Republican becoming a code word?

After this last election, and remembering the two previous elections, it seem possible, even likely, that the word

Republican

is well on the way to becoming a code word or even an synonym for

Dirty Politics.

Peace Island

Thursday September 4, 2008 1:00 – 8:00 PM Harriet Island, St. Paul Among the many performers is Tao Rodriguez-Seeger folksinger and grandson of American-folk icon Pete Seeger. Other activities include Peace kite flying, Quilt memorial, MN TrueBlue Jumbotron programming, and American Friends Service Committee’s ‘Cost of the War’ display. Fun, Food, Friends coming together for this historic Peace Picnic. Flyer info: Ross Rowley, 952.465.2866. top

Al Franken vs Norm Coleman on You Tube Aug 7

In a re-launch of You Choose ‘08 Spotlight series you will have access to candidates running in States across the country.

First up, the U.S. senatorial race between Senator Norm Coleman and Al Franken.

Both Coleman and Franken have agreed to answer video questions from
YouTube users on August 7.

Go to Citizen Tube to get all the information.

Look at all Al Franken on YouTube

Norm Coleman smear ads draw offical complaint

DFL files complaint over secret ballot ads attacking Al Franken

The DFL Party filed a formal complaint this week against the sponsors of two ads that slam U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken for supporting federal legislation making union organizing easier.

The television and print ads, sponsored by two independent (corporate sponsored) groups Coalition for a Democratic Workplace and Minnesotans for Employee Freedom which support Norm Coleman, allege that the Employee Free Choice Act, which Franken supports, would eliminate secret ballots in workplace elections over whether to approve union representation.

The truth is that the legislation would create a process by which a union can be certified without a secret ballot election without interference by employers, but the option would remain for organizers to choose the secret ballot route.

The legislation is back by unions.

The DFL, in a complaint under Minnesota election laws to the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings, said that claim is false and that in fact the bill would guarantee the right to secret ballots. “In Minnesota, we don’t tolerate intentionally false statements in paid political advertising,” said DFL chairman Brian Melendez in a statement.

Al Franken’s plan to eaze the Bush/Coleman middle-class squeeze

Al Franken is back on the campaign trail traveling all over the state talking about how to ease “the middle-class squeeze”. This country’s economy is in the ditch, driven there by George Bush and Norm Coleman. We are in immediate need of democrats in congress like Al to help get us out and moving again.

Franken laid out three major proposals to help middle-class Minnesotans:

• Kitchen Table Tax Relief: a set of tax credits designed to ease the burden on families caring for children or elderly loved ones. AND a series of incentives for employers to offer family-friendly policies – like 24 hours a year to spend in academic activities at your child’s school.
• 21st Century Family Leave: a new family leave policy to address 21st-century family structures. Did you know Minnesota has the highest rate of women in the workplace? We need Washington to wake up to the realities of balancing work and family in the 21st century.
• The 401(U): a revolutionary new type of retirement account to help every Minnesotan develop long-term financial security. It’s portable, generous, and voluntary.

Check out Al’s website or today’s Star Tribune for more about these plans.

Franken calls for Coleman to stand up against Oil Speculators

Al Franken calls on Norm Coleman to vote for Minnesotans and against oil speculators!

The senate is expected to vote this week on the Increasing Transparency and Accountability in Oil Markets Act, a bill co-sponsered by Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is a member of the Senate Commerce Committee. When Klobuchar was in Minneapolis on June 23, she talked about the bill and its importance in controlling the price of gasoline. The bill, she said, “would give the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) additional staff and authority to investigate and prevent excessive speculation in energy markets. The bill also would beef up the Commission’s authority to supervise offshore exchanges, which traders use to avoid U.S. regulation, and it would require dealers and traders to file more detailed reports on their oil and gas transactions so that federal regulators can track unusual trading volumes.”

Klobuchar said, “The experts tell us that a good amount of the money we now pay at the pump is going into the bank accounts of financial speculators….. When I was a prosecutor we had a saying: ‘Follow the money and you’ll find the bad guy.’ If we’re going to protect Minnesota consumers and businesses, we need to follow the money and stop the speculators.’’

Al Franken, campaigning to pair up with Klobuchar for the next 6 years, is an advocate of cracking down on speculators and investigating price gouging. He points out that independent experts believe that speculators have contributed as much as $40 to the price of a barrel of oil.

A post on the Franken blog, points out that Coleman has twice voted to protect a Republican created loophole allowing speculators to trade energy futures outside the purview of U.S. regulators and thus drive up the price of oil. Meanwhile, the only solution he has offered for the high prices Minnesotans are paying at the pump – giving away more drilling leases in the Outer Continental Shelf – won’t impact gas prices for at least 22 years.”

Al Franken has said, “I know it’s popular to say you want to do something about gas prices, but if Norm Coleman really means it, he’ll stop playing partisan games and stop protecting his corporate cronies. This bill isn’t a magic wand, but it’ll have a direct impact on the price Minnesotans pay at the pump.”

Come on, Al. Now is the right time to flip-flop and support Minnesotans.

DFL Coordinated Campaign is Coordinated

Passed on from Big E post on mnblue

In DFL politics, everyone knows that the coordinated campaign, which is supposed to get all the campaigns at all levels to work together, usually fails and often miserably. The saying goes “it’s neither coordinated nor a campaign.”. Another older saying goes “I’m not a member of an organized political party, I’m a Democrat.” But that was the past. In 2008 the campaigns are actually working all together. It’s unheard of.

In my neck of the woods, DFL State House candidates Bobby Joe Champion (58B) and Jeff Hayden (61B) are getting help from the Obama, Franken and Ellison campaigns. In turn they are helping out the larger campaigns. A lot of credit goes to the Ellison campaign staff who want to explode the vote in MN-05. They are working hard at getting high voter turnout to help Obama, Franken and intentionally including all the State House candidates in Keith’s district.

This Sunday marks 100 days out from election day. To celebrate they’re coordinating a massive doorknock.

This Sunday, July 27 marks 100 days until the election. That’s 100 days left to talk with as many Minnesotans as possible about our candidates, our values and our vision for our state and country. I’m asking you to join us on July 27 as we hold a Statewide Day of Action with 100 doorknock locations around Minnesota. With your help, on Sunday we can have 1,000 volunteers across Minnesota delivering our message of change to thousands more people in their neighborhoods.

Click here to find a location near you:
http://www.democrats.org/page/content/partybuilder/
(DFL press release)

So … join the fun. Help your local candidate, make a difference in the Presidential race and help get rid of Norm Coleman.

“Franken stumbling” Whoops! Not so fast!

This morning, “Minnesota Democrats Exposed” put up rather long, highlited, exclamatory post based on a CQ post, “Franken Stumbling in Minnesota” and the resultant CQ change in rating of the race between Al Franken and Norm Coleman. Whether it was intended or not, they missed a pertinent piece of data, the July 14 Rasmussen poll that shows Franken has moved 2 points ahead of Coleman – 44% to 42%. Now, using CQ’s rationale, Franken has gained 5 to 12 points since CQ wrote item they posted today. Not bad! Still a close race, but I don’t see any stumbling.

This race has stayed close in spite of the distractions that the Franken campaign has faced — commentary on his long-past days as a comedian on the national stage, his media company accountant’s state tax errors, a media-circus appearance of Jesse Venture, a challange by Pricilla Lord Farris who actually supports Al’s issues and a quizzical endorsement-on-hold by one Minnesotan currently in Congress. Sometimes, Al is in the lead, sometimes Coleman. Coleman has had a couple of attack ads but, but the info was so blatantly incorrect, the only traction they had was from his most ardent supporters.

The Franken campaign, though doing well with voters in small face-to-face meetings across the state, still has not reached a lot of DFL women and senior voters who remain skeptical. Currently, only 76% of his party are committed to his candidacy (on the Republican side, Coleman has 90% support).

The Franken campaign has added to its senior staff as it moves toward the post-primary portion of the race. As the campaign hones stands on all the issues important to Minnesotans, reaches more voters with its message, and the stark reality of a possible additional 6 years of Coleman’s obstructionism to Democratic goals for an America that is kinder to its citizens sets in, we expect the Franken lead to increase dramatically.

So, we will wait for the next poll, and the next, …..

Labor – Bloody-Friday Anniversary, Minneapolis 1934

Today is the seventy-fourth anniversary of one of the bleakest days in Minneapolis history.

“Bloody Friday.” July 20, 1934, saw one of the worst incidents in what was essentially a civil war between Depression-era business owners and an emerging labor movement.

Netroots Nation, Markos Moulitsas and David Gregory

Yesterday, David Gregory, with his usual style, agenda in hand with conclusions forgone, interviewed Markos Moulitsas – Kos of the Daily Kos. The subject, more or less: Is Obama electable now that the “left” has left him? The correct answers would be: Obama has betrayed the “left,” moved to the center and the “left” and Netroots can no longer support him.

The problem for Gregory was that Markos didn’t follow the Gregory script and definitely said in several ways that the “left” is behind Obama and will not lose them and Obama is not “moving to the center,” as the media loves to say.

Markos did say that that the the left was not happy with the FISA vote and, as Obama adds more details to some of his other positions, he is certain there will be other points of disagreement. And, the “left” will not be shy about letting Obama know how they feel, in strong terms, and try to influence change. But, that’s what democracy is all about, isn’t it.

Again, Gregory pressed Makos, asking if Obama could win without the “left.” Markos explained, again, that Obama has the full support of the the leftwing and netroots and that we democrats have the right to question our candidate, but that doesn’t mean we don’t give him our full support.

It was a bad day for Gregory – not the story he wanted at all.

Netroots Nation continues in Austin. Read one current review.