Polinaut: August 7, 2006 Archive

The Daily Digest: 8-7-06

Posted at 10:32 AM on August 7, 2006 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)

Pat Lopez, with the Star Tribune, looks deeper into Amy Klobuchar's job as Hennepin County prosecutor.

The Fargo Forum's Don Davis has a story on how MN's ethanol industry is booming.

The industry may be booming a little bit more now that gas prices look like they'll be going up..

MPR's Laura McCallum has a story on the state senate contest between Geoff Michel and Andrew Borene and whether Edina is trending DFL.

Dan Kenney, the new head of the ballpark authority, will be on MPR's Midday program at 11 am today. Welcome back from vacation, Mr. Eichten. Here's some homework for readers to do before the show..

The Washington Post's David Broder writes that the Bush Administration is going to be pushing health care standards:

Leavitt told a session of the National Governors Association's annual meeting that "in a matter of weeks," President Bush will sign an executive order setting the new requirements. He promised that by year's end, a majority of the 100 largest private employers will sign similar contracts with the hospitals and doctors they use to care for their workers.

This idea may come up on Tuesday when HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and Governor Pawlenty talk consumer driven health care at this event:

Aug. 8. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. HEALTH CARE SEMINAR - The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce hosts a seminar on "Consumer-Driven Health Care Plans: Making them work for you and your employees." U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt and Gov. Tim Pawlenty plan to participate.

Pawlenty talked politics with ABC's "The Note" and says it could be a tough year for the GOP

"It seems to me there is going to be a very challenging national or congressional environment for Republicans. But voters can distinguish what's going on in Washington and what's going on in there local or state areas and that is certainly true in Minnesota where the majority of people say the country is going on the wrong track, but our state is going on the right track - so that is a hopeful sign for governors and local officials," Gov. Pawlenty told The Note.

The Star Tribune says health care costs are hurting Duluth's budget:

The Washington Post also has an interesting story on the transformation of the nation's welfare system:

A decade after the government set out to transform the nation's welfare system, the limits on college are part of a controversial second phase of welfare reform that is beginning to ripple across the country. The new rules, written by Congress and the Bush administration, require states to focus intensely on making more poor people work, while discouraging other activities that might help untangle their lives.

By Oct. 1, state and local welfare offices must figure out how to steer hundreds of thousands of low-income adults into jobs or longer work hours. They also must adjust to limits on the length of time people on welfare can devote to trying to shed drug addictions, recover from mental illnesses or get an education.

The New York Times has a story focusing on Republican efforts to make immigration an issue in battleground areas:

Several immigration hearings are being held far from the border with Mexico, in districts where Republican lawmakers are engaged in competitive races for the House, including Evansville, Ind.; Concord, N.H.; and Glens Falls, N.Y. Hearings are also being held in Dubuque, Iowa, where Republicans are fighting to hold on to the seat being vacated by Representative Jim Nussle, and in Hamilton, Mont., where Senator Conrad Burns faces a tough challenge.

Rasmussen has a poll saying more Americans are identifying themselves as Democrats than Republicans.

The Washington Times has a story saying Democrats are restraining from using "culture of corruption" as an election issue. But I'm not so sure about that. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi raised the corruption issue last week when she was in Minnesota.

The Mankato Free Press says the new president of the National Association of Counties is from Blue Earth County.

Pawlenty has a conference call to discuss his new position at the NGA this morning.

Mike Hatch talks renewable energy this afternoon.

Finally, Alan Fine (the GOP candidate in MN's 5th who bought his kid a puppy) is holding a fundraiser where he'll play the piano:

On Tuesday, August 15, Republican Endorsed Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, Alan Fine, will be performing some of his original music compositions and possibly singing a song or two. A policy discussion will follow the concert addressing issues important to Minnesotans.

The doors open at 6:30pm, the concert will begin just after 7:00pm and a policy discussion will follow at approximately 7:45pm. The event is free and open to the public. The press is encouraged to attend.

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Target asks employees to contribute to its PAC

Posted at 12:00 PM on August 7, 2006 by Tom Scheck (4 Comments)

A Target employee gave me a letter from Target Chairman and CEO Bob Ulrich which encourages Target employees to join its PAC, Target Citizens Political Forum. Ulrich writes in the letter:

Whether it's strengthening the safety of our ports while maintaining an efficient supply chain, supporting legislation that increases the penalties for conducting organized retail crime, or ensuring that our nation's trade policies positively impact importers, our company is continually faced with legislation and regulatory issues that greatly affect our success as a corporation and ultimately as individual team members.

The FEC site says 228 people have given to the PAC since 2000. A quick glance at Political MoneyLine details who gave to the PAC and where the PAC money goes. 19 Target employees have given to the PAC in the 2006 election cycle. In that same time period, the PAC has given money to 45 candidates this year, $30,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee and 15 other Political Action Committees (11 to the PACs of GOP lawmakers, 2 Democratic lawmakers and 2 retail related PACS).

The letter asks that employees contribute .5% of their gross annual salary or $20, $10 or an unspecified dollar amount through paryoll deduction. To be clear, Ulrich also writes in his letter that contributions are voluntary and the decision to contribute will "neither benefit nor disadvantage your present or future position with Target."

It's no surprise that businesses such as Target have a PAC. What I'm wondering is whether other businesses encourage their workers to donate to their Political Action Committees. If so, shoot me a note (it doesn't have to be published on the blog) and let me know.

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DFL candidate asks the parties to stay out of his statehouse race

Posted at 12:42 PM on August 7, 2006 by Tom Scheck (4 Comments)

Mike Obermueller who is running for a legislative seat in District 38B (Eagan) is asking the DFL and GOP campaign committees to stay out of the race between him and GOP Rep. Lynn Wardlow. Obermueller sent a news release to the news media detailing his request:

"What the caucuses do is develop these hit pieces and then change the names and places and send them out all over Minnesota," Obermueller said. "By engaging in deceptive practices and focusing on the negative, they're cheapening the debate and turning people off. This is why people don't like politics and don't trust people who are trying to lead."

Obermueller, a first-time candidate, said he'd immediately disavow any DFL-backed efforts to distort Wardlow's record.

"I'm not a fan of those types of attack ads and I will be the first to condemn it if it happens down here this year," said Obermueller, whose campaign has focused on education, health care, transportation and the environment. "I'm not interested in having this election marred by 'politics as usual.' People deserve better than that."

Obermueller called on Wardlow to follow his lead and reject state party attack ads.

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Pawlenty named vice chair of National Governors Association

Posted at 2:13 PM on August 7, 2006 by Tom Scheck

If Pawlenty is reelected in November he's in line to become chair next year. Here's the release:

Governor Pawlenty ELECTED vice chair of National governors association

~ Pawlenty will serve with new NGA Chair Gov. Janet Napolitano for 2006-2007, and subsequently as Chair for 2007-2008 ~

Charleston, South Carolina – The National Governors Association (NGA) today announced that Governor Tim Pawlenty has been elected to serve as Vice Chair of the organization for 2006-2007, and is in line to become NGA Chair in August 2007.

“I am extremely honored to help lead an organization that serves as the collective voice of our nation's governors,” Governor Pawlenty said. “As one of the healthiest, smartest, and most innovative states in America, Minnesota deserves to be in the national spotlight and the nation will benefit from our leadership.”

The NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issues to developing policy reports on innovative state programs and hosting networking seminars for state government executive branch officials. The NGA Center for Best Practices focuses on state innovations and best practices on issues that range from education and health to technology, welfare reform, and the environment.

Kennedy's speech to RNC

Posted at 2:45 PM on August 7, 2006 by Tom Scheck

You can listen to Congressman Mark Kennedy's speech to the Republican National Committee's "strategy session" in Bloomington here. Kennedy is running for Minnesota's open U.S. Senate seat against Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar, a DFLer. This is the speech where Kennedy criticized Klobuchar for saying "that she's a prosecutor although we haven't found one example of where she's actually prosecuted a case."

Please go to MPR Campaign 2006 site if you're interested in other speeches from candidates.

Legislative Auditor: Hatch crossed line but no need for an investigation

Posted at 3:01 PM on August 7, 2006 by Tom Scheck

The Legislative Auditor says Attorney General Mike Hatch's decision to mention his running mate, Judi Dutcher, in a news release on state letterhead was inappropriate. However, Legislative Auditor James Nobles says he won't launch a full scale investigation. Nobles says several groups complained that Mike Hatch, the DFL party's endorsed candidate for governor, and Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty were using their offices for political purposes. Hatch's references to his campaign for governor on state letterhead have drawn fire from leaders of both the Minnesota GOP and the Independence Party. Nobles says he turned down the GOP's request for a full investigation but will continue to monitor the situation.

We don't need to have a full blown investigation or wait for an audit for me to tell all of the interested parties that yes I think it's inappropriate to use taxpayer funds and official office resources for any sort of campaign related statements.

Hatch says he doesn't think he did anything wrong by mentioning Judi Dutcher in his press release. Any decision to sanction political campaigns would be in the hands of the state campaign finance board.

Denver makes big push for 2008 Democratic National Convention

Posted at 4:57 PM on August 7, 2006 by Tom Scheck

Roll Call (subscription required) is reporting that Colorado Democrats are telling the DNC that the Democrats need the region to win.

"If Democrats have any chance at winning back (a) the House and (b) the White House, we're going to need a Western-focused strategy," said Lisa Cohen, chief of staff for Rep. Diana DeGette (Colo.). "That's been one of our main selling points."

In the 2004 elections, Colorado Democrats not only picked up a House and a Senate seat, they also unexpectedly won majorities in the state House and state Senate - all despite a Republican advantage in registered voters and a victory for President Bush in the presidential race.

"For two elections, Western and Southwestern voters have turned their states into shades of purple," said Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.). "If you consider voter attitudes and the changing demographics in the region, these states will be permanent battleground states in presidential elections. With Denver as the site of the 2008 Democratic convention, it will give us an opportunity to showcase a region where Democrats are running winning campaigns with independent leaders who understand average Americans and who have common-sense solutions to the challenges we face as a nation."

To a somewhat lesser extent, Members who represent Minneapolis/St. Paul also are pushing the site's regional importance to the party, but not quite as aggressively as Denver is, at least at this stage of the process.

What the RNC really talked about in Bloomington

Posted at 5:39 PM on August 7, 2006 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)

Hotline's Blog is publishing a memo from Republican pollster Fred Steeper. He says the war on terror is the top issue among GOP voters:

Steeper concluded that the president's prosecution of the international war on terror -- and worries that Democrats will abdicate that responsibility -- are the single most active motivator for those surveyed. As Steeper wrote in his memo "A huge 87% of the Base expresses extremely strong feelings about one or more of these issues."

Impeachment talk, taxes and social issues are also big issues for the GOP base.

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