Category: Minnesota Politics

by Dave Mindeman

It's that time again. Get the hate mail cranked up. It's the end of the year and time for my annual forray into the naughty side... Yes, it's time for:

The top 10 Worst Political Persons in Minnesota.

#10. The 3 Stooges Running for the GOP 1st District Congressional Nomination. (Quist, Hagedorn, and Demmer).

We are just beginning to get reacquainted with these characters, so their full impact is yet to be felt. And, yes, its difficult to pick just one. They just keep trying to one up each other with being the First District's truest conservative. Quist may have the advantage because all he has to do is get the male vote -- the women are subservient and must do what the men tell them. Hagedorn has been so busy erasing blog postings that he has forgotten what he really wants to say. And Demmer is conjuring up "fear" images to scare up his votes. And all of them are desperate to get a Tea Party invite. This isn't to say that other candidates could still emerge, but if this is it, I think we will continue to have a Congressman Walz.

#9. Lynne Torgerson, GOP 5th District Christian candidate for endorsement

Yes, Ms. Torgerson contends that Keith Ellison is "not an appropriate person to have in Congress." But she says her position has "nothing to do with his Islamic faith." OK, then why bring it up? Her answer...."It's because of his behavior, not because of his faith," she says. "People are free to worship any way they want." Which then makes you wonder why this is on her website ..."What do I know of Islam? Well, I know of 911. Nineteen (19) men from Saudi Arabia, all Muslim, hi-jacked planes, and flew into the two (2) World Trade Towers murdering thousands of people, and tried to fly into our Pentagon, and some believe they also tried to fly an airplane into our White House. From this, what I perceive is Islam conducting an act of war against my country." Yea, yea....it's not about his faith, but let's talk about it anyway.... hypothetically. Sheesh. Where do they find these people?

#8. Luke Hellier, ghost blogger at MinnesotaDemocratsExposed.

Ed Kohler finally took Hellier and his "facts" to task on his blog, the Deets, so I will defer to his debunking of Hellier's critique of R.T. Rybak. But this is a pattern with the Hellier version of this blog. When he is not simply regurgitating news posts which he can spin the way he wants, he is just making things up. It begs the question as to whether Hellier even has his own thoughts..... a lot of the posts are simply re-enforced talking points that come from Sutton/Brodkorb news conferences. Such as the "Angry Al" mentions and the Colin Peterson "retirement rumors." I have the feeling that despite the Brodkorb insistence that he has severed his ties with his old blog, Hellier is still asking "how high?" when Brodkorb says "Jump."

#7. Dick Day, current gambling lobbyist.

He should write a book..."The Audacity of Day", because it takes some real cajones to dump your Senate seat and head for the lobbyist pool....and to promote gambling no less. Soon to be former Senator Day has never been one to stick to political convention. But he may single handedly be the topic of legislation to stop this ridiculous revolving door for legislators becoming lobbyists. It was so blatant as to be the perfect example of how easily corrupting this all can be. I don't know if I should be the one to tell Dick this, but I have the feeling the doors to the state Senators may not always be open.

#6. Zygi Wilf, Vikings Owner and aspiring State Welfare recipient

What?, you say. How can the Vikings owner be on a political worsts list? Because Zygi has thrust himself into the political arena...big time. It is astonishing that one so wealthy could come to the public trough and expect a state in a massive budget deficit and struggling to find revenue for the most basic needs, to simply give him whatever he wants. Yet, that is exactly what Mr. Wilf is doing. Hiring expensive lobbyists and conducting his business directly with the Governor, no less, (a Governor who has little time for anybody else, mind you), and angrily rejecting every overture from the Sports Commission; Zygi seems to have determined that the Minnesota Vikings are the most important icon this state has ever known. Hmmm...how big were those Bush tax breaks? and how much have you benefitted from the tenure of "no new taxes" Pawlenty? And you think you are entitled to more?

#5. Tony Sutton/Michael Brodkorb, Chair and Co-Chair of the Minnesota Republican Attack Party

The Brodkorb style of "attack everything" has clearly been adopted as the modus operandi of the state party. And for his part, Sutton has no qualms attacking the financial practices of the Democrats, even though his trail of green bread crumbs is probably worse. I'm not sure how the Minnesota press corps keeps up with the never ending press conference style of this party's leadership. And as the moderate purge continues from Joe Repya to Tom Hagedorn, the pup tent style of the Minnesota GOP will be tested in 2010. Sutton/Brodkorb ignore what's left in their wake and forge ahead with attack guns blazing. From a non-existent retirement of Colin Peterson to a personal Brodkorb vendetta against Sec. of State Mark Ritchie, the negativity continues unabated. Who the Republicans actually have for candidates is sometimes a mystery because they are seldom mentioned.

#4. Katherine Kersten, Star Tribune columnist/moralizer

Again, you say, how can Kersten appear in a political worst list? And the answer is because she can't separate politics from personal beliefs. Kersten's columns are a method of spreading the conservative social issue agenda. To Kersten, liberals are an abomination.... an affront to sacred traditional Christian beliefs. From abortion to health care to gay marriage to ACORN to Flying Immans...everything is mixed up in her world and religious view. And it doesn't matter if the facts don't uphold those beliefs....she always has a Higher Authority. Now, she may be on my Worst Person List, but I hold a minority view that her writings are good for the liberal cause. I feel that her arguments simply point out an inherent bigotry in her biases. She may even help the cause of gay marriage more than she could ever realize, because deep down, most people believe in a sense of fairness above everything else. And that is something Kersten cannot fathom.

#3. John Kline, 2nd District Representative - NOT

I would simply contend that Kline is just not representing the people of the 2nd District. Under the guise of some higher aspiration that he is waging a war on pork barrel spending, Kline has abdicated his job. Examine what he is doing. He sponsors no requests for Federal help to the cities and counties of his district. Does that save any taxes for his constituents? Absolutely not. Federal tax dollars continue to stream out of the 2nd at the same rate as the rest of Minnesota. But instead of seeing some of that money return, all that happens is that OUR money pays for some other district's projects. Kline says that this is a principled stand -- I call it unilateral withdrawal from representing us.

#2. Tim Pawlenty, invisible Governor of Minnesota

Pawlenty has simply ruined Minnesota. It will take at least a decade to dig ourselves out of this hole he has backhoed us into. And then he leaves us in his wake as he projects himself as a national candidate for President. I guess that we, as citizens, are just a bunch of statistics that he can manipulate as he convinces the right wing of his party that he can be tough enough to control spending..... politics ahead of people. We still have to endure one more legislative session where he dumps people off the health care roles and chalks it up to cutting bloated programs. One more round of chopping education, claiming there is no accountability in schools. And then he will dump the real responsibility onto property tax payers as he raids the coffers of LGA once more. Minnesota will soon be someone else's problem. And right now, someone else, anyone else, is the better option.

#1. Michele Bachmann, spokesperson for the Tea Party, the Survivalists, Death Panels, and marginally a Representative for the 6th District of Minnesota.

This may seem like an easy choice, but Bachmann, quite frankly, hasn't had as big an impact on Minnesota as our invisible governor. But she has to be considered in a larger context. She is speaking for a sometimes cohesive group. And they think they speak for America. In fact, they insist that they speak for America. Recent elections not with standing, Bachmann, and the people she inspires, see themselves as the true majority. And they see a country where the government is not a partner but the enemy. Where people who disagree with them are not just in opposition, they are unAmerican. Where social issues are not an individual decision, but the very foundation for the law of the land. And ironically, the same rules they would impose on us, do not apply to themselves. "Get your government hands off my Medicare," they cry. Bachmann moralizes about the dangers of socialsim, yet has no qualms about farm subsidy payments for her own family. And we have the freedom to practice our religion....as long as it is Christian. The reach of Michele Bachmann is growing. She may outgrow being the worst political person in Minnesota....she may already be the Worst Political Person in the United States.

Here's to 2010. Happy New Year!

Category: Minnesota Politics

by Dave Mindeman

Well, it soon will be time for the annual Top 10 Worst Political Persons in Minnesota, so we will preface it with today's Top 10 Best Political Persons of 2009.

#10. Norm Coleman. I realize this may seem a little strange but in spite of dragging the US Senate race out as far as he did, he could have dragged it out farther. He accepted the Minnesota Supreme Court decision and graciously conceded. In addition, Coleman did one other thing that had a positive effect. He kept quiet. He didn't criticize every thing Franken did as he took over his old Senate seat. He gave Franken a chance to establish himself...to get used to his new job without any outside critiques from his predecessor. Coleman has done plenty of things in the past that deserve criticism, but he did Minnesota a favor with his post-election trial actions.

#9. Tim Walz, First District Representative. Rep. Tim Walz could have cemented his Blue Dog credentials in a controversial legislative year...but he didn't. He took the Health Care issue head on and supported the House version as well as tackling the Town Hall forums head on and with a lot of class. He was an articulate spokesman for several middle ground issues and was a prime example of what a representative can do for his district. Walz continues to gain respect from Minnesotans regardless of ideology.

#8. Tom Hanson, Budget Commissioner. Although his boss is Governor Tim Pawlenty, Hanson has gained a pretty solid reputation as a straight shooter on budget matters. He will occassionally slant things into a pro-administration way, but he has been generally honest about what is needed to keep the state moving. He has taken his share of heat and criticism from the legislature, but seems to understand where they and he stand. Too bad his boss can't emulate that.

#7. Mark Ritchie, Sec. of State. Ritchie had no choice but to tackle the Franken-Coleman recount head on. It was a certainty that he would get criticism from the Republicans....and he did. But he stuck to the legal aspects of what the law required him to do. He made some wise choices on who would participate and tried to avoid the political back and forth that others tried to drag him into. Few Secetaries of State have found themselves in such a controversial situation.....only Katherine Harris of Florida had anything close to this. She handled it badly.... Ritchie handled it well.

#6. Arnie Carlson, Former Governor. As our budget problems continue to worsen, Carlson has often volunteered his opinions and experience. Sometimes to the consternation of the current Governor, but they have been a valuable addition to the debate. He could have stayed completely away from it and thus avoided criticism from his own party. But he obviously cares deeply about the future of Minnesota. I hope he continues to share his insights.

#5. Keith Ellison, 5th District Representative. When other Democrats cowered and looked for excuses, Keith Ellison has been front and center regarding a progressive agenda in Congress. It may be a little easier for him considering who he is representing, but he could have simply voted his district and not joined the greater debate. Ellison, however, relishes the debate and has been a powerful voice in keeping the change agenda moving....even if our President is a bit tentative himself.

#4. The 3 Judge Panel for the Franken-Coleman Election Trial. I doubt that this legal triumverate would want to be named in any political list, but the fact that they avoided politics is precisely why they did their jobs so well. Judges Denise Reilly, Elizabeth Hayden and Kurt Marben may have already been forgotten by name, but what they did was very important for Minnesota election law. They stuck to the narrow course of deciding the case on purely legal grounds. They gave legal validity to a very political situaion. That is difficult under any circumstances but with the US Senate breathing down their necks on every word, life can get very complicated.

#3. MN Supreme Court. They took their time. They did it right. The final ruling in the Franken-Coleman trial left little doubt about the legality of the case. It gave Coleman the chance to bow out graciously and it gave Al Franken the ability to claim a full and complete win. The decision was unanimous, legally sound, and unequivocal. Minnesota needed that. Politics was left out of the matter, even though most of the Supreme Court had been Republican Governor appointments. It was a fine moment for this court and a calming moment for the State of Minnesota.

#2. Al Franken, US Senator, Minnesota. Sensing a theme here? Al Franken is this high on the list for more than coming out on top in a close election. This is for the professional way he has handled his job. He has been heavily involved in the health care debate....and he has shown that he is not going to be intimidated as a freshman member. It is a breath of fresh air to see a Democrat with a little backbone these days. And even though the Republicans will bring up their "Angry Al" critique ad nauseum, his flashes of displeasure have always been appropriate to the moment. Minnesota needs that.....we all need that. Franken has exceeded everyone's expectations and I see a long and favorable future for our junior Senator.

#1. The Uptake. Now, we would not be getting nearly so clear a picture of the Franken-Coleman trial, or anything else on any newsworthy event in Minnesota, and beyond, if not for the growth of The Uptake. This low budget citizen journalism operation is a model for bringing transparency to politics. They still get resistance from Republicans suspicious of their motives, but it is a little hard to charge bias to a group that offers full and complete live coverage of an event. Everybody at The Uptake deserves our thanks, admiration, and monetary support. As they grow into more national recognition, we can be proud that they started here in Minnesota.

Get ready, tomorrow is the top 10 Worst.

Category: GOP Politics

by Dave Mindeman

Last month the Republicans had a big chest pounding verbal barrage about standing on principles. They even outlined 10 of them that a candidate should aspire to espouse.

Most of these "themes" are meant for state and federal office candidates, but I would assume that local candidates are encouraged to embrace the ideals that apply to them as well.

But before you get into ideology and the big picture issues, you would think that a basic set of guidelines should be emphasized for any candidate...period.

Like attendance.

Down in Senate District 26, they are going to embark on a special election for the Senate seat vacated by Dick Day....so he can save the world for Racino gambling.

The Republicans had an endorsement convention last night and had several candidates to look at. They settled on a person named Mike Parry.

About a week ago, Sally Jo Sorenson who writes for Blue Stem Prairie, a top notch First District blog, did a profile on Parry as one of several GOP endorsement hopefuls.

You have to wonder if anybody at the endorsing convention bothered to check this guy out. Bluestem quoted a Waseca Paper:

During the first nine months of 2008, the city council held 20 work sessions. Attendance at those meetings ranged from perfect attendance for Srp and only one absence for Johansen, Clemons, Terrell and Coy. Next came Rose with four absences, followed by Parry with seven absences. “All of it was due to travel for my work,” said Parry of meetings missed in 2008.

Now, according to Bluestem Prairie, Parry won election to the council the first time by running unopposed. When he ran for re-election he lost by a nearly 2-1 margin.

Maybe the voters were wondering where he's been?

But this guy seems to be pretty quotable as well...

He told delegates that, like them, he wants “a senator that is not worried about being politically correct. Welfare is meant to be a safety net, not a hammock.”

Oh good. We have another "blame those welfare derelicts" candidate. A hammock? What the heck does that mean? Another "the poor are lazy" analogy? Funny, but when given the chance, at least they show up!

Then he hits education...

Questioning the parity of funding, Parry said he’s tired of the education system.

“We know it’s broke,” he said. “Why are the students in the Twin Cities getting more money? Are they smarter? We need to have equity in funding throughout this state.”

No, they are not smarter...but the urban areas have more disadvantaged students. They have more special needs kids. They have more need for specialty teaching.

But you know what, they also have the tendency to show up!

Parry makes one promise....

Parry promised not to become a part of “the good ol’ boys’ club that’s on both sides of the aisle... and to be the squeaky wheel of common sense.”

Where I come from, squeaky wheels indicate a need for repair. I hope Parry can be fixed. And speaking of common sense... the most basic common sense that speaks to a person's ability to do the job....

is that they can be counted on to show up.