Category: Minnesota Politics

by Dave Mindeman

Norm Coleman, world traveler. Wow... the itinerary was breathtaking and the territory covered astonishing. And the money, there's always the money.

The Tribune article on the travels and travails of our junior Senator makes a good read. All of this hob-nobbing was within Senate rules....which leads you to wonder, what is NOT within Senate rules.

My favorite Norm quote though has to be his explanation of $6,800 in travel costs to Paris and the Bahamas furnished by a heavy donor named Nasser Kazeminy, chairman of a Bloomington investment firm. His explanation, "It's a friend with a plane."

It's all legal. Under a curious Senate provision, Senators are allowed "pre-approved gifts from long-term friends." I guess that goes double for friends with money and planes.

In another strange twist, Norm gets a paid trip from Hormel to Pebble Beach, California... total cost $3,252.39. Food served... a $105 (per person) plate of steak and prawns. Prawns??? From Hormel?? They could at least have had a spam hotdish!

Norm is going to be yakking it up about bringing honesty to government and he'll be the first one signing on to lobbyist restrictions. And he'll probably be joining in on travel restrictions. Hypocrisy is Norm's way of life.

But Norm still has his friends..... with planes.

Category: Minnesota Politics

by Dave Mindeman

The rumors are rampant on what's happening with the Patty Wetterling campaign. It looks like she is going to drop out of the US Senate race and endorse Amy Kloubchar. It's odd that it comes on the heels of a Zogby poll that gives her a pretty substantial lead over Kennedy in a head to head match. My guess is that it comes down to money again. Wetterling's contributions have not kept pace with Klobuchar or Kennedy, and in a Senate race, money is big.

It also sounds like she will not being outlining any future plans, so we will be left to speculate. My hope is that she has her name on a ballot somewhere because the Democrats cannot afford to lose such a valuable resource. The State Party has not given her much support, since they wanted her in the 6th Congressional race. DFLers of all stripes like to meddle.

So what now? The speculated options are that 1) she does run in the 6th, 2) she joins Mike Hatch's gubernatorial ticket as Lt. Governor, 3) she might run for Secretary of State, or 4) she goes back to promoting her foundation.

I don't think her initial foray into politics has been a pleasant one.. every decision she has made has been questioned by the "experts". It will probably be in her best interest to wait out her next move and let everybody else do the speculating.

Another run in the 6th District would be great for the Democratic party but I'm not sure the Wetterling campaign relishes the idea. They have been there, done that, and the district is tough on pro-choice Democrats. Her state wide credentials would be best served with a run with Hatch or a Secretary of State bid.

To join Hatch would be a coup for the Attorney General and it would take some of the pressure off Wetterling, as she wouldn't have to work on raising funds on her own. If Hatch would win, that would set her up for a higher bid later on. But a Hatch victory is a long way from a sure thing... he has work to do to even lock up the Democratic nomination.

The Secretary of State option is very intriguing because she probably already has raised enough money to make a run there. She could get rid of Kiffmeyer for us...a very positive idea....and it would solidify her as a winner, while giving her experience in administrative government.

All options are doable... but my main hope is that this won't be the end of Wetterling in Democratic politics.

Category: Minnesota Politics

by Dave Mindeman

The new Minnesota Zogby poll doesn't clear up the DFL Senate and Governor race much, although there are a few surprises.

US Senate:

First of all Patty Wetterling's assertion that she would do better in a state wide race gets some real backing here:

Wetterling 50.8%
Kennedy 39.9%

That's a pretty good margin and she bumps over the magic 50% figure. Makes a strong case.

Klobuchar doesn't do half bad either:

Klobuchar 48.6%
Kennedy 42.8%

Slightly less than Wetterling but I would factor in that Kennedy has been attacking mostly Klobuchar in the media. Obviously, he thinks she's the main contender.

Ford Bell is not bad but has a lot of work to do:

Kennedy 43.3%
Ford Bell 42.8%

This is essentially a dead heat...but Bell needs to be ahead to gain traction, especially when the other candidates are beating Kennedy. Bell may need to separate himself on the issues in some way to get anywhere now.

MN Governor

Democrats have some work to do here. Only Hatch has any kind of lead on Pawlenty.

Hatch 44.9%
Pawlenty 41.4%

Hatch and Pawlenty keep acting like this will be the matchup and boy, will it get ugly if it comes down to these two.

Kelley and Lourey poll virtually the same:

Pawlenty 42.0%
Lourey 39.4%

Pawlenty 42.2%
Kelley 38.7%

The difference between these two sets of numbers is not statistically significant. One has to consider a couple of things though... first, Lourey hasn't been in the race very long and secondly, Kelley has been concentrating on the endorsement more than a state wide presence.

One last thing to consider is the Kelly Doran was not polled; so what the addition of Kiscaden to the ticket will do is an unknown for now.

So if we are looking for a clear front runner, in either race, well -- we ain't there yet!