Polinaut: April 24, 2008 Archive

The Daily Digest: 4-24-08

Posted at 8:29 AM on April 24, 2008 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)
Filed under: Daily Digest

Both the House and Senate have passed studies anticipating greenhouse gas limits. AP, the Pi Press and Forum Communications have stories.

Gov. Pawlenty announced the members of his tax study commission. They're business friendly. MPR, the Star Tribune, Finance and Commerce, the Pi Press and AP have stories.

Metro Transit is seeing a record number of riders. MPR and the Star Tribune have stories.

The Minnesota Senate moves ahead with a bill that would fight Bovine TB.

The Senate also gave approval to the Abigail Taylor pool safety bill. The Star Tribune, the Pi Press, KARE, AP and the Star Tribune have stories.

The Hannah Montana bill also clears the Senate. AP and the Star Tribune have stories.

DFL Sen. Keith Langseth wants to set the record straight on the bonding bill.

WCCO wonders where Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau is.

MinnPost wonders whether Pawlenty will veto the Cuban trade resolution.

Congress

NWA and Delta executives appear before Congress today. MPR, The Hill and AP have stories.

DFL Rep. Jim Oberstar and the chair of the NTSB clash over the bridge investigation. MPR, the Star Tribune, AP and the Pi Press have stories.

The U.S. House vote on Medicaid would help Minnesota. DFL Rep. Keith Ellison is mentioned. Pawlenty is mentioned in the Washington Post story on the Medicaid vote.

Senate Republicans block the unequal pay bill. DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar and GOP Sen. Norm Coleman voted to advance the bill.

A report says the U.S. war on terror is backfiring. Coleman's meeting with Somalia's president is mentioned.

Democratic Senators plan to block an arms deal with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates unless oil production increases. DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar is mentioned.

The New York Times writes about a class project on genocide. DFL Rep. Tim Walz is mentioned.

Reuters says DFL Rep. Collin Peterson wants another short term Farm Bill extension.

Politico says Farm Bill negotiators are more optimistic about a deal.

President Bush is threatening to veto a Coast Guard bill because it would make the agency enforce security zones around liquefied natural gas, or LNG, terminals. DFL Rep. Jim Oberstar is mentioned.

2008 Race for President

Here are the latest delegate counts for the Democratic nomination.

2008 Race for U.S. Senate

GOP Sen. Norm Coleman is touring the state on Friday to talk about health care. Bemidji and Marshall are two of the stops.

The Minnesota Daily writes about "green collar" jobs. Franken is mentioned.

CNN writes about the NRSC effort to link Democrat Al Franken with Barack Obama's "bitter" comments.

2008 Race for Congress

Republican Erik Paulsen reflects on serving Eden Prairie as a state lawmaker. Paulsen is running for Congress in the 3rd.

Pawlenty for VP Watch

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal meets with McCain.

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GOP bigwigs raise $ for Pawlenty in DC

Posted at 9:53 AM on April 24, 2008 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)

Politico says former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman held a "star-studded" fundraiser last night for Gov. Pawlenty in Washington DC. Top McCain advisor Charlie Black was also in attendance. Here's the synopsis:

How does a GOP governor from fly-over country pack a house in Georgetown with over 100 people, each of them giving at least $250 to his campaign committee?

Well, it helps to be on every short list for vice-president.

Such was the case last night, as even pointed out by Ken Mehlman, the host of the soiree, in his introduction of Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Of course, Pawlenty modestly demurred about the elephant in the room and instead talked about his tenure in Minnesota and the importance of the GOP retaining blue-collar voters - he calls them "Sam's Club voters" -- in the coalition.

One Republican in attendance described the gathering as "star-studded"

Joining Pawlenty and his wife, Mary, were a mix of die-hard McCainiacs and recent converts: Ken Duberstein, Jack Kemp, Vin Weber, Wayne Berman, Fred Malek, Phil Musser, Sara Taylor, Barbara Comstock, Bobbie Kilberg and Frank Keating.

And, as noted by Mike Allen in Playbook this morning, raising eyebrows was another name on the invitation: Charlie Black.

Black, of course, is a top adviser to McCain, a veteran of every GOP presidential campaign for over three decades and somebody who will surely be part of the veep vetting.

Now in his second term, Pawlenty is in the midst of a budget battle in St. Paul. He was planning on using the cash raised to help with some of his paid messaging on that front back home and to stock up for a potential third term.

If, that is, he's not tapped for veep.

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Democrats polling ahead of McCain in MN, Coleman leads Senate race

Posted at 10:04 AM on April 24, 2008 by Tom Scheck

Rasmussen Reports says Democratic Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are both polling ahead of Republican John McCain in head to head match-ups in Minnesota. The poll also considers Pawlenty as a potential running mate:

If Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is selected as John McCain's running mate, 30% of Minnesota voters would be more likely to vote for the GOP ticket. Thirty-five percent (35%) would be less likely to do so and 32% say it would have no impact. Among Republicans, 60% would be more likely to support the ticket. That enthusiasm is shared by 23% of unaffiliated voters and 13% of Democrats.

In a different poll, GOP Sen. Norm Coleman has a seven point lead over Democrat Al Franken.

Is Pawlenty 45?

Posted at 1:54 PM on April 24, 2008 by Tom Scheck (2 Comments)

The Pawlenty for VP talk is picking up. (UPDATE FROM PAWLENTY CAMPAIGN BELOW)

Marc Ambinder picks up on Politico's reporting on the Pawlenty fundraiser in DC. One interesting nugget is that First Lady Mary Pawlenty calls her husband "45" as in 45th President of the United States (Pawlenty's campaign said it was a joke). Here's the entry:

Pawlenty: Call Him "45" 24 Apr 2008 12:23 pm

About 200 Republican bold-faced names crowded into former RNC chairman Ken Mehlman's Georgetown townhouse last night for an event that one attendee said "felt like the kick-off for Pawlenty for Vice President." Officially, the bill was a fundraiser for Pawlenty's gubernatorial re-election. As the Politico's Mike Allen notes, the Republican government-in-exile all came together: former rep/lobbyist Vin Weber, former White House political director Sara Taylor and major McCain advisers/fundraisers Fred Malek and Wayne Berman. Senior Congressional and White House staffers with Minnesota connections were also invited.

To his guests, Mehlman wondered why so many people would show up on a beautiful night in DC to hang with the governor of Minnesota. But then, Mehlman said, with tongue planted in cheek, that he heard the governor's wife call him "45."

"45" -- as in, the next, next president of the United States, after 43's successor -- John McCain (or Mehlman's old Harvard Law School buddy, Barack Obama) will serve as 44.

Mehlman's not endorsing anyone for veep here -- he remains very close to Ex-Rep. Rob Portman and to Gov. Mitt Romney, among other potential picks.

Also, some of the A-listers who attended, like former White House chief of staff Ken Duberstein and former RGA executive director Phil Musser are committed supporters of Romney's.

Pawlenty was introduced by his wife Mary. His speech, according to attendees, focused on how "the GOP can better win working class democrats in the context of his Minnesota electoral experience and model for governance.

"He stressed health care, energy, and the environment," said one donor. Pawlenty also talked about his roots -- his working class beginnings -- as a way to lay the groundwork for that. (Mr. Pawlenty, you'll recall, coined the phrase "Sam's Club Republicans.")

Those close to Pawlenty say that he gets a kick out of the vice presidential talk. "But I don't think he's lobbying for it," one close friend says. Indeed, Pawlenty has yet to subject himself to the media schedule that a potential vice presidential nominee generally finds himself following.

There've been few national television appearances, almost no extended interviews, and very few surrogates making the rounds. If he's angling for the job, he's doing it quietly.

Last night's event raised $46,000 for the governor's re-election committee.

UPDATE:

Governor Pawlenty's campaign spokewoman Trisha Hamm just called me. She said Gov. Pawlenty said Mehlman was joking about the "45" comment.

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