Bluestem Prairie

Marcus Penny Guest Post: Our Two Cents--Governor Dayton

by Marcus Penny

Last week Gov. Mark Dayton used the power of his office to streamline the government bureaucracy in order to create new jobs in Minnesota. That is, at least, how his staff would want me to phrase it. But here’s the catch: every word is true.
 
Signing an executive order, the governor compelled the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the DNR to speed up their environmental review and permitting processes for businesses in the state. MPCA Commissioner Paul Aasen said the governor’s 150-day benchmark bested their average permitting speed by a month, but they can meet it without hiring new staff. While the governor is taking unilateral steps to make departments more efficient and spur economic growth in Minnesota, the GOP majorities in the House and Senate can hardly cry foul of Dayton’s use of executive authority, because here’s the other catch: it was their idea.
 
House and Senate Files 1, the first bills offered in both chambers, call for these exact measures (among other things). It’s clear the governor and his staff saw these provisions and, recognizing their merit, decided to co-opt the Republican proposal. This way, the governor could claim bipartisanship without ever having to sit down and negotiate with the other side. Sen. Geoff Michel, a Republican, graciously conceded the political victory to the governor, while pointing out that Minnesota businesses are the real winners here.
 
This is a classic example of smart political maneuvering. It’s reminiscent of the Clinton tactic of “triangulation,” where you adopt the positions of your opponent, rather disingenuously, in order to seem moderate and more appealing to the average voter. Except this isn’t disingenuous. Dayton didn’t order something he didn’t like – it was something everybody likes. It’s the sort of clever, no-one-gets-hurt-in-fact-everyone-gets-helped kind of thing that makes politics entertaining.
 
In the coming months, our leaders in St. Paul will be debating teacher licensure, voter IDs, guns, and the state’s projected $6.2 billion deficit. It’s likely to get ugly, but for now it was nice to enjoy some crafty political gamesmanship. Congratulations to the new governor on his win last week – here’s hoping we keep winning too.
 
That’s my two cents.
 
Marcus is a Waseca native and a graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato, with a degree in political science.

Originally published by the Waseca County News. Reprinted with permission of the author. Photo of Marcus Penny by Sally Jo Sorensen.

Freshman senator Gary Dahms sours on raw milk bill

Last week, Brian Lambert's Daily Glean in Minnpost sipped from articles about the bill to allow more liberal sales of raw milk; three Republican state senators,  Gary Dahms (Redwood Falls), Sean Nienow (Cambridge), and Claire Robling (Jordan) sponsored the measure. (In the House, Sarah Anderson, Bob Barrett, Kurt Daudt, and Dean Urdahl support the lower chamber's version).

The New Ulm Journal reported yesterday that Dahms will remove his name from raw milk bill:

Sen. Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls, said Saturday that he will be withdrawing his name from the Minnesota Senate bill aimed at making it easier for consumer to purchase raw milk.

Dahms declined to comment on the reason he wanted his name removed or even the date it would be officially removed. . . .

The bill was introduced on January 27;  Dahms' name was stricken today. The article continues:

. . .The most prominent component of the move has been the legal battle with Minnesota dairy farmer Michael Hartmann. The state has alleged that raw milk sold from Hartmann's farm in Gibbon was responsible for the sickening of at least 15 people with E. coli, campylobacter and cryptosporidium. Hartmann is accused of selling the milk illegally at Twin Cities drop sites. The investigation into the case prompted the state's crackdown.

Also opposing the bill is Minnesota Milk Producers Association, which represents the state's dairy farmers who pasteurize their milk. The organization has come forward in opposition, arguing that there is many health risk associated with raw milk. . . .

Lambert had written his digest in more colorful language:

Quite honestly, I had never read the Food Poison Journal until today. But Drew Falkenstein’s story on Minnesota allowing raw milk sales caught my eye: ... the home state of Mik Hartmann, whose raw dairy products have been implicated in outbreaks that sickenend at least 15 people in the state, and who has been at the heart of a major legal battle — one that he lost — ever since. I hope Minnesotans don't get too comfortable just because they live in one of the states where outbreaks go to die.” Uh, waiter, can I change my order? Instead of the milk shake, I’ll have a scotch on the rocks.

Mark Steil at MPR adds: ... None of the bill's three co-sponsors could be reached to discuss the legislation. The bill will serve as a forum to debate the merits and risks of drinking raw milk. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 1,700 illnesses and 2 deaths were traced to raw milk over the decade ending in 2008.”

Expanded raw milk sales are championed by groups like the Organic Consumers Association, while opposed by Minnesota public health and agriculture regulators, as well as the Minnesota Milk Producers Association.

What changed Dahms' mind so quickly?

Update: the Mankato Free Press editorial board weighs in on the raw milk issue here: Our View: Restricting raw milk the better plan.

Southwest Metro Tea Party sponsors Bradlee Dean & Jake "McMillian" MacAulay movie night

Tonight, the Southwest Metro Tea Party emerges from its social conservative closet--discretely tucked a page down on its website--by screening a movie at the Chanhassen Cinema:

This Month's Movie, January 31st:

"My War"

The Testimony of Bradlee Dean

With Special Guests: Bradlee Dean & Jake McMillian

Son's of Liberty Radio (Saturdays 3-5pm on am1280 The Patriot)

This will be a night for the entire family!
"My War" is an all-encompassing look at the country today.
This documentary will give you insight into topics such as:
* Our Founding Fathers * The Constitution *
* What kids are being taught in public schools *
* The myth of alcoholism * Drug abuse *
* Hollywood and the moral decline of our nation *
* The spiritual heritage and foundation of the United States *
* The lies in the media * & much more *

HELP SPREAD THE WORD
& Be Sure To **BRING A FRIEND**
Trust Us -- You will not want to miss this Showing!

As Andy Birkey at Minnesota Independent, Karl Bremer at Ripple in Stillwater, and Ken Avidor at Dump Bachman have reported on an ongoing basis, Bradlee Dean ( birth name, Bradley Dean Smith) and Jacob "MacMillian" MacAulay run the homophobic "You Can Run But You Can't Hide" youth ministry from rural Annandale, out here in my neck of the woods (my state senate district, at least).

The Awl previewed the film itself last fall in My War': Bradlee Dean's Popular Struggle Against Those Criminal, Child-Molesting Gays.

Politico, like the mainstream media in general, may say that in the popular mind the Tea Party "movement draws on populist sentiments and pushes an agenda focused on reducing taxes, government spending and the national debt." In 2010, for instance, the New York Times reported that the Tea Party Avoids Divisive Social Issues. Other stories have suggested a Tea Party/social conservative split.

A recent poll found that Americans want Republicans to listen to the Tea Party, and given the earlier reportage about the Tea Party and social conservative ideas, those polled might readily be forgiven for assuming those ideas aren't a socially conservative agenda.

But the pollsters didn't actually define what Tea Party ideas are, so the coast is clear for the SW Metro Tea Party to fill in the blanks.

Southwest Metro Tea Party has other ideas indeed about what its ideas or "principles" are (scroll down a bit here), in a clear contrast with the agenda Politico outlines.  Sure, there's the frontpage short version: "fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, free markets/free enterprise, [and] personal freedoms." But step deeper into the website for the self-described "longer version," and they align with the theocratic clap-trap espoused by Dean and MacAulay, as well as by the Republicans who love and support their ministry.

The group supports the principle of "personal liberty:"

No interference in private life, business, health, assembly, speech or possessions.

That "personal liberty" only goes so far, and certainly not to include a woman's right to make decisions about her own health or treating queer folk as equals. One principle is traditional marriage:

The union between a man and a woman, has been the foundation of every civilization in human history. It is incorporated into the fabric of our culture and civic life.  It is the platform on which children, families and communities are nurtured.  The institution of marriage is far too precious to surrender to the whims of a handful of unelected, activist judges.  Males and females are born with profoundly sacred and contrasting, yet complementary characteristics and responsibilities.

So much for the notion of "private life." Not to mention butch and femme. Read all of the Principles of the Southwest Metro Tea Party here in all their glorious pretzel logic.

But such paradoxes seem easily bridged by this set and their fellow travelers. Most recently, Bremer reported about YCRBYCH's commitment to the fiscal responsibility that the SW Metro Tea Party endorses.

Bremer writes in You Can Run But You Cannot Hide was evicted from Plymouth offices in 2007 :

Bradley Dean Smith, aka “Bradlee Dean,” and his Annandale-based anti-gay hate “ministry” found out that you can run, but you cannot hide—from the landlord. In 2007, Smith’s Old Paths Church Ministries, dba You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, was evicted under court order from its offices in the Bass Lake Business Centre II in Plymouth for nonpayment of rent.

The eviction was the result of a complaint filed against Old Paths Church Ministries in Hennepin County Housing Court on June 7, 2007, by its landlord, Bass Lake Realty LLC of Minneapolis. . . .

Read the rest at RIS.

Given the road conditions out here today on the wind-swept prairie, I'll have to forgo the splendors of Dean's cinematic masterpiece in Chanhassen--surely a case of weather-induced cultural deprivation second only to missing a Katherine Kersten-led tour of Yale Sex Week.

Image: A promo for Dean's war.

Offended by launch of Spanish language website, Hanska's resident hater rejects Heritage

Posting on the Confederate Americans for Secure Borders elist last week, Ruthie Hendrycks, who does business under the assumed name Minnesotans Seeking Immigration Reform (MinnSIR) has called for her followers to decide whether they wish to be removed from the mailing lists of the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation.

She shared her rejection email with the list:

My removal from Heritage Foundation

I sent this to a few Patriots last night and am forwarding to all now

You decide - what your thoughts are on the matter

my short email follows

RE: Concerning this action.................

Meanwhile, the GOP-leaning Heritage Foundation will soon unveil a website called Libertad.org (Spanish for "liberty").

Erin Bender

staff@... [redacted by Bluestem]

website www.heritage.org

Please remove my following email addresses from your database immediately I am proud on the English language, and believe America – [sic] s strength is in unity not in division - this decision by Heritage Foundation DOES NOT garner my support and I will have no further involvement with your organization – [sic] including the forwarding of your educational material etc.

In 2006, Hendrycks told a Star Tribune reporter that a traumatic shopping event helped spur her to founding MinnSIR:

There were little things, too, such as when she went to the store to buy her hair coloring and the writing on the box was in Spanish.

"I think our sovereignty in the U.S. is at risk,'' she charged. [Jean Hopfensperger,"Standing firm in opposition to illegals. . .," Mpls. Star Tribune, April 28, 2006, Nexis All News database, accessed January 30, 2011]

That section of Preference and Excellence by L'Oréal Paris in the local Target always causes me to have the fantods, too--mostly because the store never seems to stock enough Dark Auburn, in whatever language.

I'm equally disturbed by preposition choice errors like being "proud on the English language" on the part of people whose first language is English. One wonders what Hendrycks learned about English composition while studying at LaCrosse University. Or maybe not.

MinnSIR's castigation of the Heritage Foundation ranks right up there with its call to boycott the Marine Corps. Clayton Schoolcraft has more Ruthie goodness in a YouTube produced following MinnSIR's famous Tea Party Against Amnesty in November 2009.

Hendrycks apparently didn't get the memo from Norm Coleman's American Action Network, which calls for promoting Hispanic Leadership, after fueling independent expenditures supportive of anti-immigrant, pro-SB1070 Congressional candidates. Perhaps such slickness is beyond the frozen shores of Lake Hanska.

Photo: A little Ruthie Hendrycks cheescake, served with a generous topping of Latino loathing.

MFP: State senator Julie Rosen goes to Washington

With the retirement of state senator Steve Dille, Fairmont's Julie Rosen is now my favorite Minnesota Senate Republican: sharp, funny and tough in a civil way. It's easy to understand why Congressman Walz invited her to be his guest at the State of the Union address on Tuesday (Rosen paid her own way).

The Mankato Free Press only published a small portion of Julie Rosen's Capitol trip a capital time, the article about Rosen's short visit to DC. The full length electronic edition article illustrates why Republicans beg her to run against Walz.

When asked by the paper about running against Walz, Rosen parried:

Rosen’s name has come up more than once when Republicans have been looking for a strong candidate to run against Walz.

She laughed — rather than answer directly — when asked if the visit to the House chamber prompted thoughts that it might be an interesting club to join.

“I’ve got a lot going on in District 24, chairing (the Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee),” she said. “I think I’ll just focus on my job right now.”

And the President's SOTU address? Well-played:

While Rosen found several parts of the speech she didn’t agree with, she wholeheartedly endorsed its main theme — that Americans of different political beliefs need to work together to tackle the serious problems facing the nation.

“ We are one,” she said.

“And that’s the message I believe we all have to remember.”

Another exhibition of Rosen's politically-savvy graciousness came earlier in the article. One of the favorite targets for photoshopping by the right is Rep. Nancy Pelosi. While Rosen opposes a number of the bills moved by Pelosi, she's having none of the junior-high bullying (one well-known example documented here by the Minnesota Independent in 2010). The Free Press electronic edition reports:

After her arrival Tuesday afternoon, Walz introduced her to numerous members of Congress from both par­ties.

“ They’re much better­ looking in person,” Rosen said, laughing.

“Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi is a stunning woman, and she just turned 70.”

No surprise: Rosen was unopposed in 2010.

Photo: State Senator Julie Rosen

An appreciation: Senator Gary Kubly

Back in 1998, the "hog wars" were raging in Renville County, pitting neighbor against neighbor over stench and related problems generated by a large CAFO built by local farmers. For my first freelance contract since moving back to Minnesota a couple years before, an old college pal then editing the St. Paul legal Ledger assigned me a series of articles about rural politics; the House race in the old 15B seat was at the center over the struggle.

First-term legislator Gary Kubly faced a challenger more aligned with the interests of " Big Pig." I drove out to fragrant Renville County to interview both candidates; much of the interview with Kubly was conducted while he doorknocked a Granite Falls neighborhood. Friendly home turf for the genial Lutheran pastor: his subtle sense of humor emerged more as we strolled through the Minnesota River Valley town.

I came away impressed with Kubly and his wife Pat, the best sort of pastor's wife, a woman with her own wits about her. Kubly seemed a great fit for the district--having done a lot of work for what were then three major Lutheran denominations  during the farm crisis of the 1980s--and the citizens agreed that fall. They continued to agree, electing Kubly through re-districting in 2002 and elevating him to the Senate. He's consistently won by large margins for a rural Democrat, in part because of his relentless door knocking.

Our paths would cross in farm and Democratic politics over the years. In 2006, I witnessed one of those moments of political courage that seemed straight out of a movie when, at a local convention, Kubly explained how he could no longer support measures like a marriage amendment because of the hate-filled politics he had seen during the past session. In his quietly passionate remarks to the delegates, he anticipated a lot of opposition from the somewhat socially conservative rural Democrats; what he got was rousing applause.

I last saw Gary and Pat at the MFU Convention in November, and congratulated Gary for returning to the Senate in a bad year for Democrats. 

Thus, I was saddened to read Sen. Gary Kubly diagnosed with ALS; remains focused on legislative duties, in the West Central Tribune, an article which captures Kubly's personality and commitment to public service pretty well. Longtime reporter Tom Cherveny reports:

Trying to solve the state’s massive budget deficit, and meeting the needs of his constituents are the challenges that remain front and center in the mind of State Sen. Gary Kubly, DFL-Granite Falls. He’s not going to let a recent diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis keep him from doing his job. “I can’t just sit around here feeling sorry for myself,’’ said Kubly, 67.

Known also as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is a neurological disease that causes muscles to weaken and eventually leads to paralysis and death.

Kubly was diagnosed Dec. 9. He believes the disease was caught early, he said. The progression can be fatal in as little as two to three years after diagnosis, according to the Mayo Clinic.

. . .He jokingly refers to the walking cane he uses now as “Citizen Cane,’’ and he keeps a sense of humor about his own trials with the disease.

Its effects were showing themselves as tired legs as he campaigned in his large, sprawling district in western Minnesota last summer. “People look at you kind of funny if you sit on the curb,’’ he said, laughing. . . .

Read the whole thing at the Tribune.

On Tuesday, I drove home through a large portion of Kubly's sprawling district, which is also served by DFLers in the House. Everywhere the prairie was awakening in a January thaw worthy of Aldo Leopoldo, the relief after bitterly cold days.

I tuned the radio, skipping across stations from South Dakota until I found something more local. The news came on, and Gary's diagnosis was faithfully read by the announcer.  Traveling across his district just then, I couldn't quite muster Kubly's stoicism, but I kept driving as I blinked away the rising sadness just then.

Walz vows to fight Bachmann plan to balance budget at expense of veterans' care

The  Air Force News and other outlets in Gannet Media's Military Times Network are reporting that Bachmann plan would cut veterans benefits:

Tea party favorite Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., has unveiled a plan for cutting $400 billion in federal spending that includes freezing Veterans Affairs Department health care spending and cutting veterans’ disability benefits.

Her proposed VA budget cuts would account for $4.5 billion of the savings included in the plan, posted on her official House of Representatives website.

Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, said cutting veterans’ health care spending is an ill-advised move at a time when the number of veterans continues to grow as troops return from Iraq and Afghanistan. Sullivan said he finds it difficult to see how VA could freeze health care costs without hurting veterans.

“It is really astonishing to see this,” he said.

I'm astonished as well. Two friends in the Marines are going to be deployed to Afghanistan within the next few months; one friend's son in the Army Rangers will also be sent into harm's way this year. To freeze a health care budget at a time of rising need created by the young veterans of ongoing wars and an aging population of vets who served earlier seems foolhardy. The Air Force Times article reports:

Her list of cuts doesn’t explain the impact of freezing veterans’ health care funding, but the Congressional Budget Office said in a report issued in October that health care costs have been quickly increasing. VA’s health care budget was $44 billion in 2009, $48 billion in 2010 and is at $52 billion this year. The report forecasts a health care budget of $69 billion or higher by 2020 if trends continue, the report estimates.

I can't think of anyone in any party who campaigned on backpedaling from promises made to our service members; in fact, in the First, Randy Demmer's campaign manager complained last year when Walz held a town hall with veterans, since supposedly there was no disagreement about veterans' issues and funding.

Now Bachmann tells America that's not the case.

It's also no surprise that First District Congressman Tim Walz should answer back. Friends who served under Walz when he was their First Sergeant said you never wanted to hear him upbraid you when you did something ill-advised. I think Michele Bachmann just did.

From the congressional office:

Today, Congressman Walz released the following statement in response to Representative Bachmann’s plan to cut benefits for those who have bravely served our country in uniform.

“We have to have an aggressive, long-term plan to tackle our nation’s debt, but attempting to balance the budget on the backs of veterans who have risked life and limb in service of our country is unacceptable. I believe we can and should work together to find reasonable and common-sense cuts that will reduce our debt, but as a generation of warriors returns from two wars, our most solemn responsibility is to make sure they have the care and benefits they have earned.”

Walz is the highest ranking enlisted soldier to ever serve in Congress. He served in the National Guard for 24 years, retiring as a Command Sergeant Major. Before retiring, Walz served overseas in Italy with his battalion in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Related post:

Demmer campaign to Walz office: quit listening to vets and find out how disagreeable Randy is

Photo: Walz at a 2010 town hall for veterans.

Press release: Walz announces Congress on Your Corner in Worthington

Runner-up in this week's Minnesota Congressional Hot Dish contest, Tim Walz has renamed his grocery store stops and town halls "Congress on Your Corner" in honor of his friend Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.  The next stop is Tuesday in Worthington.

From the congressional office:

Today, Congressman Walz announced he will host a Congress on Your Congress event Tuesday, February 1^st.

 

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

 

What: Congress on your Corner with Rep. Tim Walz.

When: 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM on Tuesday, February 1^st.

Where: Nobles County Government Center, Farmers Room, 315 10th Street.

 

Walz has Congress on Your Corner Stops planned in Owatonna, Winona and Rochester in the next several weeks. Details to be announced.

The Winona Daily News appreciated the renaming gesture, while looking forward to a visit to Winona. It doesn't have to wait long.

Photo: Walz in Worthington during last year's campaign, waering his NRA-endorsed hunting hat.

Press release: Senators seek ethics hearing regarding conduct of Sen. Scott Newman

Bluestem must be moving up the food chain in the Cities, because the DFL Senate Caucus actually sent me the following press release about the Scott Newman scandal.

Thank heaven for small favors, or I'd never know there was an ethics problem with my state senator.

January 27, 2011

Senators seek ethics hearing regarding conduct of Sen. Scott Newman

Three members of the Minnesota Senate have signed and delivered a letter to Sen. Michelle Fischbach requesting the Senate’s ethics subcommittee begin an investigation into allegations concerning the conduct of Senator Scott Newman, R-Hutchinson. The subcommittee now has up to 30 days to meet and consider the complaint.

The letter was delivered to Sen. Fischbach this afternoon. A copy of the letter is attached PDF here: Ethics_subctee_letter.

The ethics hearing would center on an e-mail sent from Sen. Newman’s Capitol office to the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA). The MNA was seeking to set up a meeting between Sen. Newman and a nurse that lived in Sen. Newman’s district. In response, Sen. Newman’s office stated that he would not meet with the constituent, because the Minnesota Nurses Association had supported his opponent during his most recent reelection campaign.

Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, one of the members requesting an ethics hearing on the matter, offered the following statement:

“Requesting an ethics hearing is a very serious matter, and we spent considerable time reviewing the facts and public comments made by Sen. Newman. We still have many questions regarding this incident, and we hope that a complete and full investigation by the Senate ethics subcommittee will provide Minnesotans with some much-needed answers.

The facts are clear: Sen. Newman’s staff sent an e-mail stating the Senator would not meet with individuals or groups who contributed to or supported his opponent during his most recent election campaign. Nobody should feel like they need to pay a toll to gain access to their elected representative. We believe the ethics subcommittee should investigate this incident as quickly as possible in order to restore and maintain the public’s trust in this institution.”

Get the popcorn: I'll be watching this one.

Snubs: West Central Tribune asks "where Newman’s staffer got the idea to write this e-mail"

While state Senator Scott Newman's local supporters cling to the talking point that their favorite son had only declined to meet with lobbyists, even though the local paper noted that the Minnesota Nurses Association had asked for a constituent meeting for a member, questions continue to be raised in west central Minnesota about the toxic email.

In Newman aide was wrong on meetings, the West Central Tribune in Willmar first notes the flap, then observes:

Once his “no meeting with opponent supporters” position became public, Newman issued a statement apologizing for the e-mail and accepting responsibility.

He also said, “It is not his policy to reject meeting requests on a political or partisan basis.”

We would hope so.

Any elected official is elected to represent all the people of their district, not just one political side or the other.

We commend Newman for stepping up quickly to clarify his position on meeting with the public regardless of political or partisan position.

The remaining issue is where Newman’s staffer got the idea to write this e-mail in the first place and what discipline the staffer received.

Those questions have not been sufficiently addressed by Newman.

In Senator Newman's timeline of #Epicfail, a blog post--re-published here  with permission--Newman's opponent asks some of the hard questions, using the helpful investigative tool of a timeline:

. . .the timeline of the Newman email and following events interests me.  Something just doesn't seem right.

At 2pm on Thursday January 20th, Senator Newman's LA sent the email that created the firestorm we witnessed yesterday.  According to one reporter, they had placed a call to Senator Newman's office around 4:30 on Thursday asking for a response.  Senator Newman didn't respond to a request for comment.

Friday January 21st, according to reporters at the Pioneer Press and the Startribune, both called Senator Newman's office and requested verification of the email and for the Senator to explain the response.  Senator Newman didn't respond to a request for comment.

Monday January 24th, the same Startribune reporter called Senator Newman's office again asking for verification and asking for the Senator to comment.  Senator Newman didn't respond to a request for comment.  Later that afternoon the story broke at Bluestem Prairie.  While Senator Newman failed to respond to repeated requests for comment, per Sally Jo at Bluestem, the Minnesota Republican Party had already been trolling her blog looking at the post.  I find it hard to believe that former GOP hate blogger, State Senate employee, and Vice Chair of the Minnesota GOP Michael Brodkorb failed to see this coming.

Finally on Tuesday January 25th, after the AP ran a story picked up by the Pioneer Press, Startribune, and news feeds across the State of Minnesota, Senator Newman's office first responded by saying that Senator Newman would not comment and Kelley was unable to comment about her email.  Later Newman responded that this was all a "innocent mistake" placing the blame with his Legislative Assistant. . . .

. . .Do you really believe that Senator Newman's Legislative Assistant fired off that disrespectful response on a Thursday afternoon and didn't tell her boss about this until Tuesday morning?  AFTER reporters from at least 3 media outlets were requesting the Senator to comment, since Thursday afternoon?  Do you really think Senator Newman's LA came up with the reverse "pay to play" scheme on her own?  Out of 75 comments at the Startribune on this story, only 2 seem to believe Newman's hastily concocted story. . . .

No wonder the West Central Tribune still has questions.

 

Newman no longer a dewy peach in Strib coverage, but MNA request for constituent meeting still blurred

Perhaps one should be grateful that the "innocent mistake" line from the Hotdish Politics blog post has been dropped from the Strib's article, Senator blames aide for e-mail snafu, or that paper is no longer calling Newman a "freshman legislator."

However, the paper still misses an important part of the story, and this omission hands Newman (and his messaging maestro Michael Brodkorb) a talking point with which to bash lobbyists and unions.

And no, that important fact isn't that the news of the offensive email was (as reported by the Associated Press, MPR and other news) was first reported by a blog.

It's the fact that the Minnesota Nurses Association was trying to set up a meeting with state senator Newman for members who live in his district. Newman's defense that he's trying to cut back on lobbyists meetings in order to have more time for constituents rings a bit hollow in light of this fact.

And doubtless Republicans will defend Newman against the big bad lobbyists and unions who try to foist his constituents on him. Before they post, perhaps they might pause first to think about what their response would be if DFL representatives refused to meet with constituents who are members of groups that endorsed their opponents, whether the Republican Party itself or right-leaning groups such as MCCL or the Farm Bureau (for the record, both do endorse some DFLers).

Now, it seems clear that,in light of the public scrutiny accorded the unfortunate email, Senator Newman now will met with all constituents and those lobbyists working on issues germane to his committee assignments. Fair enough.

Will the Star Tribune report the basic facts--like the MNA's request for constituent meetings--so that the public can best assess the story?

 

Hutchinson Leader on Newman snub: Nurses' request for meeting was for constituent

The current defense by state senator Scott Newman for his office's email to the MNA refusing a meeting is that the demands of lobbyists for his time leave no time for his constituents. This defense is getting repeated by conservative comment trolls, and rocking chair media like the Star Tribune appear to be quite satisfied with that answer.

Check out, for instance, the state senator's spin in the Strib: Newman: "Just an error, that's all":

“I’ve tried to limit the lobbyists that are coming in to see me involving committees I’m on and issues that are important to me,” he said. “I literally feel besieged” by lobbyists.

“I don’t have time to talk to constituents. I don’t have time to get any work done,” said Newman.

As Bluestem noted in an update to an earlier post--a fact which bears repeating since the truth leaves a hole in Newman's excuse I could throw a cat through--the Minnesota Nurses Association was seeking to arrange a meeting with the Hutchinson Republican with  MNA members who live in his district.

Constituents.

The request was part of planning for the March 1 "Nurses Day on the Hill." Such events are fairly common--and help ordinary citizens meet with legislators.

What's more--while Newman and his supporters are playing the victimization-by-lobbyist card in the metro area papers and comment sections--his story is somewhat different in a local paper. In Nurses group’s snub was unintentional, Newman says, Hutchinson Leader staff writer Jorge Sosa reports:

. . .Gavin said she was trying to schedule a time for Newman to meet nurses from District 18 during the Minnesota Nurses Association’s annual “Nurses Day on the Hill.” Gavin, who has worked for the association for four years, said she has been turned down by other legislators before due to schedule conflicts, “But I’ve never gotten a response like that.”

Newman now says in the local paper that he will meet with the MNA lobbyists because their work is important to the policy area of his committie assignment, but doesn't acknowledge that the MNA was contacting him in order to set up meetings with constituents:

Newman plans to meet with only lobbyists that are working on issues he’s involved in or committees he’s serving on. “I’m not picking on people that didn’t endorse me,” he said.

He added there are hundreds of lobbyists at the Capitol seeking to speak with legislators and he is trying to limit the number he’ll speak to. “Honestly, it’s becoming a problem … I think it’s more important to talk to constituents and get some work done then to talk to lobbyists,” he said.

Newman said he’d be willing to meet with the nurses association, because he’s on the Senate Health and Human Services committee and he assumed the association would want to speak with him about those topics.

I have posted a copy of the letter [ PDF: Nurses day on hill save the date legislators 121710] the MNA sent to all legislators back in December explaining the "Nurses Day on the Hill" visits.

I'm wondering if Scott Newman suddenly discovered all the teachers, Litchfield police officers, and cheesemakers at the giant First District Co-operative who are union members. And what of the Democrats, whose party endorsed Kimball?

The exposure of this incident should lighten his legislative assistant's workload, now that she doesn't have to look up the political affiliations of her boss's constituents.

In other venues, Brian Lambert's afternoon Daily Glean providess an excellent wrap-up of leftie blogosphere reaction in 'Pay-to-play' state senator taking heat over staff email.

Image: No snub intended for the folks in the scrubs, Newman says now.

 

UPDATED 4/24: So that's what they call it now: Strib reports on Scott Newman's "innocent mistake"

April 24: Welcome Minnesota Democrat Exposed readers. The current occupants of Michael Brodkorb's site--and Brodkorb is the communications director of the Senate Majority Caucus and the Deputy Director of the Republican Party-- have directed you here. 

The assumption in that post is that you will make an ethical equivalence (as they do) between an insensitive tweet made by Nicole Kaplan, a DFL senate staffer, using her Android phone to no one in particular on Twitter this weekend, with an email from a state account that a former state employee Kim Kelley sent out to the Minnesota Nurses Association when the MNA was trying to set up a meeting for MNA members who are Senator Newman's constituents.

Let me spell out what the standard is here, since the writers at MDE are unable to make the distinction. It's called senate business.

Kim Kelley sent an email using an official State of Minnesota account ([email protected]) during working hours (Thursday, January 20, 2011 2:00 PM). In that email, the former GOP staffer told the MNA that Senator Newman's policy was to not meet with any group that endorsed his opponent in 2010. Remember, the MNA was trying to set up a meeting between the senator and nurses in his district.

Moreover, Kelley informed the MNA that she had spent time researching who had endorsed and contributed to Hal Kimball's campaign. Presumably, she did this as part of her employment. (Just to there's no confusion for readers, I'm adding the email that Kim Kelley sent at the end of this post, because MDE didn't send you to the first post about the episode, which contains this information; the Kaplan tweet follows it for comparison).

Kaplan's tweet was sent from an Android phone on a Saturday and was not directed to anyone in particular who had contacted Cohen's office for a meeting. Insensitive? Sure.  Tweeted in the conduct of Senate business? Probably not.

Some good has come out of the unfortunate email episode. I'm told by an MNA staffer that Senator Newman has met with nurses who live here in our district.

The original post:

No wonder why Scott Newman will talk to the Star Tribune, and not to the Associated Press.

From the Strib, readers learn that the "freshman legislator" and his legislative assistant made an "innocent mistake" that Bluestem first posted about yesterday afternoon in UPDATED: Email to MNA: Sen. Scott Newman won't meet with groups that endorsed Hal Kimball.

Hot Dish Politics reports:

Newman, who is from Hutchinson and sits on the influential Senate Health and Human Services Committee, said he had first heard of the email early Tuesday morning. “It’s just an error, that’s all,” he said.

“I’ve tried to limit the lobbyists that are coming in to see me involving committees I’m on and issues that are important to me,” he said. “I literally feel besieged” by lobbyists.

“I don’t have time to talk to constituents. I don’t have time to get any work done,” said Newman.

In reviewing another email forwarded to me by the MNA yesterday, I noticed that it appears that the group was trying to schedule a meeting with a union member who is one of Newman's constituents in the 18B side of my senate district.

UPDATE

I read it right--and the MNA forwarded a copy of the first contact that it had made with Senator Newman's office for the Nurses Day on the Hill. Since the MNA's first heads-up went out on December 17, perhaps it might be useful for the "real media" to ask how long Newman and his aide had to think this one through. The email:

From: Eileen Gavin
Sent: Friday, December 17, 2010 5:47 PM
Subject: Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) Nurses Day on the Hill Tuesday, March 1 2011

 Dear legislators-

 Please mark your calendars for this year’s MN Nurses Day on the Hill, Tuesday, March 1, 2011. I will be in touch with your Legislative Assistants after session begins to schedule appointments to meet with nurses from your districts.[emphasis added by BSP] We look forward to meeting with you in the upcoming session.

Thank you

~Eileen

 [end update]

Will Newman meet with district residents who are members of groups that organize "days on the hill"? Or, if their association opposed him, are they out in the cold?

Moreover, the Strib's phrasing -- "freshman legislator" --is somewhat misleading. Scott Newman served in the Minnesota House from 2004 through 2006, and thus isn't a first-term legislator. He is a first-term senator, and the Strib should use the more precise language. Certainly, the Minnesota House has ethics rules as well. But perhaps Newman's blaming his secretary will be a sticky excuse.

As for Newman first hearing about the email Tuesday morning--I'm surprised that the Republican Party of Minnesota(whose IP address showed up on my site traffic software in a hit on the post late yesterday afternoon) didn't contact the Senator about the news.

Perhaps Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb, who also serves as the Senate majority communications director, needs to get new party interns.

Meanwhile, a conservative local paper repeats the Strib's report. Damage control? Of course. The twitterati swallow the "rookie mistake" excuse for Newman, who in 2010 campaigned on his prior experience in legislature.How lovely for the watchdogs in the media to allow him to have it both ways.

The email. I had redacted the email address in the original post so that spambot wouldn't harvest it. Here's the intact email, since the Kelley email no longer works:

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 2:00 PM
To: Eileen Gavin
Subject: [Eileen Gavin] Meeting

 

Kim Kelley sent a message using the contact form at

http://www.mnnurses.org/contact/staff/eileen-gavin.

 

Hi Eileen-

Unfortunately, Senator Newman will not see any organizations that donated

to/supported his opponent Hal Kimball. After some careful checking, I

discovered that the MNA had donated to Kimball's campaign. Your association

will be unable to schedule an appointment with Senator Newman.

 

Kim Kelley

Legislative Assistant

Compare this to Kaplan's tweet:

Kaplan tweeted on Saturday, “Ooh I wonder if Jesus will see his shadow tomorrow! That’s what this holiday is about, right?”

Related posts:

Hutchinson Leader on Newman snub: Nurses' request for meeting was for constituent

UPDATED: So that's what they call it now: Strib reports on Scott Newman's "innocent mistake"

AP: Senator Newman won't be interviewed about email to MNA

Did Scott Newman tread on senate ethics rules with his reverse pay-to-play email?

UPDATED: Email to MNA: Sen. Scott Newman won't meet with groups that endorsed Hal Kimball

AP: Senator Newman won't be interviewed about email to MNA

First it was representatives from groups that backed his opponent in the race for the open seat. Now Newman won't talk to the media. Via WQOW in Eau Claire, the Associated Press reports in a short article:

A state senator from Hutchinson is refusing to meet with representatives from groups that supported his opponent in the last election. . . .

The Minnesota Nurses Association endorsed Newman's opponent but did not donate money to him. Government affairs aide Eileen Gavin says she's set up hundreds of meetings between nurses and their lawmakers and never had a request refused.

Kelley says Tuesday she can't comment on her e-mail and says Newman won't be interviewed about it.

Take that, peasants!

Hal Kimball, Newman's opponent--whom I supported but was not part of his campaign--has posted his reaction at his blog (and crossposted it at Minnesota Progressive Project). In Senator Newman: Politics at its worst Kimball reflects on the difference between our former senator, Steve Dille, and the current incumbent:

Four years ago I lost a race to Senator Steve Dille.  Within weeks of the session opening I met with the Senator to discuss some higher education and Veterans issues.  Senator Dille provided a personal tour of the State Capitol and Senate chambers and we kept in close contact talking about these very important issues.  He had an open door for everyone.

Senator Newman...his door has a toll, if you gave to our campaign in 2010, you better give to him in 2012 or else.  Politics at its worst, right before our eyes.

I hope a ethics investigation ensues...

Brian Lambert at MinnPost's Daily Glean included the story in his morning digest  , and a friend hit me up just now in gchat to say the story was mentioned in MPR top-of the-hour news. Perhaps Senator Newman and Ms. Kelley will have many callers not to talk to today.

UPDATED: So that's what they call it now: Strib reports on Scott Newman's "innocent mistake"

Did Scott Newman tread on senate ethics rules with his reverse pay-to-play email?

UPDATED: Email to MNA: Sen. Scott Newman won't meet with groups that endorsed Hal Kimball

Did Scott Newman tread on senate ethics rules with his reverse pay-to-play email?

Yesterday, I posted my reaction to an email sent to the Minnesota Nurses Association by my state senator's legislative assistant, saying that Scott Newman wouldn't be meeting with representatives of the MNA because the union's PAC had "donated" to Newman's opponent's campaign in 2010. The text of the email:

-----Original Message-----
From: Kim Kelley [email address redacted by Bluestem]
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 2:00 PM
To: Eileen Gavin
Subject: [Eileen Gavin] Meeting

 Kim Kelley sent a message using the contact form at [redacted]

Hi Eileen-

Unfortunately, Senator Newman will not see any organizations that donated to/supported his opponent Hal Kimball. After some careful checking, I discovered that the MNA had donated to Kimball's campaign. Your association will be unable to schedule an appointment with Senator Newman.

Kim Kelley

Legislative Assistant

A sharp-eyed reader emailed to suggest that it's possible that this could be serious stuff:

This is more serious than you might suspect.

Researching donation records on Senate time could be considered campaign activity and is forbidden. Responding that a meeting is dependent on donations (for or against) may be an ethics violation.

The reader suggested that I ask for copies of all email records of refused meetings and communications that reference endorsements, donations and any other preferences to an opponent. The senate ethics rule that applies to employees of the senate not engaging in campaign work while at work is found on page 2 of a pdf of the "Ethics and Conduct" published by the Senate in 2007.

Would having a staff look up information about political contributions--and denying access to constituents on the basis of that information--be a violaion of this policy? I don't know the answer to that question, but I will look.

It's possible Newman's behavior, and the use of staff time to look up PAC contributions could be fine--or not-- under the rules the Senate adopted for itself. Whatever the case, Newman has refused to met with an MNA member who lives in Senate District 18. That in itself is very troubling.

If there's no rule broken--and there may not be as I am not a lawyer or politician to know such things off the top of my head--will this unusual behavior become the norm in the Senate? That makes me wish Republican State Senator Steve Dille was still in office.

 Related posts

UPDATED: So that's what they call it now: Strib reports on Scott Newman's "innocent mistake"

AP: Senator Newman won't be interviewed about email to MNA

UPDATED: Email to MNA: Sen. Scott Newman won't meet with groups that endorsed Hal Kimball

UPDATED: Email to MNA: Sen. Scott Newman won't meet with groups that endorsed Hal Kimball

A tipster called today to say that the legislative assistant for my state senator, Scott Newman, sent an email to the Minnesota Nurses Association, saying that he would not be meeting with representatives of any group that had endorsed his opponent, Hal Kimball.

I'm active in one such group, so this is a concern to me, and it's certainly not what anyone in the district experienced with former Senator Steve Dille, who was always gracious to me as a constituent, regardless of where we stood on issues.

I contacted Andrea Ledger, the political organizer for the MNA, who forwarded the message sent from Newman's office:

-----Original Message-----
From: Kim Kelley [email address redacted by Bluestem]
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 2:00 PM
To: Eileen Gavin
Subject: [Eileen Gavin] Meeting

 Kim Kelley sent a message using the contact form at [redacted]

Hi Eileen-

Unfortunately, Senator Newman will not see any organizations that donated to/supported his opponent Hal Kimball. After some careful checking, I discovered that the MNA had donated to Kimball's campaign. Your association will be unable to schedule an appointment with Senator Newman.

Kim Kelley

Legislative Assistant

This is also surprising because while the MNA endorsed Kimball, it did not make a contribution to his campaign, according to Ledger. Campaign finance reports for campaigns aren't due until the end of the month, but Kimball's pre-general campaign report list contributions from Education Minnesota PAC, IBEW Local 292's PAC, Laborers' Union PAC, the 49ers PAC, Minnesotans for Racino PAC, Minnesota Cable Communications Association PAC,  Minnesota Farmers Union PAC, Painters Union Local No. 62 PAC, Pipefitters Local 539 PAC, PAL 9 National Association of Letter Carriers PAC, and the Minnesota State Council of HERE-UNITE PAC.

Update: Reached by phone, Hal Kimball said that the MNA did not contribute money to his campaign [end update].

Curious about whether this was a common practice, I called MFU's  cheerful legislative director, Thom Petersen. In a phone interview, Petersen expressed surprise, since in his experience, most legislators "go out of their way to point out that they are meeting with a group that had not endorsed them" and try to find common ground. Frequently, the

Asked about my state representative, Silver Lake Representative Ron Shimanski, Petersen listed the  common goals the  conservative house memebers supports: "local foods, Minnesota Grown" and other similar programs.

Petersen said former State Senator Steve Dille was always happy to meet with MFU members and leaders. Minnesota Farmers Union members tend to be DFLers.

Does this mean that the State Senator won't talk to the McLeod County Chronicle in Glencoe, which endorsed Kimball? And is he on the fence with the Hutchinson Leader, which made no endorsement in the race at all? In "What we think of local, state races," the Hutch Leader wrote:

Sen. Steve Dille’s retirement opens up a longtime seat. We’re sad to see Mr. Dille go. Whoever wins has big shoes to fill. Scott Newman is squaring off against Hal Kimball. Mr. Newman was a state representative for half of the Senate district in the past. He earned 56 percent of the vote in 2004. Mr. Kimball faces an uphill battle as a Democrat in this part of the state. His military background and moderate tone help. The results of this election ride on what longtime Dille voters do. The pattern of county voting favors Mr. Newman. But, we might see some percentage differences since it covers two-plus counties and has not been open for so long.

Update #2: This may not be the first case in which Newman was reluctant to meet with constituents, regardless of their affiliations. The paper also noted, in reflecting on the uncontested 2010 House race in 18A:

Ron Shimanski is running unopposed for his third term. Since Bob Ness retired in 2002, the district was underserved by representatives who didn’t show up to meet voters. Mr. Shimanski has done a much better job showing up to community gatherings and meeting voters.

And who were those Representatives? For an incomplete term after redistricting, Tony Kielkucki. And after that? Why, Scott Newman himself.

Related posts:

Hutchinson Leader on Newman snub: Nurses' request for meeting was for constituent

UPDATED: So that's what they call it now: Strib reports on Scott Newman's "innocent mistake"

AP: Senator Newman won't be interviewed about email to MNA

Did Scott Newman tread on senate ethics rules with his reverse pay-to-play email?

English-only mania afflicts Driftless Region headline writer

One of the enduring parade chants from the Walz campaign features energetic volunteers spelling out Tim Walz's name in response to a shouted question, "Who's gonna fight for me?"

In this morning's Winona Daily News, either the headline writer hadn't heard that, fell victim of aggressive spell-checking software, became hooked on phonics, or perhaps was recruited by the local Minutemen as a stealth supporter of Representative Steve Drazkowski's English-only bill.

The screenshot to the right preserves the moment.

Headline now corrected, the WDN editorial itself is quite kind to Congressman Walz. In Our view: Walz struck the right tone, Darrell Ehrlick writes on behalf of the editors:

It's not that big of deal for residents of Minnesota's 1st Congressional District to see their congressman out and about. Rep. Tim Walz is a familiar face - and the entire region is better for it.

Most of the time Walz is not the guy in the tie. He looks like most of us; he's a former high school teacher and football coach; he truly is one of us, who happens to be a member of Congress.

So, when Walz announced a week ago that he was going to make a few public appearances, no one really thought much about it.

But in a subtle, yet not provocative way, he made a big statement. . . .

The statement was that the shooting of his friend and colleague in Arizona--and the murders that accompanied it--won't make him less accessible to the public.

Read whole thing at the WDN.

Screenshot: Pay no attention to that large sign behind the congressman--in English, we waltz.

Squirrel: the tastiest rodent you've never eaten

With only five weeks of this winter's small game season remaining in Minnesota, Bluestem readers might be wondering what to do with all the extra squirrel in the freezer.

A recipe from my native Blue Earth County can help: squirrel stroganoff.

This dish, fine comfort food (not comfortable for the squirrels of course), comes my way via "Tastes of Amboy" cookbook and was contributed to the cookbook celebrating the town's 125th anniversary by Lisa Durkee, who runs the Amboy Cottage Cafe.

First, you'll need to get some squirrels; they are fairly abundant in local woods and attics, but we recommend chasing them out of your attic before taking aim. Then cook up this recipe.

2 dressed and cut up grey or fox squirrels
2 sliced onions
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 1/2 c. flour
8 oz sliced mushrooms, sauted
2 c. sour cream
1/3 c. oil
Salt and pepper to taste
6 servings egg noodles

Combine flour, salt and pepper. Dredge squirrel pieces in the flour. Brown the squirrel in oil. Add onion to brown slightly. Add garlic and turn pieces. Add 3 cups of water. Cover and simmer until tender (about two hours). Add mushrooms and sour cream to gravy. Salt and pepper to taste. Return to pot and serve over noodles with plenty of napkins.

Bluestem recommend putting the napkins on the side. Squirrel is quite tasty, and like nearly all wild game, lean, local and antibiotic-free. Some cooks prefer to make their squirrel stroganoff with bacon and other additional ingredients, but this recipes is both simple and elegant. Squirrel meat is sweet and nutty, as one might expect from their diet of acorns and the like.

Photo:  A grey squirrel.

ISO time-wasting, divisive legislation? WDN says hookup w/ Draz!

Earlier in the week, Bluestem Prairie hailed the dedication of the Drazkowski clan, of Bluff Siding, Wisconsin, to job creation. The post, Drazkowski: In age of widening wealth gap, let working people choose to earn less received a fair bit of attention as Drazkowski's fame spreads.

The Winona Daily News thinks that its readers should look elsewhere for evidence of Drazkowski's legislative brilliance. In Our view: The good and the bad bills in St. Paul, publisher Rusty Cunningham writes on behalf of the editorial board:

. . .If you’re seeking Exhibit A for time-wasting, divisive legislation, look to Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa.

For the third time, Drazkowski has introduced legislation that demands that English be used as Minnesota’s official language.

He says it will promote unity and cut costs.

Instead, it will promote cultural divisiveness and tell businesses interested in pursuing a global economy that Minnesota isn’t the place to do business.

Cut costs? We’ve yet to see a dollar figure — never mind that this is the third time around for this bill. . . .

. . .Our motto does not say — and should never say — speak English or get out.

That wasn’t what our state stood for when the French and Polish and other Europeans came here. It isn’t what the state stands for now that Hmong and others have settled here.

In 2009, former Rep. Cy Thao — born in Laos —  challenged Drazkowski to a spelling contest in English on the House floor, and promised that he would vote for Drazkowski’s English-only bill if he lost.

Drazkowski’s response was to say that he would agree as long as the tie-breaker was in Polish.

There’s nothing funny about this bill. There’s nothing productive about the debate.

From the era depicted in the state seal and into the future, hatred in any language is wrong.

It’s not what Minnesota or Minnesotans stand for.

The board must not have noticed the jobs the bill would create, predicted in our post,Tongue in cheek: WSU English teacher gets cheeky about official English bill.

Will Bachmann propose retroactive repeal of 1862 Homestead Act in fight against federal hand-outs?

In English-only bill is unnecessary but assures Drazkowski's re-election, a recent column about anti-immigrant legislation sponsored by state representative Steve Drazkowski, St. Paul Press columnist Ruben Rosario observed:

Which leads me to what's really the bedrock driving this English-only push: a perception that the immigrants of today are refusing to learn English or not quickly enough when compared with those very romanticized European-centric immigrants of yesteryear.

B.S., to put it as plainly as I can in a family mainstream newspaper. Joe Salmons, who heads the German department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, pretty much debunked that often-anecdotal myth.

Analyzing old census data and other historical documents, Salmons and a university colleague concluded in a 2008 study of the German immigration experience in Wisconsin that "many immigrants and their descendants remained monolingual, decades after immigration had ceased.

Elsewhere in the column, Rosario suggests that Drazkowski's introduction of an Arizona-style law might predispose the Mazeppa pol to throw other back-to-the-future style bills in the hopper like opposition to observing Martin Luther King Jr's birthday and the revived "displaying those "no dogs or Mexicans" signs that once adorned Arizona eateries and other public venues in the not-too-distant past."

Word comes to tonight from Iowa that Michele Bachmann, the competitive gentlewoman from Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District, may have felt a need to upstage the Draz. Kathie Obradovich, political columnist for The Des Moines Register, reports in Bachmann impresses some top Iowa Republicans:

Bachmann’s speech included a lengthy description of her ancestors’ arrival in America from Norway, their hopes and aspirations and the challenges they faced. She didn’t segue into today’s immigration issues, but noted that the country’s original settlers “didn’t come here for a federal handout.”

This is a stunner, even by Michele Bachmann's high standards of truth telling. After all, as one timeline of immigration to America notes:

The Homestead Act provides free plots of up to 160 acres of western land to settlers who agree to develop and live on it for at least five years, thereby spurring an influx of immigrants from overpopulated countries in Europe seeking land of their own.

In fact, many European settlers came to this country to get a handout: 160 acres of land west of the Mississippi; one didn't need to be a citizen, merely have the desire to become one. Norwegians jumped on it:

The end of the Civil War brought about a great increase in Atlantic crossings. The number of Norwegian emigrants leaped from 4,000 in 1865 to 15,726 in 1866, heralding the era of mass migration. The migration occurred until 1873 when, in the course of only eight years, some 110,000 Norwegians left their homeland. The second, and also the greatest, period of emigration lasted 14 years from 1880 to 1893, when on the average 18,290 left annually—ten for every 1,000 Norwegians. During this time Norway's emigration intensity was the second greatest in Europe, surpassed only by Ireland. . .

. . .The majority of Norwegian agrarian settlements developed in the northern region of the so-called Homestead Act Triangle between the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. The upper Midwest became the home for most immigrants. In 1910 almost 80 percent of the one million or more Norwegian Americans—the immigrants and their children—lived in that part of the United States.. . .

That federal hand-out--along with crushing poverty in Norway--provided an incentive to come to America. Like today's immigrants to the United States, they worked pretty hard. There is one big difference between today's and yesterday's immigrants, though, when we consider "federal handouts."

Today's documented immigrants are ineligible for most federal benefits until they have been here for five years or have become citizens; the undocumented worker can legally receive very few "federal handouts." The federal hand-out of 160 acres of land to improve that the nineteenth century immigrant  received was touted as an economic development tool. Not that there wasn't any protest about this: indigenous people weren't very happy about the federal handouts.

Since immigrants coming to the United States to bag federal hand-outs bothers her so much, perhaps Bachmann will propose a reactive repeal of the Homestead Act and a radical unsettling of America west of the Mississippi. It's not a new idea.

Next, she might demand an apology from all those Norwegian-Americans who, like Germans, clung to their traditions and language long after their ancestors got off the boat:

The cultural baggage of Norwegian immigrants included their specific local dialect and a Danish literary language. The latter played a significant role in the immigrant community, attaining a nearly sacred quality. It was the language of their institutions, secular and religious, and of sacred and profane literature. The immigrants had little appreciation for the linguistic reforms in the homeland; often such changers were viewed as a betrayal to a common cultural heritage. Changes in the official written language in Norway made the older form even more difficult to retain in America. A newspaper such as Decorah-Posten in Decorah, Iowa, persisted in using a Dano-Norwegian orthographic tradition from the 1870s well into the 1950s. The situation created confusion among teachers of Norwegian at American high schools, colleges and universities, who felt obligations to the language of the immigrant community. Only just before World War II did they in principle agree to teach the written standard—generally the Dano-Norwegian bokm'al — which at any one time was recognized as the official one in Norway.

English was another threat to the maintenance of the Norwegian language in America. Rural settlement patterns protected spoken Norwegian so it still can be heard in some Norwegian communities. According to researcher Joshua A. Fishman, about half of second generation Norwegians in the period 1940 to 1960 learned the language; and in 1960 there were as many as 40,000 of the third generation who had learned Norwegian. As of 1990, about 80,000 speakers of Norwegian remained in the United States. In Minnesota, Norwegian, with 16,000 speakers, is the second most common European language after German. Across the country there are still two bilingual newspapers, Western Viking in Seattle and Nordic Times in Brooklyn. The bygdelag promoted the use of rural vernaculars and, indeed, their annual reunions provided an environment where rural speech was honored and encouraged. It was, however, a mixed language with English words and phrases integrated.

Perhaps Bachmann could find an expert to free the children of those immigrants from the numbing cycle of living off federal hand-outs.