Minnesota
updated
10:48 a.m.
Yesterday, Norm Coleman’s lead continued to decline, but at a much slower pace. With any luck, the rate of decline will increase again on Monday, or it could spell trouble for Franken. Even Coleman’s lead continues to decrease, though, there’s another factor to be considered: the challenges. As of Day 3, Franken has still challenged slightly more [...] Related posts: Senate...
Twin Cities Daily Liberal - 10:05 a.m. - 3 clicks 
Related posts:Memo to Obama: Cut an Ad for Al Franken todayObama bypasses media spin, goes straight to the votersNew Obama ad nails itObama’s weekly “wire-side chat” Related posts: Memo to Obama: Cut an Ad for Al Franken today Obama bypasses media spin, goes straight to the voters New Obama ad nails it Obama’s weekly “wire-side chat” ...
Twin Cities Daily Liberal - 10:05 a.m.
If this keeps up, Anti-Strib will need a name change.Denny Hecker makes the front page with actual news instead of those annoying wallpaper ads for his car dealerships that until recently crawled across the Strib's home page. The troubles of......
Across the Great Divide - 8:25 a.m. - 3 clicks
In today's St. Cloud Times editorial ("Our view: Thank you, Jaycees, for your years of service"): "A Nay to U.S. Rep Michele Bachmann for essentially stating on yet another TV show that it was an “urban myth” she questioned whether members of Congress should be investigated as to whether they are anti-American." I responsed as follows: StandintheDoor wrote: A Nay to U.S. Rep Michele Bachma...
Dump Michele Bachmann - 7:11 a.m. - 3 clicks
We'll be attending the Minnesota Farmers Union convention this weekend. Since we're a delegate, posting will be light, but we do hope to get posts up based on our interview last Friday with Congressman Walz. we apologize for our pokiness......
Bluestem Prairie - Fri 11:28 p.m. - 9 clicks
Here's an interesting post from "Graham" at Entrecard , a traffic service for bloggers. He suggests, tongue in cheek, that it's the journalism industry that really needs a bailout. Here's an excerpt: I don’t have the solutions, but I know four things about the future of journalism, blogging, and newspapers: Print newspapers will die. People will still need accurate, accountable, fact...
MinnesotaBrown - Fri 10:10 p.m. - 4 clicks
(cross posted at VoteForAmerica.net ) I changed my methodology a bit too, hopefully provide better results, but first... SOS Recount Results [11/21] Recount Original Coleman: 751898 - 752438 = -540 Franken: 723378 - 723818 = -440 Franken Net Today: 14 (43 yesterday, 43 day before) Total Franken Net: 100 Franken Deficit: 115 ...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Fri 9:30 p.m. - 13 clicks
The Minnesota Secretary of State just updated its numbers to show Frankin closing the gap by a total of 100 votes in the recount, which brings the difference to 115. 60.6 percent of the vote has now been counted. The Minnesota Secretary of State last updated its numbers Friday night at 8 p.m. At that time 42.33% of the votes had been recounted. UPDATE: The StarTribune...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Fri 6:48 p.m. - 33 clicks
An article at The Hill has the blogosphere all abuzz about the congressional district of my birth and its representative, Collin Peterson (DFL). It appears as though Peterson is being considered for the Agriculture Secretary spot in the Obama Adminsitration. According to reports, Obama is considering Reps. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) for the USDA post. ...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Fri 6:05 p.m. - 8 clicks
I give it six months or less before conservatives begin pinning George Bush’s failures on Barack Obama. Let’s place blame where it really lies; we’re in the middle of the Bush Recession. To help keep things in perspective, I’m examining the Bush legacy to make it clear exactly where he left us. Ironically, Bush’s horrendous record [...] No related posts....
Twin Cities Daily Liberal - Fri 4:50 p.m.
The Al Franken campaign today produced ballots challenged by the Norm Coleman for Senate and pointed out an interesting pattern. As you can see in the video there is a clear vote for Al Franken, but it the Coleman campaign appears to contend the vote should have been for Norm Coleman because the voter also voted John McCain for President. There are also two challenged ballots that have votes f...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Fri 4:49 p.m. - 14 clicks
Check out the anti-establishment clarion call from the Duluth News-Tribune editorial board today. They are calling for the ouster of four long serving members of the St. Louis County Board in the 2010 election for various transgressions, mostly related to sexual harassment cases and the resulting failure of the board to acknowledge any wrong-doing. ... though the claims of sexual harassme...
MinnesotaBrown - Fri 4:04 p.m. - 11 clicks
I've been meaning to pass this along all week. Doug Grow of MinnPost profiled Mike Antonovich , the former Gophers hockey great and new mayor of the Iron Range town of Coleraine. Read it . The story seems to have several purposes. One, it shows how a hockey stardom is still great currency in Minnesota small towns. It also shows something that most state political observers miss. While the Ra...
MinnesotaBrown - Fri 4:04 p.m. - 8 clicks
Bachmannistan, Home of the Whoppers. Audio clip from a really bizarre interview Bachmann gave just before the election. For the complete interview, here's the MP3 podcast download link . ...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Fri 3:27 p.m.
With 48% of the recount in Minnesota's Senate race complete, Democrat Al Franken has narrowed Republican Norm Coleman's lead from 215 votes to 140. The Minnesota Star-Tribune has an excellent page keeping track of the recount results as they come in. It certainly appears that a good number of the ballots remaining to be counted again are in Franken strongholds; Hennepin County is less tha...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Fri 2:23 p.m. - 15 clicks
So says the New York Times. It’s definitely a bold pick for Obama. What makes me happiest about the pick is that the Obama administration is going to have a very active internal debate over its foreign policy. Obama is choosing foreign policy officials with a great variety of viewpoints, and from both sides of the [...] No related posts....
Twin Cities Daily Liberal - Fri 1:12 p.m.
There’s a simple explanation. Our automakers failed — refused, even — to recognize the changing automarket. They steadfastly, and wrongly, churned out obscene gas guzzlers like the Hummer. And what happens when you bring an unwanted product to the market? You fail. No related posts. No related posts....
Twin Cities Daily Liberal - Fri 12:28 p.m.
I haven’t been able to make an automatically-updating recount watch, so here’s another interesting way to look at the data. Every morning, after the recount totals are posted, I’ll be updating two graphs showing the state of the race. As you can see, Coleman’s lead is dropping steadily, headed right towards Franken territory. Will Coleman’s lead [...] Related posts...
Twin Cities Daily Liberal - Fri 12:28 p.m. - 15 clicks
You’ve got to be kidding me. Think Progress quotes several leading conservatives blaming CAFE standards (fuel efficiency standards requiring cars to achieve 35 miles to the gallon by 2020) for the decline of the auto industry. You know, it’s funny, but the CAFE standards don’t appear to be hurting Japanese automakers. In fact, they are [...] No related posts....
Twin Cities Daily Liberal - Fri 12:28 p.m.
Pi closed its doors for the last time this weekend, leaving Twin Cities queer women searching for a place to gather. The Minnesota Daily did a profile on the closing. The effort to save the bar resulted in over $130,000......
Eleventh Avenue South - Fri 12:27 p.m. - 19 clicks
Earlier this morning, we posted about a federal grants workshop that Congressman Walz is sponsoring in Rochester on December 3. One area covered in the breakout sessions is alternative energy. Judging from the district papers today, renewable energy continues strong......
Bluestem Prairie - Fri 11:42 a.m. - 10 clicks
MPR has a nice feature up that allows you to play election judge in the Franken-Coleman Senate recount. It shows 11 disputed ballots and asks for your ruling. Then you can compare your judgment with others. More than 100,000 had......
Across the Great Divide - Fri 10:50 a.m. - 17 clicks
The Walz congressional office sent out this press release yesterday: Congressman Walz Announces 2008 Southern Minnesota Federal Grant Workshop (Rochester, MN) – Today, Congressman Walz announced that he will host a federal grant workshop on December 3rd in the Kahler......
Bluestem Prairie - Fri 9:50 a.m. - 12 clicks
I just stumbled across this talent show audition video of a Baptist Church's senior hip hop choir. It started out oh no!, went to hilarious, degraded to excruciating and finally left me feeling sorry for the participants and the ridicule......
Across the Great Divide - Fri 9:50 a.m.
Over at the Iron Range Resources agency, longtime area newspaper reporter and current IRR public information officer Lee Bloomquist has begun blogging for the agency . It's a "company blog" to be sure, but his first post gives some interesting information and pictures on the new Mesabi Nugget plant near Hoyt Lakes which will be operating next year. I'm sure Lee will provide some valuable in...
MinnesotaBrown - Fri 9:09 a.m.
Another big day of counting on Thursday, so I'm starting this Thursday night for a running start on Friday. I've got the early shift tomorrow so I'll head out right after a Star Tribune encapsulation. As the title proclaims, please feel free to use this diary for MN-Sen Recount comments, on the ground reports, local color, pictures and links; AND..... be good Kossacks; you know, engage in WI...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Fri 8:26 a.m.
Michele Bachmann does not like the Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Recovery Program (TARP). From Bachmann's Congressional website : Washington, D.C., Nov 13 - If you haven't applied for your bailout yet, what are you waiting for? The way the government's handing out money, why not jump on board the bailout train? The World Newser, ABC World News' Daily Blog does a great job detailin...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Fri 7:08 a.m.
Last night, Michael Mukasey collapsed while giving a speech to the Federalist Society: Attorney General Michael Mukasey collapsed during a speech Thursday night and lost consciousness, a Justice Department official said. The 67-year-old Mukasey was rushed to George Washington University Hospital, where his condition was not immediately known. Mukasey was delivering a speech to the Federalist Socie...
Twin Cities Daily Liberal - Fri 4:27 a.m.
My essay this Saturday for "Between You and Me" on 91.7 KAXE focuses on this week's topic of "gifts." I talk about the trip into the den of girl clothes that men often must make in the early stages of a relationship. The story I tell has the added benefit of being about the woman to whom I am now married, which will seem especially amazing when you hear it. "Between You and Me," which airs Sat...
MinnesotaBrown - Fri 3:21 a.m.
John Boehner may not believe it, but we’ve elected a liberal Congress. Know why? Because we have a long history of liberalism in this country. Listen: Download audio file (DailyLiberal20081121.mp3) Podcast intro music by Daniele Torelli No related posts. No related posts....
Twin Cities Daily Liberal - Fri 3:09 a.m.
When I'd give sessions on strategic planning, I used to tell people the reason you do it is so you've already thought through all the issues when nothing goes as planned.Jim has another take.Just a few months ago, gas was......
Across the Great Divide - Thu 9:45 p.m.
With 46 percent reporting, it's down to a measly 136 votes . Of the big Democratic counties, 36 percent are in St Louis County, 42% in Hennepin County, and 30% in Ramsey. If you follow that link, you'll see that a bunch of counties don't even start counting until the 24th, and a bunch are waiting until December to do their recounts. So this thing won't be over anytime soon. ...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Thu 9:27 p.m. - 16 clicks
The Franken campaign in Minnesota successfully got the names of all rejected absentee voters. It turns out that at least one of those was rejected for voting twice. ...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Thu 9:27 p.m. - 20 clicks
They're counting away. The latest : By the end of the day Wednesday, the mandatory statewide recount -- triggered when the Election Day results gave Coleman a lead of less than 0.5 percent -- slashed Franken's deficit from 215 votes to 174, with about 18 percent of the ballots having been reviewed. The figures represent a compilation of recount data reported to the secretary of state and ga...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Thu 9:01 p.m. - 16 clicks
Less drama, more counting was the word today in the Minnesota Senate recount. Al Franken gained 43 votes to cut Norm Coleman's lead to 129 votes. I expected the Coleman campaign to challenge more ballots, but the challenges are about even. Franken volunteer turnout has continued to be awesome. The Coleman campaign has been paranoid. And finally today's tempest in a t...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Thu 9:01 p.m. - 12 clicks
The recount continues and the race is getting tighter. 41% of precincts / 31% of votes - have been recounted. The Star Tribune is now reporting that Coleman's tenuous lead has narrowed to 142 votes (although the totals have updated several times in the last hour). The recount is showing Franken losing 97 votes and Coleman losing 170 votes so far. Even though both have "lost" vote...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Thu 9:01 p.m. - 14 clicks
Congressman Walz's choice to chair the Energy and Commerce Committee has been defeated. Reuters reports that Waxman beats Dingell to chair energy committee:Rep. Henry Waxman unseated fellow veteran Democratic lawmaker John Dingell on Thursday to become chairman of the U.S.......
Bluestem Prairie - Thu 6:09 p.m. - 14 clicks
There’s been some question about whether this is a vote for Franken or not: [Ballot photo via MPR] I actually think it’s pretty clear that this is a vote for Norm Coleman: Related posts:Senate recount graphs: Day 3The Coleman campaign’s ridiculous challengesIs Norm Coleman a moderate? Only when he thinks people are watchingSenate recount graphs: Day 2Daily Liberal [...] Rel...
Twin Cities Daily Liberal - Thu 4:45 p.m. - 22 clicks
The video of Bachmann talking to Neil Cavuto is on Bachmann's You Tube Channel... but get this - The embed code on this video is "disabled". So you'll have to go watch it on Bachmann's You Tube channel . Now, why would she want to prevent people from embedding this particular video in their blogs? UPDATE : DB reader JohnS left this comment: Apparently the embed code is there now. ...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Thu 4:27 p.m.
Now You Can Vote for the Minnesota Recount http://minnesota.publicradio.org/... or at least on which Minnesota votes should count. ...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Thu 2:11 p.m. - 19 clicks
Thanks to all who came out to my " Overburden " reading and lecture last night in Gilbert. It was a great discussion. I unveiled a couple of new riffs that I will be working on for future events. And I was surprised to see Ms. Weigert and Mrs. Elias, my high school band teacher and librarian! That's the beauty of living and working in the place where you grew up. A good time was had by all. We'...
MinnesotaBrown - Thu 1:04 p.m.
Let’s be Frank[en]. It is difficult to analyze the MN Senate recount as we are only partially through the process. The numbers, however, are looking good for Al. According to the Star Tribune tracking page (as of 2 PM CST): Coleman lead: 156 (net loss of 59 since the beginning of the recount) with 21% of the vote recounted. Unfortunately, this is only part of ...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Thu 12:40 p.m. - 25 clicks
It's 9 am in Grant County, and I just visited the historic (national register) Courthouse on the Floyd B. Olson Memorial Highway in Elbow Lake. The recount is up and running as caffiene fortified Minnesota nice folks are opening up the ballot boxes. The county election official and judges are at their seats at the old wooden table in the Commisioners Room. More importantly, the democratic site su...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Thu 12:24 p.m. - 22 clicks
In the comments thread to a previous article, two alert Dump Bachmann readers nearly had a fit when they realized that the Minneapolis Star Tribune had printed embarrassing lies by Representative Michele Bachmann--without the usual Strib spin! DB reader Erick wrote: Holy Crap! The Strib actually did a story on Bachmann's comments without doing any damage control. (...and he sent us the web lin...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Wed 10:22 p.m. - 17 clicks
The urban dictionary has seven different definitions of the term " urban legend ". Of those definitions there are two that Michele Bachmann may have been referring to on Hannity & Colmes this Tuesday when describing her past comments on Hardball with Chris Matthews. Def: A modern myth. A frightening untrue story in which the storyteller insists is true, but has no evidence to back ...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Wed 10:22 p.m. - 2 clicks
I did not intend to upload these videos until Michele Bachmann decided to dive back into the crazy on Hannity & Colmes and describe her Hardball comments as an "Urban Legend". So, I present to you Bachmann vs. Bachmann: ...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Wed 10:22 p.m.
Nate Silver : According to data just released by the Minnesota Secretary of State, Al Franken has gained a net of 43 votes on the first day of that state's recount process. Norm Coleman had a lead of 215 voters over Franken in Minnesota's certified, pre-recount tally; that margin is now 172 votes. Minnesota reports that it has thus far re-counted 15.49 percent of its ballots. If the firs...
DailyKos (Minnesota) - Wed 9:45 p.m. - 17 clicks
The Star Tribune has shut down one of its under-performing publications. What else is there besides Vita•Mn or maybe Buzz•Mn?Well, there was MARQ magazine.What's MARQ, you ask?A bi-monthly magazine distributed free to “exclusive” high net worth individuals in the Twin......
Across the Great Divide - Wed 8:26 p.m.
The religious right is outraged that residents of San Francisco's Castro neighborhood pushed out a group of Christians who were praying for the gays just days after religious right efforts were successful in ending marriage rights for same-sex couples......
Eleventh Avenue South - Wed 3:27 p.m. - 3 clicks
Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, a Democrat, has officially defeated longtime U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) after late absentee ballots were counted yesterday. There are plenty of places to read about the political implications , but I just want to point out the fact that two names originating from the Iron Range now decorate U.S. Senate offices: Begich and Klobuchar. Begich is the nephew of f...
MinnesotaBrown - Wed 1:44 p.m.
Business North ran a great story by Beth Bily about the political trends emerging in Duluth and the Iron Range after the 2008 election. Check it out ....
MinnesotaBrown - Wed 1:44 p.m. - 18 clicks
Remember, I'll be reading, speaking and signing books at 6:30 tonight at the Gilbert Public Library. It should be fun, so come on down....
MinnesotaBrown - Wed 1:44 p.m.
Bachmann Appeared Tuesday on Fox's Hannity & Colmes. You can go here for the complete video and complete rush transcript . here are some excerpts dealing with Eric Holder's role in the presidential pardon of financier Frank Rich: SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: And this is a "FOX News Alert." According to reports former Clinton deputy attorney general Eric Holder is President- elect Obama's top choice...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Wed 11:41 a.m. - 2 clicks
The Post Bulletin's Washington correspondent Ed Felker reports that Walz accepts appointment as regional whip:Rep. Tim Walz of Mankato, fresh off his re-election to a second term, agreed to serve as a Midwest regional Democratic whip after being drafted by......
Bluestem Prairie - Wed 9:25 a.m. - 12 clicks
Son of auto exec and venture capitalist Mitt Romney says don't bail out Detroit.But as Walter Reuther, the former head of the United Automobile Workers, said to my father, “Getting more and more pay for less and less work is......
Across the Great Divide - Wed 7:25 a.m.
Pass the potatoes. What? Please pass the potatoes. Dum dee dum... Pretty please! Too late.Like the passive aggressive kid at the family dinner table, Pastor Mac Hammond won a victory in court yesterday because the IRS failed to say pretty......
Across the Great Divide - Wed 6:04 a.m.
I don't usually impart investment advice here, but given the current state of the market, it would be criminal for me not to pass on this opportunity to "expect 650% gains in your portfolio now!" With all the scorn and......
Across the Great Divide - Wed 4:26 a.m. - 2 clicks
In the early days of the Iron Range, most iron ore miners lived in company location towns where alcohol sales were restricted so that the miners would not drink too much. To defy their bosses, and also to drink vast amounts of alcohol and visit with, uh, professional ladies , these miners would trek across the Range to the city of Gilbert, the wettest and wildest town on the Range. At some poi...
MinnesotaBrown - Wed 2:02 a.m.
Just days after calling a trans man a "mutilated lesbian," KTLK's conservative radio host Chris Baker blamed the media -- and by extension the transgender community -- for the murder of Latiesha Green in Syracuse, NY, a crime authorities are......
Eleventh Avenue South - Wed 12:49 a.m. - 15 clicks
In Minnesotans concerned about bailout, the Worthington Globe reports:U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., was hesitant to support anything yet. “Until we see details about an assistance package for the auto industry, we’re just speculating about what might be included," Walz......
Bluestem Prairie - Tue 1:48 p.m. - 14 clicks
I hope they didn't print t-shirts yet. Cliffs Natural Resources (formerly Cleveland Cliffs) is no longer merging with Appalachian coal giant Alpha Natural Resources even though Cliffs changed its name to match theirs. Awkward. The Duluth News Tribune has the full story . It appears that this another example of the economy influencing the long range planning of the companies in the mining...
MinnesotaBrown - Tue 12:01 p.m. - 14 clicks
Saturday's rallies against Prop 8 seem to have been a success. In Duluth: "Speaking out were more than one hundred protestors from all walks of life: young and old, students and professionals, and gay and straight." Northland News Center.......
Eleventh Avenue South - Tue 12:01 p.m. - 13 clicks
Standard models for dealing with immense crisis often prove inadequate. Instead of allowing ourselves only the unsatisfying political choices of bailout or "creative destruction," why not ask the question fresh? This occurred to me yesterday as I was reading this......
Across the Great Divide - Tue 12:01 p.m. - 2 clicks
This Mesabi Daily News story from yesterday explores the legislative strategy of environmental groups opposed to the PolyMet mining project on the East Range. The MDN also writes about the legislative strategy of pro-development groups, but usually in the form of drippingly-ironic editorials. Is drippingly a word? Anyway, there will be a legislative smackdown over sulfide mining this wi...
MinnesotaBrown - Tue 4:48 a.m. - 9 clicks
Sure, Democrats have lots to be happy about with Barack Obama's win, but this item from "Wired" shows that the biggest benefit might come for everyone in the form of improved and expanded Internet access in rural areas and among economically strapped populations. For the first time in several decades the FCC may not be controlled entirely by the telecom industry. That could mean huge gains for ...
MinnesotaBrown - Tue 4:48 a.m.
Contributor Ken Avidor posted some audio here of Michele appearing on the evangelical broadcast Wallbuilders. I went back and transcribed one of audio segments, because it's been suggested that Bachmann will back off on some of her "social conservative" agenda, now that she's been re-elected and the Dems have increased their majority in Congress. "Social conservative?" What's that mean? It's a...
Dump Michele Bachmann - Tue 3:30 a.m. - 4 clicks
This commentary of mine appeared on Friday in the St. Paul Legal Ledger's Capitol Report. I’ve just returned from western Colorado, where one manifestation of the quest for domestic energy independence is inescapable. Oil and gas rigs line the interstate.......
Across the Great Divide - Mon 11:41 p.m. - 9 clicks
McPherson Hall at Minnesota Central says Coach Walz Call a Time-out ! to reports about whether the Mankato representative is considering running for governor. He joins Marcus Penny in saying not yet on another office for Congressman Walz. We'll have......
Bluestem Prairie - Mon 6:25 p.m. - 12 clicks
The editorial at the Winona Daily News is mighty ticked off at the U.S. bailout: A golden fleecing. A taste:. . .Using scare tactics and worse-case scenarios, leaders in Congress including Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman and Wisconsin......
Bluestem Prairie - Mon 6:25 p.m. - 10 clicks
Former House speaker and longtime former State Rep. Irv Anderson (DFL-International Falls) died Monday morning at age 85. This short breaking story comes from the Mesabi Daily News and will be updated for the morning edition . There will be many obituaries recorded across the state on Tuesday that will show a fuller picture of the man's work, but it should be noted that at the time of his ...
MinnesotaBrown - Mon 5:49 p.m. - 12 clicks
Check out this interesting feature from today's Duluth News Tribune profiling people who choose to live at the poverty line in northern Minnesota. Anecdotally, I can say there are LOTS of people like this up here, often living below the radar. The fact that you can do this is a testament to the greatness of northern Minnesota and the Iron Range and the reason why people still live here af...
MinnesotaBrown - Mon 5:07 p.m. - 15 clicks
Ever have to make exactly one minute of small talk with someone you recently called "wrong for America?" Ever have it filmed and put on CNN? Awkward 2 D Xtreme! My favorite is when they try to talk about football. H/T Wonkette ...
MinnesotaBrown - Mon 5:07 p.m.
The recent financial crisis on Wall Street has generated a great many discussions on regulation vs. deregulation. Phil Gramm (R), retired Senator from Texas, who was the driving force behind deregulation, recently was asked by the New York Times if he still agrees with the policies he set forth to allow less and less oversight [...]...
MN Representative David Bly, District 25B - Mon 1:03 p.m.