Capitol View: July 22, 2009 Archive

Two events, two views of health care reform

Posted at 10:54 AM on July 22, 2009 by Tim Pugmire

President Barack Obama has mobilized his campaign organization in Minnesota and other states to help push legislation on health care reform, but critics are mobilizing too.

Obama's "Organizing for America" group is hosting health care events throughout the country this week, including a picnic tonight at Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis. Mayor R.T. Rybak is scheduled to speak. Organizers say the event is an opportunity for Minnesotans to continue amplifying the urgency of getting health care reform passed this year. The event is free.

Meanwhile, The Freedom Foundation of Minnesota has announced an event for July 28, at the Minneapolis Marriot Southwest in Minnetonka. An advisory for the event reads: "Learn the Facts About Washington's Health Care Debate Before It's Too Late!" Organizers say their featured speaker is Regina E. Herzlinger, professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Medical Progress. There's a cost to attend, $10 in advance or $15 at the door.

DFL gubernatorial sampler in Minneapolis

Posted at 2:26 PM on July 22, 2009 by Tim Pugmire

Keeping track of all the potential candidates for governor was made a bit easier today when three from the DFL list appeared together in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, state Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, and state Rep. Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, participated in a event highlighting a new law to prevent youth violence. Marty and Thissen sponsored the legislation, which was modeled after a successful Minneapolis program.

Rybak, who's seeking reelection as mayor this fall, remains in a small subgroup of likely candidates who'll only say that they're interested in running for governor in 2010.

"I'm looking hard at it," Rybak said after the news conference. I wouldn't expect to hear anything from me for a few months. Right now I need to land a budget. But I'm very interested in the governor's race and will look at that at the right time."

Standing along side Rybak was Marty, who made his campaign intentions clear several months ago. Marty was the DFL-endorsed candidate for governor in 1994, losing to incumbent Republican Arne Cralson. He also ran in 1998 but dropped out before the DFL primary. So far this year, seven Democrats have filed campaign finance paperwork, and more are expected. Even in that crowded field, Marty said he feels like his voice is being heard.

"I'm excited about the response we're getting to our message," Marty said. "Obviously it's very early, and most people aren't interested in next year's campaigns yet. But we're very pleased with response we're getting."

Paul Thissen has also been testing the gubernatorial waters for a long time. He launched an exploratory committee back in November. Thissen has been busy traveling the state and talking to voters.

"It feels to me like a really wide open race, and people are already really engaged in thinking about who the next governor should be," Thissen said. "We've been pretty much in every corner of the state in the last two week. And every where we go people are showing up and are interested."

Thissen has been considered an official candidate for months, but he says he will formally announce his run for governor Thursday at his home in Minneapolis.