Free Republic

Uh, never mind. Also: Sorry about that. That essentially was the DFL's red-faced response Thursday when it sent out an electronic news release blasting Gov. Tim Pawlenty that had a profanity-laced video attached to it. The release was designed to respond to Pawlenty's speech before national Republicans in San Diego, attacking his record on job creation, health care and the state budget deficit. One small problem: The link that was supposed to direct reporters to a state economic development report actually sent them to a YouTube video titled "Chinese Grandma Learns English." For four minutes, an elderly Chinese woman repeats...

Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced plans Tuesday to whack $2.7 billion out of the budgets of nearly every governmental agency, program or subdivision that gets money from the state, including schools, health and social services, cities and counties, colleges and universities and state agencies.

ST. PAUL, Minn.—A group of conservatives sued Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and 25 county election officials Thursday over allegedly incomplete voter records. Minnesota Majority president Jeff Davis said the counties failed to post voter history updates as required within six weeks of the November 2008 election. His lawsuit also alleges that Ritchie's office has yet to update voter records to reflect all those who voted. Davis said the lawsuit was filed Thursday with the Minnesota Supreme Court. Ritchie, a Democrat, said the attorney general's office will respond to the lawsuit.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty's bold move to single-handedly fix the $2.7 billion hole in the state budget was an important policy decision. "It's not an option. It's a duty," he said Tuesday at a Capitol news conference. But it also was a risky gamble for his political future. He will be blamed if his budget cuts cause widespread pain and damage the state's financial health. But he will be credited as a strong leader if restraining state spending holds down taxes and restores fiscal stability. Pawlenty won't announce whether he'll run for a third term until later this year. And he...

You Don't Play Chicken When You Drive A Prius .... .... especially when the other guy has a garbage truck. Here's the response from Rep. Tim Sanders (R 51A) to the Governor's decision to unallot to solve the budget gap left by Democratic leaders in the Legislature. This afternoon, Governor Tim Pawlenty announced there will be no special session and no government shutdown. According to the Governor, the 2009 session will definitely end Monday night at midnight. The governor has decided to take the bills the DFL majority has put on his desk, line-item veto in some places, and sign...

As soon as this summer, shoplifters could pilfer $250 in merchandise and walk away with a fine. Same for those who buy or sell up to an ounce of marijuana or who fence stolen goods. Bad checks up to $125 would get similar treatment, as would credit fraud under $250. A Senate bill that would dramatically change the criminal justice system -- reducing sentences, changing misdemeanors to petty misdemeanors, vastly increasing fees -- is under serious consideration as a means of dealing with the state's gaping $4.6 billion budget deficit and relieving pressure on an overburdened court system.

There is a push at the State Capitol to make sure Minnesota workers get paid if they take a sick day from work. The Minnesota Paid Sick Days Coalition along with Sen. Ellen Anderson and Rep. John Lesch will unveil the Healthy Families, Healthy Workplace Act Friday. Sen. Anderson and Rep. Lesch say sick workers cost employers in lost productivity while also spreading illness in the workplace.

Minnesota Democrats-Farmer-Labor Party(DLF) Founders Day Like MN Secretary of State Mark “Soros Puppet and former? Communist Party Member” Ritchie(D), Al “Globull Fraud” Gore delivers DLF keynote rally speech for Al Franken * * VIDEO * * (15 minutes) October 4, 2008 <> Gore on Franken - "Washington needs a breath of fresh air. Al Franken is a great man, a great activist, and will be a great leader in the U.S. Senate" Ticket prices to attend Gore’s DLF keynote speech were $25 to $500. Gore’s speaking honorarium was $35,000

Comedian Al Franken grabbed the Democratic nomination Tuesday for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, setting up a showdown with Republican Sen. Norm Coleman that had been years in the making. Franken, who gained fame as a "Saturday Night Live" cast member, easily beat six other candidates chasing the Democratic nod.

Comedian Al Franken grabbed the Democratic nomination Tuesday for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, setting up a showdown with Republican Sen. Norm Coleman that had been years in the making. Franken, who gained fame as a "Saturday Night Live" cast member, easily beat six other candidates chasing the Democratic nod. Coleman trounced his only opponent, an expatriate living in Italy.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota lawmaker Willie Dominguez was mugged Wednesday night outside of his Minneapolis home. The state representative says he was "scared to death" when two young men stole $40 from him while he was in the driveway of his home, shortly after he returned from the state Capitol. Dominguez says one of the robbers threatened him with a gun. Police have no suspects in custody.

Noting that there were only 148 days left until the election, newly endorsed DFL Senate candidate Al Franken led a kickoff rally Monday on the steps of the State Capitol with a bluntly worded assessment of his rival, Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman. Coleman, he said, "hasn't brought people together to get things done. He's sold people out to get ahead." Minnesotans, he said, "need a senator who has their back. Norm Coleman isn't even on their side." In what is expected to be a common refrain, Franken, who received his party's endorsement over the weekend, linked Coleman to President...

DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken got a welcome boost on Wednesday with an endorsement from one of the more revered figures in the Democratic Party -- former Vice President Al Gore. Gore, who has become a crusading environmentalist since leaving elective office, sent an e-mail to DFL delegates on Wednesday afternoon that warmly praised Franken, calling him "exactly the breath of fresh air our government needs." Calling Franken one of the party's "hardest working activists," Gore saluted what he said were Franken's "sharp wit and strong convictions." In a nod to the unconventionality of Franken's candidacy, Gore said the...

Just as DFL activists begin streaming into Rochester for a state convention that starts today, their top U.S. Senate candidate, Al Franken, is fending off still more slings on his troubled road to the nomination. On Thursday, an e-mail surfaced from one of the state's leading abortion-rights groups, Planned Parenthood, denouncing an article he wrote for Playboy in 2000, calling the piece misogynistic and degrading to women. And U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar broke a week-long silence to chastise him publicly for the piece, which she called "entirely inappropriate," and to ask him to acknowledge that. On Thursday evening, Franken's campaign...

Former Vice President Al Gore has endorsed Al Franken's bid for the U.S. Senate. The endorsement from Gore, who is extremely popular among Democratic activists, comes at a good time for Franken. On Saturday he squares off with peace activist Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer for the DFL endorsement at the state party convention in Rochester. In a letter sent to DFL delegates, Gore says Franken will make "a fantastic senator" and that they share the same goals on Gore's longtime effort to slow global warming. Nelson-Pallmeyer also landed an important, but considerably less high-profile endorsement. He's being backed by Ben Goldfarb, who...

Do You Hear The Cracking? The 30 person committee that rendered their decision today was made up of 8 Obama supporters and 7 DNC representatives hand picked by Dean; allowing Dean & Obama to garnish a majority vote without Dean actually having to cast a vote. The members of this committee had their minds made up when they announce the meeting, not after today’s public hearings. The Clinton campaign naturally cannot be happy about this result, but more importantly the majority female support that Clinton enjoyed just took one more step away from Obama. Mike Kaszuba of the Minneapolis Star...

St. Paul) For Immediate Release Seifert's amendment failed 66-67, with DFLers keeping the voting board open and urging their members to vote against the measure. All of Seifert's fellow Republicans voted for the amendment, while all votes in opposition were DFLers. Seifert was able to persuade 18 DFLers to vote with him, but it wasn't enough.

The Minnesota Legislature voted Monday to override Gov. Tim Pawlenty's veto of a $6.6 billion bill, paving the way for higher gas taxes and other fees to bring in more money for roads, bridges and transit. The House vote was 91-41, one more than was needed, and came after two hours of debate. Debate began shortly after 1 p.m. today amid increased pressure from both sides. The Senate vote later in the day, 47-20, was assured since Democrats have a veto-proof majority.

The Minnesota Public Radio News/Humphrey Institute Poll indicates DFL Senate candidate Al Franken poses more of a re-election threat to Republican Sen. Norm Coleman than any of the other DFL candidates. The poll indicates that if the election were today Coleman and Franken would be in a statistical dead heat. The poll took the pulse of 917 Minnesota residents over a one- week period that ended Sunday. It shows Coleman 5 points ahead of DFLer Mike Ciresi, and gives Coleman double-digit leads over Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer and Jim Cohen who dropped out of the race Friday. University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute...

The cornerstone of attorney Ashwin Madia’s campaign for a U.S. Congress seat in Minnesota is that the U.S. needs to craft a “new strategy to dramatically reduce the (U.S.) presence in Iraq.” Before scrutinizing this bold assertion, consider the fact that it comes from a former Marine Corps captain who served in the U.S. military for four years and helped bring “the rule of law” to the legal system in Iraq. The 29-year-old Madia is running as a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate in Minnesota’s Third District, a suburb outside Minneapolis that President George Bush won in the last presidential election with...