August 6-7, 2012
Aug 06 06:36 Will Ellison debate? Aug 06 08:07 The TEA Party is coming. The TEA Party is coming. Aug 06 09:38 Benton County Fair Photo ID report Aug 06 12:06 President Obama loses another fundraising battle Aug 06 14:05 Klobuchar tacitly supports Reid's unsubstantiated allegations Aug 06 17:35 Real polling statistics? Aug 07 03:23 Sen. Klobuchar, your constituents don't know where you are Aug 07 11:21 King Banaian is bringing higher ed reforms to Minnesota
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Will Ellison debate?
Chris Fields has accepted Chad Hartman's invitation to debate Keith Ellison:
August 6th, 2012 [Minneapolis, MN] Congressional candidate Chris Fields has accepted an invitation from Chad Hartman of WCCO Radio to debate Keith Ellison. In an interview with Hartman, Fields stated he was willing to debate Ellison, 'anytime and anywhere.' Hartman responded, 'well, let's have one right here.'
The ball is now in Rep. Ellison's court. They're already scheduled to debate at the State Fair on Aug. 29th. That debate is being sponsored by MPR but this proposed debate would be on WCCO-AM, which has a much bigger listening audience.
Additionally, Fields has asked the Minneapolis Urban League to host a debate to discuss issues concerning minority communities as well as the non-profit group Move to Amend, where the focus would be on campaign finance reform.
It'll be interesting to see if Rep. Ellison is willing to debate someone with a genuine command of the issues.
On the heels of the WCCO debate acceptance and the release of his 'Reverse Racism' literature piece, Fields will release the campaign's first ever TV ad on KSTP during 'At Issue' with Tom Hauser on August 12th. The commercial features Star Tribune headlines on the unemployment gap between black and white workers as well as a headline article by Lori Sturdevant on the achievement gap between black and white students. The ad can previewed on his Facebook and YouTube page.
Despite Rep. Ellison's yapping about how President Obama's economic policies are working, the proof is in the results. That proof says President Obama's policies are failing minorities.
Part of the problem is that government interference in schools (think NCLB and political correctness) is preventing students from achieving greatness. What has Rep. Ellison done to improve educational outcomes for minorities in his district? Again, the proof is in the outcomes.
For that outcome, Rep. Ellison deserves an F and a termination notice.
Tags: Debates , Keith Ellison , Education , Achievement Gap , DFL , Chris Fields , MNGOP , Chad Hartman , WCCO , MPR , Election 2012
Posted Monday, August 6, 2012 6:43 AM
No comments.
The TEA Party is coming. The TEA Party is coming.
When I saw that Al Hunt had written this article , I thought it would be another screed about the loss of civility in politics, that 'the right' was villainizing the word compromise and other familiar complaints whenever Republicans are beating Democrats in a debate.
Instead, I saw an article that's fairly reasonable, especially considering it's written by a hard left lefty:
This year, Tea Party activists are winning Republican Senate primaries and are favored to win seats in the fall. They include Ted Cruz in Texas, Deb Fischer in Nebraska and Richard Mourdock in Indiana. Primaries over the next 10 days in Missouri and Wisconsin could catapult others.
Cruz, a former law clerk to the late Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist, handily defeated the Texas lieutenant governor last week. He's considered a virtual shoo-in in the general election.
Fischer, who won an upset victory against a more established candidate, has been embraced by the Tea Party, as has Mourdock who knocked off six-term Republican Senator Richard Lugar in Indiana. Facing tough Democratic opponents, they are favored in states that are decidedly Republican.
Of the 3 races, Mourdock faces the toughest fight. I'd be surprised if Cruz doesn't win by at least 15 points. I'd be surprised if Deb Fischer doesn't win by 12 points or more.
If all these Tea Party-backed Republicans win in November, it means Mitch McConnell, the current Republican Senate leader, will be in the majority. From day one, however, the Kentucky senator will be looking over his shoulder. The real power may be South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, who stood up and supported a number of these Tea Party candidates in the 2010 elections.
Another politician who benefits: Sarah Palin. The former Alaska governor endorsed Mourdock, Fischer and Cruz when they were underdogs.
Hunt is exactly right in saying that Gov. Palin and Sen. DeMint will exert considerable influence on the Senate's agenda. If Sen. McConnell recognizes that, he could make this a productive Senate.
In fact, McConnell could earn some points with the TEA Party by saying he'd support Jim DeMint over John Cornyn if Sen. DeMint ran for the soon-to-be-open spot created by Jon Kyl's retirement.
Increasing the number of influential conservative voices in the Senate is the fastest way of righting this nation's economy. Despite President Obama's spin, this nation's economy isn't headed in the right direction. It won't improve until President Obama is fired by the voters this November.
Increasing the TEA Party's influence in the Senate will dramatically hasten the economy's recovery.
Tags: Al Hunt , Media Bias , TEA Party , Ted Cruz , Richard Mourdock , Deb Fischer , Mitch McConnell , Jim DeMint , Sarah Palin , GOP , Election 2012
Posted Monday, August 6, 2012 8:07 AM
No comments.
Benton County Fair Photo ID report
Faithful readers of LFR probably noticed that last week was a modest week in terms of blogging. I didn't say anything about it at the time but the reason for the light blogging was because I was at the Benton County Fair, working the booth for Vote Yes on Photo ID .
The responses from people stopping past the booth were encouraging. A healthy number of people said that they needed their drivers license to cash a check, board a plane or get into a Michelle Obama event. (Yes, 4-5 people actually said that.)
Yesterday, a young lady in her mid-20's was looking over the fact sheet about Photo ID. ( This fact sheet is similar, though not identical, to the fact sheet this young lady was reading.) As she read, she chuckled. When I inquired why she was laughing, she said she couldn't understand "why people think this is controversial."
I reminded her that it's only controversial in St. Paul. I told her about the KSTP/SurveyUSA poll that showed 92% of Republicans, 76% of independents and 59% of Democrats supported Photo ID .
The highlight from Saturday was one person saying that "we should've done this years ago", then having another visitor to the booth saying "Yeah, at least 1 [gubernatorial] election and 1 senate election sooner."
To be fair, most of the people stopping past the booth were Republicans. That said, a significant portion of the people stopping at the booth were independents.
One DFL heckler couldn't resist the usual diatribe, shouting "It's just another Republican scam." Of course, this portrait in cowardice didn't have the fortitude to back his statement up with verifiable information. I didn't expect him to because the DFL's nature is to shoot from the lip, then run before getting confronted with facts that contradict their statements.
Based on the responses I heard, and the intensity with which they were spoken, I think the proposed Photo ID constitutional amendment will pass. What's most encouraging is that the arguments that the DFL is using won't affect supporters of Photo ID even slightly.
Tags: Photo ID , Constitutional Amendment , ProtectMyVote , Vote Yes On Photo ID , GOP , Independents , Polling , KSTP/SurveyUSA , Voter Fraud , Hecklers , Election 2012
Posted Monday, August 6, 2012 9:38 AM
No comments.
President Obama loses another fundraising battle
If Mitt Romney keeps beating President Obama in the fundraising battle, this race could get rather lopsided relatively quickly. July wasn't a terrible month for President Obama :
@BarackObama Reporting back on last month's fundraising numbers: In July, 761,000 people donated to raise over $75 million for this campaign. Thank you.
It's just that Mitt had a significantly better month than President Obama and the DNC:
Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee brought in $101.3 million in July, making that the second consecutive month that the GOP nominee's fundraising cracked the $100 million mark.
The Romney campaign, the RNC and the Romney Victory Fund have a combined $185.9 million in the bank, the Romney campaign announced.
Romney's receipts almost match his June haul of $106 million and may position him to extend his cash-on-hand lead over the president. For all the rough news weeks Romney has endured lately, his campaign treasury doesn't seem to have suffered for it.
First, Mitt hasn't had a rough couple of weeks. That's just the storyline established by Mssrs. Axelrod and Plouffe, then parroted by their media puppets.
People living outside the DC echochamber recognize that Mitt impressed people in Israel. His statement about the Palestinians won't hurt him. Further, people living outside the DC echochamber were impressed with Mitt's speech in Poland.
It's true that Mitt shouldn't have said anything about the Olympics but that's another tempest in a teapot issue that the DC media is throwing a hissy fit over but that voters just ignore. They're worried that President Obama hasn't gotten the economy jumpstarted. They're worried that the ACA will hurt businesses.
The Obama train is quickly turning into a trainwreck. The real polling shows him in tough shape in the battleground states.
By the time the Democrats' (abbreviated and underfunded) convention closes, they might be riding a 3-month fundraising losing streak. That's a terrible position to be in heading into the final sprint.
Tags: President Obama , Fundraising , DNC , Democratic National Convention , Democrats , Mitt Romney , RNC , GOP , Election 2012
Posted Monday, August 6, 2012 12:06 PM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 06-Aug-12 04:40 PM
Gary:
Keep in mind he ran an Olympics and was asked a question. The fun part was once he was asked the question he was in a no win scenario.
If he said I don't know what is going on in London he would've been protrayed as not knowing squat about something on his resume.
When he tried to give a generic answer which covered what was public record in the media he was attacked for it.
That shows just how much in the tank the media is for Obama.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 2 by walter hanson at 06-Aug-12 04:41 PM
Keep in mind last year Obama thought I will raise money to death and out spend the Republican for an easy win.
Boy that's gone.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Klobuchar tacitly supports Reid's unsubstantiated allegations
I think I coined the phrase that the most dangerous place in Minnesota is between Sen. Klobuchar and a photo op. She loves touting her bipartisanship on do-nothing bills that nobody would notice if not for a fawning press.
If Sen. Klobuchar wants to prove that she's about more than photo ops, she needs to end her silence and tell Harry Reid she's disgusted with his wild, unsubstantiated accusations.
If Sen. Klobuchar wants to be taken seriously about being bipartisan, she needs to speak directly about Sen. Reid's outlandish statements. It can't be a 'I decry all of the ranchor in DC' type of statement. It needs to be a 'Sen. Reid's unsubstantiated accusations are despicable. He needs to stop with these accusations before he destroys the institution of the Senate' type of statement.
Sitting silently on the sidelines isn't proof of bipartisanship. It's proof that she's more interested in maintaining the image of bipartisanship than in earning the reputation of bipartisan leadership.
UPDATE: From the silence is golden front, GOP-endorsed candidate Kurt Bills is challenging Sen. Klobuchar to a series of debates:
'Townhall-style meetings allow for conversation and give-and-take. Minnesotans deserve to hear their candidates off script and truly engaged in the issues," Bills argued.
Amy Klobuchar is clogging her schedule with fundraisers but has had almost no contact with regular voters. People shouldn't have to shell out thousands of dollars just to talk with their senator and find out what she thinks ," Bills said.
The reality is that Sen. Klobuchar is a policy lightweight. The last thing she wants to do is go toe-to-toe with Kurt Bills on policy. The minute she did that is the minute she'd shrink in independent voters' eyes.
For instance, if she had to explain to construction union members why she sided with militant environmentalists in preventing the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, she'd lose a big portion of her union support.
Sen. Klobuchar's media apologists will do their utmost to protect her. If the word got out that she's a policy lightweight, their protection wouldn't help.
I think it's time to coin another phrase. The safest place in Minnesota is between Sen. Klobuchar and a substantive debate of the issues.
Tags: Scandal , Harry Reid , Dirty Liar , Amy Klobuchar , Photo Ops , Keystone XL Pipeline , DFL , Kurt Bills , Debates , Econ 101 , Unions , GOP , Election 2012
Posted Monday, August 6, 2012 2:05 PM
Comment 1 by Bob J. at 06-Aug-12 03:53 PM
"Sitting silently on the sidelines isn't proof of bipartisanship."
When all bi-partisanship means is trying to find which Republican can bend over the farthest so Democrats can enact their agenda, it's a useless phrase.
We know Klobama is as partisan as they come. Yet her fawning press keeps sweeping it all under the rug.
Real polling statistics?
First, I don't believe everything Dick Morris says in terms of analysis. That said, I agree with him that the media polls of the battleground states aren't worth the paper they're printed on. This article is worth reading because it's about state-by-state polling of likely voters.
These state-by-state polls, taken by an organization I trust (after forty years of polling) show the real story. The tally is based on more than 600 likely voter interviews in each swing state within the past eight days.
In short, this polling screens for likely voters. They sample large quantities of likely voters in each swing state, too. That means the MOE is tiny compared with the media polling.
Many of the polls that get included in the RCP averages don't test for likely voters. In fact, one state included several polls that just screened for adults. That polling is worthless. They didn't even bother to find out if these adults were registered to vote, much less if they were interested in voting.
This is the important information:
The trend line is distinctly pro-Romney. Of the thirteen states studied, he improved or Obama slipped in nine states while the reverse happened in only four. To read the media, one would think that Romney had a terrible month. In fact, the exact reverse is true.
Romney is currently leading in every state McCain carried plus: Indiana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Nevada, North Carolina, and Colorado. If he carries these states, he'll have 228 electoral votes of the 270 he needs to win.
I've predicted Wisconsin tipping into the red state column. This polling confirms my belief. There's more:
To win the election, Romney would then have to carry Florida where he trails by two points, and either Virginia (behind by two) or Ohio where he's down by only one.
The Democrats' mistake with Ohio's military voters is hurting President Obama. I'd bet that if this polling organization polled Ohio again later this week, Romney would be leading by 1-2 points.
Mitt's well-positioned in Virginia, too, because he's a solutions-oriented candidate. Gov. McDonnell ran a solutions-oriented campaign in 2009. He won 76% of the independents while winning by almost 20 points.
Though the issue set is different this year, that doesn't mean that they don't favor Mitt. The massive military cuts heading Virginia's direction can't help President Obama. The Obama administration's anti-coal and anti-oil policies can't help, either.
If he carries all three of these states and also wins all the others where Obama is now at 50% or less, Iowa, New Mexico, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, he will get 351 electoral votes, a landslide about equal to Obama's 363 vote tally in 2008.
Mitt won't win all of those states. Then again, he doesn't need to. If Mitt picks Paul Ryan, which I think he should, I wouldn't be surprised if Mitt would win Iowa and Michigan, with an outside shot at winning Pennsylvania and Minnesota. In fact, Minnesota isn't the longshot one might think:
Asked of 552 likely voters Margin of Sampling Error for this question: 4.3%
If the election for President were today, would you vote for : (choices rotated) Republican Mitt Romney? Democrat Barack Obama? Or one of the other candidates?
40% Mitt Romney (R)
46% Barack Obama (D)
7% Other
7% Undecided
President Obama's media protectors might be attempting to tamp down Republican enthusiasm but it won't work. The phrase that tells the story is "Election Day can't come soon enough." These are people on a mission. They won't be upset by pro-Obama media infrastructure.
Tags: Battleground States , Polling , Likely Voters , Ohio , Virginia , Wisconsin , Florida , Michigan , Iowa , Paul Ryan , GOP , Election 2012
Posted Monday, August 6, 2012 5:35 PM
No comments.
Sen. Klobuchar, your constituents don't know where you are
The most dangerous place is between Sen. Klobuchar and a photo op. Apparently, the safest place in Minnesota is between Sen. Klobuchar and a townhall meeting:
These constituents have lots of questions for Sen. Klobuchar. Unfortunately for them, Sen. Klobuchar hasn't shown much interest in hearing from her constituents.
The DFL storyline is that Sen. Klobuchar is the most popular senator in the United States. That's because she isn't a leader who takes tough stands on important issues. It's also because she's refused to take questions from her constituents.
That isn't leadership.
Sen. Klobuchar's accomplishments have been minimal, an amazing thought considering the fact that she's never served a day in the minority since she arrived in DC in 2006.
Posted Tuesday, August 7, 2012 3:23 AM
Comment 1 by Crimson Tide at 07-Aug-12 07:20 PM
People vote for her because she is nice and sweet. Never mind the fact that she hasn't provided any true leadership for Minnesota.
Comment 2 by eric z at 08-Aug-12 12:36 PM
Does Bills have a campaign office in Anoka County? Klobuchar has a job to do; Bills is on summer vacation from his grade school classes. So, how available is Bills?
And Gary, you can attack Klobuchar, but what positive things have you to say about Bills? It seems you have let that topic lag.
Comment 3 by eric z at 08-Aug-12 12:41 PM
I checked the sidebar. Homeland Security - 258 posts.
Zero, under either "Bills" or "Kurt Bills."
34 on "Hamas."
426 on "Harry Reid."
More to say about Hamas than about Kurt Bills?
Okay, you set your own priorities while I only check the sidebar to see what they are.
If you don't like your party's candidate, why not just say so?
Comment 4 by Gary Gross at 08-Aug-12 01:52 PM
Eric, You've got a point in that Kurt Bills hasn't told his story yet.
Having watched him in the legislature the past 2 years, rest assured that he's got a compeling story.
The biggest thing he needs to do is tell people how the economy works. "Take Econ101 to Washington" is a catchy phrase but it's essential to tell people a) why the ACA must be replaced with a free market-based plan, b) how lowering business costs and shrinking government will push the accelerator on job creation and c) that Sen. Klobuchar hasn't been a leader and that she's voted to raise taxes on Minnesota's high tech companies.
The reality, Eric, is that Sen. Klobuchar is a policy lightweight who's good at saying nothing and smiling alot.
Those might be great features for a salesperson but they aren't qualifications for a US senator.
King Banaian is bringing higher ed reforms to Minnesota
There's no question but that the higher education system needs substantial reform to bring costs under control. Part of the problem comes from too many degrees that don't prepare students for profitable careers in the private sector. Part of the problem comes from the glut of do-nothing administrators.
One thing that hasn't gotten much attention is the cost of books. Until now.
My representative, Rep. King Banaian, is chief author of HF2213 , a bill designed to reduce prices for students.
Here's King's statement announcing the passing of his bill:
Textbooks add significantly to the cost of higher education. Financial aid forms now include a line for adding the cost of textbooks to the total price of a year of college.
Last fall student leaders at SCSU came to ask if I would sponsor legislation to address textbook costs. We formed a bill that harnessed the power of the market to bring prices down. By asking faculty and departments for timely notification of their textbook choices students are able to explore all options for acquiring the book. Disclosure of the suitability of previous editions of a book also assist students in finding low-cost alternatives. This is reducing the cost of education and the loans our students must carry into the world after graduation.
All of this took place over the spring of 2012 with numerous meetings with publishers, bookstore operators, faculty and student groups. We also were able to encourage a large working group of faculty, administrators, students, and bookstore operators to continue meeting in 2012-13.
As a result, all were satisfied when this legislation was made a keystone of the Higher Education Omnibus bill of 2012, which was passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Dayton.
King's attention to his constituents, coupled with his familiarity of the college system and his leadership on this issue is sure to have an immediate and positive impact for students.
King's bill includes an important provision that will have a significant impact beyond the immediate savings:
The board of trustees shall establish a task force to study methods that result in lower textbook costs for students. The task force must examine and evaluate the effectiveness of existing state and federal textbook legislation that increases the amount of information on textbooks provided to faculty, bookstores, and students and limits bundling of textbooks and course materials, including how this legislation has impacted textbook costs for students. The task force must also explore alternative textbook delivery methods, including a cross-campus shared delivery system for textbooks, the expansion of electronic text books with an assessment of effective methods for delivering e-books to students, and other technology-based, innovative, or best practices methods to bring real cost-savings to students.
The words shall or must were used 3 times in that paragraph. It isn't that that's a huge number. It's that it's used to force the Board of Trustees to actively find ways to reduce book prices.
When students notice book prices dropping, they'll demand that business-as-usual book pricing practices end forever.
The cost of getting a college education has spiraled out of control for too long. That's a major reason why student loan debt is more than one trillion dollars ($1,000,000,000,000) and rising.
There's no single silver bullet to fixing the problem. King's bill is a good step in the right direction, though.
Tags: Higher Education , King Banaian , College Tuition , Books , E-Books , Reforms , Student Loans , Debt , Administrators
Posted Tuesday, August 7, 2012 11:21 AM
Comment 1 by Nick at 07-Aug-12 12:32 PM
What will King do about the student fees? Does King know what the fees that students pay are being spent on?
Comment 2 by Gary Gross at 07-Aug-12 01:36 PM
Nick, I'd just suggest you contact his office at the state capitol with those questions.
Comment 3 by Nick at 07-Aug-12 01:38 PM
Thanks Gary!
Response 3.1 by Gary Gross at 07-Aug-12 04:38 PM
I'm happy to help, Nick.
Comment 4 by Crimson Tide at 07-Aug-12 02:23 PM
Perhaps the trustees will start having town hall meetings with constituents or maybe that is asking too much. Textbooks are truly way too expensive and for professors to require students to buy their overpriced textbooks is highway robbery. Cudos to Banaian for getting involved in higher education reforms.
Comment 5 by King at 08-Aug-12 11:16 AM
Thanks for your post, Gary. Nick, please contact my office (via the link) if you'd like to discuss student fees. There are many fees, and therefore many reasons for their increase. Let's talk about it. Thanks.
