CANDIDATE FORUMS HIGHLIGHT FARMFEST

Candidate Forums have been a feature at FARMFEST in every even numbered year for two decades, and 2010 will be no exception, according to Kent Thiesse, FARMFEST Forum Coordinator. Thiesse said that FARMFEST has hosted Candidate Forums for every statewide race for Governor and U.S. Senate since 1990, as well as holding a Congressional Candidate Forum every two years for potential Congressional Candidates in Minnesota Districts that have a major emphasis on the agriculture industry, and a significant rural population.

The focus of past Candidate Forums has been on agriculture and rural issues, and that emphasis will continue again in 2010. Thiesse points out that many Forums during the length of the campaign season cover the vast breadth of issues facing candidates, but the FARMFEST Forums are one time when the focus is much more “fine-tuned” on the issues that are critical to farm families, small businesses, and rural communities.

The "Governor Candidate’s Forum on Rural Minnesota", which will be held at FARMFEST on Wednesday, August 4, at 10:30 AM, has garnered considerable statewide attention, and even some national focus. All five of the major Candidates for Governor of Minnesota have confirmed to participate in the FARMFEST Forum. This includes Tom Emmer, Republican candidate, Tom Horner and Rob Hahn, Independent Party candidates, and DFL candidates Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Mark Dayton, and Matt Entenza. A panel of Minnesota agricultural and rural leaders will pose questions to the Gubernatorial Candidates on a variety of issues affecting farm families and rural communities. The statewide Primary Election is on August 10, and the General Election is on November 2.

The "Congressional Candidate’s Forum on Agriculture and Rural Issues" will be held on the first day of FARMFEST, which is Tuesday, August 3, at 10:30 AM. All Congressional Candidates from Minnesota’s First, Second, Sixth, and Seventh Congressional Districts have been invited to participate in the Forum. Thus far, former MN Rep Shelley Madore (D) who is challenging John Kline (R) in the Second District, Congressman Collin Peterson (D) and Lee Byberg (R), his opponent in the Seventh District; Congressman Tim Walz (D), along with Randy Demmer (R) and Steven Wilson (I), his opponents in the First District; and Tarryl Clark (D), who is challenging Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R) in the Sixth District, have confirmed to participate in the FARMFEST Forum. A panel of agriculture reporters for radio and newspaper will pose questions to the U.S. House Candidates on a variety of issues affecting agriculture and rural communities.

Ideas for questions may be submitted via e-mail to Kent Thiesse, FARMFEST Forum Coordinator, at kent.thiesse@minnstarbank.com. That information will then be forwarded to the panel members that will be posing the questions to the candidates during FARMFEST.

FARMFEST Forums will be held throughout the day on August 3, 4, and 5, in the Forum Tent on the FARMFEST Site, which is located at the Gilfillan Estate, 7 miles southeast of Redwood Falls, Minnesota. In addition to the two Candidate Forums, the 2010 edition of FARMFEST will include special forums ranging from ideas for Minnesota’s next Governor, to understanding carbon credits, to the future of the livestock industry, and strategies for agricultural education. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty will be the keynote speaker at the Forum on Thursday, August 5, at 10:30 AM. All of the Forums will provide ample time for questions, and follow-up discussion by Panel members.

For more information on the Forums at FARMFEST, please contact Kent Thiesse, FARMFEST Forum Coordinator (507-381-7960).

Bungled termination decision bolsters Madore's media profile

With just over a week until the Minnesota Primariy Elections, Sunday's Saint Paul Pioneer Press gave a black eye to the Minnesota Virtual High School by revealing they recently terminated Shelley Madore, a candidate for Congress, after she reported taxpayer fraud at the charter school. Madore's campaign provided little comment about her charges or the school's reactions, noting the investivation was on-going.

Former MN Representative
Shelley Madore

"When I shared it, I was terminated..."

former MN State Rep. Shelley Madore

Voters along the south Twin Cities Metro have a choice between the former legislator/watchdog and an unemployed former contractor who "fell into politics" (after falling from a roof) in the looming August 10th primary, after which the winner will challenge the incumbent Representative John Kline (R-MN) in the November 2010 election.

FEC filings by Madore's opponent Powers, including his late-filed Personal Finance Discolsure have omissions and/or inconsistencies that might well be a telling story in and of themselves, but what is there reveals he has ample personal assets to loan his campaign $35,000 dollars, giving him the edge in money raised and cash on hand - though both campaigns are struggling to attract donations with so much press attention on other Minnesota races. Twin Cities media in particular has focused on both Tarryl Clark's high-profile, possibly quixotic bid to unseat Tea Party diva Michelle Bachmann and the hotly-contested 3-way gubernatorial primary contest, devoting scant coverage to the Congressional primary on the other site of the metro.

The Pioneer Press story characterizes both 2^nd District Democratic campaigns as limping into the primary. The Star Tribue ran a brief article in late July describing Madore's opponent as having a "sketchy résumé" in their first coverage of the primary in months.

"His only income in 2009 was $28,000 in unemployment insurance, according to a financial disclosure report filed in Washington."

from: DFL candidate has sketchy résumé as contractor

24 July 2010

Madore's campaign has made little reference to her opponent's extended unemployment or his campaign's reliance on his life story to influence voters rather than policy statements, preferring to highlight concrete differences such as Powers failure to hire union workers back when he ran his small business versus her solid voting record as an effective state legislator and endorsements from local and national organizations.

Teacher's unions seem particularly delighted to have a candidate with experience in both the legislature and public education on the ballot: Madore counts endorsements from the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and Education Minnesota among her growing list.

This story is cross-posted from Zennie's Zeitgest.

Pro-Business Democrat Shelley Madore racking up endorsements

You may not spend much time thinking about the connection between a vibrant small-business climate and how that benefits your community, but Shelley Madore brings real pro-business sensibility to the Congressional race in the 2nd District: she connects the dots between building roads and infrastructure to attract business to locate and expand in the district and what that means for working families, because investing in our business community means we have jobs and the crucial benefits they provide heading into the future. Shelley Madore gets it.

During her time in the state legislature, Madore authored dozens of bills, and left her imprint on dozens more with ideas such as the Madore amendment that corrected a long-standing imbalance in road transportation funding. She understands that potholes are more than an annoyance during your daily commute, they send a message to business owners that we aren't investing as carefully in our community as they would in their parking lots.

Shelley Madore brought common sense ideas to the table, and then built the necessary consensus to keep bills moving forward so voters saw real results instead of partisan gridlock. Now she's bringing her razor sharp pencil to the campaign process, running a tight, fiscally responsible campaign that's picking up steam as she picks up endorsements such as the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, and Education Minnesota. She'll bring that same common-sense leadership to Washington.

Maybe it's because she's had to deal with the enormous burden of medical costs as a special needs mom, but her understanding of how the complexities of interconnected budgets work also impressed the President of South Central College, Keith Stover.

 

President Stover had seen his plans to expand the Faribault campus, remodel the lab nursing students use and facilities to train for manufacturing jobs skipped over in favor of funding projects elsewhere in the state. Stover's impressed. "You really did your homework," he told Madore and her staff at a recent meeting as she explained what the one missing piece was when the state considered allocating precious MNCSU funds.

Stover knows Shelley Madore sees more than just the big picture; she gets the way the system works, and can make it work better on behalf of the working people who live and raise their families in the district. Madore understands that we've got to provide the training our employers need and deserve right here in the district - that we've all got to work together to get Minnesota back to being the great place to live and work that we remember it from 10 or 20 years ago when people were moving here for the great schools, great jobs, and unparalleled quality of life.

Shelley Madore touring South Central College's carpentry training facility

with President Keith Stover

DFL's Dan Powers Dodges Debates

While interviewing former state Representative Shelley Madore, Alan Miller of Access to Democracy offered to moderate a debate between Madore and her opponent Dan Powers - the two DFL candidates in the upcoming primary. I'll publish excerpts from the show in the next few days. 

Powers had dodged debate prior to the convention so it comes as little suprise that his campaign manager, Mary Breitenstein, has opted to decline on his behalf.  Her statement concluded:

"Dan will be focusing his time on beating John Kline and bringing the people of CD 2  the sort of representation they deserve."

~Mary Breitenstein

Whoever wins the DFL primary will surely want to debate Kline, relying on that most traditional tool of challengers to draw contrasts between themselves and a well-known incumbent.  Logically it might seem an excellent opportunity to practice a skill he's never needed before, and create a little more buzz for the party, much the way the Obama-Clinton contest helped keep Democrats in the news after it had become a foregone conclusion who would garner the 2008 GOP presidential nomination.

So much for "practice makes perfect."

Evidently Powers fears debating a fellow DFLer could outweigh the media exposure he'd get going into the primary. The only conclusion voters and pundits can draw is he worries that revealing how he handles himself in front of the media would convey significant advantage to Shelley Madore.

In this case, I agree with his fear despite her much greater name recognition; having spent time with both candidates I'm hard-pressed to see how he could possibly outshine Madore.  I've donated time and money to both campaigns, and I know it's much safer for Powers to rely on talking points and spend money on slick ads than it would be to engage in a debate. 

A debate would obviously reveal how relatively difficult it is for a rookie to talk issues, policy, and procedure on the same stage with a former legislator.

Still, I'd like the chance to see Powers fielding questions in an unscripted appearance, and see if he can think on his feet. As a voter in the District and the former chair of the Rice County DFL unit I can't help but wonder if he's scared Shelley Madore might reveal something about him that Congressman Kline wouldn't. I find that unlikely, because she's been taking the high road so far, and if there's one thing we've learned about Kline's campaign style it's that he will research his opponents thoroughly, and attack relentlessly.

© All photographs copyright Thomas Hayes, 2010

Joe Barton as the "Chair Apparent" on Energy and Commerce

Veteran Texas Congressman Joe "BP" Barton is the ranking GOP member (and former chair) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  That means if the Republicans gain a simple majority of seats in the House, he's the heir-apparent for the chairmanship, and you can bet your BP that big oil is hoping for just that outcome.

Of course, here in the 2^nd District we have one of those below-the-radar Reps, John Kline.  As challenger Shelley Madore has been saying since she announced her campaign for U.S. Congress here in January of this year, Kline is no less extreme then Michelle Bachmann if you look at his votes. Kline is just Michelle in sheep's clothing.

And I choose sheep's clothing with all seriousness, because our current Congressman has done almost nothing but follow the GOP herd during his entire time in office.  He's so predictable that even political rookie Dan Powers has begun echoing Shelley Madore's observations about how similar Kline is to Bachmann as he tries to build credibility against the former state legislator with a long record of accomplishments.

We all know that the "off years" are when the party that doesn't hold the presidency traditionally gains traction. People realize the President can't actually get done everything they hoped he could, and so they decide to make it harder for him.

What? You were expecting logic from the voters?

Here's a simple truth: Most folks vote for a gut reason, not a head reason.  They can cite reasons that sound logical, but the truth is they mostly vote for politicians they like, or they think they'd like to have a beer with.

Here's another simple truth: The GOP is about to spend a lot of money in key races, and the more headway they make the more gridlocked Washington becomes.  No small part of that will be big oil money. The GOP has decided to prove that government is ineffective, as part of their "small government" platform that sounds so good until you realize that only our elected leaders -- our government -- is sufficient to stand up to BP and hold them accountable.  The Free Market sure the heck can't do it.

So do you want the party of Joe "BP" Barton and Michelle Bachmann, with their faithful followers like John Kline to be put back in charge?  Opinions vary, but I'd rather see folks running the government who not only know how to get things done, but who believe there's more to being in Congress than saying the government should apologize and get out of BP's business.

That's why I like Shelley Madore's track record, and leadership. Proven, effective leadership is why I'll vote for Madore in the DFL primary on August 10th, and again this November in the General Election.

Primary promotes participation

Shelley Madore, the first Democrat elected to represent Apple Valley in 30 years, said Monday that she's pleased to be in the only DFL (Democrat-Farmer-Labor) primary at the Congressional level with a remaining challenge. "Our Representative makes speeches about supporting small business growth, but actions speak louder than words.  While Mr. Kline has consistently voted the GOP line in support of big business, and the sort of deregulation that led to the crisis on Wall Street and enabled BP's slipshod Gulf operations, this district deserves somebody more interested in partnering with business and understanding the challenges facing people who work for a living."

There are two DFL challengers to the party-endorsed candidate in the Governor's race, former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton and former state legislator Matt Entenza (who surprised many by picking a political rookie for his running mate,) both mounting substantive challenges to Margaret Anderson-Kelliher's campaign.  In fact, Dayton ascended to the Senate by challenging the party-endorsed candidate in 2000, and although he's been chair of the party he emphasizes that the voters who participate in the primary should have a choice rather than simply accepting what insiders decide.  Maureen Reed, the challenger to convention-endorsed Tarryl Clark in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District, announced Sunday that she was suspending her primary campaign.

Still, Madore isn't looking for her primary opponent in the 2nd District to drop out despite rumors he's finally kicked off fund-raising in the past week.  The election is about Kline, she says. "He's a good speechmaker, but his voting record shows this Texas transplant is taking the advice of GOP strategists rather than thinking about how to bring jobs to our district. Leaders don't wait for things to get better, they go get things done. My record as a State Legislator tells the voters I'll take personal responsibility representing the district in Washington."

During her time working in state government, Madore authored dozens of bills each year, and managed to build bi-partisan cooperation moving legislation forward, which stands in marked contrast to Kline's record. She "welcomes the primary process" because it gives district voters who didn't participate in the DFL convention in the district a chance to learn more about her record of accomplishment while promoting the involvement of a much larger number of people.

Business climate in MN obviously excellent

The annual Fortune 500 list is out, and Minnesota looks like a great place to do business.

Minnesota has 21 of the elite “Fortune 500,” based on total revenue in the past year. That might sound insignificant, since California and Texas each host 57 and New York has 56. But if you relate it to state population, Minnesota takes first place on a per capita basis.

Lee Egerstrom, writing at Hindsight 20/20, said:

So how do the great examples of so-called “good business climates” fare on the Fortune 500 list? South Dakota, zero companies; Mississippi, zilch; Wyoming, zippo; Alabama, one, and South Carolina has three.

The Minnesota list of companies is a little misleading. Fortune only use “public,” not private companies on the list and that eliminates Cargill Inc. ($116.6 billion in 2009 revenue!)

So, in the absence of Cargill, the MN list is topped by UnitedHealth Group, Target, and Best Buy - an impressive array.

Now I'll be the first to admit we still need more jobs to rev up the state economy, and that the roads and infrastructure within the 2nd Congressional District aren't exactly enticing. But as a result of former State Representative Shelley Madore's initiative and hard work while she was a state legislator we are getting $5 million/year for improvements via the Madore Amendment to the transportation bill.

It's no wonder the GOP targeted Shelley Madore when she ran for re-election. She was authoring about one bill per week on average while the MN House was in session. Compare that to the anemic pace of John Kline's work on our behalf - about one bill per year - and you can see Madore did more for this district at the state level in one term than our U.S. Congressman has done in many, many years in D.C (with the exception of fund-raising for his campaign, of course, where the incumbent Congressman clearly has a significant edge.)

If Madore secures the DFL endorsement in the August 10th Primary, she'll be up against an incumbent who hasn't done much for the district, in a year when the latest Washington Post survey reveals a strong anti-incumbent mood. I'm not sure we can expect anything new from Kline; he's had 8 years to help the district, and he's mostly kept a low profile.

Shelley Madore? She'll do more.