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Briefing - Thursday March 2, 2006

Posted at 7:38 AM on March 2, 2006 by Bob Collins (9 Comments)

Nothing earth-shattering but Townhall.com has a little profile of the 6th District from Chicago writer Daniel Sullivan. "Sixth...Sixth...Sixth....that's all we hear about...sixth...sixth...sixth," District 1-5, and 7-8 were heard to mumble.

For your calendar, �The Media, Public Policy and the Age of Indifference,� is seminar scheduled for March 25th at St. Thomas. 8:30 a.m.-5p.m. Guests include Featured speakers will be David Mindich, chair of the Journalism and Mass Communications Department at St. Michael�s College, and Deborah Howell, ombudsman for the Washington Post. I think MPR news boss Bill Wareham is in there somewhere too.

Mark Kennedy is on Midday today at 11. City Pages has a little blurb on Kennedy's success raising dough from the execs at Target Corporation. Newsmeat has some of ~~Richard Ullrich~~ Robert Ulrich's campaign contributions in Minnesota. He gave money to both Mark Kennedy and Amy Klobuchar. In fact, judging by this list, Klobuchar is the only Democrat he gave money to.

Strategic Vision has a new poll out from New York. Forty-seven percent said they do not think of George Bush as a conservative in the mold of Ronald Reagan. Sixty-one percent oppose overturning Roe V. Wade. Eighty-percent expect another terrorist attack here.

Future Tense has more with Christa Heibel, the CEO of CH Consulting and architect and developer of the data-mining CD that is expected to be in the mail on Friday.

Comments (9)

So the story gets a lot of air time today... I have yet to hear the word "Polinaut". Someone did mention MPR's weblog. Are you being dissed by your colleagues today? Aren't you afraid people might go to the "Maven" by mistake looking for more information on this story.

Posted by gml4 | March 2, 2006 8:41 AM

that NewsMeat list of Ulrich's contributions is a real eyeopener. Also found this list of Best Buy's chairman Richard Schulze's contributions
http://www.newsmeat.com/ceo_political_donations/Richard_Schulze.php

...and it's C.E.O. Bradbury Anderson
http://www.newsmeat.com/ceo_political_donations/Bradbury_Anderson.php

Like Ulrich, they love their Mark Kennedy. But unlike Ulrich, not a dime to Klobuchar.

Great site.

Posted by Good Lord | March 2, 2006 9:25 AM

Bob: I was reading old stories about MPR's legal problems with data privacy and the sharing of personal private informatiom.
Don't you think MPR's checkered history of protecting their customers' data taints your attacks on the Republican Party of Minnesota? MPR exchanged their list with the Democratic National Committee.

Posted by Michael B. Brodkorb | March 2, 2006 11:24 AM

Bob: As the Party stated yesterday, when the CD is released it will contain a notice. The key words are "when the CD is released."
The blog/MSM stories about the Party's CD are like movie reviews attacking a movie while it is still being filmed.

Posted by Michael B. Brodkorb | March 2, 2006 12:26 PM

The story regarding the collecting info by Republicans is why I have stopped donating to MPR. As a college democrat we often did sign up's at county fairs to win a prize, then used the info for mailings. It is standard practice by both political parties at least in this part of the state. I am not a fan of screaming media bias normally, but the amount of play this is getting is disturbing. Yesterday I heard no coverage of the conservative groups pushing the gay marriage amendment, but you treated the GOP CD as major news.
I am a liberal republican, love BBC World News and much of your programming, but feel your cohorts are revealing a little too much of their personal politics to be respected as journalists.
Respectfully yours,
John Pittenger
Rochester, MN

(BC notes: John. The story never ran on MPR yesterday until 5:20 p.m. It ran once. The coverage you noted you didn't hear yesterday you probably missed when it ran on Monday.)

Posted by John | March 2, 2006 12:46 PM

Dear BC,

The story or talk of it was at least discussed this morning, maybe that is where I am remembering it as being repetitive. I also remember it on my way home last night about 7ish. The Star Trib. has not touched the story but I did check and the Pioneer Press is running it on page one, so that takes much steam from my concerns. I would repeat though that I've been a college dem. and now work for the Wabasha Republicans and in both cases it is not unusual to use sign up lists to identify potential supporters.
Thanks for your prompt and courteous reply.
John

(Bob notes: John, the Star Tribune has the story across the top of the page in its Capitol Report section today "DFLers decry GOP's same-sex marriage CD," fyi)

Posted by John | March 2, 2006 12:59 PM

Also, from the point of view of newsworthiness, this CD is a NEW story, the Gay Marriage Amendment is of course part of an old, tired, right-wing tactic of public divisiveness. While it is worth attention, no news media can be faulted for featuring a NEW story over the same OLD story.

"Liberal Republican" *snort*

Posted by Albatross | March 2, 2006 1:08 PM

Thanks BC, I agree that the invasion of privacy end of this is spooky. I just don't see it as all that unusual, maybe it happens much less often than I'd thought. You have me a lot closer to donating again :)

Albatross, I hate to burst your bubble, but there are some moderates still out there. Liberal Republican is a way to live in a world where extremes seem to be the only political outlet. I am a public school teacher and union president, who sees a great deal of government waste and issues with illegal immigrants. Thus liberal Republican. There are suredly conservative Democrats out there, they've just been leaving the party (like moderates in both parties) and becoming independent/apathetic.
The Gay Marriage issue is certainly not new in and of itself, but Albatross if you think it isn't newsworthy that the majority party in our legislature has made a social issue their primary emphasis, I guess you'd be okay with it getting a vote. In fact, if it is just a tired and divisive issue, then why doesn't the DFL let a vote happen and be proud of their platform stance on marriage. If they were honest they'd admit that unfortunately the majority of MN does not side with them on this issue (not to mention the way the DFL has stonewalled recent attempts to control illegals). On many issues the dems. have the pulse of this state, just not Gay Marriage and Immigration, or they wouldn't mind the GOP using them.

Posted by John | March 2, 2006 2:03 PM

Wow, you folks have alot of extra time on your hands.
It took me 3 days to get through this blog and comments, but needed to pipe in.
Does no one find it ironic that today Pawlenty is calling for stricter rules on the release of government data in the name of data privacy?
Naive but interested,
ctc

Posted by Carolie Thurston | March 2, 2006 6:50 PM

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