MN Political Roundtable

They Know; You SHOULD Know

Dog Gone — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:24:25 +0000

Do They Think We Don’t Notice?

Dog Gone — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:53:11 +0000

The MN GOP candidates have consistently held anti-women and anti-immigrant positions.

When they tell us how much they are ‘on our side’, or ‘reaching out to us’——–do they think we don’t notice their positions? Is their strategy our ignorance? Are they so used to the Fox News misinformed and ignorant voter, the ideology fact averse Republican their norm? Because there ARE principled conservatives and there are Republicans who are still in touch with objective reality; the far right extremist positions cannot satisfy them and does not appeal to the rest of us. We have problems on the tribal lands here in Minnesota with violence against women. We have Latino and other immigrant populations who are well aware of discrimination and antagonism directed against them. They are not served by conservatives in our state legislature or by Minnesota Republicans at the federal level. I predict that if the Violence Against Women Act comes to a House vote today, that our Republican representatives will vote against it, including Michele Bachmann (if she shows up for the vote) where Republican women in the Senate voted for the Act.

The “Violence Against Women Act” is expected to come up for a vote in the House today.
It is NOT called the “Violence Against White Heterosexual Wives Act”.
So, why is it that the GOP is fighting to exclude certain classifications of women from protection? Do they WANT women to be abused? Do they think that would keep women in line, keep us pregnant after rape, keep us from seeking all that silly health care or making those decisions about our bodies and reproduction that they don’t want to entrust to us? After all it was the GOP that tried to redefine rape as only the most violent assault on women, which would have defined out of existence things like statutory rape. We know some of those conservative men have a cultural view that sexually predatory old men (with guns) and underage girls is desirable. And apparently the GOP also has no objections to drugging women unconscious and THEN having non-consensual sex; they don’t want that to be rape either, per the defeated legislation that they have proposed since the 2010 election cycle.

Changes to the Violence Against Women statute were made to close terrible loop holes which allowed for violence against women who were NOT protected as they should have been. Here is one example, extending coverage to Native American women where there were loopholes for women living on reservations. For the GOP and the Tea Partiers, it’s a two-fer — allowing violence against women AND allowing violence against not-white people; they can satisfy and gratify their misogynists AND the racists in their ranks! The right is wrong on the national level, and they are wrong on the state level here in Minnesota, as demonstrated by right wing blogger Mitch Berg in his endorsement of Dan Severson in his run for Senate.
From the WaPo: American Indians seek protection from abuse by non-Indians in House domestic violence bill

WASHINGTON — Diane Millich’s ex-husband was never arrested for any of the more than 100 times he slapped, kicked or punched her before showing up at her Colorado workplace and firing a 9 mm pistol, wounding the co-worker who pushed her out of the way.
When he was finally arrested in New Mexico weeks after the shooting, he was treated as a first-time offender.

Why? Because while Millich is Native American, her ex-husband is not and all the domestic violence took place on the Southern Ute reservation.

Under a 1978 Supreme Court decision, non-Indians cannot be prosecuted by tribal courts for crimes committed on tribal land. Last July, the Justice Department recommended that Congress give tribes local authority to prosecute non-Indians in misdemeanor domestic and dating violence cases. The pending renewal of the Violence Against Women Act seemed a good chance to do that.

Other groups that would receive protection in the expansion of coverage that would protect women from violence, by extending the definition of who the Violence Against Women Act would cover would be the partners – legal or not recognized – of same sex violence, which does occur although at a much lower rate than heterosexual violence, and immigrant women. The suit against the failure to perform their duty by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his subordinates in Arizona in HUNDREDS of sexual assault cases, and numerous domestic abuse cases, is a worst case scenario of what happens all over the nation in varying degrees.

Instead, the good ‘family values’ conservative hypocrites tried to WEAKEN the Violence Against Women Act, allowing for MORE violence against women legally. There were an unprecedented number of entities lobbying on the act, the ones on the right, for changes weakening it. The changes would be anti-immigrant, for specious and invalid reasons, but that appeals to the right.

From the Center for Responsive Politics :
… House language could leave tribal women worse off than they are under existing law, according to lobbyists for the tribes.

Most of the immigration groups supported Senate language that would preserve certain rights of undocumented women to call police, without fear of deportation, if they are being abused.

The House bill, under a package of amendments that its sponsor was expected to introduce tonight, would make it harder for women to secure “U” visas, which were designed to encourage victims of serious crimes to come forward despite being undocumented.

“The House bill rolls back existing protections,” said Greg Chen, top lobbyist for the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Lobbyists on the other side maintain that the current system lends itself to fraud, although there’s little statistical evidence to support that.

From the HuffPo, expanding on how this is anti-immigrant women:
Under current law, an immigrant woman who has been abused by her American husband can apply for legal status in her own right without her husband’s knowledge, in order to escape the marriage without being deported. The GOP version of VAWA strips out that measure so that the state could notify the suspected abuser that his wife was seeking citizenship, which Republicans lawmakers argue will help protect anti-domestic violence programs from immigration fraud.

This continues the GOP fiction that women lie about rape to obtain abortions, and lie about domestic abuse, and therefore should be ignored or not protected. There is NO reason to believe that women are lying about violence; under the extension of the Violence Against Women Act, they would still have to demonstrate that they were, in fact, victims of violence. There is no record of fraud in this regard, there is no procedural weakness that would permit fraud in the bi-partisan passed Senate version EITHER. This is a feeble fallacy on the right that plays to ill-informed tea partiers and other hate group extremists on the far right. The fact that Planned Parenthood opposes the House changes is probably enough to cause those groups to fall down on the ground in fits, foaming at the mouth.

So it was with amazement that I received the following email of praise for candidate Dan ‘Doc’ Severson for Senate, citing praise from our old friend (really, not sarcastically) Mitch Berg. Mitch appears either to be harshly critical of the anti-immigrant policies of the GOP, which would surprise me, as he toes whatever the party line is, no matter how wrong or how bad, consistently, OR he thinks that immigrants are stupid and will vote against their own interests.

From the Severson email, where Mitch waxes ecstatic at some greater length and with delusional expectations:
Blogger Mitch Berg Takes and [sic] Honest Look at the Senate Race – Endorses Severson‏
Among the support our campaign has received, I want to highlight one in particular that means a good deal to me. Long time activists, who have carried the water for the MN GOP for decades, are those endorsements which I cherish most. Come October, they are the ones who will be fighting in the trenches alongside of us. – Dan “Doc” Severson

Mitch’s words, quoted in the celebratory email:
[Dan has] …got a long record of fighting the same fight the conservatives fought in 2000, that the Tea Party fought two years ago, and that the Paul crowd at least in part fights today – the fight to try to limit government – from an actual seat in the legislature. Dan’s not perfect, but he’s been plenty good enough in a place and time that’s counted
…We’ve already mined the good GOP districts for every vote they have. The long-term future of the Republican party as a vessel for the conservative movement lies in the tens of thousands of Minnesotans who have come here recently from places like Laos, Guatemala, Eritrea, Mexico, Vietnam, Russia, Somalia, from places with strong traditions of family, faith and honor – things the GOP is supposed to uphold, although which it seems to do imperfectly lately – and whose way forward in this country, like all previous immigrants, is hard work and entrepreneurship. Dan Severson has led the way on this. He’s forged links with immigrant and ethnic communities in Minneapolis and Saint Paul that are a first in Minnesota Republican politics, and may be nearly unique in the US outside of Florida and the heavily-Latino southwest. And that is the first step on the way to the future of the GOP and conservatism in Minnesota.

Severson goes on to link to an SitD post, with these words:
Mitch Berg understands that we as Republicans cannot continue to ignore conservative minority populations and expect to win another statewide election. Dan Severson is the only senate candidate who seems to understand this. He’s the only candidate who has spent the time building these relationships, and therefore, he’s the only one who can win.

Here’s the thing; the GOP, and the Tea Partiers HAVE NOT forged links to the immigrant communities ANYWHERE, least of all in the Southwest, as noted recently by the REPUBLICAN LATINA Governor of New Mexico in a Daily Beast interview.

To give a broader perspective, not only on New Mexico, but on the larger southwest is an article from the Tucson Citizen describing the Southwester anti-immigrant (legal OR illegal) experience:

“Andrew Romano at The Daily Beast has an excellent article on his interview with New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez. He makes the argument that Mitt Romney would be wise to select her as his V.P. running mate, noting that Romney trails President Obama by as many as 56 percentage points among Latinos and by 20 points among women. But then he acknowledges the obvious – after John McCain’s disastrous pick of Sarah Palin in 2008, Romney is not going to take the risk of selecting another female first term Governor of a state not well known to the rest of the country “

Because Palin was so bad, and because Martinez IS a Latina, it is even more unlikely that she would be acceptable to Romney, or to the extreme right base. They wouldn’t CARE that Martinez isn’t an air head, any more than they gave serious consideration to the excellent previous Republican governor of New Mexico as a presidential candidate. The article goes on to explain WHY the right won’t get the Hispanic vote:

“Governor Martinez says there is “no doubt” that Hispanics have been “alienated” during the Republican Presidential Primary campaign with the hard right rhetoric that summed up the Republican approach to solving illegal immigration. Martinez scoffs at the Romney proposal of self deportation: “‘Self-deport?’ What the heck does that mean?” Well Governor, it’s the idea behind recent anti-immigrant laws in Arizona and Alabama: that if you make life miserable enough through harassment and intimidation they’ll just leave on their own. There’s just one little flaw – life in the U.S. with harassment & intimidation still isn’t nearly as miserable as life in Mexico, Guatemala or Honduras. And there’s the little side effect of making life miserable for American Citizens just because their Hispanic heritage makes them resemble someone who might be an illegal. Actually you don’t even need to be Hispanic. I live Cochise County and have gone through the Border Patrol checkpoint on Hwy 191 dozens of times. A white haired 60 year old guy of English & Irish ancestry, I’m always waved through. The one time I was stopped was when I had a friend visiting from Hawaii with me in the car. They demanded his ID and that he declare his citizenship. He’s of Chinese & Hawaiian ancestry, I guess he looked close enough to Hispanic be suspicious.”

I’m highly skeptical that Dan ‘Doc’ Severson (it is Doc SeverINson your imitating with your name, you dolt), has diverged from the party line sufficiently to win over Minnesota immigrant populations ANYWHERE in the state. So unless he has drastically criticized the GOP position, as Governor Martinez has, which I doubt, Severson is either NOT going to get the GOP nod (which looks like it is going to Hegseth) OR Severson and Mitch Berg have no idea what immigrant populations in this country support. Or maybe both are true – Severson won’t get the GOP nod, AND Mitch Berg and the GOP are dramatically out of touch with immigrants. That is doubly true for immigrant WOMEN.

Despite the efforts of the GOP to suppress voters who come from these communities with their voter ID amendment, it is very likely that these communities will vote in unprecedented numbers in the 2012 election. The reason the right is trying to suppress broad voter participation is that they are NOT likely to support the old, white, narrow minded bigots in the GOP.

To underline how anti-women Dan Severson has been in his career, in his failed effort to run for Secretary of State in 2010, he bragged about trying to bill women who were raped for their rape kits. This is significant for the following reason as noted by RH Reality Check back in 2010:
Because the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office, beyond all of the other duties, also oversees the Safe at Home Program, a special service offered to victims of abuse and others who may have a need to conceal their addresses to avoid physical or emotional harm.

Safe at Home is a program offered by the Secretary of State’s office in collaboration with local victim service providers. This program became effective September 1, 2007 and is designed to help survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or others who fear for their safety establish a confidential address.
The intent of Safe at Home is to allow its participants to go about their lives, interacting with public and private entities, without leaving traces of where they really live in an attempt to keep their abuser from locating them.

The GOP is anti-immigrant, the GOP is anti-brown and black people, the GOP is anti-women. They lie about it, they believe that simply CLAIMING they are not makes it so, when their policies and positions clearly show that they seek to make life brutal for women and for immigrants and for native Americans while favoring old white rich people at every opportunity. And they brag how well they are connected, how popular they are with these constituencies: they LIE, or they are delusional, or both.

That will be reflected in the House vote, today or later, on the Violence Against Women Act. That will be reflected as well, in the 2012 election voter participation voting AGAINST the GOP.

MN-08 : While Gas Prices Soar, Cravaack Leads (or Misleads?)

MNCentral — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:50:40 +0000

April 30, 2012 posting to the CravaackForCongress, entitled While Gas Prices Soar, Minnesotans Feel the Squeeze sets a populist tone … a strong-willed Congressman fighting against the Power of the President (highlights below):

Under President Obama’s watch, the price of gasoline has shot up 95 percent.
Washington politicians continue to put up artificial obstacles, and they continue to block common sense solutions.
Specifically, I have supported the Keystone XL pipeline, which would immediately create thousands of jobs for U.S. workers. I have also supported “The Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act,” a bill which would allow the U.S. to utilize its vast energy reserves.

Slammin the President is par for the course … even twisting or omitting the data can have political benefit.

Politicians — especially those in the party that’s not occupying the White House — have long harped on high gas prices when expedient. For example, in 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama campaigned for the presidency stating “here in Ohio, you’re paying nearly $3.70 a gallon for gas, 2-1/2 times what it cost when George Bush took office.”
So, if it wasn’t for the economic collapse such that by the time that Barack Obama was inaugurated that set the start of his administration at $1.81 per gallon, the 95 percent figure would not look so daunting … yet, today with gas under $3.60, the price is less today than when President Bush was being bashed.

Second, let’s look at the H.R. 1231 – REVERSING PRESIDENT OBAMA’S OFFSHORE MORATORIUM ACT … (BTW, don’t ya just luv the title … yep, another slam).
Yes, Mr. Cravaack did vote for HR 1231 … in fact, it was approved by the House over a year ago … what has happened since then … if the Moratorium was the reason for this legislation, the obvious question is : Is the Moratorium still ongoing ?

Well, according to the Bureau of Safety and Evironmental Enforcement (as of May 10, 2012):

Ongoing permitting: facts and figures (Please note that these numbers are updated daily)

Shallow water: To date, 128 new shallow water well permits have been issued since the implementation of new safety and environmental standards on June 8, 2010. Just 5 of these permits are currently pending; with 7 having been returned to the operator for more information.

Deepwater drilling applications fall into two categories for the implementation of our new regulations. To clarify these differences, we have included the narrative below. The deepwater moratorium was lifted on October 12, 2010, and is the reference for inclusion of new rules in applications:

Deepwater permits requiring subsea containment: Since an applicant first successfully demonstrated containment capabilities in mid-February 2011, we have approved 418 of these permits for 118 unique wells, with 27 permits pending, and 15 permits returned to the operator with requests for additional information, particularly information regarding containment.

Deepwater activities not requiring subsea containment: Since the implementation of new safety and environmental standards, 66 of these permits have been approved, with 1 permit pending, and 1 permit returned to the operator with requests for additional information. These activities include water injection wells and procedures using surface blowout preventers.

Hmmm … let’s be frank … No moratorium, de facto or otherwise, exists. While a temporary halt to drilling in the aftermath of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster was an essential measure needed to allow regulators time to ensure that offshore drilling was safe, there is currently no moratorium on offshore drilling. In fact, energy companies are now producing on thousands of Gulf leases, covering tens of millions of acres. According to data provided to the Committee by the Department of the Interior, oil companies are stockpiling Gulf leases covering more natural gas and nearly as much oil as could ever be produced by opening up the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts.
Funny thing is that reviewing the Roll Call vote, it was rejected by Republicans in Florida …. hmmm … think State’s Rights would be a concern … more on that below.

IF Mr. Cravaack really wanted to help Minnesotans, addressing Transportation Appropriations would be the quickest way. The Senate passed an overwhelmingly bipartisan two-year bill (S. 1813 – Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century(MAP-21), a $109 billion bill that would maintain funding for highways, transit and safety programs at current levels, with most funding adjusted for inflation) by a vote of 74-22 while Mr. Cravaack and his colleagues on the House Transportation Committee approved a 90-day extension (HR 4348) to continue current transportation funding through September 30.
That is a FAILURE that impacts drivers, construction workers, and business owners … a FAILURE that Mr. Cravaack does not want voters to be focused on.

BTW, since Mr. Cravaack is pushing his support for Keystone pipeline expansion, he fails to acknowledge that the Congressional Budget Office report that producing more oil will not mean lower prices.
HR 4348 mandates that Keystone project be constructed (even though TransCanada just recently revamped their proposal and public meetings are currently being held — including some this week. Nebraska’s Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) will develop a draft evaluation report which will be made available to the public. Several months from now when the draft evaluation report is completed, the agency will announce a public hearing on Nebraska’s review. Public comments are invited now through the conclusion of the public hearing, and those comments will be considered as the state develops a final report to submit to the Governor.

Normally, one would think that State’s Rights would be embraced by Conservatives, but in this instance the House Republicans are leapfrogging Nebraskans to use this as campaign fodder.

MN-08 : Cravaack Ignores CBO Report to Pump Keystone

MNCentral — Mon, 14 May 2012 03:29:20 +0000

On Thursday, Representative Raymond Cravaack (R-MN-08) reminded his followers on FACEBOOK that :

The House has taken action on the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline four times to address rising energy costs and job creation.

Very interesting … but did you know that between 2009 and 2011, the United States experienced three consecutive years of crude oil production increases for the first time since the early 1980s, as well as the largest surge in output within a three year period since the late 1960s … but Mr. Cravaack wants it to be known that the Republican-managed House has approved construction of Keystone XL pipeline so that TransCanada can move its product from Canada through Midwestern states to refining facilities for potential export overseas.

But what Mr. Cravaack fails to inform his followers is that on Wednesday, May 9, the Congressional Budget Office issued a report regarding oil policies … from the summary :

Policies that promoted greater production of oil in the United States would probably not protect U.S. consumers from sudden worldwide increases in oil prices stemming from supply disruptions elsewhere in the world, even if increased production lowered the world price of oil on an ongoing basis. In fact, such lower prices would encourage greater use of oil, thus making consumers more vulnerable to increases in oil prices. Even if the United States increased production and became a net exporter of oil, U.S. consumers would still be exposed to gasoline prices that rose and fell in response to disruptions around the world.
In contrast, policies that reduced the use of oil and its products would create an incentive for consumers to use less oil or make decisions that reduced their exposure to higher oil prices in the future, such as purchasing more fuel-efficient vehicles or living closer to work. Such policies would impose costs on vehicle users (in the case of fuel taxes or fuel-efficiency requirements) or taxpayers (in the case of subsidies for alternative fuels or for new vehicle technologies). But the resulting decisions would make consumers less vulnerable to increases in oil prices.

Hmmm … CBO is confirming what informed voters already know … US oil production is up … prices are determined on a world market … Iraq and Brazil are increasing production … Iran sanctions and speculators are moving prices higher … and US consumers are paying more.

The while the goal of “energy independence” has merits, a recent report form the Energy Security Leadership Council (which includes retired four-star generals and admirals as well as industry leaders) refutes the notion that the United States can drill its way to energy independence.
Even if the U.S. were able to produce 100 percent of its own oil, we would still not have control over prices for one simple reason: “oil prices are determined in a global market.” As a result, a nation’s vulnerability to high or volatile oil prices isn’t affected by what fraction of oil it imports. All that matters is how much oil that nation consumes. Or, as the report puts it, “rising domestic oil production will not achieve a long-term domestic price advantage in oil.”
Based on this information, it’s clear that the key to unlocking our nation’s energy security isn’t increased domestic production, but rather decreased domestic consumption. Or, again in the words of the report, “the long-term goal of energy security policy must be to break petroleum’s stranglehold on the transportation sector.”

So while Mr. Cravaack wants to remind his followers that the Republican-controlled House is pushing Keystone, drivers from “Hockey Moms” to lunchbox-toting workers to small businesses owners all the way to the Chamber of Commerce, voters are upset that Mr. Cravaack and his fellow House conservatives have blocked progress on a long-term transportation funding bill.

As Michelle Hirsch wrote in The Fiscal Times,

Standard & Poor’s, which downgraded the U.S. credit rating last August after the government came close to defaulting on its debt, is now warning that another credit crisis could occur unless the government adequately funds long-term transportation and infrastructure spending.
In a new report, the major credit rating agency, which called highway, bridge and other transportation projects “the backbone of the U.S. economy,” raised concern that Congress has yet to pass a permanent extension of the U.S. highway spending bill.

A survey by The Fiscal Times of state transportation officials found that in the wake of the latest congressional action, states are putting many of their major long-term projects on the backburner while focusing on basic repairs of dilapidated roads and bridges.

Serge Phillips, federal relations manager for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, complained that his state has been in a holding pattern on federal aid for two years, and is worried about how much longer this uncertainty will continue. “We’re trying to problem-solve, to look at things statewide, continuing to protect public safety with repairs and provide for mobility and work on congestion,” Phillips said. “That doesn’t go away. Those are things we can’t compromise on. We’re trying to get by.”

Mr. Cravaack, it’s time to quit wasting time pumping Republican talking points on FACEBOOK using short-term transportation funding … anything other than a five-year funding plan will be a FAILURE … Keystone may bring some jobs to Nebraska but Minnesota has needs that are being ignored.

MN-02: Kline -v- Obermueller Contest Makes National Top Ten List

MNCentral — Sun, 13 May 2012 03:13:49 +0000

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post asks which seats might be surprisingly competitive this year?

Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.): Kline’s redistricting fate [the state legislature deadlocked and left the issue to the courts] – the courts drew a surprising map, and he drew the short straw. His district now would have given Obama 50 percent of the vote, and the previously safe Kline is finding himself targeted. Democrats have recruited former state representative Mike Obermuller and put him in their “Red to Blue” program for emerging races.

Long-time watchers of Minnesota’s Second District know that Chairman Kline’s shaky standing should not be just assumed to be a result of redistricting but instead Chairman Kline’s failures.

As Chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee, Mr. Kline has failed to reform No Child Left Behind legislation while focusing extensively on anti-union activities.

As a faux-Fiscal Conservative, Chairman Kline has vocally complained about Washington’s wasteful spending, while personally spending more on his own Congressional office :
The actual dollars spent for last year for the Minnesota delegation had at the top of the list : $1,319,468.42 – John Kline (R-MN-02) spending 91.6% of his budget while at the bottom of the list was $1,198.273.03 – Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) spending 84.0% of her budget.

Reflecting Chairman Kline’s Party-First motto of We Are All Conservatives (not We are All Minnesotans or We are All Americans) as expressed by Senatorial candidate Richard Mourdock (R-IN) “I certainly think bipartisanship ought to consist of Democrats coming to the Republican point of view.”

John Kline’s performance is what makes this a compelling contest … do voters want to return someone who has failed on what was to be his signature issue, big spender and committed to partisan politics ?

Yep, Mike Obermueller is “One to Watch” !

Kline Holds Assistance Organizations Fair; Runyon, Walz Hold Veterans Hearing

MNCentral — Sun, 13 May 2012 00:03:42 +0000

Monday will be a day for Minnesota voters to see Congress in action.

Monday, the House is not in session but two Members of Congress will be working in Minnesota.

Working will be Jon Runyon (R-NJ-03) and Tim Walz (D-MN-01).
The House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs (DAMA) will hold a Field Hearing at the Fillmore County Courthouse in Preston Minnesota
There will be four panels including representatives the federal government and local counties … as well as Minnesota State Senator Jeremy Miller (R-SD-31). Senator Miller, a first term Senator, was recently asked about the challenges and successes :

“The biggest frustration I have is the political divide,” answered Miller. “It’s the worst it’s ever been in Minnesota, and it’s even worse in Washington.”
Miller went over some of the positive things that he has been a part of in helping Minnesota while he has been in the senate. Legislature passed for the Veteran’s Cemetery that will be located outside of Preston. “We have done everything we can at the state level,” said Miller. The topic will be going to the federal government for grant money, and Miller said they hope to have it completed next year.

Kudos to Representatives Runyan and Walz for holding the hearing in Minnesota and listening to our local officials.

This is not the first time that Representatives Runyan and Walz have held field hearings together … most recently in Toms River New Jersey examining the VA compensation and pension exam system.
Have hope, Senator Miller, Republicans and Democrats can work together … but it takes the right people.

Monday, will also be the day that John Kline (R-MN-02) will be holding a “Jobs Fair” from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Eagan Community Center.

Well, Chairman Kline wants to title it as a Jobs Fair, but the detail describes the Businesses, Schools, and Assistance Organizations scheduled to attend.

The list includes :
Argosy University, Twin Cities
Brown College
Capella University
Dakota County Technical College
DeVry University
Empire Education Group/ Empire Beauty Schools
Everest Institute
Hennepin Technical College
Interstate Truck Driving School
Inver Hills Community College
ITT Technical Institute
New Horizon Academy
Normandale Community College
Rasmussen College
South Central College- Faribault & North Mankato
The Art Institutes International Minnesota
The University of Phoenix

If the list looks familiar, checkout some of Chairman Kline’s financial contributors to his re-election efforts.

Norm Ornstein, a Minnesota-born political scientist and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, explained why politicians are organizing job fairs — “It’s for the obvious reasons. What better way do you have to show that you are concerned about unemployment and trying to do something about it.”

Ornstein reasoned that job fairs are a much safer venue than engaging voters at Town Hall meetings or Congressional Field Hearings.
“It’s much better to show that you’re visible and active in the community by doing a neutral job fair, where no one’s going to be asking you tough and embarrassing questions,” Ornstein said.
Further, the problem is that job fairs rarely lead to job offers.
“Job fairs are usually not a great way for people to match up with companies,” said John Challenger, CEO of the big outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas.
Challenger said 150 human resources executives his firm surveyed in 2009 ranked job fairs as the least effective way to search for a job.

So John Kline will create a “pat-on-the-back” headline for holding a Job Fair while Jon Runyan and Tim Walz work for Veterans.