ABM asks: what were they clapping for?

by: Joe Bodell

Sun Feb 14, 2010 at 22:46:05 PM CST

Montage of what, you say? The leading Republican candidates for Governor, applauding dutifully to Pawlenty's applause lines as he pushed the same old failed policies that have helped get Minnesota into the fiscal jam we're now in.

The full fact check doc supporting ABM's video can be found here.

The only thing I would add is that it's not enough to have the facts on the side of the reality-based community -- we need to make sure that those facts are not brought into focus for their own sake. Instead, we need those facts to prove the case for the progressive values that will help us move past the crisis that Pawlenty's eight years at the helm have exacerbated.

Support our schools. Repair our roads and bridges. Provide transit options. Help the sick and needy move toward health and prosperity.

Lather, rinse, repeat, then win.

Announcing Netroots Minnesota: Nov 20-21 in St. Paul

by: XavierLA

Mon Oct 19, 2009 at 12:09:48 PM CDT

When we were at Netroots Nation in Pittsburgh this past summer, a group of Minnesotans, including MPP's very own Populista, The UpTake's Jason Barnett, Grassroots Solutions' Lindsay Hansen, and some of the Alliance for a Better Minnesota crew started talking about how great it would be if Netroots Nation came to Minnesota. Having a Netroots conference in Minnesota would give us the opportunity to enhance our tradition of grassroots organizing by offering trainings and panels on using technology to promote progressive ideas.

Fast forward a couple of months, after a lot of help from every segment of the progressive community in the state and the Netroots Nation team, and we're proud to be announcing the first-ever Netroots Minnesota, a regional conference of Netroots Nation, which will be held in St. Paul from November 20-21st.

From an email Denise Cardinal, ABM's Executive Director, sent to our list this morning:

Over the next 12 months, we will be working hard to advocate for  progressive policies. But in order to be effective, we're going to need  to get the progressive grassroots and Netroots together to network and  organize.

Join us, along with progressives from all over  Minnesota, in St. Paul on November 20th and 21st for the first ever  Netroots Minnesota conference.

We'll have captivating panels led by national and state experts,  practical training sessions and workshops, and a gubernatorial  candidate forum. This conference is the premier kickoff to the critical  conversations progressives will be having as we approach 2010.

Declare your support for the Netroots community and register to attend Netroots Minnesota at NetrootsMinnesota.org.

The Netroots have played a  critical role in helping shape a national progressive agenda over the  last several years, and we hope to build on that same success here in Minnesota. We hope that Netroots Minnesota will provide a space where progressives from across the state could come together, network and organize, and to learn how we can more effectively use technology to  strengthen our community.

If you're interested in getting involved in Netroots Minnesota, check out the website. From there you can register to attend, submit your ideas for trainings or panel discussions, or find out about sponsorship opportunities.

There's a programming committee composed of bloggers, activists, and progressive organizations which will meet regularly between now and the conference to take your suggestions and create the best possible agenda we can.

This is only the beginning of the critical conversations progressives will be having as we approach 2010 and we think its a great way to get the entire community involved in this dialogue.

ABM asks Pawlenty: help make taxes more fair

by: Joe Bodell

Fri May 08, 2009 at 06:44:21 AM CDT

According to ABM,

A coalition of labor has joined with Alliance for a Better Minnesota to provide Minnesotans with a broader picture of the ongoing debate at the Capitol to create jobs, provide health care, strengthen public schools, and invest our future.

The new ad campaign will feature middle-class Minnesotans talking about the way the Governor's policies affect them and their families. The 30-second radio ads which will run during the Governor's hour-long Friday radio show.

Minnesotans deserve to know the  cost of Gov. Pawlenty's policies, which often put his  political ambitions ahead of the needs of Minnesota's working families.

ABM Poll: Voters want Coleman to concede, Pawlenty to sign certificate

by: Joe Bodell

Sun Apr 26, 2009 at 11:20:37 AM CDT

The poll, commissioned by Alliance for a Better Minnesota, showed that 59% of surveyed voters believe Coleman should concede to Al Franken, while just 34% believe he should keep his legal challenge going. Those numbers fit with the 61% who believe the recount and challenge process has been fair and impartial, against just 24% -- the true dead-end of the conservative rump -- who still question the process.

54% now believe that Franken won in November fair and square, while just 26% believe Coleman actually won. Among the remainder, 14% are unsure of who actually came out ahead and 5% believe the two candidates actually tied.

As for Governor Pawlenty, there are some potential landmines waiting for him should he decide that he, and not the state Supreme Court, is the Decider:

What ought to be of concern to Governor Pawlenty is the fallout should he refuse to sign a certificate of election. A clear majority (58%) believe that failure to certify Franken after the Minnesota Supreme Court rules raises at least "somewhat serious doubts" about Tim Pawlenty. This number grows to 64% when voters are told that the governor is legally required to sign an election certificate. In fact, even four in 10 (40%) self-identified Republicans say they would have "serious doubts" with their Republican Governor should he fail to sign an election certificate after the Minnesota Supreme Court rules.

When given two opposing viewpoints, nearly half the electorate ascribe to the view that Pawlenty's motivations are not based on legitimate concerns about the process, but a desire to play partisan politics and help conservative Republicans in Congress. In fact, Minnesota voters are more likely to see the failure to certify as an emblem of Pawlenty's ambition than they are to believe that he prudently is waiting for the matter to be resolved in the federal courts.