I Don’t Hate America!

I just received this breaking news.  My beloved nurses association has endorsed Ashwin Madia (Distict 3), Elwyn Tinklenberg (District 6), and Steve Sarvi (District 2) for Congress!  This adds to their previous endorsement with the AFL-CIO for Al Franken.

The United American Nurses (UAN), a parent organization for the MNA announced on June 11th their endorsement for Barack Obama.   This was in contrast to the American Nurses Association (ANA) who previously endorsed Hillary Clinton.  It sounds like the ANA is moving toward Obama now, however.

Via press releases:

Minnesota Nurses Association Endorses Ashwin Madia for Congress

The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) announced today their endorsement of Ashwin Madia in his candidacy for U.S. House of Representatives, Congressional District 3.

” Ashwin Madia understands the broken state our healthcare system and he will fight for reforms that will produce real improvements, especially for those most in need,” said MNA Political Committee Chair, Tom Kelly, RN. “With his unequivocal support of the Federal Staffing Bill, HR 2123, he has also recognized the need to improve the nurse’s work environment which includes addressing safe and appropriate staffing.”

Registered Nurses have long advocated for reforms vital to the improvement of health care and are demanding legislative action to change a health care system that does not safely serve sick Minnesotans. Nurses are calling on elected officials to recognize a staffing crisis and its impact on the lives and well-being of all those in their care.

“Right now, nurses are demanding that health care is reformed to put patient care ahead of market share, put nursing over numbers and people before profits,” said MNA President, Linda Slattengren, RN. “On behalf of MNA we are pleased to endorse Mr. Madia and look forward to have him as the next elected congressman in support of
Registered Nurses.”

Unlike the Republican candidate in the House race, Mr. Madia has clearly demonstrated his commitment to implementing real change in the U.S. health care system to ensure high quality, affordable and accessible care. His health care platform incorporates important research that proves better RN staffing saves patient lives.

In addition to the endorsement of its 20,000 members, the Minnesota Nurses Association will forward a recommendation for Mr. Madia’s endorsement to the American Nurses Association and the United American Nurses federal PACs.

Uniting nurses in vision and voice since 1905. With 20,000 members, MNA is the leading organization for registered nurses in the Midwest and is among the oldest and largest representatives of RNs for collective bargaining in the nation. MNA is a multi-purpose organization that fosters high standards for nursing education and practice, and works to advance the profession through legislative activity. MNA is a constituent member of the American Nurses Association, the United American Nurses and the AFL-CIO.

The two other press releases state the same reasoning that both Tinklenberg and Sarvi support the Federal Staffing Bill, HR 2123.

We at IDHA are hoping to get exclusive interviews from these candidates before the election.  Keep an eye on the site as the election looms closer.

Tim Walz recently endorsed Steve Sarvi for Congress, as announced on Sarvi’s campaign website. In his statement, Walz says,

“Steve’s experience serving his community and country prepare him well for service in Congress. Change began in 2006 with my election and now we must strengthen that change in 2008.”

Also announcing his endorsement is construction contractor Dan Powers, who recently dropped out of the race for the 2nd district seat. His statement says,

“I have decided to support Steve Sarvi because the 2nd Congressional District needs to be united, today, around a candidate who will defeat John Kline in November. In Steve Sarvi, we have a candidate with the vision, values and experience to help our nation change course – something Democrats, Republicans and independents all are calling for. In Steve Sarvi we will find the solid leadership and strength of character needed to move us forward on a path of hope. I believe Steve will unite people from all sides of the ‘aisle’ to bring meaningful, needed change to Washington.”

Steve Sarvi is an Iraq war veteran and has given 19 years of military service. His fresh perspectives, especially on the war on terror, will hopefully move voters in a traditionally red district. We saw Walz do it in 2006 and we can bet Sarvi will put up a good fight as well.

*Update - Ollie at Bluestem has more analysis of Sarvi’s endorsement.

Steve Sarvi is launching his second listening tour in the 2nd district of Minnesota. From the e-mail sent out today, here are the listed dates and times for the tour:

Saturday, February 16:

11 AM, Sister’s Coffee Shop, 202 2nd Street East, Hastings

1 PM, Tom Moy’s Cafe, 8200 Hadley Avenue South, Cottage Grove

3 PM, VFW, 8790 Upper 208th Street, Lakeville

5 PM, Apple Valley Community Center, 14603 Hayes Road, Apple Valley

Sunday, February 17:

1 PM, Home of Kathy Siebsen, 42108 205th Avenue, Le Center

3:30 PM, Hosted by Mick McGuire, 202 Oak Avenue West, Montgomery

5:30 PM, Chameleon Cafe, 408 Main Street West, New Prague

Monday, February 18:

5:30 PM, Mocha Monkey, 115 S Olive Street, Waconia

7:00 PM, American Legion, 102 West 4th Street, Chaska

Tuesday, February 19:

11:30 AM, Inver Hills College, 2500 East 80th Street, Inver Grove Heights

5 PM, Caribou Coffee, 5763 Blaine Avenue, Inver Grove Heights

7 PM, Al Baker’s Restaurant, 3434 Washington Drive, Eagan

Wednesday, February 20:

5:30 PM, Coffee ta Cream, 1156 Shakopee Town Square, Shakopee

7 PM, Dan Patch Coffee Depot, 4800 West 123rd Street, Savage

Thursday, February 21:

5:30 PM, Edelweiss Bakery, 16186 Main Avenue South East, Prior Lake

7 PM, Jo Jo’s Rise and Wine, 12501 Nicollett Avenue, Suite 100, Burnsville

Friday, February 22:

11:30 AM, St. Olaf College, 1520 St. Olaf Avenue, Northfield

4:30 PM, Froggy Bottom, 305 Water Street South, Northfield

6 PM, Home of Yvette Marthaler, 821 Northwest 3rd Avenue, Faribault

Sunday, February 24:

4 PM, Home of Peggy Hanson, 500 Calhoun Avenue South, Lanesboro

Sarvi campaign website: http://www.stevesarvi.org/

Steve Sarvi, Iraq war veteran and former mayor of Watertown, announced his candidacy for Congress in Minnesota’s Second District at a press conference today at the state capitol. The seat is currently held by Bush-ally John Kline, a Republican from Lakeville.

“I learned in the Army that when you think you’re off course, you should stop, check your compass, and change direction as needed. After five years without the kind of service and representation that 2nd District voters deserve, it’s time to change course, not only in the White House, but in the people’s House,” Sarvi said in a statement.

“The people standing with me today represent service, sacrifice and change. My fellow veterans answered their country’s call to put themselves in harm’s way. They represent the best tradition of America’s greatness, of putting country above self. We must keep our promise to them to always honor their service and sacrifice,” he continued.

Sarvi noted the political climate in the Second District could be favorable for a victory with several state legislative wins including the recent victory of Northfield teacher Kevin Dahle in a special election.

Much like Kline’s support of Bush’s policies, Sarvi’s criticism of Kline is quite unwavering.

“Americans have always overcome what is hard in order to achieve what is great. Nowhere is that more true than in Minnesota. Our optimism and pragmatism have made us an international model of voter engagement, environmental stewardship, energy innovation, health care, campaign finance, and public education.

“John Kline has failed to take Minnesota’s unique capacity for problem-solving to Washington. He has failed to serve the voters who honored him with the job of Congressman. I will not just win this election; I will do from day one what I have always done: serve my country and my community, bringing neighbors together to build an America and a Minnesota that is stronger, safer, and better able to prosper in the future,” he said.

Sarvi also announced he would begin a 15-stop district-wide listening tour on February 15, his second tour so far.

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.

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.

The US House of Representatives today approved a transportation and housing bill today by a vote of 270-147.  The only members of the Minnesota delegation voting against the bill were Reps. John Kline and Michele Bachmann, both Republicans.  The bill includes $195 million for funding the reconstruction of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis.

Steve Sarvi, the only announced DFL challenger to Kline so far, released the following statement:

“I’m in shock. John Kline has been grandstanding on this issue for the past month – and now, when he actually has the opportunity to deliver the funds authorized to Minnesota in the wake of the bridge tragedy, he votes against the bill. He chose a smoke-and-mirrors attempt at convincing his constituents he’s willing to invest in the infrastructure they count on every day over actually doing anything about it. This was a horrible vote for the people of Minnesota. An unthinkable vote.”

President Bush has threatened a veto based on grounds it “doesn’t hold spending to reasonable and responsible levels.”  It’s too bad that Kline and Bachmann are more concerned with helping Bush reinvent himself as a fiscal conservative with a year remaining in his term than investing in infrastructure.

Want to talk about playing politics with the bridge?  Kline, Bachmann and Bush offer the prime example of that with their votes and threatened veto, respectively.

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.

This post is coming to you live from the DFL State Central Committee meeting in at Prior Lake High School in Savage.

That last part was important because there was some confusion about where the meeting was going to be: some thought it was at the OLD high school (which is now a middle school) and some were initially unable to find it because it was not clear to everyone that the school was in Savage, but it appears everything is smooth sailing.

I will becoming to you later today with a liveblog of the debate between DFL candidates for US Senate.  Mike Ciresi and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer have been working the crowds; no sign of Al Franken or Jim Cohen yet. Congressional candidates Jim Hovland and Ashwin Madia (Third District) and Steve Sarvi (Second District) have already spoken.

See you all at 4:00 p.m.

We realize we have been paying an awful lot of attention to the First Congressional District race and more specifically the “four pack” of GOP contenders looking to take on DFL Rep. Tim Walz.  While Jason and I are no longer stationed in the First, we retain interest in the in the activities going on down there.

I now reside in the Second and have attempted to keep up on the activities, or lack thereof, of GOP Rep. John Kline.  We will also pass on information about the campaign of DFL Iraq-war veteran Steve Sarvi who is looking to unseat Kline as it becomes available.

Information such as this:

On November 7 at 8 p.m., the Carleton College Democrats will host congressional candidate Steve Sarvi in Sayles-Hill, room 251. Sarvi will talk about his campaign and answer questions from the audience. All interested students and members of the general public are invited to attend.

Democrat Steve Sarvi is running in the 2nd Congressional District of Minnesota for the U.S. House of Representatives. He is an Iraq veteran. Previous to deciding to run for Congress, Sarvi was city administrator in the towns of Lanesboro, Watertown, and Victoria, Minn. He also served as a three-term Mayor in Watertown.

The Carleton College Democrats’ mission is to encourage involvement and activity not only on the part of other Carleton students, but also in the community at large.