barbara writes
Oh, people, here is a truly amazing world premiere. Do not be giving up after the brief Brahms. Continue through the remarkable Ravel that follows. Hint: “Bolero!”
h/t Dee Bailey
barbara writes
Has it really been just five days since I left Minnesota for my uncle’s funeral in Illinois? I was relatively out of touch with folks back home while I was gone, and also with the news.
However, I did catch snippets over motel bagels and watery orange juice each morning. It amazed me that motels in southern Iowa and Illinois (fairly hard-core conservative-land), TVs were tuned to either CNN or MSNBC. Not a Fox to be seen. Yoicks!
Here are some things that emerged over the past five days:
• BP is getting very close to capping the well that caused the catastrophic “spill,” i.e., three-month gusher of monstrous proportions that has killed flora and fauna, jobs, spirits and whatever fragment of trust we might have had in the oil industry.
• Rod Blagojevich has an ego and a mouth at least as big as Michele Bachmann’s. Even so, Minnesota’s loud, hairy one finagled more air time than Rod the Badly Coiffured Wunderkind in his own state. I read this morning that MB wants to start a Tea Party Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. Pay attention, please. I said “in the U.S. House of Representatives,” not D.C. Middle School for Kewl Kids. It seems to me that Bachmann is all about posing and posturing, playing games (remember her hide and seek gig?), forming cliques, flipping hair and flapping gums. Harsh? Mebbe. But second only to Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann is the most narcissistic nymph at the water’s edge.
• Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston. Oh, man. Will we ever be finished with that wretched family? Most interesting news surrounding the impending Read on.
cartoon by Barry Deutsch/Ampersand
barbara writes
Minnesota has an interesting dude running for governor under the Republican banner. His name is Tom Emmer (rhymes with, um, nothing). Given his penchant for making up “facts” (which seems to be a litmus test to qualify for the right), Emmer spews the most dazzlingly wacko stuff. I’m guessing he must have studied with Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann at the Glenn Beck Fox Faux Factorium.
Case in point, Emmer recently declared that Minnesota needs to reduce the minimum wage for those who garner tips (mostly those who serve food in restaurants). And you know why? Because according to Emmer, some of those fat cat servers are sucking up $100,000 a year. Yup. The very folks at St. Paul’s Eagle Street Grille who serve your burgers and Bud lite. Read on
barbara writes
With apologies to Katherine Lee Bates, whose lyrics I intended to post. But something came over me, and I revised them. How's that for arrogant?! Also, no small amount cynical. Chalk it up to Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner et al. Make no mistake. I believe with my whole heart that as flawed as our country is (and it is deeply flawed), it's the best of the best.
Enough with disclaimers.
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
Exquisite land and vast.
But as our need morphs into greed,
The beauty cannot last.
O beautiful for open arms
Embracing others who
Seek safety in America
Where walls used to be few.
America! America!
I love you with whole heart.
Let not teabags and racist tags
Destroy your glorious start!
O beautiful for heroes who
Gave up their lives to war.
Who sacrificed believing that
It meant there’d be no more.
America! America!
We need more than one day
For taking pause for you, because
There're lifetimes to repay.
(A cross-post written by one of my most trusted liberal thinkers and analysts concerning the MN political landscape. Bottom line: Who's gonna live in the big house and how are they going to get there? barbara)
by Dave Mindeman
So we have a primary coming up in about 6 weeks. So let's talk a bit about the DFL side of the ledger. All signs point to an interesting race with 3 different sets of strategy....and a lot of it is dictated by the new August primary date.
September primaries were held at a time when voters would generally start to pay attention. The State Fair just ended and the kids were back at school. The cabins were close to be closed up for the year and summer vacations were completed.
All bets are off with August.
As I watch things unfold, here is what I perceive as the strategies of each of the three campaigns.....
Mark Dayton
Dayton is really a very methodical politician. He has had a long term plan to be Governor of Minnesota and he has been sticking to it. He avoided a crowded scrum for the endorsement by saying very early on that he would not seek it. And he realized early on that to be the candidate you have to win the primary first. Read on!