I’ve had this thing for about 12 hours now and I can tell you 1 thing: you can pry my iPhone from my cold dead hands.
In other news, I’m in Montana through the 4th so you’re stuck with Zack and Sean in the meantime… I feel your pain.
Archive for June, 2007
MN Publius has found another example of Norm Coleman declining…
“Coleman’s approval rating has declined each month this year while Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s numbers have remained somewhat steady.â€
Source: “Dispatches.†Brady Averill, Star Tribune. April 25, 2007.
MN Publius is breaking the exclusive story. Norm Coleman is clearly avoiding the local press because he refuses to answer every single question they ask. Declining to comment on certain questions is an obvious sign that Coleman has no respect for the local media. MN Publius has found several examples of Coleman’s complete disregard for local media outlets.
“Should he win the Democratic primary in Minnesota, Franken would take on Republican Norm Coleman, a first-term senator who is among the Democrats’ top targets. Coleman declined to comment Wednesday.â€
Source: “Franken to run for Senate in Minnesota.†Frederic J. Frommer, AP. February 1, 2007.
“Coleman declined to comment. His campaign manager said the senator has demonstrated leadership and that the time for campaigning will come after the Democrats have settled on a candidate.â€
Source: “Franken in bid to unseat Sen. Coleman.†Mark Zdechlik, MPR. February 14, 2007.
“”Joe’s been a friend,” said Coleman campaign spokesman Cullen Sheehan, who declined to comment further because Repya hasn’t yet entered the race.â€
Source: “Joe Repya May Oppose Senator Coleman.†Conrad deFiebre, Star Tribune. June 14, 2007.
“Agre said that Coleman “went from being a mainstream Democrat to far to the right. Coleman’s support for the war in Iraq has contributed to the problems we’re now facing.” Agre said he’d like to see a phased withdrawal from Iraq.
Coleman’s campaign declined to comment.â€
Source: “Nobel-winning scientist mulls Senate race in Minnesota.†Frederic J. Frommer, AP. May 18, 2007.
What is Norm hiding???
When Al Franken announced his first set of legislative endorsements a few weeks back, I noted that the list lacked anyone from the Iron Range and a veteran suburban member.
Well, he crossed both of those of his “To Do” list today. Al announced the support of seven more state legislators, including Rep. Tom Anzelc (DFL-Balsaam Township) and Rep. Nora Slawik (DFL-Maplewood). Anzelc is a ranger, Slawik a five-term suburbanite with some tough races behind her.
I am impressed with this list. I will add to this post later…
UPDATE: I just wanted to say a bit more about some of these legislators.
* Rep. Anzelc is one of my favorite members of the Minnesota House. He is not just a good representative for his constituents, he is also a very good person.
* I was impressed with the several suburban legislators on the list. I already mentioned Rep. Slawick, but Rep. Shelley Madore represents Apple Valley and Sen. Dan Larson represents Bloomington. The fact that these members are want to share a ballot with Al speaks volumes.
Well… umm… the subject says it all.
The special election for Steve Sviggum’s seat will be August 7th. A Primary Election, if necessary will be held July 24th. The AP has it here.
Three candidates have already declared their intentions to run for the seat, Republicans Jennifer Berquam of Wanamingo and Steve Drazkowski of Wabasha, as well as Democrat Jeffrey Flaten of Kenyon, who unsuccessfully challenged Sviggum twice.
We’ll keep you up to date as we work on getting one seat closer to a super-majority in the House.
MNPublius endorsed Representative Jeremy Kalin is taking the Minnesota Food Stamp Challenge, and he’s blogging about it at their website (it’s also crossposted at, his own blog, and at Minnesota Campaign Report), the food stamp challenge is when Minnesotans try to live off of approximately three dollars a day in food.
While I’m sure this would be an opportune time to point out that of all of the legislators who are taking this challenge; Representative Kalin, Representative Hosch, Representative Murphy, Representative Madore, Representative Norton, and Senator Lourey, are DFL’ers, I’ll leave that alone for now.
Representative Kalin details the joys of shopping on 21$ a week.
I shopped at the Cub Foods in Cambridge, on my way home. Unfortunately, I was quite hungry at this point - not a good idea with a very limited budget. At first, I had an easy time putting together a full basket: Romaine lettuce @ 1.29, white bread @ 1.69, rice @ 1.13 and beans @ .97, tortillas @ .99… Protein. Carbs. Greens. Good to go for several meals, at just over 6 bucks…
I added 21 oz. of spaghetti noodles for 1.00, and generic sauce for 1.59. Some peas and corn in a can for a total of .88 and I had a heavy basket for about 10 bucks. On to some meat-y protein. I grabbed two cans of tuna for 98 cents and a pound of ground beef for 2.50 (a splurge, I know, but I need real meat during these 5 days)…
I got to the register, and found myself about 65 cents over budget. I handed back the fresh lettuce. I now regret it. The fresh lettuce would go so much farther for taste and crispness than would the canned corn and peas. Bad move.
Now, what does all of this have to do with Minnesota? (I’m trying to bring this full circle, more than just saying “Oh, look, here’s a Minnesota legislator doing something!”) Not many people know this, but the annual budget for food stamps is almost wholly contained in the Ag bill winding its way through committee. And who is on that committee? Why Tim Walz is! And Colin Peterson is the Chair of the Committee!
Contact Reps. Walz and Peterson here, and tell them that they should help America’s farmers help America’s poor by increasing the Food Stamp subsidy.
And finally, just to bring even more back on home, the permanent Food Stamp program was the work of Hubert Humphrey and Orville Freeman (former Governor of Minnesota and influential Secretary of Agriculture under Kennedy, father of Mike, and considered by many to be Humphrey’s capo) and a Congresswoman from Missouri in 1964. This concludes your history lesson for the day.
Fact 1: Minnesota’s gas tax has not been raised since 1988. Every other state in the union has raised their gas tax since that time.
Fact 2: Minnesota ranks 49th in urban congestion. Every other state in the union (except California) has less congested urban roads.
Coincidence?
Our urban roads are more congested than those in Illinois, New Jersey and New York. Pathetic.
Matt adds: Governor Pawlenty has consistently failed to allocate real, additional funding to the transportation budget. This past session the DFL legislature desperately tried to procure more funding for transportation but Tim Pawlenty refused to allow any new funding that wasn’t put on the credit card. Is it any wonder that things go to pot when you don’t invest in them?
So, how then can they make the following statement: “declined to comment Wednesday on Franken’s alleged use.” In the paragraph just prior to that they quoted Al Franken admitting to drug use when he was young and no where in the article is there any new information about his drug use.
From the Star Tribune:
WASHINGTON - An open letter by a marijuana activist sparked a flurry of attention Wednesday about which candidates for Minnesota’s U.S. Senate seat experimented with illegal substances in the past.Norm Kent, a former classmate of U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman at Hofstra University, posted a letter on a marijuana Web site about Coleman’s marijuana use in the 1960s. Kent, whom Coleman defeated in a student government race at the university, recalled an instance when the New York-born Coleman stood atop a building during a protest and smoked marijuana.
Do I care that Coleman rabidly used drugs in college? Not particularly, it’s just the hypocrisy of it all that gets to me.
If he was this deeply into the counter-culture of his generation, I think someone should ask Senator Coleman if his drug abuse began and ended with marijuana.
I could write for pages on how important the writ of Habeas Corpus is and how disgracefully dark a time it is in American history when we could even think about subverting it. It is one of the only rights explicitly guarded in the body of the constitution. Not only is it a fundamental cornerstone of our democracy but it is also the foundation of individual rights. See, there I go.
The bottom line is that incredibly dim-witted Congressmen and women more or less did away with Habeas last year (AGGHHHH!!!) but now there’s a bill to restore it. Please call Senators Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman and ask them to co-sponsor Leahy and Spector’s bill. This may sound melodramatic, but it’s absolutely true: our democracy hangs in the balance.
Amy Klobuchar: 1-202-224-3244
Norm Coleman: 1-202-224-5641
Or call any of these toll free numbers and ask for either Amy Klobuchar or Norm Coleman:
1 (800) 828 - 0498
1 (800) 459 - 1887
1 (800) 614 - 2803
1 (866) 340 - 9281
1 (866) 338 - 1015
1 (877) 851 - 6437
Also, while you have him on the phone, you should ask Coleman about his pot-smoking days–he’ll like that.
Having seen this man speak live a couple times I can honestly tell everyone that this is an event you do not want to miss. U.S. Senator Barack Obama will be in Minnesota this Friday (the 29th) at International Market Square to kick-off his campaign in Minnesota. Here are the vitals:
Friday, June 29th
Doors open at 5:30pm
International Market Square
275 Market Street, Minneapolis, MN
Ticket required and must be pre-purchased
$15 for students and seniors; $25 for everyone else
Get yours here.
In this mornings NYT a poll made my heart flutter.
New Poll Finds That Young Americans Are Leaning Left
Libruls, the whole lot of ‘em.
Click below the fold for the good news.
Everyone is familiar with Norm’s history as a rabble-rousing, long-haired hippie who led protests and said things like:
“these conservative kids don’t fuck or get high like we do (purity, you know)… Already the cries of motherhood, apple pie, and Jim Buckley reverberate thorough the halls of the Student Center. Everyone watch out, the 1950s bobby-sox generation is about to take over.”
As such, it should surprise no one that Norm engaged in a bit of recreational drug use back in the good old days. Some of his former fellow tokesters, however, are less than pleased with Norm’s current position on the legal status of his past hobby and one, Norm Kent, wrote him a letter about it.
Years ago, in a lifetime far away, you did not oppose the legalization of marijuana. Years ago, in our dorm rooms at Hofstra University, you, me, Billy, your future brother-in-law, Ivan, Jonathan, Peter, Janet, Nancy and a wealth of other students smoked dope.
Sure, we had to tape the doors shut, burn incense and open the windows, but we got high, and yet we grew up okay, without the help of the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s advice.
It goes on…
We smoked pot when we took over Weller Hall to protest administrative abuses of students’ rights.
You smoked pot as you stood on the roof of the University Senate protesting faculty exclusivity. As the President of the Student Senate in 1969, you condemned the raid by Nassau County police on our dormitories, busting scores of students for pot possession.
And on…
How about admitting that if the Rockefeller drug laws were applied to Norman Bruce Coleman on Long Island in 1968, or to me, or to our friends, and fellow students, you, I and others we knew and loved might just be getting out of jail now? How about recognizing that for too long too many have been wrongly arrested, unjustly prosecuted and illegally incarcerated for unconscionable periods of time?
And on…
How about standing up and saying:
“I, Norm Coleman, smoked pot in 1969.”
You can read the full letter here. Roll Call ran a story on Mr. Kent’s letter, you can read that here (subscription required).
Between the Taxpayer’s League, the Family Research Council, and the Center for the American Experiment, Minnesota has its fair share of conservative think tanks. Those who are well versed in the mechanics of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy know the value of a good think tank - they foster talent and push issues year round. Starting today, Minnesota liberals have a think tank of their own: Minnesota 2020.
So, what exactly will Minnesota 2020 do? See for yourself…
I assume that if you follow politics enough to find your way to our blog that you’ve already heard about and been reading the Washington Post’s series on Dick Cheney, but just in case you haven’t, here’s a reminder.
Read these! (and, no, I didn’t get paid to pimp them this hard):
Dick Cheney is the most influential and powerful man ever to hold the office of vice president. This series examines Cheney’s largely hidden and little-understood role in crafting policies for the War on Terror, the economy and the environment.Sunday: Part 1
Working in the Background
A master of bureaucracy and detail, Cheney exerts most of his influence out of public view.Monday: Part 2
Wars and Interrogations
Convinced that the “war on terror” required “robust interrogations” of captured suspects, Dick Cheney pressed the Bush administration to carve out exceptions to the Geneva Conventions.
Sidebar: Cheney on Presidential PowerTuesday: Part 3
Dominating Budget Decisions
Working behind the scenes, Dick Cheney has made himself the dominant voice on tax and spending policy, outmaneuvering rivals for the president’s ear.
Sidebar: Expanding Authority for No. 2 Spot
Sidebar: Taking on the Supreme Court CaseWednesday: Part 4
Environmental Policy
Dick Cheney steered some of the Bush administration’s most important environmental decisions — easing air pollution controls, opening public parks to snowmobiles and diverting river water from threatened salmon.
People are Shouting