Polinaut: July 21, 2008 Archive

The Daily Digest: 7-21-08

Posted at 8:42 AM on July 21, 2008 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Daily Digest

GOP Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken will share the stage at Farmfest.

DFL Rep. Betty McCollum says she won't pick sides in the DFL primary battle. McCollum has criticized Franken in the past.

Meanwhile, CQ says Franken is stumbling.

2008 Race for President

Democrat Barack Obama is in the Middle East.

Jim Dobson says he may back McCain.

Some Minnesota veterans will rally for McCain today.

2008 Race for Congress

MPR takes a look at the 1st.

GOP Rep. John Kline advertises at the Elko Speedway.

DFL Rep. Tim Walz campaigns in St. Charles.

MinnPost says 6th District DFLer Elwyn Tinklenberg is more optimistic than national Dems over his chances against GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann.

The Star Tribune says drilling more now won't necessarily mean immediate relief at the pump.

The story comes as Bachmann takes an energy tour in Alaska.

Pawlenty for VP Watch

Pawlenty is second on the Fix's VP List.

The New York Times writes about the "try-outs." Pawlenty is mentioned.

McCain jokes about VP celeb "looks."

Is South Dakota John Thune trying out for VP?

What about John Hoeven?

Congress

DFL Rep. Jim Oberstar toured some state bridges over the weekend. He wants more money for bridge and road spending.

Bridge spending will be discussed this week in Congress.

Backers are hopeful for a vote on the mental health bill.

A group wants action on a consumer safety bill. DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar is mentioned.

AP says medically unfit drivers are still on the road. Oberstar is mentioned.

State Government

Teen driving restrictions go into effect on August 1st.

The biodiesel well runs dry in the Twin Cities.

The city of Minneapolis won't get some federal aid it requested as a result of the bridge collapse.

The Army National Guard is doing well with recruiting in Minnesota.

JOBZ draws a mixed reaction.

2008 RNC

RNC gets control of the Xcel Energy Center this week.

The Pi Press writes about the anarchists intentions during the RNC.

St. Paul hospital officials hold a news conference today to detail their preparations for the RNC. The Star Tribune has a story.

Joe Lieberman says he would address the RNC.

2010

Former GOP Sen. Rod Grams says he'll consider a run for governor.

Finally

The oops of the day.

3rd District debate scheduled

Posted at 11:19 AM on July 21, 2008 by Tom Scheck

The TwinWest Chamber of Commerce is hosting the debate (the cost to attend is $25 for Chamber members and $35 for non-chamber members).

Here's the info:

Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District Candidates to Meet in Their First Debate

TwinWest Chamber of Commerce sponsors debate for one of the country's top-tier congressional races

WHAT:
With Congressman Jim Ramstad (R) retiring, voters in Minneapolis' western suburbs will elect a new member of Congress for the first time in 18 years. The race is already ranked by the Washington Post and National Journal as one of the top 20 House races in the country, and the TwinWest debate will be the candidates' first time together answering questions on the minds of area voters.

WHEN:
Thursday, August 21
7:00 - 8:00 a.m. - registration, meet the candidates and continental breakfast
8:00 - 9:30 a.m. - debate

WHO:
Moderator: TBA
David Dillon (IP)
Ashwin Madia (DFL)
Erik Paulsen (R)

HOW:
Questions will be asked by the moderator to each candidate separately. To ensure a wide variety of topics is covered, minimal rebuttal time will be given. Attendees can submit questions in advance to info@twinwest.com (e-mail should include name, organization and contact information).

WHERE:
General Mills Headquarters
One General Mills Boulevard
Golden Valley, MN 55426
(763) 764-7600‎

PUBLIC ATTENDANCE:
Members of the public are encouraged to attend. The cost is $25 for chamber members ($200 for 10 tickets) and $35 for nonmembers ($300 for 10 tickets). All guests must register by August 18 at www.twinwest.com or by calling (763) 450-2220. Attendance is limited.

ABOUT THE TWINWEST CHAMBER:
The TwinWest Chamber of Commerce is an advocate for business. TwinWest is the voice of business in government and provides its members opportunities to grow their businesses and improve their communities. TwinWest serves the communities of Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Medicine Lake, Minnetonka, New Hope, Plymouth, and St. Louis Park, as well as the surrounding area. For additional information on the TwinWest Chamber, please visit www.twinwest.com.

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Lord Faris calls for debates

Posted at 3:53 PM on July 21, 2008 by Tom Scheck

Al Franken is focusing his efforts on GOP Sen. Norm Coleman by linking him to President Bush, mocking Coleman's hockey ad and taking a statewide tour to tout a plan that he says will help the middle class.

But one of Franken's DFL challengers is hoping to keep Franken focused on the September primary. Priscilla Lord Faris has challenged Franken to three debates between now and the September 9th primary. She wants the debates to be held in Duluth, Mankato and the Twin Cities.

UPDATE: The Star Tribune reports that Franken rejected the debate request.

This is not a drill...

Posted at 4:36 PM on July 21, 2008 by Tom Scheck (2 Comments)

GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann has started her media push to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Bachmann was in Alaska over the weekend (with several other House GOP members) to look at ANWR and whether the U.S. should allow oil drilling there.

Bachmann just wrote an op-ed for the National Review saying ANWR is "a treasure trove of energy that will yield a lot with only minimal intrusion."

Bachmann will also be on Fox News tomorrow morning and will hold a conference call with reporters to talk about her trip.

Bachmann and the House GOP may have hit a gusher (sorry, had to do it) with the calls for increased drilling. Polling shows that Americans support drilling in ANWR and in U.S. coastal waters over increased conservation.

The question is whether the plan will result in lower gas prices (which is what Americans really want)? CNN takes a look at whether drilling in ANWR is a solution or a distraction.

More importantly, Will it happen? It's unlikely since both John McCain and Barack Obama don't support drilling in ANWR. GOP Sen. Norm Coleman (who doesn't support drilling in ANWR) also told reporters last month that it was unlikely:

"Whether I reconsider my position or not, I just don't see ANWR being opened up. The debate has gone on too long. The divisions are too wide. The reality is 'Where can we find common ground?"

Coleman has called for increased drilling off the coastal waters. He said that that they "won't have to do the ANWR debate" if they allow drilling on the outer continential shelf.

So here's a question for blog readers: Will drilling in ANWR be an issue in the upcoming election? If so, will it be a game changer for the GOP?

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Who is Tim Pawlenty?

Posted at 5:26 PM on July 21, 2008 by Tom Scheck

Minnesota Monthly has an interesting profile of Minnesota's governor. Even the closest of Pawlenty watchers will learn something new from the profile.

King Corn goes after high gas prices.

Posted at 5:46 PM on July 21, 2008 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)

A coalition of groups (including the Ethanol industry) have launched a video that blames OPEC for high oil costs. The groups are calling for greater energy independence.

Note: I scrapped the video of this because it annoyed me that it always played every time I opened up the site. You can view the video here.

Update:

Does anyone find it interesting that the same excuses that the oil companies are using for high gas prices (increased demand from China and India) are the same excuses Ag groups are using for high food prices (and not increased demand for biofuels)?

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Novak: McCain's VP pick coming this week

Posted at 9:18 PM on July 21, 2008 by Tom Scheck

Robert Novak is reporting that John McCain will name his running mate this week:

Sources close to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign are suggesting he will reveal the name of his vice presidential selection this week while Sen. Barack Obama is getting the headlines on his foreign trip. The name of McCain's running mate has not been disclosed, but Mitt Romney has led the speculation recently.

UPDATE: The Fix is reporting that McCain will meet with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal later this week.

UPDATE: Marc Ambinder says he's "being waved away from this reporting."

UPDATE: Tim Pawlenty (for those of you wondering) has been in Washington DC for the past few days. The governor's office says he'll be in there again tomorrow chairing the Strategic Management of Human Capital Task Force Meeting. The governor's office says the group "is a movement devoted to driving the necessary changes in school districts that will transform human resource processes and procedures to manage talent to dramatically improve classroom instruction, teacher effectiveness and student achievement."

Mark Olson files for the Minnesota Senate

Posted at 9:56 PM on July 21, 2008 by Tom Scheck

GOP Rep. Mark Olson has filed the official paperwork to run for the Minnesota Senate. Olson, who declined to run for his House seat after former Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer won the GOP endorsement, filed the paperwork today. The news was first reported by the St. Cloud Times (although Olson suggested the move last week).

Governor Pawlenty has called a special election in Senate District 16 after GOP Sen. Betsy Wergin resigned her seat to take a position with the Public Utilities Commission.

Pawlenty headed to Michigan on Wednesday

Posted at 10:49 PM on July 21, 2008 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)

Gov. Pawlenty is headed to Michigan on Wednesday (after spending Monday and Tuesday in Washington DC). He'll be speaking at the Kent County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner.

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Paulsen doesn't like McCain's blank check on Iraq

Posted at 11:15 PM on July 21, 2008 by Tom Scheck

Erik Paulsen, the GOP endorsed candidate running for Congress in Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District, tells The Hill that he doesn't like his John McCain's "blank check" on Iraq:

When asked if his war position was similar to McCain's, though, Paulsen demurred and used a buzzword more often used by Democrats -- "blank check."

"I think Sen. McCain's more willing to give them a blank check," Paulsen told The Hill, before saying that he wants to continue to see a phased withdrawal.

Paulsen's DFL opponent, Ashwin Madia, has criticized Paulsen for not having a position on Iraq on his website. In fact, a recent check of Paulsen's website still doesn't show a statement regarding Iraq.