Politics in Minnesota: The Weekly Report - Vol. 3, Issue 23 - 12/14/2007
Publisher's Note, Some Housekeeping And Some PC Fun
The approaching end of the year means, once again, PIM opens the floor for nominations for the annual "Politics in Minnesota Legislator of the Year." In our minds, there is no clear roster of contenders at this point. That means nominations from our readers are crucial. As always, the names of those making nominations will remain confidential. Last year, we were pleased to receive more than 30 thoughtful nominations. Please forward your candidate and reasoning to staff@politicsinminnesota.com. If you're more comfortable writing to a DFLer, send your nominations to Betty Folliard at betty@politicsiniminnesota.com; if you're a GOPer, send your email to sarah@politicsinminnesota.com. Betty and Sarah have promised each other not to divulge confidentiality where that is requested. And if you write to Betty, be sure to congratulate her and Don Drapeu on their 10-year wedding anniversary (Betty's on a beach in a Aruba this week celebrating same).
We also usually name top political stories of the year. Obviously, the bridge collapse is no contest for the number one slot. Readers...other issues you found to be politically momentous in 2007? Please send your thoughts to staff@politicsinminnesota.com.
Nick Lambert provides eBay political shopping device further down in this issue, but we'd be remiss in not noting that Politics in Minnesota: The Directory is the perfect gift for the political junkies in your life (discounted price is $30.00 plus $2.10 tax and 4.95 shipping). Email your order to staff@politicsinminnesota.com. The subject line should read Holiday Special. Of course, we'll supply a classy gift card with your book gifts.
Now the PC fun. Our Web Editor and writer Dan Feidt caught this shot in the Capitol elevator: A flyer about the Legislative Reference Library's annual holiday party:Stocking Stuffers From eBay
The holiday shopping season is upon us, and we at Politics in Minnesota are here to help. Looking for that gift for the person in your life who has everything? Well, how about some Minnesota political paraphernalia? eBay, which seems more committed to unfettered free market capitalism than the Taxpayers League's Phil Krinkie, is a one-stop shop for anything political under the sun. Some of the highlights are antique pins and post cards for Former Governor Harold LeVander (R), and the 1908 brochure for W.C. Gutches who was running for Register of Deeds in Todd County. If you have always missed the "simpler" days prior to the hanging chad fiasco of 2000 then relive our nation's previous election debacle with a vintage 1876 Republican Ticket for President Rutherford B. Hayes (R). Why wouldn't you celebrate someone who supported a ban on alcohol, dancing, and playing cards?
For those of you with a more 20th century bend try an autographed Walter Mondale (D) photo or one from former Gov. Arne Carlson (R). There is also a Campaign brochure from the 1964 Lyndon Johnson/Hubert Humphrey (D) run and numerous pins and buttons starting at only $.99.
Who can forget our first "name brand" Governor, Jesse "The Body/Mind" Ventura (I)? From bobble head dolls starting at $.99 to the CD from His Inaugural Ball featuring such classics as "Eggshells For Paperbacks" and "I'm Gonna Miss Minneapolis," Jesse, as when he was in office, is still for sale everywhere. It seems looking at the track list that Jesse's own version of the Warren Zevon staple "Werewolves of London" -- "Werewolves of Minnesota" -- did not make the cut. The list does not stop there, of course; some of the higher end items like the autographed cartoon with Jesse's likeness clocking in at $25 and a $70 Promotional Campbell's Soup sweater, that while lacking any political connection, would be quite the souvenir. For a list of Jesse items click here.
Politicians don't have to wait until the campaign materials become antiques or ironic to be sold on eBay: Gov. Tim Pawlenty's (R) inaugural hockey puck, a U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) playing card, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar's (DFL-MN) autographed business card, U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN3) stuff, and the U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson (DFL-MN7) portrait all form a plethora of North Star State Swag. So in this, the season of giving, why not shower a loved one with what he or she truly wants: Campaign and political swag, which are always available for free at the Minnesota State Fair?
It's still in the proposal stage, but the nonpartisan Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services office plans to roll out more Web content during the next legislative session, and reach out to the blogosphere to share more hard news bulletins, audio, and video, from the Capitol. Two of the most overlooked sources of Capitol news are the Session Daily service and Session Weekly publication, which carry lots of material about bills moving through the Capitol (bills which often don't get mainstream media attention). Until now, these publications were only printed for Capitol consumption and posted as awkward PDF files, and perhaps as a result, the Internet community isn't really aware of their existence. By posting web bulletins during the day, Information Services hopes to hit a much broader audience with nonpartisan, timely breaking news. Already, anyone can sign up for email alerts, as well.
The Legislature's website is actually quite advanced, by national standards. Streaming audio and video, both live and archived events, are easily available, RSS feeds offer continuously pushed content, and the bill status tracking system is really quite good. Here's a feature overview, but, as with many House Info items, it's also in that pesky PDF format.
Here's another political tech tidbit: The legislature has many RSS feeds, so the public can easily subscribe to news from their legislators and other parts of the website. However, the political control of these feeds matters: each partisan caucus Information Services staff administers the feeds pushing partisan news, but the nonpartisan Information Services office controls the feeds with nonpartisan material, although we're not sure who controls the Legislative Reference Library RSS feeds. Preserving the nonpartisan nature of these offices is a critical, and important, distinction that the staff always keeps as a top priority. Nick Busse, a writer at the office, has started keeping tabs on local political/Internet news at his personal, nonofficial blog dubbed Rethink Democracy.
Dueling House Parties
The real battlefields of the DFL endorsing contest to run against GOP U.S. Senator Norm Coleman are being held in the living rooms of DFL activist homes. In PIM's view, this is a good process: Democrats have the opportunity to judge the candidates up close and personal. We sent Pam Steinle to the front lines, armed with PIM business cards and escorted by her DFL-leaning cousin, Renee Mueller Steinle. What follows are Pam's observations (not to be confused with scientific comparisons), nonetheless from anecdotal reports we’ve heard elsewhere, she is right on target.
I, a Republican armed with my Politics in Minnesota business cards, rode alongside my undecided cousin, Renee, into delegate hunting grounds. Renee had been conveniently invited to both a Franken and Ciresi meet and greet event, which were located in her neighborhood and a mere week apart. She cleared my presence at both events with the reception hosts: Franken’s December 6 event, hosted by Roann Cramer and David Zimmerman, which was specifically designated as a meet and greet event; and Ciresi’s December 12 reception, hosted by Laurie and Phil Seiff and Kathy and Vince Moccio, that strongly encouraged campaign donations on the invitation.
Round 1: Al Franken
Renee was invited to Franken’s event via a casual, verbal invitation from Cramer accompanied by a flyer. We entered the South Minneapolis home (once owned by Floyd B. Olson) and were amazed to see about 250 casually-dressed people crammed into the living room wing, as well as the dining room/kitchen room wing. The food table appeared to be a potluck of sorts, with a hand-written sign designated "No Pork" sandwiches, an array of crackers and spreads, as well as cookies and fudge. The drink table had a variety of wines and mixers, including a random container of prune juice (we asked ourselves, do you drink this straight or is it a mixer?). A stage was set at the intersection of the two rooms, complete with a sound system, and Franken even brought along a small step-stool to make himself more visible to the throng. Minneapolis City Council member Betsy Hodges (Ward 13) introduced Franken as a man who was "dead serious" about his candidacy. And Hodges was introduced by Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis) – quite the formal program.
Franken continued the theme of being a serious contender by limiting his humor – most of his jokes were ad lib (for example, commenting on the loudness of a baby’s cries). The speech was continually interrupted by cheers and applause – at one point, while discussing renewable energy, a spontaneous question about nuclear energy was asked. Franken responded directly, saying he though nuclear energy had to be part of the equation. There was no applause after that response. Franken did not entertain any more questions from the floor (he told a woman with her hand held up that he wasn’t taking questions).
Afterwards, Franken (flanked by campaign staff) and his wife, Franni Franken, began to meet and greet the crowd. He held a black marker and signed campaign literature, posters and books. Renee's big issue is immigration. She was told by a campaign staffer that now was not a good time to ask that question. They directed her to their website, and offered to take down her name and number to follow up. I asked anyway a minute later when Franken was free. To Renee, his response showed he had knowledge of the subject, but because of his briefness she could not conclude anything substantial about his platform. Our exchange with Franken was rushed: He shook our hands, we chatted for a minute, and off he went... in fact, he left the event before we did!
Round 2: Mike Ciresi
The following week Renee and I drove a few blocks over to Ciresi’s event at the Moccio home. Renee received an invitation in the mail, and then received a follow-up call from Kathy Moccio, who she knows professionally. We felt much more conspicuous, not only because we were underdressed (we had been overdressed the week before, and in attempt to fit in had dressed down a bit – oh the irony!) but also because there were only a few dozen people in attendance. Ciresi’s style is much more personal – every attendee was sought out and greeted by him or his wife Ann Ciresi. The food table at this event was laid out like a Martha Stewart centerfold, with fruit kabobs, cheese plates and M&M’s galore. Eventually, the crowd of 50 was ushered into the living room and Moccio (Ciresi's law firm partner) gave a short, informal introduction of Ciresi.
Ciresi stood in the center of the home, without stage or sound system. The crowd did not cheer and holler. Ciresi's speech mentioned unions several times, and elaborated on his leadership in the tobacco law suit. At the conclusion of his speech, he opened the floor for a public question and answer session. Another attendee asked Ciresi about immigration, and his response was very similar to Franken's in content, although exponentially longer. When Ciresi was finished, he continued to mingle with guests and even had time to sit down with me, the PIM reporter. We were anything but rushed – he even took time to ask me a few questions about my background.
At The End Of Two Rounds?
Too close to call. Renee thought Franken's storytelling style was engaging, and his campaign speech convincing at dispelling any preconceived notions one might have had about him. He firmly established his "smarts" and how his satirist eyes and his years of watching politics gave him his experience. Ciresi, on the other hand, did a good job of contrasting his candidacy with Franken's – specifically, Ciresi reminded the audience of his established record as an advocate for Minnesota, which caused Renee to verbally ponder, "Maybe that is better..." In the end the candidates each showed and played up their perceived strengths. At least for Renee, her loyalties will be officially decided when they debate head to head.
It is a battle of campaign styles. For Franken, his background in show biz creates a campaign of glitz and glamour; For Ciresi, his background in courtrooms creates one of networking and persuasion. The November Rasmussen poll showed Ciresi to have a better chance against Coleman than Franken. DFL insiders agree that Franken might have a lead in the endorsement race, but Ciresi has the momentum.
In conclusion, I think Ciresi's parlor-chat settings might make the difference in this endorsement race. While it is fun to bask in the fame of a celebrity, at the end of the night most voters are looking for a candidate who cares about individual people, and Ciresi's one-on-one approach is very effective in creating that image.
Leaders Of Legislatures Past 'N' PresentThis week the Minnesota Government Relations Council (MGRC, the lobbyists' trade association), held one of the most interesting panel presentations it's had in years. The idea was "Legislative Leadership Ghosts of Christmases Past," and included former GOP Senate Minority Leader Duane Benson, former DFL House Speaker Dee Long, DFL Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe and former DFL House Speaker Bob Vanasek. One question asked of the four was what was the most difficult issue you encountered in leadership. Moe's answer was dry cask storage at Prairie Island. "That was the first time I truly understood there could be a gender difference on an issue." Long's was Phonegate, where she was wronged by her own caucus (although Long is too classy to say that out loud); Benson's was crafting MinnesotaCare as part of the "Gang of Seven" who worked on the bill. Vanasek's was the decision to derail building a new airport in Dakota County. Vanasek insightfully offered that given what happened to the airline industry in the ensuing years, that decision probably saved Minnesota some several billion dollars.
Perhaps the most intriguing aside thrown out by one of the four was by Moe. He noted that legislators, intensely caught up in working the issue(s) du jour, tend to forget that rare is the former legislator who is remembered for specific legislation. Rather, legislators tend to be characterized by and remembered for how they did the job. Of course, there are notable exceptions, not the least of which is the Dimler Amendment, authored by former GOP House Representative Chuck Dimler from Chanhassen. Speeding violations are not placed on a person's driving record (and thus not traceable by auto insurance companies) if the driver was traveling no more than ten miles per hour in a 55 m.p.h. zone.
Tom Lyden's Phone Records Riffled By St. Paul Police
"In essence, by getting my phone records, my personal cell-phone records, they have reached into my notes and reached into my Rolodex, and violated every confidence that my sources have placed in me," FOX 9 investigative reporter Tom Lyden was quoted as saying in the Star Tribune, after Lyden attempted to locate public records about an incident involving an off-duty police officer. Lyden's cell phone records were collected sans warrants or judicial intervention via an "administrative subpoena." Apparently this was because the St. Paul Police Department wanted to discover which public employee gave Lyden the public record he wanted. (Brian Lambert's media blog Lambert to the Slaughter has moved from The Rake to Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine's MSPMag.com, check out his take on it: "I don't see this one ending well for St. Paul's finest.")
The incident sparked an angry response from David Cuillier at the Society of Professional Journalists, who said, "What's crazy about this whole thing is that the police department wants to know which public employee actually followed the law by providing a public document that everyone is entitled to. This could frighten government employees everywhere, telling them that if they don't go along with secretive, illegal agency practices they will be hunted down through any means and perhaps punished." Can warrantless cell phone mining from the police exert a chilling effect on the press? Will there be a lawsuit by FOX 9, whose lawyers never earned the opportunity to challenge the subpoena? Much like the recent Secretary of State Mark Ritchie email flap (which the Campaign Finance Board has just passed on scrutinizing but which is still front and center before Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles), government data practices and separation of powers remain a potent political issue, for journalists and constitutional officers alike.
New Voter Vault Tech Grants GOP An Edge In Vote Seeking?
At the state GOP Central Committee meeting in Blaine last week, party officials presented results of an audit of the famed GOP Voter Vault campaign data engine, a kind of Web portal to a massive voter database which allows campaign workers at all levels to get micro-targeted data about potential supporters. The just-released Voter Vault Version 3, one official noted to PIM, permits more customized affiliations to be created and tabulated at the local level, thus permitting GOP campaigns to target messages more specifically. For example, support for Second Amendment rights can be collected and analyzed at the individual voter level, allowing a local GOP campaign to send targeted messages for that topic. (Here's a PDF explaining how to operate it.) The GOP reported that an audit showed the Minnesota Voter Vault identified 87% of listed Republicans accurately, 89% of DFLers, pro-life 92%, anti-gun control 82% and 93% accurate IDs of Defense of Marriage Act supporters, from a sample of 7726 Republicans and 2497 Democrats. 94% of listed addresses were correct.
Allowing more local GOP operatives to set up locally pertinent data types should help develop more granular, relevant, and issue-driven campaigns, or customized messages most likely to motivate individuals. Voter Vault saw excellent results in 2004 for helping boost GOP turnout at the sub-precinct level. Democrats have long lacked the ability to track down DFL supporters at the individual level (they were limited to precincts), but the Dems have been hard at work on the Atlas Project, which focuses mainly on the 15 most well-known "battleground states."
Wikinomics: Participate In Culture, Get Free Book
The writers of "Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything" knew how to get everyone excited about their subject: they handed out free copies at the U of M Law School on Monday. Hosted by former Sen. Steve Kelley and Hennepin County, the talk by author Anthony Williams hit a wide range of subjects, including a great deal about the "Net Generation," the first to grow up immersed in a digital environment. Using the Web to offer government services and actively engage citizens was also a key matter. Re-orienting businesses and governments to tap into the wisdom of online mass collaboration systems like Wikipedia, or scientific research via the massive InnoCentive system, will become increasingly important. Vending government services from a single, searchable Web portal, as opposed to hidden silos, was discussed as a new way to help serve citizens.
The talk also got into how entire decision-making processes could be redesigned to permit more public input. While polls on the nightly news probably wouldn't be a good way to tap 'the wisdom of the crowds,' opening more government venues to Web-derived contributions would promise to bring better government within the reach of average people. Aside from all the trendy stuff about YouTube and impressive results from surveying young people around the globe, breaking down how the decision loops of government could be digitally exposed to the public gave the audience a lot to think about. There were plenty more details, but this talk was a home run for Kelley, the U and everyone who attended. "Wikinomics" could be a great holiday gift for the wonk or geek in your life!
Bits & Pieces
The fundraiser for Mitt Romney that state GOP National Committeeman Brian Sullivan was organizing for next week has been canceled. Romney is going to stay in Iowa, given Mike Huckabee's recent ascendancy among Republicans there.
U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (DFL-MN4) endorsed U.S. Sen. and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
We would be remiss in failing to note Google Maps now displays the impressive Street View virtual 3D perspective of most of Minneapolis, St. Paul and much of the suburbs, as well. Politics in Minnesota headquarters shows up with clarity, and the Capitol looks great, too. The most eerie element is the ability to 'drive' over the now-collapsed I-35W bridge, observe its under-construction status, and even peer up with some detail at the rusting trusses visible from West River Parkway. This can give you goosebumps, and it's fitting that the old bridge is now immortalized in virtual reality.
Star Tribune blog coverage guy Tim O'Brien's on-site reporting of this week's GOP Iowa debate was refreshingly funny. Why was Alan Keyes there?
Despite the lack of solar energy around here right now, Minneapolis' sustainable electricity efforts won a $2 million grant to build 600 kilowatts worth of solar panels via the Xcel Energy Renewable Development Fund, partnering with EyeOn Solar. With 3,000 panels on the Public Works Currie Maintenance Facility, enough power for 80 homes or a new fleet of plug-in hybrids can be operated sustainably, without dependence upon polluting power sources. Mayor R.T. Rybak said that "We now have the opportunity to build what we expect to be the largest urban solar array in the city, state or upper Midwest," and with a little luck his hybrid won't run out of juice the next time he heads to a DFL fundraiser! Three other solar arrays, on the Currie facility, Fire Station No. 6, and the Royalston Public Works facility, generate about 12 kilowatts. The new system will create more than 100 times the pollution-free city power.
Wellstone Action is gearing up for another year of organizing, going national with organizing camps across the country.
There's a feather in the Center of the American Experiment's cap, for the group's December 4 luncheon about Iran with William Mitchell Prof. John Radsan got featured on C-SPAN and you can watch it here.
A new report on American crime, "Violent Crime in America: A Tale of Two Cities," (PDF) by the Police Executive Research Forum, focuses heavily on Minneapolis, and new innovations like GPS systems and the ShotSpotter gunshot location technology. With new programs, juvenile crime has fallen markedly, truancy has improved, and homicides, aggravated assaults and robberies showed promising improvement over the first six months of 2007.
Lots of people were buzzing this week about the thoughtful analysis piece the Star Tribune's Pat Lopez on GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty and his big ideas not necessarily leading to results. We hear the piece generated lots of positive feedback from readers to the paper about the story.
PIM's Dan Feidt is on another MnDOT document paper chase about NASCO, the North American Super Corridor Coalition. Check out the documents and Dan's analysis here: "PIM Exclusive: SuperRondo II: New NASCO NAFTA Superhighway Docs Released From MnDOT," a followup to July's "SuperRondo Superhighway? MnDOT, NASCO, and plans for the I-35 NAFTA Superhighway." Cool!
Lobbyist Watch
From the Minnesota Campaign Finance & Public Disclosure Board:
Morning Reports
