Post Watergate Campaigning

I cut my political teeth in the mid 70's building lawn signs for then State Representative Bill Luther's successful State Senate Bid. several years later he would later go on to become a multi term Congrssman.

The one thing this naive kid noticed was that the Democratic candidates proudly displayed their DFL endorsements. If you saw a sign that did not bare a party endorsement on it, you could be pretty sure it was a Republican candidate. This race away from their party identification, thanks to President Nixon's shenanigans, was rampant. The local party even abandoned their own name by masking it with the word 'Independent' back in 1975. It took 20 years before the MNGOP had the guts to stand behind their given name.

So now after almost 8 years of Neo Con leadership, it looks like the Right is running from their brand again.

Smith, the lone Senate Republican on the Pacific Coast, is trying to keep his seat in a state that's been tilting toward Democrats. Polls show him running ahead of Merkley, the Oregon House speaker, but with less than a formidable lead.

Smith has studiously avoided any mention of his GOP credentials in his ads and campaign literature. A recent ad featured two Democrats, including former Oregon Rep. Elizabeth Furse, praising Smith for speaking out against the Iraq war in December 2006, after Republicans lost control of Congress.

Tim Hibbitts, an independent pollster in Portland, said the ad shows Smith is "legitimately, seriously concerned about this year." He said Smith runs the risk of alienating GOP voters, but that he apparently has concluded the greater risk is to be seen as a steadfast conservative.

This is just one example that I stumbled upon today, but something tells me there are many more out there.

Why are they hiding? (rhetorical question, those of us with enough common sense left in our minds know the answer)

Flash

Placing Posturing in the Back Seat

George Carlin; 1937-2008

Back in the early 80's I went to the Carlton Supper Club for a treat. We had no tickets but were going to roll the dice with Rush seating. It paid off. A couple of spots just a half dozen or so seats from the spoked tables off the stage. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I finally got to see this comedic genius live, and boy was he on.

It was the same stage show we would watch later on "Carlin at Carnegie", I had thought about seeing him again, to reminisce and remember, but now it is too late, George is gone:

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Comedian-actor George Carlin, known for his raunchy but insightful humor, died of heart failure Sunday in Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 71.

Carlin performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.

Jeff Abraham says Carlin went into St. John's Health Center on Sunday afternoon, complaining of chest pain. Carlin died at 5:55 p.m. PDT, The Associated Press reported.

Carlin was a self professed cynic and his take on life was somewhat unique:

"When you're born, you get a ticket to the freak show. When you're born in America, you get a front-row seat."

Good Bye, George!

Eight Amazing Years

Eight years ago this morning we were on a plane for Vegas. We had only booked our itinerary a few days before, so it seemed like a whirlwind. We weren't sure what we were going to do once we got there, just that we had 5 days and 4 nights in our first trip to this gambling haven.

Upon arrival we knew we were going to grab a shuttle to the Lady Luck. We hopped into the van with some other folks and struck up a conversation with the driver. Once he caught wind of our plans to marry at some point over the weekend he said:

'Let's drop off these other folks and I'll take care of everything from there" and the roller coaster began.

He completed his other drop offs and first took us to the court house. It was early enough in the morning that there was no line. We filled out a couple cards, paid a fee, and before we knew it we were stepping back into the van, marriage license in hand. Now it is off to the chapel, but which one. He chose the same chapel he was married in several years before, the Silver Bell. We bought a small package that included video, a simple ceremony with standard vows, and a deep passionate kiss sealed the service. I looked up at my bride with a big cheesy grin on my face, as I glance down at my watch. Within an hour of touchdown, we are husband and wife and on our way to the hotel. It couldn't have been a more perfect beginning to a weekend that became our Honeymoon.

The Lady Luck is long gone. It was a tired hotel when we were there. The Silver Bell met a fiery fate a few years ago while undergoing a remodel. It has since been rebuilt on the same site, and now goes by the name Mon Bel Ami.

I've already shared what happened upon our return. Needless to say it was a bitter sweet summer for us. But 8 years later we are still going strong. The toddlers are now teenagers, bringing a fresh set of challenges, but we have each other. I got this one right, thank God. Who would have thought I would have been able to find such a wonderful lady who was willing to put up with me this long.

Thanks, My love, for being my wife!!

YOUR Hubby

Go Big El!

No vote splitting in the 6th:

In the Sixth District race, where Tinklenberg is challenging Republican incumbent Michele Bachmann, a wide majority of delegates at the party's state convention passed on a party member, which is not unprecedented, said party chair Craig Swaggert.

"It happens from time to time," he said. "We tend to want to support good candidates and Tinklenberg was much more in line with our platform and beliefs than the Republican."

Now let's be clear, the 6th is about as red a district there is in Mineesota. Bachmann is the safest GOP Congress Person in the state. But Tinklenberg is as close a match as the DFL, and now Independence Party, can find for that district. Without an IP vote Split, this is a 50/50 district. Now, with enough money, and an open minded constituency, this is about as close as Minnesota may ever get at a chance of turning all the CDs blue.

Flash

Bought and Paid For!

Mikey got a gig:

I am excited to announce that starting today, I will be a part-time research consultant to Representative Erik Paulsen’s congressional campaign. I am not a full-time paid campaign staffer, but rather a part-time research consultant.

Oh, and he continues to publish this howler

I am not now, nor have I ever been paid to blog.

Regardless, I am sure his family is thrilled after almost two years of unemployment. I mean, he makes it clear what his career is and with his insistence that he would disclose and hasn't for almost two year one can only assume he has been out of work, right?

May this 'Paid by Paulsen' Blogger have as much luck as the 'Paid by Mark Kennedy' Blogger did a couple years ago.

It does make one wonder why Paulsen needs a hit man. But as I have shown here repeatedly, when you can't win on issues, go for the sucker punch!

Flash

The There, There on Franken!

Mitch asks:

So here are a couple of questions for you Franken supporters:

1. If we’re supposed to leave his comedy, “satire” and freelance writing careers out of how we gauge Franken for office, what can we use to try to figure if Franken is someone we want in office?

2. Please give me some affirmative reasons - one, two, three, whatever -why anyone should vote for Franken. Caveat; these reasons need to relate to Franken; “he’s not Coleman”, or “he’s not in bed with the Administration”, or “”Halliburton Cheney Wide Stance Bush Brought Down The Towers Duke Cunningham” don’t cut it. In other words, leave out the reasons not to vote for Coleman (because those would apply to Ciresi or Nelson-Pallmeyer or Jerry Janezich for that matter, any of the people you DFLers could have, but didn’t, nominate); they have to be reasons to vote for Franken.

Can y’all do it?

Well, of course anyone can do it. Anyone who is willing to slip off the blinders and put down the GOP Grog long enough to actually care about the future of this state and country, rather than a "what have you done for me lately?" selfish attitude proudly displayed but most Right Wingers.

I don't read Mitch much anymore, and it really isn't worth commenting over there. The once popular blog that pulled in over 3000 hits a day is lucky to muster six hundred these days. Still more than me, but he has a radio show and a screaming cheerleader section, all I gots is the truth.

But back to his questions:

What can we use to try to figure if Franken is someone we want in office?

I use his words and actions of today. In fact, I actually sat down and talked to him. I asked him questions and told him whether I agreed or disagreed. When we talked about Iraq I showed him a picture of my son and shared with him my commitment to seeing this war on terror through to victory. He wasn't afraid to tell me where I was wrong. He wasn't going to tell me what I wanted to hear and move on. He told me what he felt was the best strategy and the proper way to WIN while protecting our fighting forces and out country. There is something to be said for a man of candor who is willing to tell you the truth, even thought it isn't necessarily what you want to hear. That is important to me in a candidate and a character trait seriously lacking in 'finger in the wind' Coleman.

Please give me some affirmative reasons - one, two, three, whatever -why anyone should vote for Franken.

I have time for one, so will pick the easiest! Mr Franken is a known. There is absolutely no doubt where he stands on the issue and in many cases quite clearly and specifically. Unlike his 'finger in the wind' opponent, you can quite clearly predict what side of the issues Franken will be on. Now I'll admit in a few of those cases he would vote differently than I would like, but with his opponent I don't even know which way he would vote on some of the important issues. I am much more comfortable voting for a candidate who you can at least count on. Paul Wellstone was able to win over the needed moderate not because his far left position on the issues matched theirs, but because he was a man of character who you could count on!

There, piece of cake. But Mitch knew that. He only proposed the questions because he has managed to bully the left voices on his site away or has literally banned them from commenting. He'll claim 'crickets' without acknowledging that his site has become nothing more than a preach to the choir! Sad really!

Flash

No Billary

Aside from Englehart's fine interpretation . . . . . . the VoteMaster at Electoral-Vote has it figured out:

Speaking of dog-whistle politics, Obama's announcement yesterday that he had hired Patti Solis Doyle is a clear example of same. Hillary Clinton belatedly fired her former friend for poor campaign and financial management. Now Obama hires her--as chief of staff to the Vice Presidential candidate. Can you imagine Clinton being saddled up with a chief of staff she thinks is incompetent and whom she at least partially blames for losing the nomination? The message seems clear: Clinton is not going to be the Veep candidate.

On the other hand, wouldn't ones Chief of Staff be someone THEY would want to pick. I never thought of Obama as a Micro Manager.

Flash

Pasture Pool

I am extending my weekend by one day to watch the 18 hole US Open playoff.

Tiger is amazing, even with a bad wheel, but I am still pulling for the Fossil.

You can watch the stream live, right HERE!

Flash

Bye, Tim!

I was watching the golf tournament in the garage yesterday afternoon. Tiger was making his move, Phil was fading, and I was just catching up on some reading, mug in hand, while visiting with the lovely Mrs. Flash. The familiar tune rang in and there was a 'SPECIAL BULLETIN' slide on the TV screen. Generally these spook me, not knowing what it could possibly be. Today, however, I thought I had it figured out. With all the inclement weather and specifically the flooding in Iowa, I figured they were breaking in to say that Des Moines was being evacuated, or a major levy broke, or some other weather related calamity. I was wrong . . . Brokaw broke in to tell us about Tim.

Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and the moderator of “Meet the Press,” died Friday after suffering a heart attack at the bureau. He was 58.

Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday’s “Meet the Press” broadcast when he collapsed. He was rushed to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, where resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

Russert’s physician, Michael Newman, said cholesterol plaque ruptured in an artery, causing sudden coronary thrombosis.

You could feel the tension in Brokaw's voice, not quite quivering, but taught yet determined. One could sense the emotion, but the consummate professional held it together to bring us the news of his friend that had passed.

Russert was a unique newsman, able to separate himself from his mission of bringing the news and asking the tough questions. It was a fine art, and Tim was consistently painting masterpieces. One of his guiding principles was the advice given him by the late Meet the Press founder, Lawrence Spivak:

(He) told me before he died that the job of the host is to learn as much as you can about your guest’s positions and take the other side, . . . And to do that in a persistent and civil way. And that’s what I try to do every Sunday.”

And that he did.

Tomorrow, Sunday, Father's Day, Tim will be honored on his stomping grounds at Meet the Press as Tom Brokaw hosts a special remembrance. You can bet that leaders from all over the country, and even the world, are standing in line waiting for an opportunity to pay tribute to a man taken way too soon.

RIP, Mr. Russert, you will be remembered as passionately as you will be missed!

Flash

Answers That Just Ask More Questions

This whole debate, well argument mostly, with The Doctor began when he attempted to claim that Obama is all sizzle and no steak and then threw out a grocery list of questions. What is really noticeable, however, is that 'his' candidate hasn't even begun to get as specific as Sen. Obama in proposing detailed politics and programs to get this country back on track.

The whole thread below was not much at all of, 'but McCain's plan will . . . " It was, in one breadth, attempting to claim there is no specificity in Obama's proposals, yet there seems to be enough detail that the likes of Doc and Swiftee can claim it is nothing but tax and spend liberalism. So who is using talking points now?

However, I will try to clarify by answering some of the Docs specific questions.

Doc asks:--> Expanding unemployment benefits is one of the smaller dollar cost to this total, has the least impact to the overall economy but is your main focal point. Why?

Because it is a small dollar cost IS the reason it should be expanded, and I don't agree that is has the least impact. It can have the greatest return on investment of some of the other stimulus proposals and THAT is what we need more of. I noticed today that the House, along with some common sense Republicans have passed a 3 month extension with a veto proof majority. We can't help with the pressing problems the Bush's recession has created if we don't address some of the rudimentary results. I believe extending unemployment benefits is one of the most cost effective ways to do it

Doc asks:--> How about a good old fashion approach of reducing costs or other great ideas like energy conservation, business stimulas ( tax incented reinvestments that lead to jobs ) Increased oil production/ exploration and refineries.

So are we talking economic recovery, energy policy, or small business protection. Sen Obama supports a good old fashioned Apollo Program type mission to tackle out energy situation. EXACTLY what you are asking for. THAT is the kid of commitment we need from a President. Poking holes in ANWR for a 20 year band aid won't get us anywhere but a giant sludge-filled ecosystem and back to where we are now. We DO need more refineries and we DO need to explore nuclear options.

I do think we should provide incentives for those businesses who remain committed to domestic productions. And we can fund those incentives by closing tax loopholes on business who have chosen to move their operations, in part or in whole, over seas.

Doc asks:--> So let me also be clear Flash you are NOW in favor of stimulis checks? Are you NOW saying middle class income is up to 250K? Are you NOW in favor of foreclosure bailouts?

My concern with the first round of Stimulus checks was whether they would be spent and actually stimulate the economy. The growing debt load people were carrying led me to believe that most people would not spend this money, but use it to pay off debt and therefore not stimulate at the level needed. We won't know the full impact of that first round until later in the Summer, but since we are already committed to that series of checks, a second, somewhat reduced round would appear as additional monies and would be more likely to be spent and therefore stimulate.

Doc asks:--> Are you NOW saying middle class income is up to 250K?

No, I'm not. I like to use a more reasonable and true definition of Middle class, one where the incomes is, in the middle. The Doctor is uncomfortable accepting actual data to determine where the Middle class is. Household income broken down by Quintiles (via NYT) is by far the best determiner or where the. We can take the true middle class, and just use the 35rd Quintile, or we can expand it to the more broad 2nd - 4th segments.

Using the Middle 5th, we have a household income range of 34,000 - 55, 000. If we include 2nd and 4th we have a range of 18,500 to 88,030. The lower limit of the top 5% is $157,000.; Now I am sorry, but it woul dbe a very tough sell for me, and many others, to imply that someone in the upper 5% of the household income category can claim to be Middle Class.

Doc asks:--> Are you NOW in favor of foreclosure bailouts?
I don't believe I was ever against Foreclosure bailouts. I do recall expressing frustration as someone who made the good choices, didn't raid my equity and took advantage of refi to lower my rate and reduce my term while preserving my equity. I asked a rhetorical question "What about those of us that did the right thing?"

The Tax Policy Center has attempted to do an analysis of the candidate's tax plans to see how things shake out

Household incomes in the true middle class range of 38,000 - 66,000 shows McCain's tax break at a mere $319 where Obama's is at $1,042. in the 66,000 - 112,000 range it is $1009 to Obama's $1290. Even as high as 161,000 now well into the Top 5% if households Obama's plan provide for $2204 savings to McCains $2614. It is only when you get into the millions of dollars of household income that you see the huge differences in the plans. One committed to helping the most people rather then a plan that targets the rich and wealthy.

Now this post is far longer than I like to go. I don't claim to be an expert but do feel I have a well rounded perspective. Some would rather attack attack the opponent, and some want to defend their own positions as the correct ones. But those that attack, without defending their own position tells me their position is weak out of the shoot. So if anyone wants to say Obama isn't being specific, I expect them to say McCain is and defend it. But I will be hard pressed to give credibility to those who choose only to attack. At least the Doctor is willing to acknowledge both sides of the argument.

Flash

Paul Newman, Fighter!

Word came out yesterday that Paul Newman is in the fight of his life:

On Wednesday, a longtime neighbor and business partner confirmed to The Associated Press that Newman told him about the disease about 18 months ago.

"It's a form of cancer and he's dealing with it," said A.E. Hotchner, a writer who partnered with Newman to start Newman's Own salad dressing company in the 1980s.

Hotchner did not specify what kind of cancer Newman had, but said the actor is in active treatment.

His resumé is extensive, but I liked him best opposite Jackie Gleason in the original Hustler. the Color of Money remake with Tom Cruise was a nice sequel, but nothing compared to the original.

I wish Paul and his family and friends my best!

Flash

Answering Questions

To be clear, I may have a Finance Degree but I am no economist, that would be King's territory, but I will tackle some of The Doctor's questions, soon. Understand, I am still working this week, I do have teenagers out of school, I do have other priorities in my life. Blogging is not even in the Top 5 of those priorities. So my inability to have a rapid response to every little question thrown at me is me having a life, not hiding from the questions. Doc knows this and chooses to poke the monster anyway, Swiftee just does it for sport! Doc did come over yesterday, but ironically we didn't talk much politics.

This AM I had very very minor surgery and once I feed the boys breakfast it is back to work to finish up a project for the week. In the interim I have been reading up on the candidate's economic plans. I'll have more on that tomorrow. For today, I have other priorities in my life that will get my attention. I have better things to do then hover in the blogospshere playing gotchya games.

I like these issues debates, can't wait till we get into the Social issues *grin*

Flash

Obama Calls for More Stimulus

The Doctor is getting antsy:

Are we ready to discuss issues yet?

How about the new "economic plan" rolled out by Obama with "details to follow". Did that 50 Billion in new spending include the new round of stimulas checks or is that in addition too?

Obama's specific proposal is being rolled out.

"Such relief can't wait until the next president takes office. ... That's why I've called for another round of fiscal stimulus, an immediate $50 billion to help those who've been hit hardest by this economic downturn,"

Now, Doc, if you want a multi page itemized audit of the proposal, then you don't want to discuss issues, you want to nit pick the details. While Sen Obama is proposing ways to get us 0out of the self inflicted mess the current Presidents mismanagement has gotten us into, so be it. Meanwhile, Obama wants to send out a second round of checks, and do what the first bill should have done, extend unemployment benefits.

I know what you are going to say. It is their own dang fault they are unemployed and they don't deserve any assistance. They should suck it up and get out there looking for a job (that doesn't exists) and we shouldn't help at all. I can't tell you how much it burns me when these conservatives simply turn their back on the less fortunate and blame them soley for the predicament they are in. They call it 'personal choices' and how the 'publc' shouldn't have to help those that did it to themselves.

To continue his detailed plan, Obama also discussed tax relief, you know, to the people who actually need relief:

Obama has pledged to keep the tax cuts in place for everyone except those making roughly $250,000 and up. He has also made proposals to cut taxes further for the middle class, some of which he reiterated in his speech: exempt seniors making less than $50,000 from having to pay income tax; give a tax credit worth up to $500 per working person ($1,000 per family) to offset the Social Security tax on the first $8,100 of earnings; and expand the earned income tax credit.

To boost retirement savings, he has also proposed a 50% federal match on the first $1,000 of savings for families that earn under $75,000.

So as is consistently the case, Democratic candidates are out there with clear ands specific proposals to rescue this country from the dire straights of Republican mismanagement. It is why the GOP doesn't want to talk about issues, they are on the wrong side of them.

Flash

Support Steve Sarvi

I'm a little late to the game, but noticed a little ground swell on the local left leaning blogosphere in support of Sgt. Steve Sarvi.

I first met Steve, electronically, here at Centrisity. He was active duty and stumbled on this little blog site during the end of his deploy. Once he made it back to the states we exchanges some E-mails, and it wasn't long before I was reading about him in the paper as he announced his candidacy.

When my son Sgt. Tom was in town last February, it was also the night Sgt. Sarvi was attending the Drinking Liberal gathering at the Chatter Box. I got a shot of them after they discussed what may lie ahead for my son during his 6 month deploy set to begin in just a few months.

So if you find it in you heart, or in your pocket book to place a few coins in the coffers of this honorable man who now is destined to become our next Congressman from the 2nd, hop on over to his ActBlue page. I know he would be grateful . . .and so would i!

Flash

Summer Transition

Schools out. IT will be a weird week as I poke my head into work to finish up end of the year stuff and get the building ready for Summer School.

Posting will be erratic till I adjust to my new schedule. But you all are used to that.

Things I noticed over the weekend:

Jim McKay passed. A HUGE part of my years growing up. He WAS the voice of all that was sports.

Minnesota Monitor is now the Minnesota Independent and a spankin' new design to go with it.

Oh, and Al Franken cleared the endorsement hurdle ont he first ballot. Its going to be an interesting Summer!

Flash

Hillary Suspends, Some Quotes

""The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand to take our energy and our passion and our strength to do all we can to help elect Barack Obama the next President of the United States""

""Today as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run, I ENDORSE HIM AND THROW MY FULL SUPPORT BEHIND HIM. I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for him as you have for me!

"We have come too far to let this opportunity pass" and then she invokes 'YES WE CAN!"

At least five times now she has said ""That is why we must help elect Barack Obama as President""

Compared to the wishy washy spiel on Tuesday night, this is the most unequivocal she could possibly have been. There isn't a single political spin-meister out there who could twist anything short of 100% full support for the presumptive nominee.

""There are no acceptable limits and there are no acceptable prejudices in the 21st century!""

""Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward. Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. We have to work together for what still can be. And that is why I will work my heart out to make sure that Senator Obama is our next president.""

Flash

DFL Convention Links

I am not able to be in Rochester this year, but several of my colleagues are there to cover the fireworks. I still expect Al Franken to be enthusiastically endorsed on the first ballot, it won't be without some drama. Here is a list of some key sites you'll want to visit to follow the battle:

MNPublius
MNCampaign Report
theUptake
MNBlue
MPR Live Audio Stream

If you know of others, let me know and I will add them.

Flash

The World Changed!

It was a Wednesday Morning. A seven year old boy awakes and crawls down from his upper bunk. The groggy child walks through his room and opens the door with one hand, while the other is still rubbing an eye. A short jaunt across the hall and into the bathroom he stares up at his father, brushing his teeth. The dad pauses for a moment, looks down and says:

"Robert Kennedy was shot last night"

The memory is as vivid now as it was that day. Even as a 7 year old I was politically aware. I went into the living room and simply stared at the black and white TV. Network news sharing the haunting news, graphic placards of the brain pointing out the areas of Bobby's injuries. He was alive, just barely, and it was only a matter of time before he slipped away.

40 years ago today we lost another Kennedy to an assassin's bullet. We will never know what type of world we would be living in today had Kennedy made it to the White House. What we do know is what a tragic loss it was for the nation when he was gunned down.

There are many quotes attributed to Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, here are some you may have seen:

"What is objectionable, what is dangerous, about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents."

"The sharpest criticism often goes hand in hand with the deepest idealism and love of country." (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 24, 1967)

"We can master change not though force or fear, but only though the free work of an understanding mind, though an openness to new knowledge and fresh outlooks, which can only strengthen the most fragile and most powerful of human gifts: the gift of reason."

"One-fifth of the people are against everything all the time."

"Fear not the path of truth, for the lack of people walking on it." (delivered in his speech at the Ambassador Hotel just prior to the assassination)

And from a speech he delivered two years to the day before his death:

At the heart of that Western freedom and democracy is the belief that the individual man, the child of God, is the touchstone of value, and all society, groups, the state, exist for his benefit. Therefore the enlargement of liberty for individual human beings must be the supream goal and the abiding practice of any Western society. Robert F. Kennedy 'Day of Affirmation' address University of Cape Town, South Africa, June 6th, 66

First, is the danger of futility; the belief there is nothing one man or woman can do against the enormous array of the worlds ills--against misery and ignorance, injustice and violence. Yet many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man. A young monk began the Protestant Reformation, a young general extended an empire from Macedonia to the borders of the earth, and a young woman reclaimed the territory of France. It was a young Italian explorer who discovered the New World, and the thirty-two year old Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed that all men are created equal. Robert F. Kennedy 6-6-1966

May you continue to rest in peace, Bobby.

Flash

Happy Birthday, Baby!

It is the birthday of the Lovely Mrs. Flash. D-Day has a completely different meaning in the Flash household. Anyone who can put up with me under the same roof for over 10 years is nothing short of a saint.

THANKS for being my wife!!

YOUR Hubby

Hillary to Suspend

HIllary Clinton will officially end her bid on Saturday . . . and unconditionally support our next President, Senator Barack Obama:

On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy. This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.

I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party's nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise.

The Washington Post has a GREAT write up on the beginning of the end of the Hillary campaign. It is a fantastic inside look at how the final months of the campaign evolved. The bottom line; 'She Could Accept Losing. She Could Not Accept Quitting.':

Clinton emerged from Pennsylvania with a victory that nearly matched her 10-point margin in Ohio. Her campaign responded with the message "The tide is turning."

Lifting spirits further still was a new campaign apparatus. Gone was Patti Solis Doyle, the less-experienced loyalist, replaced by the older and firmer Williams -- a professional management consultant who knew, in the words of one adviser, "how to say no."

Williams and another longtime confidante, Cheryl Mills, closed ranks around the candidate -- demanding an end to the backstabbing that had poisoned the campaign early on, returning phone calls and running meetings on time, making decisions that had lingered. Not everyone was happy. But for the first time, the office seemed to run relatively smoothly.

This article is a must read for every political wonk out there.

Flash

Now the Work Begins

Senator Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. If the election were held today, he would return the White House to a semblance of sanity following years of egotistical mismanagement. However, the election isn’t until November, giving the GOP more than enough time to dodge the issues and slime their opponents.

I think we have found over the course of this campaign, that the American electorate has become smarter over the last several years. They have seen the two faces of the Republican Party, the one face that says all the right things, and the other that does the opposite. Change is a big word, but change for change sake is not necessarily healthy. Change for the need of change, even if it is returning to the days of peace and prosperity, rather than war and recession, can be considered change. But the people have spoken. At least the sensible common sense folk who truly care about this country and believe our role in this world is contrastingly different than the path we have been led down. In fact, there is less than 30% of the population in tune with the current President. That means that Democrats and Republicans alike are looking for a new direction, a direction that will restore the faith and confidence not so much of the American people, but of the world.

Senator Obama has remained on the high road throughout this campaign, and I suspect he will remain there. But he has also shown he won't take the slime and the smears lying down. Senator McCain has made attempts to reel in the Right Wing slime merchants, but time will tell if his efforts are sincere. The changes in 527 laws prohibit some of the character attacks; especially the large number of unsubstantiated ones hurled at Senator John Kerry last cycle.

This general election race will return to debating the issues, issues that the Left has a far better grasp on than the floundering GOP party. The splintering of the Right will be a far more difficult breach to heal, than the one between the Obama and Clinton camps. We saw last night how Sen. Obama can reach out to those he will need to be victorious in November, and I an convinced he will succeed.

I make no predictions, today. I just look forward to a healthy debate. Lets put all of our cards on the table and let the people decide the direction we take. Lets start by having both sides declare that we won't tolerate the hate speak from either side. We will support everyone’s right to make their case, and in the end the people will decide the future of this great American experiment!

My sidebar picture has been updated!

Flash

Obama Clinches; Rally Links

Senator Barack Obama has clinched the nomination of the Democratic Party for President of the Untied States!

Game On!

--

ObamaRama Live Blogs

Moderate Left
MN Campaign Report
MN Monitor Twitter

Obama Rally, Xcel

Looks like too much is going on in my world to attend this evening's HUGE media event. I will opt out and monitor the events from the InterTubes. Watch this spot later for links to those who will be there, and the delicate balancing act Hillary will be performing throughout the evening.

Flash

Reading Material

Over the last few weeks a couple excellent blogs have started up. I am proud to say that both of these individuals are frequent commenters to Centrisity and have added much to the debate here.

Start by hassling Hasslington at his new home. Recent Veep-stakes analysis and other interesting intrigue. He recently talked about the Unite factor now that the primary season is winding down.

He may suggest otherwise, but it's become obvious to me that my friend (and fellow blogger) Anoka Flash is a Clinton-supporter (though, like me, he originally supported Governor Richardson until he ended his campaign this past January). Flash has suggested over the past several months that Senator Clinton is "more experienced" and "more electable" than Senator Obama.

To be clear, however, I remained undecided in the race following Governor Bill's defeat. My 'leaning' towards Hillary was not an endorsement as much as it was a realization of electability. I do believe that the need to recapture the White House after 8 year of mismanagement will be more than enough to sway any fence sitters towards the eventual nominees camp.

Then we have A Penigma, authored by Leftout. He has as much fun ripping Mitch and Shot in the Onion as I do. It's really not the tough when the facts are on your side every single time!!

Now, Cole certainly pays a great deal of attention to the Arab world, as opposed to Israel, but I've never seen even the faintest hint of any anti-Jewish comment from him. Berg, and others like him, claim that reporting on only one side of an issue doesn't represent bigotry or bias, but claim that Cole doing the exact same thing IS in fact, bigotry. What's worse, Berg, became incensed when someone suggested he just might have a little bit of bigotry too - the commenter said we all do - and demanded an apology - which the commenter provided.

One wonders when Berg will apologize to Cole? (well, not really, double-standards are Berg's calling card, his 'raison d' etre' as they might say in France, or Senegal)

Read 'em both, daily, you'll be better for it.

Flash

It All Ends Tomorrow

Today is the last full day of the Clinton Campaign for President. Now that the Florida and Michigan issue has been resolved, Sen. Barack Obama will, by the time he arrives at the podium tomorrow, have more than enough delegates to claim the Democratic nomination for President of the Untied States. Sen Clinton has hinted she may take the decision the Rules committee made over the weekend to the credentials committee, but I suspect she will see how futile that will be. There may not be enough elected delegates to put Barack over the top tomorrow, but you can bet there will be a significant surge of Super Delegates to his camp once the last votes are cast. These delegates waited patiently till the people spoke, and will embrace their decision with an endorsement of Senator Obama.

The Campaign has made a very strategic choice for their declaration of victory. By waving the flag in the very building where the GOP will anoint their candidate is a clear statement that this will be a campaign that will not pull any punches. I have put in my request for press credential. Hopefully the end of the year surge at work, coupled with the pressure of getting a couple teenagers through another year of high school will wane just enough to allow for me to be there for this historic occasion. You can bet if that happens, you all will be right there with me.

We've been standing in line at this amusement park long enough, time to get on the roller coaster and see what this thing's got!

Flash

In Passing

Over the last few days, we have lost some great ones. Individuals like Dick Martin, who at a time of political tumult, teamed with Dan Rowan and forged a great variety show.

“Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” the hyperactive, joke-packed show that Mr. Martin and Mr. Rowan rode to fame, made conventional television variety programs seem instantly passé and the sitcom brand of humor seem too meek for the times.

The show was a collage of one-liners, non sequiturs, sight gags and double-entendres the likes of which prime time had rarely seen, and it proved that viewers were eager for more than sleepily paced plots and polite song-and-dance.

There was Sydney Pollack, who for as great of a director he was, there was also a great actor.

A former acting teacher who became an in-demand character actor, Pollack had memorable on-screen turns in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives and his own Tootsie, in which he played Hoffman's exasperated acting agent.

And just the other day, another Comic genius left us in Harvey Korman. The venerable straight man who struggled keeping a straight face:

"Give me something bizarre to play, or put me in a dress and I'm fine," Korman jokingly said in a 2005 Chicago Sun-Times interview.

Korman and Conway developed an uncanny rapport that made them arguably one of television's most lethal comic teams; Conway's on-camera ad-libs often made Korman crack up; producers wisely kept them in the show.

But buried in all the big names, was a man that many of us grew up with. The director of some of the best Star Trek episodes passed away. Joseph Pevney was 96:

Pevney directed 14 episodes of the 1960s series, including "The City on the Edge of Forever," in which Capt. Kirk and Spock travel back in time to the Depression, and "The Trouble With Tribbles," in which the starship Enterprise is infested with cute, furry creatures.

. . .

Pevney directed with precision and was highly organized "but he was very relaxed -- in fact, jovial -- in the way he directed," said George Takei, who played Sulu. "I enjoyed working with him."

. . .

In the 1960s and '70s Pevney turned to television, directing dozens of episodes of series such as "Wagon Train," "Fantasy Island," "The Incredible Hulk" and "Trapper John, M.D."

UPDATE: Another Trek tie's obit obit noticed. The composer of the perpetual earworm Star Trek TV Theme, Alexander "Sandy" Courage:

Over a decades-long career, Courage collaborated on dozens of movies and orchestrated some of the greatest musicals of the 1950s and 1960s, including "My Fair Lady," "Hello, Dolly!" "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," "Gigi," "Porgy and Bess" and "Fiddler on the Roof."

But his most famous work is undoubtedly the "Star Trek" theme, which he composed, arranged and conducted in a week in 1965.

"I have to confess to the world that I am not a science fiction fan," Courage said in an interview for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation's Archive of American Television in 2000. "Never have been. I think it's just marvelous malarkey. ... So you write some, you hope, marvelous malarkey music that goes with it."

Eye for an Eye

via Englehart at The Courant:

The Truth Shall Set You Free

Ex Bush mouthpiece writes a book:

In excerpts from a 341-page book to be released Monday, Scott McClellan writes on Iraq that Bush "and his advisers confused the propaganda campaign with the high level of candor and honesty so fundamentally needed to build and then sustain public support during a time of war."

"[I]n this regard, he was terribly ill-served by his top advisers, especially those involved directly in national security," McClellan wrote.

OK, that's not really news. Most of us that don't wear the GOP blinders knew that. How about a good bomb shell.

Rove and fellow White House advisers Elliot Abrams and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby were accused of leaking the name of Plame -- whose husband, former U.S. ambassador Joseph Wilson, had gone public with charges the Bush administration had "twisted" facts to justify the war in Iraq.

Libby was convicted last year of lying to a grand jury and federal agents investigating the leak. Bush commuted his 30-month prison term, calling it excessive. At the time, McClellan called the three "good individuals" and said he spoke to them before telling reporters they were not involved.

"I had allowed myself to be deceived into unknowingly passing along a falsehood," he wrote. "It would ultimately prove fatal to my ability to serve the president effectively."

Well that's no shocker either. One more shot:

"One of these days, he and I are going to be rocking in chairs in Texas talking about the good old days of his time as the press secretary," Bush said at that conference. "And I can assure you, I will feel the same way then that I feel now, that I can say to Scott, job well done."

Ok, Ok. Now we are getting somewhere. That is certainly something that probably isn't going to happen now. Poor Scotty will be blacklisted now.

Flash

Memorial Day 2008

Paid my respects to a variety of family members this weekend. My good friend Pat and I visited 8 different cemeteries over the course of a 24 hour road trip. We went to Shieldsville, Montgomery and St. Henry tracking our Irish roots. Stopped in Cleveland for my Great Great Great Grandparents who died in the 1870s.

We then went into St. Peter to spend some quality time with the living. Had a great time at Patrick's on Third. Patty melts for dinner of course, before venturing next door for some patio partying at Stoli's new pad. He is tracking the remodel, here.

Monday morning we made a dash to Nicollet where I have a genealogical gold mine. over a dozen direct ancestors spread over 4 generation ins this small German Lutheran cemetery. We made it back to St. Peter in time for the Memorial Day service. My Godfather is still a member of the honor guard, proudly carrying the POW/MIA flag. The service was full of the necessary pomp and patriotism.

Afterwards, we went back south to Madelia, to visit Seth (whose grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War) and snoop around. Finally we headed back home, but not without stopping in Henderson. The Dummer plot holds my dad's step brother, who was killed in combat during World War II.

I hope you all had a restful extended weekend, but took the time to remember those, both living and passed, who made the commitment to protect our freedoms, the very freedoms we appreciated over the long weekend.

Flash

Sol 0

The Phoenix has landed!

5:30 pm
Phoenix is now on the surface of Mars, much to the joy of everyone here in Mission Control. As icing on the cake, we've found that the lander is tilted only one quarter of a degree, which means we've landed nearly perfectly level. The next step for Phoenix is surface initialization during which the solar arrays, Surface Stereo Imager (SSI), Biobarrier (which has been protecting the robotic arm from contamination since it was sterilized on Earth) and meteorological mast will deploy. We should have data regarding the status of these deployments when Odyssey makes its first pass in less than two hours. Engineers in Mission Control are saying that our actual landing went far smoother than any simulation or test that was ever done. Stay tuned.

RushIsABand!

Just roused from my post concert nap. What an amazing show. I'll have a review up soon. Here ls a quick pic of Neil who is riding his motorcycle from stop to stop.

Smoking Victim

Grandma's Saloon and Eatery, on the West Bank's Seven Corners is closing its doors. This popular hangout has endured most everything the economy has thrown at it, but the smoking ban on top of the other factors was too much.

Brian Daugherty, Grandma's general manager, said he opted out of the lease after being "legislated out of business." He blamed a host of laws -- a 2005 bill that doesn't allow tips to be counted as part of the minimum wage, the smoking ban, the 21-year-old drinking age and lower limits on blood-alcohol levels -- for a drop in business and rising expenses.

I haven't had a cigarette in over 6 months, but that hasn't changed my view of the rights of a private business to allow the use of legal products in their establishments.

Flash

RUSH for Sale

I may have a line on a ticket or two for Tomorrow's show. Main Floor, face value. If you are interested contact me via the comments or directly to my e-mail box:

comments (at) centrisity.com

Pre-show festivities in the garage around 5:ish.

Flash

Barack Obama - Presumptive Nominee

Sen. Obama reached the first major milestone yesterday, a majority of pledged/elected delegates. Coupled with the Super Delegate bleed, he now has a 28 SD lead, its over. Really, its all over.

I took a peak at Electoral-Vote to see if there were any polling shifts. Clinton still appears to be the more electable, but upon further analysis, its not hopeless.

The three key states in this cycle will be Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Clinton leads in all three, Obama leads in Pennsylvania, but is behind in Ohio and Florida. However, he is within margin of error, actually only 1 point off McCain.

There is no telling what will happen during the meat of this cycle, but there is clear signals from both campaigns to keep it clean. Obama has had better success in reeling in his supporters. We saw that McCain still struggles with party control.

Also, I noticed another modification since the Smear Boater days:

What 527 groups ultimately do depends on how lawyers advising these groups interpret a series of Federal Election Commission cases over the past two years that heavily fined 527 organizations that participated in the 2004 presidential election.

Among those fined was the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which raised unsubstantiated allegations about John Kerry's Vietnam war record. The FEC has since adopted rules that say groups can air "issue ads" but can't criticize the character of a candidate.

"We can't do in 2008 what we did in 2004," said Chris LaCivita, a Republican operative who worked on the Swift Boat ad campaign. "Everything has to be issue based."

Under those types of guidelines, we may have been spared another 4 years of Bush II. For now, we'll have to hope that the current guidelines are observed.

Flash

The Most Effective Member

Sen. John McCain on Sen Edward Kennedy:

“the single most effective member of the Senate,”

Even the best case scenario for Sen Ted isn't very optimistic. I wish him and the family well during this difficult time.

Flash

The Gift that Keeps On Giving

Bush to actively campaign for McCain

"The president believes very strongly that, if we get out and take our message to voters, that we can be successful," said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel.

Bush, who has not been with McCain since a Rose Garden event on March 5, will appear with the Arizona senator at a fundraiser May 27 in Phoenix.

Asked at the daily White House news briefing whether one could expect to see a lot of Bush and McCain together, Stanzel said: "I think you'll see the president out on the campaign trail quite a bit. We'll keep you posted on their events that they may have together."

I think they are exactly correct. The President should actively campaign, right along side McCain when ever possible. He should embrace his Presidency and present McCain to the American people as the one who will, and can, continue his policies and programs.

Yeap, that's the ticket!

Flash

Sticking with a Fork

Now that Edwards has factored into the Nomination tussle, one more high profile endorsement sits out there, and the 'watch' is on. Should Vice President Al Gore come out for Obama soon, the presumptive label on Obama would be official

``The Al Gore watch starts now,'' said Ken Goldstein, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Gore, who is one of the party's superdelegates, has indicated he won't give his endorsement until the primary contest is finished. His spokeswoman, Kalee Kreider, said yesterday that Gore had no further comment.

Obama and Gore

Obama said he has spoken to Gore ``periodically'' over the past several months about policies and ideas.

``I'm not really pushing for an endorsement,'' Obama told reporters on his plane last night as he flew to Chicago. ``I'd love to have it, but when you've won the Nobel Peace Prize, making an endorsement politically is maybe a step down.''

Seriously, it really doesn't matter. This race is over, and short of a catastrophic collapse, it will be Obama -v- McCain. Both candidates have vowed a clean fight. Obama has even reeled in some outside groups to do his best to control his own message.

The Right, of course, is a 'damaged brand'. The results in Mississippi made that clear.

Flash

Rush Countdown

Rushisaband

Thursday, May 22nd, Xcel Energy Center

I'll be there, again, will you!!

In other news, John Rutsey, founding drummer for Rush passed away of an apparent heart attack. Rutsey performed on the first RUSH debut album before being replaced by Neil Peart.

John Rutsey, a founding member of Toronto rock band Rush, passed away this weekend according to Rush management company Anthem Entertainment. He was 55.

Rutsey was famous for playing on Rush’s 1974 debut album, including the song “In The Mood,” before deciding to leave the group due to health concerns. Rutsey suffered from diabetes and was unable to go on extended tours with the group.

Rutsey was replaced by drummer Neil Peart, which marked a turning point in the band’s sound towards progressive rock.

Flash

Turning a Darker Shade of Blue

When things like this happen, I'm thinking even the 6th-MN may be in play:

A Democrat won the race for a GOP-held congressional seat in northern Mississippi yesterday, leaving the once-dominant House Republicans reeling from their third special-election defeat of the spring.

. . .

"No one could have imagined the tsunami that just crashed on Republicans in Mississippi," Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in an interview after the victory. "There is no district that is safe for Republican candidates."

And before the Righties start squawking about me just trying to stir the pot, here is a message from your own:

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, sounded an alarm for all GOP candidates "to take stock of their campaigns and position themselves for challenging campaigns this fall" while lashing themselves to the presidential candidacy of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

"The political environment is such that voters remain pessimistic about the direction of the country and the Republican Party in general. . . . Time is short," Cole said in a statement.

Now, if you have been following these recent special election battles, you'll know that the Right has tried their standard attacks and attempted to see how a Barack 'ball and chain' would effect their electability. Their strategy failed . . . . miserably:

the National Republican Congressional Committee sponsored a television ad tying Childers to Obama and the Democrats' 2004 presidential nominee, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

In the ad, Childers is shown next to Kerry and Obama while the Illinois senator's ranking from the National Journal as the most liberal senator is noted. Read more on the ad controversy

In an ad paid for by Davis, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is shown and a narrator chastises Childers for not publicly denouncing the pastor's controversial remarks.

It would appear that the RNC's tool box is empty, and their ability to get traction on new attacks has shown the electorate to be much less susceptible to the slime. This will force the Right to actually engage in debate, and discuss issues, a tactic they fear most.

Overall this is frustrating news for the Right, and especially local congressional Republican candidates. They are facing a competitive retention in the 3rd, where the Democratic candidate is a much closer moderate fit than the fringe candidate Paulson. Sgt. Sarvi is set up to be the Tim Walz sleeper in the 2nd. What is most embarrassing for the MNGOP is that Michele Bachmann is their best, and only credible hope at retention. They must be proud!

Flash

HiJacking

The GOP is so desperate they have decided to attempt a HiJack of the 'Change' slogan, and boy did they jump off the deep end:

It looks like Republicans will counter the Democratic push for change from the years of the Bush administration with their own pledge to deliver, drum roll please, “the change you deserve.”

Hmm, 'Change you Deserve'. Here is the stickler, our friend from the South has been linked all over the national blogosphere for her pointing out the TradeMark on that slogan

Americans have heard that slogan time and again.

Unfortunately, it wasn't pimped for political discourse, but to market an anti-depressant.

According to Wikipedia, the prescription drug "Venlafaxine is used primarily for the treatment of depression, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder in adults."

The brand name version, Effexor, is sold by Wyeth, which marketed it using the slogan, "The Change You Deserve™."

The GOP is kleptoing a slogan used to sell depression medication, seems apropos. Maybe they are just giving up already.

Flash

Electability?

Don't listen to the GOPers behind the curtain. If the election were held today, Clinton would beat McCain; Obama, probably not.

RealClear Politics has the current snapshot in time.

Pennsylvania has Obama up 1.2 but Clinton outside the margin of error with a +6.8%
Ohio shoe McCain over Obama +3.4% with Clinton holding him off at +5.4%. And the dangling chads in Florida stay with McCain, handily, at +9.0%, yet Clinton with a shot +1.7%

Even Electoral-Vote.com shows the electability reality

280 Clinton
258 McCain

254 Obama
273 McCain

And what of my favorite Right leaning Pollster, Rassmussen. They've decided the Democratic nomination battle is over, and will stop tracking it.

However, while Senator Clinton has remained close and competitive in every meaningful measure, she is a close second and the race is over. It has become clear that Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee.

We don't need no stinking elections, we have Rassmussen to decide for us.

Flash

Happy Birthday, MN!

Minnesota is 150 years old today.

After you have wished your Mother a happy day, stop by the capitol and participate in the festivities.

Several of my ancestors were Minnesota Pioneers including my Great Great Grandfather Seth Trowbridge. I leave you with his picture, and obituary as printed in the Madelia Messenger, April 9, 1915

Madelia Messenger
April 9, 1915

Another Pioneer Gone
Mr. Seth Trowbridge, one of the very early pioneers of this section, breathed his last at his home in this village at 1:40 a.m. Wednesday, April 7. He contracted a cold on February 22nd, which developed into pneumonia and was the cause of his death. Mr. Trowbridge was born July 1st, 1828. The funeral will be held at the Presbyterian church at 2 o'clock tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon. Obituary next week.

Madelia Messenger
April 16, 1915

Mr. Seth Trowbridge

Mr. Seth Trowbridge, the announcement of whose death appeared in these columns last week, was born in Preble, Courtland County, NY. At the age of seventeen years he bought his time from his father, paying therefore the sum of $10, and started out in the world to fight his own way.

He left New York in 1847, in company with his brother, Milo, in a covered sleigh, headed for the state of Ohio, and there he worked making staves in the timber country, until 1850 when he returned to New York and was married to Miss Angeline E. Comstock, and soon afterward returned to Ohio with his bride. Of this marriage one daughter, Mrs Alice V. Adams of Lewiston, Idaho survives.

In 1854, with his brother, Alexander, he went to the state of Texas, but not finding conditions there to his liking, he returned to Ohio, and later visited Illinois and Minnesota. He was pleased with Minesota and in 1856, moved to Winona county. In later years he told friends the coldest winters he ever experienced in Minnesota were those of 1856 and 1857.

His second marriage was to Miss. Clarrissa A Brown, the ceremony being performed at Rochester. To this union four children remain. They are: W. E. Trowbridge of St. Paul, Mrs. Minnie Manning of St. James, Mrs. Hattie M Anderson of Unionville, Mo. , and John J Trowbridge (my Great Grandfather) of Madelia, MN.

Mr. and Mrs. Trowbridge left Winona county for Watonwan county in 1868, and for a time they farmed about two sections of land in Fieldon township, about six miles south of Madelia, but they were practically ruined by the grasshoppers and prairie fires, and then moved to their farm north of town. Later they built the brick house in Madelia, where he has lived most of the time since, dividing his time between his home here and the farm.

For many years Mr. and Mrs. Trowbridge served meals in the brick building, and many of the "old timers" remembered the price charged for meals-- all you can eat for 15 cents.

Mrs. Trowbrdige died in May. 1903.

Those from out of town who attended the funeral are : Mrs. Manning and son of St. James, Mrs. C. L. Anderson of Unionville Mo., Mr and Mrs. W. E. Trowbrdige of St. Paul, Lewis Trowbridge of Rosendale, Mr. W. G. Manning, Mr.s J., J. Lenertz and son , Mr. and Mrs. Peter King, Mrs. J. C. Bermel, Mrs. Hottinger and Mrs. E. C. Fuller of St. James and Mr. Avon Gillman of Truman.

Enjoy your day!

Twins Win

I was really tempted to turn off the game last night. Our Twinkies blew a nice lead after Boof gets shelled and Rincon couldn't close the deal in the 5th. Down 6-5 we then went through shut out baseball for the rest of the game.

I wasn't really keyed in, but as we were sitting in the bottom of the 9th, something interesting happened. The club manufactured a comeback the old fashioned way. A hit here, a bunt sacrifice there, a walk, and a stolen base while a green back was up to bat.

Delmon Young led off the ninth with a single to center and was bunted over to second by Matt Tolbert. While Carlos Gomez batted, Young stole third.

Gomez . . . drawing a walk

Up came Lamb . . . He kept his at-bat alive with a couple of foul balls off Papelbon, who hit 97 miles per hour on the gun. Gomez stole second during the at-bat, putting the winning run in scoring position.

Lamb was down on the count 1-2, fouling off a few after that. Then, CRACK, a chopper just inside the 3rd base line, enough to score both base runners and the win.

The STRIB Headline said it all; Twins' Lamb Chop - Served to go!

A scrappy, never say die, we'll fight till the end, victory. Reminded my of a Twins Club from 1991.

I'm glad I didn't turn the channel.

Flash

We've Been Stimulated

True to their word, the IRS dumped our stimulus funds into the bank. Joint filing, two kids, $1800.00.

Half will go to buy down our only short term debt account, the other half will be used for stimulating. Unfortunately, what has made the short list of our shopping list are either Japanese or Chinese products. So with the exception of local retailers, truckers, and some dock handlers, not sure how much the purchase will actually assist in this trickle around experiment.

What are YOU going to do with your windfall?

Flash

The Hillary Bunny

via Bagley:

Time to Suspend?

Both Sen Clinton's and Sen Obama's spin machines are in full force. You can sense from their post election night E-Mails where they are at.

An out of character 'reserved' HIllary Campaign:

Tonight's victory in Indiana was close, and a margin that narrow means just one thing: every single thing you did to help us win in Indiana helped make the difference.

From Obama:

As of Tuesday morning, we needed just 273 delegates to clinch the nomination. When the votes are fully counted Wednesday morning, we will have gained more than a third of them in a single day.

We have a clear path to victory.

And he's right!

But it wasn't that long ago, that Senator Obama drew the line in the sand:

"You know, Sen. Clinton is more favored in Pennsylvania,” he added, “and I'm right now a little more favored in North Carolina, so Indiana right now may end up being the tiebreaker.

And to be fair, Obama set the goal posts, and Hillary won the tiebreaker, so maybe she should fight on.

Personally, I think it is time. There is only a few more weeks until the last primaries. Then the DNC will pressure the Super-Ds to get off the fence. If Hillary waits that long to acknowledge the inevitable, her withdrawal will be hollow and the healing more difficult to take place.

The negativity we have seen in this campaign, be it from Hillary or the Right is only the tip of the iceberg. Time to let the GOP put all their guns on the future President Obama so he can continue to display the courage, character and experience he will bring to a fresh new White House. Should he falter or fall, Hillary will still be there to grab the mantle, but the likelihood of that happening are nill.

I'm not ready to officially hop on the train yet. I'm just glad I don't have a dog in this fight. I just wish it would be over so I can roll up my sleeves and get to work. Too much is at stake to let this opportunity slip away!

Flash

Duck Hunting

I'll be in the classroom all day today, and last night I had company till later than normal. Johnny's dad, 'the Colonel ' was in town so they stopped by. A career Army guy he retired from his Pentagon job in 1998. It was my first time meeting him so we had much to talk about. No shocker here, he is a diehard Obama supporter. Maybe more on that another time.

For now, I'll just have to point you to Phoenix Woman's counterpoint of Pat Condon AP puffy on MDE. From the Intro:

Condon's article read as a classic puff piece. If it wasn't for Condon's writing skills being several notches above Brodkorb's (that is to say that Condon actually writes as if he made it alive out of his seventh-grade English class), one could suspect the man known in local blogging circles as "STB" (Spawn of Turd Blossom) of having written it himself.

Hmmm, Spawn of Turd Blossom. When you think of it, that is actually a compliment. To be compared to the greatest smear artist of all time should be an honor I would suppose.

Anywho, read the whole thing, there is so much there. For me, my day is full and I need to get ready for my students!

Flash

Walz's Veteran Status

In an article on Steve Sarvi's endorsement we find this:

""Sarvi is now the third Iraq veteran running for Congress in Minnesota as a Democrat this fall: The other two are Ashwin Madia, the endorsed DFL candidate in the Third District, and U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, who represents the state's First District.""

According to Congressman Tim Walz's website he is not, nor has ever claimed to be, an Iraqi war veteran. He served in "Operation Enduring Freedom".

A correction request was sent to the Strib and I received the following reply from the original reporter of the story (printed with permission):

Thanks for your e-mail. I appreciate you pointing out the mistake - please understand it was an honest one, and we're correcting it.

I understand how easily this error could have happened and am pleased it will be corrected.

Thanks Emily!

Flash

H/T (BSP)

Loving Beer to Death

Now, I like my beer, but not this much:

Glenwood village administrator Bill Bramanti's favorite beer is Pabst Blue Ribbon. He loves it.

Really loves it.

So much so that he's already had his coffin specially made, and it's designed to look like a can of the trendy brew. Bramanti isn't sick, so he doesn't plan on needing it just yet. For now he plans to use it as a cooler.

My wife asks me if I want to be buried or cremated. I look at her with a soft smile on my face and say . . .frozen *grin*

Flash

Puffy

In the much talked about puff piece on Mike over at MDE, many of us who were contacted by the AP writer are still scratching their heads. See, when Mr. Condon made initial contact, we were lead to believe this story was going to be more of an exposé exposing the exposer.

Here's what I mean, from the original media request (posted with permission)

"I know you've been critical of Brodkorb on disclosure issues. This is an aspect of his existence I'd like to explore a bit further, and I'm curious if you'd be willing to explain to me how exactly you think he's falling short in this regard."

We talked at length about my posts here, here, and here. None of the conversation made it into the story. I guess I am holding out hope that an alternate article is in the works to provide balance from the backslapping puffiness of this one. But I am not holding my breath.

Flash

Closed to the Public

It wasn't that long ago that a Paid Republican Operative was complaining about access to private events being attending by soon to be Senator Al Franken. Yet his own party refuses to allow access to media at their public conventions. theUpTake has the video:

Minnesota’s Republican Party seems very camera-shy. Over the past several months Republicans have prevented journalists from recording their candidates at events. The latest incident was rather dramatic as Gavin Sullivan was tossed out of the Republican convention for district 42B for shooting video.

The UpTake’s Mike McIntee shows us Gavin Sullivan’s video and talks to another journalist who has been tossed out twice from Republican events.

The DFL, of course, allows for the credentialing of all media types regardless of ideological bent. That's what openness is about.

Fishing for a Fissure

Let's be clear, polls are nothing more than a snapshot of a moment in time. Their accuracy is no better than the methodology used, and the credibility of those responding. But for the subject of this post, numbers matter.

Real Clear Politics has been tracking general election scenarios for awhile now. Now one would think, with all the internal scuffling going down in the Democratic endorsement battle, that McCain, at least for now, should be cleaning house. But that is not the case.

When we look at general election polling, both candidates seem to hold up pretty well. Granted, there is movement at this early stage, but there is no sign of fracturing within the party. The Right will point to the Obama -v- Clinton factions bickering within the blogosphere, but that is inside baseball. The general populace, I believe, is pretty flexible at this point. They, like myself, recognize the importance of returning the White House to the party of sanity.

I don't read too much into the "I won't vote for your candidate if mine doesn't win" talk. When I see numbers like this, as early as it is, it sure looks to me like the Democratic candidate, regardless of whom, is set up nicely for a November 'W'

Now, anything can happen in the world of presidential politics, but one thing I am pretty confident about, the fissure in the party is greatly exaggerated.

Flash

King Recovering

Look out, he is getting better:

UPDATE (11am): Many thanks to all of you. I just took the most tiring, most exciting 10-minute, 150 foot walk ever taken by this human being and found I had a wire for my laptop here. I am shocked beyond words at the outpouring of friendship shown me the last few days by you all on the comments, in other posts and people who've come by the hospital so far. I'm a little too weak to do lots of blogging, so this is all for today most likely. I'll tell you the rest of the story sometime. But when I tell people that virtual friends can be just as vital as those in real time, your comments, thoughts and prayers will be Exhibit A for the prosecution. God blesses me with your friendship. --kb

My favorite in the comment thread:

What some people will do to get out of teaching the last week of classes!!!

My hopes for a continued and speedy recovery!

Flash

Remembering Vick

Sgt. Vick will be remembered today:

A St. Paul playground is being dedicated today to police Sgt. Gerald Vick, who was killed in the line of duty three years ago next Tuesday.

The public is invited to attend the dedication at 4 p.m., when a plaque will be placed at Margaret Recreation Center, 1109 Margaret St. A short memorial service will follow, police said.

Sgt. Vick was gunned down while working undercover on May 6, 2005. The suspect was later convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Fact Checking the MNGOP

For those that care about the truth, remember, Al Franken paid state and Federal Income taxes on EVERY penny he earned. This even included an 11 cent residual check for crying out loud. However, due to an accounting error, he over paid in one state, while underpaying in others. A scofflaw would say pots right. But Al Franken is a responsible leader, so he didn't wait. He piled through the returns and cut a bunch of checks to make everything right. AND he didn't hide.

If only our current Senator, who has an outstanding complaint in California, had as much character.

Flash

Happy Birthday, Mike!

My good friend and possé member Mike Fanaris would have been 44 today. Mike died unexpectedly in October of 2006 while hunting in Colorado. I reminisced:

I've known Mike for over 20 years. We met at the Sears Auto Center in Brookdale. He was one of the best mechanics we had, I was a service advisor. We became good friends. Soon after, he dated a gal I went to high school with. When they decided to 'tie the knot' Mike asked me to be his best man. It was an honor for me to say yes.

Over the years we have stayed in touch through many trips to Rock Bottom. He was a far Right big 'L' Libertarian, which made for some pretty intense political discussions. He labeled me a Commie more then once *laughing* but it was all in good fun and appropriate context.

The Doctor, Jonny, and I never fail to tip one back for Mike whenever we are together. Tonight I will make a special toast, to my good friend and political sparring partner.

He is deeply and truly missed!

Flash

John McCain - Pro Choice

via CNN:

"I've made it very clear that what I want is for families to make decisions about their health care, not government,

That seems like a pretty crystal clear pro choice statement to me.

Or is it more like "We don't want government making your health care decisions, accept when we want government making your health care decisions.

Naaaaaaaa, couldn't be that!

Flash

Get Well, King!

King Banaian is under the weather:

To our readers: King is in the hospital at this time and won't be blogging for a while. We'd talked Saturday morning - he'd landed in the hospital then with some stomach problems. He's on a restricted diet so stomach issues cannot be ignored. He was feeling better and they could find no source of the problem. He came to the Twin Cities to do his afternoon radio show, drove back to St. Cloud only to return to the hospital on Saturday night.

Tests run today indicate his problem is his gall bladder.

All my hopes to King and the Banaian family!

Flash

MNGOP Plays Kettle Drum

Did the MNGOP think we forgot. MNO over at Spot's kennel didn't:

this is the Minnesota Republican Party we're talking about. You know, the one that is under investigation by the FEC for years of financial mismanagement. The same organization who retaliated against their own Finance Director who wrote a letter to the party's Executive Committee complaining about the party's accounting practices, including questions about whether employee retirement money was misappropriated and whether the party was - gasp! - guilty of tax evasion. The same organization that continues to file - over and over and over again - statements that it hasn't been able to sort through their own finances enough to figure out where all the money went. The same organization that has racked up legal fees as high as $17,000 in a single month trying to stay out of trouble. The same organization that has been the recipient of a whole series of FEC letters asking about why they can't keep track of their money.

There's a bit more, but that is enough to make Al Franken look like an accounting genius. So go ahead MNGOP, take as much rope as you need.

Flash

Our Nation's Birth Certificate

One of only 25 Dunlap Broadsides will be on display at the MN Historical Society next week:

View a rare, original copy of the Declaration of Independence at the Minnesota History Center, May 6-18, coinciding with Minnesota Statehood Week, which commemorates the 150th anniversary of Minnesota becoming the 32nd state of the Union.

This copy, known as a “Dunlap Broadside,” is one of only 25 remaining original copies of the Declaration printed on the evening of July 4, 1776, at the shop of Philadelphia printer John Dunlap – and the only one that travels for exhibition.

Generally, there is an admission fee, but the document will be on display free of charge. Be sure you make the necessary arrangements to stop by.

Flash

RUSH, again!!

In my E-Mailbox this AM:

Thank you for ordering tickets from Rush ticketing.

Tickets for Receipt #3797010
Thu May 22 2008 07:30 PM EDT
Rush
Xcel Energy Center" are being shipped as follows:

UPS 2nd Day Air (Domestic)

Soon to arrive in the real mailbox.

Last Fall I made the comment, "I MUST see this show again!" and that is exactly what will happen. Mostly the same Setlist, but some very positive adjustments, like Red Barchetta and some 2112.

Last year i had to wish my Summer away, this time I get to wish the school year away. Much more satisfying!

Flash

Politics -vs- Policy

Read Joe:

"What's this 'public policy' thing," you may ask, "and what is it doing on a political blog?"

Yeah, I know. Guilty as charged.

There are definitely sites and writers out there who focus heavily (in some cases, to a fault) on partisan politics with absolutely no regard for the meaning of what those political games lead to: public policy. Legislation. Laws. The things that govern the way members of our society deal with and treat each other.

Those writers' (after all in some cases, it's not really fair to call them "bloggers") motivations are theirs, but even on a site with "Campaign" in its name, it's important to talk issues.

Especially when a local newspaper's editorial board pens a piece entitled "Socialized health will be good for small biz".

Again, Read Joe!!