The Daily Digest: 8-2-06

Posted at 10:51 AM on August 2, 2006 by Tom Scheck

The Farmfest forums lead the digest today. There are links to the stories the major news outlets produced in an early post. I'm focusing on the stories done by The Bemidji Pioneer and the Marshall Independent.

Mark Kennedy is also getting some bus tour and rally help from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, according to the The Hill:

The Chamber has specially outfitted a bus dubbed the "Vote for Business Bandwagon," which will travel to Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Tennessee.

The Chamber will hold rallies for lawmakers it has endorsed, such as Republican Sens. Rick Santorum (Pa.), Mike DeWine (Ohio) and Jim Talent (Mo.) and Rep. Mark Kennedy (R), who's running for Senate in Minnesota. And in Baltimore it will support Michael Steele, the Republican running for Senate in Maryland.

The Washington Post's Ruth Marcus has a story on the nuts and bolts of fundraising and focuses a bit on Kennedy's rubber chicken circuit:

To read these invitations is to feel some sympathy for what these folks have to go through to get elected. Rep. Mark Kennedy, a Minnesota Republican running for an open Senate seat, had a fundraising lunch June 15 with White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten at the Oval Room. On June 22, former congressman Bob Livingston, now -- what else? -- a lobbyist, hosted a lunch for Kennedy at his lobbying shop; that night Kennedy was back on the fundraising circuit, joined at Bistro Bis by Sens. Rick Santorum (Pa.) and Mel Martinez (Fla.). The next week it was lunch with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and 10 other GOP senators.

Congressional Quarterly says the GOP is outraising the Democrats nationwide:

Predictably, the Republicans - who control the White House, both chambers of Congress and a narrow majority of governorships - outraised the Democrats. The report, which analyzed campaign finance activity over the first 18 months of the 2005-06 cycle, showed that Republican Party committees at the federal, state and local level have raised $405.7 million (58 percent of the two-party total) in strictly regulated "hard" money, compared to the $289.3 million raised by Democratic Party committees.

But there is good news for the Democrats, in that they have narrowed the gap somewhat: Their 2005-06 receipts represent a 4 percent increase over a comparable period in the 2003-04 cycle, while the GOP committees collected 13 percent less.

The Washington Post also says some national Democratic leaders are worried about their Get Out the Vote efforts.

The Rochester Post Bulletin focuses on the differences/agreements between Gil Gutknecht and Tim Walz at Farmfest.

The endorsed candidates for governor debate the issues at Farmfest today.

The Pioneer Press has a story that says several DFL Senators are "accusing his office of ordering that a prison chaplain be fired for questioning a controversial program to bring Jesus to inmates.

The Associated Press is reporting that MN GOP Chairman Ron Carey is alleging that attorney general Mike Hatch is using his office for political gain (NOTE I UPDATED AN EARLIER AP STORY):

ST. PAUL (AP) - State Republicans on Wednesday accused Attorney General Mike Hatch of blurring the line between his official duties and his campaign for governor.

Democrats responded by renewing their charge that Gov. Tim Pawlenty regularly travels the state on the taxpayer's dime for political purposes.

Sitting politicians who run for higher office or for reelection often are criticized for covertly campaigning at taxpayer expense. The latest allegation came from state GOP Chairman Ron Carey, who held a press conference outside Hatch's office to announce that he'd ask the Office of Legislative Auditor to investigate several instances of what Carey said was questionable behavior.

Carey cited three recent examples, including what he said was the most clear-cut: In a recent press release from the attorney general's office, Hatch referenced a campaign press conference, and made several references to Judi Dutcher, his gubernatorial running mate.

"It's becoming increasingly clear that Mike Hatch has made his office ... into a shadow campaign headquarters," Carey said.

Hatch, who was attending a governor candidate forum at Farmfest near Redwood Falls, said all the actions in question conform to standards previously laid out by the legislative auditor.

Just two days earlier, state DFL Chairman Brian Melendez issued a press release criticizing Pawlenty for a statewide swing where he stopped in five cities to announce a new health care initiative.

"Sometimes it's legitimate for a sitting governor to travel the state at public cost, but a whistle-stop tour isn't a legitimate government expense," Melendez said.

The Star Tribune and the Pi Press have stories focusing on a lawsuit that may slow the construction of the Maple Grove Hospital. Here's the Strib's take:

The action has the potential of delaying next spring's construction start and the 2009 scheduled opening of the state's first new hospital in 20 years, near the intersection of Interstate Hwy. 94 and the future Hwy. 610 extension.

Finally, the New York Times has a story on how crowded the Senate elevator is getting in Washington.

Here's a remembrance of two late Democratic senators who took rides on that elevator:

Several senators and staff members recalled the penchant of Paul Wellstone, the late Minnesota senator, for recruiting nonsenators to ride the elevator with him.

Mr. Cook remembered Senator Hubert H. Humphrey coming aboard an elevator, saying hello and asking where Mr. Cook was from.

''Shreveport, Louisiana,'' Mr. Cook replied, and Mr. Humphrey proceeded to unburden himself of everything he knew about Shreveport -- what Congressional district the city was in, who represented it in Congress and the restaurant where he ate during a visit there.

''He basically kept talking through the ride, as he walked off the elevator, down the hall and around the corner,'' Mr. Cook marveled.

Be sure to check out MPR's Campaign 2006 site for anything/everything related to politics.

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