C&B Update on CD-5

2006 Elections, Federal Checks and Balances gives us more analysis of the CD-5 endorsement battle. Since registration is required, I will republic the whole thing here.

Our research into the number of named sub caucuses statewide has provided little in the way of insight into the 5th Congressional District. Because of the contests in the U.S. Senate and Gubernatorial races rarely are sub caucuses called for 5th Congressional district candidates that either remain viable or are actually called in the first place. The DFL Congressional District Conventions which are the same as the delegates to the DFL State Convention. In the 5th Congressional District there are 229 delegates and logically these people feel more compelled to express preferences their on statewide races and sub caucus for Klobuchar, Bell, Hatch, Lourey or Kelley rather than Dorfman, Ellison, Erlandson, Nelson-Pallmeyer, Saavedra, Schiff or the others. Over the weekend Senate District endorsing conventions were held in SDs 44, 45, 59 and 60. What we know so far is St. Thomas Professor Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer (D) has the greatest number of named sub caucuses with 7 and because of the other peace and justice/anti-war sub caucuses likely has additional support. We have seen Bell/Pallmeyer sub caucuses and feel comfortable making this linkage. Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman (D) has 3 sub caucuses Keith Ellison, Mike Erlandson and Jorge Saavedra all were only named in a single sub caucus. Since the bulk of the sub caucuses are focused on statewide questions it is now up to the various campaign to try and galvanize their support from delegates through retail politics. Here are a few things we know so far. We spoke with Gary Schiff and he expressed optimism that Lourey delegates in the 5th Congressional District would look favorably upon his candidacy since he was working for Lourey prior to Congressman Maritn Sabo’s (D-MN) announced retirement. Former Sen. Julie Sabo, an Erlandson supporter emerged from an uncommitted Healthcare sub caucus in SD 60 along with Dawn Elrandson and Jim DeMay who caucused for Hatch. We expect similar things happened for both the Dorfman and Ellison campaigns, but they have yet to confirm with us. We would be remiss if we failed to acknowledge the departure after less than a week of former Department of Trade and Economic Development Commissioner Rebecca Yanisch (D) from the 5th Congressional District race. Along with her withdrawal statement she said, “It's also clear there are some people who aren't running for Congress, they're running for mayor.” We believe this is directed at Minneapolis City Council members Paul Ostrow and Gary Schiff in addition to Minneapolis Park Board Chairman Jon Olson. We have received some criticism of our article last week entitle Enter Stage, because of our sharp disapproval of the candidacies of former Sen. Ember Reichgott Junge and Yanisch. We heard directly from Yanisch on the matter and give her credit for her willingness to stand up for herself. Since the bulk of the story focused on our lack of appreciation or respect for Reichgott Junge’s abilities Yanisch focused on the last line of the story and provided us with a history lesson. She said in spousal abuse situations often times the last thing a woman hears before she is struck is “Sit Down and Shut Up.” We appreciate the information and will try to be more sensitive to that issue in the future. It was not our intent to denigrate women universally just to express our feelings that these two particular individuals had had their opportunities previously and had been found wanting. Reichgott Junge has the distinction of being one of two women to receive the DFL endorsement for statewide office who failed to win the DFL Primary. She finished third in 1998 to Attorney General Mike Hatch (D) and former U.S. Attorney David Lillehaug (D). For those interested in DFL trivia the other occurred the same year and it is Betsy O’Berry DFL endorsed candidate for State Treasurer who lost to Carol Johnson (D).

Source: Checks & Balances 3/29/06

MN National Guard in Iraq

My friend Gary at KvM shares an email from his buddy who just shipped out to Iraq with our MN National Guard contigent. Calling SSG Carlsrud a friend is probably using the word friend too liberally, but to me he is a "good" aquaintence and a brother in Christ. He is also a fellow SD63 resident, so we wish him well and pray for his safety daily. You can also see other posts about SSG Carlsrud here and here.

MDE Posts on CD-5

MDE has a post about CD-5. Read the post to get a full 3/27 Red Star article about the race.

Sidebar Updated

I updated my left sidebar. It now has candidates for both houses of the state legislature.

Yanisch Fails "Gut Check" - Drops Out

2006 Elections After four short days Rebecca Yanisch drops out of the race for the lifetime seat as the CD-5 representative to Congress. She realized this fight up until May 6 (and beyond) is going to be a brutal one within the DFL party.

Yanisch, the former Department of Trade and Economic Development commissioner, formally entered the race on Friday. She was one of 13 candidates, but said she did a "gut check" and realized how difficult it would be to get her message out.

DFL Mud

2006 Elections Apparently Mark Gleason, DFL candidate for the open SD63 seat soon to be vacated, is not making friends. It seems he took a shot at Dan Larson, one of the other DFL candidates. Someone passed this email to me (I removed the sender's name).

Mark, I am a little tired of your telling us what Dan Larson did or didn't do. Why dont't [sic] tell us what you intend to do. What are your goals? How can you do any better? Stop the mud slinging and try giving delegates a little insight on your own aims. Negativety won't win you the endorsement!

I Love You, You Love Me...

2006 Elections Erik Thompson becomes number 13. Sheesh, you go up north for a weekend and the DFL field has swelled just like I do each winter when I stop riding my bike. The official CD-5 DFL site only lists five of these candidates though. I have to update my only list on the left sidebar. If you read the linked article you will see that Erik lives in a world that seems to resemble one more like what you would see on the Teletubbies or Barney, rather than what CD-5 really looks like. Of course, I have never been to Milan, MN and maybe life is different there and everybody loves each other just like Barney says. All you need to see is comments like this to see Erik has no concept of how much pull inside the DFL you will need to win this seat.

The new candidate said he will accept no more than $10 from any contributor. "If I can't get 30,000 to send me $10, I obviously don't have the support necessary to claim victory," he said.

Source: Star Tribune 3/27/06

Ethics Complaint for Johnson

I will digest and possibly post later tonight. Here is the story.

Photo: MN Senate

Schiff for Congress is Online

The sidebar has been updated to link to the new site instead of the Minneapolis Ward 9 page. Reading the site already makes me want to ask Sabo to not retire. Please Lord, not Gary! Photo: Minneapolis Ward 9

Erlandson to Announce

Mike Erlandson is holding a press conference tomorrow, 3/22, to announce his plans regarding CD-5. I do not have the time yet. I think this makes seven, but I'm losing track.

Sabo Takes Credit for Technology Boom

OK, so Sabo didn't take credit for it, but I found this statement to possibly be oversimplifying the economics of the late 90's boom. (emphasis mine)

Sabo said putting together the 1993 federal budget as House Budget Committee chairman was one of his proudest accomplishments because it helped spur the biggest economic expansion in history.

Source: MN Public Radio 3/18/06

To claim that the federal budget deal of 1993 "helped spur" the "biggest economic expansion in history" is silly. There are two things that helped spur that expansion, the explosion of the web and spending to prevent Y2K disasters. We all know about the explosion of the web, but many outside the IT and economic circles might not understand just how much the Y2K doomsday fears impacted the economy. In those years leading up to Y2K most IT departments were in a spending free for all because all you needed to do was put "Y2K" on the purchase order request and it was signed. As a result, some company put in whole new network infrastructures and large amounts of money were spent on new technology, not to mention the inflated salaries of programmers, project managers and consultants who were hired to defend companies from the disaster. These two events were minor, so we can understand how Sabo would fail to acknowledge or understand their impact though.

More Questions of Timing

2006 Elections Some DFL openly questioning timing of this move with BPOU conventions happening in next few weeks, CD5 endorsing convention happening in seven weeks and the precinct caucus passed, this is reeking of kingmaker manuvering on Sabo's part.

What everyone wondered Friday, however, was why Sabo, who wasn't talking, waited until now to make the announcement. "I am curious about the timing and the intent behind the timing. It forces some quick decisions," said Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis.

Council Member Lisa Goodman also said, "I wouldn't rule it out, but it depends who is in it. I love Martin Sabo but when you retire at this late date it seems like a set-up." Helping hand to Erlandson? She referred to whether the timing of the announcement was intended to give an edge to Erlandson, the former state DFL Party chairman who lives on Lake of the Isles.

Source: StarTribune 3/18/06

CD5 Lineup

2006 Elections This list is compiled from this article. I will also begin compiling a list of candidates for all the '06 races that touch SD63. I will put this on the left sidebar. DFL Announced: State Rep. Keith Ellison (58B)

State Rep. Keith Ellison, DFL-Minneapolis, pledged to run a "vigorous" campaign. "I am going to run on peace. I am going to run on health care for all. I am going to run on environmental justice and cleaning up our air so we have a sustainable future," he said. Source: StarTribune 3/18/05

City Council Member Gary Schiff (Minneapolis)

DFL Minneapolis City Council Member Gary Schiff said he would be an "openly gay man" challenging President Bush's record on human rights. "The most pressing issue facing the country is the war in Iraq ,and we need a firm deadline for withdrawal, and we need to do it within the year," he said, adding that he would represent the progressive activism of the Fifth District. Source: StarTribune 3/18/05

Prof. Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer DFL Considering: Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat Council Member Lisa Goodman Hennepin County Board Member Gail Dorfman DFL Speculation: Mike Erlandson - form state party chair, Sabo chief of staff (soon to be annointed heir apparent?) Former State Senator Julie Sabo State Senator Satveer Chaudhary (SD60-Fridley) State Senator Linda Berglin (SD61 - Minneapolis) Former Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton Hennepin County Board Member Peter McLaughlin State Rep. Paul Thissen (63A) (my addtion) Mayor Rybak (my addition) GOP Announced: James Turnham Tim Anderson Green Party Announced: Jay Pond

More Sabo

Federal, 2006 Elections With his announcement, Sabo has launched the DFL into a frenzy. You can bet this is not going to be a restful weekend for activists and local party leaders in CD5. It has even been suggested that some BPOUs may want to hold a later and separate endorsing convention so that more potential candidates can have time to fight for the seat. On appearances, the timing of the announcement looks to be quite deliberate. As the article in the Red Star stated Sabo's chief of staff has been rumored to have interest in the position, what better way to give your friend a helping hand except to shorten the list of candidates by giving little or no time for them to run. This fact has not escaped some of the faithful on the DU. As the subtitle of the blog says, I am not delusional enough to think this opens up a great chance for any Republicans in the 5th, however Sabo definitely leaves a vacuum and the rush to fill it will be both entertaining and expend resources within the DFL. This is good news considering Sabo and the DFL faithful have had little work to do for the CD5 race for years. The talented wordsmith, First Ringer, does a fine job digging deeper into the impact with his Death, Taxes and Sabo post. Let me end it on a quote from someone on the DFL CD5 Central Committee:

Holy Moley!! Let the games begin!

Photo: sabo.house.gov

Sabo Retires

Federal, 2006 Elections Sabo finally says 28 years is enough! I do not have time to comment further right now, but I have to say I thought something was brewing but I never had enough evidence to support my hunch. Suddenly, the Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer campaign has more relevance.

Attention Mayor Kirsch and Richfield City Council

Richfield For the fourth week in a row, the Sun-Current had an article related to property rights/eminent domain. I have not had the time to fully comment on the past ones, but I was delighted to see a letter in the Richfield Sun Current tonight. Lynn Jakubik did an excellent job sharing an opinion that I have heard express several times the last few weeks.

To the editor: It can take a decade or more before the city "leaks" out about its next project before the homes and businesses involved are taken. In that time, the homes start to be less desirable for buyers and steadily decrease in value, with buyers not wanting to buy in an area that the city will eventually deem "blighted." The city then buys these homes at the newly devalued price - and the homes are thrown into a pool that all realtors use to value property in Richfield. The result eventually is that this affects the value of each and every one of us with a home in the city. In last week's paper, Mayor Martin Kirsch is quoted as saying he is concerned with "keeping the first and second cities in good condition." One has to be somewhat amused with this when the city and its council members seem to overlook its own basic laws about upkeep and zoning.The solution: Step up and enforce our property and zoning laws. Have a citywide cleanup day where the city takes unwanted items for free. Enforce its current zoning laws so that neighbors are not forced to move because of illegal businesses and rental houses, traffic, noise and trash on our streets. Enforce its dog barking and vicious dog ordinances. In general, concentrate its efforts on being the city that can insure buyers that they and their investment are safe - that we care about our residents and our homes. The families will come back and the city and its tax base will flourish. Fifty years from now, a well kept, mid-century home will be a treasure. Will we be able to say that about the new SuperTarget and parking lot down the block? Lynn Jakubik Richfield Source: Richfield Sun-Current 3/15/06

The first point she makes is the most critical. If the city wishes to redevelop part of a city, all they need to do is begin "exploring" the idea. The instant a city starts talking about redeveloping part of a city, the chances are very high that area will begin to look "blighted". It is a self fulfilling prophesy because any property owner with the smallest amount of fiscal common sense will stop or seriously scale back spending any resources on property upkeep or improvements because they risk losing money if they do so. This all relates back to the issue of eminent domain and the fact that a small number of people believe they know best and the rest of us better just learn to live with that fact. This last "open house" for the redevelopment plans of the Penn Avenue area is a prime example. We received a letter about it less than a week before it occurred. I'm not sure about you, but we tend to plan our evenings a little more than a week in advance. The city council and Mayor Kirsch better do one of two things, stop planning our lives for us or do a better job explaining the benefits of these changes. If they don't, their current term will be their last if even a remotely qualified candidate challenges them with property rights as one of his or her main issues. (FYI - this candidate will most likely NOT meet these two measuring poinst.)

Friday Fun - St. Patty Edition

You're 10% Irish

You're not Irish. Not even a wee bit. Not even on St. Patrick's Day!

How Irish Are You?

"Independent" Candidate for Richfield Mayor

Richfield It seems Martin Kirsch has at least one person running against him. Debbie Goettel is going around town announcing herself as an "independent" candidate for mayor. I know little about her at this time, however a Google search of her name yields some disturbing results. Specifically, there are several websites linked with ISAIAH and Gamaliel that list her name. As I have noted in the past, ISAIAH is a politically active religious group that fights for things such as immigrant rights. They are the driving force behind an attempt to make it illegal for any Richfield city employee (including police officers) from asking immigration status. I will keep searching, please let me know if any information about Ms. Goettel.

Don't Mess with a WWII Vet!

Miscellaneous I knew men from the "Greatest Generation" were tough, but this story is the best. Apparently some idiot, would be car-jacker/robber jumped into the wrong car on March 1st.

Lloyd Volsdal figured he had nothing to lose when a man claiming to be armed slipped into his car and demanded his money last week. So he punched his assailant in the face.

"I was mad, so I did it," said Volsdal, 84, a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. "I'm not that good a puncher, but I guess it was enough to scare him.

This line is classic.

"I gave him a good whop and that surprised him."

Hear is some free advice to all thugs and strung out skinny dopers, do not mess with a man in his Buick outside a VFW, Legion Club or Bingo hall. If you do, the account that follows man happen to you!

"He says, "You got any money?' "I says, 'No!' "He says, 'Yes you do. You got money and I want it.' "That's when Volsdal threw the first punch, he recalled. "You shouldn't have done that," Volsdal quoted his assailant as telling him. "Now I'm going to kill you." But the man instead changed his mind to a carjacking, Volsdal said. "He says, 'Get the hell out of this car. I'm taking it,'" Volsdal said. "He seemed like he was not rational." "I says, 'I'm not giving up this car.' "Volsdal put the car in gear, drove forward a few feet and slammed on the brakes, jolting his unwelcome passenger. Then, Volsdal threw his second punch - the one that sent his assailant fleeing.

I'm glad this guy was fighting on my side 60+ years ago! Nice job Lloyd!

Friday Fun

You Are Guinness

You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world. Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them. When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well. But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around.

What's Your Beer Personality?

Bye Puck!

I am back and I will keep the first post back a non-political one.

Some people can't stand Reusse, I think he is great. This column about Kirby was fabulous.

We loved the way Puck never cheated his team or the ticket buyers on a groundball. True story: Exhibition opener in Fort Myers, Fla. Rain delay. Puckett came up for his first at-bat of the spring. Four-hopper to short. The shortstop made a clean play. And on that wet field, Puckett beat an accurate throw by a quarter-step. Beat it out! ... Puckett still was playing the Gator during the 1996 season, even though it was the period when he lost vision in his right eye and would be forced to retire. That June, Frankie Rodriguez gave up a gigantic home run to Oakland's Mark McGwire -- estimated at 475 feet, the longest Metrodome home run ever to left field. The next day, the Twins were stretching in left field as was their ritual. Suddenly, Puckett appeared high in the first deck and found what he figured was the seat where McGwire's blast had landed. Then, he started to bellow: "Hey, Frankie, you look like an ant down there." ... Charlie Manuel, now the Philadelphia manager, offered an anecdote Monday that touched on Puckett's attention to the baseball people who weren't prospering in the big leagues. Manuel was managing in the Twins minor league system when Puckett made his quick ascent to the big leagues. Charlie remained in the minors for a few years, and every month he would receive a gallon of Seagram's V.O., courtesy of Puckett. When Manuel had some health problems, he informed Puckett to stop the shipments. The next month Manuel received a card from Puckett with the inscription: "No Mo', V.O." ... Early on that trip through those precious hallways, Kirby had said to the Minnesota reporter tagging along: "I try to tell my son, 'When Daddy's not here anymore, you will be able to bring your family, your friends here, and show them a bit of what your daddy did.' " Kirby Puckett could not have dreamed -- even in fatalistic dreams about his family with too many young deaths -- that the plaque in Cooperstown would carry such dramatic meaning five years later.

I also found this link on ESPN to be one of the better ones regarding Pucket.

Tim (Saint Paul): I was about 13 years old and was waiting with about ten other kids outside the Metrodome one Sunday afternoon after a game. Kirby came out and we all asked if he would sign an autograph for each of us. Kirby, being the kind of guy that he is, obilged. He then politely asked me if he could borrow my pen. After signing the balls, he gave me my pen back and told me "thanks, man." I in turn said, "thank you, Kirby." He then patted me on the back, said "you bet," and went on his way. I'll never forget it. And baseball fans will never forget him. Thanks for the two world series championships and for the many other memories, Puck. You will be sorely missed.

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James (Rockford, IL): I grew up and still am a life long White Sox fan and I've always been a Minnesota Twin hater, except there was one Twin that I could never hate on and that was, of course, Kirby Puckett. I feel that's when you know a player is special, when a fan of the rival team has nothing but respect and admiration, much as I did for Kirby. Even the South siders give our thanks for Kirby and what he did for the game.

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Dave(Brainerd): Minnesota doesn't have a whole lot of sports heroes and Kirby was one of them. I was only 6 years old when the Twins won the Series in 91. But, to this day my father talks about that game when Kirby basically beat the Braves on his own, and I'm 21 now. I actually ran into Kirby in the Mall of America about a year ago and I asked him for his autograph. He said, and I quote, "you want my autograph, why would you want my autograph?" with a smile the whole time he said it. To me, that just sums up the kind of man Kirby Pucket was. A hero, a legend, and yet . . . a man.

Photo: ESPN.com

I'm Still Alive

I know I have missed blogging a lot of events the last two weeks, but I have had some pressing matters at home that have required all of my time outside of work.