high gas and food
prices. (Walz separately joined a bipartisan group in the House behind
an energy bill that would expand oil drilling along the outer
continental shelf, but rules out drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge).
Yep, folks, there are issues other than just those dealing with gas prices. Amazing how that's common knowledge for everybody except Brian Davis, who couldn't even answer a yes-or-no question about the Farm Bill at Farmfest. Maybe Davis and his minions will read the article about Congressman Walz's visit to HESS and be prompted to actually understand the comprehensive energy policy direction proposed in H.R. 6709.
The Mankato Free Press gives a thumbs up to the political forums at Farmfest. The editorial specifically mentions the senate debate, but concludes generally:
Including political debates and other forums at
Farmfest gives those who attend a well-rounded experience and
highlights that agriculture is still a key part of southern Minnesota.
A writer at the WSJ whines about how the Senate version of the bill, proposed by the bipartisan "Gang of Ten," takes the issue off the table for the Republican campaigns. Um, Kim, take a deep breath: the work in both groups in the senate and the house is aimed at coming up with a solution, as the National Association of Manufacturers recently noted. The Senators and Representatives who are working on this aren't hoping to get the issue off the table. They aim to solve it--regardless of the electoral goals of their parties' leadership.
What's more, her argument that drilling in ANWR has to be on the table must come as a shock for Third District Republican Erik Paulsen, running in a toss-up race. Paulsen, like DFLer Ashwin Madia, opposes drilling in ANWR. Sullivan's column is a textbook example of a writer who has lost the ability to distinguish between campaigns and policy making.
The average person we've talked to isn't impressed by the preservation of talking points for one side or the other. They just want some stability in prices. And as an old political hand (and friend) recently observed, when campaigns whine about proposed legislation being a "sham" or "political," it means they got nothing.
The wind industry is growing; its annual convention is now too big for Minnesota's space, accroding to the Strib article Wind power convention outgrows Minneapolis. They may end up in Orlando or Las Vegas. No telling.
A letter writer to the Mankato Free Press says the Clean water act needs support. She makes a reasonable case, but Congressman Walz opposes the bill because of the concerns farmers and other constituents have brought to him.
The Winona Daily News reports Walz nervous about TRW’s future, jobs. As we noted yesterday, the coming lay-offs at TRW flared in a spat between Senate rivals Al Franken and Norm Coleman. While Walz is working to get TAA funding for the TRW workers whose jobs are heading to Mexico, he's also looking at the larger picture of policies that encourage shipping American job to other countries.
WDN staff writer Mark Sommerhauser writes:
Ann Schaub says her bosses at Winona’s TRW Automotive plant gave her
and other employees a directive earlier this year: Increase your
production, and your jobs should be safe.
So
Schaub and other workers rolled up their sleeves and set records for
production, said Ben Hovell, spokesman for United Auto Workers at the
plant.
The workers’ reward? Pink slips for 66 employees so far,
with another 16 layoffs expected in the coming months, Hovell said.
Schaub is one of the employees now out of work.
“To this company, you’re like a number, a face. And when they need profits higher, you’re a nobody,” Schaub said.
On
Friday, Rep. Tim Walz, DFL-Minn., said he is “nervous” about the
prospect of keeping the remaining jobs at the plant after conversing
with TRW corporate leaders. Walz also said the layoffs — reportedly
part of a shift of TRW manufacturing jobs to Mexico — underscores the
need for changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The extent of TRW layoffs in Southeastern Minnesota:
TRW, a leading global auto-parts maker, has repeatedly declined to
comment on the layoffs. Company officials have spoken with Walz, but
the lawmaker said TRW officials wouldn’t tell him if more layoffs are
planned at the Winona facility, which employs nearly 700.
TRW
also employs nearly 300 workers at facilities in Galesville and
Ettrick, Wis., but eliminated nearly 200 jobs when it closed its
Rushford, Minn., plant in 2006.
The article looks at Walz's concerns about the triumph of free trade over fair trade, then covers those short-term measures he and other federal and state lawmakers are pursuing. Winona's state senator is on the job:
. . .About a week earlier, state Sen. Sharon
Erickson Ropes, DFL-Winona, requested the same aid, which would offer
income assistance payments to workers who pursue retraining after their
unemployment expires.
Ropes said global corporations like TRW
must react to economic conditions, but also must weigh the social and
environmental repercussions of its actions.
“The parent company has an enormous ethical responsibility to its workers to be doing the right thing,” Ropes said.
The union will hold a press conference on Monday about the lay-offs, followed by a town hall meeting, according to a press release we received from the UAW Local #958:
United Autoworkers Union
Local #958 President Ben Hovell will hold a press conference on Monday, August 11, 2008 at 3:30 pm, at the Winona
Education Association office at 1201 Gilmore Avenue in Winona, concerning the recent lay-offs at TRW in
Winona and the out-sourcing of some of the jobs to Mexico. Following the press
conference, the local union will hold a Town Hall meeting hosted by State
Senator Sharon Erickson Ropes. Community leaders will be at the Town Hall
meeting to discuss the impact of the job losses to our community and the
community response. The town hall meeting is open to the public.
Also in attendance will be
Alicia Ranney, Coordinator for the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition, to discuss
the impact that Free Trade Agreements are having on our communities.
Representatives from local
government and non-profit organizations have also been invited to discuss both
short-term and long-term aid that may be available to workers and their
families.
That town hall forum should prove interesting. Those who are able and interested should attend. Winona Radio reports TRW layoffs-Federal help.
For all the woe in the papers, it's a beautiful morning out here on the prairie after an early thunderstorm. Just after dawn, we spotted two cottontails playing in our backyard just as a rainbow shimmered in the southwestern sky. Naturally, we thought about a divine promise in an old book, followed immediately by a recollection of this happy song from our younger days.
Maybe it helped that it was an election year, or that Farmfest
wasn't far away. But the people attending an annual DFL fund-raiser on
Tuesday night said the main attraction was the chance to bring voters
and candidates together.
A mix of national and state Democratic
candidates spoke from the front porch of a farmhouse on the Ted Suss
and Janet Marti farm south of Lucan, including U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, U.S.
Senate candidate Al Franken, and Minnesota House candidates Bob
Skillings of New Ulm and Al Kruse of Marshall.
Some of the big issues that emerged in candidates' speeches included health care reform, education, and renewable energy.. . .
Senate District 21 straddles the First and Seventh Congressional Districts.
. . .Common themes emerged in each candidate's answers. Such as the need
for offshore drilling, the image of farmers as stewards of the land,
and a general distaste for the Clean Water Bill.
Walz lauded the
efforts of family farmers trying to "do the right thing but having 16
different organizations" trying to regulate their business. He focused
his answers on finding a common middle ground, saying it is politics
that makes people believe they have to choose a side when really the
sides can work together to produce a mutually beneficial solution. . . .
Go read the rest at the Sentinel. Blueman Hal Kimball has some Farm Fest Ponderings. We weren't at the Senate candidate forum, so we don't have an informed opinion to share about it, but he's close on the Congressional forum. Tinklenberg was terrific when he talked about his background and vision, but he could have mentioned Bachmann's absence once and that would have been enough. Sarvi came off up-beat and personable. Peterson and Walz earned the audience's applause.
Tim Walz and Brian Davis will be guests of Winona's Women in Business, according to this report from Winona Radio:
Four political candidates will be the special guests at this month's meeting of the Winona Women in Business group.
The event will take place at noon on Thursday, August 21st, at Westfield Golf Club.
On
hand will be First District Congressman Tim Walz and his Republican
challenger Brian Davis. Also attending will be Minnesota State
Representative Gene Pelowski and his Republican challenger, Rhett Zenke.
All four will address current campaign issues.
The cost is $12 a person and the reservation deadline is this Monday, August 11th.
For more information contact Tammy Kramer at 689-4552.
Too bad Senator Dick Day can't be there to add some life to the pachyderm party.
In Staff All-Star: Pat Ryan - Education Minnesota, Labor 2008 mistakenly puts activist Pat Ryan and Tim Walz in MN-06 (sorry Political Muse and Blueman). Both Ryan and Walz are based in Blue Earth County. The post highlighting the volunteer notes:
. . . As a Speech teacher,
Pat is naturally good at engaging people in conversation and his sense
of humor is an asset in heated political situations. He admits that
most of all, he enjoys Labor Walks because he gets to be outside walking.
Pat is one of many dedicated Release Staffers for Education Minnesota. He successfully recruits and engages union members on working family issues this year. Pat taught with Tim Walz at West High School and supports Walz’s run in Congressional District 6 [sic]. Pat also pulls for union-endorsed Franken and Obama.
State and national legislative leaders, notably former teacher 1st
District Rep. Tim Walz, have previously called for No Child Left Behind
reform. Still, no changes have been made.
"The kids are fighting it, and the pressures are there," Kelly said. "It's an unbelievable situation."
In a letter, Minnesotans for Immigration Reduction head Paul Westrum argues for reducing legal immigration in Immigration policy needs major reform. Perhaps now the media will quit identifying the group as being only "anti-illegal" immigration. Westrum clearly supports drastic reductions in the number of people who are willing to play by the rules when seeking to live in America.
. . .The first phase of 200-megawatt wind farm is set to begin construction
as early as 2009, and it has the potential to be a 400-megawatt wind
farm. If fully completed, the Bent Tree Wind Farm would be the largest
stand-alone wind farm in Minnesota.. . .
. . .According to Schultz, 400 megawatts is about enough to power 100,000
homes over the course of a year. Schultz said Alliant Energy has not
yet made a decision to build or not build the second 200 megawatts.. . .
. . .According to Dorman, both phases of the project being completed would
add a tax base equal to adding about six malls or about 40 industrial
buildings. . . .
Oh-- and good luck and congratulations to Joe, Liz and baby Bodell; our prayers also go out to Sgt. Zach Juhnke and the 2700 National Guard members from around the country who will be heading to Kuwait and who will begin serving in Iraq in September. Seven hundred of the soldiers are from Minnesota.
Photos: (Top) It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and only the House Republicans have to have a golf tournament to fund their campaigns. Actually, Boehner held one of those those golf tournaments while a delegated group of his members whined about Democrats adjourning for "vacation." We haven't seen such genius from Boehner since he came to Minnesota State in 2006 to help Gil Gutknecht as a higher education leader--despite the fact he'd taken all those PAC funds from student lenders and had a voting record like this. (Bottom) NRCC sock puppet alert.
The congressional race between DFL incumbent Tim Walz and Republican
challenger Brian Davis will be among 15 contests to be the focus of
debates organized by Debate Minnesota this election season.
but later in the same article:
First Congressional District race between DFL incumbent Tim Walz and
Republican challengers Brian Davis and Dick Day. The times and places
for this and the other races have yet to be determined. The 1st
District stretches across southern Minnesota, including Albert Lea,
Austin, Rochester, Mankato, Winona and Worthington.. . .
. . .Sixth Congressional District race between Republican incumbent
Michele Bachmann, Republican challenger Aubrey Immelman and DFL
challenger El Tinklenberg. . . .
In many races the parties haven’t winnowed their candidates to one each. That will take place in the Sept. 9 primary election.
It's unclear from the reporting whether Debate Minnesota will try to schedule its forums before or after the primary; debates will also be scheduled for the open seat in MN-03.
Also of interest: the state house races (and senate special election) chosen by the group's board. The board "tends to select races it feels will be tight, such as the Benda-Brown race two years ago."
In the First, only the rematches in 28B (Drazkowski v. Pfielsticker) and 31B (Tschumper v. Davids) are on the schedule. Go find out about the rest at the AL Tribune.
Update: We're guessing that the debate will be scheduled after the primary. For 2006, Debate Minnesota held one forum in the MN-01 race in October at Bethany College in Mankato. Curiously enough, it also held a debate between incumbent Jim Oberstar and GOP challenger Rod Grams. Oberstar won the election by over 63 percent.
Trivia: Brian Davis's campaign manager, Brad Biers, took part in one of the 2006 debates. Biers was defeated in the election by Scott Kranz for the suburban seat in Blaine.
Four MN-01 state house and senate races were conducted by Debate Minnesota in 2006; the DFL candidates captured every seat. [end update]
Photo: Tim Walz and former Congressman Gil Gutknecht debate in Owatonna in October 2006. Photo swiped from MPR.
State transportation department officials were short
of chairs and short of cash to meet the demand they found at a public
hearing to discuss a new 20-year highway funding plan.
Staff at the Best Western
in North Mankato fixed the chair problem by bringing more seating to
supplement the 120 chairs already filled.
A solution to the money problem wasn’t as
easy to find. Minnesota Department of Transportation leaders showed
slides to area city and county officials, slides filled with numbers
that suggested virtually all of the new money from a rising gas tax
would be consumed by inflation, bridge repairs and preservation of
existing highways.
“It clearly shows that we don’t have enough
funding for these major projects in the next 10 years, probably not the
next 20 years,” said Lisa Bigham, the planning director for MnDOT’s
Mankato-based District 7.
The response to that, at least from many of
the southern Minnesotans who spoke at the meeting, was simple: Then you
need to reprioritize.
If there was ever justification to create a massive
infrastructure repair program on Minnesota’s bridges and roads, it
seems one year after the biggest infrastructure disaster in the state
would be a good time.
. . .The part of the plan that stuck in the craw of most people at the
meeting was the Highway Department's $2.5 billion allocation to repair
of replace 120 structure critical bridges by 2018.
The Highway
Department stated that a Legislative Audit finding was "to meet its
'preservation first' commitment. Virtually all trunk highway
construction funds will need to be directed to preservation projects."
Rep. Terry Morrow, D-St. Peter, disagreed.
"Putting
all this money into bridges wasn't the intent of House File 2800, (the
transportation finance bill that appropriated money for highway
maintenance, debt service, local roads, emergency relief funds for the
I-35W bridge collapse, establishing a trunk highway improvement program
and requiring a study of value capture to reduce public costs of large
transportation infrastructure investment...). . . .
Urban roads may be more crowded, but more deaths occur on the lonely
country road. Which makes it hard to fathom why the Minnesota
Department of Transportation continues to push rural roads down on its
list of priorities. . . .
. . .MnDOT's formula is not serving rural Minnesota well, and should be changed.
It's great to see citizens coming out to public meetings like this.
Photo: In early April, Congressman Walz and the Highway 14 Partnership gathered at an intersection of the road west of Mankato to talk about the press need to improve the highway. Photo from the Mankato Free Press article covering the event.
He drops in a quote by Tim Walz that had been included in a company press release on the project:
“In southern Minnesota,
we are showing the rest of the nation what is possible in renewable
energy development,” said Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn. “With skyrocketing
energy prices, it is imperative that we work together to ensure that
our growing wind industry remains strong.”
One of the policy developments that has helped spur the growth of Minnesota's wind industry was the passage of renewable energy standards in early 2007. This project helps put energy co-op Great River Energy over the top:
When finished,
electricity from the Elm Creek Wind Farm is anticipated to be enough to
power 29,000 homes annually and bring Great River Energy’s wind power
total to 300 megawatts.
“This puts us in a position to meet and exceed the Minnesota Renewable Energy Standard,” [Great River Energy's renewable energy project leader Mark] Rathbun said.
Photo: Sunset at the Trimont Area Wind Farm, the first project from local landowners and Iberdrola Renewables (formerly PPM). Read more about the Trimont Area Wind Farm in this 2006 article; PPM has since changed its name to Iberdrola Renewables.
Update: The OPP reports that Owatonna Mayor Tom Kuntz is seeking endorsement from the district's Republicans. Both Republican and DFL party local leaders believe the seat will competitive. If endorsed, Kuntz should be a strong candidate, given his leadership of the Highway 14 Partnership. [end update]
At the Capitol: Put a fork in it, an entertaining News Cut headline about a cake Connie Ruth brought to celebrate Minnesota's sesquicentennial, turns to have been an inadvertent harbinger for news from Owatonna.
From the looks of the candidates in 26A who are registered with the Campaign Finance Board, the DFL has yet to endorse a candidate for this seat. Kathy Muellerleile challenged Ruth in 2004 and 2006. In the first contest, Ruth received 54.48 percent to Muelleleile's 45.29 percent. In 2006, Ruth did slightly better, garnering 56.37 percent versus her challenger's 43.43 percent.
The District includes parts of Steele and Waseca Counties, including Owatonna and Waseca. Senator Dick Day, who is running for the nomination for Congress in the Republican primary, represents Senate District 26. Should he win the primary endorsement, he won't be home in Owatonna to help whomever ends up being the Republican state house candidate in the open seat.
During her years in the Legislature, former state Sen. Nancy Brataas
never had a reputation for biting her tongue when she had something to
say.
Now Rochester's political grand dame is raising her voice anew,
warning of the growing influence of what she calls "right-wing"
extremists in the area Republican Party.
Yet other GOP leaders see the issue differently. They say the party
is simply being rejuvenated by the introduction of new blood and new
ideas.
At issue is the growing political muscle of area supporters for GOP
Texas congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul. The tension
between those views reached a flashpoint last weekend when Republicans
endorsed Jacob Dettinger, a local businessman and Paul supporter, for
House District 30A. The seat is now held by DFL Rep. Tina Liebling.
Brataas calls what happened at Saturday's endorsing convention an
"absolute travesty." Out of 50 delegates eligible to be seated, only 19
attended, she said. Dettinger eventually won the party's endorsement to
represent a district of more than 32,000 people with 11 votes.
Read the whole article. There's also an interesting companion article, War of words, philosophies at root of GOP rift, in which we find an explanation for the low turnout at the endorsing convention. It sounds like there aren't enough Republicans activists to go around in Rochester:
. . .Yet, area Republican leaders say there is a simple explanation for
why the convention was so poorly attended. The race for the endorsement
was uncontested. There is less motivation to attend a convention when
the outcome is preordained.
Duane Quam, chairman of the GOP First Congressional District, says
there also were competing political activities going on at the same
time. Statewide campaign activities for GOP Sen. Norm Coleman's
reelection were scheduled for the same time. So with the conventions
for Dettinger and Johnson considered noncompetitive, supporters of the
candidates were instructed to participate in the Coleman activities
rather than attend the convention, Quam said. . . .
Some more tidbits from the second article:
. . .since receiving the GOP endorsement for House District 30A,
Dettinger has found his views on the receiving end of critical remarks
by former state Sen. Nancy Brataas.
Brataas, the state's first elected woman senator who served from
1975 to 1992 and who identified with the party's moderate wing,
emphasized that her criticisms should not be viewed as personal
attacks. But she believes Dettinger and other supporters of U.S. Rep.
Ron Paul are filling a political vacuum created by the fact that area
Republicans aren't paying attention. . . .
. . .Dettinger, owner of two Erbert and Gerbert's restaurants in Rochester,
is one of two House Republican candidates from the area who support GOP
Rep. Ron Paul for president. The other is Jason Johnson, a technology
contractor who is running for House District 29B, a seat held by DFL
Rep. Kim Norton.
There's been blogosphere chatter about the Ron Paul issue in the Sixth's GOP, but no mention of the complications it's causing in the First.
We noted yesterday that the Institute for Local Self-Reliance had released a new report showing how current federal law discourages local ownership of power plants while highlighting how the removal of two federal-level barriers could dramatically enhance local ownership and investment in renewable energy projects. Congressman Walz's bill to revise the tax code to do just that is mentioned.
News of the report is spreading; today, North American Windpower published Report Explores Democratic Routes To Energy Independence. Despite the headline style, that's a small "d" democracy, meaning that more people get to participate and take ownership in energy production. Some of that can be through co-operatives; other avenues including revising the tax code so that local individuals can take a tax credit for investing their private dollars in wind and other renewable energy projects.
Why has Walz championed this legislation, as well as backing an extension of the production tax credit? It's easy: just read the area papers. As is so often the case in the congressional district that was ranked fifth in the country in 2007 for the production of wind energy, the area papers frequently carry news of this industry and economic boon.
They progressed from four wooden blades, to six metal blades, to a trio of sleek blades manufactured using state-of-the-art vacuum-assisted resin infusion molding technology.
The jobs they do have dramatically shifted from grinding grain and pumping water to providing 15% to 20% of the City of Mt. Lake’s yearly expected power demand.
According to Mt. Lake City Administrator Wendy Meyer, “We (Utility Commission) are right where we thought we would be.
"The wind turbine is performing as anticipated.”
Mt. Lake’s wind turbine was erected on June 5, 2007, with commissioning activities carried out during July 2007 and August 2007. .
The endorsed GOP candidate opposes renewable energy standards; the NRCC poohs-poohs the production tax credit for renewable energy. Given the importance of the wind industy to the district, positions and statements like that have prompted us to repeatedly wonder in this blog just what in God's good green earth Republican party leadership means when it whines about "being out of touch with Southern Minnesota." Perhaps someone ought hand them mirrors.
Update: We've added the graphic that illustrates that in years when the production tax credit was allowed to expire, investment in America's wind industry plunged.
We wrote Thursday about how in terms of Wind power: we're #3--and #2! (and how to keep those turbines spinning). That post included the need to extend the wind energy production tax credit. As the graphic on that post and this indicates, eliminating the production tax credit for wind takes the breeze right out of the industry's blades.
There's another tax issue that would help Southern Minnesota capture more of the revenue stream from the wind. KAAL-TV news reported last night on the Economic Power of Wind Energy:
Minnesota has set a goal to produce 25% green energy by the year 2025.
But who's putting up the wind farms to make that goal?
The Prairie Star Wind Farm is 15 miles southeast of Austin. Brian Lammers works for Horizon Wind Energy, which is the company that built the turbines.
In one year, 62 turbines will generate a lot of electricity.
“[That’s] enough power for about 30,000 average U.S. homes,” says Lammers.
Lammers is from Minnesota and says most of the dozen employees here are from Minnesota or neighboring states. Energia de Portugal or EDP, which is a Portugal-based utility, owns Horizon.
According to Minnesota Congressman Tim Walz's office, foreign companies own most of the wind turbines in the U.S. The current tax code gives credits for large companies, but not for small individual investors.
Mark Willers is one of 350 people who've invested millions into 11 turbines in the southwest corner of Minnesota. He says his group is the exception, and that's bad.
"If you have wind available and the tax credits are not useable by people here in the midwest, then you are forced to sell those wind rights or the energy from that wind off to another entity,” he says.
Entities like the Portuguese company that owns Prairie Star. But Lammers says regardless of whom owns the turbines, communities here benefit from tax revenue, jobs and rent paid to landowners.
Plus, Lammers says wind energy projects are just too expensive for local investors to get involved with.
Willers says more projects could work if the tax code were changed.
Lammers says ownership doesn't take away the net benefits of using more clean energy. Walz is pushing legislation that would change the tax code and allow for individual investors to receive a wind production tax credit. It’s a move that would make investing in wind turbines more economically feasible.
High Energy, LLC announce Wind Farm High Energy, LLC, and Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, announced on Friday, March 14, that they have signed a letter of intent to acquire a 150 Megawatt portion of the High Country wind project. The High Country Wind Entergy Park, located in Dodge and Olmsted Counties, Minnesota, is planned to included a total of over 300 megawatts. . . .
We could go on, but you get the picture. The area papers report on new wind energy developments. The industry is a source of pride and optimism for farmers and business people, who have come to their congressman asking for the current tax credit to be preservation and for revision of the tax code so that they, too, can directly reap the economic opportuinty of investing in the wind industry
So while Pelosi and the Democrat majority pander to their fat-cat environmentalist patrons by debating the efficiency standard of a light bulb, offering tax credits for wind farms (none of which are to be built in Ted Kennedy's backyard, of course) and pushing for increased reliance on corn-based ethanol (maybe we can grow all the corn in ANWR) precious little has been done to increase the supply of oil in America. Yet, the Democrats are trying to "fool" you into believing they're offering viable options. . .
Hanretty's spleen seems particularly out-of-touch with the First, where farmers and other rural dwellers are racing to put up wind turbines on their land while arguing for keeping and expanding that tax credit. There's a lot of economic interest in ethanol as well, though no absolute allegiance to corn-brewed ethanol, since several of Walz's earmarks go toward researchong cellulostic feedstocks for ethanol. And, funny, but a lot of people in the First are concerned with environmentalism, though many might use the word conservation, and they're not fat cats.
So who is Hanretty, this fount of wisdom about energy policy? According to CBS News/Politico:
The National Republican Congressional Committee has hired longtime Republican operative Karen Hanretty as the new communication director, according to a GOP source familiar with the committee’s decision.
Hanretty succeeds Jessica Boulanger, who resigned last month to join Prism Public Affairs, a bipartisan consulting firm.
Hanretty most recently served as deputy communications director on Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign. She has been a fixture on the punditry circuit, regularly appearing as a Republican analyst on Fox News and other cable news networks.
She has also served as communications director for the California Republican Party and as the press secretary for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gubernatorial bid in the 2003 recall election.
. . .former candidate for U.S. President and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. . .
Can the NRCC fool Southern Minnesotans into thinking that arguments of distraction about Ted Kennedy's battle against a sea-based wind energy project are superior to economic development in their own communities? We'll not weigh in here on the merits or lack of a much different energy project in a distant state and community, other than to note in passing that both objections to and support of the Massachusetts project come from people across the political spectrum. Even the Alliance against the Cape Wind project supports land-based wind projects that are properly cited and enjoy community support.
Objections to wind projects in Southern Minnesota do exist, but they're fairly rare. In a recent instance in Mower County, the local planning commission and wind energy company worked to ask questions about the project, according to the Austin Daily Herald.
We think linking attacks on all wind energy--and the production tax credit--to the Cape Wind controversy is pure Tom Cole foolishness for Southern Minnesota. But at least Hanretty wasn't carrying on about Fred Thompson or family values this time. And while we're considering the source of the snark about the wind energy production tax credit, here's a video clip of Hanretty's defense of Scooter Libby:
Photo: The Nobles Coop wind turbine, from the Fulda Free Press
Today, high school educator Rep. Tim Walz issued the following statement in response to the bipartisan vote by the Minnesota House to discontinue participation in President Bush's No Child Left Behind. Walz, a Member of Congress with experience teaching under No Child Left Behind mandates, has been working to drastically overhaul NoChild Left Behind.
"I applaud both the Republican and Democratic members of the Minnesota House who stood up for parents, teachers, students and schools by voting for legislation to withdraw Minnesota from the punitive mandates of No Child Left Behind. Their actions yesterday sent a message to bureaucrats and Washington politicians: NCLB's irresponsible mandates need to be replaced with policy that properly funds education, meets our high expectations for public schools, ensures local control and provides for real accountability. I have been and will continue to be a voice for that message of change in Washington.
"Bureaucrats must resist the desire to micromanage our children's classrooms. After nearly two decades in public school classrooms, I know when parent-teacher conferences are held in our schools to discuss student achievement, parents, students and teachers show up, but not the federal government. No Child Left Behind is a policy directed at making the federal government's voice drown out all others in those conferences and that is simply unacceptable.
"I am working to do away with the punitive measures that only hurt the schools that need the help the most. It is Congress' job to put together a new policy that promotes real accountability and gives the power back to states like Minnesota who are national and international leaders in education. I believe that our schools need and deserve federal resources and in the waning days of the Bush Administration and No Child Left Behind, I am working closely with my colleagues to do what's right for Minnesota's parents and students."
Supporters gathered at Mankato East High School to listen
to Representative Walz talk about economy, healthcare, veterans'
benefits, and restoring accountability in the government.Walz says he
hopes there will be bipartisan momentum for change.Rep. Tim Walz says,
''It's obvious this is the heart and soul of our support. I said I'm
very proud that I think I have a broad base of support here for the
year we spent in the classroom teaching and through national guard and
those things. For me, it's very encouraging because it's kind of a
family thing, and I have my children down here today and these are
really fun.'' . . .
Later on in the day the Walz campaign went door - to -
door and made phone calls in Mankato, Rochester, and Winona, talking to
an estimated 5,000 voters.
A talk radio station in LaCrosse reports Minnesota Republicans Worry That Divided Race For 1st District Give Democrat Walz A Second Term. The Republican assumption that Brian Davis is in touch with district voters may be the cruelest self-inflicted April Fool's joke of all. Walz's victory wouldn't hinge on their disarray, but on his service in Congress, accessibility to his constituents, and the growing grassroots volunteer force supporting him.
No word yet on fundraising from Walz, Davis, or Day. At Minnesota Campaign Report, Joe Bodell predicts:
In the House races, I think CD1 is going to be the least exciting, at least to those looking for a horse race.
We disagree: if the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Republican Party of Minnesota are actually as enthusiastic about this race as they claim, they will have made every effort possible to persuade friendly ideological and special interest PACs to pour money into Davis's campaign account. However, since we're close to neither the NRCC nor the RPM, we'll just have to wait to see if rainmaking confirms or refutes our analysis. No word from the Walz campaign on its take for the quarter.
Why this embarrassment of riches from the state's two major
political parties? In a recently released report, the Rochester
Convention & Visitors Bureau identifies several factors that have
made Rochester a desirable site: Its thriving population, diverse
political views and Mayo Clinic.
The Minnesota GOP Convention will be May 29-31, and the DFL Party Convention will be the following weekend, June 6-8.
The report notes that Rochester has seen an accelerated population
growth in the past 30 years and marked the 100,000 mark in January.
Within that growth spurt has been a surging minority population, which
has jumped from 2.6 percent in 1980 to 16.8 in 2006. That diversity has
brought a cacophony of political voices. In other words, Rochester has
become a battleground.
"Rochester is a great snapshot of the state's political views," said
Brad Jones, executive director of the RCVB. "Our voters do not vote the
party line. Both parties will have to fight for Rochester's votes, and
a competitive atmosphere is perfect for conventions."
Of course, it doesn't hurt also to be home of Mayo Clinic at a time when health care ranks as among the top concerns of voters.
"We took advantage of the amazing resources available in Rochester,
and used Mayo to leverage us in the bidding process," he said.
Another item in the link notes Klobuchar's endorsed of Barack Obama and Obama's visit to Rochest in 2006:
Rochester residents might remember, too, Obama's support of Klobuchar's
candidacy. He rallied voters here at the Mayo Civic Center in 2006 for
Klobuchar and Tim Walz.
In Kasson, the Dodge County Independent reports, residents attended a Renewable energy program at library. The talk by MSU physics professor Lou Schwartzkopf is one of tenorganized by the Southeast Library System (SELS) and the
University of Minnesota Southeast Regional Sustainable Development
Partnership (The Experiment in Rural Cooperation).
Video and pod casts of earlier forums about rural sustainability are available online here at the library system web site. The final three forums:
The Mankato Free Press reports Farmers to cut back on corn. This to be expected; crop rotation and the demand for other crops will make planting fewer acres in corn a good proposition. Given the demand for all crops, food prices are expected to rise again. The paper predicts a soybean surge.
Bachmann’s bulb plan a dim one the MFP editorial board observes. At the conclusion of the editorial, the paper goes to the heart of Bachmann's unscientific views:
Bachmann’s odd bill may
have more to do with her view on global warming. At a recent Republican
convention Bachmann said any human connection to global warming is
“voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax.”
For someone who claims to base her
decisions on science, Bachmann ignores scientific consensus on global
warming and the clear benefits of moving to new technology in lighting.
We trust her strange ideas will be quickly dispatched by her colleagues in Congress.
The Minnesota River is one of the great flathead fisheries in North America; flathead fishing at night is our favorite form of angling. The New Ulm Journal reports Catfish release part of Capital for a Day. Why catfish and the river?:
. . . the catfish release during New Ulm’s Capital for a Day
celebration “provides a terrific opportunity to draw regional attention
to New Ulm and the state’s namesake river in Minnesota’s
sesquicentennial year. Plus it’s one more way for the community to
showcase all we have to offer here.”
Mark Matuska, DNR Southern
Region Director at New Ulm said the event is a great way to involve
local kids, partner with the community to highlight the importance of
the Minnesota River and New Ulm’s historic connection to it.
Unlike other catfish that are scavengers, flatheads eat only live fish, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept.
And some of our readers thought New Ulm only produced German-Americans, beer, and veterans.
Former Congressman Tim Penny, now head of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, has a letter in the Spring Grove Herald about how the SMIF helps with Growing Small Businesses.
The Hill mentions the Republican endorsement in the First, concluding:
None of [Walz's] potential GOP foes has raised a substantial amount of money for the race.
Davis tells KAALhe doesn't favor programs helping renewable energy (Southern Minnesota's renewable energy industry includes wind, biomass, and biofuels):
"I support alternative energy but I support it on the free market -
-we need to get back to free market principles and not always look to
government to solve things."
Davis opposes renewable energy standards such as those passed by the Minnesota legislature and signed into law by Governor Pawlenty. Government assistance to renewable energy includes tax credits to the wind industry and a variety of other programs.
Photos from Saturday's campaigning Above right: At the Blue Earth County DFL convention, Congressman talks about the future, while son Gus, its physical embodiment, squirms in his arms. Lower left: Walz doorknocks in a very dog-friendly neighborhood in Rochester--also quite friendly to Democrats.
As is obvious to readers, Bluestem Prairie pretty much stays focused on Minnesota's First Congressional District. However, we do have some other interests, including being the editor of BlogNetNews Minnesota. The position isn't demanding, and keeping an eye on the feed has the added bonus of keeping us informed about what bloggers are writing in the North Star state.
Thus, we had a good belly laugh this morning when we saw this item in the feed:
I have had a number of people forward me the St. Cloud Times article
that Mary Ellen Otremba voted against an amendment supporting of our
right to bear arms. I have always believed in giving credit when credit
is due and the article is incorrect.
To be clear about what he's saying, here's the [...]
I have had a number of people forward me the St. Cloud Times article
that Mary Ellen Otremba voted against an amendment supporting of our
right to bear arms. I have always believed in giving credit when credit
is due and the article is incorrect.
To be clear the vote was on
a motion to table the amendment bill by DFLer Tony Sertich. In other
words the DFL wanted to not vote on the amendment because they feared
it would pass. The motion did pass and the bill did not make it to the
floor.
Mary Ellen did not vote to table the bill and did support the amendment. Mary Ellen did make the correct vote in my opinion, and I would have voted the same way.
In
addition, a few days ago I did contact the reporter at the St. Cloud
Times. He said once he verified I was correct he would run a retraction
and correct the record online.
So what's funny about that? Indeed, it would make frequent Otremba critic, Clarissa Mayor Nathan McLaughlin, look like a beacon of fairness, especially since gun rights remain an important issue among rural votes (ourselves included to the dismay of some of our more urbane friends).
Ah, but our tale is not so simple, however McLaughlin may want to tout his creds as the lion of due diligence. One of the things BlogNetNews does is keep a feed of blog post headlines and the first paragraph or so of each post made by each blog. It's quite handy if you're looking for a post you kinda sorta remember someone writing, but aren't having luck searching that blogger's archives.
Thanks to a reader it was pointed out the St. Cloud Times post was
incorrect if you look at the actual roll call vote. Mary Ellen in fact
did not vote to table the gun bill. Thanks to the reader and apologies
to Rep. Otremba on the mistake.America's Small City [...]
Olson gun gambit failsPosted: 3/13/2008 at 2:51 PM Source: [65.36.138.212]
Rep. Mark Olson,
R-Big Lake, took a shot at getting a floor vote on a constitutional
amendment to guarantee the right to keep and bear arms Thursday, but
came up short.
So what's the problem? Where's the humor? If one clicks through to the March 17 posts at America's Small City Mayor, the reader will discover McLaughlin scrubbed both entries (here and here).
Thus, no one reading the blog itself would likely know or remember that he had piled on Otremba when he read the Schumacher column, then quite honestly issued a retraction when an anonymous reader pointed out that the St. Cloud Times column was at odds with the roll call of the vote kept by the Minnesota House.
For the record, we were that anonymous commenter that left the informative note at America's Small City Mayor on March 17; the information, not our identity, was what we thought important at the time. Thus, we're highly entertained to see McLaughlin revise his image to be the champion of Truth, even in the service of political adversaries, when the Intertubes provide a different story. And no, he didn't discover the St. Cloud Times mistake on his own, as a casual reader might infer from today's post.
We'd still have respect for him if he had left both original posts up. But this move? Sorry, Mister Mayor, but you're no hero here.
(We'll be adding a screen shot of the March 17 posts in a moment to illustrate this post).
[Update]: America's smallest mayor just stopped by and left a comment, to which we added our snark in brackets. His visit reminded us that we hadn't gotten around to posting the screen grab from BNN Minnesota. We have now done so.
And as we said in the comment section: let him open his site traffic log and produce the email or IP identity of "the known source" he claims left the anonymous comment. Otherwise, he and his pal are simply spinning this second version out of thin air. We simply think that he didn't know a record of the first two posts would be preserved, and thus he concocted his third post--and the explanation for it that he gives in the comments. [end update]
This notice just came in from the First District's incomparable chair, Lori Sellner. The "B" part of the district is in the First:
We'll be kicking up our heels at the: *The 5th Annual* *Senate District 21* *DFL Fun(d)raiser* April 5, 2008 -Jackpot Junction Casino, Morton The Fun begins at 5:00 p.m. * **Keynote Speaker* DAVE JENNINGS *FORMER SPEAKER OF THE MN HOUSE* *Also speaking: *** *1st District Congressman Tim Walz* *State Auditor Rebecca Otto* * Minnesota Farmers Union President Doug Peterson* *In attendance: MN DFL Associate Chair Donna Cassutt* * * *RSVP your reservation by March 27.* Donation: $35. for adults. $15 for college students with official ID or youth under 18. Dinner Choices: Turkey, Pork or Vegetarian MUSIC * GOOD FOOD*GREAT SPEAKERS MEET THE CANDIDATES Auction items appreciated!
More on former Speaker Jennings' appearance at a DFL fund raiser in the Redwood Falls Gazette. For reservations or more information please contact Evonne at 507-532-0204 or by email at sd21dfl {at} yahoo {dot} com.
