Pawlenty in Aspen, the Video

Posted at 3:05 PM on July 9, 2009 by Tim Nelson (0 Comments)

Minnesota's paripatetic Governor Tim Pawlenty sure made the rounds at the Aspen Ideas Festival. It looks like he did about four interviews at last week's gathering, including the one aired on MPR on Monday. The Atlantic put up a video interview with him.

He does directly address a potential presidential run. Sort of. It's at about the 7 minute mark:

"I don't know what the future holds, but I am going to try to continue to speak, both in Minnesota and nationally, about how to improve the Republican party and see if there's some support for what I propose. And we'll see where that leads. But I don't know what I'm going to be doing three years from now."

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HUD Secretary in town tomorrow

Posted at 1:42 PM on July 9, 2009 by Tim Nelson (0 Comments)

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan will be in town tomorrow. He's going to "assess the foreclosure crisis in North Minneapolis and attend a groundbreaking ceremony at the Minneapolis Housing Authority's Cedars Apartments."

The project is getting stimulus money for "energy efficiency upgrades." Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak will be escorting Donovan through town.

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Reed has raised $230k for CD 6

Posted at 1:22 PM on July 9, 2009 by Tim Nelson (0 Comments)

Maureen Reed said she's raised "more than $230,000" for her bid for the DFL endorsement to run against Republican 6th District incumbent Michele Bachmann.

Reed staffer Emma Olson declined to release specific numbers ahead of the July 15 reporting deadline, but Reed herself sounds like she's going to have most of that cash on hand when she files next week. "I'm working out of my briefcase," Reed said of her penny-pinching efforts thus far. "It's important to keep expenses low."

[2:30 Update: Olson says they expect to have about $213,000 cash on hand.]

"It's wonderful to have this kind of financial success and know that people are so supportive of it. It's not just the number itself, as much as it is an indication of how many people just want a change and are confident that this effort is going to be the change they want," Reed said.

She'll need the dough. Bachmann reported having $224,000 in the bank last quarter and raising money at nearly $100,000 a month in a non-election year. Her last opponent, Elwyn Tinklenberg still reports $184,000 in the bank, but raised only $120 in the first quarter.

The reports due July 15 will total money raised by a June 30 fundraising deadline.

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Survey: Coleman hurt by recount

Posted at 11:09 AM on July 9, 2009 by Tim Nelson (1 Comments)

Public Policy Polling says Republican Norm Coleman's prospects have dimmed since November. They're out with a new poll you can find here. It says Coleman's numbers are 38 percent positive, 52 percent negative.

Says Dean Debnam, president of PPPL "Clearly the recount saga damaged Norm Coleman's chances at being elected to office again in Minnesota. You have
to wonder how much more goodwill he would have been able to earn with voters in the
state if he had decided to take the high road and concede six months ago."

The poll also pitted R.T. Rybak, Mark Dayton and Margaret Anderson Kelliher against Coleman in a touch-tone auto survey of 1,491 voters on Tuesday and Wednesday. Rybak led 43-37, and Dayton 41-39. Kelliher trailed 34-42. No mention of other prospects, like St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman, former Rep. Matt Entenza or Ramsey Co. Attorney Susan Gaertner.

Public Policy says they'll have numbers on Barack Obama and Tim Pawlenty tomorrow.

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Daily Digest

Posted at 7:11 AM on July 9, 2009 by Tim Nelson (2 Comments)
Filed under: Daily Digest

Congress

Michele Bachmann got a shout out from Politico about the role of kids in political careers. She says her five weighed in on her run. (She also has 23 foster kids - practically a winning Senate race margin right there.)

Speaking of the 6th District Republican, Politics in Minnesota says the state Senate's assistant majority leader, Tarryl Clark, of St. Cloud, may be edging from the race for governor to a Bachmann challenge.

And the Humphrey Institute's Smart Politics blog asks how blue the "Blue Dog" Democrats like Collin Peterson really are. Here's the money shot:

Meanwhile, Minnesota's lone Blue Dog Representative, Collin Peterson, voted with the President's stated position 81 percent of the time - tied for the 16th lowest percentage among House Democrats

And one we overlooked yesterday, in all the Jonas Brothers excitement: The Pioneer Press's Ross Raihala pegged U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar's teen crush as The Partridge Family's David Cassidy. "What I most remember is the album cover (1971's "Up to Date"), with all their birthdays on it," remembers the senior Senator. "I still remember David's birthday -- April 12."

Other

City Pages has the latest installment of one of Minnesota's longest running political dramas. They profile Bob Fletcher again.

The Strib is reporting that a state computer snafu has pulled more than 18,000 traffic convictions out of mothballs, and they're now catching up with drivers. Phyllis Kahn's House State Government Finance committee is also talking about a state IT audit this afternoon.

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Pawlenty on tour

Posted at 5:48 PM on July 8, 2009 by Tim Nelson (0 Comments)

Governor Tim Pawlenty's travels continue tomorrow, with an appearance at the Education Commission of the States conference in Nashville.

Much of the agenda looks tailor-made for the retiring governor. (He is the chair of the organization, after all.) But he's on the list only for a rather generic sounding session with Jeb Bush, the former Republican governor of Florida, and Phil Bredesen, the incumbent Democrat running Tennesee. Here's the pitch:

Governors respond to challenges in meeting workforce needs including: retooling workers through increased access to training, validating skills and credentials; policies that attract and support globally competitive, state-led regional economies; leveraging and aligning federal programs to maximize impact and minimize duplication; and the role of K-12 in the states economy

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Pogemiller wants equal time

Posted at 5:34 PM on July 8, 2009 by Tim Nelson (0 Comments)

The state Senate's DFL majority leader sent a letter to WCCO-AM officials today, asking for some time to rebut the station's ranking talent, Republican governor Tim Pawlenty.

Here's the letter from Larry Pogemiller.

MPR's Toni Randolph hasn't heard back yet from 'CCO SVP Mick Anselmo, but says that Pawlenty himself pushed for equal time back during the Jesse Ventura administration.

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Study: Campaign refund is a national model

Posted at 5:15 PM on July 8, 2009 by Tim Nelson (0 Comments)

SUNY professor Michael Malbin runs Washington's Campaign Finance Institute and says that Minnesota is making a mistake by ending a state refund for small political contributions.

His group released a new study today.

"Minnesotans participate in the system, financially, at a much greater rate than the rest of the nation," Malbin said in an interview this afternoon. "About 5 percent of adults make a political contributions. That's really big. The more normal number around the nation is more like 1 percent."

Malbin says the Legislature ought to try to reinstate the money for the program next year. He says it will be the big year for candidate contributions, and it helps turn constitutents from "town hall meeting" observers and supplicants to active participants in the political process. "The result is, you get better representation."

He said he uses Minnesota as an example of what states can do to reform campaign finance when he speaks around the nation.

Republicans beg to differ, and deputy party chair Michael Brodkorb did exactly that this afternoon. "I don't think there is a role for the state government in terms of spending money, regardless of whether there's money in the bank or whether there is a deficit... in funding partisan campaigns. I just don't see how that could ever be a legitimate priority."

That's despite numbers from Malbin that show party contribution refunds favored the Republicans by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in 2007, the last year the study looked at.

"Our party will clearly take a hit," Brodkorb said, "but we'll just have to work harder at grassroots involvement."

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Brod suspends gubernatorial "exploration"

Posted at 12:39 PM on July 8, 2009 by Tim Nelson (1 Comments)

State Rep. Laura Brod is suspending her nascent run for governor. She announced her plans with this letter on her facebook page:

Friends,

Over the past month, I have been talking to friends, family and activists
about what it will take to win next year's election for Governor. I have
been truly humbled by the support and encouragement so many have given to
me. In just a few short weeks, a talented group of volunteers formed and
laid out a winning plan for 2010. As I am out and about, I am often asked
the question, "Are you going to run for Governor, Laura?" It is with this
question in mind that I write you today.

Recently I went in to the doctor for a yearly check up, and unfortunately,
found that I had some results from routine diagnostic tests which were
concerning. Last week, a second opinion confirmed what I originally learned
and set forth a treatment plan, after which I am certain I will get a clean
bill of health. Over the holiday weekend, my family and I decided right now
is not the right time to begin a campaign for the Governor so we are
suspending the conversations I have been having related to the potential of
my candidacy so we can focus our energy where it needs to be and will
evaluate where things are at in late summer.

For us, as Republicans and more importantly, for our state, the stakes could
not be higher. The outcome to the Governor's race will shape Minnesota's
direction for a generation as well as the national landscape as we redraw
our Congressional districts following the 2010 Census. Anyone who seeks the
Governor's office must understand that wanting to "be" Governor isn't
enough. The person must have a well-defined plan that goes beyond just
talking points for what they want to "do" as Governor. The candidate who
deserves our Republican endorsement for Governor will be the one who leads a
spirited discussion about bold ideas and real solutions. No matter who ends
up getting in the large field of candidates for Governor, I look forward to
that discussion.

Over the next several weeks, I will be sharing my ideas for solutions and
asking you for your input about where we need to go as a state to address
the challenges that Minnesota faces now and into the future. We need all
hands on deck to pull together our best ideas for how we can persuade
Minnesotans that we have better solutions to positively impact their
families in both the short and long term and get our state back on track. I
believe this is the ultimate path to victory in November 2010; it is how we
can win and chart a positive course for the future of Minnesota. One
delegate I spoke with put it best: "When we act like them, they win. When
we act like us, we win!

I look forward to seeing you along the way.

Warm regards,

Laura Brod

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"You don't have to carry a card to be a member."

Posted at 11:48 AM on July 8, 2009 by Tim Nelson (0 Comments)

Gen. Colin Powell seems to have fully made the transition from Cold Warrior to diplomat. He was in Minneapolis this morning to speak to the 92nd annual Lions Club International convention.

He had a brief press availability before his speech. The political questions came fast.

First: "Would you be willing to go on with Rush Limbaugh to talk about the Republican Party, since he seems to think you're not really a member any more?"

Powell responded: "Well, I am a member. And you don't have to carry a card to be a member. And I don't need to go on with Mr. Limbaugh. He understands my position and I understand his."

Well, then. That's that. Powell did, however note that he is on a man-to-man footing with the Democratic chief executive. "I have regular conversations with Mr. Obama and his staff," Powell noted, when asked about his recent knock on the administration for "amassing a huge, huge national debt."

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