Archive for January 2009
How Long Will It Take to Regain the 65,000+ Jobs Lost in Minnesota in 2008?
The near universal legislative support of the unemployment bill signed into law on Thursday by Governor Tim Pawlenty is a first step by the state to address an economic and employment crisis that is escalating at record levels in Minnesota….
Read MoreHouse GOP Voter ID Legislation Has Strong Support Statewide
Even though the Voter Integrity Act of 2009 (HF 57) introduced earlier this week by Minnesota Representative Tom Emmer (R-Delano) has been characterized by some in the media as a “politically divisive idea” (“Requiring Voter IDs Is Back on the…
Read MorePawlenty Invokes Obama and Displays Fancy Footwork On Tax Policy in Budget Presentation
Governor Tim Pawlenty’s discussion on the role tax policy should play in the upcoming budget battle during Tuesday afternoon’s budget presentation was a near masterful display of how combining the bob and weave with an occasional jab can make…
Read MoreRepublicans In Minnesota Warming to Obama More Than In Other Upper Midwestern States
Barack Obama is officially in the ‘honeymoon phase’ of his presidency – the 44th president is just one week into his administration with approval ratings through the roof (67 percent in the latest Gallup survey, with just 14 percent disapproving)….
Read MoreThe Trial Begins: What Is Norm Coleman’s End Game?
The fact that the Minnesota Senate recount has moved to the lawsuit phase is a surprise to no one – with an election decided by a few hundred votes, there is no doubt either candidate who ended up on the…
Read MoreIowa’s Congressional District Map 5th Least Competitive in 17 Decades
Last month Smart Politics profiled the lack of competitiveness generated by Minnesota’s currently drawn Congressional District map – a map that has produced the third least percentage of competitive contests in 15 decades in the Gopher State. Minnesota’s neighbor to…
Read MoreMinnesota Endures Worst Employment Skid in 30+ Years
Minnesota’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate now stands at 6.9 percent, according to new December 2008 numbers released by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The data continues what, by many measures, are the worst statewide jobless numbers since…
Read MoreTired of War: Minnesotans Not Shy About Changing Presidential Party During Wartime
Now that Barack Obama has been inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States, the question on the minds of many Minnesotans is: “How long do we wait for ‘change?'” Obama’s campaign for ‘change’ during the presidential primaries and…
Read MoreDoes Keith Ellison Have a Mandate? Rep. Sets Freshman Re-election Record
If it seems as if Keith Ellison has a free hand with which to cast controversial votes in the U.S. House, such as his ‘present’ vote for the Israeli-Gaza House resolution, he probably does. The DFL Congressman registered the second…
Read MoreStance of Ellison and McCollum On Israeli-Gaza Resolution Shines a Light on Liberal Voting Records
The “present” votes registered by Keith Ellison and Betty McCollum a week ago Friday on the U.S. House resolution to recognize “Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, reaffirming the United States’ strong support for Israel, and supporting…
Read More