I Don’t Hate America!

A week ago today Bill Habedank of Red Wing experienced one of the main consequences of having Rep. John Kline in office: zero constituent service.

Habedank and others tried to visit Kline’s office last week and he tells his story in a letter to the Red Wing Republican Eagle:

You are told no one is ready to discuss your issue even though you called ahead. The young lady has you fill out a form.

As 13 of us wrote down our issue and contact information, each knew that was as far as this would go. Why? Because that is what happened all the other times you have done this.

Treatment is the same whether you visit, send an e-mail or call. You are always treated courteously, but you could (or should) get that treatment in any office. You came to be heard even if your message was contrary to the representative’s views. That is his job.

This wasn’t the first time he had to deal with this runaround.

We asked when we could speak with someone of authority. We are told the congressman’s and his assistant’s schedules are not to be revealed, so it becomes a guessing game. We are then told issues of this magnitude are best brought to the Washington, D.C., office.

I did that last March. I asked at least two weeks in advance to meet with Kline. I did get an appointment and get beyond the front desk. I had a 20-minute meeting with a young man in Kline’s plush office. As I relayed my issue, I found the man to be slightly argumentative. Is that his job?

You would think if Kline is unable to hold a decent town-hall meeting his taxpayer funded staff would at least show an effort to listen to constituents. I have an experience lobbying Kline in Washington D.C. as well and while the legislative assistant with whom we met wasn’t argumentative, it was clear from the start of the meeting that the congressman’s position on higher education (the issue about which we were lobbying) had already been established.

Steve Sarvi was able to teach democracy over in Iraq; it looks like we will have to elect him in order for Second District citizens to be able to see it in action here in America.

Over at Bluestem you can see video of Rep. John Hall, D-New York, speaking at a gig in Mankato this past weekend. Hall gave great insight into his work with Rep. Tim Walz on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

Unfortunately however, the video lacks any footage of Hall, a founding member of the 1970s band Orleans, performing any music.

Thanks be it to me, at least, you will all not have leave to the blogosphere empty handed today without your fix of members of Congress performing on stage.

Going way back to 1988, here’s Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson, who chairs the House Agriculture Committee, rockin’ out on stage. (Yes, WordPress is being stupid with embedding, so linking it is)

This was certainly nominated at the MTV Awards back then, right?

Peterson went on to stardom as the front-man for the Second Amendments.Just to clear up any residual confusion that may be present, John Hall was NOT a member of Hall & Oates, which is the most successful duo in the history of recorded music.

That duo was comprised of Daryl Hall and John Oates.

Speaking of H&O, almost two months ago I suggested that the duo’s tune “Adult Education” may be applied to Congressional candidate Randy Demmer.

Yesterday, I thought sufficient evidence was present to declare one of Demmer’s opponents for the GOP nomination to take on Tim Walz next year, Dick Day, out of touch.

Perhaps this Hall & Oates hit can be used by Day’s campaign as a theme song.

While I was in Winona this weekend visiting to catch fall graduation ceremonies at the ole’ alma mater, Winona State, I missed quite a bit of news concerning transportation issues, especially those surrounding US Highway 14 in southern Minnesota.

With a h/t to Bluestem Prairie, the Star Tribune shows us it has the ability to publish thoughtful stories about the First Congressional District, as opposed to those based nearly solely on press releases from ambitious GOPers, with a thorough piece about the deadly stretch of road around Owatonna.

Several years ago, as newcomers to Winona State, my colleagues and I would light-heartedly write off Highway 14 as a possible route getting to the metro area (instead sticking with I-90) as it is likely to become stuck behind a tractor and limited to traveling at 15 mph. Later we would find out 14’s problems go beyond inconvenience into the realm of real danger. From the Strib:

The highway, a mix of old two-lane and reconstructed four-lane sections, has blind intersections, heavy truck traffic, narrow shoulders and unexpected curves. It may be the deadliest highway in the state.

Since the mid-1980s, more than 145 people have been killed on the highway, which winds through 265 miles of farmland from Winona to the South Dakota border. On average, someone dies on the road every two months. And 75 percent of the deaths between 2000 and 2005 occurred on the two-lane stretches, state rec­ords show.

Instead of investing in transportation projects such as Highway 14, we keep getting empty political rhetoric from Republican officials. On TPT’s Almanac last month, John Kline called this year’s House Transportation bill, which had funding for Highway 14, the I-35W bridge and other projects, “fiscally irresponsible.” What’s really fiscally irresponsible: fixing the infrastructure now, or continuing to clean up wrecked vehicles, bringing accident victims to the hospital and taking the pieces of wrecked bridges out of the river?

On that same program, Rep. Tim Walz asked Kline why he should have to give up Highway 14 for his district when the President Bush won’t compromise on anything. Kline’s response: “We should all have to give.”

Meanwhile, GOP state Sen. Dick Day, who represents a district bisected by the highway, shows signs of being out of touch with what’s really going on. From the Owatonna People’s Press (I know I’m late here, but other stuff was on our minds when it came out):

Day and Ruth, both members of legislative committees concerning transportation, told the audience that transportation has been a low priority in Minnesota. The pair said they hoped to bring more funding and attention to transportation issues in Southern Minnesota.

“[Highway] 14 isn’t ever on the radar, yet,” Day said. “Everybody said health care, education are more important. The Bridge had to come down before a certain group of people would say that transportation is important.”

Barring a presidential veto, Highway 14 will soon be in line for federal funding. U.S Representative Tim Walz has sought funds in the 2008 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill for the expansion of the highway.

According to Meredith Salisbury, Walz’ press secretary, Walz earmarked $850,000 for Highway 14 in the current version of the bill. The revised bill still has yet to pass through the U.S. Senate. President George W. Bush threatened to veto the first version of the bill in October.

Day and Ruth did not mention the bill pending in the U.S. Congress, but explained to Chamber members that they hope to pass a comprehensive transportation plan and find state funding for Highway 14 and other road projects without resorting to a gas tax.

This is a classic article in the sense that Day forfeits any credibility even before reality is presented.

Not even on the radar? Was Day awake in the Senate chamber this legislative session (before the bridge collapse) when Sen. Steve Murphy, Senate transportation chair, spoke clearly about “Highway 14 in Sen. Day’s district” multiple times (among countless other things)?
Funny too is how Day says people think “education and health care are more important” when he’s made it clear his campaign theme is rounding up illegal immigrants.

Well, he convinced the Strib’s Mark Brunswick of that anyway.

As this photo shows, Day should put the toy glasses he got early from Santa away and worry about the issues important to southern Minnesota such as education, health care and oh yeah, transportation.

6:29 p.m.: LIVE FROM HOLLYWOOD, I mean, live from Roosevelt High in South Minneapolis, welcome to I Don’t Hate America’s liveblog coverage of the debate between DFL candidates for U.S. Senate (Mike Ciresi, Jim Cohen, Al Franken and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer) to take on incumbent GOP Sen. Norm Coleman in 2008. I entered the building a short time ago after working my way through the crowd of supporters, predominately those for Ciresi and JNP. That makes for great visibility on 28th Ave.

(Full disclosure: I took a cup of coffee from JNP’s table. Sue me; it’s freakin’ cold out!)

Back with full coverage in about 25 minutes.

6:47 p.m.: I’ve seen Ciresi, JNP and Cohen all glad-handing around the auditorium and at their tables set up by the entrance to the building.

Mega thanks to Charley Underwood and SD 62 for the great set-up for press and the bloggers. Questions are coming in from the audience, which is filing into the almost already completely full auditorium.

7:07 p.m.: Franken has appeared, followed by Brian Melendez, DFL State Chair who will be moderating the debate. The candidates have been called to the stage and we are about ready to begin. Each candidate is seated behind one of their campaign signs. The candidates are seated as follows, left to right: Cohen, Ciresi, Franken, JNP.

Ann Friedrich, chair of DFL SD 62 has welcomed us. So far, like the last debate, I am the only one with a laptop. Friedrich introduces Dave Lee, DFL CD-5 chair, to announce the rules. Two minute opening statements, closing statements and response time. Lee has asked audience members to hold their applause until the end, which didn’t happen in Savage. We have a standing room only crowd; don’t tell the fire department.

7:09 p.m.: Cohen is giving his opening statement. He gives a loud first statement saying how he is the one who will return Paul Wellstone’s seat to the Democrats, which gets mild applause. Goes over his background in advocacy. Talks about how we have to listen to others with different ideological principles and knows we have to work together; says he is the only one who realizes that of the four. Sounds like he is giving a stump speech.

7:10 p.m.: Bad microphone feedback…EEEK! Ciresi says every night he and his wife get on their knees thanking God we only have 14 more months of this administration. Says it is time to redo the tax code. Says we need to return to constitutional principles and get back to the common good to build this nation for all of our children. Talks about the debt we pass on to our children. Says the GOP believes we shouldn’t have a death tax, he believes we shouldn’t have a birth tax.

7:12 p.m.: Franken is up and says Bush is driving us into a ditch. Says we know Bush is leaving soon, but his enablers like Coleman should too. Talks about health care, affordable education, etc.

7:14 p.m.: JNP is introduced to an absolutely deafening roar from the crowd. Says he will hold Coleman accountable. Says he can’t believe it when he hears Democrats say impeachment is off the table, which gets a roar. Talks about how we can’t just slow the car down, but must get on a different path way. All of these introduction speeches have been similar to the ones given in Savage. Over half of this crowd goes nuts for JNP.

7:17 p.m.: All candidates are asked the first question, yes or no, if they will abide by the endorsement. All candidates say yes, while Cohen adds that there must be an endorsement. Confusion with the mics as there are three for four candidates.

7:18 p.m.: Next question is about health care. Franken says he would mandate that every state goes to universal health care in the way they like and that they would goto single payer for kids. More mic trouble EEEEEKKK. Franken says kids are cheap compared to seniors as he points to Ciresi, perhaps unintentionally as it seems he doesn’t know why people are laughing. Franken seems lost among the mic confusion and laughter and ends up struggling with the question.

7:21 p.m.: JNP says he will work with “every ounce of his being to get to single payer health care” which gets applause. Says if we go Al’s route we will have the Mississippi-Minnesota divide again and that we shouldn’t compromise before we fight. Says he would have supported the vetoed S-CHIP bill and mentions the total cost of the bill is less than three months of war spending. The mic problems are irritating AHHH.

7:23 p.m.: Cohen says he too, advocates for single payer. Says quality and affordable health care should be a constitutional right. Says insurance companies are milking the middle class. Says we need a leader who is a statesman and who is responsive to the American people. Says we have been talking about universal for 57 years and it can’t last any longer.

7:25 p.m.: Ciresi says he wouldn’t accept health care Senators get until all citizens get it. Ciresi says it has been his responsibility to make sure people get quality health care. Says we need good preventative health care. Advocates for a federal health board to require all health care to cover all preexisting conditions, be portable and cap administrative costs. Realizes a lot of people here love single payer but that Minnesota has great health care and we don’t have it here. I think we have figured out the audio issue whooo.

7:28 p.m.: Next question asks about sub prime mortgages. JNP talks about how this is what he talks about when the country is unraveling. Says the foreclosures are linked to the fact that we allow predatory lending and we need to stop it. Says wealth lately is going to the richest fraction of 1% and with that inequality pressure goes on poor families but middle class people aren’t exempt either. Says 40-1 was the pay ratio with CEOs to employees in 1980, now it’s 485-1. Says we need a progressive tax system and allow unions to form to ensure equity.

7:29 p.m.: Cohen says this is the result of companies involved in corporate greed and that we need to look at it through those stark terms. Says it is a similar situation to the fuel crisis. Says with wages stagnant we can’t fix it. Says the common citizen is not moving forward. Says we need to enforce the law and send predatory lenders to jail to make an example that this shouldn’t happen in America. Says 78% of citizens would join unions if they didn’t have management pressure against it.

7:33 p.m.: Ciresi says Coleman’s fix is to invade your pension…if you have one. Says we have securitized mortgages. Says lenders can renegotiate but they are only looking at certain areas, IE treating north Minneapolis differently than New Prague. Says we should look at those engaging in fraud. Says next October more adjustable rate mortgages are coming due and it isn’t over.

7:35 p.m.: Franken says Fannie Mae should renegotiate as many of the loans are they can. He too advocates that predatory lenders should goto prison. He too speaks of inequality. Says there is a hostility towards unionization from the “conservative radicals.” Says the price of oil is going up because of demand and we should decrease demand on oil by having a green economy. Says when consume confidence goes down, the dollar goes down. Says we create jobs by creating a green economy.

7:38 p.m.: Next question is about the major presidential candidate’s views on Iraq that we will be there till 2013 and if they agree or not. Cohen says he has a plan to bring home troops. Says we should renounce Iraqi oil, which is why we are there in the first place. Says we should convene an international peace conference with all of those in the mideast. Says Iraq is a senseless, moral tragedy with an occupation against the will of the Iraqi people. Says we could take the Iraq budget and put every child through college for free. Talks too of the green collar economy.

7:40 p.m.: Ciresi says it isn’t his plan to keep troops till 2013. Advocates timetables for withdrawl. Says this is an issue of separation of powers and that article I of the constitution is the Congress and says a reason we are in this war is because Congress didn’t fulfill it’s role in oversight. Says he is the man with the leadership to do that.

7:42: p.m.: Franken rhetorically asks “two minutes on Iraq?” Franken says we have a responsibility and we shouldn’t have a precipitous withdrawal. Says we need an international conference under the UN security council, but says it isn’t a plan, but a goal. Says we need to start withdrawing. Says this is very complex and isn’t about choosing from column A or column B, but is something that needs to be discussed for more than two minutes.

7:44 p.m.: JNP talks about how he debated Jim Ramstad about the war and how he advised Paul Wellstone on foreign policy. Says the reason the U.S. isn’t leaving Iraq is because it was never the administration’s intention to leave. Says the international community has a willingness to help fix Iraq, but won’t if it’s America’s desire to have permanent military bases. Says we need to help the Iraqi refugees and we haven’t. Says we can’t do that until we pull out.

7:47 p.m.: Next question is if the candidate would support convening a new 9-11 commission. Ciresi doesn’t understand the question and wants to talk about Iraq more. Says we can’t just get out right away which upsets a couple of audience members who are vocal about their displeasure. Says the administration has done nothing to fix mideast issues, and now they call a conference.

7:49 p.m.: Franken says he actually understood the question. Says there is a small minority of people who believe 9-11 was an inside job, which gets a few cheers. Says he would support an ongoing 9-11 commission. Mentions Sen. Bob Kerrey who was on the 9-11 commission and that the CIA wouldn’t allow the commission to interview key suspects. Says the 9-11 commission had to submit questions to the CIA and the questions came back from them. Says it is am important question and only has the insight because Kerrey came in and they discussed it.

7:51 p.m.: JNP says he understood the question, too. He says he is staying with what he can prove which is this administration planned this war against Iraq long before 9-11, which was “America’s Grand Strategy.” Says the neo-cons had a plan for control and used 9-11 “shamefully to lie us into a pre-planned war.” Says we aren’t sure what we would find out from the commission but if what Bush did wasn’t an impeachable offense, he isn’t sure what is.

7:53: p.m.: Cohen says we were lied into the war on false assumptions and that we lost an opportunity to get Bin-Laden. Says we must say this occupation makes no sense for America or the middle east and we should find a way of leaving sensibly. Says the 9-11 commission’s bi-partisan recommendations need to be implemented. Says we need to get out on a timetable which the Democrats haven’t voted for yet. (Is this true?). Says Senators and Congressmen need to come together to find a common good together.

7:55 p.m.: Next question is on what needs to be done about global warming. Franken says scientists have proven the earth is warming up and it is caused by humans. Says it needs to be addressed with great urgency, which gets applause. Name drops Al Gore. Ugh. Says there is no silver bullet but there are silver buckshots. Says we should build wind turbines. Says he met with the UAW and says we should build electric cars at the Ford Plant. Says we need commuter rail, light rail, and solar energy. Talks about the UM-Morris biomass plant and that they will have zero carbon footprint by 2010. Says this will help America be great again.

7:58 p.m.: JNP says this is the greatest issue causing him to enter the race for Senate. Give his “most important decade” spiel. Mentions how he has talked to Will Steger lately. Says we can’t talk about cutting carbon emissions 80% by 2050 if we aren’t doing anything to get there now. Mentions his opposition to nuclear power.

8:00 p.m.: Cohen says global warming will affect every aspect of our life if we don’t do something now. Mentions Will Steger as well. Says we know global warming can be addressed and that it’s an opportunity to reduce CO2 by 15-20 percent in the next 10-12 years and it will show we are serious about this if we begin with that.

8:02 p.m.: Ciresi says his law firm has come up with a green plan. Says we need to educate people what they can do as far as conservation. Says the environment is not just about protecting the environment but is about creation of middle class jobs and helping national security. Says experts say if global warming continues we will have flooding requiring military intervention. Says we need to take away the tax incentives of oil companies.

8:05 p.m.: Next question is about global economic competitiveness. JNP says we need a plan to build an infrastructure based on the renewable energy economy. Says we should manufacture solar panels here, and we can’t even outsource the jobs putting them on our houses. Says we need to stop “these free trade agreements which are ruining our country” to applause. Talks about how Wal-Mart can have a huge trade deficit with China while manufacturing jobs are eliminated here.

8:07 p.m.: Cohen Says NAFTA and CAFTA need to be redone and the recent agreement with Peru should also be questioned. Says we have the power and ability to make a level playing field. Says we can do that by allowing unions to organize and unions will be critical to create a green collar economy and bring hundreds of thousands of jobs here. Says we can create new kinds of jobs here and make sure the trade deficit is turned around.

8:09: p.m.: Ciresi says with CAFTA and NAFTA there was no one at the table for the environmental and labor issues, just people protesting. Says we need to reform them with these protections. Says if China is going to produce steel for America, for instance, they should be faced with the same environmental standards steel produced in America is.

8:11 p.m.: Franken says the new Peru agreement will be enforced by the Bush administration. Says Congress should have oversight of them instead. Says global warming is “global” but India and China are building the equivalent of one coal plant per week. Says this is one of the reasons we may have to find clean coal technology and sequester the CO2 and sell the technology to China and India. Says the CO2 those countries produce is an “absolute crisis.”

8:13 p.m.: Next question is what do you think about no child left behind? Cohen says “all children have been left behind by no child left behind!” Says we should allow mentoring of teachers because teachers leave within the first five years. Says if it isn’t revamped it needs to be scrapped, now. Says he is a teacher and doesn’t like the way the act is implemented.

8:15 p.m.: Ciresi says he would introduce a bill to immediately scrap no child left behind. Says NCLB assumes all children start from the same place. Talks about the importance of early learning and benefits such as vocabulary. Talks about how children of color are behind and there should be support services locally, and our education system isn’t doing that.

8:17 p.m.: Franken tells his story about her daughter quitting her job teaching in the Bronx because of NCLB. Talks about McNamara’s Fallacy which says the things that will be easy to test will be tested, such as reading, writing, arithmetic and test taking. Says her daughter now teaches children to cook, which also teaches things like counting. Talks about how reading to children improves things like vocabulary. Says NCLB doesn’t measure progress.

8:21 p.m.: JNP says NCLB takes creativity out of the classroom. Says education funding depending on property taxes needs to stop. Says special education kids should be mainstreamed. Says with a 10% reduction in military spending and cutting the tax breaks to the richest one percent will fund education.

8:22 p.m.: Next question is whether you favor force or diplomacy in Iran. Ciresi wants to talk about education more and that he is opposed to the probation elements of NCLB. Says he is infavor of diplomacy in Iran. Talks about mideast peace. Says Iran has a fairly young population and they don’t like the government which is taking all of the economic gains for themselves. Says we need to engage in forceful, sustained diplomacy with Iran.

8:25 p.m.: Franken says we have a very dangerous situation in Iran. Says we need sanctions but we are getting them from Europe, not Russia. Says due to oil exportation, Russia likes instability in the middle east. Says Congress should not give the president any authority to bomb Iran.

8:26 p.m.: JNP says he doesn’t want Iran to develop a nuclear weapon, but we can stop it with diplomacy. We also need to be aware of the US’s covert program concerning Iran, he says. He says we should work to make it a nuclear free zone. He says we also need to know that the lesson Iran learned was that you’re safer if you have a nuclear weapon, considering Iraq didn’t have weapons of mass destruction. Says we better not fall for the fear again.

8:29 p.m.: Cohen goes back to NCLB and says teachers should have a minimum salary. Says he shares the views of the other three. Says we need a surge in diplomacy. Says if they are a threat, we need to find a way to bring them to the table. Says if we are going to have multilateral discussions we need to have leaders that respect the people’s interests and the people are ahead of the politicians. Says we should build the coalition to make sure Iran doesn’t become a threat.

8:31 p.m.: Next question is about GLBT issues. Franken says they should have the right to marry which gets applause. He says hes been married for 32 years and its the best thing thats happened to him and doesn’t think others should be denied that right. Says we used to have laws against whites marrying Filipinos and blacks. Hopes we can look back and think that preventing gays marrying was that ridiculous. Talks about how Massachusetts has the lowest divorce rate which shows it isn’t a threat.

8:33 p.m.: JNP can’t fathom how we are discriminatory against certain groups of people. Says he is concerned that because the Republicans can’t run on their record, they will run on this issue. Says he laments the use of religion to discriminate. Says they will also run on the politics of fear relating to terror, and the politics of fear relating to immigrants.

8:35 p.m.: Cohen says love is love is love. Says marriage is just a divisional word. Supports total non-discrimination against gays. Says we need to make sure there is no discrimination and we need to take action against it. Says he supports civil unions, but would support marriages as well. Says we should fight for love in all parts of our community, which gets his biggest applause of the night.

8:37 p.m.: Ciresi says there shouldn’t be a constitutional amendment for or against gay marriage. Talks of his all inclusive support for ENDA. Thinks the main wedge issue will be immigration. Says it is unbelievable we have not passed an immigration bill in a land of immigrants. Totally blew off the question, wow!

8:40 p.m.: Next question is about abortion. JNP is for legal abortion and talks about how a large killer in Nicauragua was illegal abortions. Is in favor of expanding adoption and family planning funds. Says Bush’s first act was to cut off family planning funds for the UN due to a concern of abortion. Says this led to more abortions. Says population growth is a concern and it’s due to women not being empowered.

8:42 p.m.: Cohen says he is pro choice without restriction. Says those decisions are private and should not be intruded upon. Says family planning is essential. Says he was active for Zero Population Growth. Says it is an issue about the resources we have available. He too thinks we need a fair immigration plan with a path to legal citizenship.

8:44 p.m.: Ciresi says he was pro choice in 2000 and is now. Is tired of the Republicans saying they will get government out of our lives but on these issues they have gotten even more in people’s lives. Says we should have a politics of hope and politics of vision. Let’s dictate the agenda to them, not the other way around, he says.

8:46 p.m.: Franken says “safe, legal, and rare” concerning abortion. Says abortions went down every year Bill Clinton was in office. Says abstinence only education doesn’t work. Talks about how they made the surgeon general change his report. Says abortion went down in the Clinton years because poverty also went down. Says if health care is universal, abortion will go down. Mentions briefly about suppressing science. Says there is nothing conservative about suppressing science, and that has to stop.

8:46 p.m.: Melendez thanks the timekeepers. Closing statements, JNP is up first. Says we should be enthusiastic for the opportunity to make the changes it is time for. Says it wasn’t his life plan to run for the US Senate. Talks about his international experiences, writing and fighting for economic justice. Says these with his skills teaching conflict resolution make him qualified. Wants people to join him in a partnership to organize and put aside the politics of fear for a politics of hope and defeat Norm Coleman. Deafening roar from the crowd.

8:51 p.m.: Franken gives a joke about Bush’s articulateness. Says he found himself being a cheerleader to students on his college tour, saying we can be a great country again. That means not torturing people. Says we need to work diplomatically with adversaries. Says when he was eight years old Eisenhower did a victory tour and in every city around the world he was welcomed. Spoke about how now Bush can’t even goto Mankato without kicking out two of Tim Walz’s supporters. Says we change things by kicking out Bush’s friends like Coleman. Loud cheer.

8:53 p.m.: Ciresi said his father had a seventh grade education and lost his mom at 12 to breast cancer. Ciresi says the college students he has spoken with are optimistic. Says we should use our moral might not military might. Says people come here to America for opportunity. Says he dreams of people getting good educations, good jobs, a constitution that is upheld. Says he has taken on powerful industries and delivered for Minnesotans for 35 years. Loud cheer.

8:56 p.m.: Cohen says he has worked for Americans for 40 years with his relevant leadership experience. Says one of our challenges is that Washington is gummed up with politics and the kind of polarizing that goes on leading to no S-CHIP, no Farm bill, no immigration policy and we’re still in Iraq. Says its because we donit have leadership with guts. Says if we listened to common sense of Minnesotans we would be out of Iraq and have single payer health care. Goes over his time but still gets a good cheer.

8:59 p.m.: This concludes IDHA’s liveblog coverage. Come back for a recap, and drive home safely.

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I’m about ready to take off with the ole’ lappy to Washburn High School for another debate between Mike Ciresi, Jim Cohen, Al Franken and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, all vying for the DFL endorsement to take on Norm Coleman for the US Senate in 2008.

Stop over and say “hi.” Even if you’re a GOP candidate for Congress!

When: TONIGHT, 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Where: Roosevelt High School, 4029 28th Avenue S.,
Minneapolis

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This info was passed along from Mike McIntee, familiar to viewers of the Uptake and listeners to Inside Minnesota Politics, who will be guest hosting the Mark Heaney Show on AM950, Air America’s Minnesota affiliate.

When I first interviewed Steve Sarvi he was in Iraq helping people in rural Iraq rebuild their roads, buildings and other infrastructure that has been destroyed in the fighting there.  It was his last assignment in a 19-year military career that had included successfully mentoring people in war-damaged Kosovo on how to set up their own local governments.

At that time Sarvi indicated he was ready for his next assignment: coming home, taking on Rep. John Kline in a run for Congress, and then helping us fix our own war-damaged government.

Today Steve will be a guest (and I’ll be the fill-in host) on Air America Minnesota’s Mark Heaney show.  We’re going to talk about what Steve has heard in his 13-stop listening tour through Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District.  By the way, that’s 12 more open face-to-face meetings than Rep. Kline has held with his constituents this year.  I’ll be opening the phone lines so you can ask questions of Steve too.

So as you’re driving home, or cleaning house today for Thanksgiving, turn your radio to AM 950 and participate.

Three ways to listen.  On the air live on AM950, on line live, or if you miss the show there’s a podcast available usually by the next day.

I had the opportunity to attend two of Sarvi’s listening sessions last week, and he has said that part of the reason he decided to run for Congress is because of Kline’s lack of open meetings.  Listen in at 5:00 p.m.

This past Saturday, Dr. Brian Davis (GOP candidate for Congress in the First) and I met each another for the first time.

Was Davis polite and cordial?

Arrogant and standoffish?

Diplomatic but firm?

Or was he none of the above and just went ahead with his plan to destroy me by unleashing his onslaught of evil, non-Mayo approved radiology, err, radiation oncology upon my being?

Stick around to the end of the post to find out!

That same day I made the four-mile trek to Prior Lake High School, my alma mater, in my hometown of Savage to check out the festivities of the DFL State Central Committee meeting and the debate between DFL US Senate candidates hoping to take on Norm Coleman next November.

The high school, open two years following the graduation of Jason and I (I had be nostaligic and check the athletic showcases; Jason looks so manly in his football uniform!), had yet to receive a visit from me. It is quite the impressive facility with just a few hundred people present, but I’m sure with overcrowded hallways and classrooms during a school day it is less so.

As I got there well before the debate I was able to secure a front-row seat nearby the TV cameras, Mike McIntee from the Uptake and a nice fellow who introduced himself as JP, a Republican tracker.

For a play-by-play rundown of the debate, check out my liveblog post.
Two hours certainly flies by when you have four candidates answering questions, and both factors also limit the amount of questions that can be asked. The debate was good in that it offered candidates a chance to give their views on a items which have yet to receive such focus such as NASA funding and the creation of a Department of Peace. Missed were lengthy discussions on climate change (so we don’t have to hear Al Franken recite Al Gore again) and transportation (bridge collapse, etc.).

Here are my impressions of how each candidate performed and basically my thoughts of each candidate so far:

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer: Passionate, thoughtful, and articulate. In my opinion he won the debate. Some friends of mine might be surprised I would think of a guy as far left as him perhaps the best candidate (considering I’m quite moderate), but I think he is a very qualified candidate for this position. So what if eliminating 70 percent of carbon emissions in the next ten years is close to impossible? So what if going to single-payer health care immediately is probably a proposition only from fantasy? So what if shutting down all military bases in Iraq soon probably isn’t attainable? The vision to at least try and get to those goals is what we need right now in this time of mediocrity (at best!) with Coleman.

Jim Cohen: He is a smart guy who has experience in several key areas but unfortunately doesn’t come across with any sort of “it” factor, especially when compared to the other three. Answering after Nelson-Pallmeyer may have hurt him during this debate in the following regard, but he comes across as regurgitating the same progressive viewpoints already delivered in a more passionate and thorough manner by Nelson-Pallmeyer. He spoke of needing new solutions for higher education, but had no solutions immediately available. He would be a fine candidate for the state legislature or even Congress, but just isn’t the guy right now to take on Coleman.

Al Franken: Uh oh, I better put on the protective armor before MDE pulls quotes from me. Just kidding, of course. Franken is someone who bugs me in the sense that he comes across as someone who always needs to be the “rockstar,” which is understandable considering his celebrity past but isn’t what all people want in a US Senator. Other things that bugged me about Franken during the debate: putting his hands on other candidates (just made him look controlling), tossing it to Ciresi a couple of times when it was his turn to answer (as if he was the moderator), all of the “I know so-and-so in a certain situation and I’m going to use two-and-a-half minutes telling that story and 30 seconds giving my position” stories, and his use of so many jokes. I know he’s a comedian and the use of jokes gets people to laugh and like him, but does nothing to prove to me personally that he is a the best candidate for this job. One joke that did work was was the Richard Pearle reference to point out why a cabinet level department of peace wouldn’t work, but continuing to make fun of things like George W. Bush’s public speaking ability doesn’t help him. Any College Democrat can do that; we need something more out of a US Senate candidate.

Mike Ciresi: Along with Franken, Ciresi appears quite moderate compared to Cohen and JNP and some people see these moderate stances as trying to win over Republicans; I’m not sure this is true for Ciresi. On health care, for example, Franken answered the question “What would you do to get to universal health care” by giving excuses why single-payer wouldn’t work. While not advocating for single-payer, Ciresi actually answered how universal would be paid for. I find it appealing that Ciresi, while having a tremendous resume as a trial lawyer, doesn’t feel the need to tell specific stories about his experience very often. After all, its a debate! Answer the questions and give us your positions.

Links to YouTube’s of the debate are here.

Now back to what I started the post with: Yes, as I was wrapping up shop and shutting down my computer, I was greeted by candidate for Congress in the First District, Dr. Brian Davis.

Yes, a debate in the Second district. With DFLers. Going for Senate, not the House.

Regardless of how ruthless we have been to him, he came across as a nice guy, even telling me that if it was indeed all of my own work, I did a good job with the Randy Demmer per-diem stuff.

Who else would have done the post if not me? That I don’t know. Davis gave me his business card and told me to contact him if we wanted to grant him an interview, which we may down the road.

As opposed to my four mile trek, Davis had an 81 mile trip one-way from Rochester to Savage. He must be very, very interested in the positions of the candidates for Senate from the DFL to make that trek with $3.00/gallon fuel, or maybe he was just making a pit stop before going to an old buddies house in some city like Shakopee for darts, pizza and beer?

Who knows. As long as he doesn’t tell me how to blog, I won’t tell him what to do with his Saturdays!

As Steve Sarvi’s campaign for Congress from Minnesota’s Second District slowly but surely picks up steam, so too does the mainstream media’s coverage.

This Ed Felker article from yesterday’s Rochester Post-Bulletin illustrates strong parallels to Tim Walz at this stage of the race, particularly, National Guard service and lack of experience in partisan office:

Sarvi, 42, hopes his own military background and local connections, combined with another strong Democratic election wave, will be his trump card against the seemingly entrenched Kline. Like Walz, Sarvi is married and has young children. Both he and Walz served in the Minnesota National Guard and worked in the public sector.

Likewise, neither Walz nor Sarvi had much political experience before declaring their bids. Sarvi wasn’t active in partisan politics previously, holding the nonpartisan posts of mayor in Watertown; city administrator and clerk in Lanesboro; and his current full-time job as city administrator of Victoria.

He acknowledged in an interview that he attended Republican caucuses around 2000, but said he was “always more of a moderate” to Republicans, and said he is now “probably a little left of center, because of some social issues.”

So far, the race has yet to attract national attention, and political observers haven’t placed the Kline-Sarvi match among races to watch.

Congressional Quarterly still lists MN-2 as “Safe Republican,” but after Walz’s win in 2006 we know that those ratings aren’t the end all be all of candidate’s fate.

Want to find out more about Sarvi? Check him out at these remaining dates and locations as part of his district-wide listening tour:

Today, 5 – 6:30 p.m. : Chanhassen, American Legion Post 580, 290 Lake Dr. E. , Chanhassen; 7 – 8 p.m. : Senate District 34 DFL, Chanhassen Library, 7711 Kerber Blvd. , Chanhassen.

Thurs., Nov. 15, 5 – 6:30 p.m.: Prior Lake , Prior Lake Public Library , 16210 Eagle Creek Ave. S.E., Prior Lake; 7 – 8:30 p.m. : Burnsville , JoJo’s Rise & Wine, 12501 Nicollet Ave., #100 , Burnsville.

Fri., Nov. 16, 5 – 6:30 p.m. : Eagan , Community Center, 1501 Central Pkwy. , Eagan.

Sat., Nov. 17, 10:30 – noon: Northfield, Northfield Library, 210 Washington St., Northfield; 12:30 – 2 p.m. : Faribault, Java Live, 313 Central Ave N. , Faribault ; 2:30 – 4 p.m. : Montgomery, Montgomery Public Library, 104 Oak Ave. E. , Montgomery.

With just under a year to go until the 2008 election, contenders for the Minnesota House of Representatives are lining up.

The Star Tribune is reporting today that DFLer Steve Andrews will challenge Rep. Mark Olson, R-Big Lake, for the District 16B seat.

That’s if Mean Mark isn’t victim to a primary before the general election.  Olson is infamous for a domestic saga culminating with his conviction for misdemeanor domestic assault this summer.  In addition to the conviction, he was suspended from the House GOP Caucus.

Following all of his troubles, I have to ask: why the hell isn’t this guy giving it up already?  Does he have the support of any Republican?

I guess he has the support of some as at least a few allowed themselves to be advertised for his old-fashioned family picnic in September.  To me, nothing screams “fun family time” like the combination of pork chops, a petting zoo, Sue Jeffers blowing smoke (figuratively or literally: not sure?) and a politician convicted of domestic meanness.

I wasn’t present, but I can just picture Phil Krinkie on hay ride duty and reacting to a youngster wanting to come along: “Why are we giving you subsidized transportation?! Have you ever thought about who is footing the bill?! When is ‘enough enough’ when it comes to transit?!”

Sounds like family fun indeed.  Also advertised for the picnic was Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Wabasha.

Speaking of the Draz (wow, do I have great transitions or what?!) learned (hopefully at least) that he will be facing Winona High School teacher Linda Pfeilsticker, DFL-Wabasha, in a rematch of August’s special election between the two.  Drazkowski came out ahead 53-47 for the 28B seat to replace departing former House Speaker Steve Sviggum.

4:05 p.m.: Welcome to I Don’t Hate America’s liveblog coverage of the US Senate candidate debate from Prior Lake High School in Savage, MN. Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, Al Franken, and Mike Ciresi have taken their seats. Each candidate will give a five minute opening statement. Each candidate will have three minutes to answer each question with an optional one minute rebuttal. Jim Cohen has just taken his seat. The chair of the DFL in the Second District, Jeanne Thomas, is moderating the debate. There is one microphone, and they will all pass it to one another. Great. Legislators present include Rep. Sandy Mason and Sen. Jim Carlson, both of Eagan.

4:10 p.m.:Nelson-Pallmeyer (wow that is going to get old, so I’ll just refer to him as JNP) is giving his opening statement and reasons for running. He says this administration is the worst in history, which wins applause. He said it isn’t enough to talk about how bad the Bush administration is. He says Jim Hanson from NASA says the decisions made in the next 10 years will affect the quality of life for future generations. JNP criticizes the US’s military spending, which is half of that spent in the world. JNP notes his salary from teaching at St. Thomas went down $4,000 due to changes in his health care plan. JNP says we are robbing from our children and our grandchildren because of our policy choices, which gains applause, even from Franken. JNP advocates single payer health care and elimination of no child left behind. Time of fear and despair can be turned into hope, he says.

Jim Cohen is giving his opening speech. Says hes spent his life advocating at the grass roots level building and leading organizations. He says he has learned over the course of his work is the way to get things done is to listen to people, not polarize. Cohen is standing while giving his speech. Says it is disgraceful that we do not have universal health care, and notes he and JNP are the two who advocate for immediate single payer health care. Cohen would role back the tax cuts for the wealthy and put that toward domestic polices. Says we should get out of Iraq now and redirect the money from war and build jobs. Advocates for employee free choice. Says we can do it, but we can listen to those who’s ideological concerns may differ from us. Is a proud Democrat, but thinks instead of talking about red states and blue states, we should worry about red, white and blue states.

4:16 p.m.:Says we need to cut back on CO2 emissions…now. He is convinced we can do this as “bold, aggressive progressives” but also need to listen and get results. Pleas for attendees to get involved in the caucuses. It should be noted that the DFL central committee earlier today voted to remove the mandatory preference poll for the Senate race. Franken is giving his speech now.

4:20 p.m. Franken introduced his wife Frannie, to applause. Franken speaks of his college tour and says that freshman in Mankato he spoke with were 11 years old when George W. Bush was elected president. They were didn’t know it was possible for a president to be articulate, he says to applause. He notes he visited the turbine at the U of Minnesota Morris and is advocating for “green collar” jobs.

4:25 p.m. Ciresi is now giving his speech and he too introduces his wife, Ann, to applause. Talks about how great the high school we are now in and wishes all students could have a high school this great. I guess he must not have been told about the failure of the referendum. He talks about those who came before him that believed in the American dream which lead to a government that reflected our values. Speaks of the change in the 1960s with the advent of civil rights. Notes he too talked to college students and while they don’t despair they want leadership… that they want leaders who ask “what can we do to make our lives better.” He says affordable, accessible health insurance is a right. Says we should all have education. Notes of students graduating with $100k of debt, a mortgage before even buying a house.

He talks about who he has represented as a lawyer and says he fought to create a level playing field in this state.

4:30 p.m.: The first question is whether the candidates will abide by the endorsement. Cohen says absolutely under all circumstances. Cohen is talking about the ability to be pragmatic and look across the aisle and avoid partisan bickering. He says we have raised the minimum wage to the “miniscule” wage. Calls affordable health care a moral and constitutional right. Says “ABC,” Anybody But Coleman.

4:32 p.m. Franken jokes “I’m going to leave you all in suspense by not answering the question until the end of my three minutes.” He goes on to say he will. He talks about the work he has done for veterans and soldiers, such as using his show to raise money for helmet liners for the Marines as an example of what he has done in his career, probably in response to statements from Ciresi about asking what each candidate has done.

4:35 p.m.: Ciresi says 1.8 million vets don’t have health insurance, four million people if you count their families. Those who have paid the price in this war are those that served and their families, not the wealthy people that can afford it. The common good means everyone of us has the opportunity to reach the full measure of our potential. What is our obligation in this nation to let them reach the potential, he asks. Says we need to make a commitment to take care of each and every veteran. He asks, the day before Veterans Day, that we think about how 25 percent of all homeless are vets.

JNP says it’s important for each candidate to abide by the endorsement so that whoever the candidate is, he has five months to rally and beat Norm Coleman.

4:41 p.m.:The debate was advertised as having 450 seats availiable; probably two thirds of those are full. Next question is about how we get to universal health care. Al Franken says not having universal health care costs us money. WHA ranks America 37th in the world, behind Costa Rica and Slovenia. Franken says he doesn’t think we can get to single payer health care like Cohen and JNP do. Franken thinks that the people who do like their health care will be scared by pharmaceutical companies. He would like to get to single payer health care for all kids because kids don’t cost as much as seniors and this way we can test whether single payer works. He suggests a five year study to see if it works. Like a radio host throwing it to the traffic guy, he “throws it” to Ciresi.

4:44 p.m.: Ciresi advocates for a health care plan similar to those pushed by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Says we should create a national healthcare administration. Says he would pay for it by repealing the Bush tax cuts and closing off-shore tax loopholes. Says we can do it but it takes political will. Says under a Democratic president, we will fix social security then create a universal health care system.

4:47 p.m.:JNP says healthcare is a public good like education. Says we need to have a conversation about what people want from their healthcare. Disagrees with Franken’s position of letting the states have control. He thinks the healthcare system should not be for profit. Says the rich and powerful have insulated themselves from paying their fair share of taxes and says when he is the Junior Senator from Minnesota, the rich and powerful will pay their fair share, which gets a loud cheer.

4:55 p.m.: Cohen wants to eliminate the 37 percent slush fund which is breaking the back of small business. Says we should roll back the tax cuts for the wealthy and focus on preventative medicine and that way we can pay for it now. Says education, fire, police and healthcare are all rights which shouldn’t depend on someone deciding if they can afford them or not. Says a single payer system will be successful if it is a system built on prevention. He says it is time for our leadership to “get where the people are and have the guts and the courage to propose this system now.” Says the HMO’s stock options for their executives are disgraceful while the employee’s pensions are cut.

Franken pats Cohen on the shoulder and says “I’m going to be a pragmatic progressive.” Ciresi says we can’t talk about this in four minutes because of so many variables. Look at the caps on Medicare, he says. Like Franken, he is concerned about those who like the health care they have now. Says value is more important than how many payers there are going to be. JNP says infectious disease is a reason to look for national health care. Says the system now is to not go to the doctor because people have to pay. It’s a built in incentive to not goto the doctor, he calls it. Says a single payer system would not only save money, but save lives. Cohen says we need to be pragmatic, but we need to be leaders too. Why can’t the great United States Of America lead the world to reduce our healthcare costs? Notes there is a bill already in the Congress, HR 676 that will lead us to a single payer system.

5:03 p.m.:Next question is what you would do about no child left behind and what the federal government’s role in education would be. Ciresi says he would eliminate NCLB. He says early childhood education and good nutrition help kids succeed. To applause, he says that we should help districts that are struggling, not take away their funding. “Only the rich deserve education?” he quips. Speaks of the unfunded mandates all the way down from the president, the governor, and to the district. Says education is our backbone and critical.

JNP talks about how he has respect for the public school system, but it is fraying in large part due to NCLB. He supports mainstreaming kids with disabilities, but it needs to be funded, which gets applause. Speaks of how NCLB is punitive. Says NCLB tests have taken the creativity out of teaching and hears complaints from teachers. Speaks of Congress’s appropriation of 57 percent to war and four percent to education. Says if we cut the military budget by ten percent we can fund early childhood education. Says we should not be funding public education with property taxes but rather at the state and federal levels. Says Coleman and Bush have set out to undermine public education as their plan to privatize the common good.

Cohen says NCLB should be done away with immediately. He says the program has good goals but they can’t be met because the federal government hasn’t met its goals, such as funding of special education. Says education is the best form of investment we can make. Says it’s not just bridges falling down, but education falling down. Notes he is a certified teacher and that we should pay them what they deserve. Says we should provide them with the kind of mentoring and development skills to keep them as teachers, as so many of them leave the profession early on. Says we are in the middle of a disaster for our children. Says we should have a tax structure that doesn’t allow the wealthy to have better schools than those in poorer neighborhoods.

5:16 p.m.: Franken says he would scrap NCLB or fully fund it. Talks of her daughter who was a teacher in the Bronx and how unfair the progress testing is. Says early childhood education is important.

Next question is if a candidate supports establishing a Department of Peace. JNP says he does support it but says if the State dept. is functioning how it should be, a Dept. of Peace would not be necessary. Says again we need reductions in military spending to become more secure. Cohen says he supports in principle a program of peace, but isn’t sure it should be cabinet level. Says diplomacy would lead to peace around the world. Thinks a cabinet level agency would be infiltrated by an administration like that of Bush. Says Dept. of Homeland Security is evidence we are running our government via a “politics of fear.” Says we should be having discussions with Iran and Syria, as this would be a program of optimism, not of polarization.

Franken is against a Dept. of Peace. “Imagine a Dept. of Peace under the Bush administration. Richard Pearle would be the secretary.” Says the President of the United States and Depts. of State and Defense should be the “departments of peace” to keep the peace. Says Iraq has shown unilateralism doesn’t work. Says Clinton tried to get peace between Isreal and Palistine. Says Bush missed a chance when Arafat died to get them to work for peace, and it shows how important it is who we elect to be president.

5:25 p.m.: Ciresi says he is not in favor of a department of peace but rather an administration that is peaceful and we should engage in multilateral diplomacy and have an international peace conference concerning the middle east. Points to his reasons why he thinks we have terrorism: the war is a lightning rod, the Israeli/Palestinian issue, and poverty in the middle east.

JNP says the department would ideally promote conflict resolution and domestic issues. Says we shouldn’t jump toward military solutions and points to all of the things we could have accomplished with the money we are spending in Iraq. Franken says what we are really talking about is how we promote peace. Says we should continue the protocol of continuing nuclear non proliferation. Ciresi says we need to look at the world from a geopolitical point of view and see what our role in that is. Says we will have budget deficits until at least 2012 and choices need to be made about how we raise revenue. He says the day of reckoning is coming as far as the debt.

5:33 p.m.:Next question is about if the candidates support a flat tuition rate for all four years of college and if they think tuition and textbooks should be tax deductible. Cohen says rolling back the tax cuts for the wealthy and if we withdraw from Iraq we can afford higher education for all. Thinks that anybody that wants to goto college should have the opportunity to go and it shouldn’t be an issue of affordability. Says flat tuition, or even a descending tuition rate makes sense. Says that we should engage in every tax incentive possible to get our kids through college. Franken says that the number one cost increase of higher education is in the area of health care. Franken says we should increase the amount of Pell grants. Is in favor of ROTC-type programs for teachers and doctors as this would help pinpoint where our priorities are and would encourage people to go into those fields. Wants a GI bill to pay for college for every vet.

Ciresi would not favor regulation on tuition rates on universities. He says the tuition and textbook deductions should be on the table when the tax code is reformed, as he advocates. Supports a 21st century education fund which would bring interest rates down. Wants to reintroduce an element of public service such as giving loan forgiveness to those who go into areas where they are needed such as health care or education.

5:37 p.m.: JNP says his class at St. Olaf was the last class to have a flat tuition and room and board rate for students. Says the key point is to make college affordable for all citizens. Says he is troubled by approaches that involve tax breaks and even lower interest rates. Says the fundamental problem in this country is inequality in wealth. Says our education system reflects that. Wants funded education from preschool to university. Cohen thinks Pell grants should be increased but other things should be looked at to level the playing field. Favors new solutions but didn’t cite anything specifically.

5:48 p.m.:Next question was if the candidates support NASA funding. Franken says he does because it is part of the human experience and helps find frontiers in technology. Says he is concerned about the war on science by the Bush administration which gets applause. Says that intelligent design and being anti-stem cell research scares scientists away from America. Says we should invest in science, not be at war with science. Ciresi also says he supports more funding of NASA but it depends on other priorities. Notes successes in materials and engineering that have come as a result of NASA. Says human nature is such that it always wants to explore the next area and that is space. Says new development is happening in other places in the world but not America, which leads to a lack of good middle class jobs in America. Says we need to face a budget deficit, so funding of NASA may not continue in the same manner.

JNP says he is for funding of NASA that works on renewable energy. Says that much of NASA’s budget is for the purpose of militarization of space. Says the UN voted to keep space for peaceful purposes and the US was the only “nay” vote. Cohen says he supports NASA budget increases in the same ways cited by the other candidates. Agrees with JNP that we need to look at how much is being spent toward militarizing outer space. Calls for corporative relationships with other countries as opposed to America saying “look, we can dominate space.” Nearly every answer is followed by a round of applause.

5:57 p.m.:We are now onto closing statements, starting with Ciresi. He says we need to go back to worrying about the common good. Says we should reach out, join hands and invest in our future. Says the shift toward self interest started with Reagan. Says he has been a leader in Minnesota for 35 years. Refuses to hear a senator say they can not get anything done in their first term.

Franken thanks the crowd for coming. Says the world will breathe a sigh of relief when Bush is gone. He says it isn’t enough to eliminate him, but we must eliminate his friends like Norm Coleman. Says we will have a working majority in the Senate and a greater majority in the House.

Cohen notes there are 362 days until the election. Talks about finding common good, common values and common sense. Says rhetoric is easy. Encourages voters to look at resumes and see who’s been on the ground fighting for average workers, civil rights and the poor. Cohen says it is him. Says we finally have a chance as a party to take the sixth, third and second Congressional districts. Says he will not only be trustworthy but an effective Senator.

JNP says our country is racing like a car 150 mph over a cliff. Says the solution is not to slow down to 100 mph, but to go down a different path. Says we need to face our problems with honesty and with political courage. Says we need a “new new deal” to focus on the health and infrastructure needs of the country. Says the way we defeat Coleman is to offer a compelling vision for where this country can go, not just by talking about how bad the administration is. Says we can move this country forward.

6:02 p.m.: This concludes our coverage of the US Senate debate. Thanks for joining us.