Capitol View: July 6, 2006 Archive

Greens + Taste = bad taste

Posted at 6:57 AM on July 6, 2006 by Mike Mulcahy (1 Comments)

Members of the Green Party say they got the bums' rush at Taste of Minnesota:

It was an unjust and sad display of democracy at the Taste of MN on July 4th this year when Green Party volunteers were shut out from engaging in democracy.

The Green Party of MN is required, due to minor party status, to collect signatures from MN eligible voters between July 4th through July 18th to allow our candidates ballot access on November 7th. When volunteers attempted to do so on public property, which their taxes have paid for, they were told by the St. Paul police that they had to stay 2000 feet outside of the Taste of MN event boundaries.

I am awaiting return calls from Police Commander Brian Coyle and the Taste of MN organizer Ron Maddox to obtain in writing a copy of the regulations they have implemented and enforced to shut our citizens from participating in democracy.

The experience has left a bitter "Taste" in our "MN" minds from the unfair treatment by St. Paul city officials and Mr. Maddox on the very day that we should be able to celebrate our independence and freedom.

Danene Provencher, Green Party of MN Lieutenant Governor candidate

Ken Pentel, Green Party of MN Governor candidate

Dave Berger, Green Party of MN Auditor candidate

Michael Cavlan, Green Party of MN US Senate candidate

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Maybe Hastert should rent a condo here

Posted at 8:26 AM on July 6, 2006 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)

GOPWingman and the Star Tribune are reporting that House Speaker Dennis Hastert is back in Minnesota today to raise money for Congressman John Kline.

Kline, a Republican, represents Minnesota’s Second District and faces FBI whistleblower Colleen Rowley. Hastert was in town last week to raise money for Republican State Senator Michele Bachmann. She hopes to replace Congressman Mark Kennedy in Minnesota’s Sixth. Child safety advocate Patty Wetterling has the DFL endorsement…

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But did they talk to Dean Johnson?

Posted at 9:10 AM on July 6, 2006 by Mike Mulcahy (1 Comments)

From the AP:

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York's highest court ruled Thursday that gay marriage is not allowed under state law, rejecting arguments by same-sex couples who said the law violates their constitutional rights.

The Court of Appeals, in a 4-2 decision, said New York's marriage law is constitutional and clearly limits marriage to between a man and a woman.

Any change in the law would have to come from the state Legislature, Judge Robert Smith said.

"We do not predict what people will think generations from now, but we believe the present generation should have a chance to decide the issue through its elected representatives," Smith wrote.

And how about this?:

ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the state's constitutional ban on gay marriage. It reverses a ruling by a lower court judge.

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Statehouse contests and political $

Posted at 10:11 AM on July 6, 2006 by Tom Scheck

There are couple of interesting items that I read this morning in the Wall Street Journal.

The WSJ's Christopher Cooper says the battle for control of Statehouses (subscription required) across the country may be closer than the battle for control of Congress. Here's the nut graph:

"In 29 legislative chambers across the nation, a shift of no more than five seats would bring a new party to power. If the restless, dissatisfied mood among many voters produces a desire to throw out incumbents, both parties could see turmoil at the state level. If the sentiment turns against Republicans in charge at the national level, Democrats could make significant gains in elections."

Do you think Republican House Speaker Steve Sviggum and DFL House Minority Leader Margaret Anderson Kelliher (who recently took over for Matt Entenza recently) feel any pressure in Minnesota?

The other interesting WSJ story is about money in politics. According to the WSJ's Jeanne Cummings (again, subscription required), conservative groups are starting to use the controversial 572 groups to raise money on behalf of Republican candidates. Democrats used the 527s effectively in the 2004 election. Apparently the Republican groups who didn't like the tactic in '04 are pleased to use it this year. Cummings says several Republicans in Congress beat back attempts to curtail the amount of money for 527s (527s get their name because that's the section of the tax code that governs them). Here's the meat from this story...

"In the 2006 campaign so far, it is right-leaning 527s that are most active. The Club for Growth, a conservative economic-issue group, is leading the charge to kill the Republican bill that would shut down 527s. The Club for Growth received $8 million in donations during the 2004 cycle; for this cycle, its donations as of May tally $5.1 million. "I don't know how they would expect organizations to sit on the sideline and cheer when they are talking about taking a wrecking ball to the First Amendment," says David Keating, the club's executive director.

Mr. Keating's allies include social conservatives, gun-rights groups and college Republicans. Their campaign could stall congressional efforts to enact anticorruption legislation -- a response to a spate of ethics scandals -- because the House attached 527 language to its rewrite of lobbying laws."

Get ready for plenty of independent television and radio ads for Mark Kennedy and Amy Klobuchar in October.

Keith Ellison has a suspended driver's license

Posted at 11:02 AM on July 6, 2006 by Tom Scheck

Minnesota Democrats Exposed and Checks and Balances (subscription required) say Keith Ellison currently has a suspended driver's license for not paying his parking tickets. Ellison declined comment when I asked him about the matter...

Ellison has had a rough stretch of late. He has also faced repeated questions about his past relationship with members of the Nation of Islam. Ellison is the DFL endorsed candidate for Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District. He faces a primary challenge against several other DFLers.

This guy really is for the kids...

Posted at 12:30 PM on July 6, 2006 by Tom Scheck

I met Bob Larson (on the left in the photo; that's me on the right) when I was waiting for Mike Erlandson and Congressman Martin Sabo to arrive at the Minnesota Secretary of State's office to file for office. Bob said he just received the official paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate. Larson says the main reason he's running is so his son, Bobby, will go back to school. Bob says his son agreed to get his GED if Bob ran for office.

Bob is an accountant and lives in Minneapolis. When asked what party he's in, Larson gave a frank "I don't know." Larson needs to collect 2,000 signatures to get on the ballot. He says he has no shot at winning. Hit the books Bobby!

Jack is back!

Posted at 1:39 PM on July 6, 2006 by Tom Scheck (2 Comments)

Jack Shepard, who lives in Rome and is suspected of several crimes including arson, is running for Congress again as a Republican in Minnesota's Fourth District. Shepard made news in 2004 when Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer booted him off the 2004 primary ballot because she believed he was a fugitive felon, something Shepard denies. The Minnesota Supreme Court put Shepard back on the primary ballot. He eventually lost to Republican candidate Patrice Bataglia. DFLer Betty McCollum currently holds the seat.

The Pioneer Press' Pat Sweeney reported in 2004 that "Hennepin County authorities said they believe the candidate is a former Minneapolis dentist who had already been convicted of criminal sexual conduct and drug possession when he was accused of arson in 1982.

If you're interested, Shepard has a website. He's calling for world peace.

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DFL Rep. Connie Bernady won't seek reelection

Posted at 3:07 PM on July 6, 2006 by Tom Scheck

This news release just popped into my inbox. The DFL Party may have to work extra hard to hold this seat. Here's some of the release:

STATE REP. CONNIE BERNARDY ANNOUNCES SHE WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION

State Representative Connie Bernardy, Fridley, announced today that she will not seek re-election to the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 51B. Bernardy said she is stepping down after three terms to pursue other professional opportunities and to spend more time with her family.

"This has been an extremely difficult decision," Bernardy said. "I have loved serving in the Legislature and representing the people of District 51B in St. Paul. I have been so honored to have been given this opportunity."

One of the new guys.

Posted at 3:54 PM on July 6, 2006 by Tom Scheck (5 Comments)

Our chief webhead who makes this whole "blog thing" work suggested that I introduce myself since I'm one of the people replacing Collins. Here goes...

My name is Tom Scheck and I cover politics and state government for MPR. You may hear me on the radio. I also covered health care and Minneapolis since I joined MPR News in 2000. Before I joined MPR, I worked in Muncie, Indiana for Indiana Public Radio. I graduated from Syracuse University and grew up in Bethlehem, PA.

I like golfing with my boy, Brian Bakst of the Associated Press and watching my beloved Philadelphia Eagles with my wife and my dog. I read blogs so I think that's why I was picked to do this thing. Feedback is appreciated unless you're a Nigerian banker looking for $25,000 or someone looking to sell pharmaceuticals over the internet.

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One of the new guys.

Posted at 3:54 PM on July 6, 2006 by Tom Scheck

Our chief webhead who makes this whole "blog thing" work suggested that I introduce myself since I'm one of the people replacing Collins. Here goes...

My name is Tom Scheck and I cover politics and state government for MPR. You may hear me on the radio. I also covered health care and Minneapolis since I joined MPR News in 2000. Before I joined MPR, I worked in Muncie, Indiana for Indiana Public Radio. I graduated from Syracuse University and grew up in Bethlehem, PA.

I like golfing with my boy, Brian Bakst of the Associated Press and watching my beloved Philadelphia Eagles with my wife and my dog. I read blogs so I think that's why I was picked to do this thing. Feedback is appreciated unless you're a Nigerian banker looking for $25,000 or someone looking to sell pharmaceuticals over the internet.

Day two of filings....

Posted at 6:10 PM on July 6, 2006 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)

There haven't been too many surprises on the second day of candidate filings at the Minnesota Secretary of State's office. I didn't get a chance to get back to the SOS office at 4:30 so I had to check the filings out online.

There are a few more DFLers filing in Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District. Mike Erlandson was the most notable. He showed up to file with his former boss. Erlandson will run against Keith Ellison, the DFL endorsed candidate. He's expected to file on Friday.

The entire GOP statewide ticket, including Governor Pawlenty and Congressman Mark Kennedy, will hold a news conference and then file on Friday. Jack Shepard is running for Congress again (see earlier post). DFL State Rep. Connie Bernady isn't(see earlier post). To date, the only U.S. Senate candidate to file is Stephen Williams with the Independence Party. He's challenging the party's endorsed candidate, Robert Fitzgerald. There's also Bob Larson, who is running so his son will go back to school (see earlier post).

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