THREE DFL CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR

Margaret Anderson Kelliher

Matt Entenza

Mark Dayton

(I'm not playing favorites by making this last picture so large. I don't think this website takes .gif or .bitmap.)

All DFLers will have to decide very soon who they are going to vote for to be our next governor. How will each Primary voter decide? Here are the usual ways, not in any particular order.

1.  Issues

2.  Name recognition

3.  Endorsed candidate

4.  Voter contact on the campaign trail

5.  Videos and websites

6.  Personal charisma (which includes how much the voter "loves" the candidate; you hear a lot of that on Facebook and on the campaign trail

7.  Past success in political experience

8.  Whether the voter even wants to vote in the Primary, or whether the voter is too fed up with politics to do so. What the percentage is of voters who actually show up at the Primary makes a big difference in who gets elected.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher - Kelliher obviously knows all the issues inside and out. She has no problems whatsoever there. She is gaining some name recognition but doesn't have nearly as much as Dayton. Will her DFL cohorts and supporters donate enough money for her to win this campaign? If so, they'd better get hopping.

I'll just meander down the list for each candidate. This is better than trying to walk slowly down the hallway while holding on to the wall.

Kelliher is obviously the endorsed candidate, which does give her an edge. Will it be enough? Keep tuned...

Kelliher's voter contact on the campaign trail does not seem to be as good as Dayton's. Dayton is all over the place. Not only that, but everyone already knows who he is.

Videos are excellent from the Dayton Campaign...websites not so good at all.

Personal charisma is something you never heard many people talk about with regard to Mark Dayton. He's doing something right now, though, because everywhere I go I hear people (mostly women) say "I love him!" While Kelliher's momentum is growing, she just doesn't have that personal charisma that people look for. Like R. T. Rybak has, for example.

Past success in political experience was exceptionally good with Margaret Anderson Kelliher. She knows an incredible amount about Minnesota politics. As far as knowledge and experience, she can definitely get the job done.

It sure seems that there are a lot of people who are disillusioned with the world of politics. The best thing to do is to get out there and get your people to vote!

Matt Entenza - Matt is very good on clean, green energy. He has some great ideas in that area. He's also excellent on GLBT and equality issues. He's good on creating new jobs. 

As far as name recognition, I don't see Matt as having much of that. It just isn't there. Oh, I'm sure it is in many circles, but a lot of people still don't know who Matt Entenza is. I don't know how he's going to change that.

As we all know, Matt is not the endorsed candidate. That distinction belongs to Margaret Anderson Kelliher.

I'm pretty sure that Entenza has a lot of voter contact on the campaign trail. But where are his particular campaign trails? I don't hear much about him at all from my non-political circle of acquaintances (yes, folks, I do have a lot of friends who are not political!) When I ask if they were going to vote for him, they didn't even know who he was.

Matt Entenza probably has the best collection of campaign videos. I would rate his website as the best of all three of the candidates.

Personal charisma is not one of Entenza's strong points. He's very soft spoken, which means he's a nice guy, but not exactly your top charismatic person. Of Minnesoa politicians, that honor would definitely have to go to R. T. Rybak.

Entenza has a lot of political experience. Unfortunately, some of it is considered distasteful by many people. I wish these people would learn the truth of the matter. I stuck up for Matt when someone was saying rotten things about him. The guy called me a liar. Go figure. Some people just don't want to listen to truth.

Mark Dayton - Mark is very good on almost all the issues. After all, he was a U. S. Senator and had to know a lot about a lot of different things. He's big on Senior issues, of course. Remember how he took busloads of seniors to Canada so they could get the prescription drugs at lower cost? He's always been an advocate for seniors. He's always been a friend of GLBT, as well. He stood up on the Senate floor in favor of the right of two people who love each other to get married, no matter what their gender. Another issue that he is very interested in is education.

Name recognition? Mark Dayton? That's almost funny. There's probably only a handful of people in Minnesota who don't know who Mark Dayton is, and those are no doubt under the age of twelve. They're just too young to know.

We all know that Mark is not the endorsed candidate. Margaret Anderson Kelliher is. Still, there are plenty of examples over the years where the endorsed candidate did not win.

Mark has been all over Minnesota on the campaign trail. He drove 9,000 miles across Minnesota. He stopped in towns all over and met people in coffee shops and other interesting places. He has successfully reintroduced himself to Minnesotans.

Mark is starting to get some pretty good videos. There's one called "9,000" miles, which you can find on his website. 

Personal charisma is not an area that Mark excels at. He's an introvert; standing up in front of a lot of people is difficult for him, especially during the question/answer portion of a forum. I give him a lot of credit, though, for doing something that doesn't come naturally to him. I've also noticed that he's made many, many improvements as a public speaker. I was surprised, proud and happy to see that he made a huge effort to improve in this area.

Obviously Mark Dayton has the most political experience of any of the candidates. He ran three Minnesota State Commissioner offices. He was U. S. Senator. The list goes on.

So now it's up to you, dear voters. The best thing you can do to ensure we get a DFL governor is to pick a candidate and then campaign for that candidate. You can door knock, do mailings and other clerical work, attend Meet and Greets, have a house party for your candidate, or have a fund raiser for the candidate. There's a ton of ways to help out. Call your candidate's office to volunteer. You can also volunteer on their websites. So let's all rally round one of these three candidates and make sure out next governor is DFL.

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BUYING ADS FOR GUBERNATORIAL RACE

Mark Dayton

Matt Entenza

Margaret Anderson Kelliher

The Minnesota DFL party has three great candidates for governor. Most DFLers would be happy with any one of them as our next governor. There are some differences between them; their platforms are not exactly the same. Yet any one of them would be such a better governor than any of the choices from any of the other parties. We thus all need to get together and make sure that whoever wins the DFL Primary gets voted in as the winner in November.

Will buying ads help one of these candidates win the governorship? Certainly. Ads help get the name out to the voting public. Who can buy the most ads? No doubt it will be Matt Entenza and Mark Dayton, who both have deep pockets. Kelliher's ability to buy ads will depend on how deep her supporters will reach into their own pockets. She's the endorsed candidate, so hopefully she'll get a lot of financial support. Even as the endorsed candidate, she'll still need money to work with.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton is scheduled to start running TV ads very soon. Public records show Dayton bought at least $354 thousand worth of ads on Twin Cities TV stations.

Dayton's campaign manager, Dana Anderson, confirmed the campaign bought time through the August 10th primary but public records show purchases at most stations only through the end of June. Records at KARE11 show Dayton bought $239,075 of ad time between June 15th and August 10th.

Governor Pawlenty signed a bill last month that allows political committees to accept and spend corporate money on independent expenditures like TV ads and campaign literature. Minnesota continues to ban corporations from giving directly to candidates. The law had to be changed after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations can spend money on independent expenditures.

Campaign ads are certainly very important for the gubernatorial race. They may be considered the most important of all campaign stategies. However, there are also other things to look at, such as the past political record of the candidate, name recognition and what voters think a particular candidate can do for Minnesota. 
 
Besides current ad campaigns, I'll also be looking, in future blogs, at past political experience and what each candidate has done that will arouse the voting interest of Minnesota voters.
 
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MINNESOTA GOVERNMENT ENGINEERS COUNCIL

Matt Entenza, Mark Dayton, Tom Horner, Margaret Anderson Kelliher

2010 Gubernatorial Candidate Questions

MGEC is surveying candidates running for governor. Responses received so far are posted below, arranged alphabetically. All Republican and Independence Party candidates have been contacted as well and their responses will be posted if they choose to respond.

This is a very good website on how each candidate stands on the issues important to Minnesota. These are .pdf files that are in each candidate's own words.

Mark Dayton

Margaret Anderson Kelliher

Matt Entenza

Check back later for updates of other candidates who may post their information.

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GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE FORUM AT CONTINUING EDUCATION AND CONFERENCE CENTER, 1890 Buford Avenue, St. Paul MN June 24, 2010 1:00 p.m.

I attended a gubernatorial forum at the Continuing Education and Conference Center at 1890 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108 on June 24, 2010 from 1:00 - 2:30. Present were four gubernatorial candiates. They were:

Mark Dayton (DFL)

 (pictured here with sons Andrew and Eric

and dogs Mesabi and Dakota

 

Margaret Anderson Kelliher

 (DFL Endorsed Candidate)

Matt Entenza (DFL)

Tom Horner (IP)

For opening statements, each candidate was given two minutes to speak. Here's what each candidate had to say during this allotted time.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher - She believes that it's very important for our most vulnerable Minnesotans to have someone on their side.  She understands what it means to have a strong vocal voice in Minnesota. She wants to fight against the demons of substance abuse. She wants a fair and progressive tax system.

Tom Horner - He's here because no one else would step forward. (What about Rob Hahn?) Horner believes that we need a Minnesota that we create. He stated that hope dies last and that we can't afford to let hope die at all. Horner stated that he would be a one-term governor. He doesn't want to be governor any longer than that. This blogger doesn't think that's good enough. We need a governor who is in it for two terms, not just one. We need a governor who is committed to Minnesota. Tom Horner asks two questions of voters: What kind of Minnesota are we willing to live in? What are we willing to do to get it? I think that Tom Horner needs to work on his platform a lot more.

Mark Dayton - He's not interested in government to affect funding and policy. His main concern at this time is to make Minnesota work again. Back in the late 1960's and early 1970's Dayton thought, as did many of us, that government would always be a very positive experience. He has never before seen such devastation in politics as he has seen in the last decade. Dayton definitely knows how to fix this and will do so when elected governor of Minnesota. Do Minnesotans want a government of compassion or one of devastation? This blogger would hope that most of us want a government of compassion. We want the things that Minnesota has always wanted. We want the things that have made Minnesota great. We have learned that we cannot cut ourselves to greatness. If we could, Mississippi and Alabama would be number one states. They are not. We want our Minnesota back. The Minnesota we had twenty years ago. It's horrible that today's kids don't know what it's like to have a DFL governor. All the current generation knows is a policy of no and a GOP governor who is full of trickery and deceit. Mark Dayton is the best candidate for governor because he knows where the money is and how to get it. He will tax the rich but not the poor. The rich can afford it. He will implement a progressive tax system like Minnesota had back in its glory days.

Matt Entenza - He grew up in Worthington, MN. He's very good on community opportunities. He's appalled that Tom Emmer wants to elimate health care and have charity care instead. This is absolutely the wrong thing to do. Matt Entenza stood up to Governor Tim Pawlenty in the legislature and won. Because of Matt Entenza, our health care system was saved. Matt Entenza has good solid legislative experience. He's been working for Minnesotans for a long time. He's got Minnesota's best interests at heart. He's also well versed on the new clean energy economy and is making it part of his basic platform for a successful Minnesota.

Question #1: Minnesota Health Care Act - What is your level of support?

Margaret Anderson Kelliher - She's a very strong supporter of it. She firmly believes that everyone in Minnesota needs universal health care.

Tom Horner - We have a big budget deficit. We need to do all we can to expand health care in Minnesota. We  need to allow MA to take place in Minnesota. Finally, we need to take personal responsibility for our health care. (Yeah, but Tom, what are you actually going to do?  All I hear from you is a bunch of rhetoric. I don't hear an actual plan. Nothing. Zilch. Nada.)

Mark Dayton - As governor of Minnesota he would champion health care and make it affordable. Do I have any question about whether he can actually do this? No, I don't. None whatsoever. He's been active in Minnesota politics since the late 1960's. He knows exactly what he's doing and how to make Minnesota great again. I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever about his expertise or his ability. And I certainly have no doubt at all about his integrity or his ethics. He has a reputation of always holding himself up to the highest ethical and moral standards. This is exactly what Minnesota needs in our next governor. Make no mistake: Mark Dayton could easily be the best governor that Minnesota has ever had.

Matt Entenza - With a 5 1/2 billion dollar deficit, how will we proceed? We must work toward  a more affordable health care system. 

Question #2: What is your record and what will you do as governor?  

Tom Horner - Invest in education. Make sure that jobs stay in Minnesota. We must grow our new jobs here in Minnesota.

Mark Dayton - We need to provide jobs for people. Welfare rates need to go down. Every able-bodied person should have a job.

Matt Entenza - He's a passionate Norwegian. We had a state that was excellent. We need to state clearly and emphatically how much we love Minnesota.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher - She will definitely stand up for Minnesota. As governor, she will not make any cuts in basic health for Minnesota's poorest citizens.

Question #3: No discrimination. Describe your history in supporting civil rights for all.

Mark Dayton - Everyone has the right to marry the person they love.

Matt Entenza - Chose Robyn Robinson as Lt. Governor. She fully supports civil rights.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher - She fully believes in the Golden Rule. Don't discriminate against anyone, not even Abby, the GOP tracker in the back of the room.

Tom Horner - He grew up in a household where gay marriage was not discriminated against. That's where he formed his values.

Question #4: Every child deserves to grow up in a safe environment. How will you nuture our children to do so?

Matt Entenza - We must confront it and talk about it.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher - We must make sure that we have strong points in place for childhood early screening. We must not allow these precious childhoods to be robbed.

Tom Horner - ECFC is very important. So is the Minnesota Reading Corps. We must make sure that kids are literate and can read.

Mark Dayton - Mark Dayton doesn't usually talk about personal issues, but he did briefly here. He emphatically stated that domestic abuse in Minnesota is unacceptable.

Question #5: Revenue - What's your take on a progressive tax system?

Margaret Anderson Kelliher - We must fight for the poor and middle class in Minnesota. We must build a more progressive tax system. Margaret will do this from day #1 of her governorship.

Tom Horner - He will raise taxes because he knows that we do need more revenue. We have to set priorities.

Mark Dayton - He will only raise taxes on the rich and wealthy who make over a certain amount of income. He will not rasie taxes on everyone, particularly not the poor and middle class. He will only raise taxes on those who can afford it.

Matt Entenza - He believes that taxes should be progressive.

QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE:

Immigration:

Tom Horner - Wants to see investments in diversity.

Mark Dayton - Believes that the Arizona Law is vile. It's a test between compassion and a lack of compassion. Mark Dayton is all for compassion. He's been compassionate for the needy since the late 1960's. He knows that to move forward into the future, we must understand our commonality.

Matt Entenza - We must break out of negative diversity.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher - Immigrant citizens need to be fully engaged. We can all have a brighter Minnesota because of embracing diversity.

National Guard:

Mark Dayton - He will expand the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program. This was his program in the beginning back when he was U. S. Senator.Dayton has always been excellent on veterans issues.

Matt Entenza - The Back Door Draft into the National Guard is becoming a critical issue. There is flooding ever year in the Red River Valley. We don't have the Guard here anymore to take care of it. They're all being sent to Afghanistan and Iraq. We need our National Guard for internal protection.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher - We need a strategic reward for active duty military personnel. She's a strong supporter of the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Tom Horner - We must acknowledge that we need to do more for homeless veterans and other homeless people. (No kidding, Tom. What do you suggest? Do you have a plan?)

2-MINUTE CLOSING STATEMENTS

How do you differentiate yourself from the other candidates?

Matt Entenza - He's the tallest. He's 6'5". His mother worked until age 74. We can't cut our way to greatness. We have to grow our way to greatness.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher - It's very important to have a governor who will stand up and fight for Minnesotans every day. Kelliher states that she is a proven and effective leader.

Tom Horner - He's not a politician. He's into community service. He's been very active in Catholic Charities. He thinks MN needs an independent voice for the next four years. He has no intention of running for two terms.

Mark Dayton - He offers highly experienced and effective leadership in Minnesota state government.  He knows that we must raise the necessary revenue that Minnesota needs. He has an excellent plan for that. He knows where the money is and he will get it if he's our governor. Mark Dayton is no doubt Minnesota's best choice for the next governor of Minnesota.

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POLITICS, CANCER AND SURVIVAL

Charles and Becky Downey

(my wonderful son and daughter-in-law)

As most of my dear readers know, I'm fighting a serious health issue. It's a CNS lymphoma, which is a tumor in the brain. I've been at home this past week waiting for my chemotherapy to start. I have an appointment with the neuro doc on Tuesday. My current treatment is oral steroids to reduce the tumor. Soon I'll start intravenous chemotherapy. I understand that it will probably make me feel sick. The protocol is to be in the hospital with intravenous infusion of methotrexate for a week on, then a week off, for about eight weeks.

Chemotherapy plays a very important role in treatment. High doses of methotrexate are used, often along with one or two more chemotherapy drugs. Chemotherapy is given before radiation to the brain. The total duration of chemotherapy is 3-6 months.

Part of me is thankful for this delay in the chemotherapy protocol in order to give the steroids a chance to reduce the tumor. Another part of me is anxious to get going on the treatment so I can get it over with and get my life back.

Meanwhile, since I probably have a couple of days to a week before the chemo starts, I'm planning to do a few things if I feel strong enough. I currently feel pretty weak. Some of that is probably because the steroids greatly reduces my ability to sleep. I'll have to ask the neuro about that on Tuesday.

Monday afternoon I promised to volunteer on phones at the Entenza campaign. I always have a lot of fun doing that. Plus I'm usually very productive. I'm good at talking to people and getting them to come to events.

Monday evening is a gubernatorial forum sponsored by A Minnesota Without Poverty. Ending Homelessness and Poverty: What do the Candidates have to say about Health, Housing, and Jobs?

Gubernatorial Candidate Forum

Monday, May 24, 2010
6:30-8:30pm
Temple Israel
2324 Emerson Avenue South
Minneapolis  MN

I'm looking forward to seeing many friends there.

On Tuesday afternoon is my appointment with my neurological oncologist in Woodbury, MN. I'll find out what happens to me next from him.

Tuesday evening I plan to attend a roast for my friend Thomas Snell. I graduated from White Bear Lake High School with him in 1968. I ran into him several months ago on Facebook. Now we're great Facebook friends. I've also seen him in person several times since then, mostly at political events and Chamber of Commerce events. Tom has been with MetroNorth Chamber for quite a few years and is now leaving to go on to other things. The Chamber is giving him a roast. I have got to see that.

I'm looking forward to helping out as much as I'm able with SD53 activities this summer. I hope I have the energy to do as much as I'll want to. It's so important for us to get our DFL candidates elected. In SD53 we have Senator Sandy Rummel, who is up for reelection this year, as well as Representative Paul Gardner from SD53A. We're working hard to get Chris Knopf elected over the current Representative in SD53B, Carol McFarlane (R). Chris is working very hard to obtain the seat. He'll be a wonderful Representative. He'll accomplish all kinds of good things for SD53B. McFarlane doesn't do much and her priority seems to be agreeing with everything Tim Pawlenty says. She's a very nice person; indeed, I graduated from high school with her. However, she's not what SD53B needs as far as representation.

I'm also hoping that I'll feel well enough to help out more with the gubernatorial election. I have no idea who will win it, as we  have three outstanding candidates. I like each one of them very much. They are, of course, Mark Dayton, Matt Entenza, and Margaret Anderson Kelliher. Each of them has many excellent qualities.

It would be great if some of you would come to see me in the hospital. I'll be at St. Joseph's in downtown St. Paul. You can also see me at my apartment in White Bear Lake every other week. Just email me to let me know when you can come.
tigerhawksoars@yahoo.com

My home telephone number is 651-777-3464. My answering machine died and I haven't been to the store to get a new one yet.

I hope to see many of you soon.

Colleen Morse
aka April Knight
aka MsTigerHawk

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MARGARET ANDERSON KELLIHER

Margaret Anderson Kelliher

DFL Endorsed Candidate for Governor, 2010

Margaret Anderson Kelliher was born on March 11, 1968. She grew up on a dairy farm in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, and graduated from Mankato West High School. She then earned her B.A. in history and political science from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. After that she worked hard to earn her M.P.A. from Harvard University in public administration. She does indeed have all the necessary qualifications to be an excellent governor.

Anderson Kelliher is a DFL member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. She represents District 60A. She's the current Speaker of the House as well as the endorsed DFL candidate for Governor of Minnesota. Kelliher is only the second woman to hold the position of Speaker of the House and the first woman to earn major-party endorsement for a gubernatorial election in Minnesota.

Margaret was the Minority Whip from 2003 to 2006. In January 2006 she became the first Assistant Minority Leader of the Minnesota House. In June 2006, she was selected by her caucus to succeed Rep. Matt Entenza as Minority Leader. After the Democrats won control of the House in the 2006 election, she was selected by her caucus to be Speaker starting in January 2007. She succeeded Rep. Steve Sviggum in that position. On January 6, 2009, she was re-elected Speaker for the 2009-2010 biennium.

Although Kelliher was not my first choice to win the endorsement (I was a big Rybak and Thissen supporter), I find that she does have some excellent leadership qualities. I don't think that her trouble in standing up to Governor Tim Pawlenty should make us feel that she's not very capable. That trouble belongs entirely in Pawlenty's lap for his complete unwillingness to work with the legislature. His nickname became Governor Veto. His presidential ambitions have been far greater than his concern for Minnesota and its people.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher has a good plan for Minnesota. Her goals are to grow Minnesota businesses; invest in Minnesotans; institute a new approach for economic growth; and position Minnesota for the future. She is determined that as soon as she is elected governor, her administration will work hard from the very beginning to create jobs and get people working again.

Margaret also has a plan to win this election. Here is her statement:

While I have been at the Capitol standing up to Tim Pawlenty and radical Republicans like Tom Emmer, my opponents have been spending their own personal fortunes to get a head start in this race.

But I know that’s not how you earn the support, or the votes of Minnesotans. Paul Wellstone taught me at a young age how to organize Minnesotans around a cause, and inspire communities to achieve something better.

That’s why I am building a people powered campaign for governor. We're going to win this election door-by-door, voter-by-voter. Together with Minnesotans, we are going to win. Because this campaign is about more than one person, it’s about one Minnesota.

That’s what I'm fighting for. That’s how we will close the chapter on Tim Pawlenty, and build a better Minnesota.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher on the issues.

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NON-HODGKINS LYMPHOMA BLUES

Monday, May 10 - I've been in St. Joseph's Hospital in downtown St. Paul since Wednesday morning. It started out being a very strange experience. Something happened to me on Sunday night, May 2. It was a serious medical issue. I thought maybe I just had a TIA, but it was much more serious than that.

Going back to Sunday night, I can remember that I started feeling very confused and disoriented. I went back to work Monday morning, May 3, because I was just coming off of medical leave for a different issue. I got to work and back just fine but had a horrible time of doing my job. I couldn't remember how to do it even though I'd been doing it for years. I tried to walk to the printer and went the wrong way. I got lost and turned around in my own office. My coworkers noticed something wrong but thought I was just having trouble getting back into the swing of work after a two-week medical leave. They were very nice about it but were concerned about me. My very nice boss Pete talked to me on Tuesday morning about my medical issues and getting back into work since this is our very busy part of the year in collecting data from insurance companies, health clinics, hospitals, etc.

I went home, then came back to work on Wednesday morning. I was there about two hours or so when I just had to leave. I was scared because I still couldn't figure out how to do my job. I was crying. I went to say goodbye to my coworker and friend Amy Camp. She wouldn't let me drive. She knew something was terribly wrong. She called an ambulance. The next thing I knew I was on my way to St. Joseph's Hospital in downtown St. Paul, MN, very close to where I work at the Minnesota Department of Health. It was an excellent hospital for me to go to because one of its top specialties is neurology/neurosurgery.

On Wednesday I had a CAT scan and an MRI of my brain, then later an MRI of my entire trunk area to see if the tumor had mestatisized. It hadn't, thankfully.

At first the doctors thought it was an agressive, stage three or stage 4 brain tumor. The biopsy results should come within a couple of days. It is in a spot that I choose not to have surgically removed because of the chance of losing cognitive reasoning skills. That is not acceptable to me.

The plan at this point, before knowing the biopsy report, is five weeks of radiology and chemotherapy and then a cweek of cyberknife. I have a feeling that I don't have long to live, but that could be because I've always had a feeling that I would die by age 62. No idea what that was all about.

I'm sure glad I met all my new friends before all this happened. What joy they have all brought me in the last nine months since I met them. Holly Cairns, Matt Entenza, Jason Hitchcock, Bridget, Gretchen, many others from the Entenza campaign (I can't remember all their names now because of the brain swelling, but probably will soon.), Mark Dayton, Brian Klaas, Katie Tinucci and others from the Dayton campaign. Mark Dayton is the one who first excited my excitement in campaigning since the 2010 gubernatorial race began. After that, I was completely hooked on the campaigning and the election as well as the entire political process. I got to know all the DFL gubernatorial candidates personally. They're all wonderful, caring, intelligent people. Any of them would make a fine governor for Minnesota. They all truly care about Minnesota and the issues facing Minnesotans.

R. T. Rybak and Paul Thissen were both very special to me. They went out of their way to make me feel welcome and to answer questions about hepatitis C and cirrhosis, which is another medical issue of mine. Almost all of the DFL candidates for governor took a great interest in answering my questions.

Tom Rukavina added so much fun and humor to his campaigning. What a unique, feisty, wonderful guy. I'll also never forget his staffer Orrie Salper. He was very special to me because he's such a warmhearted, kind person and has a great sense of humor. Also, I can say nothing but good things about Matt from the Thissen campaign, Senator John Marty and various others.

The Rybak staff, as well as Paul Thissen and his wife Karen, who is such a wonderful woman, also made me feel very good about campaigning and about politics in general.

Also not to be forgotten are all my new reNEW MN friends. What a great group of people! Minnesota is definitely changing for the better because of them. They added so much fun, excitement and enthusiasm to the 2010 DFL State Convention. I was so glad to be an alternate delegate to that event. I met lots of people, including a direct descendant of Daniel Webster who was also named Daniel Webster. The current Daniel Webster was a staunch Rybak supporter. He's the one who did the Rybak campaign music video called I've Been Everywhere.

There are now three remaining DFL candidates for governor. They are Mark Dayton, Matt Entenza and Margaret Anderson Kelliher. It's very difficult to decide which one to vote for. On the other hand, I might not live long enough to have to decide. I've always been a Dayton supporter and I also like Matt Entenza very much.

I have a strong fondness for Mark Dayton, maybe partly because he's of the same era that I am. We both were active protestors against the Viet Nam War. We both distinctly remember Kent State and all the other intense things that happened in the late 1960s and early 1970's. We remember the same culture and the same music. We both love The Moody Blues, although he liked the Rolling Stones better and I liked The Beatles better. We remember Country Joe and the Fish, Simon & Garfunkle, Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie and so many others. We both kept our progressive values. No wonder I feel an affinity with him. I feel an even greater affinity toward him now that I know him a bit in person. He's never deviated from his dedication to progressive politics. He's been working hard and diligently toward progressive goals since the late 1960's. He has always put the well-being of others before his own needs.

Matt Entenza is definitely another person who I would feel very comfortable with as governor. Margaret Anderson Kelliher, as well, has the values that Minnesota needs. Any of these three would make a great governor.

In conclusion of this first part of my current medical story, I can only tell you, since when I wrote this I hadn't received my biopsy results yet, that the "tumor" might have been growing for awhile until it finally got big enough to cause the symptoms of confusion and disorientation. Luckily the steroids the doctors have me on alleviates that.

I'll submit Part II later today or tomorrow.

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DFL and IP Gubernatorial Forum, May 2, 2010

Margaret Anderson Kelliher

Mark Dayton

Tom Horner (on right)

Dayton Staffer

Entenza Staffer

Kelliher Staffer

My Blogger Friend Dyna

Tom Johnson, MDH Management (My Friend from Work)

He's from my Senate District (SD53)

Margaret Anderson Kelliher

This afternoon I attended the Governor's Candidate Forum on Clean Energy, Clean Water and Minnesota’s Future. This was a free public forum sponsored by Super Valu. The location was the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Candidates attending included Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Matt Entenza, Mark Dayton, Rob Hahn and Tom Horner. The former three are DFL candidates; the latter two are IP candidates. The only Republican candidate, Tom Emmer, chose to absent himself from the forum. I'm sure it was because he knew he couldn't keep up with the high intelligence of the other five candidates.

First, each candidate was given one minute to present an opening statement.

Tom Horner gave four points that reflect his main goals in green energy should he become our next governor.

1.  Leadership

2.  Protect lakes and waterways

3.  Green energy with accountability

4.  Reform and smart policies

Margaret Anderson Kelliher said that she created jobs across the state. She's excellent on job creation. It sounds like it's her number one focus. She also rates very high on saving energy.

Rob Hahn stated that he is an innovator, a winner and a leader. He's a true outsider and is good on green issues.

Matt Entenza is excellent on green energy. It's his core value. He is an innovator in creating a clean energy economy. When Matt was a prosecutor he put polluters in jail. We're not talking about littering, but about those who knowingly and willfully break the environmental laws.

Mark Dayton knows a lot about everything due to his years as a U. S. Senator. He's got experience in green issues as well as in what has been done and what needs to be done in cleaning up the environment. He has said that the first day in office as governor, he would fire the MPCA Board. Dayton says the board of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has been irresponsible in enforcing pollution control standards.      

Question #1: How can we best promote energy efficiency?

Margaret Anderson Kelliher emphatically stated that energy conservation is her big goal. She will strive for a state government that is performance based. I wonder if AFSCME and MAPE will allow that?

Rob Hahn wants to give businesses incentives to hire new employees. He stated that goals are great to have, but you can't regulate everything. He feels that we should be concerned with our environmental footprint.

Matt Entenza knows that personal responsibility alone won't do the trick in fixing the environment. We need to change the way our new economy works. We also need to have laws and regulations that protect the environment as much as possible. Leaving this aspect of earth protection up to each individual person without any regulations or laws just won't work. 

Mark Dayton stated that if men were angels, we wouldn't need antipollution laws. However, human nature being what it is, we do need them. Government has a role and a responsibility in government and in protecting our environment. Dayton thoroughly understands the role that government must play in environmental issues.

Tom Horner said that we need to come up with the right reasons for recycling and keeping the environment clean and friendly. He said that we need to figure out how to innovate. He wants reform and smart thinking. He seems to think we can accomplish our environmental goals without a lot of regulation and laws. 

Question #2 stated that 73% of Minnesota voters want clean renewable energy sources. How will we accomplish this?

Rob Hahn said that we have to look at a grid. He also wants a to lift the moratorium on nuclear energy. He wants us to give serious consideration to building a new plant or two. He claims that 3rd generation power plants are very safe. (Okaaaay...and what will he do with the nuclear waste that no one wants to be responsible for?)

Matt Entenza said that dictators in 3rd world countries are determining our energy output. Far too many jobs have left Minnesota. We can get jobs back with wind technology, solar energy, biofuels, etc. Matt is no doubt the most knowledgeable candidate on renewable green energy. Most of his platform revolves around this. This is our future.

Mark Dayton basically said that Hahn is irresponsible. Dayton said we can convert boilers and in ten years we can convert most facilities to conserve energy.

Tom Horner said that our challenge is in finding energy in certain parts of Minnesota. We need smart energy principles. Horner comes across as a very smart person who is also reasonable and makes a lot of sense when you listen to him. Horner said he wants green energy, of course, but he wants smart green energy.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher wants to reduce the amount of energy we use. She claims to be the only candidate to put out a complete plan for energy conservation.

At this point, Margaret Anderson Kelliher had to leave. Now we only have four candidates answering the questions.

Question #3: The Politics of Conservation

Matt Entenza wants to use the money that Pawlenty took to fund conversation. Entenza knows that we need a governor who will make conservation a core value. He wants to eliminate the pollution of our waters with runoff.

Mark Dayton wants the conservation commission to consist of an equal number of men and women. Dayton has excellent ideas on gender politics.

Tom Horner says that it's not about gender politics. He maintains that we can't fund everything, especially now while we have a 5 to 6 billion dollar deficit.

Rob Hahn stated that rivers are polluted. He believes that government has a role to enforce pollution laws but that we can't mandate everything. He wants to lead by example. Apparently he thinks that if we lead the horses to water, we can make them drink just by setting an example.

Question #4:

Mark Dayton has a lot to say about the Pollution Control Agency. He's very outspoken about what is wrong with that agency, and rightly so. He is appalled at that Agency's lack of expertise in cleaning up the environment. If Dayton is governor, there will be a lot of changes there. Heads might even roll. He wants to rename it the Pollution Reduction Agency. Dayton is also for promoting free-roaming livestock. He's got excellent ideas for both reducing pollution and cleaning up the atrocious way many treat livestock.

Tom Horner will require leading through innovation. He wants to use easements creatively.

Rob Hahn says that feedlots are a big contributor to pollution. Farmers should have more easements to set up barriers. He kind of changed his stand as the debate went on. He's willing to listen to others and change as new data becomes available.

Matt Entenza stated that this is where the rubber meets the road. (I like that experession.) He said that this is not about separation. This is about communities coming together. We need to actually test our water. A huge portion of our water is polluted.

Question from Audience Member Andy: What will you do to make sure that enough is being done to protect our environment?

Tom Horner said that we need to adapt new technology. He wants to see innovation as well as more research at the U of M. He wants more to be done with K - 12.

Rob Hahn wants us to look at the big picture. He wants to see long term value for biofuels. 

Matt Entenza looks to the next generation of biofuels to create a new clean economy. Matt has great ideas on and knowledge of green energy. Take a look at his website to find out more at http://www.entenza.com/ .

Mark Dayton knows a lot about the use of ethanol and reuseable energy in Minnesota.

Dayton has stated support of green energy and a state pollution reduction agency. He received a 79% rating from the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), indicating pro-environment values.

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MARK DAYTON

Mark Dayton with Staff and Volunteers

For some unknown reason, some people seem to think that Mark Dayton is all washed up politically. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those who are in the know and not just think they are, as seems to be the case with Kelliher staffers and supporters, know without any doubt that Dayton is still a major force in the political arena. He's got allies and supporters in places you never dreamed of in all your worldly travels. Mark Dayton and Matt Entenza both have a very good chance of winning the governorship. Probably a better chance than Kelliher, unless a good many voters rally behind her as the campaign continues.

DFLers tend to forget that life in the real world doesn't revolve around the political life of party hacks. The real world of the DFL involves a lot of seniors as well as today's youth who are barely old enough to vote. There's a tremendous outpouring of support for Mark Dayton. He's got the most experience of any candidate. He also knows what Minnesota needs. He's been the most vocal candidate for speaking out against Tim Pawlenty and the disaster he caused Minnesotans. Mark Dayton loves Minnesota; there's no doubt about it.

Does Margaret Anderson Kelliher love Minnesota? Or does she like the power that being Speaker of the House gave her? Why does she want to be governor? What's the real, true reason? I'd like to know.

I know why Mark Dayton wants to be governor. I know the main reasons as well as some of the other reasons. Almost all of his reasons are altruistic. Everyone who knows him knows that his biggest concern is for the future of Minnesota. He's got something inside of him that makes it impossible for him not to care about Minnesota. Our very state, it's very core of existence, is in his blood.

I've never heard Mark brag about his heritage. Yet it's one he can be tremendously proud of. His family was here before the Revolutionary War. What better candidate to serve Minnesota? Who better equipped than a man who has spent his entire life in public service? 

Who is not afraid to get his hands dirty by sandbagging in flooded areas? Who has always gone the extra 100 miles or more to help others? Who donated his Senate salary to seniors instead of keeping it for himself? Who has spent decades serving Minnesotans while asking for nothing in return? Who has demonstrated again and again a deep, unfaltering caring for others throughout his entire public service career? The answer is always Mark Dayton. He has never asked what others could do for him. He has always asked what he could do for others. He's always ready and willing to lend a hand where needed.

Mark Dayton has always been there when Minnesotans needed him, whether in times of public crisis or when a single telephone call beckened him to someone who lay dying. He has always answered the call to public service. Will you be there when he needs you?

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THREE CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR

Matt Entenza

Mark Dayton

Margaret Anderson Kelliher

Who do you want to be our next governor? Matt Entenza? Mark Dayton? Or perhaps Margaret Anderson Kelliher? What are the pros and cons of each candidate?

Most of the active DFL party members want the endorsed candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher. I imagine she'll get a lot of female DFL voters as well. Mark Dayton, of course, has a lot of supporters who have been following his career for a long, long time. Matt Entenza is relatively unknown outside of DFL circles. Not for long, though. He's moving up very quickly. Plus he has the money to advertise his name and what he stands for.

Who is most likely to win the DFL Primary? Gosh, I don't know. It all depends on how many people vote in the Primary. It there's a low voter turnout with mostly seniors voting, Dayton will probably win. If there's a big voter turnout that crosses all ages, Entenza or Kelliher will no doubt win.

Each of the three candidates appeals to a different type of voter. Kelliher will probably get a lot of female votes. There are quite a few females who say she does not appeal to them, though. Nevertheless, I think she's got a fantastic chance of winning the primary. Especially with progressive voters behind her, such as reNEW MN/TakeAction MN. If all of these progressives rally behind Margaret, she just might win.

Entenza is not well known yet, but he has an active campaign and he's getting more and more media exposure everyday. I expect him to be in the forefront of this race. He has the looks for it. He's tall and rugged. If you're looking for him, you certainly can't miss him. Plus he's got the looks that appeal to women across Minnesota. For the men, he's got a commanding presence. Tall and stately. Matt Entenza looks like a governor. He looks like a governor is expected to look. 

Dayton has 35 years of public service experience. It's hard to beat that. He knows all about politics. I should think he'd be tired of it by now. I would be if I had been in it for so many years. I suspect that it's so much a part of his life that he'll find it very difficult to shake off the shackle. He should write a book about his life. It would probably be a best seller. He'd become even more famous. Politicians are a dime a dozen, but a good writer is not that easy to find. Especially one who has led such an interesting life. Writers are far more unique than politicians. And they have so much more to offer the world. Once the campaigning is over and the election is won, not too many people pay attention to politicians. (I wonder if I convinced him yet?)

I'll continue to write about these three candidates until we have a winner or until two drop out of the race. Which I don't expect will happen. Starting this weekend, I'll take these three candidates and look at them one at a time with all the pros and cons of each. From my viewpoint, of course. 

Meanwhile, start thinking of questions you'd like to ask each of these three candidates.

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