The DFL Circus Has Come to Town

I just couldn't resist stopping by the DFL state convention at the Mayo Civic Center after work today. Al Franken's supporters seemed to outnumber Jack Nelson Pallmayer's at least on the first day of the convention.

At least one Franken supporter with whom I talked seemed genuinely surprised at how organized Nelson Pallmeyer's supporters were. Franken's people seemed kind of shaken, though. They are not confident their comedian candidate will win the DFL nomination to run against Senator Norm Coleman.

I actually enjoyed talking to Nelson Pallmeyer supporters. They are issue oriented. They are misguided, as most liberals are, but at least they are as intellectually honest and consistent as liberals come these days.

I sincerely hope I'm wrong but I think Franken will win the nomination tomorrow. It will probably be a squeaker but his organization may trump the zeal of Nelson Pallmeyer's people. We'll see.

This lone, defiant Nelson Pallmeyer supporter said to me, "I was here first," when Franken fanatics invaded his turf.

The tables are turned in this picture.

Ashwin Madia addressing the Minnesota Young DFL (MYDFL). Madia, who apparently used to be a moderate Republican, is running for Congress in the 3rd District to take over a seat currently occupied by retiring Republican Jim Ramstad.

"The sky is falling!": A global warming workshop

Embattled Attorney General Lori Swanson. She wasn't discussing the ethical questions surrounding her office.

DFL caucus person Melissa (left) and Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher on the convention floor. If they only knew where their picture was going to end up, I don't think they would have smile so broadly. Speaker Kelliher mentioned that she didn't think she and Melissa had ever taken a picture together, so I said I would send them a copy. And I did.

I wonder if this lady made the stuffed gorilla herself or won it at some carnival.

A "border security" DFLer? Probably not.

Ringing Endorsement III

Get ready. After months of relentless attacks on her rival's record and character, Hillary is set to endorse Barack Obama's bid for the Democratic Party nomination tomorrow at high noon.

Lest we forget what Hillary REALLY thinks and has said about the liberal messiah, here's a brief reminder:

"Now, I could stand up here and say, 'Let's just get everybody together. Let's get unified. The sky will open. The light will come down. Celestial choirs will be singing, and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect.'"

“It’s beginning to look a lot like that [Obama's "character problem"]– it really is, where we can’t get a straight answer on health care, where somebody runs on ethics and not taking money from certain people is found to have at least skirted if not violated F.E.C. rules and to use lobbyists and Pac money to do so. You’re going to have ask the Obama campaign, but I have said for months that I would much rather be attacking Republicans and attacking problems of our country because ultimately that’s what I want to do as president."

"There is no time for speeches and on-the-job training. Senator McCain will bring a lifetime of experience to the campaign. I will bring a lifetime of experience. And Senator Obama will bring a speech that he gave in 2002."

"There's a big difference between our courage and our convictions, between what we believe and what we're willing to fight for."

"There's a big difference between us -- speeches versus solutions, talk versus action."

"Speeches don't put food on the table. Speeches don't fill up your tank or fill your prescription or do anything about that stack of bills that keeps you up at night."

"I was taken aback by the demeaning remarks Senator Obama made about people in small town America. Senator Obama's remarks are elitist and they are out of touch," Clinton told the factory workers. "They are not reflective of the values and beliefs of Americans. Certainly not the Americans that I know -- not the Americans I grew up with, not the Americans I lived with in Arkansas or represent in New York. You know, Americans who believe in the 2nd Amendment believe it's a matter of Constitutional rights."

"So you decide which makes more sense: Entrust our country to someone who is ready on day one ... or to put America in the hands of someone with little national or international experience, who started running for president the day he arrived in the U.S. Senate."

"Shame on you, Barack Obama!"

"There is no time for speeches and on-the-job training. Senator McCain will bring a lifetime of experience to the campaign. I will bring a lifetime of experience. And Senator Obama will bring a speech that he gave in 2002."

"I disagree with his continuing to say that he would meet with some of the worst dictators in the world without preconditions and without the real, you know, understanding of what we would get from it."

Davis: "Why isn't Congressman Walz Providing Real Solutions to our Transporation Needs?"

For Immediate Release
Contact: Brad Biers

651.261.5421

June 6, 2008

(Winona, MN) - Despite appearing at the closed Highway 43 Bridge in Winona near the Mississippi river, Congressman Tim Walz has failed to propose any real solutions to our transportation needs, especially as it concerns finding relief for working families in southern Minnesota and the burden of high gas prices.

As residents of southern Minnesota continue to empty their wallets trying to pay for gasoline that is nearing $4 per gallon, Rep. Walz continues to vote against proposals to address America's energy crisis.

"Tim Walz' speaking about the needs of the people of southern Minnesota while using the Highway 43 bridge as a backdrop does nothing to solve our transportation and energy crisis," said First Congressional District Republican candidate Brian Davis. "He is ignoring the fact that the price of gas has risen over 70% since he was sworn into office and he continues to do nothing to address this unfortunate situation."

"There are solutions to our energy needs," continued Davis. "We must develop more domestic oil supplies and increase our refinery capacity because southern Minnesota residents demand action now."

Good News

“My strong feeling is that moving forward, I'm going to need Bill Clinton involved in this [presidential election] process. He still is a transcendent political figure in this country. And I want him involved. And I’ll be looking for his counsel and his advice.”

-- Obama on keeping his enemies closer.

Obama: ‘I’m Going to Need Bill Clinton'

Thursday, June 5, 2008 2:06 PM

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama says he will put aside raw feelings from a fractious primary campaign and marshal all of theDemocratic Party’s resources, including making significant use of the Clintons.

The Senator from Illinois says he has no hard feelings over the campaigning
style of the former president, who made the case for his wife on the stump in terms that some Obama supporters considered insulting and demeaning. “Look, there is nobody who is more talented or more gifted than Bill Clinton when it comes to understanding the broad crosscurrents of America,” Obama says.

Obama respects the former president for fighting so hard to preserve his own legacy, adding, “Understandably, he thinks that his wife would have been the best person to continue that legacy.

This is great news for Senator John McCain. Bill Clinton is all about Bill Clinton, not Barack Obama or anyone else. Given the offensive things the disgraced former president has said during the campaign, I doubt he was for Hillary either. Remember this jewel?

"[I]t is wrong that Senator Obama got to go through 15 debates trumpeting his superior judgment and how he had been against the war in every year, numerating the years, and never got asked one time, not once, ‘Well, how could you say, that when you said in 2004 you didn’t know how you would have voted on the resolution? You said in 2004 there was no difference between you and George Bush on the war and you took that speech you’re now running on off your website in 2004 and there’s no difference in your voting record and Hillary’s ever since?’ Give me a break. This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I’ve ever seen."

BEGONE!

Next on Agenda is Clinton's Role

By ADAM NAGOURNEY

Senator Barack Obama heads into the general election with obvious advantages: He is a Democratic candidate running in a sour atmosphere for Republicans, in a contest where voters are hungry for change and coming out of a campaign in which he filled arena after arena with supporters.

Yet while he would like to shift his attention fully to the onslaught already coming from Senator John McCain and the Republicans, Mr. Obama still has problems in his own party that may overshadow everything else until he addresses them: How to repair relations with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and her supporters and whether to offer her a spot on the ticket.

Mrs. Clinton used her final hours of the long primary season to make clear that she would be open to being Mr. Obama’s running mate. If there was ever any hope in Democratic circles that she would let Mr.
Obama off the hook with an evasion or a flat declaration of no interest, Mrs. Clinton dashed it on Tuesday.

Like her husband, Mrs. Clinton has a way of becoming the center of attention even when the spotlight is supposed to be trained elsewhere, a reality that Mr. Obama will no doubt continue to confront no matter how he proceeds. It was hardly a surprise that Mr. Obama lavished praise on Mrs. Clinton and her accomplishments in his remarks Tuesday night.

Has anyone asked Michelle Obama what she thinks about an Obama/Clinton ticket? I mean, Hillary has said some very unflattering things about Michelle's hubby. How about Angry Bill? Do the Obama people really want to have him around after all the disgustingly racist things he has said throughout the campaign?

Day 3

"In 2006, Tim Walz ran against George Bush and the Iraq war. In 2008, he's going to have to run on his record, and if I were him, I would run from it."

-- CD1 GOP candidate Brian Davis on Tim Walz's abysmal voting record.

Barb Davis White energizes the Republican crowd once again.

"I am proud to be a Republican in the United States of America today!"

"We know how to spend our money better than any government official."

[Republicans] don't sing "Kumbaya," [they] live it.

CD5 candidate Barb Davis White and campaign manager Barbara Malzacher.

Black Republicans? Oh, my!

CD1 candidate Brian Davis and über blogger Michael Brodkorb of Minnesota Democrats Exposed.What a treat it was to meet Michael and congratulate him on the great job he is doing of exposing Al Franken's hypocrisy and putrid moral character.

Karl Rove, Scourge of the Left

Davis: "Minnesota families can't afford another 2 years of Congressman Walz and gas price increases."

"Let me be clear: I totally reject the man-made global warming religion."

Brian Davis at the Minnesota Republican Party State Convention

For Immediate Release
Contact: Brad Biers651.261.2182

June 1, 2008

(Rochester, MN) - On Saturday, May 31, Brian Davis, the endorsed Republican candidate for the First Congressional District of Minnesota, was an invited speaker to the State Convention along with Governor Tim Pawlenty and others. There were over 2,000 attendees at the convention.

State Chairman Ron Carey introduced the speakers and expressed approval of the decision of caucus goers and delegates choice of Dr. Davis as the best candidate to win the election in the First District this November.

Many speakers called upon Republicans to stick by our principles of limited government, a strong national defense and traditional values.

As reported in the local media, "The staying power of those principles will likely be tested in the 1st Congressional District, where the party's endorsed candidate, Brian Davis, is challenging U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, a Mankato Democrat, on an unabashedly conservative platform."

Davis says Walz has done little to bring down gas prices with his opposition to expanding oil development in this country. He says the first-term Democrat consistently votes for measures that would expand government and that, according to the Club for Growth, has one of the poorest taxing and spending records in Congress, ranking 394th out of 435th in Congress.

Davis also criticized Congressman Walz for supporting the Employee Free Choice Act, legislation that would deprive workers of the right to have a secret ballot when considering whether to form a union or not. Davis calls this legislation "simply un-American."

"In 2006, Tim Walz ran against George Bush and the Iraq war. In 2008, he's going to have to run on his record, and if I were him, I would run from it," Davis said. Similar to over 31,000 scientists who have signed the Petition Project, Davis does not agree there is conclusive evidence that global warming is caused predominantly by human activity.

"Let me be clear: I totally reject the man-made global warming religion," Davis said to loud applause and a standing ovation.

After the convention Davis commented, "We need real solutions to our problems in gas prices, energy, job creation, national security and health care. We believe we're offering the best programs to solve these problems. Voters will have a clear choice to make a course correction this November."

Brian Davis won the Republican endorsement on March 29 and is a physician in Rochester with his wife Lori and their four children.

Better Never Than Late

“I make this decision with sadness. This is where I found Jesus Christ, where we were married, where our children were baptized. We are proud of the extraordinary works of that church.”

-- Barack Obama on his alleged sadness over leaving Trinity United Church of Christ

Obama Leaves Church That Drew Wide Criticism

By MICHAEL POWELL

ABERDEEN, S.D. — Senator Barack Obama has resigned his membership in Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, which he attended for nearly two decades, following months of controversy about pastors and their political views.

Mr. Obama said he and his wife, Michelle, wrote a letter on Friday to the church’s pastor, the Rev. Otis Moss, explaining that their estrangement from Trinity took root in controversial remarks by the church’s former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., who once was Mr. Obama’s spiritual guide.

“Our relations with Trinity have been strained by the divisive statements of Reverend Wright, which sharply conflict with our own views,” they wrote. “These controversies have served as an unfortunate distraction for other Trinity members who seek to worship in peace, and have placed you in an untenable position.”

But at a news conference after a town-hall-style meeting here on Saturday, Mr. Obama sounded pained as he confirmed his decision to leave the place he had considered his spiritual home. A sermon by Mr. Wright, a longtime pastor at the church, even provided the phrase — “the audacity of hope” — that became Mr. Obama’s campaign theme and the title of his latest book.

“I make this decision with sadness,” Mr. Obama said, speaking in subdued tones as he stood before a bland background. “This is where I found Jesus Christ, where we were married, where our children were baptized. We are proud of the extraordinary works of that church.”

Mr. Obama rejected suggestions that he denounce the church, which is one of Chicago’s largest and most socially active black churches, with a wide array of respected social programs. Several of the most prominent black theologians in Chicago attend the church.

“I’m not denouncing the church and I’m not interested in people who want me to denounce the church,” he said in response to a question. “It’s not a church worthy of denouncing.”

He said that his resignation was not a matter of political convenience, but rather that he had reached the point where neither he nor Trinity’s pastors and congregants could worship in peace. He noted that reporters now pored over sermons and that some had called sick members at home to ask about the church.

Not a matter of political convenience? Please. Does anyone really believe that? And here we all thought Hillary was the real liar.

Day 2

Presidential candidate Ron Paul drew a respectable sized crowd to his early morning rally behind the Mayo Civic Center.

Rep. Ron Paul is a subdued but compeling speaker. Far from alarmist, his dire warnings about the inevitable consequences of rampant Washinton spending are factual and reasoned. The congressman loses me on foreign policy, however, since I am not an isolationist.

Ron Paul supporters are a fascinatingly balanced cross section of age, gender and background.

Portrait of real diversity.

Off with their heads! Campaingning against the six "bipartisan" RINOS in St. Paul.

Newly elected Olmsted County GOP Co-chair Bruce Kaskubar

DFL hacks posing as "special interest" supporters of Senator Norm Coleman complete with oversized "thank you" cards. They got a little peeved when I asked them if they objected to challenger Al Franken's negligent attitude toward paying workers' compensation and taxes.

I doubt the "special interests" will come back next Saturday to thank DFLers for their support. After all, everyone knows that liberals are not beholden to special interests. Such hypocrites.

Norm addresses the convention after being endorsed by acclamation:

" I didn't just arrive in the latest plane to run for office."

"The heartland of America has a response to Senator Obama: we don't 'cling' to our faith, we cherish it."

"God has blessed America. We are the land of the free because we are the home of the brave."

"The ideas that really help people don't come from Washington."

"When it comes to helping people, we don't need an ideologue or a a divider."

"People want problem solves not angry sloganeers."

"For those who tout Canadian-style health care, we pose a challenge: show us the Mayo Clinic of Canada."

"What part of 'We are committed to the destruction of Israel' don't Democrats who want to negotiate with terrorists understand?"

"Hope, faith and optimism are in America's DNA."

Senator Coleman has stood up for little Wyatt in his battle with cancer.

Roz and Linda cheer for Norm.

Making inroads in the Somali community. The Somalis I know are quite conservative. Some of their young have sold out to the DFL but the core of the community have maintained their traditional values of family, hard work and personal responsibility, which is not the DFL platform.

Go Norm!

Minnesota Republicans Ready to Rumble

Nobody gives a rally speech like Senator David Senjem.

"Minnesota Republicans are ready to rumbleeeeeeeeeeee!"

"We have a presidency to win."

"The future of American depends on us."

Norm is the star of the show.

Senator Norm Coleman presses the flesh prior to speaking before the delegates.

Coleman charms the press




Brian Davis (center), his lovely wife Lori and campaign manager Brad Biers

First Congressional District candidate Dr. Brian Davis addresses the convention.

Barb Davis White is the GOP endorsed candidate for the Fifth District Congressional seat now occupied by anti-American DFLer Keith Ellison.

"We are getting ready to take the Fifth District back!"

"Government must stop spending like drunken thieves. I refuse to offend sailors."

"America will have peace again when she is strong from the inside."

"I believe people want more, not less, freedom."

Barb brought the house down with her fiery conservative speech.

The Minnesota GOP LOVES Barb Davis White.

House Republican Leader Marty Seifert :

"It's not about the next election, it's about the next generation."

Senator Norm Coleman introduces the keynote speaker for the evening, Oklahoma senator Tom Coburn

Keynote speaker Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn

"America's greatest challenges are radical Islamic terrorism and an unsustainable fiscal course."

"It's time we make a decision about spending priorities and stop stealing from our children and grandchildren."

"Republican ideas are the best ideas and actions must follow words."

"Speak the truth, even at your own risk."

"The more government we have, the less freedom we have."