Almanac: At the Capitol

Congressman Jim Oberstar knows the chances are slim for getting his big transportation bill past President Obama.  The transportation chair joked "the administration is either going to come along or we'll roll them."  Oberstar also acknowledged "there is uneasiness over extending" the gas tax as well.  He said the White House wants 18 months and Oberstar says that will turn into 4 years in Washington.  Ultimately he said people need jobs now and "we're ready to move."

When it comes to jobs in the federal stimulus package, MnDOT says when all the $502 million sent to Minnesota is spent, it will mean 12,500 construction jobs.  Some more stats:  98 projects have been bid, 54 contracted, 36 begun and 4 completed. State Senate Transportation Chair Steve Murphy said "transportation puts people to work and generates economies."  One local contractor said he has hired 10% more workers and his federal stimulus work has rippled throughout the economy with suppliers and subcontractors.

One moment of levity came when Oberstar noted that he made it back to Minnesota "no thanks to Northwest Airlines who delayed my flight an hour."  Not great PR luck to delay the Transportation Chair's flight.

With Elwyn Tinklenberg out of the 6th District congressional race, it leaves a two woman DFL contest to replace the current congresswoman. Tinklenberg said "While the image of the next campaign against Michele Bachmann is certainly energizing, the path to that campaign is becoming increasingly improbable."

Getting passed Sen. Tarryl Clark for the DFL endorsement was going to be tough for Tinklenberg.  Dr. Maureen Reed has also raised a sizable amount of money.  But the buzz is definitely with Clark.   Everyone expected the Capitol's two most prominent women to run for some higher office.  Now that leaves House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher who many of my sources all say will take steps to get into the race for governor soon.

Fascinating story in Washtingon Post about McCain's quest for a runningmate:

At that point, there seemed to be only two realistic finalists: Pawlenty and Palin, although media speculation focused mostly on Pawlenty and Romney. Romney's star had risen over the summer. He was not a Washington insider and could talk about the economy in ways McCain could not. Furthermore, his relationship with McCain had warmed considerably since the primaries. McCain was impressed by how hard Romney was willing to work to get him elected. Romney's prospects may have ended after a McCain gaffe the previous week. In an interview with Politico, the candidate said he couldn't remember how many homes he and Cindy owned, making him sound badly out of touch with the lives of ordinary Americans. Romney owned four homes. Amid such economic hardship, Republicans could not present voters with nominees who between them owned nearly a dozen homes.

Pawlenty was young and vigorous, a conservative who had grown up in a blue-collar family -- his father was a truck driver -- and he was anti-abortion. He had won reelection in the Democratic year of 2006 and was seen as a future leader of the GOP, an advocate of modernizing the party without abandoning its conservative principles. Though not particularly flashy, he was seen as a more than credible choice, a running mate who might keep the Upper Midwest competitive. He was the safe choice if Palin faltered.

Lawmakers at the Coalition of Greater MN Cities meeting in Brainerd on both sides of the aisle said they didn't like the way the session ended and challenged their own parties' leadership.  The group passed a resolution urging lawmakers to roll back Gov. Pawlenty's unallotment cuts to local government aid. 

Sen. Tom Bakk the DFL Tax Chair confessed "I probably haven't said this publicly, but I guess if I had been the majority leader or speaker I think my approach would have been a little different."  But he still put most of the blame on Pawlenty saying "the governor is very hard to negotiate with because he doesn't need anything."    

Rep. Morrie Lanning (R-Moorhead) added that he thought unallotment was "very unfortunate" and didn't need to happen.  The Republican said government should have cut itself further asking "Why ask cities and counties to cut back more than state government?  That's not right, that's not fair."

We'll have more on this tonight on Almanac.

Thursday is a big day for Tim Pawlenty's presidential future.  He's giving the keynote address to key Republicans at a national committee meeting in California.  The Hill has a lot to say about our governor:

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), a potential 2012 contender whose profile has grown in recent weeks, will address the body in a keynote speech on Thursday.

In the wake of scandals that have sidelined South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) and Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), Pawlenty has emerged as a leading possible presidential contender. His speech, a traditional thank-you to Republicans from the state in which the previous year's convention was held, will introduce him to a load of heavy-hitting Republicans he would need if he decides to mount his own bid.

Pawlenty will dine with several state party chairmen and spend his time meeting with RNC members, many of whom have yet to get to know him.

"We're going through a transitionary phase right now, which happens every now and then. I think we're having a change-out in leadership," said Randy Pullen, chairman of the Arizona GOP and the RNC's treasurer. He is among those having dinner with Pawlenty. The Minnesota governor "is a guy that knows how to get things done,” he noted.

"Being a governor of Minnesota and a Republican is no easy thing," Pullen added.

Centrist blogger Tommorow's Blaze asks "T-Paw: The New Anti-Palin?"

As it turns out, Minnesota Gov. Timothy “T-Paw” Pawlenty — one of John McCain’s most competent vice presidential finalists — is scheduled to deliver a speech at the RNC later this month to familiarize “state-level activists and party donors” with his politics. That is, just in case he launches a 2012 presidential bid, counter Newt, Mitt and that other walking Alaskan disaster who we’re pretty sure doesn’t know what she’s talking about, ever.

Pawlenty, one of the few non-hyperbolic politicians within the GOP who genuinely understands what it means to be a conservative, has advocated most recently for the restoration of “big-tent Republicanism” and other initiatives that will help the Grand Old Party appeal to a wider, more diverse demographic.

We’re not going to get too excited just yet (see: the 2008 transformation of John McCain). But we’re looking forward to seeing a fresh face that can uplift Republican rhetoric with new ideas rather than the McCarthyist mudslinging that has (up until now) dominated Washington politics.

Twitter update gives gov a wrestling name:

From the State that gave us Jesse the Body, comes Pawlenty the Powerful http://bit.ly/wPaKX RNC speech awaits this week. #

Blogger Justin Case put Pawlenty in 4th for pres:

 4) Tim Pawlenty- Governor of Minnesota and former state legislator. While largely unknown nationwide, Pawlenty is a rising star within the Republican Party and was on the short list to be the vice presidential nominee in 2008. Low name recognition and media presence will hurt his chances, but his experience and low visibility may help him define himself before his opponents can.

Politico started a lot of the buzz by originally writing:

Tim Pawlenty will deliver a major speech at the Republican National Committee summer meeting later this month, part of a stepped-up effort by the Minnesota governor to introduce himself ahead of a potential 2012 White House bid.

Pawlenty’s July 30 address to national committee members in San Diego represents something of a national party debut for the second-term governor. While he gained some notoriety as a frequent surrogate and vice presidential finalist for John McCain last year, “T-Paw,” as he’s often called, is not well-known among the sort of state-level activists and donors who make up the RNC and who play a key role in presidential politics.

It's official, DFLer Tarryl Clark is running for Congress.  And she seems to be trying to make a new media splash based on a video announcing her run taped in Anoka.  Her announcement on Twitter read:  "It's Official!  I've filed the papers to pursue Minnesota's 6th District seat in Congress. Watch my video message: http://bit.ly/TDAqP"  Clark's Facebook page also has the news with the YouTube video.

The video has a low-tech, low-budget look or maybe it's supposed to appear grassroots and conversational.  Clark has been the "face" of Senate Democrats at the Capitol as assistant majority leader and media spokesperson.  But the presspushed for the guy at the top so Sen. Larry Pogemiller did more TV appearances and press this past session.  Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has probably become the "face" of Minnesota conservatives on national talk shows.  Clark's website highlights this quote:

It’s time to deliver more than a sound bite.  Representative Bachmann’s biggest accomplishments are creating controversy instead of creating good jobs, and working the talk show circuit instead of helping working families.  I am ready to go to Congress to put our community’s interests first -- to fight for Minnesota’s working families, seniors, children, small business owners, and veterans.

Clark also says she will abide by the DFL endorsement where she'll face Maureen Reed and Elwyn Tinklenberg.  There has been a lot of interest in Clark for higher office since she first emerged as a new young, attractive spokesperson at the Capitol (which earned her the nickname Talking Points Tarryl).   She had expressed interest in running for governor, but I'm hearing that Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher is likely to seek that office, so it makes sense that Clark is going for Congress. 

DFL legislative leaders Larry Pogemiller and Margaret Anderson Kelliher have sent a letter to all living governors, former Senate Majority Leaders and former House Speakers for a first-ever "Minnesota Leadership Summit" to be held in early September. 

In the letter Pogemiller and Kelliher say "as current legislative leaders, we are seeking input from other leaders as we look for solutions to bring to the 2010 legislative session."  At the summit, lawmakers plan to hear from experts in economic development and state fiscal health.  They also hope to emerge with a "roadmap towards long-term balance in the state budget and sustainable growth in the state's economy."

Names invited include Govs. Anderson, Quie, Carlson, Ventura and Pawlenty; Sens. Moe, Hottinger and Johnson; Speakers Searle, Sabo, Sieben, Jennings, Vanasek, Long, Carruthers, and Sviggum.

House GOP PR guy kwatt wrote on Twitter "I find it ironic that the same people who dropped the ball last session are now calling for a 'leadership summit'."   And Senate PR guy Gary Hill says "members of both parties have told us they want to participate and we're working toward a date that works best for most."

Since the Almanac political panel spent most of the time on-air on the Obama health care proposal, we ran out of time to get to the governor's race.  But Republicans David Strom and Andy Brehm and  Democrats Ember Reichgott Junge and Judy Carter Grundstrom and I did chat about the leaders in the governor's race once the cameras went away.

Everyone on the panel said on the DFL side Mark Dayton is the person who should not be underestimated in a primary and general election.  It's also possible Matt Entenza and Dayton could face each other in an expensive primary.  If Entenza doesn't get the DFL nomination, there's one theory that Dayton and Entenza could split the primary vote helping the endorsed candidate.  To that endorsement, Sen. Tom Bakk seems to be doing well (although we're still hearing a lot of Tom who?).  There seems to be much interest in Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher getting in the race and our panelists hear she is taking steps to run and are very excited about her.  Panelists were split on Mayor R.T. Rybak's chances because of the timing of his Minneapolis election.  One thought January would be too late for anyone to enter the race for governor.

The Republican side seemed easier thus far.   Rep. Marty Seifert appears to be the clear favorite with his fundraising, staff and legwork to back up a serious run.  Seifert also tells me he will not take any lobbyist contributions which could play especially well in a general election, like Jesse Ventura and Paul Wellstone.  Panelists like a lot of the Republican lawmakers making up what seems to be the second tier of candidates, but agree it's hard for any of them to break out.  Former State Auditor Pat Anderson could also be a factor with her libertarian followers, but one added those folks are only about 20% of the delegates.  And if gender becomes a big factor, such as Kelliher becoming a clear favorite on the DFL side, it could help GOPer Anderson.  Panelists were thinking Norm Coleman probably won't get in the race and his decision Monday to wait until spring to announce if he's running could complicate and even slow down the Republican contest.

Gov. Pawlenty appeared on FOX News and called Pres. Obama's health care plan "quite a joke... he is scamming the American people."  Pawlenty who of course is an often-mentioned potential challenger to Obama predicted "it will fall on its own weight." 

The governor said we need health care reform, but not like congress is doing, more like Minnesota has done.  Pawlenty has always pointed to health care costs as the biggest problem behind Minnesota's record budget shortfalls.  The governor also warned against putting too much political pressure on the effort to break Obama on this issue saying it's "not a political referendum... we need to be careful."

FOX also gave the gov some foreign policy cred by showing video of him with the troops on his recent visit to Iraq.  Pawlenty said "it's still a very dangerous place" but added security is improving.  He questioned Obama again on troop withdrawal saying we should "stay until it's stabilized."

Sen. Al Franken has introduced his first piece of legislation, here's info from his office:

WASHINGTON DC [7/22/09] – Today Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-G.A.) introduced the Service Dogs for Veterans Act, which will set up a pilot program within the Department of Veterans Affairs to pair service dogs with veterans who have physical or mental wounds, including PTSD. This bipartisan legislation marks Sen. Franken’s first piece of legislation since taking office two weeks ago.

Additional co-sponsors are Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-L.A.), Sen. Mark Begich (D-A.K.), and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-O.H.).

“As someone who's spent time with our troops on USO tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, and met wounded warriors at Walter Reed and Bethesda, I feel a real obligation to the men and women who have risked life and limb on our behalf,” said Sen. Franken. “There’s a huge return on investment here. Service dogs can do amazing things, and there is evidence to suggest that increasing their numbers would reduce the alarming suicide rate among veterans, decrease the number of hospitalizations, and lower the cost of medications and human care.

“I believe it is enough simply to improve the lives of those of whom we asked so much. But this program isn't just the right thing to do. It's the smart thing to do. This small investment will pay dividends for these veterans for years to come.”

“I have seen firsthand the therapeutic effects of service dogs assisting individuals,” said Sen. Isakson. “The potential they bring for the therapy and treatment of soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries should be studied.”

The Franken-Isakson Service Dogs for Veterans Act will:

·         -Pair a minimum of 200 veterans and dogs, or the minimum number necessary to produce scientifically valid results on the benefits of the use of the dogs (whichever is greater).

·         -Ensure that fifty percent of veterans participating in the pilot program will be those who suffer primarily from mental health disabilities, and fifty percent those who suffer primarily from physical injuries or disabilities.

·         -Direct VA to partner exclusively with non-profit agencies who do not charge for their animals, services, or lodging.

·         -Require VA to provide seed money to pay for the first fifty service dogs, and match its non-profit partners’ contributions for the rest of the service dogs.

·         -Continue the pilot program for at least three years; the Secretary of the VA must make annual reports to Congress on its implementation