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12/07/10--15:03: Mark Dayton at last night's SD62 CC meeting (chan 1554566)

Mark Dayton came to last night's central committee meeting of SD62. He talked about how discouraged the party base is right now, mentioning as an early indicator when the precinct caucus attendance dropped so much from 2008.  He attributed much of it to the dealmaking necessary for health care reform to pass, like other states having to cover all of Nebraska's Medicaid to get one senator's vote.
It will be of interest in our discussions over messaging that he gets the importance of sticking to a clear message. I thought that was clear from his campaign, and he mentioned that when Democratic senators watched campaign commercials in 2000, when Paul Wellstone showed them Dayton's ads about taking buses of senior citizens to Canada to buy prescription drugs, Wellstone had to convince them it wasn't just a good ad, but that Dayton was serious.

I'm glad he brought that up as that has been a hot topic not just in the liberal blogosphere, but among party activists too. Just my opinion, Dayton's ability to pick an appealing message and stick to it was his strength as a candidate, and it's good to know that messaging wasn't an accident, but something he gets.

He expressed appreciation local party volunteers made to win the election, and if he didn't get the importance of the volunteer base before, I'm sure such a close (likely) win got the point across. Ours is one of probably a bunch of SDs who provided a winning margin bigger than his statewide margin. Too bad we can't strategically relocate some of our votes across swing districts.

Dayton made an interesting comment on Emmer's budget proposal, which is probably close to what the legislature is coming to come up with. Emmer's numbers added up, but they would hack something like 20% off some parts of the budget, like social services. The cuts weren't specified, but they were draconian (my word).

We fumbled around a bit with what to call him: "senator", "governor" "governor-elect". He kept responding "Mark". A lot of politicians prefer to be addressed by their first names, but it feels weird when I don't know them personally. Maybe that's just me.

I'll spare readers the details of the meeting, but I'll make a general point. I won't extrapolate from one local unit, so this doesn't necessarily apply elsewhere, but our district is getting right back at projects to build our local party. We talked about the need show local DFLers and DFL leaners that we're not letting the election results discourage us. Watch this space.

Actually, especially in you live in the eastern part of South Minneapolis, watch this space.


12/08/10--08:14: Emmer concedes press conference live! (chan 1554566)

Tom Emmer will be conceding the MN-GOV race to Mark Dayton today.  Watch it live via The Uptake.  It starts at 10:30AM CST.





12/08/10--09:56: Mark Dayton Will Be A Courageous Progressive Governor (chan 1554566)

Mark Dayton again wins against the odds, with a great winning frame of tax fairness. When Mark Dayton won as a US Senator, he did so as Democratic candidate winning against long odds. Message to the DFL party, this is how good framing and messaging is done!

I believe that Mark Dayton is the most progressive and most courageous candidate among our candidates for governor. Mark Dayton listens more than other candidates. Even a citizen journalist like myself was able to schedule time with him. Mark Dayton keeps his word and speaks courageously. At times where people where not asking the peace questions on our war decisions, Dayton asked. Dayton asked the hard questions when it was politically not popular to do so! Senator Dayton was an early and strong supporter of net neutrality. On progressive issues, now Governor-elect Dayton is the best!

The untold story of this campaign is that Mark Dayton seemed like he did not have the endurance. A grueling number of debates proved that Dayton had extraordinary endurance and discipline.

In private conversations, Mark Dayton is as gracious and wonderful as he is in public conversations. I think Mark Dayton will lead as a statesman. The real question is whether corporate media will fairly report for Mark Dayton or simply provide spin based on the mandates coming from corporate owners.

The rest of video interview that I did in April of last year is here!



12/08/10--11:52: Mark Dayton's victory press conference (chan 1554566)

Mark Dayton's victory press conference starts at 2:00PM CST.  





12/09/10--06:33: MN Gov. Events v. 24.0 Governor Mark Dayton (D) (chan 1554566)

    The headline and the title are correct. MN joins CA, HI and CT (I thought there was one more?) in the Republican year of 2010 in changing its governor from GOP to Democratic. Tom Emmer (R) conceded in a classy press conference on the front steps of his house. The State Canvassing Board moved quickly to certify Dayton's win. Mark Dayton held a press conference mid-afternoon and got back to planning both his transition and his administration.
  The last day details, as always, below the fold...

CROSS POSTED AT Daily Kos
OVERNIGHT TUESDAY
   Tom Hauser of KSTP-TV channel 5 (ABC) around 10pm Tuesday posted a story in which he said, based on 3 different MN GOP sources, candidate Tom Emmer would concede Wednesday morning. I missed it but Kossack Slapshoe took the bit in his/her teeth and ran with it in a late night diary here:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo...

BY THE DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT
   I had a diary pretty much ready to go and gave the media sources one last sweep on Wednesday morning and came across the report at MinnPost. Wrecked the flow of the diary but hey, news is news.
   The MN Supreme Court opinion on Emmer's petition from a couple weeks ago was released Tuesday afternoon (the decision: "No, Tom" had been made 90 minutes after oral arguments). The Emmer legal squad was hoping for something they could use to pursue further legal maneuvers but the Court gave them a brick wall. Dr. Ned Foley, election law professor at Ohio State, said the opinion was a flat rejection of the Emmer position on all points, so that must have rung through the halls of Team Emmer rather sharply that night.
   Emmer's team had also withdrawn most of their ballots challenges (frivolous and legitimate) so that Wednesday morning the State Canvassing Board was only facing about 180 challenged ballots and would likely knock those off by mid-afternoon. They convened at 9:00am to start doing just that.
   Emmer chief counsel Eric Magnuson stood just after the opening gavel and informed the Board as per many media reports that Mr. Emmer would have a major announcement at 10:30am that would impact the work of the Board. (He didn't give it away.) The Board took him at his word and moved to adjourn for 2 hours.

ON A FRONT PORCH IN DELANO
   The media went out Highway 55 to Delano (about 45 miles WNW of downtown Minneapolis) and set up shop in Emmer's front yard. At 10:30 Tom, his wife Jacquie, and most of their 7 children came out. Emmer was very gracious. While his family was bundled up in that fashion statement called "Minnesota Appropriate" (it was about 6 degrees) Tom went with the blazer-over-sweater look. He welcomed everyone and told them he could say with absolute confidence no one would be bitten by a Minnesota mosquito today.
   Then he went into his prepared remarks. He mentioned several times how much he had learned in traveling the state during the campaign and that while wearing, he and his family had mostly enjoyed it. (He said Jacquie had so enjoyed riding in one particular parade in northern Minnesota she told him she wanted to move the whole family to that friendly town.)
   Emmer had nice things to say about the election and said he had tried to run a positive campaign and not bad mouth his opponents. (What the MN GOP did and various "independent groups" did, well, he had no control over them.) He then said that nearly a million people had voted for him and his vision of government, but that had not been quite enough. He said that while reconciliation of ballots and voters (again!) and the state registered voter system had flaws (that pointed to the need (HAH) for voter ID laws) and that he had been urged to pursue such matters in court he would not do so and would not join anyone else's efforts either.
   He said he had called and talked with Dayton about a half hour before coming out to talk with the media and commended Dayton on his win. He said Dayton was not elected to be governor of MN Democrats but of all Minnesotans.
   He added one genuine regret he had was that MN would be deprived of the chance to have Jacquie be MN First Lady and he thought even Dayton would agree with him that will be a loss.
   In Q & A he made no promises about future campaigns. When asked what he was going to do next for work he brought on a big laugh when he said he understood the Uptake had an opening for a cameraman and he might apply. (The Uptake is all volunteer of course.)
   Word Alchemy went up with a BREAKING DIARY and a number of Kossacks stopped by to take a break from the meta-lamentations going on over the tax cut "deal or no deal" wars. Here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/...
  Eric Black at MinnPost also thought Emmer bowed out with style:



        Tom Emmer went out with class: Yes, the last word choice of the last bullet point was indeed a reference to Repub Chair Tony Sutton's unfortunate utterance that his party wasn't going to "get rolled again." They didn't get rolled last time, nor this time either. Sutton really needs to mind his words. The MNGOP leadership made several unfortunate overreaches, starting with Sutton's Election Night rant that the election didn't smell right. But Tom Emmer, the party's titular leader, maintained his dignity throughout, claiming only that he was not interested in any stall tactics, only in making sure that the result was bullet-proof.

   Other reflections from Eric here:
http://www.minnpost.com/ericbl...

SHOCK OF THE DAY
   Oh and BTW the most shocking thing to come from the Emmer press conference was when he was thanking a few people for helping with his campaign. Shock #1 was when he called MN GOP chairman Tony Sutton (the Hutt) "an absolute gentleman", a title not seen in years occupying the same county as Sutton. (Maybe he meant Sutton was someone imbibed a certain Swedish vodka named Absolut?)
   Shock #2 was when he thanked "Tony and Brigett Sutton" for their work and support. Tony and Brigett? You mean he's.....married? Whoooooboooyyyy! I never saw that one coming! (And if true, causes me to personally doubt, for the first time mind you, that women are the superior gender. I mean, Tony Sutton? Married? Its enough to make me drop all the lettuce and shredded cheese from my taco, let me tell you.)

BRIEF INTERLUDE AT THE BOARD
   The Canvassing Board re-convened on schedule and Eric Magnuson presented them with Tom Emmer's letter of concession and waiving his claim to a Recount. The Board tussled for a few minutes on whether to certify Dayton's win at the original margin of +8770, or for the sake of accuracy (and to fend off some off-beat lawsuit) to certify the margin after the Recount totals. They finally went with the original +8770 but added an official addendum to reflect the Recount raised this margin to +9080.
   As the meeting broke up Associate Justice Paul Anderson offered a public apology to Eric Magnuson about the tone of his remarks last Friday regarding professional ethics.

   "That is why I did what I did. It was not because I had any doubts about your professional standards - in fact, it was just the opposite.
       "If my comments were a bit harsh, I apologize," said Anderson.

   Magnuson said something like "I know you didn't mean me" and they both shook hands. Pretty gentlemanly.

THE GOVERNOR-ELECT SPEAKS
   Mid-afternoon Mark Dayton met the media in a new capacity. Mind you, he was Mark Dayton, a serious man who has faced serious personal issues and mastered them. He now faces a state with serious issues and did his best to set a sober tone. The man will never be a poet when he thanked Emmer for his concession like this:

   "I salute Rep. Emmer, who by his concession this morning re-affirmed the essential principle that in our democracy there can be a close election, which is re-examined and recounted carefully, yet then, all accept its result - so that our democracy can continue to function. This is a profoundly important legacy of your campaign, Rep. Emmer, for which all of us owe you our respect and our gratitude."

   That first sentence is something most editors would bring into the shop for some serious bandsaw, lathe, joiner and sanding work....if it could be diagrammed first.
   His open hand to a legislature controlled in both houses by the GOP went like this:



   "You were elected on your platforms and principles; I was elected on mine. I believe the collective wisdom of the electorate is that they want part of what each of us offers - and they want us to work together to solve the state's budget crisis; put them back to work; put government to work for them; and for all of us to work together to build a Better Minnesota."

    Keep those diagrams and shop tools sharpened.
But he is nothing else if not earnest and dogged. I like to think he will do fine.
More from his speech:
http://www.minnpost.com/storie...

GRACE NOTES
    >Minnesota's First Lady Mary Pawlenty has invited Dayton to the Governor's mansion so she can show him the non-public, residential part of the house before he moves in. (Dayton has 2 sons but he and his wife divorced about 20 years ago.) Very sweet.

   >Stake in the Heart of the "Dark Scenario" (stall the installation of Dayton for months so Pawlenty is held over to work with an all-GOP legislature). From Emmer's concession:



        "I don't believe a delay in seating the next governor will move our state forward. Now is the time for all of us to come together."
        "It's time for us today to be gracious," said Emmer. "The next governor of Minnesota will be Mark Dayton."

   >A VERY Minnesota Winter Invitation. During the concession Emmer invited Dayton to come by his house for ice skating on the hockey rink the Emmers have in their back yard anytime there was ice.

   > From the rabidly pro-GOP website Minnesota Democrats Exposed (started by MN GOP #2 leader Michael Brodkorb; this is a website that looks favorably on Hinderaker for crying out loud!), some unexpected grace notes:

        Hector Says:
        December 8th, 2010 at 7:16 AM

   I think it's time, and the right time for Tom Emmer.
        I congratulate Tom Emmer on his well fought, issues oriented campaign. And I compliment Tom on the public spirited actions he has taken during the recount process.

   And Focused 2010 said this to another, much more crazed blogger at MDE:

       Focused on 2010 Says:
       December 8th, 2010 at 10:52 AM
       I'm sure you will be looking back and whining about this election for years to come Walter but take my word for it, it is not productive. Emmer has no chance of winning this election and is doing the right thing.
       If he kept trying different legal tactics he would only hurt the Republican party and destroy any future he may have in politics. He now has 4 years to get his crap together and organize a campaign that isn't focused on reducing wages of wait staff.

   > At 2:45 this afternoon there will be a joint press conference between outgoing governor Pawlenty and incoming governor Dayton. It will be the first time the 2 have shared the same stage. There will be a conversation off camera on transition issues. (Tim-eh is anxious to get out of town and start campaigning for President. The PPP poll from the other day that showed Klobuchar sitting pretty right now for a Senate re-election bid also noted that in Minnesota Pawlenty trails Mitt Romney for presidential preference.)

   > From the Star Tribune monster blog of 963 comments on the concession:

        NOW can we fire Sutton? Failure after failure. Let's put some qualified people in his place. Or at least people who aren't overflowing with incompetence.
   posted by heffay on Dec. 8, 10 at 10:45 AM

   Take notes Norm Coleman. This is what is called class.
   posted by ca2642 on Dec. 8, 10 at 10:48 AM

|

    >The always insightful Jay Weiner on what it all might mean for the future in a wrap up story here:
http://www.minnpost.com/storie...

__________

    Another Recount. Another diary series. And by all the holies only 25 diaries and only 6 weeks after election day and we are done. Whew! Dodged a bullet there!
    Now if this has re-awakened your taste for these diaries and you can't wait for the NEXT Recount, I invite you to get your personal copy of "Recounting Minnesota". Also makes a great gift for the political animal on your gift list.
    ORRrrrr...you can also order my novel "Encampment: A Novel of Race and Reunion". Just in time of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, this is historical fiction of how the healing up from that War might have been done better, using a forgotten but key event from 1913.
    ORRRrrrrr..... if you need the WineRev in person as a keynote speaker for your convention, conference, or annual gathering in the state, region or the nation, whether for business, church, synagogue, or association, let me know. Reasonable rates and lots of laughs in among the learning.
    All of the above available if you yust click: www.carleeman.com

Dedicated
to the 2.1 million Minnesotans who cast their votes for governor this time,
and to the 30,000 poll workers across 87 counties in 4136 precincts
who counted the ballots of the People,
and opened the ballots of the absentees
and recounted the ballots
and challenged the ballots
and ruled on the ballots
and argued over the ballots in court
and inspected the challenged ballots
and issued opinions on the ballots
so that the People would rule themselves.

I doff (DOFF!) my hat!
Well done, good and faithful servants.

From yust southeast of Lake Wobegon,

Shalom.


12/17/10--23:29: Target, post-recount? (chan 1554566)

So, I've been one of those people who haven't shopped at Target since their donation to Tom Emmer last summer.  I'm curious what people think about the boycott now that the election (and recount) are over and we know that Emmer lost anyway.



04/06/11--14:20: Republicans already charging fraud (chan 1554566)

That was predictably immediate. John Fund charges fraud in the Kloppenburg/Prosser race.


On a WSJ webcast this afternoon, Fund speculated that investigators in Dane County -- home to Madison and a big part of the state's left-leaning electorate -- or even the state attorney general will be called in to examine what Fund said were thousands of strange ballots which suggest something amiss in the election.

"Apparently there were up 10,000 ballots in Dane that just voted on the Supreme Court race," Fund said, "which is bizarre because there was an extremely close race for mayor of Madison an extremely close race for Dane County Executive."

The Dane County Executive race was certainly closely watched, but it was far from "extremely close." Democratic state Rep. Joe Parisi won with 70% of the vote. The Mayor's race, which was extremely tight, pitted two left-leaning candidates against each other.


There were 182,140 votes in Dane County. Does 10,000 voting in just the high profile race really seem odd? That's less than one in eighteen. Anyone want to check for the same statistic in Republican counties? Will fraud claims die down if the proportion is similar? My guess is the chance of that is the same as Fund admitting charging voter fraud makes him a bunch of money, but there's really nothing to it.



04/09/11--06:26: Wisconsin Supreme Court Round up, V. 1.0 (chan 1554566)

I simply do NOT believe this (although neither does anyone else.) ANOTHER recount election between Chicago and Lake Superior??? Surely you jest!
       And there are all sorts of people on these boards saying this needs a WineRev-ian treatment.
       There's been the usual GOP cry of election/voter fraud that is was not only covered by the MN Progressive Project, but is as common as mustard on bratwurst.
Frauding Fraudsters
     But then came the news of the last 36 hours. A searchlight signal (a glass of wine spilling onto a sacred scroll?) was projected against low-hanging clouds. A red phone under glass rang. A tiny, reel-to-reel tape recorder had its tape self-destruct after 10 seconds.
     What could I do? I have no choice.  In the words of Otter, Faber College '63, "this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture!"
     Lord, give me strength! Stiffen your morning coffee with something alcoholic and crawl below the fold with me!  
Cross Posted at Daily Kos here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/...

Just a Few Quick Diaries I'm Sure
       Fortunately this will be a short series. I mean it only took 25 diaries for Mark Dayton to get certified as governor of Minnesota. And for Al Franken, well, I started writing about a week after that election in Nov. 2008. I KNEW that the recount would be done about December 5 so I could add a little local color for about 3 weeks or so and be able to say I had done my good deed for the Kossacks. And then....well, there were a couple of doomed motions in front of the MN Supreme Court and some Improperly Rejected Absentee Ballots, but all those would be tidied up by the end of December....and no one would ever make a court case out of it....
       ....and every morning at 6:00am was the sound of Cher singing to Sonny "I've got you, babe" in the Groundhog Day of the Franken-Coleman recount.......

    But yes, I thought, this Kloppenburg-Prosser standoff in the WI Supreme Court struggle will be easy.
    I mean Joanne wins by 204 votes or so out of 1.5 million ballots. Election was April 5. Official totals will be posted 10 days later on April 15. Piece of cheddar with a beer chaser!
    If there is a margin of less than 0.5% there is a state-funded recount. So anything less than 7400 and its on. (Remember that number.) There's a good (though slightly dusty from lack of statewide use) recount process on the books. Its so straightforward and transparent that a) the GOP hates it, b) a caveman could do it,  and c) even the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is capable of publishing a clean story about it here:
Wisconsin Recounts

And now all HELL has broken loose! Good grief!! The manure from the dairy barn has hit the radiator fan and is splattered across the state (while hissing on the engine....pwhew!!)

ELECTORAL
     First there is the matter of Waukesha (WAWK-eh-shaw) county, (so square its channeling its inner Colorado) one notch west of Milwaukee (City and County on the shore of Lake Michigan). The population is about 384,000 for the whole Wauk box. The county seat is the namesake city of Waukesha (pop. 70,178). There are other fair sized places like New Berlin (39,000+), Brookfield (37,000), Muskego (24,000), Menomonee Falls (37,000) and Brookfield (39,000).
      The county was sort of a standard brand Wisconsin county with dairy farms and small businesses until about 40 years ago. Then the combination of white flight and suburban sprawl from Milwaukee spilled over the county line into those cities above. They grew smartly and moved a purple county steadily more and more into the Republican column for elections.
     County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus is the go-to official for elections. Friday morning, in a tear-filled press conference, she announced she had committed a human error in entering election returns into the county totals. She said she's missed about 7500 net to Prosser votes. And she apologized.
Channel 3000 covered the story here:
Waukasha-Ker!

       WTF? Yelled all the Kossacks and swung into action!
       Kossack Chris Bowers put it on the front page here:
7500 votes?
       Kossack Troutfishing discovered Ms. Nickolaus has a HISTORY of "discovering" ballots in this diary:
Not the First Time!
        Kossack Cieran crunched Kathy's numbers and has given us the meme: "If all this doesn't smell fishy to you, you should have your nose checked."
Double Checking the numbers
        Kossack Jud Loudsbury weighed in that maybe it truly IS human error (and its important we keep that in mind; investigate like hell but remember this could indeed be the case):Fraud....or Stupid?
          Is there something ominous afoot? Major skullduggery? Even (yes, I'm going to go there) something of FLORIDIAN proportions? (see Palm Beach County, 2000)
         Well Ericf over at the MN Progressive Project thinks so and explains why here:
Why this smells
          Is something rotten in Denmark? (In this case that would be about 20 miles southeast of Green Bay along I-43, and only if the sewage treatment plant is being run by Scott Walker.) Well it could be too soon to tell, but (in honor of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War) something sure smells like a dead rat behind the wainscoting here, and its not just me who thinks so.

GEEK
      The cries of dismay have hit the Inter-tubes like the opening of floating season on the Apple River. The GOP is of course crowing over Prosser's "decisive victory" like the winner of a "Day and Hour the Junker Goes Through the Ice" Contest. Indeed, if Kossack Cieran is correct, Governor Scott Walker was crowing about that victory because of "missing ballots" BEFORE they came to light....like Wednesday.
A Little Early, Scotty?

The Democrats are crying foul.

      But most important the Geeks are weighing in.
      You see Nickolaus has a funky computer set up in her office, unlike any other County Clerk in the state. She says she has a "stand alone" personal computer in her office where she was doing this work. She also apparently has several years of IT experience so we can assume she knows her way around the old keyboard and can even grok a little C\: (whatever the hell that means to Microsofties out there.)
      She of course claims that you need a user ID and password to access said computer set up. BUT the story is strong that at least 4 (and maybe more) people in the office know and USE that ID and password, so, while more common than everyone likes to admit, this looks bad.
     As far as the actual "what's YOUR story on what happened?", she is calling it "human failure" to "Hit the save button" while apparently pulling information from an MS ACCESS program (database) to an MS EXCEL program (spreadsheet).
       Now all of that makes less sense to me as the Saaremaa dialect of Estonian. I mean for me "database" usually implies a certain android from Star Trek; Next Generation's shoe size. And "spreadsheet" is when I'm putting down linen on the KING size bed (spreading the sheet of course........every 6 months whether it needs it or not!)
       But fortunately the Geeks have risen up en masse and spoken to Ms. Nickolaus. And the Geeks said, "PPPPPpffffffffffftttttttt!" They are NOT impressed.
        Kossack Cold Fusion put up a diary mid day and by the time I got home from work there were over 700 (!) comments. My skim/quick read is the IT types on these boards are NOT impressed with Kathy's explanation, mostly classifying it as an updated version of RoseMary Woods demonstrating how an 18 1/2 minute gap "accidentally" happened in the Watergate Tapes.
The Geeks Don't Think So, Kathy!

LEGAL/POLITICAL
       Kloppenburg is NOT taking this lying down. She has filed a legal demand for all the records related to Waukesha's election, right down to DNA samples from the styrofoam coffee cups.
      Statement
       Joanne is an asst. attorney general. You can bet serious money she knows how to file such a demand to sweep up every crumb of evidence.

       The Governmental Accountability Board of WI, which oversees elections at the state level, has announced they will NOT certify the results of the election until they are satisfied about what went down in Waukesha County:
No Certification
       Kossack LeftyCoaster added a few more bits here:
In case the 1st Link ain't enough for You

     Nonetheless, Kossack GilesGoatBoy, who has provided sterling coverage of the protests and other Wisconsin developments for weeks on end cautions us NOT to put too much weight on the upcoming probe:
Less that Meets the Eye?

ANNNDDDD.........

     How serious is Kloppenburg about fighting this? Well Kossack SunsetMagnolia brings us important word from the WI New Media source "Capital Times".
Blaze that Saddle!

Ms. K has hired on a lawyer: Marc Elias!
        Fans of the Franken-Coleman Senate Recount will remember Elias was THE hired gun for Franken, a tall, baby-faced youngster of (now) 42 who is an absolute pro in the highly exotic field of election law. (Most law students and lawyers go into  standard brand, bland law like real estate, probate, corporate, taxes, etc. Oh, there are fads to be sure. The last few years the specialty of Banking Law: Ripping off the Treasury has been a very good field. But election law is esoteric and a real head turner; sort of like building your law practice in Laramie by specializing in Wyoming Admiralty Law.)
           Elias is absolutely unbending for his clients and relentless in both sniffing out fraud and defending small-d democratic elections. A superb choice for Joanne.
           ANDddd....from the same link, it looks like Joanne is going to need it. Reports are that Prosser has also lawyered up by bringing in another cast member from Franken-Coleman: Ben Ginsberg!
           Ginsberg was the evil (zombie)"brain" trust behind the Coleman legal effort. He only actually appeared in court for 1 week at Coleman's table before he pulled his "pro hac vice" out from the scrutiny of actual judges. But he was the endlessly spinning sideshow out in the hall, growling at Franken, calling election officials in MN from the Secretary of State all the way down to election judge Lena Olson Svensonnen of Hallock thieves and liars, snapping at the press, etc. You know, sort of a legal Glen Beck without the charm.
      Ginsburg has real bonafides on elections.....not election LAW mind you (real law and Ginsberg tend to react like vampires and sunlight) but he was on the BUSH team in 2000, both in Florida and in DC with the hearing at the Supreme Court. After a high-tech hijack like that one he fancies himself the ultimate pro at ballot boosting. (The Coleman loss was a big dent in his armor.)
       So Recount fans, Elias and Ginsberg have "entered the lists" (to quote our UK friends) and the battle is definitely joined.

It will likely be a quiet weekend officially (although why do I think the Madison protests may have fresh signage coming up?) but if something breaks I'll see what I can do about letting you know.

For the moment, and for yust a FEW diaries ya know, that's a lot of the latest from yust northwest of Lake Monona.

Shalom.


04/13/11--09:22: Deadbeat MNGOP Still Owes Olmsted County (chan 1554566)

On March 27th, Bluestem Prairie reported FEC Tony's Republican Party of Minnesota still - STILL - owed Olmsted County money from bills they incurred from the pathetic Emmer Recount:

Mar 27, 2011

Recount: MNGOP promises to pay Olmsted County $3,050 and Mower County $2,424 soon

The Rochester Post Bulletin reports in Recount costs to be paid soon, Republicans say:

Unpaid bills owed to Olmsted and Mower counties from last year's governor's race recount are set to be paid soon, state Republican Party chairman Tony Sutton said.

"The checks ... are going out before the end of next week," Sutton said. "By the end of the month, they'll have their payment."

I just got off the phone with Pam Fuller of Olmsted County, and - no surprise here - they have NOT gotten a check for the money the GOPers owe (email to Mower County hasn't been returned).

I guess it could be worse - they could have received a check written in the style of Bounced Checks Berg...





04/25/11--06:22: Deadbeat MNGOP Still Owes Martin, Nicollet And Sibley Counties, Or... (chan 1554566)

GOPers are always demanding "fiscal responsibility" - of OTHERS.

Last November's election result for Governor looked like it was headed towards recount.  The crack legal beagles on the GOPer side sprung into action, and demanded all 87 counties make copies of election related materials - and pronto.  The GOPer attorneys threatened legal action if these documents weren't received fast enough; one such county so threatened was Nicollet County - the same county the GOP has since stiffed for payment.

On March 27th, Bluestem Prairie reported FEC Tony's Republican Party of Minnesota still - STILL - owed Olmsted County money from bills they incurred from the pathetic Emmer Recount.

Here's what FEC Tony Sutton said, towards the end of March:

"The checks ... are going out before the end of next week," Sutton said. "By the end of the month (March), they'll have their payment."

Following up on FEC Tony's promise was worth a phone call, so on April 13th I made one, to Olmsted County.  No surprise by the response; read: "Deadbeat MNGOP Still Owes Olmsted County".

Also no surprise was Sally Jo at Bluestem Prairie digging deeper, the very next day she wrote:  Failed burrito baron and party boss Tony Sutton stiffs counties, looks to MNGOP to stuff tortilla.

One might think all of this negative publicity might shame FEC Tony into paying the bills; alas - today's GOPer has no shame.  Just last Friday, The Mankato Free Press reported:


April 22, 2011
Counties awaiting Republican payments
By Brian Ojanpa  The Free Press

Some area counties continue to wait for money owed them by the Republican Party of Minnesota for document-copying costs following November's gubernatorial election.

Martin County is still owed $350, Nicollet County is owed $1,300 and Sibley County is waiting on $1,623.

Now, keep in mind since FEC Tony said that the GOP is broke and can't pay their bills in a timely manner back in late March, the GOP had their State Central Committee Meeting at the Ramada by the Mall of America on April 16th, and today are doing a statewide flyaround.

Some people might nitpick, and say "yeah, but - that's the legislative GOPers spending dough, NOT the party."

Yeah, "right."  Remember how the party stuck their party's Deputy Chair - ol' MudSlingerMike - onto the taxpayer's back?

The State GOP - and FEC Tony in particular - have a long and sordid history of playing fast and loose with finances; for those not familiar with it, I'd highly recommend you link to read the Tostenson Memo, the Strib's story on it by Dan Browning and Pat Doyle, and "A Key Element Of The Tostenson Memo" by yours truly.

Keep in mind, The Tostenson Memo was written by a party insider; here's the lede from the Strib story:

At least two staff members have left the Minnesota Republican Party since February after they complained that the party misused employee retirement money, improperly reported its finances and ignored or retaliated against staff who reported the problems.

The departures included former finance director and GOP stalwart Dwight Tostenson. He wrote in a Feb. 15 confidential memo that state GOP chairman Ron Carey fired him after he repeatedly pressed the chairman to address what Tostenson regarded as serious financial problems in the state GOP office.

Keep in mind FEC Tony was Party Treasurer during that time.

So it's understandable that the GOP can spend dough for the re-coronation of Sutton as Party Chair - and Brodkorb as Deputy Chair - and do a statewide flyaround ("The Cooked Books Tour"), all the while still owing money to counties for work requested by the Party many months ago - GOPers are always demanding "fiscal responsibility" - of OTHERS.

(Graphic, at the top, courtesy of Tildology.com)


04/28/11--07:36: Got The Bad Numbers Blues? "Stats" Banaian To The Rescue! (chan 1554566)

Currently in Minnesota, all legislative bills are fisked and given fiscal notes by an agency in the Executive Branch, MN Management & Budget (MMB).  Here's the problem with that, for today's  GOP Legislative "Leaders" - MM&B has been pointing out GOPer numbers haven't been adding up; for instance, GOPers "claim" their Senate File 908 will save taxpayers  (using THEIR numbers) an impressive $36.6 MILLION.  But, that's using  THEIR numbers.

The MMB's Fiscal Note shows this GOPer Bill will cost - yes, COST - taxpayers almost a half MILLION ($435,000.00, actually) over the next biennium.

GOPers have been taking fire over their Enron Accounting gimmicks.  What do good GOPers do, when people they can't control don't give them what they want?  Fire 'em!  Just like Nixon did with The Saturday Night Massacre,  just like republiCon Ron's response The Tostenson Memo, "Fire 'EM!!" -- it's a time honored tradition in the Greed Over Principles Party!

Hmmm... who to do the dirty deed? Need someone you can count on... a reliable numbers guy..... Hey! Here's where "Stats" Banaian comes in!!! I saw this in a tweet, and sure enough, there it was:



There's a lot these GOPers have been doing in this session, that reminds me of Nixon.  Sometime, I might just make a list. If I do, "Stats" Banaian is sure to be on it.



06/07/11--06:01: GOP begging for help paying bills, likes its position in class warfare (chan 1554566)

So let's get this straight --

The Republican Party of Minnesota STILL hasn't paid its bills for a failed gubernatorial recount last year, leaving counties in the lurch and causing one elected official to admit the truth: it stinks like rank hypocrisy to advocate fiscal discipline on one hand while not living up to one's responsibilities on the other.

In other news, Rep. Mary Franson apparently not only admits to her position in class warfare (hint: she ain't sticking up for the little guy in this fight) but has taken to Twitter to crow about it. Being pro-CEO, pro-supply-side, pro-capital is not the same as being pro-economy, pro-jobs, pro-Minnesota -- or haven't the past thirty years of supply-side economics taught us anything about allowing CEOs to run roughshod over our economic future?

In the past, Republican leaders like Franson would at least try to adopt a populist tone. But in an age where screwing public employees like policemen, firefighters, teachers, career government professionals to protect the richest 2% from paying an incrementally higher tax rate is commonplace, why bother trying? The Freedom Club and other corporate interest groups will attempt to ride to the rescue come election time.

Well, they can try this time. We're here to make sure it doesn't work.



06/29/11--09:43: Tony Sutton's Deadbeat MnGOP Still Owes Minnesota Counties (chan 1554566)

For months and Months and MONTHS here at MPP, we've covered the Deadbeat MnGOP's refusal to pay their debts to Minnesota Counties for the services they demanded - DEMANDED - concerning the  November 2010 Election Recount.

And that's just here, at MPP - - SallyJo at Bluestem Prairie has been all over this scandal, too.

And just this morning, I found two, and possibly three, Counties that STILL HAVEN'T BEEN PAID - Cass, Fillmore, and Grant.  There may be more; after two "No" and a "Don't think so; will get back to you" why keep going?

The funny thing is, despite Tony Sutton claiming way back in March that the MnGOP would pay it's bills, it took someone else to to it!

Yes, Beltrami, Chisago, and Clearwater counties told me earlier today that Tom Emmer stepped up and did what Tony Sutton's MnGOP wouldn't - pay some bills.

Does it really surprise anyone that a party that would stiff counties for months and Months and MONTHS would drive a state to shutdown?  Because that's exactly what the MnGOP will do this Friday - shut this state down.

Oh - and can someone call Emmer, and tell him there's still a few more counties out there, that Tony Sutton's MnGOP has stiffed?

* * *
Previous MPP Posts:

"Deadbeat MnGOP Still Owes Omsted County" - 13 April 2011

"Deadbeat MnGOP Still Owes Martin, Nicollet, And Sibley Counties, or..." "...GOPers are always demanding "fiscal responsibility" - of OTHERS." -- 25 April 2011

"Today's Example Of Why Reasonable People Cannot Reasonably Believe What GOPers Say: Recount" --- 07 June 2011



07/07/11--08:24: Today's Examples Of Republicans Believe In Fiscal Accountability (Except When They Don't) (chan 1554566)

Immediately after last November's election, the Republican Party of Minnesota ("RPM") demanded - yes, "demanded" - Minnesota's counties make thousands and thousands and thousands of copies for the upcoming recount of the governor's race. And the RPM demanded - yes, "demanded" - that all that copying be done immediately.  Not surprisingly, payment by the RPM to MN Counties for services rendered has NOT been "immediate" nor "prompt" nor "timely."  Far from it, as has been documented over and Over and OVER and OVER  -  and that's just here on MPP.  As previously noted, SallyJo at Bluestem Prairie has been all over this one, too.

As have a lot of people.  Jeff Rosenberg at MnPublius , early in the month last March, (last March!!!) pointed out a quote by the Mower County Auditor/Treasurer:

"Since December, I've had repeated conversations about when we'll get paid," said Doug Groh, auditor/treasurer of Mower County. "I had no problem with the Democrats paying, but the Republicans are fudging, because they're short of money - that's what I was told in December."

Since then, Groh said, he's been told the invoice was lost; on three different occasions, he was told - literally - the check was in the mail.

So when you read the following quote - you might think it, too, has to do with Tony Sutton's RPM stiffing Minnesota Counties on the rightfully owed Recount bills:


"Not paying vendors on a timely basis, berating them when they call for  payment, and then refusing to pay interest charges owed them for services rendered in good faith."

Yep! Sounds EXACTLY like what FEC Tony's RPM has been doin' lately!!!  

Well, except for the interest charges; the Counties haven't been charging interest.

But that quote's actually from several years ago.

You see, the RPM is notorious for it's internal financial mismanagement.  And I'm calling Minnesota's GOP party "RPM" because that's how they're referred to by the Federal Elections Commission- a Federal Elections Commission that's very familiar with the RPM ("Republican Party of Minnesota") and Tony Sutton - reasons that cause me to refer to Tony Sutton, current chair of the RPM, as "FEC Tony."

I'll let Spot MNObserver, atThe Cucking Stool, do the intro:

Friday, July 31, 2009

Where have I heard that name before?

Something that's been percolating around my brain for a while is a question about this Tony Sutton dude. No, not whether the Mexican restaurant chain is introducing a line of chimichangas named after prominent GOP gasbags, but his new gig as Chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota. As I read about his new job, I had this sneaking suspicion that his name was not entirely new to me, that there was something in the past that he'd done.

Then it came flooding back to me. This Sutton guy was, before ascending to the throne room at the RPM, the treasurer of the RPM. He's the one whose name is most closely associated with the horrific accounting and auditing nightmare that is the treasury of the RPM. He's been front and center in that complaint filed with the Federal Elections Commission and he's the one who has had rather pointed questions directed at him by the FEC here, here, here, and here. He also had to send in those humiliating letters - over and over and over again - stating that "An amended report correcting this error will be filed when the committee's internal audit has been completed." In short, he was apparently the doofus in charge as this mess was allowed to fester and grow into what some think will eventually lead to the largest FEC fine in history for poor bookkeeping.

For most of us, being so intimately connected with this monumental mess would be such a professional embarrassment that we'd slink off to North Dakota or something. We'd at least have the good sense to drop out of politics.

But not Mr. Sutton.
(more, here)

Indeed - not Mr. Sutton, a/k/a "FEC Tony".

Yes, this quote -  "Not paying vendors on a timely basis, berating them when they call for  payment, and then refusing to pay interest charges owed them for services rendered in god faith." - is from a RPM Staffer, back in February 2007, back when FEC Tony was RPM Treasurer.

This quote - "Since December, I've had repeated conversations about when we'll get paid," said Doug Groh, auditor/treasurer of Mower County. "I had no problem with the Democrats paying, but the Republicans are fudging, because they're short of money - that's what I was told in December." - is from a RPM Vendor, this year, with FEC Tony as the RPM Chair.

And how does the GOP Faithful reward FEC Tony for his financial mismanagement - besides promoting him from the elected Treasurer to Chair?

By putting FEC Tony on the party payroll! $100,000 smackers worth!  Good thing - for FEC Tony - that Tom Emmer covered the deadbeat RMP's recount bills to the counties!

If there were any justice in this world, whey you googled "Peter Principle" a picture of FEC Tony would pop up - a picture from back during his tenure as RPM Treasurer, that is.  Because as those two quotes show, the more things change, the more the fiscal mismanagement at the RPM doesn't.

Hey - at least FEC Tony is on the RPM Payroll; the RPM Deputy Chair - Michael Brodkorb - well, the RPM stuck him on the Taxpayer's tab.

Reasonable people have no reason to reasonably believe anything the RPM says.  This whole sordid and scandalous RPM County Recount saga demonstrates once again that Republicans believe in fiscal accountability (except when they don't) - and that  Republicans are always demanding "fiscal responsibility" - of OTHERS.

* * *
(image credit:  Tildology)

 


10/28/11--06:04: FEC Tony: Going Into Debt "Was Totally Worth It" (chan 1554566)

Last July  we looked at the continuing fiscal mismanagement of the MN GOP - "Today's Examples Of Republicans Believe In Fiscal Accountability (Except When They Don't)" - we looked at their seemingly  Enronesque accounting methods and the way the deadbeats were stiffing Counties over their recount debts for the 2010 Governor's race (among other things).

For instance, Doug Groh, auditor/treasurer of Mower County, was told on three different occasions that - literally - "the check was in the mail."

The check, of course, was not.

And we asked: "how does the GOP Faithful reward FEC Tony for his financial mismanagement - besides promoting him from the elected Treasurer to Chair?"

We answered: "By putting FEC Tony on the party payroll! $100,000 smackers worth!  Good thing - for FEC Tony - that Tom Emmer covered the deadbeat RPM's recount bills to the counties!"

This was before the Federal Elections Commission smacked the MN GOP with one of their largest fines ever -- $170,000.00 smackers, to be exact.  FEC Tony was MN GOP Treasurer when those shenanigans occurred.

So I wasn't surprised to see this story, in today's Strib:

State GOP faces $533,000 in debt
Article by: Baird Helgeson, Star Tribune
October 27, 2011
,
,
Sutton said he made a calculated gamble to spend heavily on the 2010 elections and that it paid off politically. Republicans won control of the Legislature for the first time in a generation and then were able to block DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's proposed income tax increases.

"It was totally worth it to not raise taxes," Sutton said.(empasis added)

But it left the party deeply in debt. Sutton took the helm of the state GOP in 2009 with more than $1 million in the bank and by January of this year the party owed creditors $750,000.
(more, here)

So it's "totally worth it" to go into debt to avoid raising taxes in FEC Tony's world??!?

Remember that, the next tome some pompous jack@ss GOPer spews the "you can't spend more than in the check book" tripe they always do.

Of course, they actually believe that -- YOU can't (but THEY can).

The simple fact is that GOPers believe in "fiscal accountability" -- except when they don't.  GOPers are always demanding "fiscal responsibility" - of OTHERS.

Reasonable people have no reason to reasonably believe anything GOPers say.