Polinaut: September 8, 2008 Archive

The Daily Digest: 9-8-08

Posted at 8:41 AM on September 8, 2008 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)
Filed under: Daily Digest

John McCain gets a post convention bounce and overtakes Barack Obama in Gallup's poll.

But...

Democrats are posting big gains in voter registration.

Politico has seven things to watch. MPR says the campaigns are ramping up for election day.

Obama regrets his abortion answer

KARE11's Rick Kupchella interviews John McCain. No policy questions are asked.

McCain says he would put Democrats in his cabinet.

Obama is losing support among moderate evangelicals.

Sarah Palin agrees to a media interview.

Obama's campaign starts a heartland tour in Minnesota. The campaign is also ramping up appearances by female surrogates. For example, DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar rallies Winona State students to back Obama.

DFL Rep. Betty McCollum stumped for Obama in Wisconsin.

2008 Race for Senate

The Denver Post takes a look at fundraising for the RNC and how Coleman's votes on Xcel Energy makes it a sticky wicket. Coleman's people say there is no quid pro quo.

DFLer Priscilla Lord Faris is making a final push in her quest to win the DFL primary against Al Franken.

The Independence Party primary will be a full house.

The Hill says Republicans are trying to stay afloat in Minnesota.

2008 Race for Congress

The candidates in the 1st talk issues.

The Mankato Free Press takes a look at the Republican primary in the 1st.

AP says war is personal for candidates who have children serving. GOP Rep. John Kline is mentioned.

CQ mentions the 3rd in a story on battle for control of Congress.

GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann will address the Value Voters summit next weekend.

MPR takes a look at the Republican primary in the 7th district.

State Government

Crews say the I-35W bridge could be complete in days.

Gov. Pawlenty speaks today to reservists who are headed to Iraq.

Congress

Congress is back to work this week. Drilling may be on the agenda.

DFL Rep. Tim Walz says an energy agreement is possible in the final weeks of the session.

Officials bail out two mortgage giants.

The federal highway fund may need a bailout since it's due to run out of money. DFL Rep. Jim Oberstar is mentioned.

The U.S. holds off on a civilian nuclear pact with Russia. Coleman is mentioned.

Comment on this post

IP's Dillon will be in AARP debate, if it happens

Posted at 10:56 AM on September 8, 2008 by Curtis Gilbert (1 Comments)
Filed under: U.S. MN CD3

In spite of rules that would seem to exclude him, it looks like Independence Party candidate David Dillon has won a seat at an AARP debate tentatively scheduled for Sept. 16.

Dillon printed out the entire federal tax code -- all 6,000 pages of it -- and brought it to the last debate, sponsored by the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce.

Dillon, who is running for the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad, R-Minn., put out a press release Sunday complaining that AARP had excluded him from the forum.

Dillon has far less money to buy advertising than his better-known opponents. So debates like AARP's are one of his few opportunities to get his name out on television.

His campaign said it was looking into taking legal action against AARP and Twin Cities Public Television, the media sponsor for the debate.

AARP called that press release premature.

"We're not 100 percent sure we're going to have a debate, yet," AARP Minnesota State Director Michele Kimball said.

While the debate is advertised on the AARP Web site, Kimball said she has not received confirmation from the campaigns for Republican Erik Paulsen or DFLer Ashwin Madia.

She said Dillon will get an invitation to any debate AARP holds, provided he wins the IP nomination in tomorrow's primary.

Dillon has the party endorsement, but Eden Prairie resident Steev (yes, it's really spelled like that) Ramsdell has also filed as an IP candidate in the race. Ramsdell acknowledges on his Web site that his chances are slim and he does not appear to be waging a particularly active campaign.

AARP's official rules say that for candidates to be included in debates they must:

1. be registered with the Secretary of State as an official candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the State of Minnesota whose name will appear on the official ballot on November 4, 2008;

2. have received their political party's nomination;

3. have a campaign office open by September 1, where he or she and/or campaign staff may be contacted during regular business hours;

4. be officially registered with the Federal Election Commission as an election candidate; and

5. if an independent candidate, the individual must register at least 5 percent in voter support in a public statistically significant poll conducted by news media or other independent organizations (not done for a political party or candidate); or

6. if a political party candidate, the party must have received at least 5 percent of the last general election vote, if the party ran a candidate. If the political party ran no candidate in the previous election, Rule 5 above applies.

Technically, Dillon doesn't meet the criteria. He doesn't qualify under rule six, because the Independence Party didn't run a candidate in the 3rd Congressional District two years ago.

"No one was going to run against Ramstad. I mean, come on," Dillon campaign manager Bruce Anderson said. "Even the DFL candidate that year was just a sacrificial lamb, in my opinion."

The only "public statistically significant poll" so far has been a Survey USA poll that showed Paulsen leading Madia 44-41, within the margin of error.

Dillon wasn't included in the poll, but "other" got 10 percent and six percent of the respondents were undecided. Still, that would seem to exclude him under rule five, above.

But Kimball said the rules are flexible, and she was happy to make an exception for Dillon once he wins his primary.

"I'm tickled he wants to be included in our debate," she said.

Comment on this post

Coleman talks energy, his primary challenge and college tuition

Posted at 1:38 PM on September 8, 2008 by Tom Scheck

GOP Sen. Norm Coleman sat down with reporters to talk about the upcoming issues in Congress, college costs and other items. Have a listen here:

Embed | Help

Copy and paste the HTML below to embed this audio onto your web page.

Audio player code:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/js/swfobject.js"></script><div id="minnesota_news_features_2008_09_08_coleman_20080908_64s_player"></div><script type="text/javascript">/*<![CDATA[*/var so = new SWFObject("http://minnesota.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/s_player.swf", "minnesota_news_features_2008_09_08_coleman_20080908_64s_player", "319", "83", "8", "#ffffff");so.addParam("quality", "high");so.addParam("menu", "false");so.addParam("wmode", "transparent");so.addVariable("name", "minnesota/news/features/2008/09/08/coleman_20080908_64");so.addVariable("starttime", "00:07:02");so.addVariable("endtime", "00:09:00");so.write("minnesota_news_features_2008_09_08_coleman_20080908_64s_player");/*]]>*/</script>

sponsor:

Franken proposes tax cuts for college

Posted at 3:29 PM on September 8, 2008 by Tom Scheck

Democrat Al Franken held a news conference outlining his plan that provides tax breaks for college. You can listen to it here:

Embed | Help

Copy and paste the HTML below to embed this audio onto your web page.

Audio player code:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/js/swfobject.js"></script><div id="minnesota_news_features_2008_09_08_franken_20080908_64s_player"></div><script type="text/javascript">/*<![CDATA[*/var so = new SWFObject("http://minnesota.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/s_player.swf", "minnesota_news_features_2008_09_08_franken_20080908_64s_player", "319", "83", "8", "#ffffff");so.addParam("quality", "high");so.addParam("menu", "false");so.addParam("wmode", "transparent");so.addVariable("name", "minnesota/news/features/2008/09/08/franken_20080908_64");so.write("minnesota_news_features_2008_09_08_franken_20080908_64s_player");/*]]>*/</script>

sponsor:

3rd District candidates to face off Sept. 16

Posted at 5:12 PM on September 8, 2008 by Curtis Gilbert
Filed under: U.S. MN CD3

The second debate in Minnesota's hotly contested 3rd District congressional race is on the schedule.

AARP will sponsor a forum on Sept. 16 with the candidates seeking to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad, R-Minn. The debate will focus on a variety of topics, including health care, social security and the economy, AARP Minnesota State Director Michele Kimball said.

Republican Erik Paulsen and DFLer Ashwin Madia have already agreed to attend.

Independence Party-endorsed candidate David Dillon will also be invited, provided he beats his opponent in tomorrow's primary election. Dillon's campaign said yesterday it was considering legal action, because he had not been invited to the forum.

Dillon, Madia and Paulsen last squared off on Aug. 21. MPR has a summary and the un-edited audio available for your listening pleasure: Listen

The one-hour Sept. 16 debate airs live on Twin Cities Public Television at 7 p.m. TPT's Mary Lahammer will moderate.

Primary Day: What to watch for...

Posted at 5:47 PM on September 8, 2008 by Tom Scheck (3 Comments)

Tuesday is primary day in Minnesota. Here are a few things to watch for:

1) How does Al Franken do?

Will Franken score a convincing win the DFL Primary against the other DFLers (most notably Priscilla Lord Faris)? If so, it may be a sign that the party has unified behind him and will put a scare into GOP Sen. Norm Coleman. If the DFL contest is closer than anticipated, it could signal that Franken's base isn't solidly behind him. It's clear Franken is looking past this contest. When asked about the primary challenge today, Franken said "I'm voting and I know who I'm voting for." His campaign has also scheduled a Wednesday morning rally at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center in St. Paul.

2) What happens with Mark Olson?

GOP Rep. Mark Olson is the endorsed candidate in Senate District 16. That has raised a few hackles among Republicans (like Norm Coleman and Republican Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem). They're worried that an Olson win will force Coleman to answer questions about sharing a ticket with a candidate who was convicted of domestic assault against his wife. The downside for Coleman is that the Republicans in Senate District 16 backed Olson and don't like outside influences speaking out against the endorsed candidate. Will those folks work for Coleman (and the MNGOP) or decide to stay home in November? Let Freedom Ring has been watching the action closely.

3) Who will be the Independence Party candidate for Senate?

There are plenty of senate candidates running in the I-P primary. Former Sen. Dean Barkley and former I-P Chair Jack Uldrich have been the most active among them. Here's a question - Will the winner get more than 2,000 votes? Only 10,000 people voted in the 2006 I-P primary.

4) Can a Minnesota House seat influence the presidential contest in Minnesota?

DFL Congressman Keith Ellison thinks it can. He told me in Denver that he's backing DFL challenger Bobby Joe Champion over DFL incumbent Wilie Dominguez. Ellison told me that Champion will help energize and turn out African Americans in north Minneapolis (which will help Obama in November). Ellison (and his former campaign manager) helped Champion win the DFL endorsement in the race. Dominguez is backed by the House DFL Caucus. The Spokesman Recorder takes a look at the race.

5) What about that Republican race in the 1st?

Brian Davis has the GOP endorsement and a significant cash advantage over state Sen. Dick Day. But some (including DFL Congressman Tim Walz) think Day's populist appeal will help him carry the day (pun definitely intended) in this primary. If that's the case, expect immigration to be a big issue this campaign season. Day has been courting and appearing at anti-immigration events over the last few months.

6) Can a member of the Minnesota Supreme Court go down?

Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Lorie Gildea faces a primary challenge against three challengers. One of Gildea's challengers has been particularly aggressive. MPR says the challenger "asked the court to disqualify Gildea from running for election, or running as an incumbent on the ballot. Clark contended the governor's appointees are only temporary and must step aside at the term's end."

The top two vote getters in Tuesday's primary will move on to the general election on Nov. 4.

7) Who will be the new House member from House 7B?

DFL Rep. Mike Jaros is retiring which has created a DFL feeding frenzy to replace him. Whoever wins the 5 person contest is a sure bet to represent the DFL dominated district. Minnesota Brown takes a look at the race.

Comment on this post

Paul planning presser: Is presidential placement possible?

Posted at 6:09 PM on September 8, 2008 by Tom Scheck

The Ron Paul campaign released this statement earlier today:

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA - Congressman Ron Paul will hold a press conference in the Ball Room at the National Press Club on Wednesday, September 10th at 10:00 am. Dr. Paul will announce his intentions for the fall presidential election and will be accompanied by several special guests. This event comes on the heels of Dr. Paul's historic three-day Rally for the Republic in Minneapolis, Minnesota that drew over 12,000 supporters.

The news comes as Paul has been added to the Montana ballot as a member of the Constitution Party.

Does this mean he's in the race? What impact does this have on McCain? Obama?

Discuss....

House DFLers outraised House GOP

Posted at 6:11 PM on September 8, 2008 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)

The pre-primary campaign finance reports are in. Well, they've been in for a few weeks but I was busy in Denver, Dayton and St. Paul. Anyhoo, the House DFL Caucus is leading the House Republican Caucus in the money race.

The DFL House Caucus has $946k on hand.

The House Republicans has $876k on hand.

A DFL House staffer said it's the first time they led in the pre-primary money race in a long time.

Remember, money doesn't equal votes. DFLers also have a larger pool of incumbents to defend.

Comment on this post