A post by Corey Mitchell on the Star Tribune's Hot Dich Politics blog, Klobuchar attends farm bill signing; Peterson declines invite, provoked some twitter spectulation about whether or not the MNCD7 veteran lawmaker and ranking Democrat's absence in Michigan signaled retirement or a bid for another term.
Mitchell wrote:
Peterson, the lead Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, is back in his district today attending to prior commitments, staff said.
But the Blue Dog Democrat was more forthcoming to Don Haney at Fargo-Moorhead's KFGO 790 in Peterson critical of site for signing landmark agriculture legislation:
President Obama travels to Michigan Friday to sign the landmark farm bill. But conspicuous by their absence will be some of the key players involved in getting the legislation passed. That includes Minnesota 7th District Congressman Collin Peterson, ranking Democrat on the House Ag Committee.
He tells KFGO News this was not the right thing to do. He doesn't blame the President who was traveling to Michigan anyway. He says the bill signing should have taken place in Washington so those who spent 3 years working on the legislation could be on hand.
Peterson says in the end, the important thing is that the President is signing the bill into law. Peterson says he had commitments in Minnesota already scheduled and could not change his schedule at short notice.. . .
The last Farm Bill to be signed by a President was in 2002 in Washington; President Bush vetoed the 2008 Farm Bill twice (because a clerical error caused Congress to vote on the bill twice) but Congress overrode the vetoes, making it the law of the land without his signatiure.
Photo: President Obama surrounded by members of Congress (Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is right behind him), signd the Farm Bill today at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. Associated Press. Congressman Peterson was here in the Seventh.
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