Minnesota
By Eric Ostermeier on April 24, 2007
According to a new poll released last week by SurveyUSA, the number of Minnesotans who identify themselves as Republicans has dropped to just 25 percent—the lowest level in twenty-five polls released by the organization dating back to May 2005. In October 2006—three weeks before Election Day, 39 percent of...
By Eric Ostermeier on April 19, 2007
The mass murders at Virginia Tech University this week have inspired those in gun control circles to renew their pressure on politicians to reexamine our nation's gun laws; it has also caused 2nd Amendment strict constructionists to dig in deeper to fight against such changes. In their coverage of the...
By Eric Ostermeier on April 18, 2007
The next two forums sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance have been announced in their "Connecting with Government" series - both with officeholders from the Republican Party: Senator Norm Coleman May 14, 2007 Time: TBD Cowles Auditorium Humphrey Center 301 19th Ave S., Minneapolis Congressman...
By Eric Ostermeier on April 12, 2007
10:00 am. Freshman Democratic congressman Tim Walz's (MN-01) talk today is entitled "Tomorrow's Foreign Policy: What We're Teaching Today's Students and Why It Matters." 10:10 am. Walz begins his talk by discussing the importance of opening a line of communication between citizens and the government. He explains how his first...
By Eric Ostermeier on April 11, 2007
Smart Politics will be blogging live from the Humphrey Institute on Thursday, April 12th, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am at Congressman Tim Walz's (MN-01) speech on educating students about U.S. foreign policy. The talk, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, is entitled "Tomorrow's...
By Eric Ostermeier on April 9, 2007
12:00 pm. Representative McCollum's (MN-04) speech today is entitled, "American Foreign Policy: A Focus On Afghanistan." McCollum is a new member to the House Appropriations Committee and is the Senior Democratic Whip. McCollum just returned from a visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan. 12:10 pm. Congressmen from both sides of the...
By Eric Ostermeier on April 9, 2007
Smart Politics will be blogging live from the Humphrey Institute on Monday, April 9th, from Noon to 1:00 pm at Congresswoman Betty McCollum's speech on her recent trip to Afghanistan. The talk, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, is entitled "American Foreign Policy: A...
By Eric Ostermeier on April 2, 2007
12:05 pm. Senator Klobuchar opened to a very warm reception. She began by summarizing her achievements in the Senate - being a Junior Whip, passing the Iraq War Resolution, and fighting for ethics reform. Klobuchar has the crowd in the aisles with some colorful personal stories - ranging from her...
By Eric Ostermeier on April 2, 2007
Smart Politics will be blogging live from the Humphrey Institute on Monday, April 2nd, from Noon to 1:30 pm at Senator Amy Klobuchar's speech on global warming and renewable energy. Klobuchar's talk, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, is entitled "The Heat Is On:...
By Eric Ostermeier on March 28, 2007
Smart Politics will be blogging live from 12:00-1:30 pm at an event sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance (CSPG) at the Humphrey Institute on Monday, April 2nd. The event will feature Minnesota DFL Senator Amy Klobuchar, who will speak on global warming and renewable energy....
By Eric Ostermeier on March 22, 2007
As Election 2008 heats up, states across the nation are strategically shuffling their primary and caucus schedules in attempt to become more relevant players in the presidential campaign. Upper Midwestern states are also contemplating changes to their schedules in view of the potential benefits moving up primary voting day would...
By Eric Ostermeier on March 20, 2007
My Smart Politics entry on Monday for Twin Cities Public Television's Almanac: At the Capitol site prompted a quick reply by the GOP leadership. Minnesota House Minority Leader Marty Seifert offered a thoughtful rejoinder here to my historical analysis demonstrating the rarity of turnover in party control in consecutive elections...
By Eric Ostermeier on March 19, 2007
The new Smart Politics commentary for Twin Cities Public Television's Almanac: At the Capitol site is now posted here. Several commentators and news reports have filled out their 'DFL scorecard' as we pass the halfway point in this year's legislative session. My commentary suggests no matter how poorly or how...
By Eric Ostermeier on March 18, 2007
One of the Democratic National Committee's most targeted U.S. Senate seats in 2008 is assuredly the one held by Minnesota Republican Senator Norm Coleman. Thus far Al Franken has emerged as the most prominent candidate to challenge Coleman in the Senator's bid for a second term. The latest public...
By Eric Ostermeier on March 6, 2007
The public opinion firm SurveyUSA recently released a series of questions asked of a random sample of 500 adults in Minnesota addressing a variety of social public policy issues on the state's legislative agenda. Regarding the proposed smoking ban taken up by the legislature this session, a plurality of...
By Eric Ostermeier on March 5, 2007
Minnesota voters set a record in November 2006 by electing the highest percentage of female legislators to both the state House (43, 32.1 percent) and Senate (27, 40.3 percent) in Gopher State history. Overall, at 34.8 percent, Minnesota ranks 4th in the nation in terms of the highest percentage of...
By Eric Ostermeier on March 3, 2007
The new Smart Politics commentary for Twin Cities Public Television's Almanac: At the Capitol site is now posted here. In it I challenge the assertions made by Minnesota Republican state Representative Marty Seifert in his February 24th blog that Minnesotans will oppose tax hikes imposed by the DFL this legislative...
By Eric Ostermeier on February 26, 2007
Al Gore's involvement in the documentary An Inconvenient Truth has paid great dividends for the former Vice President—garnering near universal acclaim, and a new platform for the man many in Democratic circles hope to run for President in 2008. Gore has not made that announcement yet, but his musings...
By Eric Ostermeier on February 21, 2007
Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin will likely remain prized battleground states in the 2008 Presidential election, as they were previously in 2004 and 2000. And while there is still at least a trace of purple in each, these three Upper Midwestern states seem to share a singular view of our current...
By Eric Ostermeier on February 15, 2007
On Wednesday Al Franken officially announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate—aiming to become the DLF nominee to challenge 1-term Minnesota Republican incumbent Norm Coleman in 2008. As discussed in a February 2, 2007 Smart Politics entry, Franken will have an uphill battle to win both the DFL primary...
