September 28-30, 2011
Sep 28 00:35 Mr. Birkey, the difference is the corruption Sep 28 06:05 Congressman Cravaack to Oberstar, Franken & Klobuchar: Put Public Safety First Sep 28 08:56 DTLM just a tentacle in major astroturf organization Sep 28 14:11 Germans Scold President Obama Sep 28 15:26 Stone-ing Romney: identifying Romney's flip-flops, Romneycare's payment advisory board Sep 28 22:33 LFR EXCLUSIVE: Common Cause MN's Unpublished Maps Sep 29 09:38 The despicable demands of TEA Party activists Sep 30 04:04 What Will Chancellor Rosenstone do?
Prior Months: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Mr. Birkey, the difference is the corruption
Andy Birkey's all in a tizzy because a GOP-leaning redistricting group had the audacity to exercise their statutory right. This GOP-leaning redistricting organization has the audacity to share office space and staff with the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota:
The courts have taken on Minnesota's redistricting process after the State Legislature's failure to get a plan past Gov. Mark Dayton. But groups from right and left are raising money from undisclosed donors, hoping to influence redistricting by bringing court challenges and giving other support.
Shared address with a GOP Minnesota think tank
Minnesotans for a Fair Redistricting shares the same address and some staffers as the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota, a conservative think tank, according to a ProPublica report. Fair Redistricting's address is listed as that of Annette and Jack Meeks, a husband and wife duo active in Republican politics who work for Freedom Foundation. Annette Meeks was on Tom Emmer's Republican ticket for lieutenant governor in 2010.
Freedom Foundation has worked with the Cato Institute on research and events, which was founded by Charles Koch. It is also part of the State Policy Network, a network of 59 state-based conservative think tanks. Freedom Foundation is listed as a 'regular member,' while other Koch-backed groups such as Americans for Prosperity are listed as 'associate members.'
First, Mr. Birkey's assinine assertion that the legislature couldn't "get a plan past Gov. Mark Dayton" is correct. Were he a real journalist, Mr. Birkey would've admitted that the legislature's redistricting plan was doomed from the outset. The only way that their map wouldn't have gotten vetoed was if the legislature caved and gave the DFL everything they wanted in terms of redistricting.
That wasn't going to happen because that would've been possible only by ignoring the principles the Minnesota Supreme Court established in explaining their drawing of the 2001 legislative and congressional maps.
That both sides are invested in the redistricting fight isn't newsworthy. What's newsworthy is that the DFL's shadow organization is a) corrupt and racist and b) responsible for the biggest, most dishonest smear campaign in Minnesota gubernatorial history.
Playing the moral equivalency card really isn't flattering. Furthermore, it isn't particularly apt. Saying that a conservative-leaning organization is the same as a corrupt shadow organization that'll lie to get its way isn't foolish. It's spin and then some.
Saying that the "redistricting has been done out of the public eye, without meaningful public input, and used to dilute the voting power of communities of color" is reprehensible. Saying it without a scintilla of proof is outright racism.
Contrary to the lefties' beliefs, invoking the name of the Koch Brothers isn't proof of corruption. It isn't surprising that this stunt is being used, however, because lefties think that character assassination is what they do best. It isn't surprising that it's utterly ineffective.
DTLM is a corrupt organization advocating for the destabilization of Minnesota's judiciary? What else could it be called when DTLM and the DFL are advocating that this court ignore the principles that guided that Supreme Court panel through the 2001 redistricting?
If the Surpreme Court makes up new guiding principles each time it redistricts, how can the legislature have guidance on what is and isn't acceptable when redistricting?
It's inevitable that the maps will change from decade to decade. There should be stability, though, in the principles guiding legislators who've been tasked with drawing the redistricting maps.
Posted Wednesday, September 28, 2011 12:35 AM
Comment 1 by LadyLogician at 28-Sep-11 09:37 AM
My dear friend HollyOnTheHill tweeted this yesterday "What is the definition of gerrymandering?" My response to her was "when the other party is in charge of redistricting?" and while it was said rather snarkily, there is a lot of truth in that statement - as you are seeing with Mr. Birkey's "analysis"....
LL
Congressman Cravaack to Oberstar, Franken & Klobuchar: Put Public Safety First
Minnesotans should thank Congressman Chip Cravaack for stating the obvious: crumbling roads should get fixed before building another toy rail project :
Republican Congressman Chip Cravaack says he wants the federal government to fix its roadways before spending money on a proposed high speed passenger rail project between Minneapolis and Duluth.
In May the Northern Lights Railway project was awarded a five-million-dollar federal grant to put together a preliminary engineering and service development plan.
The project has solid support from Senators Franken and Klobuchar and was a priority for former Congressman Jim Oberstar, but Congressman Cravaack says there are more important priorities for federal spending.
"The project has to pay for itself. I don't want to take money and put it into a Northern Lights Project when we can't drive on our roads. We have a finite amount of money, we have to make sure that the right money goes to the right projects for the right reasons," Cravaack said.
Representative Cravaack says with limited federal dollars transportation spending has to be prioritized and safe roads are more important than rail transportation at this point.
This project is a four-letter word. That word is P-O-R-K. That the "project has solid support from" Amy Klobuchar, Al Franken and Jim Oberstar screams pork.
Congressman Cravaack is right in saying we have a finite amount of money and a long list of roads that need fixing. In that situation, projects have to be prioritized. In terms of public safety, safe roads beat pork projects 100% of the time.
That this trio of pinheads think that this pork project, which would serve riders by the dozens, should rate a higher priority than fixing roads and bridges speaks volumes. Klobuchar, Franken and Oberstar, not to mention President Obama, think that money grows on trees.
Here in the real world, where household after household have their budgets stretched to the max, choices must be made daily on what to trim out of the budget and what money needs to be spent on. This Democratic Senate and this administration, those priorities never get set.
That's why this administration has the biggest deficits in U.S. history. They're the anti-Nancy Reagan. They just won't say no to pork.
President Obama criticizes the Bridge to Nowhere as a pork boondoggle. Apparently, rail projects to nowhere don't register as pork boondoggles in his mind. That's proof that he isn't in touch with the American people.
Congressman Cravaack's common sense proposal of improving public safety first before thinking about spending money on something that isn't needed is a breath of fresh air in Washington.
This proposed pork project is proof that Ronald Reagan was right in saying this :
'Government is like a baby: an alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.'
Perhaps he was thinking about Jim Oberstar when he said that. If he wasn't, the shoe certainly fits.
Posted Wednesday, September 28, 2011 6:05 AM
No comments.
DTLM just a tentacle in major astroturf organization
Anyone thinking that DTLM is anything other than a tentacle off a major astroturf organization isn't informed. Draw the Line Minnesota is part of a dishonest astroturfed organization called Draw the Line Midwest. Here's what DTL-Midwest says about what's at stake in this redistricting process:
What is at stake when it comes to how political district lines are drawn? The answer is simple: your voice our democracy.
The process that occurs in our states every 10 years following the national census is the foundation for how our government operates. At the most basic level, redistricting ensures that the constitutional principle of 'one person, one vote.'
Ultimately, the redistricting process determines:
•How your community is defined
•Who you have the opportunity to vote for
•What kinds of policies and issues get debated
•What happens to your tax dollars
•How the complex set of challenges we face are handled (or not)
With so much at stake, you might think that we have a say in how this powerful process is carried out. But we don't. The redistricting process is marked by secrecy, self-dealing and backroom logrolling among elected officials. Legislators who stand to benefit from the status quo have every incentive to leave the issue in the dark.
DTL-Midwest can't even go half a page without being deceitful. Saying that people don't have a say in the matter might be true in Chicago but that isn't how it's done in Ohio, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Here in Minnesota, the House Redistricting Committee, chaired by Rep. Sarah Anderson, held 15 public meetings at the Capitol. The committee held public hearings in Hermantown, Marshall and Rochester, too.
DTL-Midwest is intentionally painting a dishonest picture to tell people that a process that's open really is about corruption and secrecy. Shame on them for painting that type of dishonest picture.
In March, Professor Larry Jacobs asked the question at a League of Women Voters forum of whether voters picked their politicians or if politicians picked their voters. It's a time-tested perennial question that doesn't have anything to do with this year's redistricting in Minnesota.
During the past decade, people 'voted with their mortgages' on who they wanted representing them in Washington, DC and in St. Paul. They fled urban sections of the state like DFL politicians were selling toxic waste. These same people flocked to MN-6 and MN-2 like they were offering low property taxes and sane local representation.
Interestingly, DTL-Ohio sprang into existence when Republicans crushed Democrats in state legislative races . Democrats entered election night with a 53-46 lead in the Ohio House of Representatives and control of the governor's mansion. When the dust settled, Republicans held a 58-41 seat majority and control of the governor's mansion.
With Republicans controlling the redistricting process, DTL-Ohio sprang into existence, talking about the need for "Preserving county boundaries, compactness, competitiveness and representational fairness.
One of DTL-Ohio's strongest allies is Jim Slagle, of the Ohio Campaign for Accountable Redistricting. Mr. Slagle let DTL-Ohio's real motivation slip in this article :
Using an index created from the results of the 2008 presidential election and the 2010 races for governor, state auditor and secretary of state, Slagle said it would take a 'major shift' in Ohio voting patterns for Democrats to overcome the new lines.
'They made it as close to a lock as they could,' he said of Republicans.
The key isn't to draw the district lines to be fair. The key is for Democrats to become less extreme. If they can't win everywhere in the state, then they're really dealing with being out of step with Ohio voters.
Another part of the DTL-Midwest family is the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Check out their mission statement :
The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political watchdog group dedicated to clean government. We advocate for a real democracy that allows the common good to prevail over narrow interests by reinforcing and protecting the values of honesty, fairness, transparency, accountability, citizen participation, competition, and respect for constitutional rights and the rule of law.
In pursuit of its mission, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign tracks the money in state politics, fights government corruption and works for campaign finance reform, fair elections, judicial integrity, media democracy, open and transparent government, and democracy reform in areas such as state legislative and congressional redistricting, ethics, and lobbying. We pursue these objectives through research, citizen education, community outreach, coalition building and direct advocacy.
If an organization is pushing campaign finance reform, that indicates that they're a progressive organization. Other indicators of their bias are euphemisms like judicial integrity and media democracy.
These are just a few of DTL-Midwest's tentacles. While I've compiled an exstensive list of DTL-Midwest's tentacles, they aren't a comprehensive list of their tentacles.
Check back later this week for more information on the national aspects of this progressive movement. Rest assured that we're just scratching the surface on this corrupt movement.
Posted Wednesday, September 28, 2011 8:56 AM
No comments.
Germans Scold President Obama
Saying that there was a difference of opinion between President Obama and the Germans is understatement. This article says there was a full-fledged fight between them:
German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble said it would be a folly to boost the EU's bail-out machinery (EFSF) beyond its 440bn Euro lending limit by deploying leverage to up to 2 trillion, perhaps by raising funds from the European Central Bank.
"I don't understand how anyone in the European Commission can have such a stupid idea. The result would be to endanger the AAA sovereign debt ratings of other member states. It makes no sense," he said.
Mr Schauble told Washington to mind its own business after President Barack Obama rebuked EU leaders for failing to recapitalise banks and allowing the debt crisis to escalate to the point where it is "scaring the world".
"It's always much easier to give advice to others than to decide for yourself. I am well prepared to give advice to the US government," he said.
The comments risk irritating the White House. US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has been a key driver of plans to give the EFSF enough firepower to shore up Italy and Spain, fearing a drift into "cascading default, bank runs and catastrophic risk" without dramatic action.
This administration's reputation around the world is shrinking daily. The U.S. bond rating isn't the only thing that's gotten downgraded. Timothy Geithner is getting scolded for attempting to scold Europe.
What Mr. Schauble is essentially telling Geithner and this administration is that their credibility on issues of debt and fiscal management doesn't exist. This surely wouldn't have happened had Bob Rubin or the late Lloyd Bentsen proposed a plan. Then again, neither of those gentlemen would've proposed such a plan. More importantly, neither gentleman would've let U.S. debt get this far out of control.
Then-Candidate Obama campaigned on being liked around the world. His foolish and often destructive economic policies are earning ridicule in Europe and around the world. These nations don't take him seriously. What's worse is that they shouldn't take him seriously.
In the world's eyes, they've essentially written President Obama off as not being serious. He's a disgrace who needs to be replaced before he damages the United States any further.
Posted Wednesday, September 28, 2011 2:11 PM
Comment 1 by Questionman at 28-Sep-11 09:11 PM
what sort of crap is that? I don't have much faith in Obama's ability to face down the fascists all around him (in both official parties), but he sure as hell did not get Amerika into this mess. He should have said to Hank Poulsen and other Goldman twats in 2008, before he was voted in as pres, "go fk yourselves"...I am all about change. But he didn't. So he is as guilty as Bush and Paulsen and all the rest of the Wallstreeters who should now be in jail.
how is obama not a true American? because his father was Muslim? because he is black? If anyone is a damn disgrace to this country it is you
But the guilt goes far far back...it was Reagan who really started increasing the deficit with his nutcase Star Wars crap, and then there was the Iraq was (mark 2), which even in 2004 was costing 400 billion dollars a year. (Let's not even mention the ravaging of the Vietnam war and what that cost in lives and dollars.)
Then you had Greenspan encouraging the spending spree mid decade and finally all the banks who told lies both to themselves and others about sub-prime....
Don't betray your racist tendencies by trying to put all the blame foolishly on one (black) man....
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 29-Sep-11 07:19 AM
First, where is all this vitriol coming from? Next, yes, Sen.Obama actually played a role in getting us into this mess when he joined with Sen. Christopher Dodd, (Corruptocrat-CT), in filibustering legislation that would've prevented the Fannie-Freddie Meltdown that caused this mess.
Why do you think that I don't consider President Obama a "true American"? Where, in any of my posts, have I said anything that'd even hint at such a notion? Don't hear what I didn't say. That type of bigotry is stunning. Shame on you for automatically thinking things like that of people you've never met.
That's why you're wrong. I have nothing to feel disgraced about because I didn't think any of the things you've accused me of. I'd argue that it's you who should be ashamed because you started making baseless accusations based on who knows what.
Finally, if I'm such a racist, how do you explain the fact that I once was engaged to a beautiful young lady whose mother was black & whose father was white? Venus is still a gem in my eyes & I've stayed in contact as much as possible.
You're a bigot, Sir. You should be, but won't, ashamed of yourself.
Stone-ing Romney: identifying Romney's flip-flops, Romneycare's payment advisory board
After this article , consider Mitt Romney Stoned. The article is the most devastating attack of Gov. Romney's credibility thus far. It identifies him as being significantly to the left of even Jon Huntsman.
Here then is the real record of Willard Mitt Romney:
1994: Romney backed federal funding of abortion and the codification of Roe v. Wade. "Romney supports a federal health care plan option that includes abortion services, would vote for a law codifying the 1972 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion and backs federal funding for abortions as long as states can decide if they want the money, [a spokesman] said." (Ed Hayward, "Anti-Abortion Group Endorses Romney Bid," Boston Herald, 9/8/94)
1999: Romney said, "When I am asked if am I pro-choice or pro-life, I say I refuse to accept either label." (Glen Warchol, "This Is The Place, But Politics May Lead Romneys Elsewhere," The Salt Lake Tribune, 2/14/99)
2002: Running for Massachusetts Governor, Romney said he was "devoted" to the pro-choice position. "I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose, and am devoted and dedicated to honoring my word in that regard. I will not change any provisions of Massachusetts' pro-choice laws." (2002 Romney-O'Brien Gubernatorial Debate, Suffolk University, Boston, MA, 10/29/02)
2005: Romney Considered Abortion-Rights Supporter By Pro-Life Groups - Aide Claimed His Position Had Not Changed. "[Massachusetts Citizens for Life] considers Romney to be an abortion-rights supporter, as do national antiabortion groups such as the Family Research Council...[Romney aide Eric] Fehrnstrom said the governor's position has not changed on either sex education or abortion." (Scott S. Greenberger, "Roe V. Wade Omitted From Proclamation," The Boston Globe, 3/25/05)
2006: Romneycare provides taxpayer-funded abortions. Abortions are covered in the Commonwealth Care program that Romney created as Governor. Under the program, abortions are available for a copay of $50. (Menu of Health Care Services: www.mass.gov/Qhic/docs/cc_benefits1220_pt234.pdf)
2006: Romneycare guarantees Planned Parenthood a seat at the table. Romney's legislation created an advisory board and guarantees, by law, that Planned Parenthood has a seat at the table. Romney's plan established a MassHealth payment policy advisory board, and one member of the Board must be from Planned Parenthood. No pro-life organization is represented. (Chapter 58 Section 3 (q) Section 16M (a), www.mass.gov/legis/laws/seslaw06/sl060058.htm)
Romney used his line-item veto authority to strike eight sections of the bill that he found objectionable, including the expansion of dental benefits to Medicaid recipients. Yet, he did not strike Planned Parenthood's guaranteed Board representation and he did nothing to prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions as part of his plan. ("Romney's Health Care Vetoes," Associated Press, 4/12/06)
2007: Romney now claims he has always been pro-life. "I am firmly pro-life...I was always for life." (Jim Davenport, "Romney Affirms Abortion Opposition During Stop In SC," The Associated Press, 2/8/07) policy advisory board."
Gov. Romney's flip-flops on abortion rights are horrifying. Thanks to this article, Gov. Romney's defense that Romneycare isn't like Obamacare disappeared with this information:
Romney's plan established a MassHealth payment policy advisory board...
That sounds like the precursor to President Obama's Independent Payment Advisory Board, aka IPAB. IPAB is the price control provision within Obamacare. I can't wait to hear Gov. Romney explain how Romneycare is substantially different than Obamacare with that information in the public view.
Roger Stone's skewering of Mitt Romney is a detailed outline proving that Gov. Romney is a political opportunist who'll say anything to get elected. That won't play well in Iowa or South Carolina.
Nominating Romney is the fastest way to demoralize the base and hand the election to President Obama. That said, it'd be the surest way to get activists to get lots of conservative senators and representatives elected to thwart President Obama's misguided economic policies.
Here's information that fills in Romney's portrait of being a political opportunist:
2002: Romney praised Massachusetts' tough gun laws, vowed not to "chip away at them" as Governor. "[A]s the GOP gubernatorial candidate in 2002, Romney lauded the state's strong laws during a debate against Democrat Shannon O'Brien. 'We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts; I support them,' he said. 'I won't chip away at them; I believe they protect us and provide for our safety.'" (Scott Helman, "Romney Retreats On Gun Control," The Boston Globe, 1/14/07)
2006: Romney explains he signed up for lifetime NRA membership in August 2006 because "I'm after the NRA's endorsement...If I'm going to ask for their endorsement, they're going to ask for mine." "Expressing familiarity with and support for gun rights is key among Republican presidential contenders...It helps explain why Romney joined the NRA last August, signing up not just as a supporter but a designated 'Lifetime' member ... Romney told a Derry, N.H., audience, 'I'm after the NRA's endorsement. I'm not sure they'll give it to me. I hope they will. I also joined because if I'm going to ask for their endorsement, they're going to ask for mine.'" (Glen Johnson, "Romney Calls Himself A Longtime Hunter," The Associated Press, 4/5/07)
Gov. Romney apparently thinks that he can say anything and be believed. Conservative activists, especially TEA Party activists, aren't that easily fooled. Candidates who don't have the TEA Party's enthusiastic support can't win in November, 2012.
Thanks to Roger Stone, Mitt Romney's conservative mask was just ripped off. His masquerade is over. Consider this the start of open season on political opportunists from Massachusetts. I'd be surprised if Mitt didn't get alot of the Perry treatment from other candidates now that Mitt's exposed as a phony.
Posted Wednesday, September 28, 2011 3:26 PM
Comment 1 by Bob J. at 29-Sep-11 01:06 PM
Obama-lite. But we knew he'd do or say anything four years ago. Thanks for the reminder, Gary.
Comment 2 by Ryan at 04-Oct-11 05:54 AM
This brand new video brings together a "greatest hits" reel of Romney betraying conservatives over and over: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OQoBxZZPqU
LFR EXCLUSIVE: Common Cause MN's Unpublished Maps
A faithful reader of this blog emailed me copies of Common Cause Minnesota's redistricting maps. As you'll see, Common Cause Minnesota's maps expose them as political hatchetmen doing the DFL's bidding. Here's Common Cause Minnesota's statewide redistricting map:
Here's a tighter shot of Common Cause Minnesota's map. It focuses on the southern half of the state:
It's apparent that Common Cause MN isn't nonpartisan or transparent. The fact that Common Cause Minnesota didn't publish these maps and displayed prominently on their website says everything that needs be said.
Even if Common Cause MN denies ownership of these maps, the truth is that the maps didn't create themselves. Common Cause Minnesota's maps fits with their goals :
The campaign seeks to create a better redistricting process in Minnesota that uses the following principles:
1. The redistricting process should be independent and nonpartisan, to minimize the influence of elected officials and political parties in creating districts to their own political advantage.
2. The redistricting process should be transparent to the public.
3. The redistricting body should provide data, tools, and opportunities for the public to have direct input into the specific plans under consideration.
4. The redistricting process must be reflective of the diversity of the state, especially racial and ethnic diversity.
5. Redistricting plan should preserve communities of interest wherever possible, where communities of interest are groups of people concentrated in a geographic area that share similar interests and priorities, whether social, cultural, ethnic, racial, economic, or religious.
The maps attempt to protect DFL incumbents while pitting John Kline and Michele Bachmann against each other. That isn't a serious map. That's an insult to Minnesota's voters. They left Keith Ellison's, Betty McCollum's, Tim Walz's and Colin Peterson's districts in droves. Isn't it interesting that Keith Ellison's, Betty McCollum's, Tim Walz's and Colin Peterson's districts are the districts are the ones that Common Cause Minnesota's map protects?
Isn't it interesting that Common Cause Minnesota's map pits John Kline and Michele Bachmann against each other while creating an open seat to the west of the Twin Cities metro?
What's even more interesting is that Common Cause Minnesota's map draws 2 of Tim Walz's likeliest challengers into the same district as John Kline and Michele Bachmann.
Study these maps. Memorize them. They're what political hatchet jobs look like.
Posted Wednesday, September 28, 2011 10:33 PM
Comment 1 by #6 at 29-Sep-11 08:45 AM
I'm surprised they didn't put Cravaack into the 2nd district. It's still a crazy map, though.
Comment 2 by Mike Dean at 29-Sep-11 11:40 AM
Gary:
If they are unpublished, how did you get them. Do I need to call the FBI to report that you hacked the Common Cause computers?
No, because you got them online where anyone can see them. In fact, I tweeted out a link to these maps several times over the last month.
Also, they are not Common Cause maps. They are my own and the file clearly states that it is mine. I would be happy to engage you in a debate about the redistricting. The rule is that you have to actually back up your statements with actual facts. Just because you believe something in your gut does not mean that it is true.
But if you want to have a REAL discussion about redistricting, I am game.
Response 2.1 by Gary Gross at 29-Sep-11 03:04 PM
Mike, Care to share the links to those maps? I went through your websites & didn't find them. Lord knows I tried.
If you "want to have a REAL discussion about redistricting", why haven't you accepted Mitch Berg's invitation to appear on his show? It's been a standing invitation for over a year. He said that he's tried directly contacting you a bunch of times to talk about appearing on his show to talk about stories Common Cause MN is involved in. Why so bashful?
Mike, what warped thinking did you use to draw a map that protects the 4 DFL seats, pits John Kline & Michele Bachmann against each other & creates an open seat in MN-6? What part of the population movements informs your thinking?
Finally, why is your partisan organization spreading lies about Minnesota redistricting "has been done out of the public eye, without meaningful public input, and used to dilute the voting power of communities of color"? Why is DTL Minnesota saying that when the 2001 Minnesota Supreme Court statement talks about the hearings they held & the testimony that was given? Moreover, what proof do you have that Minnesota's redistricting process was "used to dilute the voting power of communities of color"?
Comment 3 by Eric at 29-Sep-11 11:41 AM
Note that they lumped the four most conservative counties (Sherburne, Wright, Carver, and Scott) into one district too. The liberals know they'll lose these areas, so why not pack as many conservatives into one district as possible to give them a better chance in the surrounding districts.
Comment 4 by Jerad at 29-Sep-11 11:52 AM
Are you saying...
1. The maps don't reflect racial and ethnic diversity of the state,
2. Any map that favors racial and ethnic diversity advantages Democrats, or
3. That the map does reflect that diversity, but that diversity could be reflected in with a different map that puts Republicans at less of a disadvantage?
Response 4.1 by Gary Gross at 29-Sep-11 03:08 PM
I'm saying that the Minnesota Surpreme Court said that population shifts should be the primary consideration, not racial & ethnic diversity. That isn't my edict. That's the opinion of the Minnesota Surpreme Court. They said that diversity can be a consideration. It just shouldn't be the primary consideration. For the record, I think that's the appropriate disposition.
Comment 5 by LadyLogician at 29-Sep-11 04:18 PM
Mike - I have to ask WTF were you thinking if it was not partisan gamesmanship? You put 4 completely dis-similar counties (Scott, Carver, Wright and Sherburne) into an "open district" , you split Anoka county into thirds and you lump 4 more totally dis-similar counties into your redrawn 2nd district and you say that is not partisan???? I'm sorry, but if it is not partisan then it is totally stupid...and I know you are not totally stupid.
What were you using as guidelines? What population shifts were ignored to protect CD 4 & 5? Again I have to ask, if you were not doing the DFL's work, then what in heaven's name were you thinking because this map makes no sense at all!
LL
Comment 6 by LadyLogician at 29-Sep-11 04:49 PM
Oh and another question for you Mike. In one breath you say...
"If they are unpublished, how did you get them. Do I need to call the FBI to report that you hacked the Common Cause computers?
No, because you got them online where anyone can see them...."
...and in another breath you say...
"Also, they are not Common Cause maps. They are my own and the file clearly states that it is mine."...
...So which is it Mike? If they are your personal maps, why are they published on Common Cause's website? For there is certainly NOTHING on the maps above to indicate ownership of said maps....unless it is written in invisible ink...
LL
Comment 7 by Mike Dean at 29-Sep-11 06:03 PM
You guys just make shit-up. I would waste all my time just responding to you half baked ideas. If you don't like my map, that's fine. Draw your own here: http://www.drawminnesota.org/
Comment 8 by Mike Dean at 29-Sep-11 06:04 PM
All the maps are publicly available here: https://districtbuilder.drawminnesota.org/
You just need to login to see what other maps people have created. Logging in is free and takes 2 minutes.
Comment 9 by Mike Dean at 29-Sep-11 06:07 PM
Scott, Carver, Wright and Sherburne is where all the growth has been in the last ten years as ex-urban communities of Minneapolis. That's why they deserve to be their own district. Sherburne has more in common with Carver than it does with Washington county.
Response 9.1 by Gary Gross at 30-Sep-11 02:32 AM
Mr. Dean, That explanation doesn't pass the laugh test. Central Minnesota deserves its own district. Northern Minnesota deserves its own district. Pitting 2 incumbents against each other? That smacks of fairness? Get serious.
The legislative map that Gov. Dayton vetoed makes lots of sense. The districts are competitive with the exception of MN-4 & MN-5.
Finally, the Surpreme Court thought that the current map was right by the law & right by the population shifts. What makes you think that you can do better?
Comment 10 by Mike Dean at 29-Sep-11 06:14 PM
The districts in my maps have equal population. You all need to start drawing your own maps. Then you can criticize.
The GOP caucus maps "protected" the 4th and 5th. The courts have traditionally recognized those districts as distinct communities of interest.
Response 10.1 by Gary Gross at 30-Sep-11 02:38 AM
Are you saying that only a liberal is capable of representing minorities? God, that smacks of bigotry. How about pitting Michele Bachmann against Betty McCollum? How about giving part of McCollum's district to Keith Ellison?
By the way, you still didn't answer what proof you have showing that Minnesota's redistricting process has been "used to dilute the voting power of communities of color." Is that because you were lying about that? Or just parroting what the NAACP told you to write?
Comment 11 by LadyLogician at 29-Sep-11 06:49 PM
What did we make up Mike? What was said here that is untrue? Come on now, YOU can't just make stuff up and get away with it.....
LL
Comment 12 by LadyLogician at 29-Sep-11 06:49 PM
What did we make up Mike? What was said here that is untrue? Come on now, YOU can't just make stuff up and get away with it.....
LL
Comment 13 by LadyLogician at 29-Sep-11 06:53 PM
Scott and Carver Counties have more in common (population and city make up) with Dakota County then they do with Wright and Sherburn. Their/our needs are different. Scott, Dakota and Carver counties are made up of mostly bedroom communities like Shakopee, Burnsville, Prior Lake and Chaska. Savage is partly in Scott County and partly in Dakota so your map divides the that city in two. Meanwhile Wright and Sherburn are more rural in their make up. They have nothing in common.
LL
Comment 14 by Legal Eagle at 29-Sep-11 07:47 PM
New code phrase to watch out for from Mike et. al: "Communities of Interest". Read Cox v Larios in Georgia for similar tactics Mike and his gerrymander gangs are trying to bring to MN redistricting:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/03-1413.ZC.html
It failed there, and it will fail in Minnesota.
Response 14.1 by Gary Gross at 29-Sep-11 10:23 PM
Thanks Eagle. I'll certainly look into that.
Comment 15 by Mike Dean at 29-Sep-11 10:28 PM
This is what is made up:
1. That this is a Common Cause map.
Common Cause has released a tool that lets any individual draw a map. That website currently has 12 maps that are being shared publicly. Gary choose one of those maps and claimed that it was a Common Cause map. the file name on that map did not say Common Cause. Just because someone created a map with our tool, does not make it a Common Cause map.
2. That Gary and his source uncovered the maps
The link to the map had been sent out via tweets numerous times. And was accessible to anyone drawing on the website. All open and accessible. There was nothing secret about this.
3. The map shown above does not create 4 safe DFL districts
The map you are looking at creates 2 safe DFL districts and 1 safe GOP districts. The 5 other districts are all competitive (within 8 percentage points).
4. That these maps protect Congressman Walz
The 1st CD stays almost exactly the same as it is. The population changes do not require the district to change. You are arguing that this map manipulates the district by keeping it the same. That does not make any sense.
Comment 16 by Terry Stone at 29-Sep-11 11:13 PM
From which of the 5 copies of this state's redistricting software did Mike Dean pirate the software for his alleged map creation?
Perhaps he bought a copy. In the spirit of transparency, perhaps he could provide a receipt for the software.
Comment 17 by walter hanson at 30-Sep-11 12:21 AM
Hey Mike I have an interesting question. If your logic is that the four fastest growing counties have something in common then the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul have something in common. They are urban city districts unlike the suburbs needing one type of rep. If you combine the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul together that it the population of one district, is a rational line, and it even qualifies as a minority district.
I count on you redrawing those maps taking into account that great idea.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 18 by LadyLogician at 30-Sep-11 08:51 AM
Mike - going by your own statement...
"Do I need to call the FBI to report that you hacked the Common Cause computers?"
Then you tacitly confirmed that they ARE CC's maps so your fallacy #1 is itself made up.
You CLAIM that these maps were published and have yet to provide a link to show that Gary's claim is wrong. You have it in YOUR POWER to prove him wrong and you don't. Strike 2 against you....
Statement 3 - if your group were REALLY about fair representation there would be NO (zip, zero, zip, zilch, none pick your word) SAFE SEATS. They would all be competitive!
Statement 4 is disingenuous at best. Walz's district was left alone while everyone elses was radically changed. Why wouldn't people presume that you are protect him by maintaining the status quo?
Sorry Mike - your defenses still do not pass the smell test.
LL
Comment 19 by Joseph at 01-Oct-11 07:08 PM
Since Mr. Dean will not, here is the link to the Mike Dean named plan:
https://districtbuilder.drawminnesota.org/districtmapping/plan/45/view/
It says that mpdean is the author.
When compared to the current map, https://districtbuilder.drawminnesota.org/districtmapping/plan/1/view/ it seems that only CD 2 and 6 were the only districts really changed. Does seem to me the Mr. Dean want to make safe districts for the DFL.
Comment 20 by walter hanson at 02-Oct-11 09:57 AM
Mike apparently doesn't want to talk to us anymore. I hear Gary is going to be debating him tonight. Gary ask him about the point I made. If he honestly feels that the four fast growing counties have something in common than obviously Minneapolis and Saint Paul shoud be lumped together because they are urban districts needing one type of rep while the suburan voters both districts have been stealing to get to a balanced population needs a different type of rep.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
The despicable demands of TEA Party activists
First, let me admit that I'm a big Nolan Finley fan. When I saw that RealClearPolitics linking to a Finley column, I read it. Nolan Finley's column in this morning's Detroit News is sweet music to this TEA Party activist's ears:
Democrats have effectively turned "tea party" into a pejorative, making the words conjure a rigid, uncompromising movement that is at the root of Washington's dysfunction.
You won't hear a Democratic mouth open today without a slur against the tea party spilling out.
What are these Republican revolutionaries doing that Dems find so divisive and dangerous?
Best I can tell, their major offense is holding Washington accountable. Listen to them, as I did on Mackinac Island last week during the Republican Leadership Conference, and the only demand you hear is that politicians stop mortgaging America's future to reckless spending and swelling deficits.
All they want is for politicians to finally do what both Democrats and Republicans always said they'd do, make the government live within its means, but never got around to doing until the tea party forced their hand.
In other words, the tea party is the adult in a roomful of overindulged children who resent the call to accountability. How much greater would the debt be today, how much larger the deficit, if the tea party hadn't shouted, "Enough!"
The real reason why Democrats hate the TEA Party is that TEA Party activists don't just settle for hearing their representatives in DC say they'll stop the spending. TEA Party activists actually monitor whether their representatives live up to their promises.
Apparently, the thought of being held accountable by the peasants displeases the lords of DC. That's ok. If they whine about petty things like transparency and accountability, TEA Party activists will help them transition into a new role where we won't hold them accountable...because we'll fire their asses.
Either the nitwits of DC start acting like public servants or they can be replaced with people who flourish in the role of public servant.
This comparison is stunning in its simplicity:
Its members are mostly civil libertarians who want to restore the protections the Constitution grants individuals against an intrusive and powerful government. They want the government to do its assigned job, no more and no less. They're telling the truth about the dangers ahead.
For that they're accused of jeopardizing America's viability.
Are they single-minded in their mission? Sure. They don't compromise, and they don't forgive politicians who break their promises.
In that sense, they are most like the environmentalists who lead the Democratic Party around by its nose, but less destructive. Nobody has lost a job, at least not in the private sector, because of tea party activism.
Compare that to the pain wrought by the unyielding environmental movement, which has put light bulb makers out of work in Kentucky, coal miners out of work in West Virginia, oil riggers out of work in Alabama, and on and on.
The private sector never tanked because oil and coal were too abundant. Neither has it tanked because they were manufacturing the wrong lightbulbs to light people's homes.
The private sector has tanked, however, when crony-filled government told them to stop making coal and oil too plentiful for their own taste. Entrepreneurial activity is most often stopped when regulations start costing too much and when those regulations are too unpredictable.
Free markets can't function when this or any other administration attempts to pick winners and losers. That's what happened when they tried propping up Solyndra with ill-advised loan guarantees.
The TEA Party, at its finest, is the adult in the government's living room telling them to do only those things that governments are told to do and let the private sector, private citizens and charities handle everything else.
For those who've invested the last forty years creating, then sustaining the poverty industry, the TEA Party poses an existential threat. The last thing they want is to be held accountable. The last thing they want is for people to question whether the money spent shouldn't be spent more wisely.
The lords of DC don't like being questioned. That's why the TEA Party needs to keep questioning their every move.
Posted Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:38 AM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 30-Sep-11 12:23 AM
Has that reporter been crucified or punished yet. He gave an honest story about what the tea party stands for. That might influence some of the people that the Democrats have been trying to scare to support the tea party.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
What Will Chancellor Rosenstone do?
Thus far, Chancellor Steve Rosenstone has said all the right things about what MnSCU. Not to be disrespectful to Chancellor Rosenstone, but I'm taking the Reagan approach to missile defense: trust but verify. That seems the prudent thing to do considering the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
That's why I'm still skeptical after reading this article . Chancellor Rosenstone should be told to prove himself after making this statement:
'The solutions are not going to come from the new chancellor or shooting off lightning bolts from the Wells Fargo building in downtown St. Paul,' he said, referring to where the MnSCU offices are located. MnSCU presidents should be empowered and be held responsible for their decisions, he said, and he supports incentives to achieve that.
If Chancellor Rosenstone is serious about holding university presidents accountable, he should tell President Potter to re-open the reorganization process that kept an expensive Masters Degree program in Social Responsibility open while shutting down the Aviation program.
For the sake of this discussion, let's set aside the fact that the Masters Degree program in Social Responsibility is multiple times more expensive than the Aviation.
Instead, let's look at Minnesota 'gets' in terms of economic development from Social Responsibility vs. what Minnesota gets from Aviation graduates in terms of economic development, national security, airport and airline management and public safety.
Just on that comparison alone, this isn't a fair fight.
There's more to this issue, though, than just examining the comparitive worth of these programs. In shutting down the Aviation program, President Potter ignored this MnSCU policy :
Closure. Closure of an academic program must be approved by the chancellor. Approval will only be granted under the following circumstances:
The closure is requested by a system college or university, and the chancellor determines that the documentation provided supports closure,
The chancellor determines that closure is warranted, or
The academic program has not been reinstated following a suspension.
The academic program closure application must be documented by information, as applicable, regarding
1. academic program need,
2. student enrollment trends,
3. employment of graduates,
4. the financial circumstances affecting the academic program, system college or university,
5. the plan to accommodate students currently enrolled in the academic program,
6. impact on faculty and support staff,
7. consultation with appropriate constituent groups including students, faculty and community,
8. alternatives considered, and
9. other factors affecting academic program operation.
A closed academic program cannot be relocated, replicated or reinstated.
First, shouldn't Chancellor Rosenstone insist that President Potter immediately make public the documentation that shows there isn't a need for the Aviation program?
Second, has President Potter documented what impact his decision will have on the faculty and staff of the Aviation program? What proof is there that that was a major consideration for him? There surely wasn't much compassion in his voice when he criticized the program in December, 2010. In fact, his speech that day was more of a scold than anything else.
Third, Chancellor Rosenstone should demand that President Potter produce documentation proving President Potter met with faculty, students and the community, as demanded by MnSCU procedure. If Chancellor Rosenstone doesn't demand that, it'll tell university presidents that a) they're bigger than MnSCU and b) they can do whatever they want without his oversight.
That's a terrible message to send at the start of an administration. The message it sends is that the chancellor is a rubberstamp. I can't imagine that that's the signal Chancellor Rosenstone wants to send at the start of his administration.
The proverbial ball is in Chancellor Rosenstone's court. He can send the message that universities are accountable to their communities or he can signal that he's a rubberstamp for university presidents.
Rest assured that I'll be watching to see which direction he takes.
Posted Friday, September 30, 2011 4:04 AM
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