Almanac: At the Capitol

Wow, this is big:

FYI, the Barack Obama event at the Target Center on Saturday is effectively sold out. Tickets are no longer available online and a very limited number of paper tickets are still available at our ticket distribution locations across the state. Minnesotans can add their name to a wait list and we will notify them as space becomes available. But we cannot guarantee that anyone from the wait list will be able to attend the event.

The wait list can be accessed here: http://minnesota.barackobama.com/minneapolis

This free event “sold out” less than 24 hours after tickets became available.

Press should request credentials here: http://www.barackobama.com/mediarsvp

Please contact me with any questions.

Thanks,

Nick Kimball
Minnesota Communications Director
Obama for America

John McCain is increasing his presence in Minnesota. The campaign is moving a staffer from Iowa to Minnesota. They are working on getting an office in the state now too. No word yet if McCain has a visit planned. This new staffer will be around through Tsunami Tuesday. Gov. Pawlenty has indicated that with non-binding delegates and limited time and money McCain is unlikely to make an appearance here any time soon.

Now the buzz keeps growing about a Mac-TPaw ticket. I've been digging on this story a bit and hope to have something interesting to report by Friday's Almanac. The tough part is Pawlenty's repeated vows to complete his term as governor. I've been going through our archives and remembered when he announced for governor in the summer of 2006, he first said he "anticipated" serving all four years, then when pressed he said he "planned" to serve four years and finally when we kept pushing he said he "will" serve four years, if re-elected. The buzz is spreading again. Pawlenty made the photo with McCain featured in today's Washington Post story, along with a ton of other national publications. Here's what a Philly newspaper recently wrote about possible VPs for McCain:

There's old McCain favorites like U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is probably out of it because he faces a tough primary re-election, since he has become too moderate for his party's right wing.

And new favorites like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty., a moderate conservation and energy-reform Republican, who is the darling of the conservative press.

The Organizing Apprenticeship Project issued a report card saying the legislature and governor share a "D" on racial equity. The group says there were missed opportunities on the teacher diversity loan program, reducing barriers to voting and reclaiming children from detention. The report card says "Minnesota is on the verge of a racial inequity crisis." We all know about the achievement gap in schools and there's also a huge racial gap on healthcare with African Americans being uninsured at a rate two times higher than whites.

One question I wondered about was the level of diversity in government. When you walk around the Capitol halls it's pretty white. I recently opened up a Legislative Manual from 1971 and found nearly as much diversity a quarter century ago as there is today. There were two commissioners of color in 1971 Elmer Childress headed the Department of Veteran Affairs and the Department of Human Rights Commissioner was Samuel Richardson, both African Americans. Today there are four cabinet level posts that are held by people of color (Human Rights, Mediation, MetCouncil, Enterprise Technology).

The place that has changed dramatically is the legislature. Back in '71, I count only one woman in the House and no people of color and none in the Senate. Now we have African American, Hmong, Indian, Latino members of the legislature. And lawmakers grades on diversity are going up. The report said last year 26 lawmakers made the "honor roll and honorable mention list" this year the number grew to 65.

Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL-Inver Grove Heights) continues his quest to question MnDOT's construction delays on the Wakota bridge. Atkins aired his frustration saying "$60 million over budget deserves scrutiny." MnDOT Commissioner Carol Molnau expressed her "regret over circumstances that have delayed the project" and she asked that the Legislative Auditor conduct an investigation (instead of Atkins I'd guess).  Here's the raw tape of the hearing.

Atkins wants a third party, like an administrative law judge, to review the "hundreds of documents" MnDOT refused to disclose saying, "What's wrong with a little sunshine." He has collected 80 boxes of information from MnDOT in this project that is now scheduled to be complete in the fall of 2010. Remember work began in 2002. New construction should begin again in April ironically from the same contractor MnDOT fired about a year ago, but now will cost about $3 million more.

Rep. Kurt Zellers (R-Maple Grove) expressed his frustration that Atkins continues to "spend taxpayer money" holding hearings on the matter and wondered why the Transportation Committee wasn't handling this issue. Atkins responded that he doesn't "ask my mom to go out and play anymore." Zellers questioned if this was just made-for-TV drama with polygraphs for a "Moment of Truth." Atkins responded that this is among the most over-budget and delayed projects in the entire United States.

It should have been good. Rukavina, environmentalists, big business all in one packed hearing room. But the room was hot and the testimony was dry. I counted half a dozen people actually sleeping during the House-Senate hearing today on the possibility of copper mining coming to the Iron Range. The first guy talked for an hour. I think there should be a new rule limiting testimony to 20 minutes per person at the most. Reporters were leaving and dropping like flies. Rukavina did have some great one-liners as usual as he questioned one guy why he would reveal his lucky fishing spot at a mine and questioned the value of a lawyer's life in a cost-benefit analysis. There's no legislation yet. Everyone seems they want both the new jobs and environmental safety. We'll have some "highlights" tonight on Almanac.