The Daily Digest 8-3-06

Posted at 11:26 AM on August 3, 2006 by Tom Scheck

The national heavyweights are in Minnesota today. Here's what ABC's "The Note" says about the has to say about the visits from the RNC and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi:

The main event at today's RNC summer meeting in Minneapolis, MN comes from 5:00-6:30 pm ET when RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman and White House political director Sara Taylor walk RNC members through the 2006 electoral landscape at the "Welcome Meeting and Strategy Session." Mehlman and Taylor are expected to take questions from RNC members. Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) is also slated to speak at the welcome meeting. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is also a part of the fray in Minnesota, starting with a closed fundraiser at the Minneapolis Club for Patty Wetterling, Democratic candidate for the 6th District. At 3:00 pm ET, she will address the "Democratic New Direction for America" conference with Reps. Martin Sabo (D-MN) and Betty McCollum (D-MN) at the Humphrey Forum at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

The Star Tribune focuses on the RNC visit.

The Star Tribune also has a story on Mark Kennedy's second tv ad. You can read more of Kennedy's comments on the Strib's "The Big Question."

NPR's political editor, Ken Rudin, writes about the Minnesota Races in his latest "political junkie" column

Don Davis (who writes for so many newspapers it's hard to keep track) has a story on the Farmfest debate between the candidates for governor. The Bemidji Pioneer and the Marshall Independent also have stories.

The Pioneer Press has a story on the GOP accusing attorney general Mike Hatch of using his office for political gain.

The Star Tribune says the Wetterling Foundation is going to change its name. I wonder where the the Strib got the idea to follow that lead?

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman outlines his budget plan and it includes a property tax hike. WCCO-TV, the Pi Press and MPR have stories.

The Star Tribune has a story on a complaint filed against Republican State Senator Julianne Ortmann. MNPublius raised the issue earlier this week.

The Wall Street Journal has a story (subscription required) on how YouTube isn't just for amateurs anymore. They say some professionals are getting into the game to sway public opinion. They use the example of a video mocking Al Gore that was produced by someone who has ties to a public relations/lobbying firm that has Exxon Mobil as a client. My head hurts from writing all of this so I'll let them pick up the rest:

In the video, Mr. Gore appears as a sinister figure who brainwashes penguins and bores movie audiences by blaming the Mideast crisis and starlet Lindsay Lohan's shrinking waist size on global warming. Like other videos on the popular YouTube site, it has a home-made, humorous quality. The video's maker is listed as "Toutsmith," a 29-year-old who identifies himself as being from Beverly Hills in an Internet profile.

In an email exchange with The Wall Street Journal, Toutsmith didn't answer when asked who he was or why he made the video, which has just over 59,000 views on YouTube. However, computer routing information contained in an email sent from Toutsmith's Yahoo account indicate it didn't come from an amateur working out of his basement.
Instead, the email originated from a computer registered to DCI Group, a Washington, D.C., public relations and lobbying firm whose clients include oil company Exxon Mobil Corp.

A DCI Group spokesman declines to say whether or not DCI made the anti-Gore penguin video, or to explain why Toutsmith appeared to be sending email from DCI's computers. "DCI Group does not disclose the names of its clients, nor do we discuss the work that we do on our clients' behalf," says Matt Triaca, who heads DCI's media relations shop.

Dave Gardner, an Exxon spokesman, confirms that Exxon is a client of DCI. But he says Exxon had no role in creating the "Inconvenient Truth" spoof. "We, like everyone else on the planet, have seen it, but did not fund it, did not approve it, and did not know what its source was," Mr. Gardner says.

The anti-Gore video represents a less well-known side of YouTube. As its popularity has exploded, the public video-sharing site has drawn marketers looking to build buzz for new music releases and summer blockbusters. Now, it's being tapped by political operatives, public relations experts and ad agencies to sway opinions.

Ogilvy & Mather, for example, says it plans to post amateur-looking videos on Web sites to spark word-of-mouth buzz about Foster's beer.

The New York Times has a story on the Bush Administration's decision to scale back their proposed changes to Medicare

It's good news for Minnesota's Medical Alley but could be bad news for 3M:

Under intense pressure from health care lobbyists and lawmakers, the Bush administration says it will scale back and delay proposed changes in Medicare payments to hospitals that would have created clear winners and losers. The proposals would have cut payments by 20 percent to 30 percent for many complex treatments and new technologies....

Federal officials had proposed sweeping changes in the classification system, to account for the severity of each patient's illness. They wanted to replace the 526 categories with 861. They settled for more modest changes in 2007, creating 20 diagnostic groups and altering 32 others.

The severity of a patient's illness can have a significant effect on the costs of care. In trying to account for those costs, the proposed rule relied heavily on a patient-classification system devised by 3M, the technology company based in Minnesota.
Hospitals said Medicare should not rely on a proprietary system controlled by a single company.
The Bush administration agreed to consider alternatives, to ensure that no company would have a monopoly over the software needed to manage billing and payment.

Finally, high school students turn down the chance to work with Mary Matalin and James Carville. The Washington Post says the two wanted to do a reality tv show but can't find schools to participate:

Big-time candidates pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for their advice. So wouldn't your li'l politician love to get James Carville and Mary Matalin's guidance for free? Alas, that won't be an option at several area high schools that have said thanks-but-no to the feisty political power couple's offer to campaign-manage their student council races -- before the cameras of a planned Lifetime reality TV series.

"This is a big-deal Hollywood operation," Fairfax County schools spokesman Paul Regnier told our colleague Maria Glod. "They would take over the school. That's their set."

Remember to check out MPR's Campaign 2006 site for all your political needs.

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