Minnesota
Kiffmeyer Challenges DFL on Voter ID: ‘What Are You Afraid Of?’
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie outlined a long legislative ‘wish-list’ at a press conference Wednesday morning to improve the state’s electoral process: · Permitting early voting of 15, 30, or even 45 days before an election to alleviate the…
Read MoreWhy Governor Pawlenty’s Criticism of the Federal Stimulus Bill Is Smart Politics
A recent article at MinnPost explores how Governor Tim Pawlenty is out of step with many state leaders, and governors across the nation, in taking a “hands-off” approach when it comes to lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill to pass federal…
Read MoreIs Coleman’s Hands-On Approach to His Court Challenge Going to Backfire?
Norm Coleman is leaving no doubt to the public or the press that he stands firmly behind his decision to launch his U.S. Senate recount legal challenge. Coleman has drawn significant attention for his frequent courtroom appearances and the Senator…
Read MoreWhy the Minnesota Senate Recount and Court Challenge Is Helping the Federal Budget Deficit
While Minnesota taxpayers are on the hook for approximately $200,000 to pay for its 62-day U.S. Senate race recount, that long process, and Norm Coleman’s subsequent court challenge, is saving taxpayers’ money nationwide as Minnesota’s Class II Senate seat remains…
Read MoreColeman Says ‘God Wants Me to Serve’
While Al Franken remains fairly elusive, Norm Coleman is keeping a high profile these days as his court challenge of the Minnesota U.S. Senate recount plods along. Coleman is adept, somewhat too adept, his critics might say, at skillfully tailoring…
Read MorePawlenty Approval Rating Stable Through Good Times and Bad
Even though Minnesota is experiencing unprecedented month-to-month increases in unemployment and a $5 billion budget deficit, Governor Tim Pawlenty’s political stock has not (yet) been devalued in the Gopher State. A Smart Politics analysis of more than 5-dozen public opinion…
Read MoreNo Excuses? Minnesota’s Unemployment Rate Less Tied to National Economy Than That of Wisconsin and Iowa
As December’s unemployment numbers demonstrate, Minnesota continues to endure a skyrocketing rate of job losses, especially when compared to its neighbors to the south and west. To the west, North Dakota and South Dakota have the second and third lowest…
Read MoreIs the DFL ‘Overrepresented’ at the State Capitol?
As DFL legislators tore into Governor Tim Pawlenty’s budget plan in committee hearings on Tuesday, the DFL caucus looked very much like a party with supermajority (Senate) or near supermajority (House) status. The DFL’s icy reaction to the Governor’s plan…
Read MoreMinnesota’s 2010 Budget Deficit Among Top 10 Largest In Nation
With updated budget numbers expected in the coming weeks, Minnesota’s current $2.6 billion projected budget gap for 2010 ranks as one of the top 10 largest in the nation, according to new numbers compiled by the Naitonal Conference of State…
Read MoreHow Bad Are Things In Minnesota, Really?
From the rising unemployment numbers to the state budget crisis, the news in Minnesota seems to be getting worse and worse. Adding insult to injury came the recent news last week that Minneapolis ranked as the fourth least desirable metropolitan…
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