Yes, Mike in MI (GOTV from daily Kos) signing in. (I’d do that reporting fo duty shit, but it’s been done…and to disasterous effect). Nice little blog you got here.
Just moved back to MI this month–Great to be back in the Midwest! I find myself just as surrounded by ultra-conservatives here as I did in the “Roy Moore” state, though. I wouldn’t be surprised to find a certain monument transported to the Grand Rapids court building sometime soon…
Thanks for the open forum, Booman–keep up the good work!
Illinois. And, taking a page from Maryscott, if anybody needs a GMail invite, I’ve got a few dozen to give out. Just shoot me an email at musing85 at gmail dot com.
Seems like there are quite a few ex Californians here in this state. It’s a conspiracy to turn this place blue again…without the pendergrast machine 😉
We’ve been here about five years now. Aside from the red streak mentality and people littering, I do love this state.
ex-Missourian… from KC, lived in Chicago then St. Loo and now NYC but may be heading back to the midwest soon. and glad I finally started coming to the Tribune.
I’ve lived so many places, I could respond to any number of people, LOL. But MN is fair, I think: I graduated from high school in Duluth, where my mom still lives; I went to the “U” for a bit; and my best friend and a couple other good friends still live in the Cities. I was just up there a little over a week ago, but I missed that massive snow that hit on Friday. I guess Rochester got a record, huh?
Wisconsin here…
I have put the snow shovel away. In the shed. The lawnmower is now in the garage. There! Winter is officially over!
Delusional, yes. Desperate…a bit. It has to end soon, doesn’t it???
Indianapolis and terrified. Abortion, birth control, and divorce should all soon be more difficult, trending toward illegal, thanks to our wonderful legislature.
UNBELIEVABLE–I wish. Sure enough, the “Roy Moore” monument is on it’s way. Way to call it, huh? Courtesy of a member of the “state legislature”, the monument will be in Lansing (state capital) today and Grand Rapids tomorrow. Gee, I wonder who’s footing the bill?
Hey, Wisconsin, I had to dig the snow shovel out when I moved back up here. Then dig. And dig. And dig….
You know, I don’t have a problem with the ten commandments or anything–they just don’t belong on prominent display in our courthouses. People down in AL were pissed when I tried to explain that when the whole thing was going on–extremely pissed. You can’t hold the beliefs of one religion above another, even if it is widely accepted, in our courts. Putting a monument like that in a courthouse sends the wrong message, no equal representation for all religions and all (not to mention agnostics). Our courts are about wordly justice, the rest will sort itself out after the fact. Sad part is, I’d have just as hard a time selling that view here in the southwest corner of MI as I did down in AL.
And I never met a single sheep while I was an AL resident.
Whenever I hear someone talking about Roy Moore, I ask them a simple question: ‘If he belonged to the Church of Latter Day Saints, and he had carved the Book of Mormon into granite, would you still support him?’
I live in Pittsburgh, but have had an apartment in Michigan (for work) since 2001. Lived in the Detroit River Front Towers for over 3 years, and recently started renting an apartment in Royal Oak. I have been consulting a business working on a contract with the City of Detroit. I pulling for Oakland University to advance to the Sweet 16.
Wisconsin since ’81. My family is still in the Chicago ‘burbs. Checking out your new site, BooMan. Weird, I feel like an online party crasher. But, nice house you’ve got here.
Please accept this virtual houseplant as a gesture of my good wishes for prosperity in your new house.
has grown that much? I haven’t been there in 23 years, but I remember it as a pretty cool town. Grand Rapids, now that I know, and 2050 is a distinct possibility.
Madison is growing at a reasonable pace, but Milwaukee’s population is shrinking and the metro area is stagnant. Some of the legislation that was written for ‘cities over 500,000’ may have to be revised for it to make any sense. I don’t expect Madison’s metro area to match Milwaukee’s any time soon, but center cities might be about 350,000 each in 2050.
Then you must have missed RiverSplash. EVERYone was movin’ there.
And soon, Lakefront Arts Festival and Asian Moon. And then everything’s movin’ every week.
Well, except for the Milwaukee Museum. Nothin’ movin’ there except all the laid-off employees movin’ out. What a horror story for so many of my historian friends. . . .
Okay. . .all the other regional territories are kicking our tails with ongoing commentary. I say the Midwest needs to stand up and be active! (Come on, my self-esteem is on the line here!)
For starters, here’s something that’s really getting my goat. In District 6, we have SoS Mary Kiffmeyer considering a run for state senate, because Mark Kennedy has pretty much been anointed to run for U.S. Senate. Granted, it might be a good thing for the state considering Kiffmeyer’s such a proponent of abolishing same day voter registration, but other than that, she certainly doesn’t represent MY best interests!
Oh yeah, and I thoroughly enjoy the GOP infighting that’s ensued from the selection of Mark Kennedy. Old news? Perhaps, but I’m trying here.
All my life I’ve been so proud to say I hail from Chicago; and I now live in Milwaukee. God, I love the Midwest.
It is so strange that there is such a sucking sound of absent public political activity in these shameful times, given the goodness, great education, and general reasonableness of the people of the Midwest. I’m not sure why we can’t kick this thread into being.
Wisconsin has a great progressive history – in jeopardy, I know, but its underpinnings nonetheless.
As for Milwaukee, this city is beautiful in so many ways. We have unspoiled Lake Michigan frontage, Democratic mayors, many colleges and universities, and a good Arts movement. In the early 1980s, this city proactively managed a tough conversion from industrial base to service industry. Architecturally, the downtown area has nicely kept pace with the service, convention and tourism industries. And, it’s a fun party town. I have no idea why it gets any bad rep. Everyone I’ve every met who moved here from somewhere else, ends up loving Milwaukee and feeling like it’s a best kept secret of great livable places. It’s not perfect, but committed people are always working hard to make it better.
Chicago, proper..what can I say. It’s an incredible city with a hell of lot going on. It ought to better represented here.
Originally from Madison, now living in the northern wastelands, about an hour or so from MPLS*STPAUL. It’s not so bad up here. A little more conservative than I am, but, as an enthusiastic attendee of the ‘Fighting Bob Fest’, my neighbors may possibly consider me an anarchist of some sort. 🙂
Perhaps our regional thread is exhibiting some of that famous midwest ‘reserve’….everyone is waiting til they feel ‘comfortable’ with the new folks…
Your description of Milwaukee makes me want to take a road trip! I haven’t been there for many, many years. But have loads of really good memories of the city.
I just recently found out about the school choice program in Milwaukee(I was living out of the country for quite some time). YIKES. It’s awful!
Are there any local efforts to get rid of it? Are you involved in any way?
Anyhow. Sorry if this sounds disjointed…wanted to respond to your posts, but chose a bad time to do so… youngest son is doing a dance and is going to explode if I don’t play with him. 🙂 yippee skippee, spring break.
Kristin, are you in District 6? Just wondering, because I’m in a northern, red suburb of the Twin Cities. Sorry for being obtuse, but what is this “Fighting Bob Fest” you speak of?
I am in District 31, with the ever wonderful Ron Brown for state Sen., and Rob Kreibich for assembly. oh, hurrah, go team. Both are Republicans.
Fighting Bob Fest is meet up for progressives, organized by the folks over at Fighting Bob (Ed Garvey,etc..)
I highly recommend attending. When I went I heard Bob McChesney and John Nichols talk about the media, Robert Kennedy talk about the environment (and Bushco assaults), lots of other people, PLUS, the very best assortment of tshirts/buttons/posters ever. 🙂 Seriously, a very interesting day of progressive talk.
I’ve only been to the one, but plan on going to the next one.
So sorry to hear that you live in a red ‘burb. Eau Claire seems to be red…….but there is a strong blue streak as well. Kreibich narrowly won, but EC voted strongly for Feingold and Kerry. Go figure.
for the info. I’ll definitely look into Ed Garvey and the Bobfest. Prior to your posting, I thought I was knowledgeable about the Minnesota districts, but apparently I have a lot to learn.
District 6 has been notorious for ugly campaigns in the past two elections. Mark Kennedy and Janet Roberts(?) laid out so much money in attack ads against each other, I looked into a third party candidate. To this day, I still chuckle over the Independence Party candidate, because his strongest qualification was his ability to perform CPR :-). (And yet, I still considered voting for him!) During the last election, it was Kennedy vs. Patty Wetterling, and it broke my heart that she lost. (Assuming, of course, that the Diebold machines reported accurate results :-).
Your knowledge of Minnesota districts is probably just fine! I live in Wisconsin…not far from you, but across the river (and through the woods).
Hey, I’d vote for a CPR certified woodchuck over Rob Kreibich. He is the extra smarmy ‘genuinely’ concerned mister neighborly GOoooper standard issue. Supports the upcoming Wisconsin const. hate amendment b/c gee whiz gosh golly wisc folks are just so honest and forthright that he just knows we’ll do what is right for the state. ad nauseum.
I worked on the campaign for Jeff Smith against Kreibich. He lost, sadly, but ran a really good campaign and came pretty close, esp. for a first time run. Am hoping that he’ll try again next election.
Do attend a bobfest if possible, if only for the t-shirts. 🙂
Not very flattering. His crowning achievement <snark> was turning Wisconsin into a Monsanto laboratory for BGH. Is it any coincidence he was then rewarded with the HHS post? I think not, considering how heavily represented Monsanto was/is in bushco land.
pure gossip alert—-> My mother has told me that he was an ‘ass’ in high school, and nothing he has done since then has changed her opinion. 🙂
I’m assuming that he will find himself unable to resist interfering in Wisc politics now that he has resigned.
ya. hoo.
1990 Republican Primary. Great fun. Pretty much a single issue campaign, on hemp as an agricultural commodity. We became friends, to a point. Policywise, he was much better at the end, but those he’d pissed off earlier were in no poosition to see it.
He led the way in not only “sticking it to Milwaukee” (we shall never forget that infamous quote) but also in sticking it to a once-great state university system. And the philosopher kings of our legislature, led by the anti-intellectual Dale Schultz, now have the UW in its death throes.
You ought to have heard some of the comments when the big boys wanted Tommy to be the UW president. Thank heavens it was past the deadline to apply, and it’s a federal deadline, so breaking it would have imperiled federal funding for the whole system. And that would have meant the big boys had to pony up private funds.
That sure went away in a hurry. So did Tommy. Whew.
But the detritus of his treatment of the UW mean that there now are only 600 faculty for 25,000 students at the Milwaukee campus, for example. The rest of the teachers are mainly parttimers who teach and run to other jobs with, oh, benefits.
The poor students. Poorer every day, thanks to the latest tuition hikes from our fine, fine legislators.
Thanks much. A former colleague hailed from WI, and he had nothing but praise for Thompson. Interesting to hear the other side of things – particularly since my colleague was a staunch Dem.
On another note, I just discovered a couple weeks ago that I have roots in Milwaukee. My mother’s grandfather operated some upscale German restaurants in the 1920s, but my mother’s family uprooted and moved to the Mesabi Iron Range in MN, when her father transferred with the railroad.
So, we’re leaving my typo “Breed Midwest U.S. Proud” as a subject line? Is Spring in the offing?
Kristin, I’m not involved in the school choice issue – and actually don’t know much about it. We aren’t public schooling the kids at this point. Maybe somewhere down the road. But even then, we’re in the town on the western border – Wauwatosa (means “firefly”).
Come on down! This is an excellent town. My work specializes in centralizing for parents the really fun things to do with kids 6 years and under in the metro area, so I can set you and your son up.
Plenty of adult fun here, too. There are so many great new restaurants to try, I keep needing a babysitter or a girls’ night out.
BTW, is Fighting Bobfest a part of Ed Garvey’s movement? Here’s a link to his newsletter http://www.fightingbob.com/
Cute. But given the stamina demanded by my two bunnies, my intentional breeding days are over. But good, clean, faithful adult fun is always cause for a lighter step here.
There is no way you can make me change that subject line. 🙂 LOL
Yes, The bobfest is w/ Ed Garvey. Thanks for the link posted. It is very interesting, they take a lot of trouble to have outstanding speakers. Worth a visit.
Are you home schooling? Brave, brave soul if you are. 🙂
Apologies for taking so long to respond…it is SPRING BREAK, in case you didn’t KNOW. ackkkckck. Am hoping I have the stamina to hold on til Monday morning (School!!) rolls around. I believe it was in a Dave Sedaris book (Me Talk Pretty??) where he writes about how bitter his mother was re: a snow day w/ no school. Very funny bit about how the kids being home ‘ruined’ his mothers ‘secret life’ she lived while they were at school.
I’ve decided that all day public schools were invented by stay-at-home moms. 🙂 🙂
Me, homeschool? No, I am not that brave. Only if they were doing terrible things to my kids and no options existed. We’re actually private schooling them – traditional reading, writing and arithemitic. I concluded their best shot at that would be there. When I was in public school, too much play in the curriculum, even tho the school district ranked well nationally.
I’m just heading into the long week of kids home on Easter Break. AND I had one home sick two days this past already shortened school week. (Deep exhale) My secret life when kids are at school consists of working out of our home office. So, it gets at me to have that time sucked away. Love the guys, but I like to miss them a little bit, too. kwim?
I’ll keep my eye on the Fighting Bob stuff. I’m on their newsletter list.
I’ll do a new thread on political stirrings in our area.
I’m in Kirksville, MO, 25 miles or so from the Iowa border. We get TV from Ottumwa. Also, since I have family and friends in Minnesota, we are driving through Iowa constantly. Anything we should look out for next time through?
I’m envious of you guys, btw, for having so much power to choose presidential nominees!
Um. . .yeah. . .speaking. . .hesitantly. Okay, like, I made the mistake of checking out your blog, and, um. . . What the hell kind of freak are you????? (she asks with all due respect)
Call me naive, call me stupid, but life was going along just fine until I had to go and click on. . .the. . . “donkey” picture.
Don’t post pictures like that on their blogs. I just finished my shower (using Lava soap and Comet cleanser), and I now feel the need to gouge my eyes out.
Apparently “edge” is a relative term, because my edge doesn’t include. . .um. . .um. . .that. As I said, call me naive, if you will. . .I just wasn’t expecting what I saw.
With that out of the way – would you like to discuss politics? 🙂
of someone who lives in flaming red District 6. . .(where diversity only goes as far as the color of one’s pickup truck). . .your guess is as good as mine on the next Republican senator. I was kind of hoping Franken would step into the 2006 race, for the pure fun of it, but he seems to be hellbent on running against Coleman in 2008.
At the moment, and somewhat selfishly, I’m most concerned about the prospect of Mary Kiffmeier representing my district on a state level. The only word that comes to mind is, “ICK”! (Lacking in eloquence, but accurate, nonetheless.)
There’s not much for me to do here but agree, you see.
The rest of the city, and suburbs though…
Though the pickup truck population is dwindling, the SUV hordes are expanding to fill the volume of their container, and every other week it seems like I see another AM Radio billboard urging motorists to start their day right.
We need a good, local, left wing propaganda mouthpiece.
We’re one of the last liberal strongholds in the nation, but the homegrown candidates just don’t seem to stones to run the kind of campaign it takes to win in this shifting climate.
Just look what happened in your district last year, the crap they pulled for Kennedy over that Patty Wetterling lady.
It was positively shameful, and it worked.
If that doesn’t convince the locals that the face of Minnesota politics has changed and is getting redder by the second, I don’t know what is.
We need to outreach to these suburban transplants and show them what’s in it for them. Bring em down to Lovely Loring Park and the Breathtaking Walker/Guthrie complex and sculpture gardens, show em all the folks that the Hotel Continental keeps from having to live there. Invite them to take in the quaint charm surrounding a metropolitan homosexual community left to its own devices and sense of taste. (Though I do believe they have set up that section of low-rent apartments along the fringe just to aid in recruiting efforts among minorities and college students.)
You’re represented by the honorable Martin Olav Sabo. And you’re right about Kennedy’s campaign against Patty Wetterling – one of the most disgraceful displays of politics I’ve ever witnessed. I found it heartening that MoveOn jumped in with a $50,000 contribution for Wetterling’s campaign – but of course that was used against her. And I naively thought there would be a loud public outcry against Kennedy’s reprehensible attack ads – but after a couple blurbs on the local networks – nada. (The previous campaign between Kennedy and Janet Roberts was so ugly, I came very close to not voting for her.)
Democrats on a national level don’t seem to get the changing environment in our state – and they damn well need to start paying attention. The Republicans get it. There wasn’t a week that went by during the last couple months before November 2 when our state wasn’t hosting a senior member of this administration. Between George, Laura, Dick and the rest of the gang, Air Force One and Two really racked up the frequent flyer miles. Many of the visits took place in my neck of the woods, and they paid off in big dividends.
I can only assume your comments are meant in jest regarding the tour of Loring Park, the Guthrie Theater, et al. Because that little tour wouldn’t fly with the close-minded suburbanites I encounter, who view downtown Minneapolis as a den of iniquity. (The only people who seem to embrace the urban areas are the ones who work downtown.)
Oh yeah, and this is the same state whose representatives just voted to include a gay marriage veto on the next ballot – which would not only ban gay marriages – it would ban civil unions and sounds like its moving toward abolishing all treatment of equality. I never would have imagined that this formerly progressive state would evolve into its current being. I feel that we’re long past that stage of being the liberal stronghold of which you speak.
As I’ve mentioned in a past thread, I was highly involved in the MN IP (post Jesse Ventura) but I left the party when 33% of the voting members wanted to endorse the current president. When Independents support neocons, it’s time for me to go back to my roots in the DFL. But – ever since Dean – there seems to be a new grassroots development of meetups and activism. Maybe from there we’ll get the strong candidates we need.
This didn’t get to be one of the greenest cities in the nation by selling out to corporate interests, but they’re gaining more ground by the day.
I’ve witnessed the raising of two walmarts in as many years, here.
I think if all the transplants were shown some of the great things that the liberal politics (despite the surging immigrant population and incomprehensibly ludicrous tax structure) has given us, we might be able to h old on to their hearts and minds a little longer.
But as long as they’re buying 40,000 square foot houses in the burbs with their own backyard where they can let the dog roam free and control both the guestlist and background noise, why would they need to hit a beautiful public park like Loring for a picnic? Or hike down Minnehaha falls?
That’s the problem we’re facing. With prosperity comes isolation and reduced dependency on common resources, hence a waning esteem for those resources.
Just consider the light rail. “The Jesse Train” they called it, disparigingly. It had been damned, defamed, and demonized for years from coneption to inception, now it’s twice as succesfull as they’d projected.
But the republiclones are still bitching about it.
FWIW – it occurred to me that I never answered your original question. I think the next senator is going to be Kennedy, because he’s been annointed by the powers that be (reminiscent of Norm Coleman circa 2002). On the other hand, Norm seemed to be very well liked by people from all parties who had worked with him in the past – and he seems to have far more charisma (and support from the WH) than Kennedy could hope for.
Who would be your ideal candidate? (I’m looking for names, rather than philosophies)
Lived there for years (Dinkytown; and Philips neighbourhood, near Franklin & Chicago). I still go back often to visit friends. I’m glad to hear the light rail is a success–it sure looks cool. 🙂
I’m not sure if there are any others here, but just in case, I had to pass this on, from Missourians for Health:
After voting to take health care away from tens of thousands of Missouri’s most vulnerable citizens — including 24,000 children — the State House of Representatives yesterday voted to KEEP their own taxpayer-provided health care coverage.
That’s right — apparently all of those “tough choices” that we’ve been hearing about only applies to the poor, the disabled, and the elderly of Missouri. It doesn’t apply to our elected officials in Jefferson City.
The bill in question – which would have asked elected officials to pay an additional $115 out of pocket for their health care coverage – was defeated by a vote of 78-75. Of the 78 legislators who voted AGAINST the bill, 70 had previously voted to take health care away from tens of thousands of children, parents, senior citizens, and disabled Missourians.
ARE YOU AS OUTRAGED AS I AM BY THIS HYPOCRISY??
Good. So here’s what you can do. At the end of this email is the list of legislators who voted to CUT health care for the poor, elderly, and disalbed in our state, but voted to KEEP their own taxpayer-provided health coverage.
CALL YOUR LOCAL NEWS OUTLETS! Call your local radio stations, TV stations, and newspapers. Tell them that it is their responsibility to make sure that voters know how legislators who represent your area voted, so they need to report on this issue.
WRITE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR! Write letters to your local paper expressing your outrage.
CALL IN TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO TALK SHOWS! You know all those talk shows where they argue about politics?? They should be talking about THIS.
CALL YOUR LEGISLATOR! If your representative voted to CUT health care from the most vulnerable in our state, but voted to KEEP his or her own, you need to let ’em have it!
And then, at the link, is listed every one of those hypocritical legislators.
Frankly, I haven’t been getting involved in the protests and such against the new fascist regime in Jeff City. I figured that when they are cutting taxes and cutting programs for the elderly and poor, that’s just implementing the right wing agenda that people (narrowly) voted for. Sure, I’ll try to help defeat them for reelection the next time around, but right now, when the next election is a year and a half away, I couldn’t really claim they’re doing anything different than what they promised to do.
That is, until I saw this. To cut health care for vulnerable citisens while you vote to protect your own benefits, stinks to high heaven. If these assholes really believed in shrinking government, they’d lead by example, cutting their own health care subsidy. By not doing so, they have shown themselves to be nothing but self-serving, corrupt scumbags, and not philosophical “conservatives” at all. Grrrr.
I think it would be a great idea. I know I’ll probably part company with the Lake Mich Federation and allies, but completing the open access to the shoreline seems to me to take priority.
Did you see the show at the Art Institute where there were some mockups of various plans? Really interesting, and an excellent focus for Daley’s “Green City” notions.
event called the Last Four Miles about finishing the Burnham plan for public access to the lake. There’s a mile and a half on the south side and two and a half on the north side. Here and here are plans for the North by the Greene and Proppe Design people in Edgewater.
Anyway there were some people from Rogers Park that aren’t sure they want roadway past Devon. So I thought I would put the question to you.
INDIANAPOLIS | For the second time this month, a bill to put most of the state on Eastern Daylight Time took two tries to get through the House.
Except this time it heads to the governor, who is expected to sign it.
For the first time in more than 30 years, Hoosiers throughout the state will change their clocks, something quite normal in Northwest Indiana. On the second try the House passed Senate Bill 127 by a vote of 51-46 at 20 minutes before midnight.
Indiana is naturally a central time zone state. Essentially, they are on Central Daylight Time all year, except for Evansville and the suburbs of Chicago, Cincy, and Louisville. This is just another step in the attempt to abolish Central time. </tinfoil hat>
The comment period on the Mark Twain national forest (Missouri) draft forest plan expires in a few days, May 5! PLEASE, if you haven’t commented, take a few seconds to use Heartwood’s action alert to respond! The Forest Service is proposing thousands of acres of clearcutting and other logging every year. The Mark Twain contains some of the largest blocks of hardwood forestin the midwest, and is functioning as a “source” area for neotropical, migratory songbirds, is known habitat for the eastern cougar, and contains some of the highest quality rivers and springs in the nation. Please help us protect this resource! Thanks.
Just posted about Slick Rick the Fecal Matter Santorum and his epic essay on the loss of Majority rule in the Senate because the Dem’s are using the Filibuster. And slick rick just can’t stand anything that hints at mainstream, as he is a Right wing extremist who would have us living in the 14th century. But alas I digress, I also posted that my own Senator, Sam the Brownshirt Brownback, is in almost complete accord with Senator Fecal Matter.
Hope to hear from other progressive Kansans, though a transplanted Kansan here.
Just one Liberal’s Opinion
Not a Kansan here, but I was just listening to an NPR report on the nuclear option. They interviewed some newpaper editors from Nebraska, Ohio, and someplace else in the Midwest, maybe Kansas? Anyway I was surprised to hear them say there are hardly any letters to the editor or other signs of interest. Sounds like a vacuum waiting to be filled.
Nate,
I am just 20 miles south of you, down the 59 highway. Glad to know there is at least one other progressive liberal human being in kansas that frequents blogs. Bookmarked your blog and am enjoying reading it and hope to help you find more goodies on Sam Brownshirt, fascist extraordinaire.
Cub Scout Nicholas McGahan, 8, right, and Boy Scout Thomas McGahan, 11, of Northport, N.Y., place flags on graves at Long Island National Cemetery, in Farmingdale, N.Y., Saturday, May 28, 2005. The two brothers are among thousands of volunteers who place flags at the cemetery in observance of Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Ed Betz)
(not my diary but goes with the above.) Consider writing an op-ed on SS (or another topic) for your local paper. Many local newspapers like to carry op-eds written by area residents. For tips on this, read this diary: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/12/21/18578/842
MI and OH…grew up and went to college in Ann Arbor…great place to grow up. Moved to Cleveland, OH 20 years ago…again in a liberal oasis of Cleveland Heights. Stephanie Tubbs Jones is my rep…DeWine and Voinovich…a real mixed bag of repubs are my Senators.
I spent many years of business travel in MI and Ohio. Felt right at home and maintained many friendships with people from your neck of the woods. The worst situation (which I may have mentioned on this thread months ago) occurred when I took a wrong turn in A2, and landed in the middle of campus the night before a game with Ohio State. Had no idea what hit me – I just needed to find my way through the kids to get back to the highway – and get my tail to the airport!
I can only imagine!! Us native Ann Arborites would plan our errands around the games–during mostly, but definitely not right before or right after!! when I was growing up there, the town was about 100,000…since that is the capacity of the stadium you can imagine what an impact that had!! (It’s a bit bigger now)
I’m new here, a Wellstone Democrat from Minnesota, and it seems that the pace of the conversation has been pretty slow among the Midwesterners.
Any thoughts on the Minnesota Senate race? I didn’t like someone’s prediction above that the next U.S. Senator from Minnesota will be Mark Kennedy. I hope that’s wrong!
Who do people think the strongest candidate would be against him? I’m leaning toward Amy Klobuchar, just because I’ve liked her and thought she was charismatic when I heard her speak at my district convention, but I’d like to know what other people think.
Hello! I like Amy Klobuchar for senate as well, I just worry how she is going to play in outstate MN. All that needs to be done to keep Kennedy out of the senate is to hammer away at his record. He gets very low ratings by many groups including veterans and education groups.
Yes, that’s the concern people have about Amy Klobuchar.
Her dad (columnist Jim Klobuchar) is from the Iron Range, her husband is from somewhere in southern or western Minnesota I think, and she’s been out there at many political events around the state and makes a good impression, so maybe all of that will help.
Hammering away at Mark Kennedy’s record sounds good. I also don’t think he has a very likable personality (even compared to Norm Coleman and Tim Pawlenty, who aren’t likable in my eyes but do have some appeal), and I hope people remember his vicious ads against Patty Wetterling. She, of course, is also seeking nomination for the Senate race, but I wish she would run again in the 6th district.
For people here who aren’t from Minnesota: You may remember Mark Kennedy from his appearance in Fahrenheit 9/11, and his complaints–with some basis, I have to admit–that he was unfairly treated.
My comments about Kennedy by no means were in support of him. And I agree that he lacks the charisma of others. My biggest concern is that he’s already been hand-picked by the Republican powers that be, and they’re starting their groundwork this early in the game. I will do whatever I can to support his opponent. For now, I merely shred his newsletters, because it gives me a small sense of satisfaction.
Nice to see other Minnesotans here. I tried my best to get the Midwest thread moving months ago, but my efforts didn’t gain much traction.
Yes, I knew you weren’t supporting Kennedy, and I agree that it’s a big advantage to him that he has already been hand-picked.
We just have to do everything we can to beat him. Minnesota is a purple state, it’s true, but it’s blue-ish purple, and we can’t have two Republican senators.
Who do people like for governor? I’m hoping the candidate won’t be Mike Hatch, even though he has done some good things as attorney general. I just don’t like him.
This is for both Anomalous and Maureen. Mark Kennedy may have a slight advantage in being handpicked, but I still think Klobuchar would edge him out. What if she capitalized on her fathers name recognition in the north and also that her husband may be from the south-southwestern part of the state? I think she should spend lots of time in these two areas campaigning, her name recognition is good around the the twin cities suburbs. I also wish that Patty Wetterling would run for the 6th again, I think with Kennedy occupied with a senate race she would be a shoe in for this seat.
I am up in the air about a democratic candidate for governor, but I think Pawlenty could be ousted with the right one. I really think a lot of people are just sick and tired of him. By the way….Has anyone heard if Michelle Bachman is running around hiding in bushes snapping pictures of people lately? What a whacko!
I live in rural Carver County by the way…it is very red out here! Hope to hear from both of you and any other Minnesotans soon!
I would love to see Amy Klobuchar and Mark Kennedy in a debate. I think She would walk all over Kennedy. He is a rubber stamp and empty suit for the republicans, just Coleman. Have a great day!
Good morning! I’ve heard lots of good things about Klobachar, and you raised good points about her connections to outstate MN. This is going to sound horrible, but given the hate mongering in Kennedy’s past campaigns, I could picture a smear campaign against her father because of his alcohol addiction. Again – I’m saying it would be wretched if they did so, but I don’t see any basement to the lows in which Kennedy will sink. (There should be a special place reserved for him in hell for his smear campaign against Wetterling!)
Hmmm. . .Hatch. Personally, I think he’s perfect where he is – as a relentless watchdog. On the upside, he’s a large corporation’s worst nightmare, and he really does support the little guy. (Trust me on that one – when I worked for a large corporation, I served as a liaison to his office in resolving allegations he brought against the firm on behalf of consumers. And he’d never accept our position, even when consumers overtly misrepresented the facts of their cases.) But. . .on the downside – consumers ultimately pay the price for Hatch’s “successful” class actions.
For example, when Hatch was on the “winning” side of a multi-million dollar class action against Medica, each individual Medica participant received a one-time 50% discount from our monthly premiums. (As one of the sanctions from the state) But lo and behold, no more than two months later my premiums jumped 40% – and a year after that – an additional 30% or so. In other words, Medica recouped all their class action losses by hitting the consumers with higher premiums. And I would assume that’s the game in every industry.
As for Pawlenty – I certainly hope there’s SOME strong candidate to get him the heck out of office. I no longer recognize this once progressive state in which we lived. He’s raped and pillaged the social services, and stood by his commitment not to raise any taxes (yeah. . .right. . .a cigarette “fee”, or a gas “fee” my ass!) And I find the proposed legislation against gay rights to be absolutely deplorable. Sadly, I think there are enough people out there – similar to my next door neighbor – who don’t give a rip about the welfare of the state – they only care about their own taxes. And those same people seem incapable of equating their rising property taxes with the state (and federal) cuts.
I have been bringing up rising property taxes relentlessly. In the last few months I have actually seen some lightbulbs come on for some people. Everytime I get into a discussion of “users fees” I start laughing right away and say something to the effect of “how stupid do they think we are…we all know it is just another way to say tax.” It seems this approach is having some effect as well.
I sure hope people are taking note. I’ve been screaming to high heaven about this issue ever since. . .oh I don’t know. . .underfunded NCLB comes to mind. Underfunded first-responders. Underfunded. . . (I’m sure we could go on for hours) Sadly, the non-Dems I speak with in my neighborhood hear what they want to hear – so more power to you if you’re getting through to anyone.
Hey – are you involved in any local political organizations or meet-ups?
Anyone from Michigan?
MI here! Will be back to check it out later…very cool from what I’ve seen.
Yes, Mike in MI (GOTV from daily Kos) signing in. (I’d do that reporting fo duty shit, but it’s been done…and to disasterous effect). Nice little blog you got here.
I went to Western, what part o the mitt you from?
I’m Oakland County but work the entire state, mostly Lansing and Grand Rapids.
lives in GR. He’s Wolverine Writer currently on the front page.
My wife’s from St. Clair Shores area, my mom from K’Zoo. My bro went to Northern.
Go blue.
Are you still around?
I’m in Philly. But I got a soft spot for you guys up there.
Good luck out there, especially with the Santorum race–ohh, a whole race of him <shudder>.
could use a little orange.
nah, needs more blue and maize….
Western Wayne County, 11th Congressional District.
and enjoy your new handle, it’s a fun one!
SPARTAN 68 mean anything to you?
GREEN & WHITE?
TWO FINAL FOUR TEAMS?
Nope.
in western Wayne County.
I am, kind of. Grew up in the Canton area. 4 years ago, I married a Canadian and moved to Windsor. I work at an urban high school in the Detroit area.
kinda playing around Boo, sorry. Nope, Illinois.
Forgive me as I take a test drive too….
Illinois here!
Hey Booman, did you know that the top hat wearing frog that warner bros. uses as a mascot for the WB network is named Michigan J. Frog?
Just a fun little bit of trivia for ya.
This is a test. This is ONLY a test.
Oh, and I’m also from Illinoins.
Just moved back to MI this month–Great to be back in the Midwest! I find myself just as surrounded by ultra-conservatives here as I did in the “Roy Moore” state, though. I wouldn’t be surprised to find a certain monument transported to the Grand Rapids court building sometime soon…
Thanks for the open forum, Booman–keep up the good work!
Hey. What’s up dude. Wolv-er-ine!!!
Hail, hail to Michigan…
I made it up to the Big House for two games my first year down in AL, but none last year. Going to make up for that big time this year.
Can I hear it for No More Navarre!
Checking it out, Booman. Good to be here.
Illinois. And, taking a page from Maryscott, if anybody needs a GMail invite, I’ve got a few dozen to give out. Just shoot me an email at musing85 at gmail dot com.
Frightening state of Missouri representing in the house.. or the shed as it were.
Hey, another Missourian here (Kirksville).
Alan
Maverick Leftist
Missouri Here as well. Originally from CA, but been in KC for the last 8 years, came here via St. Louis.
Seems like there are quite a few ex Californians here in this state. It’s a conspiracy to turn this place blue again…without the pendergrast machine 😉
We’ve been here about five years now. Aside from the red streak mentality and people littering, I do love this state.
ex-Missourian… from KC, lived in Chicago then St. Loo and now NYC but may be heading back to the midwest soon. and glad I finally started coming to the Tribune.
Minnesota here, where the “women are strong” etc.
I’ve lived so many places, I could respond to any number of people, LOL. But MN is fair, I think: I graduated from high school in Duluth, where my mom still lives; I went to the “U” for a bit; and my best friend and a couple other good friends still live in the Cities. I was just up there a little over a week ago, but I missed that massive snow that hit on Friday. I guess Rochester got a record, huh?
Alan
Maverick Leftist
Ohio here. I’m in the freaky county that gave so many votes to Perot a few years ago.
Wisconsin here…
I have put the snow shovel away. In the shed. The lawnmower is now in the garage. There! Winter is officially over!
Delusional, yes. Desperate…a bit. It has to end soon, doesn’t it???
Wisconsin here, too. No sooner do the snowflakes disappear than the hailstones show up.
Also Wisconsin, where no sooner do the snowflakes disappear than it’s 86 degrees.
Put in central air on upper floors last year and still can’t get the hang of how to make sure it doesn’t kick on the furnace. . . .
Indianapolis and terrified. Abortion, birth control, and divorce should all soon be more difficult, trending toward illegal, thanks to our wonderful legislature.
UNBELIEVABLE–I wish. Sure enough, the “Roy Moore” monument is on it’s way. Way to call it, huh? Courtesy of a member of the “state legislature”, the monument will be in Lansing (state capital) today and Grand Rapids tomorrow. Gee, I wonder who’s footing the bill?
Hey, Wisconsin, I had to dig the snow shovel out when I moved back up here. Then dig. And dig. And dig….
dude, you are such a VICTIM!
The 10 commandments are literally FOLLOWING YOU.
Hee hee hee
Dude, this is just proof that you have been coveting your neighbor’s goat.
You know, I don’t have a problem with the ten commandments or anything–they just don’t belong on prominent display in our courthouses. People down in AL were pissed when I tried to explain that when the whole thing was going on–extremely pissed. You can’t hold the beliefs of one religion above another, even if it is widely accepted, in our courts. Putting a monument like that in a courthouse sends the wrong message, no equal representation for all religions and all (not to mention agnostics). Our courts are about wordly justice, the rest will sort itself out after the fact. Sad part is, I’d have just as hard a time selling that view here in the southwest corner of MI as I did down in AL.
And I never met a single sheep while I was an AL resident.
Or should we say I never met one I didn’t like….
Whenever I hear someone talking about Roy Moore, I ask them a simple question: ‘If he belonged to the Church of Latter Day Saints, and he had carved the Book of Mormon into granite, would you still support him?’
That has been pretty effective so far.
I live in Pittsburgh, but have had an apartment in Michigan (for work) since 2001. Lived in the Detroit River Front Towers for over 3 years, and recently started renting an apartment in Royal Oak. I have been consulting a business working on a contract with the City of Detroit. I pulling for Oakland University to advance to the Sweet 16.
I’m guessing that should be considered midwest.
Wisconsin since ’81. My family is still in the Chicago ‘burbs. Checking out your new site, BooMan. Weird, I feel like an online party crasher. But, nice house you’ve got here.
Please accept this virtual houseplant as a gesture of my good wishes for prosperity in your new house.
Look who’s here! Hey, OtherMilwMom!
Or, being Milw, I guess I oughta say ain’a hey!
Anyone from Minnesota lurking around?
Yup. See above.
Delurking (after many days of courage mustering) to check in from MN District 6 and extend a greeting to Pilotweed.
Sort of. (See above.)
Alan
Maverick Leftist
Missourians welcome. Leave your guns home if you want to bank here.
confirms our daily frustration that everything and everyone is stagnating in Milwaukee. No one is moving, saying, doing anything. WTF?
At the same pace that Madison (where I live) is gaining on Milwaukee and Grand Rapids is gaining on Detroit. 2050, maybe?
has grown that much? I haven’t been there in 23 years, but I remember it as a pretty cool town. Grand Rapids, now that I know, and 2050 is a distinct possibility.
Madison is growing at a reasonable pace, but Milwaukee’s population is shrinking and the metro area is stagnant. Some of the legislation that was written for ‘cities over 500,000’ may have to be revised for it to make any sense. I don’t expect Madison’s metro area to match Milwaukee’s any time soon, but center cities might be about 350,000 each in 2050.
Then you must have missed RiverSplash. EVERYone was movin’ there.
And soon, Lakefront Arts Festival and Asian Moon. And then everything’s movin’ every week.
Well, except for the Milwaukee Museum. Nothin’ movin’ there except all the laid-off employees movin’ out. What a horror story for so many of my historian friends. . . .
Okay. . .all the other regional territories are kicking our tails with ongoing commentary. I say the Midwest needs to stand up and be active! (Come on, my self-esteem is on the line here!)
For starters, here’s something that’s really getting my goat. In District 6, we have SoS Mary Kiffmeyer considering a run for state senate, because Mark Kennedy has pretty much been anointed to run for U.S. Senate. Granted, it might be a good thing for the state considering Kiffmeyer’s such a proponent of abolishing same day voter registration, but other than that, she certainly doesn’t represent MY best interests!
Oh yeah, and I thoroughly enjoy the GOP infighting that’s ensued from the selection of Mark Kennedy. Old news? Perhaps, but I’m trying here.
Anyone else? Bueller?
If anyone needs/wants/desires/lusts after a GMail invite, let me know. I’ve got a bunch.
All my life I’ve been so proud to say I hail from Chicago; and I now live in Milwaukee. God, I love the Midwest.
It is so strange that there is such a sucking sound of absent public political activity in these shameful times, given the goodness, great education, and general reasonableness of the people of the Midwest. I’m not sure why we can’t kick this thread into being.
Wisconsin has a great progressive history – in jeopardy, I know, but its underpinnings nonetheless.
As for Milwaukee, this city is beautiful in so many ways. We have unspoiled Lake Michigan frontage, Democratic mayors, many colleges and universities, and a good Arts movement. In the early 1980s, this city proactively managed a tough conversion from industrial base to service industry. Architecturally, the downtown area has nicely kept pace with the service, convention and tourism industries. And, it’s a fun party town. I have no idea why it gets any bad rep. Everyone I’ve every met who moved here from somewhere else, ends up loving Milwaukee and feeling like it’s a best kept secret of great livable places. It’s not perfect, but committed people are always working hard to make it better.
Chicago, proper..what can I say. It’s an incredible city with a hell of lot going on. It ought to better represented here.
Well, that’s bit funny. I meant “bred”, not “breed”. But the act of breeding is good, too.
Originally from Madison, now living in the northern wastelands, about an hour or so from MPLS*STPAUL. It’s not so bad up here. A little more conservative than I am, but, as an enthusiastic attendee of the ‘Fighting Bob Fest’, my neighbors may possibly consider me an anarchist of some sort. 🙂
Perhaps our regional thread is exhibiting some of that famous midwest ‘reserve’….everyone is waiting til they feel ‘comfortable’ with the new folks…
Your description of Milwaukee makes me want to take a road trip! I haven’t been there for many, many years. But have loads of really good memories of the city.
I just recently found out about the school choice program in Milwaukee(I was living out of the country for quite some time). YIKES. It’s awful!
Are there any local efforts to get rid of it? Are you involved in any way?
Anyhow. Sorry if this sounds disjointed…wanted to respond to your posts, but chose a bad time to do so… youngest son is doing a dance and is going to explode if I don’t play with him. 🙂 yippee skippee, spring break.
Kristin, are you in District 6? Just wondering, because I’m in a northern, red suburb of the Twin Cities. Sorry for being obtuse, but what is this “Fighting Bob Fest” you speak of?
I am in District 31, with the ever wonderful Ron Brown for state Sen., and Rob Kreibich for assembly. oh, hurrah, go team. Both are Republicans.
Fighting Bob Fest is meet up for progressives, organized by the folks over at Fighting Bob (Ed Garvey,etc..)
I highly recommend attending. When I went I heard Bob McChesney and John Nichols talk about the media, Robert Kennedy talk about the environment (and Bushco assaults), lots of other people, PLUS, the very best assortment of tshirts/buttons/posters ever. 🙂 Seriously, a very interesting day of progressive talk.
I’ve only been to the one, but plan on going to the next one.
So sorry to hear that you live in a red ‘burb. Eau Claire seems to be red…….but there is a strong blue streak as well. Kreibich narrowly won, but EC voted strongly for Feingold and Kerry. Go figure.
for the info. I’ll definitely look into Ed Garvey and the Bobfest. Prior to your posting, I thought I was knowledgeable about the Minnesota districts, but apparently I have a lot to learn.
District 6 has been notorious for ugly campaigns in the past two elections. Mark Kennedy and Janet Roberts(?) laid out so much money in attack ads against each other, I looked into a third party candidate. To this day, I still chuckle over the Independence Party candidate, because his strongest qualification was his ability to perform CPR :-). (And yet, I still considered voting for him!) During the last election, it was Kennedy vs. Patty Wetterling, and it broke my heart that she lost. (Assuming, of course, that the Diebold machines reported accurate results :-).
Your knowledge of Minnesota districts is probably just fine! I live in Wisconsin…not far from you, but across the river (and through the woods).
Hey, I’d vote for a CPR certified woodchuck over Rob Kreibich. He is the extra smarmy ‘genuinely’ concerned mister neighborly GOoooper standard issue. Supports the upcoming Wisconsin const. hate amendment b/c gee whiz gosh golly wisc folks are just so honest and forthright that he just knows we’ll do what is right for the state. ad nauseum.
I worked on the campaign for Jeff Smith against Kreibich. He lost, sadly, but ran a really good campaign and came pretty close, esp. for a first time run. Am hoping that he’ll try again next election.
Do attend a bobfest if possible, if only for the t-shirts. 🙂
What was your opinion of Tommy Thompson as a Governor?
Not very flattering. His crowning achievement <snark> was turning Wisconsin into a Monsanto laboratory for BGH. Is it any coincidence he was then rewarded with the HHS post? I think not, considering how heavily represented Monsanto was/is in bushco land.
pure gossip alert—-> My mother has told me that he was an ‘ass’ in high school, and nothing he has done since then has changed her opinion. 🙂
I’m assuming that he will find himself unable to resist interfering in Wisc politics now that he has resigned.
ya. hoo.
1990 Republican Primary. Great fun. Pretty much a single issue campaign, on hemp as an agricultural commodity. We became friends, to a point. Policywise, he was much better at the end, but those he’d pissed off earlier were in no poosition to see it.
He led the way in not only “sticking it to Milwaukee” (we shall never forget that infamous quote) but also in sticking it to a once-great state university system. And the philosopher kings of our legislature, led by the anti-intellectual Dale Schultz, now have the UW in its death throes.
You ought to have heard some of the comments when the big boys wanted Tommy to be the UW president. Thank heavens it was past the deadline to apply, and it’s a federal deadline, so breaking it would have imperiled federal funding for the whole system. And that would have meant the big boys had to pony up private funds.
That sure went away in a hurry. So did Tommy. Whew.
But the detritus of his treatment of the UW mean that there now are only 600 faculty for 25,000 students at the Milwaukee campus, for example. The rest of the teachers are mainly parttimers who teach and run to other jobs with, oh, benefits.
The poor students. Poorer every day, thanks to the latest tuition hikes from our fine, fine legislators.
Thanks much. A former colleague hailed from WI, and he had nothing but praise for Thompson. Interesting to hear the other side of things – particularly since my colleague was a staunch Dem.
On another note, I just discovered a couple weeks ago that I have roots in Milwaukee. My mother’s grandfather operated some upscale German restaurants in the 1920s, but my mother’s family uprooted and moved to the Mesabi Iron Range in MN, when her father transferred with the railroad.
Welcome to the site, Cream!
Ah, you ought to come down by Mwokee, as we say, for GermanFest. Lederhosen and dirndls everywhere. . . .
Btw, bet your friend wasn’t from Milwaukee but maybe the burbz. They hate Milwaukee so loved Tommy, too.
So, we’re leaving my typo “Breed Midwest U.S. Proud” as a subject line? Is Spring in the offing?
Kristin, I’m not involved in the school choice issue – and actually don’t know much about it. We aren’t public schooling the kids at this point. Maybe somewhere down the road. But even then, we’re in the town on the western border – Wauwatosa (means “firefly”).
Come on down! This is an excellent town. My work specializes in centralizing for parents the really fun things to do with kids 6 years and under in the metro area, so I can set you and your son up.
Plenty of adult fun here, too. There are so many great new restaurants to try, I keep needing a babysitter or a girls’ night out.
BTW, is Fighting Bobfest a part of Ed Garvey’s movement? Here’s a link to his newsletter http://www.fightingbob.com/
“Plenty of adult fun here” combined with “breed”? Hee!
Can we call you Bunny?
Ya know. . .you don’t know me, so I should apologize for that comment.
Mea culpa, Bunny.
Cute. But given the stamina demanded by my two bunnies, my intentional breeding days are over. But good, clean, faithful adult fun is always cause for a lighter step here.
Thanks for not lashing out at me – I deserved it. In turn, I’ve altered the subject line. Good night!
There is no way you can make me change that subject line. 🙂 LOL
Yes, The bobfest is w/ Ed Garvey. Thanks for the link posted. It is very interesting, they take a lot of trouble to have outstanding speakers. Worth a visit.
Are you home schooling? Brave, brave soul if you are. 🙂
Apologies for taking so long to respond…it is SPRING BREAK, in case you didn’t KNOW. ackkkckck. Am hoping I have the stamina to hold on til Monday morning (School!!) rolls around. I believe it was in a Dave Sedaris book (Me Talk Pretty??) where he writes about how bitter his mother was re: a snow day w/ no school. Very funny bit about how the kids being home ‘ruined’ his mothers ‘secret life’ she lived while they were at school.
I’ve decided that all day public schools were invented by stay-at-home moms. 🙂 🙂
Me, homeschool? No, I am not that brave. Only if they were doing terrible things to my kids and no options existed. We’re actually private schooling them – traditional reading, writing and arithemitic. I concluded their best shot at that would be there. When I was in public school, too much play in the curriculum, even tho the school district ranked well nationally.
I’m just heading into the long week of kids home on Easter Break. AND I had one home sick two days this past already shortened school week. (Deep exhale) My secret life when kids are at school consists of working out of our home office. So, it gets at me to have that time sucked away. Love the guys, but I like to miss them a little bit, too. kwim?
I’ll keep my eye on the Fighting Bob stuff. I’m on their newsletter list.
I’ll do a new thread on political stirrings in our area.
Hope your sick baby is feeling better. Good luck on your week of easter break. 🙂
New thread sounds interesting. Looking forward to it.
Any Iowans?
I’m in Kirksville, MO, 25 miles or so from the Iowa border. We get TV from Ottumwa. Also, since I have family and friends in Minnesota, we are driving through Iowa constantly. Anything we should look out for next time through?
I’m envious of you guys, btw, for having so much power to choose presidential nominees!
Alan
Maverick Leftist
I’m in southeast Iowa. Hi!
Hello to you, too, Kirksville!
The Minnesota ones, I mean.
Um. . .yeah. . .speaking. . .hesitantly. Okay, like, I made the mistake of checking out your blog, and, um. . . What the hell kind of freak are you????? (she asks with all due respect)
Call me naive, call me stupid, but life was going along just fine until I had to go and click on. . .the. . . “donkey” picture.
I’m going to go take a shower.
The nice kind, I’d like to think.
🙂
Don’t post pictures like that on their blogs. I just finished my shower (using Lava soap and Comet cleanser), and I now feel the need to gouge my eyes out.
How’s life on the edge by the way?
Must go through an awful lot of soap.
In defense of the donkey girl, I claim artisitic license. It’s not like I find it arousing.
Apparently “edge” is a relative term, because my edge doesn’t include. . .um. . .um. . .that. As I said, call me naive, if you will. . .I just wasn’t expecting what I saw.
With that out of the way – would you like to discuss politics? 🙂
How about this one.
Who’s our new Republican senator going to be, now that Dayton’s out of the picture?
Or do you think we can actually lay claim on an open seat with the suburban expansion of recent years?
of someone who lives in flaming red District 6. . .(where diversity only goes as far as the color of one’s pickup truck). . .your guess is as good as mine on the next Republican senator. I was kind of hoping Franken would step into the 2006 race, for the pure fun of it, but he seems to be hellbent on running against Coleman in 2008.
At the moment, and somewhat selfishly, I’m most concerned about the prospect of Mary Kiffmeier representing my district on a state level. The only word that comes to mind is, “ICK”! (Lacking in eloquence, but accurate, nonetheless.)
Your thoughts?
Last election was between DFL and Green.
There’s not much for me to do here but agree, you see.
The rest of the city, and suburbs though…
Though the pickup truck population is dwindling, the SUV hordes are expanding to fill the volume of their container, and every other week it seems like I see another AM Radio billboard urging motorists to start their day right.
We need a good, local, left wing propaganda mouthpiece.
We’re one of the last liberal strongholds in the nation, but the homegrown candidates just don’t seem to stones to run the kind of campaign it takes to win in this shifting climate.
Just look what happened in your district last year, the crap they pulled for Kennedy over that Patty Wetterling lady.
It was positively shameful, and it worked.
If that doesn’t convince the locals that the face of Minnesota politics has changed and is getting redder by the second, I don’t know what is.
We need to outreach to these suburban transplants and show them what’s in it for them. Bring em down to Lovely Loring Park and the Breathtaking Walker/Guthrie complex and sculpture gardens, show em all the folks that the Hotel Continental keeps from having to live there. Invite them to take in the quaint charm surrounding a metropolitan homosexual community left to its own devices and sense of taste. (Though I do believe they have set up that section of low-rent apartments along the fringe just to aid in recruiting efforts among minorities and college students.)
Then we’ll all get pedicures and hit the mall.
You’re represented by the honorable Martin Olav Sabo. And you’re right about Kennedy’s campaign against Patty Wetterling – one of the most disgraceful displays of politics I’ve ever witnessed. I found it heartening that MoveOn jumped in with a $50,000 contribution for Wetterling’s campaign – but of course that was used against her. And I naively thought there would be a loud public outcry against Kennedy’s reprehensible attack ads – but after a couple blurbs on the local networks – nada. (The previous campaign between Kennedy and Janet Roberts was so ugly, I came very close to not voting for her.)
Democrats on a national level don’t seem to get the changing environment in our state – and they damn well need to start paying attention. The Republicans get it. There wasn’t a week that went by during the last couple months before November 2 when our state wasn’t hosting a senior member of this administration. Between George, Laura, Dick and the rest of the gang, Air Force One and Two really racked up the frequent flyer miles. Many of the visits took place in my neck of the woods, and they paid off in big dividends.
I can only assume your comments are meant in jest regarding the tour of Loring Park, the Guthrie Theater, et al. Because that little tour wouldn’t fly with the close-minded suburbanites I encounter, who view downtown Minneapolis as a den of iniquity. (The only people who seem to embrace the urban areas are the ones who work downtown.)
Oh yeah, and this is the same state whose representatives just voted to include a gay marriage veto on the next ballot – which would not only ban gay marriages – it would ban civil unions and sounds like its moving toward abolishing all treatment of equality. I never would have imagined that this formerly progressive state would evolve into its current being. I feel that we’re long past that stage of being the liberal stronghold of which you speak.
As I’ve mentioned in a past thread, I was highly involved in the MN IP (post Jesse Ventura) but I left the party when 33% of the voting members wanted to endorse the current president. When Independents support neocons, it’s time for me to go back to my roots in the DFL. But – ever since Dean – there seems to be a new grassroots development of meetups and activism. Maybe from there we’ll get the strong candidates we need.
But by and large, I meant it.
This didn’t get to be one of the greenest cities in the nation by selling out to corporate interests, but they’re gaining more ground by the day.
I’ve witnessed the raising of two walmarts in as many years, here.
I think if all the transplants were shown some of the great things that the liberal politics (despite the surging immigrant population and incomprehensibly ludicrous tax structure) has given us, we might be able to h old on to their hearts and minds a little longer.
But as long as they’re buying 40,000 square foot houses in the burbs with their own backyard where they can let the dog roam free and control both the guestlist and background noise, why would they need to hit a beautiful public park like Loring for a picnic? Or hike down Minnehaha falls?
That’s the problem we’re facing. With prosperity comes isolation and reduced dependency on common resources, hence a waning esteem for those resources.
Just consider the light rail. “The Jesse Train” they called it, disparigingly. It had been damned, defamed, and demonized for years from coneption to inception, now it’s twice as succesfull as they’d projected.
But the republiclones are still bitching about it.
It’s the lights on the IDS, I swear.
FWIW – it occurred to me that I never answered your original question. I think the next senator is going to be Kennedy, because he’s been annointed by the powers that be (reminiscent of Norm Coleman circa 2002). On the other hand, Norm seemed to be very well liked by people from all parties who had worked with him in the past – and he seems to have far more charisma (and support from the WH) than Kennedy could hope for.
Who would be your ideal candidate? (I’m looking for names, rather than philosophies)
Lived there for years (Dinkytown; and Philips neighbourhood, near Franklin & Chicago). I still go back often to visit friends. I’m glad to hear the light rail is a success–it sure looks cool. 🙂
Alan
Maverick Leftist
I’m not sure if there are any others here, but just in case, I had to pass this on, from Missourians for Health:
And then, at the link, is listed every one of those hypocritical legislators.
Frankly, I haven’t been getting involved in the protests and such against the new fascist regime in Jeff City. I figured that when they are cutting taxes and cutting programs for the elderly and poor, that’s just implementing the right wing agenda that people (narrowly) voted for. Sure, I’ll try to help defeat them for reelection the next time around, but right now, when the next election is a year and a half away, I couldn’t really claim they’re doing anything different than what they promised to do.
That is, until I saw this. To cut health care for vulnerable citisens while you vote to protect your own benefits, stinks to high heaven. If these assholes really believed in shrinking government, they’d lead by example, cutting their own health care subsidy. By not doing so, they have shown themselves to be nothing but self-serving, corrupt scumbags, and not philosophical “conservatives” at all. Grrrr.
Alan
Maverick Leftist
Hi
Howdy neighbor, from Rogers Park.
What do you think about extending the drive via islands in the lake?
I think it would be a great idea. I know I’ll probably part company with the Lake Mich Federation and allies, but completing the open access to the shoreline seems to me to take priority.
Did you see the show at the Art Institute where there were some mockups of various plans? Really interesting, and an excellent focus for Daley’s “Green City” notions.
event called the Last Four Miles about finishing the Burnham plan for public access to the lake. There’s a mile and a half on the south side and two and a half on the north side. Here and here are plans for the North by the Greene and Proppe Design people in Edgewater.
Anyway there were some people from Rogers Park that aren’t sure they want roadway past Devon. So I thought I would put the question to you.
Indiana is naturally a central time zone state. Essentially, they are on Central Daylight Time all year, except for Evansville and the suburbs of Chicago, Cincy, and Louisville. This is just another step in the attempt to abolish Central time. </tinfoil hat>
The comment period on the Mark Twain national forest (Missouri) draft forest plan expires in a few days, May 5! PLEASE, if you haven’t commented, take a few seconds to use Heartwood’s action alert to respond! The Forest Service is proposing thousands of acres of clearcutting and other logging every year. The Mark Twain contains some of the largest blocks of hardwood forestin the midwest, and is functioning as a “source” area for neotropical, migratory songbirds, is known habitat for the eastern cougar, and contains some of the highest quality rivers and springs in the nation. Please help us protect this resource! Thanks.
Kansas anyone.
Just posted about Slick Rick the Fecal Matter Santorum and his epic essay on the loss of Majority rule in the Senate because the Dem’s are using the Filibuster. And slick rick just can’t stand anything that hints at mainstream, as he is a Right wing extremist who would have us living in the 14th century. But alas I digress, I also posted that my own Senator, Sam the Brownshirt Brownback, is in almost complete accord with Senator Fecal Matter.
Hope to hear from other progressive Kansans, though a transplanted Kansan here.
Just one Liberal’s Opinion
Not a Kansan here, but I was just listening to an NPR report on the nuclear option. They interviewed some newpaper editors from Nebraska, Ohio, and someplace else in the Midwest, maybe Kansas? Anyway I was surprised to hear them say there are hardly any letters to the editor or other signs of interest. Sounds like a vacuum waiting to be filled.
Lawrence, Kansas here. I don’t know if that counts or not considering how liberal we are…
Nate,
I am just 20 miles south of you, down the 59 highway. Glad to know there is at least one other progressive liberal human being in kansas that frequents blogs. Bookmarked your blog and am enjoying reading it and hope to help you find more goodies on Sam Brownshirt, fascist extraordinaire.
Hi, neighbors. I’m in Prairie Village, and I have son at KU.
Glad you are here. I have been reading some of your posts, thanks for being a member and giving us some of your enlightenment.
Newsie’s Entries:
MI and OH…grew up and went to college in Ann Arbor…great place to grow up. Moved to Cleveland, OH 20 years ago…again in a liberal oasis of Cleveland Heights. Stephanie Tubbs Jones is my rep…DeWine and Voinovich…a real mixed bag of repubs are my Senators.
I spent many years of business travel in MI and Ohio. Felt right at home and maintained many friendships with people from your neck of the woods. The worst situation (which I may have mentioned on this thread months ago) occurred when I took a wrong turn in A2, and landed in the middle of campus the night before a game with Ohio State. Had no idea what hit me – I just needed to find my way through the kids to get back to the highway – and get my tail to the airport!
I can only imagine!! Us native Ann Arborites would plan our errands around the games–during mostly, but definitely not right before or right after!! when I was growing up there, the town was about 100,000…since that is the capacity of the stadium you can imagine what an impact that had!! (It’s a bit bigger now)
P.S. Welcome!
Any South Dakotans here?
Friday and Saturday in Oshkosh. Anyone else going?
I’m new here, a Wellstone Democrat from Minnesota, and it seems that the pace of the conversation has been pretty slow among the Midwesterners.
Any thoughts on the Minnesota Senate race? I didn’t like someone’s prediction above that the next U.S. Senator from Minnesota will be Mark Kennedy. I hope that’s wrong!
Who do people think the strongest candidate would be against him? I’m leaning toward Amy Klobuchar, just because I’ve liked her and thought she was charismatic when I heard her speak at my district convention, but I’d like to know what other people think.
Hello! I like Amy Klobuchar for senate as well, I just worry how she is going to play in outstate MN. All that needs to be done to keep Kennedy out of the senate is to hammer away at his record. He gets very low ratings by many groups including veterans and education groups.
Yes, that’s the concern people have about Amy Klobuchar.
Her dad (columnist Jim Klobuchar) is from the Iron Range, her husband is from somewhere in southern or western Minnesota I think, and she’s been out there at many political events around the state and makes a good impression, so maybe all of that will help.
Hammering away at Mark Kennedy’s record sounds good. I also don’t think he has a very likable personality (even compared to Norm Coleman and Tim Pawlenty, who aren’t likable in my eyes but do have some appeal), and I hope people remember his vicious ads against Patty Wetterling. She, of course, is also seeking nomination for the Senate race, but I wish she would run again in the 6th district.
For people here who aren’t from Minnesota: You may remember Mark Kennedy from his appearance in Fahrenheit 9/11, and his complaints–with some basis, I have to admit–that he was unfairly treated.
My comments about Kennedy by no means were in support of him. And I agree that he lacks the charisma of others. My biggest concern is that he’s already been hand-picked by the Republican powers that be, and they’re starting their groundwork this early in the game. I will do whatever I can to support his opponent. For now, I merely shred his newsletters, because it gives me a small sense of satisfaction.
Nice to see other Minnesotans here. I tried my best to get the Midwest thread moving months ago, but my efforts didn’t gain much traction.
Yes, I knew you weren’t supporting Kennedy, and I agree that it’s a big advantage to him that he has already been hand-picked.
We just have to do everything we can to beat him. Minnesota is a purple state, it’s true, but it’s blue-ish purple, and we can’t have two Republican senators.
Who do people like for governor? I’m hoping the candidate won’t be Mike Hatch, even though he has done some good things as attorney general. I just don’t like him.
This is for both Anomalous and Maureen. Mark Kennedy may have a slight advantage in being handpicked, but I still think Klobuchar would edge him out. What if she capitalized on her fathers name recognition in the north and also that her husband may be from the south-southwestern part of the state? I think she should spend lots of time in these two areas campaigning, her name recognition is good around the the twin cities suburbs. I also wish that Patty Wetterling would run for the 6th again, I think with Kennedy occupied with a senate race she would be a shoe in for this seat.
I am up in the air about a democratic candidate for governor, but I think Pawlenty could be ousted with the right one. I really think a lot of people are just sick and tired of him. By the way….Has anyone heard if Michelle Bachman is running around hiding in bushes snapping pictures of people lately? What a whacko!
I live in rural Carver County by the way…it is very red out here! Hope to hear from both of you and any other Minnesotans soon!
I would love to see Amy Klobuchar and Mark Kennedy in a debate. I think She would walk all over Kennedy. He is a rubber stamp and empty suit for the republicans, just Coleman. Have a great day!
Good morning! I’ve heard lots of good things about Klobachar, and you raised good points about her connections to outstate MN. This is going to sound horrible, but given the hate mongering in Kennedy’s past campaigns, I could picture a smear campaign against her father because of his alcohol addiction. Again – I’m saying it would be wretched if they did so, but I don’t see any basement to the lows in which Kennedy will sink. (There should be a special place reserved for him in hell for his smear campaign against Wetterling!)
Hmmm. . .Hatch. Personally, I think he’s perfect where he is – as a relentless watchdog. On the upside, he’s a large corporation’s worst nightmare, and he really does support the little guy. (Trust me on that one – when I worked for a large corporation, I served as a liaison to his office in resolving allegations he brought against the firm on behalf of consumers. And he’d never accept our position, even when consumers overtly misrepresented the facts of their cases.) But. . .on the downside – consumers ultimately pay the price for Hatch’s “successful” class actions.
For example, when Hatch was on the “winning” side of a multi-million dollar class action against Medica, each individual Medica participant received a one-time 50% discount from our monthly premiums. (As one of the sanctions from the state) But lo and behold, no more than two months later my premiums jumped 40% – and a year after that – an additional 30% or so. In other words, Medica recouped all their class action losses by hitting the consumers with higher premiums. And I would assume that’s the game in every industry.
As for Pawlenty – I certainly hope there’s SOME strong candidate to get him the heck out of office. I no longer recognize this once progressive state in which we lived. He’s raped and pillaged the social services, and stood by his commitment not to raise any taxes (yeah. . .right. . .a cigarette “fee”, or a gas “fee” my ass!) And I find the proposed legislation against gay rights to be absolutely deplorable. Sadly, I think there are enough people out there – similar to my next door neighbor – who don’t give a rip about the welfare of the state – they only care about their own taxes. And those same people seem incapable of equating their rising property taxes with the state (and federal) cuts.
I have been bringing up rising property taxes relentlessly. In the last few months I have actually seen some lightbulbs come on for some people. Everytime I get into a discussion of “users fees” I start laughing right away and say something to the effect of “how stupid do they think we are…we all know it is just another way to say tax.” It seems this approach is having some effect as well.
I sure hope people are taking note. I’ve been screaming to high heaven about this issue ever since. . .oh I don’t know. . .underfunded NCLB comes to mind. Underfunded first-responders. Underfunded. . . (I’m sure we could go on for hours) Sadly, the non-Dems I speak with in my neighborhood hear what they want to hear – so more power to you if you’re getting through to anyone.
Hey – are you involved in any local political organizations or meet-ups?
At this time no. Unfortunately the hours I work prevent me from interacting with others during the evenings. I welcome any ideas.