Free Republic

enate candidate Al Franken's satirical and explicit take on virtual sex and other topics, published in Playboy magazine eight years ago, is drawing concern instead of laughter from some Minnesota Democrats. Rep. Betty McCollum, who supported the comedian's rival Mike Ciresi until he dropped out of the race for the party's nomination for the Senate, complained Thursday that she and other Minnesota Democrats will be on the same November ballot as a candidate "who has pornographic writings that are indefensible." "Do they spend all of their time defending him, or do they spend their time talking about issues that are...

Looks like the folks in Minnesota are trying to have a little fun. So many of you responded to our video requesting help to name our blog, we here in Minneapolis-Saint Paul figured we're in March, the local college is trying to get into the post-season basketball tournament, that tournament has a catchy nickname, so why don’t we *ahem* "leverage" that into creating our own contest: Blog Madness?

The snow doesn’t seem to be slowing down Gov. Tim Pawlenty. He plans to leave Thursday on another out of state trip. It is just one of several 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has followed over the last couple of months—fueling speculation of a Vice Presidential nod. Aside from his day job at the capitol, Pawlenty’s side gig as John McCain’s national co-chair has him crisscrossing the nation almost every weekend so far this year. Take a look at his itinerary: Dec. 29: Pawlenty was in New Hampshire. The next week, to the Iowa caucuses. Then it was off to Michigan. And...

The Minnesota Public Radio News/Humphrey Institute Poll indicates DFL Senate candidate Al Franken poses more of a re-election threat to Republican Sen. Norm Coleman than any of the other DFL candidates. The poll indicates that if the election were today Coleman and Franken would be in a statistical dead heat. The poll took the pulse of 917 Minnesota residents over a one- week period that ended Sunday. It shows Coleman 5 points ahead of DFLer Mike Ciresi, and gives Coleman double-digit leads over Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer and Jim Cohen who dropped out of the race Friday. University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute...

The Republican Party in Minnesota, where the GOP will crown its nominee this summer, is a perfect reflection right now of the national party. It is all mixed up on the presidential race and struggling to hold an increasingly fragile coalition together. "There's a real battle going on here for what it means to be conservative, to be Republican," said Andy Aplikowski, a local party chairman. "Is it religion, is it defense, free markets ... states' rights? There's no common message." In Minnesota, as across the country, evangelicals are lining up behind pastor-turned-politician Mike Huckabee despite his record of tax...

Sources are reporting that Rep. Marty Seifert (R Marshall) will be announced as the Minnesota Chair for the Fred Thompson campaign Thursday. Seifert is a huge pick up for Thompson as he is held as a hero for leading the charge against the DFL’s massive and oppressive tax increases last Legislative session as Republican House Minority Leader. There will be a public kickoff Thursday at the State Capital. The campaign will be holding a formal announcement at 2:00PM on Thursday November 15th, in Room 181 of the State Office Building to announce Seifert as State Chair along with Chairs and...

U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad is expected to announce that he is retiring from Congress. His office released a statement today saying he plans to "make a major announcement ...concerning his future plans." Ramstad has represented the Third District, made up of the southern, western and northern suburbs of Minneapolis, since he was elected to his first of 9 terms in 1990. A spokesman for Ramstad, John Magnuson, declined to comment on the congressman's announcement, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Minnetonka. But an email press release on the announcement included a file entitled, "retire_advisory," that had Magnuson's name attached...

DOBBS: Let's talk about another oath. The Senate... FRANKEN: Yes? DOBBS: Minnesota, are you going to run? FRANKEN: I don't know. Actually, we're deciding, I think, this weekend, the family, my family. DOBBS: OK, I'll give you the number, and I want you to let me know immediately. FRANKEN: I think if I tell someone, it might be somebody in Minnesota. DOBBS: You've got it. All right. Well, we wish you a lot of luck. Look forward to your decision. FRANKEN: Thank you. DOBBS: Whatever you do, stay yourself. Those people... FRANKEN: No, I'm going to change, Lou. If I...

Keith Ellison's GOP foe attacked sharply Wednesday, calling him unfit for Congress and saying he was "offended as a Jew that we have a candidate like this running for U.S. Congress." On a day Ellison was fielding national media requests and getting attention for possibly becoming the first Muslim in Congress, the remarks of opponent Alan Fine showed how Republicans hope to make Ellison's past a liability for Democrats. Fine didn't raise specific issues that hadn't come up earlier in the campaign, but his criticism was sharper. It showed that despite a surprisingly strong showing in Tuesday's DFL primary in...

Who is Keith Ellison? (20) Keith Ellison is the endorsed Democratic candidate for Congress in Minnesota's solidly Democratic Fifth District (Minneapolis). Ellison's local leadership of the Nation of Islam, his defense of the "truth" of an attack on Minneapolis Jews as "the most racist white people," his affiliation with convicted murderer and Vice Lords gang leader Sharif Willis, his support of the Vice Lords gangbangers charged (and subsequently convicted) with the murder of Minneapolis police officer Jerry Haaf, his outrageous attacks on law enforcement authorities, his demand that Symbionese Liberation Army terrorist Sara Jane Olson be freed, his concern for...

On Saturday, Thompson and 324 other party delegates will narrow the field of four to one. State Sen. Michele Bachmann is leading in a hard-fought race that also includes businessman Jay Esmay and state Reps. Jim Knoblach and Phil Krinkie. But the endorsing convention at Monticello High School could get unpredictable if Bachmann doesn't clear the 60 percent threshold needed for an endorsement early on.

ST PAUL MAYOR Total Number of Precincts 104 Precincts Reporting 69 Total Votes 17902 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BILL DAHN 35 GLEN MANSFIELD 27 RANDY C. KELLY 4816 SHARON ANDERSON 153 CHRIS COLEMAN 9172 NICK TSCHIDA 92 ELIZABETH DICKINSON 3582 JACOB PERASSO 25

You guys should check this group out. I met one of their members out in Ohio working with a congressional candidate. They knew what they were doing and I was impressed but i didn't realize that Alex had his own team until yesterday. I looked at their website its got some really solid ideas in terms of strategy. Check it out: http://www.vandenberg-strategies.com

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Threatening to put his own baby pictures on the state House of Representatives website, Rep. Tom Rukavina urged Gov. Tim Pawlenty today to remove from his official website a "Pawlenty Family Photo Album" containing 21 pictures of a pretty darn cute young future governor. "I was a cute little baby, too," said Rukavina, a DFLer from Virginia, Minn., who relishes his role as an often lighthearted antagonist of his Republican governor, a former House colleague. But Rukavina contends that childhood pictures, which he views as designed to make folks feel warmer toward the governor, are a "totally inappropriate" form of...

Many have been pontificating on the ideal GOP ticket to hold the White House in 2008. I believe it is time for me to throw in my two cents. The closest thing Republicans have to a perfect presidential candidate for 2008 ironically can be found in the only state that Ronald Reagan didn't carry in his landslide of 1984: Minnesota. That once and future candidate --- MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Over the last few years, the GOP has seen what kind of candidate it takes to win nationally in the 21st Century. Unlike the old Republicanism of George HW Bush...

http://fallujapictures.blogspot.com/

Every republican should by Fahrenhype 9/11. Then they should have a party watching first MOOREs movie and then the rebuttal. This is the best way to get liberals to see Fahrenhype, because you will tell them that you will watch Fahrenheit 9/11 if they do so. None of them want to admit that they won't listen to both sides of the story. So they will come. (I suggest also copying Stolen Honor onto a cd or dvd to show afterwards). I am doing this at work in California and I have got a lot of people together to watch them...

For context, VC is the puppy who could fly that Kerry supposedly saved from the village wok in Vietnam. That's a whole 'nother tall tale that is seeping out. I can hardly keep track of them all!

. . . it is unbelievable the depths these people will stoop to. This is yet another piece of garbage peddled by the Universal Press Syndicate, this time by Pat Oliphant . . . Kathie Kerr, Universal Press Syndicate, Director of Communications Phone: (816) 360-6945 Email: kkerr@amuniversal.com

Gannett Fails One-Newspaper Communities/Counties- Port Huron Times Herald a Queue for Government Intervention? In particular, with today’s concentration of all reporting medium with just a few companies- who determines the void or lack of reporting in the best interest to citizens. I’ve challenged a Gannett newspaper, the Times Herald of Port Huron Michigan of its obligation citizens in one-newspaper counties. There appears to be an immediate need to make certain legislation be brought requiring corporate newspapers to better report news and serving the communities they cover. At a crucial time with the 2004 Primary literally days away- this particular newspaper,...

The poll of 600 likely Republican voters in St. Clair County Michigan’s State Representative District 81 countywide found Alloway leading Pavlov by 12 points, 48 percent to 40 percent in a three-way race with Yale Republican Steve Pray Nader included in the ballot test.

“A Michigan Impossible until we work together ending illegal state house electioneering practices” Joe Alloway-R Michigan House District 81 St. Clair County Michigan PORT HURON – JULY 11, 2004 - Please listen to a recent interview (http://66.92.134.175/~benburch/old/TrupianoShow-(10-5-2004).mp3) exposing Michigan’s #1 area to reform and that’s ending illegal activities in Michigan’s House Republican Caucus Communications Office! Very few citizens asked have no idea of what that word means. Folks, the bottom line is we’ve had some major problems in this antiquated, 50-person staffed office and they’re just coming public. Take recent revelations of state employees assigned to representatives as campaign managers...

I just got back last week from driving across the country, I live in Washington State and drove to PA in see my wifes family and took I-80 and I-90 back home. With my Bush/Cheney sticker from 2000 in my back window along with my W-04 sticker I got a aproviel rating of about 75% judging from the honks and thumbs ups from fellow drivers. Funny how I got the 1 finger salute from the folks with the Kerry stickers. My question to you is do you vent your hate and anger at fellow drivers on the road with a...

Last night, I was told that a report was recently published by some DC think-tank. This report ranked members of congress in order of taxpayer-friendliness, i.e. it examined their votes on tax-related bills and determined where any particular member of congress came in on higher or lower taxes for their constituents. The same person who told me about the report told me that a whopping 75% of house and senate members from my state were in the top 20 LEAST friendly to taxpayers in their voting records. Have any of you heard of this report? Can you point me to...

Are you a registered voter?? Do you know anyone who needs to register?? Check this out: http://www.ConservativeAlerts.com/vote.htm Ultra liberal "MoveOn" is attempting to register 100,000 new left wing voters. WE need to register 200,000 new conservative voters!! Just click on the above link, click on your State, fill in the necessary information, print it out, and mail it in!! It's a simple as that!! As you all know, this will be the most important election in our lifetime. Our future depends on it, and the future of our children depends on it. It is an election we MUST win!! DO...

I've seen the senate races heating up, but not nearly as much on the house seats. I'm mostly using information from DC POLITICAL REPORT and POLITICS1. STATES Alabama DISTRICT 3 - The other Mike Rogers (R) won in 02 with 50.3% over Democrat Joe Turnham(48.2%) in an open seat. So far, it looks as he is facing Democrat Bill Fuller, Ex-State Human Resources Commissioner. I haven't heard much about this race, but the first defense is hardest. Alaska SENATE - Lisa Murkowski(R) vs Ex governor Tony Knowles. This will be a tough race as Knowles is an ex-governor and Murkowski...

Journalists, political pundits and other Hysteric Left activists are desperately trying to spin some cosmic significance out of Sunday's Spanish elections. The "conventional wisdom" is that the Spanish Election results are some sort of significant defeat for President Bush and the War on Terror. As usual the "News Media's" thinking is neither conventional nor wise. What all the various activists miss is the reality of American Exceptionalism. As much as the International Political Left hates, and try's to deny, the reality is the USA operates on a completely different political level then the rest of the world. On Sunday, the...

The reason for my apology was that throughout this primary season we have been hearing about the record turnout of voters participating in Democrat caucuses and primaries. I bought the lie. The truth is that, except for Iowa and New Hampshire, there has not been any sort of record turnout for the Democrats. Even in New Hampshire the vote was far less than what the Republicans had when they last had a contested primary in 2000. The Democrats this year had 219,787 votes in their primary. The GOP in 2000 had 239,523 votes. That 20,000 difference is major in a...

Vote.com has a vote on President Bush's current Ads. Please take a minute to vote here http://www.vote.com/vote/60212434/index.phtml

http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/3/6/121052.shtml Well isn't this intresting. The "objective news media" supposed 9-11 surviors protesting Bush's ads are actually anti-war stooges financed by John Kerry's wife. Please take a moment and vist the New York Times, Washington Post, MSNBC, CBS, NBC and ABC etc to email the Omsbudsman, the Publisher, the News Editor and demand to know why they allowed clearly partisan advocates of Kerry's Presidential Campaign were presented on their "News" programs with no reference to their ties to the Kerry camp. We absolutely must demand the "News Media" be held accountable for their free advertising for the Kerry camp.

http://www.georgewbush.com/tvads/ Here is a link to the 1st three Bush Re-election ads. As expected the DNC directed its "Objective News Media" mouthpieces at CNN, NBC, CBS and ABC to generate phoney hysteria about these ads. Compared to the demogagery and lies spread by the Kerry Campaign, Moveon.org and the DNC about Bush for the last 6 months, this is probably the mildest sets of ads that have run so far this political season. Please email this link to every person on you email contact list. We need to get as many people as possible to see these ads. They are...

What Liberal Media? "Kerry's remarks lasted three minutes, yet it left TV reporters without a soundbite until one CBS News producer asked the Massachusetts senator to try again."--Boston Globe, reporting on a Dayton, Ohio, campaign appearance by John Kerry, Feb. 19 Ok, so our So called "Objective Media" is stage managing Kerry. How do we fight this?

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Minnesota Sen. Mark Dayton's campaign committee spent most of the $440,000 it raised last year, and the freshman Democrat reached the midpoint of his term with $111,832 in cash, his latest campaign finance report showed. Rep. Mark Kennedy, R-Minn., a possible challenger to Dayton in a 2006 Senate campaign, raised $657,718 in 2003 and ended the year with $458,610 in cash.Lawrence Jacobs, a University of Minnesota political scientist, said Dayton's year-end report to the Federal Election Commission "raises a question . . . about how well equipped he is to run for reelection." "This is the time...

Conservatives should write in Tom Tancredo in the primary ballot to demonstrate the depth of concern we have with the President. If enough do this, he will get the message.

Below is a list of each state and its "Political Party statistics", meaning that state's current governor, U.S. Senators, U.S. Congressmen, and who they voted for in the 2000 election.  This is useful data in trying to predict future voting trends.   AlabamaGovernor Bob Riley (R)Senator Richard Shelby (R)Senator Jeff Sessions (R)5 Republican Congressmen2 Democrat Congressmen2000 Election: Bush AlaskaGovernor Frank Murkowski (R)Senator Lisa Murkowski (R)Senator Ted Stevens (R)1 Republican Congressman2000 Election: Bush ArizonaGovernor Janet Napolitano (D)Senator John McCain (R)Senator Jon Kyl (R)6 Republican Congressmen2 Democrat Congressmen2000 Election: Bush ArkansasGovernor Mike Huckabee (R)Senator Blanche Lincoln (D)Senator Mark Pryor (D)3 Democrat Congressmen1 Republican Congressman2000 Election:...

... At press time, the investigation continues. Ultimately the Safety Board will review the factual information and issue a determination of probable cause. Certainly, the final report will focus on crew pairing, procedures standardization and training. Consider the following information on SOPs. ...

Tuesday was a massacre for the democrats. They had no message and the polling was horrible. I have always been skeptical about polls and it appears that most of the pre-election polls were off. So why did the republicans do so well? George Bush deserves much of the credit, but let's not forget about the great candidates we had. 90% od our candidates were experienced and did well in their debates. The democrats did have a message. It was "no" to whatever being asked. The get nothing done senate was another reason. No bills and no judges were coming out...

"I ain't got time to bleed"; or "Barking Seal". Mon Nov 4, 2002, 3:40 PM ET In the above photo; Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura speaks to the media after appointing Independent Dean Barkley as the senatorial replacement for Paul Wellstone at the governor's office in the state capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, November 4, 2002. Barkley ran for U.S. senate as an Independent Party candidate in 1994 and 1996. Wellstone was killed in a plane crash October 25. Ventura expressed anger at the press for ignoring the Independence Party. REUTERS/Eric Miller

"I ain't got time to bleed"; or "Barking Seal". Mon Nov 4, 2002, 3:40 PM ET In the above photo; Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura speaks to the media after appointing Independent Dean Barkley as the senatorial replacement for Paul Wellstone at the governor's office in the state capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, November 4, 2002. Barkley ran for U.S. senate as an Independent Party candidate in 1994 and 1996. Wellstone was killed in a plane crash October 25. Ventura expressed anger at the press for ignoring the Independence Party. REUTERS/Eric Miller

BREAKING: COLEMAN LEADS MONDALE BY 3 POINTS IN MINNESOTA, A LIBERAL STRONGHOLD.

Ventura Appoints Barkley SenatorGovernor Ventura has named the Independence Party's Dean Barkley to fill the Senate seat of the late Senator Paul Wellstone His announcement was timed to happen at the exact same time Norm Coleman and Walter Mondale began their first and only U.S. Senate debate. Ventura says he is angry that debate organizers excluded Independence Party's Jim Moore from the debate. Moore has polled in single digits, and organizers say he doesn't have enough support to merit inclusion. Ventura said last week that he would wait until after the election to make his appointment. After Wellstone was killed...

The ENEMY forged the stolen steel Delighted at the pain we would soon feel A hot branding iron to burn a 9 and 11 In the hearts of all righteous under Heaven The demons smiled and admired their work Then dedicated it with an unholy curse The plans were laid well, the deceptions intact With stooges called "martyrs" they began the attack They boarded the planes with thin, tight-lipped smiles Politely nodding to each small child - In a short time they’d know TERROR too real When their KILLERS captured the pilot’s wheel May the TWIN TOWERS of bright beacon...

Press Release Source: Pioneer Press St. Paul Pioneer Press - Minnesota Public Radio Poll Shows Former V.P. Walter Mondale Trailing in Volatile Senate Race Sunday November 3, 2:05 am ET ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- With 10 percent of voters still undecided, former St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman has a 6-percentage-point lead over former Vice President Walter Mondale in statewide poll results for Minnesota's U. S. Senate race. With voter volatility making measurements of the state's public opinion a difficult task, results show Coleman, a Republican, with 47 percent, and Mondale with 41 percent. The poll, conducted for...

The ENEMY forged the stolen steel Delighted at the pain we would soon feel A hot branding iron to burn a 9 and 11 In the hearts of all righteous under Heaven The demons smiled and admired their work Then dedicated it with an unholy curse The plans were laid well, the deceptions intact With stooges called "martyrs" they began the attack They boarded the planes with thin, tight-lipped smiles Politely nodding to each small child - In a short time they’d know TERROR too real When their KILLERS captured the pilot’s wheel May the TWIN TOWERS of bright beacon...

Claiming that a Star Tribune Minnesota Poll this week has unfairly influenced the campaign for governor, an Independence Party leader has filed a complaint against the newspaper with the Minnesota News Council. Following a one-day poll conducted Monday, the newspaper reported on Wednesday that IP gubernatorial nominee Tim Penny had fallen well behind Republican Tim Pawlenty and DFLer Roger Moe. Peter Tharaldson, IP chairman for the Fifth Congressional District, said Friday that the poll should not have been conducted at a time when all campaigns were shut down during the period of mourning for U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone. "This haste...

<p>Coleman: 'We have a chance to make it a positive event'</p> <p>ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) -- Responding to a request from U.S. Senate candidate Norm Coleman, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has decided to pull an ad attacking Coleman's Democratic opponent in Minnesota, Walter Mondale.</p>

(Excerpt): [Coleman's] campaign received an unexpected flood of contributions from people who were offended by the Wellstone memorial service -- $150,000 on Wednesday alone, Republican officials say. Now, Coleman must draw distinctions between himself and the opposition while not appearing insensitive to Wellstone's memory or overly deferential to Mondale's stature.