MNDem.com 2010 Minnesota Gubernatorial Poll (2009 Mid-Summer)

Web polls for candidates tend to be more of a demonstration of organization than a truly meaningful anything.  But I love polls and statisitics, so I can’t help myself.

If you had to decide today, which candidate for governor would you choose?

The Poll ends Friday night.

Poll Results (Total votes 405):

Margaret Anderson Kelliher – 170 votes
Paul Thissen – 66 votes
Steve Kelley – 53 votes
Matt Entenza – 31 votes
R.T. Rybak – 20 votes
Susan Gaertner – 19 votes
Mark Dayton – 16 votes
Chris Coleman – 10 votes
John Marty – 7 votes
Another Party’s Candidate – 5 votes
A Different DFLer – 4 votes
Tom Bakk – 2 votes
Tom Rukavina – 2 votes

FYI:

In the previous poll I did a few months ago, the top five finishers in order were Dayton, Marty, Thissen, Somebody Else and Entenza.  In that poll, I did not include Rybak, Coleman, Kelliher or Rukavina.

Mr. Garofalo Goes To South Korea

Farmington Representative Pat Garofalo (36B) spent some time during June in South Korea as part of a tour with the American Council of Young Political Leaders.  In a story in ThisWeek Newspaper, he said, “The amazing thing is when you see South Korea’s success, you see benefits of capitalism, and when you look at the suffering in North Korea, you see the failure of socialism and communism.”

Wait a minute.

Is the socialist system in North Korea really the reason for the suffering, or is it a malicious dictator who thinks the people of North Korea are his pawns?  There are not many truly socialist countries, but Portugal is one.  Do we consider Portugal and North Korea equivalent in failure and suffering?

Perhaps I’m jumping to conclusions with Garofalo, but it seems that so many Republicans blame everything bad in government on government.  All they have to do is whisper the “S” word – socialist – to rile up their base.  Those same politicians don’t look in the mirror to see the real problem.  It’s often not the political/economic theory we use to describe the government system that makes it unworkable.  Rather, it is the people running the government.

Garofalo didn’t mention that the South Korean school system he praised as “a better 21st-century educational system” than we have, is a socialist entity.  Public education in general is socialist, at least by the Republican scare-tactic definition of what socialism is.

He praised a transit system process that uses strips on the road to charge electric cars and buses while they drive.  He didn’t mention that it was developed at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, which is a government-funded institution.  That sounds socialist in every sense of the Republican definition.

The word “socialist” is thrown out by people like Garofalo to scare people.  When did public funding within a democracy become equivalent to socialism?

Here in our own community of Farmington, we have a socialist fire department, a socialist police department, and socialist garbage pick-up.  The clean water comes from a government-run facility, and my son plays hockey at a socialist hockey arena.    If you want to go way out on a limb, you can say our co-op gas company is even communist.

We can define a word based on a political agenda and use it any way we want.  However, we still want all of these “socialist” services, and we don’t want to pay more than we have to. 

It is time to get rid of manipulative politicians with their self-serving political agendas and buzz words.  It’s time to elect people who have the interest of the community, state and country in mind.

Jottings and Questions II

Some random thoughts…

John Kline is apparently troubled by estimates that 30,000 big bank jobs might be lost in the transition from bank-based student loan program to a government direct-lending program.  It is troubling that jobs could be lost in this economy, however, we still need to work on making the future better.  There is no reason that banks should be making risk-free profits on the shoulders of college students who are going to school to contribute to a better society.   Ironically, he is so concerned about health-care reform that he doesn’t have time to give the big bank job losses his full attention.  I guess we know now that the insurance industry gives much larger donations than the banking industry.

Speaking of John Kline, did you hear what he said about publicly funded medical coverage?  “It is cheaper, and designed to save money”, and he admitted “a government run program has very clear advantages.”  But you know how it is.  If it is government it is bad.  And that is why he decided to be part of the government, because he wants to ensure everything is done poorly.

Why are so many people concerned about the health insurance industry?  Where I work, if the tax to provide medical coverage to all Americans was the same percent as FICA, 7.65%, it would save my organization over $300,000.  That is $300,000 more dollars to spend.  In the case of a for profit business of similar size, that is $300,000 in profit, or investment.  Politicians, and republicans especially, who claim they are for small business should be behind this 100%.  I don’t get the disconnect.  Just because it is government run it is bad?  I think they are crazy.

Talk about crazy, I read a blog yesterday from a person currently in the military (I am not going to name the blog because I am a firm believer that even bad publicity is good publicity, but if you are really curious and want to know, email me.)   He supposedly supports the military, but actually asked why we abide by the laws of civilized warfare when dealing with Muslims.  He called the Geneva Conventions and the Laws of Land Warfare niceties of war and wonders why we follow them with those “savages.”  This is the same person who states that in an energy policy debate Sarah Palin could “take on” President Obama (whom he calls The Chosen One) and Nancy Pelosi (whom he calls P-Lousy, you gotta love the respect he has for government officials) “and tear them up without having to even glance at any notes.”  Yes, he really said that… I’m not even sure what my point is.  I think I just get so annoyed by bombastic nuts that think they speak for the majority, and feel it is their duty to yell it out and confront people, when really they speak for a tiny extremist group.  I heard there were some less than civil comments to a couple DFL candidates at a recent parade.  It is that type of person who needs to shut up.  They claim to be better Americans, in fact this blogger says the “left in America continues to belittle American exceptionalism,” and yet they can’t respect America enough to realize a great thing about America is that candidates with differing views are free to express those views, and we can vote for them.

The nuts really love Sarah Palin.  Here is a bumper sticker idea for Sarah Palin I heard about on the radio:
Traditional Values – You Betcha! 
(Less Traditional Dedication)

I hope she runs for president.

While it is a step below president, I am glad there is a candidate in 36A who is willing to take on Mary Liz Holberg.  Colin Lee will be taking on Mary Liz.  It is going to be a real up-hill battle.  In 2008 she trounced both challengers pretty badly.  So far, Colin is the only challenger to step forward.  In 2008, Colin ran as a Green Party Candidate.  He got just under 2000 votes in 2008.  At a recent SD36 meeting, he made a little gaffe when he laughed and made an innocent comment about how he raised more cash than the DFL candidate in 2008.  It might have struck the wrong nerve with some.  On the other hand, I look at it that he has shown he can raise money.  Something that needs to be done, and is really challenging in our area.

Be watching soon, I think in the next week, for a new MNDem.com gubernatorial poll.  I have narrowed down my list, and before I write about it, I want to tie it to a poll that I think the rest of you can help me with.

Paul Thissen at SD36 Potluck

Gubernatorial candidate Paul Thissen spoke at the Senate District 36 potluck and Central/Executive Committee meeting held on Thursday July 17th in Farmington.

So far, I have been in small groups to hear Dayton, Kelley, Marty, Entenza and Gaertner.  So, of the declared candidates, Representative Thissen was the last Metro candidate for me to see.

First impression:  He is taller than I expected.  I am 6’ 3”.  He was as at least as tall as me, probably taller.  It is not the tallness that threw me, Matt Entenza is tall, it was just that it was unexpected from seeing him on TV and in  pictures.  He was taller than expected, but that really doesn’t have much to do with the election… or does it?  In the last 31 presidential elections, the taller person has won 26 of them.  Hmmm…

Paul Thissen is a very good speaker and very engaging.  He looks like a prototypical politician, with his clean cut, grey hair and the collared blue shirt rolled up at the sleeves.  He has an easy manner about him.  He looks comfortable, and seems cool.  I can’t say that about the other candidates.  Just about everyone of them has something awkward about their delivery, or style, or their mannerisms.  But Thissen is just somebody who is easy to pay attention to, and more importantly, I think you feel like you can trust.

Paul Thissen did an interview a while back with Aaron Brown at MinnesotaBrown.com.  Aaron described Paul as “so damn reasonable.”  He seems that way.  I know he is smart.  He is obviously analytical, and the way he structured his responses to questions, he doesn’t just talk off the cuff, he has seriously thought things out, and understands issues.

I said he was smart.  I really liked something that happened at the meeting.  Representative Thissen was talking about his parents taking out a second mortgage to send him to school.  He didn’t mention that school was Harvard.  Most egomaniacal politicians would make sure they pointed that out.  In my mind Harvard is a big deal, but at the same time I hate it when people brag.  I am sure very few people know when he was talking about when he was at college, knew it was Harvard.  And I really liked the fact he didn’t feel like he had to point that out.

I liked Paul.  I am still keeping an open mind, but he sure walks and talks like a candidate I would support.  We’ll see though.  I haven’t seen Bakk yet, and there are three potential big names who could still get in the race within the next few months.  And who knows, maybe Marty Seifert will surprise me… no, he won’t.

CD2 Executive Committee Meeting – July 14, 2009

The Executive Committee Meeting for DFL Congressional District 2 started off a little somberly.  The initial discussion at the Burnhaven Library revolved around the loss of DFL CD2 Associate Chair Ken Beck who passed away the previous week. 

(Link to Ken Beck’s obituary from the Sunday Pioneer Press)

Despite the somber overtones, the work of the DFL continues.  An announcement was made that his position, Associate Chair (Male Position) will need to be filled, as well as the position of State Constitution Alternate (Female Position).  Elections will be held at the September Central Committee meeting.  This is an important election coming up, it is imperative that a DFL governor be elected.  Hard working, committed people need to be elected to fill these positions.  It will take every district organization to work hard to ensure we have a representative in the governor’s mansion who will look out for the future of the people of Minnesota, rather than live by a pledge to a single special interest tax group, or worry about how the national media or national base sees him or her, at the expense of Minnesota.

And speaking of the future, a few local candidates spoke.  Derrick Lindstrom, running for House in 37A told everybody he would take back the seat Tara Mack won in the 2008 election.  Roberta Gibbons, who is running for State Senate in 37 wants to make SD37 permanently blue.  Last, Dan Powers, running for Congress in CD2 spoke on healthcare, energy independence, CO2 and acid rain.  Additionally, he has a parade strategy, he would like to implement.  Powers, Gibbons and Lindstrom are all looking for parade marchers coming up for Leprechaun Days in Rosemount.

The other major news is that to account for the for the September Election of CD2 Associate Chair and State Constitution Alternate, the Executive Committee meeting scheduled for that month has been changed to a Central Committee meeting.

Since I am talking about meetings… DFL Senate District 36 will be holding a potluck in a couple days on Thursday July 16th at the Rambling River Center in downtown Farmington at 6:00 pm.  Rep. Paul Thissen is scheduled to speak during the potluck.  Feel free to come and share in the potluck, get some questions answered by Representative Thissen, and based on the size of our group, I’m guessing you will even have a chance to talk one-on-one with him.  The potluck starts at 6:00, and following Paul’s presentation, the SD36 Central Committee meeting will begin.  People are welcome to come for the potluck, to hear Paul Thissen, just to participate in the meeting, or any combination of the three.  I look forward to seeing you there.

The Burnsville PD (Not Police Department, but Partisan Department)

I like listening to baseball on the radio.  I just wish it wasn’t on KSTP1500.  I got in my car this morning, after having the baseball game on in my car last night, and was exposed to some strange radio show with scary sounding background music, and a man talking in a low, slow voice about, 20% unemployment coming, banks failing, socialism, and ranting about Obama’s nearly police state expanding to martial law where no lover of the constitution has any freedoms.  The simplest thing to say is it was strange.

That was odd, and made me long for the days of turning on the car to a gardening or money show on WCCO.  But that police state comment got me thinking though about a story I read on Daily Kos about a week ago.  It was called “We are not disturbing the peace, we are disturbing the war.”  It is a scary story about the Burnsville Police Department attempting to suppress the right of free speech for a group of peaceful war protestors.”

I was reminded of the story through Dave Mindeman’s posting at the mnpACT! blog and ThisWeek newspaper’s article about it.  I am shocked it isn’t even more talked about.

The story revolves around protesters with a “Honk for Peace” sign.  The Burnsville police apparently, tired of the several year weekly protests, recently threatened legal action against the protesters holding the sign for encouraging an illegal activity, the honking of horns.  

Since there is no law against holding a harmless sign, the police decided to target the occasional motorist who honked.  The Burnsville police began pulling over motorists who support the peace protestors.  A few people who supported the protestors with a simple honk even received tickets!   Unbelievable!

Luckily the ACLU got involved and the Burnsville PD calmed down, but they were seen recently photographing the protests and recording license plate number of protestors.  Why would they be doing that, other than planning some sort of retaliation?  I am not a conspiracy freak, but there is obviously a partisan agenda percolating in the Burnsville police department…

Obama has me feeling a little like Charlie Brown…

I keep telling myself that we are not even six months into Obama’s first term, but I can’t help starting to feel a little like Charlie Brown trying to kick a football. A lot of people on the religious right know the feeling. Bush was elected, there were majorities in the house and senate, and yet the core “family-value” issues republicans seemed to run on, were never really addressed. Instead of the religious right kicking the football, Bush played Lucy and pulled the football away as they were about to score.

I don’t want to be Charlie Brown trying to kick a football. I want the change so many of us voted for. It may only be six months into Obama’s first term, but the time to get the healthcare crisis resolved is ticking away. Do you really think the Democrats can expand their majorities beyond what they are now?

There are 18 months left of this supermajority. Obama and the rest of the Democrats in the house and senate can cater to the right wing, corporations and special interest groups, or they can solve a problem. As much as I like having a progressive supermajority, what is the point of having it if we can’t use it for the issues that a majority of us want resolved? If we can’t do it now, then when will we be able to?

It is time for Obama to take control, and set his legacy now. He ran on change, and now he can make a change. He is going to have to stop being the nice, popular president and take that change we voted for and cram it down the throats to those Democrats standing in the way. Otherwise, on Wednesday November 3rd, 2010, there are going to be a lot of Democrats flying through the air, yelling “AAUGH!” before they land flat on their back and wish they had not trusted Lucy.