The Daily Digest: 12-11-06

Posted at 10:23 AM on December 11, 2006 by Tom Scheck (6 Comments)
Filed under: Daily Digest

It appears there could be a legislative showdown regarding GOP Representative Mark Olson's future in the Legislature. The forces are lining up to call for his resignation if he pleads guilty or his found guilty of two counts of alleged misdemeanor assault. Olson told the St. Cloud Times that he's headed back to work and is undeterred by the decision to suspend him from the House GOP caucus:

"Maybe it means I'm an independent now," he said. "I don't know. I've always been sort of independent."

Will there be a statewide smoking ban? The Star Tribune examines that question in this story.

Lawmakers were busy predicting how the upcoming legislative session will fare. The Brainerd Post Dispatch and The New Ulm Journal have stories.

Bemidji community leaders meet to discuss the region's upcoming legislative agenda.

The Star Tribune says there is a new focus on life after prison.

The West Central Tribune says DFL Rep. Al Juhnke was one of four selected to be speaker pro tem.

Congress

Congress wrapped up session but not without confirming Minnesota's new U.S. Attorney. The Senate also fixed a tax glitch for the coal gasification plant on the Iron Range.

The Star Tribune says ethics reform will top the Democratic agenda.

Collin Peterson will push for new ethanol sources and says he's not interested in lifting the ethanol tariff.

The Des Moines Register also says more money for biofuels is on the table.

USA Today says Kofi Annan will blast U.S. (Norm Coleman mentioned).

The Washington Post has a story on Ellison's decision to swear on the Qur'an and not the bible. Guess what? Others didn't swear on the bible either.

The Minnesota Daily has a q and a with Ellison

The Downtown Journal takes a look at Tim Walz' victory.

The AP says Kennedy will continue to be active in politics (help Coleman win and will work on '08 GOP convention).

Former St. Paul mayor Randy Kelly gets a job with the EPA.

2008
The National Journal polls Republican and Democratic insiders on their choices for presidential and vice presidential candidates

Here's their definition of insider:

National Journal's latest survey of Democratic and Republican Insiders -- members of Congress, party activists, fundraisers, consultants, lobbyists, and interest-group leaders for whom presidential politics is an "all-engrossing topic.

McCain (GOP) and Clinton (D) lead the list with Romney (GOP) and Obama (D) in second.

Here's an interesting tidbit for all you "Tim Pawlenty as VP watchers:"

Strongest Republican vice presidential candidate Mitt Romney 20% Condoleezza Rice 18% Rudy Giuliani 12% Haley Barbour 8% Jeb Bush 5% Chuck Hagel 5% Tim Pawlenty 5%

Roll Call takes a look at Al Franken and his possible run for the U.S. Senate (subscription required).

The Chicago Tribune says there's a Midwestern drought for presidential hopefuls:

The last born, raised and elected president from the Midwest was Missouri's Harry Truman, and that was almost 60 years ago. A Cubs-like drought has settled on the region since then, dooming the aspirations of stalwart public servants such as Paul Simon (Illinois), John Glenn (Ohio), Walter Mondale (Minnesota), Tom Harkin (Iowa), Richard Lugar (Indiana), Richard Gephardt (Missouri) and Bob Dole (Kansas). True, Gerald Ford (Michigan) became president, but that was accidental and he could not get elected on his own.

The Washington Post says there's no difference between an exploratory committee and a presidential committee except for the hope of two shots on the radio and tv, in the newspaper and buzz on the internet.

Finally, Smart Politics wonders if Minnesota or Wisconsin will select a GOP Presidential candidate first.

Comments (6)

So ... I hadn't been reading much cuz I found Bob Collins so boorish, boring and uninformed and now he's gone. How pleasant.

What happened?

The Big E
http://www.mnblue.com

Posted by The Big E | December 11, 2006 11:07 AM

Bob decided to stop posting after the election. Mike Mulcahy and I are the hosts but others in the MPR newsroom may join in later on.

Posted by Tom Scheck | December 11, 2006 11:10 AM

For the record, I like Mike and Tom. I also miss Bob's commentary, which was the reason I began reading the blog in the first place.

I find reading comments calling people "boorish, boring, and uninformed" to be unpleasant.

Posted by Chris | December 11, 2006 11:29 AM

As a former employee of the Brainerd Dispatch, I was thouroughly confused when I read today that they have become the Brainerd Post Dispatch.

But for the record, I will vouch for the fact that Tom is neither boorish nor boring nor uninformed (even if he did grauate from some fancy school out east whose mascot is a dancing orange).

Posted by Nate Dybvig | December 11, 2006 12:19 PM

Brainerd Dispatch not Post Dispatch. Check. Thanks for letting me know. The orange only dances when they win which is not often during football season.

Posted by tom scheck | December 11, 2006 12:22 PM

Chris--
I realize you find reading comment calling people "boorish, boring, and uninformed" to be unpleasant.

But what if Bob really was behaving in a "boorish, boring, and uninformed" manner--while operating this blog? (Many times--he was. I saved some of his comments to readers.) What if his comments to readers (and policy of deleting comments that were critical of MPR news coverage) were discouraging people from reading and participating is this political/news forum? And what if MPR and its employees ended up doing a worse job, because Bob was preventing valid criticism of MPR?

Consider these as real possibilities; then decide whether these very real concerns outweigh your own real concern--about encountering "unpleasantness" when you read a news blog.

Posted by Bill Prendergast | December 11, 2006 1:06 PM

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