Capitol View: September 5, 2012 Archive

Video: Chris Dall pulls back the curtain on the DNC

Posted at 11:45 AM on September 5, 2012 by Michael Olson (2 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2012

Pull back the curtain on the 2012 Democratic National Convention with Daily Circuit senior producer Chris Dall. Today we talk about what's behind Michele Obama's Twitter surge, delegate diversity and division versus unity in the Democratic ranks. I also put your questions to Chris about the news value of the conventions.

Have a question for tomorrow's chat? Send a Tweet to @mprpolitics, or leave a comment in the section below.

Related

The end of @michelleobama's speech drove 28,003 Tweets-per-minute at its peak. @mittromney peaked at 14,289 TPM at #GOP2012.

— Twitter for News (@TwitterForNews) September 5, 2012

(Source Google Politics & Elections)

Anti-abortion Democrats argue for more party inclusion
"'Being pro-life in the Democratic Party can be a lonely place,' former Pennsylvania Representative Kathy Dahlkemper said on Tuesday," Time.

Occupy demonstrators stage DNC sit-in
"A number of protests are being held outside the Democratic National Convention throughout the week. On Tuesday, dozens of Occupy protesters marched through Charlotte before staging a sit-in at an intersection near the convention center," Democracy Now.

Fact checking the opening night of the Democratic convention
"There were some well-worn, Pinocchio-laden statements at the convention in Charlotte," Washington Post.

More good reads from the DNC via MN Today

Klobuchar convention events raise her national profile

Posted at 12:25 PM on September 5, 2012 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: Presidential Race, Campaign 2012: U.S. Senate

CHARLOTTE, N.C. --DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar is in Charlotte this week encouraging delegates to the Democratic National Convention to work hard to re-elect President Obama. Klobuchar is scheduled to visit seven state delegations this week to speak on behalf of Obama.

At an Iowa breakfast gathering this morning, Klobuchar said Obama is best suited to lead the country for another four years. She also said Republican Mitt Romney is not prepared to be president.

"Do we really want to put a guy in the White House who on his first trip as a candidate to London, his first trip internationally?," Klobuchar asked the audience. "Before he even puts two feet on the ground, he puts one foot in his mouth and creates an international incident and pisses off our ally at the Olympics? This just doesn't make sense to me. Do you know what we call that in Minnesota? We call it a Mitt-stake."

Some political bloggers say Klobuchar's speeches before delegates from early primary and caucus states indicate she might be interested in a run for president in 2016. During her Iowa speech, she focused on the Farm Bill, talked about her background and joked about Minnesota's proximity to Iowa.

"I can see Iowa from my front porch," she joked.

After the speech, Klobuchar downplayed any political ambitions, saying she likes her current job.

"It's our neighboring state of Iowa," Klobuchar said in an interview. "I think every Minnesotan has a relative in Iowa or a friend in Iowa. So if you'd ask them what states would Amy speak at, I don't think they surprised that Wisconsin and Iowa would be on the list."

Klobuchar is up for re-election in November against Republican Kurt Bills.

Here is Klobuchar's speech to the Iowa delegates: Listen

Eleven senators, Sviggum to pay fines for violating campaign law

Posted at 1:40 PM on September 5, 2012 by Catharine Richert (5 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2012, Campaign 2012: Minn. Senate Races, State Government

Eleven Republican state senators and a top Senate employee who were involved in printing and handing out fliers at precinct caucuses earlier this year violated state law, according to a ruling from the Office of Administrative Hearings.

The legislators, Senate Leader David Senjem, Al DeKruif, Chris Gerlach, Gretchen Hoffman, Benjamin Kruse, Ted Lillie, Claire Robling, Ray Vandeveer, Pam Wolf, Michelle Fischbach and John Pederson, will each have to pay a $75 fine.

Senate Communications Director Steve Sviggum, who drafted the fliers, will have to pay a $200 fine.

The controversy centers around fliers created for the GOP's precinct caucuses earlier this year and paid for with taxpayer dollars. The materials described some of the Senate's legislative accomplishments, outlined some of the GOP's priorities for the coming legislative session, and criticized Gov. Mark Dayton.

The fliers also included links to the Senate Republican Caucus' political website, which solicits campaign donations.

The Minnesota DFL Party subsequently asked for an investigation.

The Office of Administrative Hearings found that Sviggum and the senators violated state law because the fliers constituted campaign literature, but did not provide any information about who prepared them or how they were paid for.

The Senate Republicans say that the fliers were not campaign material and were not meant to influence the way people vote.

But the three administrative law judges who investigated the matter said that the fliers were not intended for a general audience but rather voters at precinct caucuses, "inherently political events."

"The Legislative Updates were disseminated at the precinct caucuses for the purpose of influencing voting in the coming election and constitute campaign material within the meaning of the statute," the lawyers concluded.

In a written statement, DFL chair Ken Martin said the conclusion comes as no surprise and represents an "escalating pattern of lawlessness that has come to define this Republican legislature."

Here's the entire Office of Administrative Hearings finding:

Office of Admin Findings_GOP Fliers