Primary dates and “whine and waste” Republicans

Last legislative session, DFLers proposed a law to move the Primary Election date from September to August.  Republicans opposed the bill because they couldn’t attach an amendment to the bill that required voters present a photo ID before they vote.  I’m sure Tom Emmers whined a lot during the debate on that bill.  The bill passed with voting divided along party lines.  Gov.  Pawlenty promptly vetoed the bill because “it had no Republican support.”

This legislative season, the bill will be proposed again.  It won’t be proposed because the DFL just wants to try again.  It will be proposed again because Minnesota needs to comply with a new federal requirement that a certain time window be allowed to ensure people who want to vote with absentee ballots, mainly soldiers in the field of battle, have the ability to vote. 

(I am going to make a snarky comment here:  Once again the Democrats are making it easier and encouraging more people to vote.  I have an old post about my feelings on photo ID voting.)

So now, the legislature has to spend more time on an issue that should already be resolved because of a whiney partisan argument by a party that relishes opposition more than solutions. 

It is a waste of time and money.  The “tax and spend” mantra is still recited on the right.  I would like to propose “whine and waste” be used to describe republican legislators.

Dan Powers challenges John Kline in the 2nd District. Who is he?

If you are reading this, it is because of one of two reasons.  One, you are a regular reader at MNDem.com, or two, and probably more likely, you are interested in finding out a little about Dan Powers. 

I know there is an interest in Dan Powers.  My blog tracks searches that people use to access MNDem.com.  There have been several recent web hits that were the result of searches for Dan Powers. Unfortunately, the only two posts that mention Dan Powers are old meeting notices.  A quick search on the internet doesn’t bring up much either.  Even his website is just a single page with little information right now.  With the lack of information out there, and people looking, is this a lost opportunity on Dan’s part for people to find out who he is?

In an era of practically perennial campaigns, I think Dan is missing out every day he isn’t out there for the casually interested person to get information.  In Dan’s defense, he is not yet an officially declared candidate.  But within the Party, he has been running for months.  He even explored a candidacy in 2008.

Dan will officially announce his campaign to defeat John Kline on November 17.  He expects to have a “robust” website completed in the next week or so, which should provide more information.  But what he needs are more objective stories, issue stories and character stories out on the internet for people to find.

So what’s with Dan?  Who is he?  I’ve met Dan a few times at local DFL meetings.  He is a nice friendly guy who smiles a lot.  According to Dan’s old website which isn’t up anymore, Dan Powers is a husband and a father to three, two stepsons and a daughter.  He attended the U of M studying aerospace engineering, received a commercial pilot’s license and has worked in construction for over 20 years as a contractor and business owner.

In terms of what he supports, he is a supporter of investing in energy independence, infrastructure, healthcare and education.  Those are all good, strong DFL values.  But what is Dan Powers going to do to defeat John Kline that is different from what Steve Sarvi, Colleen Rowley and Theresa Daly did?

Powers plans to concentrate on issues important to people, something John Kline is not particularly strong on.  John Kline tends to care about GOP issues, which are not always issues that affect middle class residents in the 2nd District.  Dan plans to really work on the voters who vote out of name recognition, rather than considering how ineffective John Kline has been for the 2nd District. 

Dan also plans to use Kline’s lack of presence in the district to his advantage.  He is committing to meeting with the constituents on a regular basis once he is elected.  Dan Powers wants to represent the 2nd Congressional District.  I’ve said before that John Kline is no representative.  He might be a Congressman, but he is no representative of the 2nd District.

Dan is also confident that recent history is on his side.  While Kline has won the last few elections, several state seats in the district have been gained on the DFL side.  People are realizing more and more that the DFL is working hard to make our communities better, while the GOP concentrates on buzzwords, negativity and self interest.

Dan is upbeat, but it is going to be a difficult road for him.  It doesn’t appear there are going to be any other DFL challengers, but right off the bat I see two big financial challenges that Dan is going to have to overcome.  The first is money in the bank.  It is never easy to raise money.  It is even harder when so many people are worried about their own finances.  The second challenge will be the fact that fewer national resources will be invested to challenge Kline in what is considered a safe republican district. 

There are obviously other challenges, but it is important to support Dan Powers if you want to rid the 2nd District of a Congressman who ignores the needs of his constituents.  I think 2008 proved that money will be the biggest factor in the fight to defeat John Kline.  We can work to prevent that.

The Most Important Election in 2010

2010 is a big election year.  True, there is not a presidential vote, and without a senatorial election, turnout will be lower and the big media will likely ignore most of the state’s campaigns.  But for the DFL, 2010 is huge.  And I mean HUGE in the way Darrell Hammond playing Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live says “huge.”

Obviously, the headline grabbing election will be the governor’s office.  I expect a DFL governor to be elected.  Of course I am a Vikings fan, so I always maintain a sense of impending doom in these situations.  But also, the 2010 elected legislature will deal with redistricting while trying the wrangle in the billions of dollars needed to keep the state running.

As important as those votes are, we can’t forget about the other three constitutional officers.  2010 is an election year for Secretary of State, Attorney General and State Auditor.  The GOP has already begun general campaigns against Lori Swanson and Mark Ritchie.  I’m not sure there are any declared candidates running against Lori Swanson, but so far Mark Ritchie looks to have a challenger.  Dan Severson, State Representative from Sauk Rapids. 

Severson filed his campaign registration earlier this month.  I admit I don’t know much about Dan Severson.  There is a disturbing post I read about his previous website on a progressive blog, but all I know about him is he is for No Child Left Behind and against Stem Cell Research.  That is enough for me to see he lacks common sense. 

I’m not sure what qualifies him to be Secretary of State, but I do know I do not want Mark Ritchie to lose.  I believe Mark Ritchie has returned the honesty and integrity to the Secretary of State’s office that Minnesota has lacked since Joan Growe stepped down.

As important as the Governor’s race seems to be, the most important race is to protect the voting integrity of our state, and Mark Ritchie will do that.

2010 MN DFL Governor’s Poll III (along with a question…)

I’ve been talking to a few people about qualities people look for when trying to rank candidates who have the same political ideology when it comes to issues. I am talking about attributes like authenticity, charisma, experience and toughness to name just a few.

Along with some help, I am going to give a one through ten ranking of the candidates in at least 12 non-issue categories. I say “at least 12” because I welcome your opinion of what non-issue important qualities or attributes you look at. Some will be more subjective than others, and everything about it is completely unscientific.

So, to continue the unscientific-ness of this experiment, I think it is time for another poll. As I have said before web polls like this tend to be more of a demonstration of organization than a truly meaningful anything. I am just curious to see what happens, and how it will correspond to the rankings.

And don’t forget, leave a comment or email me with non-issue attributes you like in a candidate.

MNDem.com Poll III Results

Please read results note below.

Entenza – 1542
Rukavina – 968
Kelliher – 935
Thissen – 736
Marty – 304
Bakk – 175
Gaertner – 114
Dayton – 101
Rybak – 99
Kelley – 87

Results Note:
Please keep in mind, despite my attempt to limit voting to one vote, it was much easier to vote more than once than I thought it would be.  If I do a future poll, I will correct that.

I am going to reiterate, this is simply for fun.  There is no scientific value to this poll.  There is no reason to interpret the results.  I was initially interested in how social media would be used to get word out if getting the word out was important to a campaign.  A huge amount of people came to the website from Facebook.

Each campaign was notified within minutes of the poll’s posting.  The Entenza and Rukavina campaigns were the first to post a facebook link.  Maybe there is a correlation to that and the results?

 

You should be limited to one vote, but check back for results in about a week. The end time all depends on when I have time to end it next weekend. Thanks for voting.

What are Republicans For?

What exactly are Republicans for? I’m not asking it like they don’t deserve to be on the earth. I’m just saying there are a lot of things they are against, but what are they for?

Democrats are for cheaper more efficient health insurance with coverage for the 45 million people without health care coverage. Republicans are against a public option.

Democrats are for a restriction in the release of greenhouse gas emissions using a program called cap and trade, capping the amount of greenhouse gasses being released, and providing businesses that are able to meet the clean air requirements early, the ability to make some money by selling their emission permits. Republicans are against cap and trade because it could harm the economy.

Democrats are for providing services and income when people lose their job or encounter a physical or mental problem that prevents them from living life at an adequate level. Republicans are against welfare.

It’s all perception. A simple word reversal should correct it. What are Democrats against and what are Republicans for?

Democrats are against letting people die because they didn’t get basic or early medical treatment. Republicans are for limiting the type of health insurance coverage an American can have based on the job they have, and for allowing insurance company accountants to decide if a person can be treated for an illness, even if they supposedly have coverage. Republicans are also for letting the people who don’t have insurance go to emergency rooms for basic medical care which we pay for, not the person without coverage.

Democrats are against the release of greenhouse gasses into the environment. Republicans are for the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere so that a CEO can take home a bigger bonus.

Democrats are against poverty. Republicans are for people pulling themselves up by the bootstraps and getting themselves out of the mess they are in, just like all their grandfathers did. Despite the reason they are mired in poverty, it is their own fault.

Summary:
Democrats:
Anti-Premature Death
Anti-Greenhouse Gas
Anti-Poverty

Republicans:
Pro-Accountant Run Healthcare
Pro-Polluted Atmosphere
Pro-Homelessness

Let’s be honest. Republicans are anti-environment, anti-compassion and anti-individual. They are pro-business, pro-business and pro-business.

Which DFL Candidates Connect With Us

Facebook and Twitter are important tools for candidates.  It surprises me that a couple of the candidates for governor are not utilizing the medium well, or at all.  Statewide campaigns end up being big machines, and the social networking sites are a great tool to either provide information or plan meetings.  The social network sites can even create mini-campaign machines for individuals to bundle information from the candidates they support to distribute to their friends.

While Facebook and Twitter seem to be a great tools for candidate’s information, I contend that the personal notes that can be posted have an effect in making a candidate more human, and less politician. 

If everything is campaign, campaign, campaign, people tune out.  But throw in a little personal note that normal people can relate to, and the candidate has made a connection.  Make a few connections and you have a chance to lasso a committed delegate.  That’s the current goal right now right, to have delegates going into the local conventions, making the pitch and working the walking caucus. 

Connections and friendship are what get people to work for a candidate, and feel that sense of required attendance at the caucus and conventions.  Facebook is such an easy way to do it.  Mark Dayton has made comments about his sons, grandfather and a family that adopted a few Russian kids recently.  Yes, it is all campaigning, but it isn’t pure propaganda, it’s personal.  And just think how impressed some people would be if a candidate commented on their post.

Of course I realize some candidates have people posting for them, I didn’t say we still need to trust them, I’m just saying it creates connection.  So what would connect us today?  Something interesting has happened over the last couple of days.  There have been many posts on Facebook about the Twins, the Vikings and Brett Favre, and to a lesser extent the Wild and Gophers.  Sorry Timberwolves fans, zero.  Anyway, people I don’t recall posting about sports have posted about those subjects, and it is the amount of sports related posts that made me think about the candidates and social networking.

I was curious which candidates were posting about these events of unimportance that seem to be important to so many of us.  I knew Mark Dayton and R.T. Rybak had posted sports related post what about the rest of the candidates? 

I looked at the post from the beginning of the month until just after the Twins win tonight.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher
Nothing

Tom Bakk
“is pretty impressed with the stretch of Minnesota sports going on right now . . . Gophers, Twin, Vikings, Wild, and the TC Marathon. Rock on, MN.”

Chris Coleman
TC Marathon comment on Twitter

Mark Dayton
“Celebrating now! VIKINGS 30- Packers 23. 4th Quarter a little “too close for comfort.” Sidney Rice is an all-pro on-sides kick catcher!” Twitter
“VIKINGS 14-Packers 7, 2nd Q. Too early to celebrate, but #4 can still throw the ball!!!” Twitter
“CONGRATULATIONS, Twins, for your sweep of KC, & GOOD LUCK in Tuesday’s game against Detroit. Baseball at the Dome lives! AND GO VIKINGS!” Twitter

Matt Entenza
Nothing

Steve Kelley
I don’t think he Tweets, and I am not friends on Facebook yet.

John Marty
“…enjoyed watching the Vikings win last night.” Facebook (by the way, that is so vanilla)

Tom Rukavina
“Brett Favre continues to show how much better he is for MN than T-Paw! Go Vikes!!” Twitter

R.T. Rybak
“Next up from the sports capitol of the world: Thunderdome, Part II. Go Twins!” Twitter
“Why do otherwise high-functioning people turn into Cheeseheads during Packer week? Clearly, a breach of border security.” Twitter

Paul Thissen
“Great Donkey Chili in Pine County – listening to Twins win and Metrodome memories on the way up & back to boot.” Twitter

Nothing really big, no earth shattering news or enlightenment, I’m just pointing out an example of a missed opportunity to connect.

Kline’s Pay For Performance A Joke?

I know I haven’t been writing recently, but I posted this on Twitter during lunch today:

Rep Kline introduces teacher pay for performance. Maybe we should start CD2 representation pay for performance. Kline CD2 perf = zero pay…

What does John Kline do for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District?  Dakota County is in danger of losing out on $22.5 million in federal funding to ease rush hour congestion and Kline is against earmarks.

We know how much Kline hates earmarks.  He and his staff continually say he can’t ask for earmarks unless the current system of earmarks is fixed.

Well John Kline, what are you doing to fix it?

And yet, John Kline is so concerned (really read a lot of sarcasm in that word, I’m talking Steve Martin sarcasm) about “protecting” our money, that he introduced a bill to waste our money.  Kline introduced a teacher pay for performance bill.  It sounds like such a great idea, but how do we judge teacher performance on a national level?  Will it be how kids do on a test?  And that test will be a national test that will test everybody equally, right? 

So we start teaching even more to a test than we already do instead of teaching kids to think critically.  We teach them to be robots instead of teaching them to be contributing productive members of society.

This is a quote from John Fitzgerald at Minnesota 2020:

“Let’s get this straight: There is no entirely accurate way to judge teacher performance. Therefore, plans to base teacher pay on any perceived “performance” is nothing more than a political sideshow that panders to those ignorant of the situation.”

So John Kline is against money for earmarks that benefit the people of his district with jobs and a better quality of life, but he is for money to be wasted creating more bureaucracy for schools and teachers.  I often suspect Kline is more interested in proving government won’t work, than trying to make it work.

It is tough being a Republican, just ask them

It is going to be tough for me to keep up over the next few months.  I will be super busy with school, church, kid’s football and hockey.  Of course I am sure I will throw a post up here and there when I get worked up over a moronic comment made by somebody on the right.  For instance…
 
I listened to Michelle Malkin being interviewed about her views on health industry reforms.  She was asked about how she came to hold her views.  Malkin talked about being shunned at the “extremely liberal” university she attended because her opinions didn’t mesh with the other minority students.  She went on to say she has experienced “liberal intolerance first hand,” and has “experienced all the ad hominem attacks that conservatives in public life are subject to now.”
 
What a whiner.  She is speaking as if conservatives are some sort of a persecuted group.  It’s like white males asking for more rights.  No wonder the far right likes her so much.
 
Of course millions of people listened to the interview, and just a small percent who believe her affect the outcome of health care reform.   It bugs me that a little misinformation here and a lie there convert a few people.  Then another lie and a little more misinformation is spread just trying to make something stick.  If one in 100 people believe it and it keeps happening over and over, pretty soon you have a 5 or 10% change in opinion, all based on a dozen lies or misinformation pieces.
 
And how is it that people who lie, and are proven liars, can continue to build a base of followers simply because they oppose the left.  I will never understand that.  I wouldn’t defend a liar simply because they had the same political views as me.  Blogs and one-sided media with agendas that supersede the common good are propagating a conspiracy theory mentality in the United States that isn’t going to go away.
 
This is a prime example of what is happening with an irrational distrust of the other political party.  The House of Representatives State Fair Poll Results came out last week.  The third question asked was:

When a person registers for a driver’s license or state identification card, should they automatically be registered to vote?
Yes
51%
(4,438)
 
No
43.3%
(3,775)
Undecided/No Opinion
5.8%
(502)
 
Why shouldn’t they be registered to vote?  Can anybody give me a valid reason why people should not be registered to vote?  I really don’t know.  We are free citizens of the United States, and have the right to vote.  Why do we need to fill out a card separately to say “yes I want to vote”?
 
My guess is that hard-core Republicans made up most of that 43% who said “no.”  So why are they so hooked on these issues that don’t contribute to the common good?  Really, who are the constituents of the Republican elected officials?  It is not individuals who voted no to question 3.  It isn’t you and me.  Their constituencies are corporations.  Big pharma, big ag, big banks, big oil, big insurance, and the good ole’ military industrial complex .  While they are in office, Republicans spend as much as they can to make their constituency rich.  Then, when they lose they turn around and tell everybody that Republicans don’t spend like the “tax and spend” Democrats.  I guess they are right.  The Dems spend to make the public a better place.  Republicans spend to make CEO’s rich so they give more money to the GOP. 
 
I think you can compare the difference between Democrats and Republicans on issues like health care by using an example of this story paraphrased from Mike Yankoski, a college student who lived on the streets to see how we responds to the homeless:
 
A couple of homeless people sitting on the street: We’re on the same level as this little kid in a stroller walking with his family down the street.  The parents ignore the homeless person, but the little kid locks eyes with the homeless person refusing to pretend that they don’t exist.  As adults we pretend that people who do exist don’t.  Kids don’t do that.  Children are curious, but adults don’t know how to engage the homeless…
 
The Republicans ignore individuals with needs. Yeah, sure, they contribute to a charity, a middle man that takes a little cut and provides aid.  But the Democrats are looking the tens of millions of people without proper health care right in the eye and are saying “here, this is to help you.”   Democrats look right into the eye of the problems. Republicans ignore problems.
 
A couple of finishing notes: 
 
Get out and meet the candidates.  The local DFL obviously needs to do a better job of marketing.  I’ve had several people surprised that candidates show up at the CD2 meetings or Senate District meetings.  There is no excuse not to meet each candidate.  They are everywhere.
 
If you have not had a chance to watch the official Margaret Anderson Kelliher announcement video, take a moment to watch.  It is fantastically produced.  A+ for MAK.
 
Finally, I thought the sign at the State Fair Republican booth was hilarious:

 
Yes, they really said “Real Solutions for Real People.”  I know, hilarious.  They only solution Republicans seem to have is to cut taxes.  We know how well that worked on our transportation infrastructure.  People die when Republicans implement their solutions.

Laura Brod lectures the President about health care reform

Laura Brod’s opinion piece in the Pioneer Press is absolutely absurd!

Laura Brod is the partisan, self-righteous representative from New Prague who would run over a grandma on her way to side with the Chamber of Commerce on an issue.  Brod is one in a long line of Republicans who stand for greed over principles, but still she lectures President Obama on gaining the trust of the citizens.  Did I mention it was absurd?

While Laura Brod alone is enough to bother me, there were two specific comments that really drove me nuts.  The first was her comment centered on her criticism that the President didn’t visit Mayo to really “ see the cutting-edge treatments developed there.”  She then went on to say: “Of course, he could have taken time to visit the University of Minnesota – consistently ranked as one of the top hospitals for health outcomes and for efforts related to childhood cancers and autism therapies.”

Is it really a pertinent criticism that he didn’t visit Mayo.  Yeah, he could have visited Mayo, or the University, or he could have visited Duke, the University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins or Northwestern.  All of which are top hospitals in the US.  While Brod included a couple of strong areas for the U of M, 20 years ago, the University of Minnesota was one of the top overall hospitals in the nation.  Now the Medical School which regularly ranked among the Top 10 for decades, is ranked by US News and World Report in 2009 number 35.  A steady decline that seems to coincide with Laura Brod’s party being in charge.  

Funding cut after funding cut, to save taxes for the wealthy.  I have absolutely had it with these people who ignore everything their party did for 20 years, in an attempt justify something today. 

The second thing that made me mad was this comment: “Or, he could have met with the folks at Medtronic to listen to them talk about how his tax proposals will impact their ability to create and retain jobs in Minnesota, or in the United States, for that matter.”

The tax rate was pretty high until the Republican takeover in the 80s.  The top tax rate from the 1960s until Reagan was 70%.  In the 1990s through today, the top rate has dropped to the 35% range.  During that drop, we lost more and more jobs to overseas workers.  Where is the proof that a high tax rate affects jobs?  History would seem to indicate otherwise.  Low tax rates seem to correspond to overseas job loss.  By the way, the top tax rate during the 1950s was 91%.  The economy seemed to be doing pretty well then.  Union membership was high and the economy did well with a high tax rate.  Hmmm…

Laura Brod and the other Republicans attacking this reform by using divisive buzzwords like socialism, nationalization and government bureaucracy would be better served to quit talking about problems and start trying to solve them.

The problem is they don’t want to solve them.  Republicans have never wanted to solve problems.  If we solve real problems, how can the Republicans divide us.  Solving problems is exactly what President Obama is trying to do.  There are tens of millions of people without adequate healthcare, and most of it is not by choice.  There is no reason, health insurance should only be for the well off. 

There is no reform that will impact the economy more than health care reform.  It won’t be a onetime solution either.  We need to solve problems the best we can, and then we need to keep working to solve problems.  There is no excuse that I should pay an exorbitant premium on a shot or an aspirin because hospitals need to cover the cost of care given to other people who can’t afford it.  There is no excuse for me to pay a 20-30% higher premium so an insurance industry can maintain a multi-billion dollar profit structure to ensure the board of director’s stock prices stays high.

As President Obama said:

“The time for bickering is over.  The time for games has passed.  Now is the time for action.  Now is the time to deliver on health care for every American.”

Health Care Reform Meetings – Rally and John Kline Townhall

Major Events This Week

Rally for Health Care Reform

THE NORTHFIELD RALLY HAS BEEN POSTPONED.  Not sure of what the story is. 

 

Town Hall Meeting on Friday with Congressman John Kline.

When: Friday, September 18, 2009 6:30 – 8:00 PM (arrive early!)
Where: Lakeville South High School, 21135 Jacquard Avenue, Lakeville

As this has only happened once before (Kline holding a public town hall meeting), please plan on attending. Bring your family and friends. Show up early. Be polite. Be prepared to ask questions and give testimony regarding health care.

Let’s show Kline that the people he represents deserve and want nothing short of health care reform!