Because of a couple scheduling conflicts, the October 15th Central and Executive Committee Meeting has been postponed. Please keep checking back for information.
The October 15th Meeting is Postponed
Published October 8, 2009 Announcements , SD36 Leave a CommentTags: SD36 Central Committee, SD36 Executive Committee, Senate District 36 Meeting
Health Care Reform Rally and John Kline Townhall Meetings
Published September 15, 2009 Events ClosedTags: Health Care, Health Care Reform, John Kline
Major Events This Week
Rally for Health Care Reform!
When: Thursday, September 17, 2009, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Where: Bridge Square, Downtown Northfield
Who: Everyone that supports President Obama’s plan for Health Care Reform.
This is being advertised as a non-partisan event… We want everyone that supports Health Care Reform.
BRING SIGNS OF SUPPORT! GET FIRED UP AND READY TO GO! We need as many people as we can get to make a statement – Health Care Reform NOW!!
Town Hall Meeting on Friday with Congressman John Kline.
When: Friday, September 18, 2009 6:30 – 8:00 PM (come early!)
Where: Lakeville South High School 21135 Jacquard Avenue, Lakeville
As this has only happened once before (Kline holding a public town hall meeting), please plan on attending and bring your family and friends. Show up early, be polite, be prepared to ask questions and give testimony regarding healthcare.
Let show Kline that the people he supposedly represents deserve and want nothing short of healthcare reform!
Time to change history
Published September 1, 2009 Mary Liz Holberg , Pat Garofalo , SD36 ClosedTags: DFL Senate District 36, Mary Liz Holberg, Pat Garofalo
Smart Politics, the blog from the University of Minnesota’s Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, ranked the most reliable DFL and Republican districts in Minnesota. District 36A (Rep. Mary Liz Holberg) is listed as the 9th most reliable Republican district in the state. Republicans in 36A have won with an average margin of victory of 28.1% since 2002. District 36B is listed as the 24th most reliable Republican district. That includes current Rep. Pat Garafalo and former Rep. Steve Strachan.
History indicates the area that today makes up District 36 is a tough area for DFLers to win. In a very quick search on the state legislative page, I found only two DFLers elected to the House since the 1970s from towns that make up today’s district. They were Jim White, 1975-1978, and Bob Jensen, 1975-1988.
So far, there is only one declared candidate challenging Mary Liz Holberg in 36A — Colin Lee. There are no declared candidates for 36B or for Senate 36. If you are interested or have an idea for a candidate willing to work to change our district’s history, contact the chair of 36, Toby Nichols.
The next District 36 meeting is scheduled for Oct. 15. Come to the meeting and get involved to elect a DFLer from 36. Keep checking back here for more information.
Mr. Garofalo Goes To South Korea
Published July 23, 2009 Pat Garofalo ClosedTags: DFL Senate District 36, Pat Garofalo
Farmington Representative Pat Garofalo (36B) spent some time during June in South Korea as part of a tour with the American Council of Young Political Leaders. In a story in ThisWeek Newspaper, he said, “The amazing thing is when you see South Korea’s success, you see benefits of capitalism, and when you look at the suffering in North Korea, you see the failure of socialism and communism.”
Wait a minute.
Is the socialist system in North Korea really the reason for the suffering, or is it a malicious dictator who thinks the people of North Korea are his pawns? There are not many truly socialist countries, but Portugal is one. Do we consider Portugal and North Korea equivalent in failure and suffering?
Perhaps I’m jumping to conclusions with Garofalo, but it seems that so many Republicans blame everything bad in government on government. All they have to do is whisper the “S” word – socialist – to rile up their base. Those same politicians don’t look in the mirror to see the real problem. It’s often not the political/economic theory we use to describe the government system that makes it unworkable. Rather, it is the people running the government.
Garofalo didn’t mention that the South Korean school system he praised as “a better 21st-century educational system” than we have, is a socialist entity. Public education in general is socialist, at least by the Republican scare-tactic definition of what socialism is.
He praised a transit system process that uses strips on the road to charge electric cars and buses while they drive. He didn’t mention that it was developed at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, which is a government-funded institution. That sounds socialist in every sense of the Republican definition.
The word “socialist” is thrown out by people like Garofalo to scare people. When did public funding within a democracy become equivalent to socialism?
Here in our own community of Farmington, we have a socialist fire department, a socialist police department, and socialist garbage pick-up. The clean water comes from a government-run facility, and my son plays hockey at a socialist hockey arena. If you want to go way out on a limb, you can say our co-op gas company is even communist.
We can define a word based on a political agenda and use it any way we want. However, we still want all of these “socialist” services, and we don’t want to pay more than we have to.
It is time to get rid of manipulative politicians like Pat Garofalo, with their self-serving political agendas and buzz words. In 2010, we need to elect representatives from 36 who have the interest of the community, state and country in mind.
Crossposted at www.MNDem.com
July Senate District 36 Meeting – Potluck, Paul Thissen and the Wellstone Dinner with Senator Franken
Published July 17, 2009 2010 Governor Race , Announcements , Events ClosedTags: 2010 Governor Race, Al Franken, CD2, DFL Senate District 36, Paul Thissen, SD36 Central Committee
For those of you that missed the Senate District 36 Potluck, Speaker and Central/Executive Committee Meeting, you really missed out.
We started the evening off with conversation and a potluck. Fried chicken, sandwiches with all the fixings, a few salads, some hummus and pitas and some really good chocolate chip cookies in a container labeled “Thissen”, made for a delicious dinner. The conversations, and meeting new progressives, and reacquainting with old friends was even better.
We had a few speakers. Aaron Olson from the Minnesota Young DFL spoke about how successful the organization was in 2008,and how they plan to build on that success in 2010. A challenge was put forth from one listener in the audience that if somebody else donated $100 to the Minnesota Young DFL, she would match it, and it was immediately met. In fact Mr. Olson left with a few donations for MYDFL.
Dan Powers, challenger to John Kline for the MN Congressional District 2 seat, spoke next. He introduced himself, and talked a little about his experience.
The main speaker, Representative Paul Thissen spoke next. So that is where those cookies came from… Actually, the cookies came from Paul’s family. Several members of Paul’s family live in SD36, it was great to have his family with us, and even better that his father asked him a campaign question. Paul did a great job, and SD36 is appreciative that he came to speak to our little group. He introduced himself, and did a nice job of summarizing why he is running and what his main agenda will be. Rep. Thissen then spent a lot of time, more time than Chair Nichols had planned, answering a lot of great questions. Chair Nichols had to stop the questions and go on with the business of the meeting, but it was a very good introduction for most of us to gubernatorial candidate Paul Thissen.
Before we started the meeting, Colin Lee, was given a couple minutes to announce his plans to challenge Mary Liz Holberg. Some people will remember Colin Lee from 2008 when he challenged Representative Holberg as a Green Party candidate.
The meeting began by filling some open seats on the executive committee. The election to fill the vacant Associate Chair position was won by Lisa Backer. Three female Directors positions and one male Director position were filled. That left one open female Director position open still. That open position will be filled at the next meeting, which is scheduled for October 15th. Please contact Chair Nichols if you are interested in the Director position. Finally, open male and female State Central Committee Alternate positions were filled by a couple of DFL veterans.
Dakota County Fair volunteer time are available. Senate District 36 is responsible for filling spots two days. Contact Tony Olson if you are interested in helping out at the booth.
The Wellstone Dinner will be scheduled for October 24th, 2009. Site and times are to be determined. But the big news is that Senator Franken has accepted an invitation to speak to our group the day before the seventh anniversary of the death of his good friends Senator and Sheila Wellstone. Save the date, and when tickets become available, get your tickets early, these will be in high demand.
Important Announcement from the CD2 Executive Committee Meeting held July 14, 2009
Published July 14, 2009 Announcements , Events ClosedTags: 2010 Governor Race, CD2, DFL Senate District 36, Paul Thissen
With the loss of DFL CD2 Associate Chair Ken Beck who passed away the previous week, an announcement was made that his position, Associate Chair (Male Position), will need to be filled, as well as the position of State Constitution Alternate (Female Position). Elections will be held at the September CD2 Central Committee meeting.
The September meeting was originally scheduled to be an Executive Committee Meeting, however, because of the election, the September meeting will now be a Central Committee Meeting, and the October meeting will be changed to be an Executive Committee Meeting.
Please contact Minnesota DFL Congressional District 2 Chair Jeanne Thomas if you wish to throw your hat into the ring for one of the two open positions. It will be an election, and you will be scheduled to give a brief speech prior to the election at the meeting.
With the 2010 election coming up, it is imperative that a DFL governor be elected. Hard working, committed people need to be elected to fill these positions. It will take every district organization to work hard to ensure we have a representative in the governor’s mansion who will look out for the future of the people of Minnesota, rather than live by a pledge to a single special interest tax group, or worry about how the national media or national base sees him or her, at the expense of Minnesota.
Since I am talking about meetings… Don’t forget in two days, DFL Senate District 36 will be holding a potluck, 6:00 pm Thursday July 16th, at the Rambling River Center in downtown Farmington. Rep. Paul Thissen is scheduled to speak during the potluck. Feel free to come and share in the potluck, get some questions answered by Representative Thissen, and based on the size of our group, I’m guessing you will even have a chance to talk one-on-one with him. The potluck starts at 6:00, and following Paul’s presentation, the SD36 Central Committee meeting will begin. People are welcome to come for the potluck, to hear Paul Thissen, just to participate in the meeting, or any combination of the three. I look forward to seeing you there.
Potluck and Speaker Paul Thissen – Thursday July 16th.
Published June 29, 2009 2010 Governor Race , Announcements ClosedTags: 2010 Governor Race, DFL Senate District 36, Paul Thissen, SD36 Central Committee
On Thursday July 16th, at 6:00 pm, Senate District 36 DFLers will be sharing in a potluck and enjoying the company of a special speaker, gubernatorial candidate Paul Thissen.
The potluck will begin at 6:00 at the Rambling River Center, 413 3rd Street in 
downtown Farmington. It will be great time to meet and interact with other progressives in our district. Please bring something to share, but show up even if you don’t want to eat, it will be a fun time, and a great way to meet other progressives in the area.
Paul Thissen will be joining us to discuss the recent legislative session, as well as his vision for the state when he becomes governor. I’m sure he will have something to say about the current governor too. It should be an interesting evening, and it will be a great chance to really get some one-on-one face time with a candidate in a small group setting. Everyone is welcome! Bring some questions for Rep. Thissen, and bring some food to share with Paul and other local progressives.
The Central committee meeting will follow at 7:30, an agenda will be distributed soon.
Paul Thissen (pronounced TEE-sen) has served in the State Legislature since 2002. He is a life long resident of Minnesota, and grew up in the southern suburbs. He is a graduate of Harvard and The University of Chicago Law School. Paul is married with three children.
Paul was the Chief Author of the Children’s Health Security Act, which resulted in nearly 40,000 children getting access to health care. He was also instrumental in passing the 2008 Health Reform Act.
Paul’s hopes for Minnesota are simple and reflect the basic Minnesota values instilled in him since childhood. He wants to make sure that our state continues to be a place where our kids have the same opportunity to learn, grow and succeed that we did and where our parents can live their lives with independence and dignity. He will continue to fight for those values now and in the future.
Report from the CD2 Central Committee Meeting
Published June 10, 2009 2010 Governor Race , Announcements , Events ClosedTags: 2010 Gvernor Race, CD2, John Marty
I little something about what you missed at the June 9th, CD2 Central Committee Meeting.
The little Savage Library meeting room was packed. All the seats were full, a few people stood and a few people sat on window ledges to discuss the happenings of CD2.
It becomes old hat for regular meeting attendees to visit with candidates, and this meeting was no exception. Candidate for Governor, Senator John Marty was the main speaker, but the Central Committee also heard from Senator John Doll of SD40, who wasn’t speaking as a candidate, but was prodded to the front of the room in Senator Marty’s absence. CD2 Congressional candidate Dan Powers spoke for a couple minutes about his personal history. Candidate Mike Germain running for State Senate in SD37 spoke for a minute, followed by an opponent also seeking the DFL senate endorsement in SD37, Roberta Gibbons.
There was also a speaker representing the Young DFL, but the headliner was Senator John Marty. He stood in front of the room, looking both casual and gubernatorial in a blue blazer and khaki pants. He addressed his loss in 1994, quieting those concerns by pointing out that the themes in his 1994 campaign, equality, healthcare and the environment did not match the Newt Gingrich “Contract On America” which dominated the political spectrum that year. His themes are much more relevant today.
Senator Marty’s presentation centered on the idea of looking ahead 20 years. He stressed that he stands up for what is right, even if it is unpopular, and pointed out that in 1999 and 2000, he was the only Senator to vote no on the state’s tax cuts. Sen. Marty said He didn’t vote no because he loves taxes. He voted no because he didn’t believe the tax cuts were sustainable. To read more about his presentation, visit www.MNDem.com.
Gubernatorial candidates are all over right now. If you are interested, candidates for Governor Susan Gaertner and Steve Kelley are speaking this Friday night, June 12 at Open Circle Church (2400 Highland Drive, Burnsville) at 7:00 pm. They will be answering questions and discussing their visions for our state. The meeting is sponsored by mnpACT!
Paul Thissen is considering attending the next SD36 meeting in July. So keep watching for posts on that, and other presenters. In addition, the next meeting will probably include an election or two so be sure to attend if you are on the central committee. Feel free to attend even if you are not on the committee.
In a June 3, StarTribune article, 36A Rep. Mary Liz Holberg said of Governor Tim Pawlenty’s years at the state’s helm:
“I think he’s one of the best, and I think the Democrats would say that too.”
He just might be the best at recklessly cutting spending on education and healthcare, increasing property taxes and increasing college tuition. If that is what Rep. Holberg is talking about, she could be right. But if she is talking about one of the best Minnesota governors, she has lost her marbles and should follow the Governor’s lead and let somebody who has some willingness to tackle the State’s tough problems serve.
10th Annual DFL Women’s Hall of Fame Luncheon
Saturday, Jun 6 Noon
Minneapolis Hilton
See 2 posts down for more information.
CD2 Central Committee Meeting
Tuesday, Jun 9 6:30 p.m.
Savage Library Meeting Room
13090 Alabama Ave S
(next to Savage USPO and City Hall).
On the Agenda:
CD2 Fundraiser
Election of Male Director
Visitors are welcome
Visit the CD2 website for more information.
mnpACT! Speaker Event
An evening with Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner
&
former State Senator Steve Kelley
Both Susan Gaertner and Steve Kelley will speak and answer questions about their candidacies for Governor of Minnesota and their visions for our state. This is part of mnpACT’s Candidates for Governor in 2010 series.
Friday, Jun 12 7:00 p.m.
Open Circle Church:
2400 Highland Drive, Burnsville
Everyone Welcome!
This is a Free Event.
Visit the mnpACT! website for more information.
