Almanac: At the Capitol

We now know Gov. Arne Carlson wanted the meeting closed, but it's still a great point made by the respected dean of the Capitol Press Corps:

Minnesota Legislature

NEWS ADVISORY

State Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller

235 State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155-1606

E-mail: sen.larry.pogemiller@senate.mn

House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher

463 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155-1606

E-mail: rep.margaret.kelliher@house.mn

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 3, 2009

For additional information contact:

Gary Hill                                                                       Andrew Wittenborg

Director of Communications—Senate Majority                              Director of Public Affairs—Minnesota House

651-296-0178                                                             651-296-4169

gary.hill@senate.mn                                                      andrew.wittenborg@house.mn

Minnesota Leadership Summit Availability

Media briefing and leadership availability is scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 2 p.m. in Room 15 of the State Capitol following the Minnesota Leadership Summit.  Information packets will be distributed to media in both electronic and paper form at 10 a.m. 

Confirmed attendees at the conference include former Governors Carlson, Quie, and Anderson; former Majority Leaders Johnson, Hottinger, and Moe; and former Speakers Carruthers, Long, Vanasek, Jennings, Sieben, and Sabo.  Also in attendance will be four former Finance and Revenue commissioners from DFL, Republican, and Independence Party administrations; State Economist Tom Stinson, and State Demographer Tom Gillaspy, along with non-partisan fiscal staff from the Minnesota House and Senate.

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I've had many viewers asking for information about later this month when Ken Burns presents another masterpiece that we're sure Minnesotans will embrace.  In fact some local folks recently gathered with us here at Twin Cities Public Television to get a sneak preview of The National Parks: America's Best Idea.   The documentary is amazing.  It starts running on September 27th on PBS, but there are some opportunities coming up before that.  On September 16th tpt is part of another preview event and there are still tickets (click here for more info). 

We assembled the heads of Minnesota's National Park sites for a great event at tpt last week.  I've been lucky to feature regional treasures like Voyageurs and Isle Royale in summer documentary projects in the past.  Minnesotans love their parks and trails and historic sites and we have some special programs planned around that as well (details here).

Locally grown food was the story today at the Minnesota State Fair and politicians and media folks alike were happy to show up for the cause.  Senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar (who were both really funny) and Twin Cities Mayors R.T. Rybak and Chris Coleman (who let's just say are both running for more than just mayor) were all there to taste the farm fresh food prepared by local chefs on the main stage.  The annual event is sponsored by Minnesota Farmers Union and Food Alliance Midwest.

We saw the still new Sen. Franken attracted a very large and passionate crowd at his booth.  There were heated debates with citizens about what else--health care.  Franken seemed to be enjoying mixing it up with folks for the first time as the state's second senator at the fair.

The Republican Party booth had a healthy crowd as well.  They are not publishing a schedule of candidates or politicians, but we saw gubernatorial candidate Bill Haas talking to a couple of people and others interested in standing in line for their health care shtick.   The contest ended at 9:30pm with "Jennifer W." winning $2,500 for standing in line for a day and a half for "ObamaCare."

The DFL booth had the biggest image up of new congressional candidate Tarryl Clark.  The banner shows off the assistant senate majority leader's looks and shows Democrats are willing to make unseating Congresswoman Michele Bachmann a priority.

Finally, the Independence Party booth didn't seem to have much traffic.  People were too busy walking by with cellulite on a stick to stop.  We were too full from eating all that locally grown food for the Minnesota Cooks event.

Tonight on Almanac we continue the story of the tornado that killed my ancestors in southwest Minnesota, but we also broaden out to tell you the history of other immigrants in Swift County.  They came from Norway, Sweden, Germany and they usually came to farm.

Appleton was founded by Civil War veterans and the town still honors its service men and women today by naming streets after fallen soldiers.  A lovely memorial overlooks the river that once fueled the flour mill.  The entire documentary on "Minnesota's Deadliest Tornadoes" airs on Oct. 8 at 9:30pm.

Last night more than 200 young professionals gathered at a hip hotel in downtown Minneapolis to talk conservative politics.  It's a fascinating combination.  Gov. Pawlenty was there.  Republican Andy Brehm has been a leader in the effort.  Here's his invite (and photos):

You are invited to the inaugural gathering of the Winston Churchill Society. Please see the below attached invitation. Come join us and Governor Pawlenty for cocktails and conversation on August 27 at the Chambers Hotel Courtyard from 5:30 - 7:00 pm. This is a casual affair and there is no fee to attend.

It seems many of the young professionals we know are inclined toward conservative perspectives. They believe in smaller, smarter government, and policies that unleash the forces of entrepreneurship and economic creativity. They care about ideas, but many are not eager to wear any partisan label.

That's why the Winston Churchill Society of Minnesota seeks to provide a quarterly forum where young professionals of all political stripes in the Twin Cities can gather together and listen to a speaker talk substantively about a particular issue from a conservative perspective. No canned talking points and no bashing the other side. Our hope is that this forum can help reinvigorate conservative ideas in Minnesota by moving the conversation away from caustic attacks and toward informed, thoughtful debate. Thus, our group's namesake: no one understood the power of ideas better than Winston Churchill.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to winstonchurchillsociety@gmail.com. You are welcome to invite others and bring friends. Hope to see you in August! Feel free to email or call with any questions.

Best,

Andy Brehm

As people around the world remember Sen. Edward Kennedy, the image that came to mind was him here in Minnesota when Sen. Paul Wellstone's plane crashed weeks before the election in 2002.

Kennedy was in the state campaigning for Wellstone and spoke from campaign headquarters saying "Paul Wellstone had a passion for the good things for people and he expressed it brilliantly before the United States Senate and here in Minnesota.  He was a man of enormous ability and mostly he was a caring person."

Ironically those are some of the very same qualities Kennedy is being remembered for today.  The other image from that day is another iconic senator by Kennedy's side, Walter Mondale.  This was before Mondale became the candidate who would replace Wellstone on the ballot.  When we called Mondale today his assistant said he was on a fishing trip in Alaska and didn't know yet of his friend's death.

Nobody has written a better remembrance than the New York Times:

He was a Rabelaisian figure in the Senate and in life, instantly recognizable by his shock of white hair, his florid, oversize face, his booming Boston brogue, his powerful but pained stride. He was a celebrity, sometimes a self-parody, a hearty friend, an implacable foe, a man of large faith and large flaws, a melancholy character who persevered, drank deeply and sang loudly. He was a Kennedy.

With tornadoes striking the Twin Cities this week, it's a good time to take a look at the historical context of twisters in our state.  This summer we have been working on a project called "Minnesota's Deadliest Tornadoes."  Tonight, on Almanac viewers will get their first look at what will become a half-hour documentary to premiere on Oct. 8 on TPT.  Three key fatal cyclones (as they used to be called) are featured that hit near Rochester, St. Cloud and Appleton.  As you'll see tonight, this story is personal.  My great grandmother was killed in a tornado in 1911.  It has been a deeply emotional and intense experience with my family going back to our roots on the prairie.

Labor and Industry Commissioner Steve Sviggum will not run for governor.  This week the Republican got a letter from the Solicitor General saying the federal Hatch Act prohibits him from being a candidate because of his day job with the Pawlenty administration overseeing federal policy like OSHA.  Sviggum told me "it's a downer."  He added "at this time I'm suspending my campaign.  I'm not saying I'm ending it."  He said there's a small outside chance one of the nine current Republican candidates may not catch on, so he wants to keep the door open.

The former House Speaker said he has to keep his day job to pay the bills, but the thought of not running for governor "left a hole in my stomach the size of Lake Mille Lacs."  Sviggum had planned to officially launch his campaign at the end of July, but hadn't taken any steps yet that would have violated federal law.  He has not spoken to any candidates or considered endorsing anyone.  On the bright side, he's looking forward to spending some time with his new granddaughter.  

Monday the University of Minnesota will host a dedication for the Gopher football stadium's "Minnesota Tribal Nations Plaza."  This week, we got a special tour in a rare and exclusive interview with Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) Chairman Stanley Crooks.  The Chairman reminded me wtih a smile that generally he doesn't do interviews.  The SMSC gave more than $10 million to the university for the stadium plaza and scholarships.  Crooks told me "colleges should have outdoor stadiums."

Football fans will walk through the plaza on their way into the stadium.  Chairman Crooks told me "to be inclusive, all 11 tribal nations are represented" and each provided their own verbage telling their tribe's history.  The 11 "sky markers" contain that history and soar nearly 20 feet into the sky.  The glass monuments are flanked by prairie grasses and stone water feature representing the geography of the various tribal nations.

You can see much more on Almanac tonight and the dedication is Monday at 1pm on the plaza in front of the new TCF Bank Stadium.  Finally, in full disclosure, the SMSC are funders of our station and I was just voted on to the U of M's national alumni board.  I am a lifelong Minnesotan who graduated from the U's Honors College.

Republican candidates for governor gathered in Rochester for an event hosted by the Olmsted County Republicans.  That meant there were 9 candidates lined up on long table all seeking the same thing:  The Republican endorsement for governor.  As you'll see tonight on Almanac the candidates had some fun, especially when asked how they could make "conservatives sexy."  As far as who stood out, long shots Phil Herwig and Leslie Davis (who yes is suddenly running as a Republican) were hilarious, but maybe too funny to be taken seriously.  

The many state representatives showed they've honed their skills as debaters and stood out when it comes to delivering sound bites.  Reps. Emmer, Kohls and Seifert hit their messages strong and succinctly.  Emmer and Seifert had very different approaches.  Emmer was his usual fiery self and even apologized for being passionate telling the crowd, people are tired of politically correct niceties "we're afraid to be who we are."  Seifert in contrast talked about having a positive clear message with broad appeal and "we can't talk about biblical values and then screw around."  Kohls added "we as politicians aren't going to make conservatism sexy, but people across the state are waking up and getting excited... we're 15 months from the election and there's 125 of you here in the room tonight." 

The Senators Haan and Jungbauer were more senatorially sedate.  Former State Auditor Pat Anderson didn't seem as comfortable with the time constraints of one and two minute statements as the State House members who are more used to limited time, quick debate and delivering sound bites.