Polinaut: September 26, 2007 Archive

The Daily Digest: 9-26-07

Posted at 10:19 AM on September 26, 2007 by Tom Scheck (4 Comments)
Filed under: Daily Digest

There's a kerfuflle, a disagreement, a spat, a conflict, a tiff over the I-35W bridge funding. Letters were exchanged, harsh words were said and our heads are dizzy from all of the spinning.

The disgruntled construction firms add more reasons to their protest letter regarding MnDOT's decision to award the I-35W bridge rebuild to Flatiron Construction.

A Minneapolis committee approved the preliminary design of the I-3W bridge. Full action is expected on October 5th.

Meanwhile, MnDOT is inspecting bridges.

Gov. Pawlenty announced plans for a business creation plan. Democrats say they don't know how they'll pay for it. AP, the Star Tribune, the St. Cloud Times and Forum Communications have stories.

The governor is also close to naming a new health commissioner.

Bemidji makes its pitch to the Senate Capital Investment Committee to bond for the city's event center.

Minnesota's 8th graders are doing well on tests.

Congress

GOP Sen. Norm Coleman and DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar are among those seeking better conditions for 150 Hmong living in a camp in Thailand.

Coleman also supports a bill that invests more for pediatric cancer research.

Coleman is also mentioned in this story on the Farm Bill.

The House vote on SCHIP sets a veto showdown with President Bush. Minnesota's Congressional delegation voted this way - Walz, Ramstad, McCollum, Ellion, Peterson and Oberstar vote yes. Kline and Bachmann vote no. Walz gives his reaction to KEYC (h/t Blue Stem Prairie).

GOP Rep. John Kline sees "amazing progress" in Iraq. A lawmaker who went with him has a different perspective. Here's a question - Has a lawmaker ever changed his/her position on the war after visiting the country?

Kline also thinks the folks at the NRCC have done a good job. The comments come as John Boehner retreats from his push to remove some folks from the group.

Missed this one yesterday. Minnesota Monitor has a story on DFL Rep. Keith Ellison's field hearing on single payer health care.

DFL Rep. Collin Peterson announces the first ever Congressional Sportsmen week.

A judge will hold a hearing today on Idaho Senator Larry Craig's appeal to reverse his guilty plea. MPR and the Star Tribune have stories. Craig will not attend.

2008

GOP Sen. Norm Coleman takes out an ad ripping Democrat Al Franken. Franken responds. MPR and CNN have stories.

Franken writes an op-ed on the ad flap here.

GOP State Rep. Erik Paulsen says he's actively considering a run for Congress. Is DFL State Senator Terri Bonoff in as well? MDE says there's a Bonoff for Congress website.

2008 RNC

The Pi Press says convention organizers are going green.

Finally

Congratulations Boyd Huppert and the others at KARE-11. .

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Molnau on the hot seat

Posted at 11:58 AM on September 26, 2007 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)

The issue of Carol Molnau as the state's transportation commissioner will resurface today The DFL, never a Molnau fan, is holding a news conference, err, media availability, during which legislators will rail against the job she is -- or isn't -- doing.

This is quite the pickle for the Pawlenty administration. She's never been confirmed in the job, a committee voted to oust her in 2004 after a season of pretty cruddy snow removal, she and the governor are quite often not on the same page, and she embarrassed him in particular when giving an answer to the Star Tribune on the subject of the gas tax last month that was -- at that time anyway -- different from the sermon the Gov was preaching.

An overlooked piece last month by Sarah Janecek, no darling of the hard right, took a look at the history of this relationship in a piece advocating her dismissal.

Molnau's role has always been confused. Pawlenty selected Molnau to be his Lt. Gov. running mate at a time when he was facing a conservative credential showdown for the GOP gubernatorial endorsement against another impeccably credentialed conservative candidate, Brian Sullivan. Her GOP-endorsing delegate bona fides were unimpeachable: An entire legislative record of the right votes on the social issues and the right votes on the fiscal ones, including no funding for the then-highly controversial light rail transit (LRT) and no increasing the gas tax. And, oh, yes, she wore a skirt, not slacks, and lived in the GOP-vote rich western suburbs while at the same time sporting a legitimate rural resume as a former dairy farmer.

Just a few days ago, the Mankato Free Press joined in

Because of the politics involved here, her boss does not really have the power of a normal boss. How could a governor ever “fire” his lieutenant governor, elected by the same people who, by the way, voted for him. What we have here is a boss who, realistically, cannot fire his subordinate, however bad her performance.

That’s a system that cannot work and should not be allowed to exist.

By all accounts, Gov. Pawlenty is a smart politician. He's given no detectable public signal to Molnau that it's time to go, and she's not the type to leave on her own accord. Pawlenty can thank Molnau for helping him get elected in the first place, not once, but twice -- first in staving off a challenge by Brian Sullivan (who had a running mate with equal credentials as Molnau at the time -- conservatism, rural roots, and a farmer), and then again last year when Mike Hatch nearly knocked the gov off.

Today's news conference is certainly part of an elaborate political chess match. The suggestion a couple of days ago that the Wakota Bridge project in Newport may be delayed was met quickly by an attempt to downplay the suggestion for a good reason: that bridge project -- which started in 2002 and will go on for another 3 years once work resumes on it) has been a disaster for Molnau and Pawlenty. While the span that was built (opening a year late and much more expensive because of cracks caused by a faulty design) has made life easier for commuters -- many of whom are from "Republican territory " in the 2nd District -- there is almost no activity at the site now (MnDOT is to rebid the project this fall) and several ramps lead to a dead end.

Which makes one wonder why the DFL chose the Lafayette bridge in St. Paul for today's photo op background instead? It is also "fault critical" as the I-35W bridge was, of course, but doesn't tell much of a story just by the visuals a backdrop is supposed to afford. (Shown: Sen. Steve Murphy)

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Michel is not running for Congress

Posted at 12:57 PM on September 26, 2007 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)

State Sen. Geoff Michel (R-Edina - West Bloomington) just walked through the Capitol Press room. He says he's not running for Congress. Here's a portion of his news release:

"After giving this serious thought, I have concluded that Congress is broken and the lifestyle of a member fo Congress is unappealing.

It would be worth the effort if Congress was an institution that was working well. It is not. The life of a member of Congress is now perpetual campaigning, countless hours on the phone raising money and incessant travel. Members of Congress seem very busy doing everything but the actual work of the people. I have four young daughters and a wonderful wife. Trading soccer games, piano recitals and dinners at home for frequent flyer miles and long distance phone cards feels selfish to me."

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Strib takes financial hit on Franken/Coleman ad flap

Posted at 1:58 PM on September 26, 2007 by Mike Mulcahy (1 Comments)

You saw Tom's story on Coleman's ad yesterday. Now this from the AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Star Tribune of Minneapolis will be refunding about $12,000 spent on a full-page ad to Al Franken's Senate campaign, a Franken campaign spokesman says.

This week, Senator Norm Coleman's campaign took out a full-page ad in the newspaper criticizing Franken for not condemning a New York Times ad by MoveOn.org, which had attacked General David Petraeus.

Coleman's campaign says it paid a little over $23,000 on the ad - far less than the $37,000 that Franken's campaign says it paid for a full-page ad two months ago.

Franken campaign spokesman Andy Barr says that after contacting the Star Tribune, the paper agreed to refund a little over $12,000.

That's slightly less than difference between what the two campaigns paid - which Barr said was probably because of the different days of the week the ads ran.

The Star Tribune has not returned several calls on the issue this week.

Ouch! No wonder the newspaper business is hurting.

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Quack

Posted at 7:33 PM on September 26, 2007 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)

I'm sitting in Eden Prairie tonight at a seminar for pilots on regulations. It involves stupid laws that are out there.

One, which the seminar speaker claims is from Minnesota, says it's illegal to cross the state border of Minnesota while driving with a duck on your head.

Is this true? If it is, does anyone know the origin of the law, the sponsoring lawmaker, and the year it was introduced?

Let's get our best and brightest on this one.

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Politicians provide plenty of fodder

Posted at 8:12 PM on September 26, 2007 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)

There are a couple of don't-miss segments in the Minnesota media for political wonks. For years, hundreds of years it seems, Almanac on TPT is one of them. For me, the weekly appearance by WCCO political reporter Pat Kessler on Dan Barreriro's show on KFAN is another.

Today, they chatted, of course, about the Larry Craig case, which was in court today. But they also talked a bit about the David Brooks column I referenced yesterday, and also the situation with the Iranian president being in New York.

Kessler said, I think, pretty much how I feel. Give a person who's "out there," a chance to speak, and a reasonable person will conclude, in all liklihood, that the person is "out there." I feel the same way about non-major candidates who can get no breaks from mainstream media. "They're nuts," a newsie might say in defense. All the more reason to put them on the air before they get themselves elected.

Anyway, listen to today's segment. It was enjoyable. You can find it here. Or listen directly here.

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