Polinaut: August 20, 2008 Archive

The Daily Digest: 8-20-08

Posted at 8:24 AM on August 20, 2008 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Daily Digest

Welcome to the 2008 NFL draft where every expert offers insightful opinions on how certain picks will work well with a certain team.

Oh, wait we're talking VP stuff here.

Let's try this again....

Welcome to the 2008 Veepstakes where every expert offers insightful opinions on how certain picks will work with a certain team.

The Veepstakes are at a fever pitch and it's making my head hurt. It's almost as much fun as reading all of those pre NFL draft stories speculating on who will go where.

I think Pawlenty will go to Ohio and Pennsylvania this weekend and Colorado next week (Ding Ding!) Note: For those who want some comedy relief from the Veepstakes - watch this video. It makes me laugh every time.

Pawlenty says he will head east to stump for McCain over the weekend.

He'll be in Dallas, PA on Saturday afternoon and in the Lehigh Valley on Saturday night.

Pawlenty to man the GOP war room in Denver.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will attend a GOP counter rally at the DNC.

Is McCain planning a VP surprise? That surprise could be Former PA Gov. Tom Ridge of CT Senator Joe Lieberman.

Ridge downplayed his pro-choice views raising speculation.

Lieberman's people say he's being vetted.

Talk of Ridge and Lieberman concerns conservatives.

Former Ohio Congressman Rob Portman will attend the GOP rally raising speculation that it's him.

A Reader's Digest blogger gives Pawlenty some love.

Meanwhile on the Democratic side,

CBS says the pick will come on Friday. They will also campaign together on Saturday.

Democrat Barack Obama uses "He" when referring to his VP.

Delaware Sen. Joe Biden says "I'm not the guy."

Someone drops some research on Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh.

Obama campaigns in Virginia raising questions that it's VA Gov. Tim Kaine.

AP takes a look at all of the VP front runners.

2008 Race for President

Republican John McCain has a five point lead over Barack Obama in the Reuters poll.

McCain visits an oil rig.

McCain gets a bump from the Saddleback Forum.

Barack Obama will talk jobs today in Virginia.

Obama's "Lost brother" has been found in Kenya.

2008 Race for Senate

The Crookston Times takes a look where Al Franken and Norm Coleman stand on Energy.

Franken says give veterans health care for life. AP and the Pi Press have stories.

Franken won't speak at the DNC. But he will raise money in Denver. He will also raise money in Massachusetts next month.

2008 Race for Congress

1st District Republican Dick Day attended an anti-immigration forum in Austin. The Austin Daily Herald and the Rochester Post-Bulletin have stories.

GOP Rep. John Kline and DFL challenger Steve Sarvi are talking energy on the campaign trail.

Kline also ripped earmarks in this op-ed.

The campaigns in the 3rd are complaining about push polling.

3rd District DFLer Ashwin Madia will attend the Asian Pacific American Power Hour at the Democratic National Convention on August 25.

State Government

The state to issue rules for graduation tests.

Congress

DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar and DFL Rep. Tim Walz are a few of the leaders who want to fix Medicare. They attended a roundtable in Rochester.

Klobuchar and Walz also made a joint appearance in Albert Lea.

DFL Rep. Collin Peterson is in Ohio.

2008 RNC

Police presence will be beefed up during the RNC.

Attorneys prepare to defend protesters.

2008 DNC

DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar will speak twice at the DNC Convention.

Al Gore is set to speak on Thursday night.

Mayo's CEO will speak at a roundtable in Denver.

Finally

Good-bye John Brandl.

Coleman and Pawlenty get speaking slots at RNC

Posted at 12:27 PM on August 20, 2008 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)

GOP Sen. Norm Coleman and Gov. Tim Pawlenty will speak at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Coleman is set to speak on Wednesday night (which is also when the yet to be announced VP will speak). Pawlenty will speak on the final night of the convention.

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Paulsen, Madia camps trade attacks over PACs

Posted at 10:45 PM on August 20, 2008 by Tom Scheck

MPR's Curtis Gilbert asked to send this along:

For the second day in a row, the campaigns in Minnesota's closely watched 3rd Congressional District race traded charges. This time, the issue was donations from Political Action Committees.

The volley started with a press release from the state Republican Party. It accused Madia of violating his pledge not to take campaign contributions from corporate PACs. The release listed seven donations from PACs run by law firms, including Minneapolis-based Robbins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi, where Madia used to work as an attorney.

The donations totaled $11,000 -- or about 1 percent of Madia's total fundarising through the end of June.

While the release came from the GOP, the charges were echoed by Michael Brodkorb, who is currently handling press calls for Republican candidate Erik Paulsen's campaign.

"I think it's disingenuous for Madia to travel the state railing against corporate PAC money, while he is essentially lining his pockets with their contributions," Brodkorb said.

The Madia campaign fired back with its own release. It made the distinction between donations from corporations and those from law firms.

Spokesman Dan Pollock said Madia "has taken the position, ever since he started running, that corporate PAC money basically has a taint to it. There is a problem with politicians taking corporate PAC money and then trying to stay independent from those same corporations."

Pollock said Madia does not take the same position on law firm PACs, because he doesn't believe those firms are standing in the way of "affordable and renewable energy and policies to help middle class Minnesotans."

The Madia release said "Madia has never renounced money from individuals or partnerships."

One of the contributions came from a New Jersey-based firm called Sterns & Weinroth, which is organized as a "professional corporation," and not a partnership. Pollock said the campaign was returning that $500 donation, a gesture he called "symbolic."

The Madia campaign also criticized Paulsen for taking $73,000 in what it classified as corporate PAC contributions. And it accused Paulsen of hypocrisy because as a state representative, he had favored restriciting PAC money in campaigns for governor, secretary of state, state auditor and the legislature.

It pointed to a 2001 press release from the state House of Representatives.It quoted Paulsen as saying "eliminating PAC contributions will restore integrity to the political process and give citizens the confidence that their voice is more important than special interests groups."