Polinaut: April 28, 2006 Archive

For good, not evil

Posted at 8:14 AM on April 28, 2006 by Bob Collins

The Sunlight Foundation opened its doors this week. This Web site oranizes the best blogs and media that shine a light (Get it? pretty clever, eh?) on the dark corridors of power.

Our goal is to use revolutionary power of the Internet and new information technology to enable citizens to learn more about what Congress and their elected representatives are doing, and thus help reduce corruption, ensure greater transparency and accountability by government, and foster public trust in the vital institutions of democracy.

There's plenty of goodies there on what, to me, is a pretty exciting step forward in organizting the power of the Internet and blogging. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being the vehicle that mainstream media uses to pick up stories.

Abrams to the bench

Posted at 11:09 AM on April 28, 2006 by Bob Collins (4 Comments)

Another House seat opens. Rep. Ron Abrams has been appointed to the bench by Gov. Tim Pawlenty. One of these days, I'll have to tally up how many House and Senate seats have been opened in the last few years by people Pawlenty has plucked for bigger things.

Anyway, that's a Minnetonka seat. But it won't open until after the session since Abrams says he wants to finish his legislative work too.

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Secret candidacies

Posted at 12:09 PM on April 28, 2006 by Bob Collins

I got another call today from a candidate in the 5th Congressional District, why there's no profile of him (I didn't catch his name) in the 5th District section of our Campaign 2006 site. Sorry to repeat a Polinaut entry but here it is: you have to tell me you're running. Simple, eh?

So if you're a candidate, send me a photo, your biography (data of birth, city of residence, hometown, family, religion etc.), your education information, your previous political experience, your occupation and a statement of candidacy (for the snapshot), your Web site, if you have one.

That should about do it. It's no secret why some candidates might not find a page on the extensive Campaign 2006 site: they're a secret to me. It's not great science.

Well, there's something you don't see everyday

Posted at 2:52 PM on April 28, 2006 by Bob Collins

The Senate Taxes Committee just killed again -- at least for now -- the Gophers stadium bill on a 6-6 vote, instigating a public spat between Sen. Larry Pogemiller and Sen. William Belanger, that revealed the behind-the-scenes dealings on this bill since yesterday, when the same committe tacked on a 13-percent sports memorabilia tax to raise the annual state payment to the stadium -- then killed it on a tie vote. Still with me? Good, that makes one of us.

So today, Pogemiller pulled the tax out of the bill, and separated it from the Twins and Vikings legislation, apparently under assurances that the votes would be there to pass it.

They weren't.

Sen. Belanger's "no" vote was the key. He had apparently said yesterday that if the tax were removed, and if the Gophers stadium was voted separately, he'd vote for it. He didn't.

That led to Pogemiller "revealing" that the governor's office has been involved in negotiations over the last day to get the stadium passed and that Belanger agreed to vote for it.

"I don't mind going public with that," Pogemiller said, as he called a recess and immediately left the room.

Get the feeling there's more to this? Yeah, me too.

The committee will apparently work all weekend.

Here's the roll call vote in Votetracker.

Unfortunately, they're serious

Posted at 2:52 PM on April 28, 2006 by Bob Collins

Politicians and the news media go head-to-head quite often. To a large degree, one side has a lot of contempt for the other (sometimes not, just for the record). But you know, they deserve each other sometimes. How else can we explain this exchange from the transcripts of the White House press briefing between reporters and Scott McClellan aboard Air Force One yesterday.

Q It's come to my attention that there's been requests -- this is a serious question -- to turn these TVs onto a station other than Fox, and that those have been denied. My question would be, is there a White House policy that all government TVs have to be tuned to Fox?

MR. McCLELLAN: Never heard of any such thing. My TVs are on four different channels at all times.

Q Because you have four different TVs. But every time I've ever been --

MR. McCLELLAN: Every TV in the White House also has channels every -- has a split screen, where they can --

Q Well, they always seem to be tuned to Fox, and there's been requests, and these are paid for by taxpayer dollars. And my understanding is that you guys have to watch Fox on Air Force One. Is that true?

MR. McCLELLAN: First time I've ever heard of it. First time you've brought it to my attention, meaning the first time the press corps has brought it to my attention. In fact, I've watched other channels on here.

Q There's one --

MR. McCLELLAN: Hang on, Jim, come on. I've watched other channels on here, so I don't know where you're hearing that. But it's the first time anyone in the press has raised that question with me.

Q You've watched other channels other than Fox?

MR. McCLELLAN: On here, yes, sure.

Q I've never seen -- they're always turned to Fox, which a lot of people consider a Republican-leaning network.

Q Scott, is it one -- on the airplane, is it one for all? I mean, if it's tuned for Fox here, is it Fox everywhere?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think that certain areas may be interconnected, but I'll have to double-check which.

Q Is yours off, wherever you are?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the conference room, or the senior staff office, the staff office, they're different TVs, and you can switch to different channels. I'm not sure if some of these in the back are connected to some of the others that are watching right here, right now. It doesn't look like it to me. I've never known anyone that's raised a complaint about a request from back here to watch a different channel.

Q I'm officially raising it and officially complaining about it.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I'm going to go see if we can change the channel for you. Have you called up?

Q I was the Fox victim, and I was told -- the quote was, "No," when I asked for CNN.

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know who you talked to, so -- it didn't come to my attention. You don't know who you talked to either?

Q Well, the magic people at the other end off the phone.

MR. McCLELLAN: The magic people at the other end of the phone. Well, I'll see if this cabin is --

Q I was told, "We don't watch CNN here, you can only watch Fox."

MR. McCLELLAN: As I said, it's hard to respond to something when I don't know who it is you talked to.

Q I used the phone back here.

MR. McCLELLAN: I find this all quite amusing, to tell you the truth. I mean, there are a lot of people on this plane that do watch that channel.

Q I've never been told, no. They're such nice guys up there.

MR. McCLELLAN: First time you brought it to my attention. I'll go see what we can do on it.

* * * * *

MR. McCLELLAN: We just called up. They're going to be changing it, at your all's request, to the channel that you requested, which is CNN -- from the press corps.

Q Thanks, Scott.

Checks and Balances goes paid

Posted at 5:03 PM on April 28, 2006 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)

Checks and Balances, the blog out of the Capitol, is going to start charging for access, according to an announcement today. $59.95 for a year and $99.95 for two years.

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Rush arrested

Posted at 5:15 PM on April 28, 2006 by Bob Collins

Yeah, I guess this comes under politics.

Rush Limbaugh has been arrested for prescription drug fraud.