Politics in Minnesota: The Weekly Report - Vol. 3, Issue 44 - 5/16/2008
PIM Housekeeping Notes
The session goes on and on, with no budget deal in sight as PIM hits "publish" in our online world. We'll publish a special end-of-session issue on Tuesday, and we'll be sure to include the results of that biannual last day-of-session ritual: Retirement announcements by legislators. Worth noting is that unlike most years, we haven't heard much gossip about who will make surprise retirement floor speeches.
Never mind 2008, first up this week is a story about legislatures past...
Jack Coffman
Veteran Star Tribune and Pioneer Press reporter Jack Coffman passed away suddenly this past Monday (instant death by heart attack, as we understand it). And, although both newspapers wrote glowing obituaries this week (Strib here, StPPP here), we here at PIM wanted to reflect on just how much some of Jack's work had a profound impact on our state's politics. The kind of reporting that made Jack special.
Back in 1993, lobbyists were legally allowed to wine and dine legislators with no spending limit. While many states, including Iowa and Wisconsin, had enacted laws severely limiting what lobbyists could spend courting legislators, Minnesota had not and the prospects of a law capping gift limits passing, was looking grim. [To be clear, many legislators and most lobbyists liked the status quo.] Jack blew up the cozy relationship with a thoroughly researched story that received front page play and brought the unseemliness of the wining and dining to the voting public's attention.
In great detail, Jack outlined the current system, "Ron Jerich, a lobbyist who reported spending nearly $63,000 [that's $92,023.25 in today's dollars] in the first six months of the year for entertainment, food and beverages for legislators. Lobbyists for the powerful Opperman Heins and Paquin law firm reported nearly $15,000 [$21,910, today] and rival Messerli and Kramer reported over $16,000 [$23,370, today] for entertainment and dining lawmakers."
"During much of a Minnesota legislative session, special interests have scheduled nightly dinners and receptions, which meant free food and drinks in many cases," Coffman's article said. The following year (1994), then-Senate Ethics Committee Chair Sen. John Marty (DFL-Roseville) was the primary driver in prohibiting any gifts to legislators. "The bill wouldn't have passed without the media attention," says Marty, today, "People were afraid to vote against it because it was a front page story." Looking back on the passage of the bill, Marty still expresses shock that it passed. "This was not a popular issue until after Jack's story," says, Marty, constantly crediting Coffman for his work, "As a legislator I could see the impact it [the story] had."
The gift ban legislation enjoyed a super swift ride after years of legislative stonewalling and all the media attention (other media had no choice but to follow the story Jack "broke"). The bill passed the House with huge bipartisan support; and the Senate, 64-0. [Worth noting is that the Legislature was also suffering a PR nightmare after Phonegate.]
It is not an exaggeration to conclude that Coffman's story changed the culture of the Capitol.
Hard hitting issue-based stories like that one were a specialty of Coffman's, who was never afraid to ruffle a few feathers in the name of good journalism. Never mind that Jack had one of the Capitol's greatest smiles with a personality to match. Way to go, Jack. You nailed life, both professionally and personally.
His service is tomorrow, Saturday, at 3 p.m. at the visitors center of the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, 1225 Estabrook Drive, St. Paul.
Legislative Legwork, Lawn Chair Style
As seasoned Capitol veteran reporter Eric Eskola puts it, that "rite of spring," the media camp-out outside the governor's office, began Monday with casual vigor this year. MPR's Tom Scheck has a clever new dance move to try when things get slow (the Scheck Shimmy?); the governor's spokesman, Brian McClung, handed out colorful whistles. And, yes, some reporters do bring their own lawn chairs.
The best tale from camp-outs in years past we heard was that during the Ventura years, the Body's bulldog played a crucial role in forcing negotiations to conclude. "Franklin sealed the deal," it is said, by letting loose a terrible wave of gas that forced everyone to shake hands and get the heck out of there.
The media veterans aren't too fond of the damp-out tradition. WCCO's Pat Kessler indicated it was a frustrating experience, which he was avoiding by working other stories. It commits scarce labor to "something that has very low return," Kessler says. It's "not helpful to our viewers to see images of people walking in, people walking out," and the "same old refrains," the WCCO Capitol veteran said.
KARE 11 camera guy extraordinaire Aethan Hart believes that the lawn chair tradition started during the Ventura administration, when they were staking out the Governor's Mansion on Summit Avenue and everyone got tired of standing on the sidewalk.
Tuesday would see "intermediate chaos," in the words of one Senator, with "lots of downtime... worse than ever." The prize for best press conference analogy goes to the flighty language of GOP House Minority Leader Marty Seifert (R-Marshall), who said that negotiating could be like the Hindenberg, the Enola Gay or the Spirit of St. Louis. "We want to do the Spirit of St. Louis," he said.
Wednesday was eerily quiet, as no floor sessions were held. Rep. Dan Severson (R-Sauk Rapids) gave his family a tour of the complex, and most metro legislators stayed out in their districts.
At the camp-out, Rep. Terry Morrow (DFL-St. Peter) hung around for some time: he was introducing a new Mankato reporter, Betsy Gessell of CBS affiliate KEYC, to the Capitol regulars, and keeping an eye on an important rural transportation bill (SF3502/HF3805), oddly dubbed the "implements of husbandry" bill, the product of consensus among MnDOT, counties, and farm groups. There's a federal compliance problem with bridge safety, which could affect liability. Rural Minnesota needs this solved, and if it doesn't get signed, weight notification signs will have to be posted on small rural bridges at considerable expense.
A MnDOT maintenance guy from up north told PIM that he likes to come down for a couple days and hang out at the end of session, talking to his Representative about his concerns. He said that the increased gas tax has had an immediate effect on maintenance: MnDOT is already planning to tighten things up when the new fiscal year begins July 1. Items like trucks get inspected once a year, when they have to be in tip-top shape, but during the rest of the year the legal standards are more lax. With more funding, they can plan to keep them in better shape year-round, and they're going to, he said.
At the lofty opposite end of the political system, lobbyist and national Democratic superdelegate Nancy Larson observed the scene for some time, and shared with PIM her experiences in this season's most pivotal political role. [See story next issue.]
The Revisor's Office: Pushing Paper, Politically Passive, Particular About Punctuation
Far away from the lights of the governor's office press corps gaggle, the revisor's office was super busy this week, when PIM stopped by to get the office's take on the end of another very paper-intensive session. Martha Rhode, Craig Lindeke and Carla Riehle gave us a bit of time. The Office of the Revisor of Statutes, located above the Legislative Reference Library on the seventh floor of the State Office Building, is perhaps a misnomer: The staff aren't revising the statutes on their own, of course; they simply publish the statutes and help legislators revise the language. About 45 people and 13 attorneys work in the office, though some extras have been hired to help with production. This year wasn't that different, although there was a record number of bills proposed (8,127 and still counting); 1,700 amendments were drafted over the session's two years.
The Revisor's Office doesn't bear the entire burden of bill drafting: House Research and Senate Counsel also draft plenty of bills. However, Revisor staff are "on the spot" at the House floor, ready in the back corner to draft amendments, frequently with only a few minutes' notice. They have to be prepared to "draft amendments to anything," an intellectually daunting task. "Every piece of paper," everything drafted or adopted, "everything comes through the office."
They also prepare the "enrollments," which are the official passed bills that GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty signs or vetoes, on special, fine paper. One time recently there was a missing page in a bill, and so the whole bill had to be re-enacted.
With just a few days left, the revisors will have to quickly redraft giant omnibus bills as they get modified by conference committees. An "intimidating and time-consuming process," updating, and then printing, 300-page bills "can't be done quickly," of course; just the copying alone takes time. As for the politicians, "they want it done faster," not surprisingly.
We were curious about this year's Revisor's Bill (SF3674), which carries non-controversial technical changes and was signed on May 8th. "People find technical mistakes all year," and these get collected into one bill. A computer program also searches out invalid references, though it gets a lot of false positives. More controversial subjects such as reproductive policy and elections tend to not be included in the bill, in order to keep it away from political heat. This year, while not controversial, the revisor's bill had to go to conference committee, which is "not supposed to happen."
We wondered whether a judge would throw out enforcing a law because of technical mistakes: "A judge would try to make sense of it" rather than rule the technical error made it inapplicable, we were told.
While the revisors have the responsibility of implementing sturdy definitions for the huge variety of terms in statute, they're not too into the "existential struggle" of words and their implications. "We're not the last word on it," but their mandate is to try to write law in plain English rather than legalese, a trend which picked up roughly 25 years ago. When they're doing their job well, there's "not a lot of attention" directed towards their office.
In honor of the state's Sesquicentennial, the revisors have digitized and released all the state's laws going back to the first Territorial Legislature in 1849. We'd encourage our readers to go check out how laws read in the old days. There are some funny gems in those archives.
Mississippi Upset Presages Electoral Trouble, Message Mess For GOP This Fall
In a special election upset this week, Mississippi First Congressional District Democratic congressional candidate Travis Childers defeated Republican Greg Davis pretty handily (54%-46%) in a district that went big for President Bush in 2004. Pundits were buzzing that the GOP's messaging strategy fell flat on its face.
The lesson for Minnesota pols? The GOP's themes via press releases, headlined, for example, "Far-left Madia Celebrated by Far-left Pelosi at Lavish California Fundraiser" may not get any traction. Following through on DNC Chair Howard Dean's 50-state strategy of fighting for every district (and sometimes running more conservative Democrats) can stack up solid victories, not squeakers. There's no reason for Democrats to live within their "polygon" of usual social wedge issues, and it seems that local party units are content to abandon typical messages for electoral expediency. As some, like Republican blogger 'Lady Logician,' have argued recently, the Minnesota GOP needs to offer a more affirmative, extensive policy platform because the usual tricks are really running out of juice. [We've got a Blogger Q&A with Lady Logician below.]
In attack ads, the GOP tried to associate Childers [video] with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and Rev. Jeremiah Wright's quotes about 9/11 (which were not so different from what McCain backers Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson said, let's not forget [video]). Nationalizing the argument, in the hopes that the specters of Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have toxic electoral coat-tails, effectively crumbled. This is the GOP's third recent special election disappointment: in Dennis Hastert's old Illinois district, Democrat Bill Foster won on March 8 after 20-plus years of GOP incumbency, and conservative Dem Don Cazayoux defeated the GOP in Louisiana on May 3rd.
While some pointed to an elevated turnout among black voters in Mississippi, in the increasingly crude racial analyses of the season, it's much more useful to point out that Minnesota voters will easily identify with Democratic candidates that share their basic values. Co-opting the GOP's traditional message is fair play, and it works. The GOP is bitter that Childers co-opted the pro-gun, pro-life, anti-tax message. The Democratic thinking is that if you take that away from the GOP, and anti-Wright messages don't stick, what tricks do Republicans really have left? Conservative icon Richard Viguerie demanded the party leadership resign because they aren't promoting conservative principles.
Democrats are hoping that grumping about DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken's taxes will only buy you so many news cycles: without policy proposals from the right, it feeds the perception of the "old duffer party" rather than a party with substantive and innovative ideas. [And with the Minnesota GOP's mess at the FEC, it looks doubly like sour grapes anyway.] GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty recently riffed about this in a Politico story about strategies for GOP revitalization.
The Mississippi upset looks like really good news for Elwyn Tinklenberg, who has carefully been cultivating an image of a centrist, get-things-done Democrat in his sure-to-be-difficult battle with U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (MN-6) and her legions of CD6 supporters. The "Childers margin" of swing voters or ticket splitters in places like CD6 should be receptive to a "sensible guy" kind of pitch which might appear more conservative than Patty Wetterling's message last time. The GOP will likely struggle to find an ideological "hangar" to use against the cautious Tinklenberg.
Memetics 101: Bluestem Prairie Conquers The Media Echo Chamber
PIM staff observed an interesting media effect this week, which should interest anyone who's into 'memetics' (the trendy study area of how ideas are propagated). The CD1 blog Bluestem Prairie noticed that the new national GOP slogan "The change you deserve" is the same marketing tagline as the antidepressant drug Effexor. What's more, Effexor is produced as a red pill bearing a large 'W' (the symbol of drugmaker Wyeth Pharmaceuticals). Bluestem Prairie posted about it, and it got picked up by the Huffington Post, the New York Times''The Caucus' blog, Comedy Central's Indecision 2008 blog, and over the aisle to Michelle Malkin's site and even Rush Limbaugh. Soon enough, it was cropping up in blogs in Mississippi newspapers, and finally ascending to the tart peak of the liberal echo chamber, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann's nightly "Worst Persons in the World" rankings.
It was a good example of meme propagation (memes are reproducible ideas, understood as something like intellectual genes). Who could resist such a funny conclusion? Thus, did one discreet blog post travel through the national media.
3rd Congressional District
With the retirement of nine-term U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad (MN-3), Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District is now on the map as one of the country's most competitive races. Although the 3rd has had a Republican Congressman since 1961 (and Ramstad scored 65% of the vote last go round), the DFL holds a majority of the legislative seats, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) scored big in 2006 and U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) only lost by 3% in 2004. The Rothenberg Report rates the district a pure toss-up, with both national parties gearing up for a possible victory in November. Looking to keep the seat red, Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Eden Prairie) is sure to have a tough battle facing DFL endorsed Ashwin Madia and political newcomer and Independence Party Candidate David Dillon.
Anne Mason is currently heading up the Paulsen campaign. Growing up in White Bear Lake, she has been active in politics since the age of 10 when she volunteered for Rudy Boschwitz' 1990 senate run (her father, Tom Mason, was running the campaign). Mason started getting interested in politics in college when she worked for a political advertising firm in Washington D.C. After that she worked as former GOP U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy's communication director when he was unsuccessfully challenged by Patty Wetterling in 2004.
Although excited about the national attention this race will certainly receive, Mason sees the "double edged sword of national help," expecting the negative attack ads by the Democrats to begin in September. She was very optimistic about her candidate's chances, with a volunteer database currently numbering 500 and the increased campaigning Paulsen will participate in after session is over. She is hopeful the summer campaign season will be favorable to Paulsen, commenting, "The 3rd is aligned with the values Erik brings to the table."
Paulsen's DFL contender Ashwin Madia may be a political newcomer, but his campaign manager, Jonathan Murray, has experience working across the country. An active marine from 1997-2001, Murray got involved in politics while he was a student at the University of Florida. Madia and a friend organized a one-day voter registration drive that turned into a three-day event where over 800 people were registered. The success of that event caught the attention of the League of Conservation Voters, who asked if that was the kind of work he would be interested in. Murray's work was soon noticed by the DCCC who sent Madia his resume, and "The rest is history" Murray said.
Just like Ashwin's GOP counterpart, the national party has been very supportive. "The DCCC and the national party are very committed to the race and it shows how much they believe in Ashwin's campaign." The DCCC will be showing its commitment this week when DCCC Chair and U.S. Rep. Chris Von Hollen (MD-8) visits for a press conference and fundraiser promoting the Madia for Congress campaign. Murray also credits Ashwin's "grassroots army of 300 ready to door knock or phone call at a moments notice," with much of the campaign's success. Commenting on Madia's chances in November, Murray said, "Any district that gives Klobuchar 55% will give Ashwin a chance. When they hear his message they will see the new leadership he represent."
As of publication we were unable to reach the Dillon campaign.
Growth & Justice's Second Quadrennial
Minnesotans have spent the past five months educating themselves on the proper pronunciation, spelling and meaning of the term "sesquicentennial," so it's about time for a new vocabulary treat: "second quadrennial," as in "The Second Quadrennial Worst Political Advertising in America Awards." This sure-to-entertain awards show is appropriately named because it is the second time in four years that Lee Lynch, CEO of the well-known advertising agency Carmichael Lynch, has coordinated the event for Growth and Justice.
Ads like this Russ Potts' spot are just too good to pass up. Come and jeer more of these unbelievable ads at Growth & Justice's Second Quadrennial Worst Political Advertising in American Awards. And, since no awards show is complete without celebrity presenters, Growth and Justice has secured former CNN host Aaron Brown, Mayors R. T. Rybak and Chris Coleman, Speaker of the House Margaret Andersen Kelliher, and our own PIM editor, Sarah Janecek. Senators Norm Coleman and Amy Kobuchar will be presenting via video.
"As humor-centered as our event is, I am proud of the great reputation Growth and Justice has for doing serious research that we use to make Minnesota a better place," President Dane Smith said. Smith cites their increased operating budget - from $500,000 to $800,000 in three years - as a quantitative example of the growing faith and confidence individuals and foundations have in the organization.
For information on ticket prices visit Growth & Justice's website. Check out PIM's Growing Growth and Justice archive for more background on the organization.
Bits & Pieces
Congratulations to Leslie Wilcox, account executive at Public Affairs Company. Wilcox, whose current role is heading up GOP Convention Strategies, is engaged to Dan Rosedahl, the current General Manager at Corporate Technologies (an Elam Baer company). Yes, that is Erik Rosedahl's brother, who you might remember as the political director of Senator Rod Grams' second campaign. They are planning a June 2009 wedding.
Mark Ritchie and the Secretary of State's office has been officially recognized by the Department of Defense as a "Patriotic Employer." The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a division of the DoD rewards employers who show strong support for their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.
A vacancy for the Tenth Judicial District has been announced and the Commission on Judicial Selection will be seeking applications until 4:30 p.m. May 28th. Licensed Minnesota attorneys who are residents of the Tenth Judicial District are encouraged to request an application from John Hultquist at (651) 296-0019 or john.hultquist@state.mn.us.
Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) reappointed Walter Kramer to the Board of the Minnesota State Academies. Kramer worked for Minnesota Power for 25 years, where he was a public relations staffer. First appointed in 2003, his current term will expire in January 2012. Nancy Gibson was also reappointed to the Legislative-Citizen Commission. Gibson, is a co-founder of the Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota. Her current appointment will expire in January 2012.
The University of Minnesota is hosting a day and a half conference called the "Crisis of Disinvestment: Organizing to Rebuild our Communities." The conference begins May 30th and is designed for union workers, activists, union leaders, and anyone interested in the cycle of disinvestment. To register visit reinvestnow.org.
The Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute is currently accepting applications for the 2008-2009 Policy Fellows Program. Policy Fellows offers training for those interested public affairs, government, profit and non-profit leadership. For application information visit the Policy Fellows website.
Benjamin Franklin once said, "the only certainties in life are death and taxes", while Phil Krinkie might disagree with one of those he is doing his best to add another. "The Taxpayer League End of Session 2008 Party" is Tuesday May 27th, at 5:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan in Golden Valley. So come down and join League President Krinkie and AM 1280 The Patriot as they celebrate the end of session. For more info visit the Taxpayers League website here.
Congratulations to Minnesota writer Bill Holm. He received the 11th annual McKnight Distinguished Artist Award for his "artistic excellence spanning more than three decades." The award recognizes Minnesota artists who have made significant contributions to the quality of the state's cultural life.
DFL candidate for Congress Ashwin Madia won an online contest sponsored by the Progressive Patriots Fund, a liberal PAC founded by U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, committed to promoting candidates with progressive political views. Recently the Progressive Patriots made a splash in Minnesota defending U.S. Rep. Tim Walz' (MN-1) position rejecting the FISA surveillance bill against the conservative PAC Defense of Democracy (the idea is that Progressive Patriots can quickly challenge multi-state anti-Dem PAC ad campaigns).
PIM Blogger Q&A: Lady Logician
by Peter Bartz-Gallagher
Scott County blogger 'Lady Logician' writes the blog Ladies Logic, which covers conservative issues in Minnesota from a woman's perspective. It's been a popular addition to our Morning Reports, and so we continue our interview series with some questions for her.
Politics in Minnesota: Why did you start blogging?
Lady Logician: I started writing letters to the local newspapers. Another local blogger liked my work and asked me to contribute to his site (savagerepublican.com). That was in 2005. About a year later I started Ladies Logic and the rest is history.
PIM: What about politics inspires you? What women inspire you?
LL: I want to help people see that what happens in D.C. and St. Paul can touch your everyday life. I was not always politically active. When I finally realized how politics can touch my life every day, I knew I had to get involved. Golda Meir was an early inspiration. Margaret Thatcher was a later inspiration and my mother is a constant inspiration. I admire women who are smart and able to intelligently get their points across with a little grace and humor.
PIM: Why is it important to highlight the fact that you're a woman? What, as a woman specifically, do you add to the political conversation or the blogging community in Minnesota?
LL: Women don't usually pay a lot of attention to politics - even though there are discussions going on in D.C. and St. Paul that affect families every day. Whether it is healthcare reform or taxes or whatever, there is a lot going on that mothers need to know. The traditional media tends not to get into the nuts and bolts of a story because they don't think that is what their readers or viewers want. As we have discovered, (with the explosion of the alternative media) the electorate is smarter, more savvy about the issues than the media gives us credit for.
What I am striving to add is dialog. Most blogs tend to either be echo chambers (Daily Kos for example) or they are 'gotcha factories' (Minnesota Democrats Exposed or Dump Bachmann). I want my place to be a place where people of divergent opinions can come and talk about the issues respectfully. That is one reason why I chose the 'handle' that I did. I want to maintain a certain sense of decorum that is not always found on the Internet.
PIM: What are the most important issues in Minnesota politics that effect women?
LL: The cost of living in Minnesota. The cumulative affect of taxes (city, county, state and federal, sales, income and corporate) is hurting families greatly. Employers are cutting jobs because the corporate tax rates are growing. Higher sales and gas taxes are putting a greater pinch on already tight budgets. Voters want the government to make some of the hard budget cuts that families have to make. I look at it as if it were my family budget. When our income is tight, I can't go to someone else and demand more money - I have to cut back expenses. Government should be held to the same standard.
PIM: How do you see these issues playing out along party lines?
LL: This is where I drive some Republicans crazy. I am a Conservative first and a Republican second. If I see a Republican being a spendthrift or infringing on freedoms I'll go after them with the same vengeance that I go after the Democrats. Both parties need to see that the taxpayer is the boss – not the government. Government needs to listen to the input of the governed. We have little more to give and it is time for the government to "give" a little.
PIM: Do you look to any specific legislators for leadership on these issues?
LL: There are a couple of them out there... Rep. Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan) here in Minnesota and Reps. [John] Kline and [Michele] Bachmann in D.C., who are fighting the good fight for freedom and fiscal responsibility, but even then there is more to be desired. This country was founded on individual responsibility and individual freedom. The more that government gets involved in the lives of the governed, the less free we are.
PIM: Do your local politics play into your writing? What local issues are important to you?
LL: Absolutely - last year our school district came to the voters with a huge referendum. This was after the school board had fired an employee because the employee would not accept their demand that he not take part in student ministries in Prior Lake (where I live). I spent some time writing about both issues and about City Council spending. When the Transportation bill was passed, I wrote about the Scott County Board's vote on whether to join the Joint Powers board or not. Scott County is a growing county. With the growth come serious challenges. Infrastructure needs to be upgraded, developments planned, schools built. It takes a lot to do all of this plus continue to provide normal services and to do so in a manner that will serve everyone well.
PIM: A recent post of yours was somewhat critical of the State GOP leadership. Going forward, what do you think are the challenges for conservative Minnesotans?
LL: Conservatives need to give voters a reason to vote for them. Most of the people that I talk to want a reason to vote for a candidate, not to be scared into voting against someone else. They want to know what the candidate's vision for the state and the country are... not that his/her opponent is a crook! The activists want to be able to brag about how great their guy is. Conservatives win when they have a clear, coherent message and they communicate it in a clear, concise manner. It really is not rocket science, but there are those who try to make it harder than it is.
Lobbyist Watch
From the Minnesota Campaign Finance & Public Disclosure Board:
Morning Reports
