Capitol View: March 15, 2010 Archive

MNGOP to hold a Palin/Bachmann rally

Posted at 11:43 AM on March 15, 2010 by Tom Scheck (2 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor, Tim Pawlenty

The Minnesota Republican Party announced today that it will hold a rally on April 7th in downtown Minneapolis. It will feature former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann. Here are the details:

St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton and Deputy Chairman Michael Brodkorb today announced that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will appear at an April 7, 2010 rally with Representative Michele Bachmann at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The rally will be free and open to the public. Details on how to obtain tickets will be forthcoming from the Republican Party of Minnesota.

"The Republican Party of Minnesota is thrilled to be hosting this one of a kind rally with Governor Sarah Palin and Representative Michele Bachmann. Governor Palin and Representative Bachmann are two of the most dynamic and impressive conservative leaders in the nation. This exciting event will be a great way for Minnesotans to get involved in what promises to be a terrific year for Republicans," said Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton.

"For the millions of Minnesotans who have had enough of the out of control spending and tax increases coming out of Washington, this is one event they will absolutely not want to miss. Governor Palin and Representative Bachmann will make sure everyone is fired up and ready to go for November," said Deputy Chairman Michael Brodkorb.

Please visit www.mngop.com for updates regarding this event.

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Pawlenty cuts more than 50 projects from bonding bill

Posted at 11:53 AM on March 15, 2010 by Tom Scheck (2 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor, MN Legislature, Tim Pawlenty

Gov. Pawlenty announced today that he cut $330 million in projects from the bonding bill. Pawlenty signed the bill into law but line item vetoed more than fifty projects from the bill. In his veto letter, Pawlenty wrote that the bill spent too much and didn't focus on his key priorities. He also said Democrats should work with Republicans if they hope to put forward another bonding bill.

DFL legislative leaders say they have no interest in putting forward another bonding bill. They say Pawlenty's decision to line item veto projects from the bill means fewer construction jobs will be available.

Higher education, most notably the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, took the biggest cut. Funding for the civic center expansions in Mankato, Rochester and St. Cloud was also eliminated.

I'll post the governor's veto letter soon.

Update: Here's the veto letter.

One side note. There has been some confusion surrounding where and when Gov. Pawlenty took action on the bill. I'm told he line item vetoed the bill from his St. Paul office on Sunday night. He is back in Florida today vacationing with his family and speaking at an RGA fundraiser. I'm told no tax dollars paid for his trips (Alex Conant, a spokesman for Pawlenty's Freedom First PAC, says the PAC paid for the trip).

Update: Pawlenty's spokesman, Brian McClung said there was an error in calculating the price tag of the bonding bill. Here's his message:

Our staff double-checked the final bonding number after the Governor's line-item vetoes are factored in and discovered one error. A project that was vetoed was listed in the general obligation (G.O.) bonding category when it should've been in the trunk highway bonding category.

Therefore that project should not have reduced the overall G.O. bonding number.

As a result, the correct G.O. bonding figure, after the impact of the Governor's line-item vetoes, is not $680 million as listed in the line-item veto letter. It is actually $686 million or $1 million more than the Governor's recommendations from January 15.

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Barney Frank to speak at Humphrey Day Dinner

Posted at 3:51 PM on March 15, 2010 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: U.S. House, U.S. House

The Minnesota DFL Party announced today that Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank will speak at this year's Humphrey Day Dinner. Here's a statement from DFL Party Chair Brian Melendez:

"Through almost three decades in Congress, Chair Frank has been an outspoken and fearless advocate for Democratic principles. He has been an energetic advocate for civil rights, and was the second openly gay member of Congress. On the House Financial Services Committee, which he now chairs, he has championed consumer protection and reform of Wall Street. He has worked to provide affordable rental housing for his constituents, and been a strong supporter of health-insurance reform. We look forward to a lively presentation from a principled and spirited leader."

The Humphrey Day Dinner will be held on May 8th at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Michel and Downey back Emmer

Posted at 4:34 PM on March 15, 2010 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor

GOP state Sen. Geoff Michel and GOP state Rep. Keith Downey announced today that they're backing Republican Tom Emmer's bid for governor.

"Tom has a strong and appealing message for suburban voters who are focused on deficits and the economy," said Michel. "Beyond that, I believe the Emmer campaign can pull together a broad spectrum of Minnesotans, from Republicans to Independents and conservative Democrats, to focus on fundamentally reforming state government and making Minnesota an attractive place to raise a family and create jobs."

"I am pleased to endorse Tom Emmer for Governor," said Rep. Downey. "As a new legislator and non-career politician, I have always appreciated Tom's straightforward approach. Minnesotans are looking for someone they can trust to say what he believes and do what he says - Tom is that person. Tom's commitment to common-sense deficit reduction and economic recovery through the private sector is exactly what Minnesota needs right now. We know he will focus on our priorities."

The Emmer campaign says 26 current state lawmakers and Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau are backing Emmer's campaign. Emmer is in a dogfight with Marty Seifert to win the GOP endorsement for governor. Both say they'll drop out of the race if they don't win party backing.