Polinaut: October 11, 2006 Archive

The best offense is a good defense

Posted at 9:33 AM on October 11, 2006 by Bob Collins

NPR's Luke Burbank has a story this morning on Republicans who are running ads.... about the Foley affair.

Who are you?

Posted at 10:37 AM on October 11, 2006 by Bob Collins (4 Comments)

I'm still at home this morning, watching President Bush's news conference from what appears to be the Rose Garden (nice weather there. I saw snow flurries here this morning and there was ice on the deck).

The president at one point commented on some quesitoner's suit. That got things sidetracked. Later on some other questioner started his question by noting that he, too, looked nice today.

"That's not even a suit," President Bush observed.

"Then you'll have to give me more time in the morning," the would-be questioner said. I guess 11 a.m. is dawn in Washington these days.

Anyway, it was then I realized there's something I really miss about televised news conferences: they don't show the names of the people asking the question anymore.
I flipped through CNBC, CNN and Fox. Nothing. Didn't get a chance to check C-SPAN before I lost the satellite.

I suppose this is because TV networks don't want to give publicity to another network. But NBC, CBS, and ABC used to do it and they were pretty cut-throat in their day.

Why does it matter to me? Because I want to know what shapes the question, and what the reporter/correspondent is thinking about. I know that quite often by mid-news conference -- if not sooner -- the reporter pretty much knows what the story is he's going to write, and now he/she is filling in the blanks, looking for a particular quote or piece of tape.

You can learn a lot by watching or listening to news conferences. But quite often, a good story is who is asking the question.

I wish they weren't so afraid to tell me.

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The Daily Digest: 10/11/06

Posted at 12:38 PM on October 11, 2006 by Tom Scheck

The candidates for U.S. Senate debated the issues in Moorhead last night. The Star Tribune, the Pi Press, AP, Forum Communications, MPR and WLUC-TV have stories.

You can listen to the debate here.

Former Georgia Senator Max Cleland campaigned with Democrat Amy Klobuchar this morning at an American Legion Hall in St. Louis Park. HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson will campaign with Kennedy tomorrow in Minneapolis.

The Star Tribune says Congressman Kennedy and Senator Norm Coleman are near the top of raising money from tobacco companies.

Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty has a new ad out criticizing his DFL opponent, Mike Hatch, on taxes. It kind of reminds me of those goofy Miller Lite ads that ran throughout last year's NFL season. The "let's go to the tape" line is funny though.

Hatch was on MPR's Midday program today. If you missed it, you can listen to him here. Pawlenty will be on the program on Thursday. The I-P's Peter Hutchinson will be on the show on Friday.

City Pages calls Hatch a centrist. The Mesabi Daily News says Hatch campaigned on the Iron Range.

Pawlenty is probably happy that the state's tax reports show higher revenues. The Star Tribune and the Pi Press have stories.

The New Republic handicaps the races for governor.

KARE-11 asks if third parties are relavant? The AP says they could be the determining factor in several governor's races across the governor.

The New York Times talks to voters in Minnesota.

WCCO-TV's Pat Kessler profiles Republican Michele Bachmann. Bachmann is running against DFLer Patty Wetterling and the I-P's John Binkowski.

The St. Cloud Times says Al Franken campaigned for Wetterling.

MPR has a story saying election machines are an issue in the Secretary of State's race.

MPR also has a story looking at the race to replace Becky Lourey in the Legislature.

Finally, it's tough enough being a Packer fan this year and then this.

5th District forum

Posted at 1:17 PM on October 11, 2006 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)

Bleacher Bum David Zingler went to a 5th District forum last and sends along this missive:

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Fine & Ellison feud continues, Lee shines

I turn into American Legion Post 435 in Richfield wondering if I am at the right place. "The sign out front says something about a ‘pot luck'," my wife Kyla points out. Soon however, our doubts are dispelled by a piece of paper directing "candidate forum" attendees to the building's south entrance. Once inside the hall, we are greeted by some friendly, elderly Legionnaires. Independence Party nominee Tammy Lee is off to the left chatting, while Green Party candidate Jay Pond is nearby looking for someone to talk to.

As Kyla and I scope out our seats for the District 5 Congressional debate, Republican Alan Fine and Democrat Keith Ellison arrive, in that order. Lee seems the most energetic and assertive on this night. She works the room with a smile and has a staffer passing out flyers. A table near the entrance is littered with Tammy Lee literature, bumper stickers, window clings and even temporary tattoos. Pond has brought a few bumper stickers, Fine came with a simple press release declaring an endorsement by a "key veterans group" while Ellison materials are conspicuously absent.

After the moderator leads us through the Pledge of Allegiance, the candidates are set for their opening statements, which quickly become a pandering to veterans contest. Ellison tells the sparse crowd of 44 about the veterans-related bills he's sponsored in the Minnesota House, Fine, seated to his left, informs us his father was a "bomber pilot", Lee expresses pride in her grandfathers, both veterans of World War II and Pond touts his father's service in the Korean War.

Ellison is a little off his game tonight. When called up to speak, he does well, but between questions, he seems preoccupied and is constantly fidgeting. Fine appears very at ease in this environment, he is frequently smiling. Lee has a relaxed and confident aura about her, she is "on". Pond, on the far end of the table, sits expressionless.

Other than the moderator's frequent problems with the question rotation, the debate rolls long fairly smoothly. As we near the midpoint a bizarre question about the possible privatization of the US Postal Service is posed to the candidates. Fine is the only candidate to support such privatization.

The mood tenses a few minutes later when the moderator asks the panel "Should elected officials live by the letter of the law?", a question clearly directed at Ellison's past misgivings. The State Representative goes first and shifts the focus to the lawfulness of the federal government. He cites the NSA wire-tapping scandal as an example of the government running afoul of the law. Next, Fine jumps all over the loaded inquiry. He says "no one is above the law" and scrapes with the law should "nullify a leader." Lee and Pond however, don't take the bait and promise to "stick to the issues."

The American Legion has been lobbying for a constitutional amendment banning flag burning for years, so it surprises no one when the issue is raised. Not surprisingly, Ellison and Pond are against such legislation, while Fine supports it. Lee raises a few eyebrows by declaring "this is one issue I agree with Alan" and offering her support. At this point Fine smiles and gives the crowd a thumbs up.

Soon closing statements are upon us. The candidates are predictably asked "Why should we vote for you?" The empathetic Ellison states "everyone counts and everyone matters." He says his candidacy is about peace, universal health care and "stopping the middle class crunch." Fine, going next, says "I care" before launching into a tirade about the Star Tribune's story concerning his alleged 1995 domestic violence incident. The Republican then points out the stories' co-author, Rochelle Olson, is seated next to Ellison's wife, Kim. He claims that fact is "very telling" and exclaims "The only difference between the Star Tribune and the National Enquirer is five letters!"

That gave Lee a tough act to follow. She however, seamlessly shifts the focus back to the issues, speaking about "matters of the family" like health care, public schools and energy. She then denounces the character attacks that are prevalent in the campaign and promises to "bring people together, not tear them apart." Pond closes out the evening by reminiscing about how former senator and presidential candidate George McGovern opened up the discussion concerning the Vietnam War in 1972. The South Dakota native then calls for that kind of discussion to begin about Iraq.

On our way back to the car, Kyla and I run into Keith and Kim Ellison. Not able to help myself, I glance at Kim and say "You were the unexpected star of the show tonight." She smiles and laughs, saying "Yeah, right." The candidate meanwhile, clearly has a thought or two on his mind, but bites his tongue and shrugs.

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News from the news tundra

Posted at 2:22 PM on October 11, 2006 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)

You know what's interesting? Every day on the way home for work, traffic is thick with cars with Wisconsin license plates. And all over the Twin Cities, people who are, basically, Wisconsinites, have infilitrated the purity of the Gopher State.

And yet, nobody ever seems to talk about Wisconsin politics. Newscasts don't cover it here, even though "there" is 11 miles away.

Why is that?

Anyway, Strategic Vision is out with a poll that shows Gov. Jim Doyle only slightly ahead of Mark Green.

And maybe that'll be the headlines ...you know...over there, but if you read the poll, you -- or at least I -- start to see how things don't always break down Republican vs. Democrat.

Check the top of the poll, down to around question 14. There's some unpredictable answers there that don't seem to go with other answers if, indeed, it was reflective only of party.

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Bloomberg's clinic

Posted at 9:30 PM on October 11, 2006 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)

I can't say I've been a big Michael Bloomberg fan, but if any politicians are reading this and want to know how to conduct a news conference, watch his peformance on the street near where the Cirrus crashed in Manhattan today. It may have been the finest performance I've seen in 30 years of covering politicians.

I've looked around for a feed of it online, so far with no luck. Help me out.

8:55 a.m. update Go here. Enter "Bloomberg" in the search box. (h/t Jeff Kouba)

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