Capitol View: November 24, 2009 Archive

Bachmann gets standing ovations at conservative conference

Posted at 4:51 AM on November 24, 2009 by Tom Scheck (3 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: U.S. House

GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann attended the Restoration Weekend conference in Palm Beach, Florida over the weekend. The event appeared to be a who's who of conservative activists and conservative leaders. Newt Gingrich, Phyllis Schlafly and Ann Coulter are just some of the names in attendance. But it appeared that Bachmann got the biggest ovation for saying Al Franken stole the election and she's the "left's number one target."

Conservative blogger Steven Rosenblum had this snapshot from Bachmann's appearance:

The best and most well received speech was given by the fantastic Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota. She made no secret of the fact she believes Al Franken stole the US Senate election from Norm Coleman. She spoke of being the left's number one target (maybe number 2 after Sarah Palin), speaking as a victim, but pointing to the fact that the left knows it's ideas are failing and that their arguments fall short, so they attack the messenger. Bachmann got 3 standing ovations from a receptive audience that obviously would like to see her lead the conservatives back into the leadership of the House GOP. After her rousing speech Rep. Bachmann was inundated by the crowd, looking for photo-ops and the chance to shake her hand and thank her for her efforts.

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Chaudhary to attend White House dinner

Posted at 5:33 AM on November 24, 2009 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Campaign 2008: MN Legislature, Campaign 2008: President, Campaign 2010

DFL state Sen. Satveer Chaudhary, Fridley, will attend a White House dinner tonight that honors India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Chaudhary, whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from India in the 1960s, became the first Asian-Indian senator in American history.

"I'm honored to be invited to attend this noteworthy event," said Sen. Chaudhary in a news release. "The event highlights the strong and growing economic and political partnership between India and the United States, as well as the friendship between the two countries."

You can read more about the White House state dinner (the first under an Obama Administration) here.

Fact Check: Seifert criticizes a fee he voted for

Posted at 11:31 AM on November 24, 2009 by Tom Scheck (7 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor

Republican Marty Seifert has been saying for months that Minnesota has a "jobs problem" and that he's set to release a jobs package to spur economic growth. At forums and on his website, the candidate for governor discusses how fees and permits are hindering business creation and expansion in Minnesota. One example he uses is the license fee that the state charges liquor distilleries:

"We had a guy in Windom who wanted to open up a distillery business. The distillery license fee in Minnesota is $30,000. Thirty thousand dollars to open up a distillery. In 42 minutes to the south of Windom is the state of Iowa, it costs $350. Where do you think he took his business? Where do you think he took his jobs? He went to Iowa. We now know that there are three businesses like his in Iowa and one in Wisconsin. Those are jobs that we should have here." Listen

Seifert voted to double the distillery fee in 2005 in both the House version of the public safety finance bill and the final conference committee report. It increased the distillery fee from $15,000 to $30,000.

It can be sometimes difficult to gauge a candidate's voting record on large budget bills because there are plenty of issues and moving parts in them. But Seifert, who was the GOP Majority Whip at the time, never proposed an amendment to reduce or eliminate the fee. In fact, no one proposed an amendment to reduce the size of the fees.

For the record, Seifert wasn't the only candidate for governor to vote for the bill. Republican Tom Emmer and Democrats Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Matt Entenza and Paul Thissen voted for it in the House.

Republican David Hann and DFLer John Marty voted for it in the Senate.

DFL Sen. Tom Bakk and DFL Rep. Tom Rukavina voted against the bill.

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Pawlenty for Prez watch

Posted at 6:03 PM on November 24, 2009 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2008: MN Legislature, Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor, Tim Pawlenty

Gov. Pawlenty talked about the Vikings stadium issue, the budget forecast and his holiday plans during a brief q and a with reporters after his Thanksgiving newser.

For those wondering the real blood was spilled earlier in the newser (and yes, I missed the shot).

You can, however, watch Pawlenty talk turkey here:

Pawlenty said he's headed to Lansing, Michigan for the Michigan Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday next week Thursday morning. The budget forecast will be released on Wednesday. He's then headed to Chicago, IL on Thursday for a fundraiser for his PAC.

Meanwhile, a Des Moines Register poll says 73 percent of those polled in Iowa are "not sure" about Pawlenty. 17 percent have a favorable view of him while ten percent have an unfavorable view of him.

Side note: What do you think of the video? Is it better than the audio of the newsers? Worse? Let me know...

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Thissen's viral video attempt

Posted at 9:46 PM on November 24, 2009 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor

Paul Thissen is hoping that a new campaign tool will help get his name and message out to DFL delegates.

Thissen, a DFL candidate for governor, has scheduled a live video chat for noon Wednesday and will field questions from twitter, Facebook and online. The key question is whether the video will gauge interest especially since the first chat will be the day before Thanksgiving.

You can find the details and submit questions here.

On the GOP side, Republican Marty Seifert has a weekly online chat to discuss the issues and the campaign.

Keith Ellison gets a challenger

Posted at 9:56 PM on November 24, 2009 by Tom Scheck (3 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: U.S. House

DFL Rep. Keith Ellison may be in one of the safest congressional districts in the state but that doesn't mean he won't have challengers. The Federal Election Commission reports today that Lynne Torgerson has filed paperwork to run in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District.

Torgerson, a private attorney, has run as a registered independent in the past. In 2008, she ran for Minnesota House District 59A.

Torgerson's website says she's conservative on some issues including abortion, defining marriage between one man and one woman and defending the 2nd Amendment.

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