Quick Hits: Volume LXXI (MNGOP edition)

- After very little noise on the GOP front to provide opposition to Minnesota's junior U.S. Senator Al Franken, there was actually some rumblings Tuesday.

After giving serious consideration to running for Senate in 2014, conservative radio talk show host Jason Lewis cited the "Establishment Party" as the reason he is not entering the fray (translation: I won't be able to raise the money needed to run a competitive campaign).

Also on Tuesday morning, MN House member Jim Abeler (who happens to be my representative) announced he is forming a start-up committee to oppose Franken.

In my opinion, Abeler would be a tough sale amongst Republicans. Despite endorsing Ron Paul for President in 2012, Abeler is notorious for supporting bigger government in the form of mass transit subsidies, the new Vikings stadium and the MN Health Exchange. However, Abeler may appeal to some social conservatives since he voted "yes" on the MN Marriage Amendment two years ago and then, in one of the more passionate defenses of traditional marriage, voted "no" to legalize same-sex marriage last month. Again, given that history as a state rep, it seems an odd juxtaposition that he endorsed the libertarian Paul.

Abler now joins businessman Mike McFadden as the only Republicans in the race. Never heard of McFadden? Well, there's a legit reason for that. You see McFadden happened to declare his candidacy on Wednesday, May 29. That was also the day Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann garnered not only local but national headlines when she announced early that morning she would not seek a fifth term in the U.S. House.


- Speaking of being lost in the shuffle, a Republican challenger to Minnesota CD1 Congressman Tim Walz has emerged.

MN State Rep. Mike Benson announced Monday that he would seek to unseat Walz. Benson made the announcement outside a Ramada hotel in Rochester. Andy Parrish, who will apparently be working on the Benson campaign, tweeted a photo of the announcement locale, a tweet which elicited a classic zinger from Michael Brodkorb.

I hope the fire department doesn't shut you down RT @ParrishTweets: Supporters arrive at the Benson announcement that pic.twitter.com/NtYhfAPnl5
— Michael Brodkorb (@mbrodkorb) June 17, 2013

- I live in MN Congressional District Six, the same CD represented by the outgoing Bachmann. I am a delegate in said district and consider myself "in the know" when it comes to potential candidates lining up to replace Bachmann. 

With that in mind, the following announcement was made recently:

(MN State) Sen. John Pederson (R-St. Cloud) will run for Congress in Minnesota’s 6th District. It is the seat currently held by Michelle Bachmann who has recently said she will not be seeking re-election.

Pederson said, “I have practically lived the sixth Congressional District my whole life and I have good understanding what working families and their employers are experiencing in this current economic environment.”

Pederson, a Wright County native, was born in Glencoe and raised in Buffalo on a farm in Maple Lake Township where his parents still live today.

Seems like a standard, run-of-the-mill declaration of candidacy. One problem: the time stamp on the article was this past Friday just before 2:00 pm. Even in a normal summer season, many folks in these parts are out of town and off the grid for the weekend by early Friday afternoon at the latest. As such, Pederson's intentions weren't even widely known until Monday.

Again, a couple of well-known Minnesota political observers had this exchange on Twitter:

Said everyone I've talked to today -> RT @JackTomczak: I missed this: http://t.co/fTnfD0SONi #mngop #mn06
— John Rouleau (@John_Rouleau) June 17, 2013

Look, it's been very well documented over the past couple of years the difficult financial issues within the MN Republican party. It's unlikely they'll be able to lend a lot of support to GOP candidates who are in difficult races. So with that said, it's probably a good idea that the aforementioned candidates cease with the self-inflicted wounds since they're likely to have to be more self reliant over the next 16-1/2 months of campaigning.



---------------------------------------------------

Box Score of the week.

Like last week, I am featuring a game from the year 1966. In this one, the Atlanta Braves were in Shea Stadium to take on the New York Mets in September of that season.

---------------------------------------

My friend Mr. D correctly surmised this game was the Major League debut of Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan. 

In this game, Ryan recorded the first of his 5,714 career strikeouts, which makes him the all-time strikeout leader, and it's a record that will assuredly never be topped. 


------------------------------------------
 

BC out; EJ in

Today I will be taking a rare and well deserved break from a grueling one broadcast per week schedule on my radio program. In my stead, the lovely and talented EJ Haust will be taking the reigns from 1:00 until 3:00 pm Central.

Amongst the myriad topics she'll address, EJ will also be joined by author Brad Thor. Not only will they be talking about Brad's latest book, they'll also discuss much of what's happening with the NSA and the PRISM system.


So please give EJ a call at (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to discuss any of the topics she plans on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio.

For mobile phone users, there are apps available for iphone, Blackberry and Android!

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

---------------------------------------

Quick Hits: Volume LXX

- Given the developments in Syria, the U.S. is supposedly going to intervene on behalf of the rebels looking to overthrow the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad. Mark Steyn, in his regular Thursday appearance on The Hugh Hewitt Show, vehemently opposes any U.S. intervention in that mess. As such, Steyn feels we should employ Henry Kissinger-type cynicism in the motif of the Iran-Iraq war in that it's a shame they both can't lose.

Anyhow, the rationale behind supplying the rebels with ammo is due to the fact al-Assad used chemical weapons against said rebels.

Whoa, chemical weapons?!?! As in weapons of mass destruction?!?! Wherever would Syria obtain such an arsenal?


- In the midst of revelations last week that the NSA was collecting massive amounts of Americans' personal data via multiple online venues, reactions have included outrage, resignation and, believe it or not, apathy

Yes, apparently the mindset of some in the citizenry was to acquiesce to the NSA's operation with the mindset of "I have nothing to hide."

Let that sink in for a minute.

If our civil liberties are indeed under attack when people actually put up a fight to maintain them, how the heck does one expect to ever get them back if one allows them to be taken without so much as a whimper?

Oh, and one more thing. Just because you believe that your personal information shows nothing incriminating does not necessarily mean that "Big Brother" is of the same opinion.


- I will be taking a rare and well deserved break from my radio program this Sunday, but am leaving it in very capable hands. The delightful EJ Haust will be hosting The Closer in its regular 1:00-3:00 PM Central time slot.

You'll definitely want to check out the program if you're able, as EJ has already given me the inside scoop as to some of the things she has planned.

That's all I'll say for now.

--------------------------------------------------

Expanding the field

With former gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer being the first Republican to join the US House race for MN Congressional District Six, it was hard to imagine anyone could top his grand entrance. Having lost by a scant 0.5% in a state wide race in 2010 (but securing an 18-point margin of victory in CD6), Emmer was by far the favorite given his name recognition (co-hosting a morning drive-time radio show has only enhanced that) and fundraising prowess. This hardly went unnoticed by other potential candidates, as the likes of former Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, state senators Michelle Benson & Branden Peterson and state representatives David Fitzsimmons & Peggy Scott declined to jump in to the race. In fact, Koch even went so far as to endorse Emmer before he officially made his announcement last week.

But as of yesterday morning, Emmer now has one opponent for the GOP nomination.

The chair of Anoka County's Board of Commissioners is the second Republican to announce a run for Congress in the state's most GOP-leaning district, where Michele Bachmann has decided not to seek re-election.

"It's time to change things in Washington, and my record in Anoka County shows that I am uniquely qualified to get the job done," said Rhonda Sivarajah, 47, of Lino Lakes, who has been on the board since 2003 and chair since 2011.

I've said from the outset that it's a very good thing for frontrunner Emmer to be pushed a bit. And given that CD6 is an R +10 district, both candidates will try to outflank each other on the political right.

Sivarajah, who made her announcement Wednesday morning in the auto repair shop of a supporter in Ham Lake, said the key difference between her and Emmer is he's been talking about conservative principles but "I've actually been able to implement them and get things done and deliver real results."

She also pledged to be similar ideologically but less high-profile than Bachmann, a national lightning rod for criticism from the left and accolades from the right.

"I can tell you that you probably would have a pretty dull life, as media. I think that that really is the difference. I think we have a lot of the same core beliefs, I think the difference is maybe in the approach," Sivarajah said.

Also, the Emmer-Sivarajah matchup is somewhat of a deja vu pairing as Sivarajah was the Lt. Gov. running mate to Marty Seifert in 2010. It was Seifert who was Emmer's top challenger for the GOP endorsement that year. I don't know how much (if at all) that will be a factor. Since Seifert is a resident of CD7, a possible endorsement of Sivarajah may not mean a whole lot amongst CD6 constituents.

As a conservative living in CD6, I personally welcome more quality candidates to this race. Again, since this district is solidly red, there's no reason to have to "settle" for a particular ideology or personality type. Admittedly, that is a welcome change of pace.

I guess this means I can add another name to the roster of potential guests for my radio show. That too is a serendipity!

-----------------------------------------

Box Score of the week

We're going back a ways, all the way to 1966 in this case. The Cincinnati Reds hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates in a high scoring affair which went into extra innings.

-------------------------------------------------------

The Reds' Art Shamsky hit three home runs in this game despite not being in the starting lineup. He is the only player in MLB history to accomplish such a feat. 

--------------------------------------------------------

I call the shots, don't need a Fleet Street team...

If these news intensive weeks continue, the Northern Alliance Radio Network may have to invoke a third hour. Until then, this week's edition of the The Closer will be on the air in the usual 1:00 pm until 3:00 Central time slot.

I'll be sure and address the latest with the candidates in MN Congressional District Six, as former GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer declared his candidacy Wednesday.

On the national level, we'll undoubtedly discuss the NSA data mining program and how President Obama has lost even his staunchest apologists.

At 2:15, friend of the show Karin Housley will be in studio.

Karin, who is in the midst of her first term as a MN State Senator representing SD 39, will discuss the disastrous legislative session wrapped up a few weeks ago. And since Karin is a radio personality in her own right, we'll probably discuss assorted other topics, including real estate, family, summer activities, etc. And I also heard Karin will have a prominent position in the Emmer for Congress campaign, so we'll discuss that as well. 


So please give us a call at (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to discuss any of the topics we plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast, if you so desire. Check it out here. 

For mobile phone users, there are apps available for iphone, Blackberry and Android!

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

---------------------------------------

Anything you can do, I can do better.

It's pretty obvious that whatever story reported on the goings-on in our government, people are going to view it through their own political prism (no pun intended). When it was revealed during President George W. Bush's administration that the National Security Agency was collecting phone records in an effort to extract information regarding possible terrorist activities, many on the left suddenly became constitutional purists and demanded yet again that Bush be impeached. On the flip side, many on the right lauded the program, insisting that it had assisted in thwarting potential terror attacks. Apparently we were just supposed to take the Bush administration's word for it because the methodology of how the attacks were stopped was top secret stuff, dontcha know.

While I am not necessarily defending Bush's program, the fact of the matter is the data extracted in that particular NSA program dealt only with calls originating overseas into the United States and vice versa. We were also told that the government only made additional inquiries into said calls only when reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing existed. Again, because of it being top secret stuff, "shut up" they explained.

When on the campaign trail in 2008, then presidential candidate Barack Obama chided President Bush for adding $5 trillion to the national debt in an eight-year span. I believe the term Obama used back in the summer of '08 was "unpatriotic." Obama then proceed to add $6 trillion of debt in a mere four years. I bring that up because back in October 2005, then Senator Obama made a speech regarding the Patriot Act, essentially calling out the Bush Administration.

“…And if someone wants to know why their own government has decided to go on a fishing expedition through every personal record or private document – through library books they’ve read and phone calls they’ve made – this legislation gives people no rights to appeal the need for such a search in a court of law. No judge will hear their plea, no jury will hear their case. This is just plain wrong.Giving law enforcement the tools they need to investigate suspicious activity is one thing – and it’s the right thing – but doing it without any real oversight seriously jeopardizes the rights of all Americans and the ideals America stands for.”

Now that Obama is President, apparently he's "evolved" on the issue of "fishing expeditions."

President Obama on Friday defended the government’s collection of data on the phone records of millions of Americans, saying that it was a modest encroachment on privacy and one he thinks is both lawful and justified in order to identify terrorists plotting to attack the United States.

Obama emphasized that the government does not collect information on individual callers or eavesdrop on Americans’ conversations without a warrant. He said he would welcome a debate on the classified surveillance effort as well as the previously secret workings of a second program that gathers the e-mails and other digital content of targeted foreigners outside the United States from major American Internet companies.

The programs “make a difference in our capacity to anticipate and prevent possible terrorist activity,” Obama said.

Since Obama was able to top Bush in the national debt contest, why not also best him in the area personal record collection?

The bottom line is some U.S. citizens may acquiesce to these "modest encroachments" if indeed there were some comfort level that actual terrorist threats were impeded. Unfortunately, given how multiple warning signs regarding the Boston Marathon bombers were either bungled or ignored, you'll have to forgive the American people if they're cynical about their personal information not being compromised.

-------------------------------------

Another look at Chris Christie?

When Texas governor Rick Perry entered the GOP Presidential race in August 2011, he became the instant favorite amongst many conservatives barely before he uttered a word ---- which may have been the problem. About as fast as one could say the word "Gardasil", as well as enduring sub par debate performances, Perry had fallen out of favor. Once that happened, does anyone recall who many considered a viable conservative alternative to Perry? It was none other than New Jersey governor Chris Christie.

The intrigue behind a Christie candidacy stemmed from the fact he could make tough, sensible fiscal decisions all the while exhibiting a tenacious leadership style that was sorely lacking amongst the crop of GOP presidential hopefuls. At the time, it seemed as though the only declared candidate who was willing to talk tough without fear of consequences was Newt Gingrich. Unfortunately, Gingrich had more baggage than a Delta Airlines carousel, thus severely hindering his prospects.

While I appreciated the pining for a Christie candidacy in 2012, I never understood the rationale that he was to the right of Perry politically. Sure, Christie was able to tackle a $2.2 billion budget deficit without raising taxes (though he vowed to eventually cut taxes once the fiscal house was in order). But lost in a respectable fiscal policy was the fact the Christie was an advocate for New Jersey's tight gun control laws, which includes an assault weapons ban and magazine capacity restrictions. He also supported alternative energy such as wind and solar power, both of which have been an abject failures when there have been attempts to implement them. Christie has also been sucked in to the humans-cause-global-warming bit.

But what really sent some conservatives over the edge was Christie's friendly photo ops with President Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Since many of those appearances took place less than a month before the 2012 general election, many felt it undermined Mitt Romney's campaign and thus tilted the election towards Obama. However, I felt it was a stretch that the President of the United States appearing with the NJ governor somehow impacted results in key swing states like Ohio, Virginia, Colorado and Florida.

With all that in mind, I must admit I was still somewhat surprised when I saw a poll of Christie's latest favorable ratings (via Gallup) amongst Republicans, Democrats and Independents.

I'm not saying Christie is a shoe-in to be the GOP nominee for President in 2016 (though he's all but assured reelection as NJ governor this November). But the idea that today's Republicans are pining for an ideologue doesn't necessarily translate in this latest polling data.

Personally? Let's just say I'm keeping my options wide open.

------------------------------------------

Quick Hits: Volume LXIX

- Now that Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is officially not running for reelection in 2014, the major focus is now on who will run. As of Tuesday evening, there has yet to be any Republicans to officially declare they're running to represent MN Congressional District Six. It has been a little less than a week since Bachmann made her announcement, and in that time there has been several prominent politicians who have declined to run. That list includes State senators Michelle Benson & Branden Petersen and State representative Peggy Scott.

As of Tuesday, former Senate Majority Amy Koch can be added to the list of "thanks, but no thanks." For that, I am grateful.

It has been less than two years since Koch stepped down from her leadership position as top Republican in the state Senate in light of revelations she was having an affair with staffer Michael Brodkorb. In fact, many same-sex marriage proponents pointed out that the GOP majority in the legislature passed an amendment which sought to define marriage solely as between one man and one woman yet the party's majority leader was not even adhering to her own wedding vows. Like it or not, that was a public relations nightmare leading up to the 2012 elections where ultimately the marriage amendment was shot down by voters and the GOP lost its majority in both chambers. I'm not going to say that was the sole reason for the shellacking but it certainly was more than a small factor.

Bottom line is it's too soon for Koch to step back into the electoral fray, something of which I'm certain she's fully aware.


- Going into the 2013 baseball season, many prognosticators felt that if the Houston Astros lost less than 100 games this year, the season could be considered a success. The Astros have pretty much gutted their franchise and thus have chosen to rebuild from the bottom up.

On the other end of the spectrum, Houston's AL West division counterparts, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, have gone "all in", evidenced by signing the top two marquee free agents (Albert Pujols prior to 2012; Josh Hamilton prior to 2013) in consecutive offseasons.

Here is a snapshot of the state of these two franchises:

Houston's 2013 payroll - approximately $25 million
The 2013 salaries of Pujols and Hamilton combined - $33 million.
 
So in a four-game set between the two clubs this past weekend, Houston naturally went in to Anaheim and swept the series. Of course they did.


- Former NFL great David "Deacon" Jones, who was part of the renown L.A Rams defensive line known as the "Fearsome Foursome" in the 1960s, passed away Monday evening at the age of 74.

It was Jones who was said to have introduced the word "sack" into the football vernacular. This was of course in reference to his many tackles of opposing quarterbacks behind the line of scrimmage. Since the NFL did not declare a "sack" an official statistic until 1982, Jones is not cited when it comes to most prolific sackers. However, when breaking down game film, it was ascertained that Jones would have been credited with (unofficially of course) 26 sacks in in 1967 and 24 in 1968. Keep in mind those were 14-game regular seasons. Compare that to the official record of 22.5, which was set by Michael Strahan (with the help of Packers QB Brett Favre) in a sixteen-game season in 2001.

I never knew much off Jones' off-field activities, but apparently he and his teammates had a passion for singing. It's a good thing too, since it was Jones who encouraged Peter Brady not to quit the glee club.

But I digress.

Jones also had several small acting roles both during and after his playing career. He was a guest star on a handful of television shows -- including episodes of "Bewitched," "The Brady Bunch" and "The Odd Couple" -- and appeared in the 1978 Warren Beatty film "Heaven Can Wait."

Most recently, Jones was the CEO of his own foundation, which he began in 1997. He also made several trips to visit troops on active duty in the Middle East.

All in all, not a bad life for a 14th round draft pick out of a small college in Mississippi.

------------------------------------------

Box Score of the week

A little late with this week's BOTW, but here it is.

It was 46 years ago today when the Twins hosted the California Angels.

-----------------------------------

In this game, Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew hit the longest home run in Metropolitan Stadium history, as the ball traveled an estimated 520 feet. 

-----------------------------------

Change of scenery

I learned via my friend Mark Heuring that fellow blogger Speed Gibson is movin' on from the his long-time blog.

In my opinion, Speed covered local issues as well as anyone. While national politics typically garner the"sexier" headlines, delving into topics involving shenanigans with local school districts and municipalities typically doesn't interest even the most ardent political observers. Nevertheless, Speed was willing to deliver comprehensive posts in those areas.

I first learned of Speed's blog in 2005 when I learned he was delivering weekly recaps of AM 1500 KSTP's Sunday show The Next Big Thing, which one could call the American Idol of the Twin Cities radio market. When my pal Greg Bittner and I had our two hours on the air on Father's Day of that year, the first place I went the next morning was to Speed's place to read his review. I'll always appreciate the effusive praise he gave us. The fact that radio was something I've wanted to do since the 1980s and finally was given an opportunity to fulfill made it that much more special when an independent observer (or in this case, listener) took the time to critique it. Five years later, when I was a mere fill-in at AM 1280, Speed once again was kind enough to take the time to compliment my on-air performance.

Over the past 7-8 years, I've attended almost every Minnesota Organization of Bloggers biannual soiree. For all the gatherings I saw Speed, he seemed to be getting slimmer every time. His dedication to living a healthier lifestyle was something which he took a tremendous amount of pride. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that was perhaps the preeminent reason he's moving on from his prior blogging content.

I have accumulated a lot of knowledge in nutrition, health, fitness, and some of the related politics. So, I will soon be starting a new blog, maybe even a podcast, to recount my efforts and share what I've learned. The biggest lesson seems to be that there is too much unproven and counterproductive information out there and that will be my focus. To cut the fat, you first need to cut the crap. I'll keep you posted via Twitter, continuing there as SpeedGibson.

So as I pull up just short of nine years across three hosting sites, my thanks to my readers of course. But with new-found respect, my thanks also those continuing on, especially at TrueNorth.

 Continued success to you in all your endeavors, Speed.

--------------------------------------------

He's a loser but he still keeps on tryin'.....

It's another Sunday which means another edition of The Closer, which will be in its usual 1:00 until 3:00 pm Central time slot.

I'll likely spend most of the first hour talking about the big announcement earlier this week that Congresswoman Michele Bachmann would not seek reelection for her US House seat in 2014. I'll reflect on Bachmann's career as well as what's next for MN Congressional District Six. I'll also discuss Jim Graves, the Democrat candidate who almost unseated Bachmann in 2012 and was poised for a rematch in 2014 but dropped out of the race two days after Bachmann's announcement.

At 2:15, the NARN's official basketball wonk Mike McCollow will join us via phone. I will discuss with Mike the NBA playoffs as well as the latest on the hometown Timberwolves now that Flip Saunders is entrenched in his role as President of basketball operations.


So please give us a call at (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to discuss any of the topics we plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast, if you so desire. Check it out here. 

For mobile phone users, there are apps available for iphone, Blackberry and Android!

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

---------------------------------------

From Graves to grave

When opining on the news that Congresswoman Michele Bachmann would not seek reelection for her US House seat, I made the comment that it wasn't a sure thing her declared Democrat opponent would even remain in the race. The reason being that his only advantage in said race was he faced a very vulnerable incumbent.

Since that advantage has now vanished, the aforementioned Democrat concurred this morning that there is really no reason to move forward. 

As of today, Jim Graves is going to indefinitely suspend his campaign for Congress from the 6th District.

Translation: He is not running. He is dropping out of politics to concentrate on his family and his business.

Later this morning he will circulate a press release to this effect. But he says he will not take questions about it today, nor is he particularly interested in hearing from various Democrats who might want to talk him into changing his mind. In fact, his plan is to give no interviews for a month so the spotlight can shift to others who want to enter the race from which he is withdrawing.

The prevailing thought process amongst Bachmann detractors is that Graves dropping out is not a bad thing, despite his losing in 2012 by only 1.2% while being outspent more than 4-to-1 in an R+10 district. So how can said detractors construe that as a good thing? Well, they believe Graves' narrow defeat against Bachmann in 2012 scared her enough that the thought of a rematch against a more well-funded Graves (the DCCC tabbed Bachmann's House seat as a top 5 opportunity to flip) was just too much. Despite Bachmann denying such a mindset, leftists believe Graves did his job by supposedly scaring her out of the race and ultimately out of the halls of Congress. That's a nice theory but it's, at best, a very shallow victory.

As I've alluded to earlier, CD6 is politically a very conservative district . It's likely we Republicans in the Sixth will endorse a candidate whose ideology pretty well mirrors Bachmann's. As such, that candidate will easily be elected and, once he/she arrives in Washington, will have an almost identical voting record to his/her predecessor. With that in mind, one can surmise that the right-of-center voters grew so weary of the constant negative media coverage of Bachmann (as well as her well publicized gaffes and idiosyncrasies) that they felt it reflected poorly on them. As a result, even many Republican voters felt it was time for Bachmann to move on. Heck, the 2012 election results in CD6 pretty well bare that out. Mitt Romney bested President Obama in the Sixth by nearly 15 percent. However, Bachmann earned only 87% of the votes Romney received whereas Graves brought in a whopping 116% of Obama's total. That right there tells us how Bachmann's incumbency advantage was nonexistent.

So for the first time since 2006, Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District will not have an incumbent in the US House race. It's quite obvious by last November's results that the CD6 citizenry was ready for a new start. But it will hardly be the radical change that leftists have hoped for. 

----------------------------------------

Bachmann bows out

I surmised six weeks ago that Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's tenure in the US House may soon be coming to an end.

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Bachmann herself made it official.

Bachmann, 57, who took office in 2007, says on the video: “My good friends: After a great deal of thought and deliberation, I have decided next year I will not seek a fifth congressional term to represent the wonderful people of the Sixth District of Minnesota. After serious consideration, I am confident that this is the right decision.”

POLITICO reported over the weekend that the Minnesota Republican faced “existential” political threats. The Federal Election Commission and the Office of Congressional Ethics are investigating the finances of last year’s Republican primary bid. And she was being challenged again by Jim Graves, a Democrat who came within 5,000 votes, or 1.2 percentage points, of unseating her last November.

As a constituent of Bachmann, I will definitely miss her tireless work in taking on the leftist machine. With government expanding its influence seemingly everyday, Bachmann was unafraid to call attention to it. As such, she was a perpetual target for invective by virtually every left wing establishment. There are few mortal humans I know of who can take the kind of verbal savagery she's endured for more than a decade (that includes her time in the local political scene in Minnesota) and yet continue to stick her chin out.

On the flip side, there are the endless soundbites where she has (to be generous) been factually deficient. I don't believe she makes misstatements with the intent to deceive. In fact, to quote my friend and NARN colleague Mitch Berg, she sometimes employs a "Ready, FIRE, Aim" methodology when giving a stump speech. This was an issue that cropped up constantly during the Presidential debates in 2011.

I also appreciate the fact that she has made this announcement about a year-and-a-half ahead of the 2014 elections. This allows Congressional District Six Republicans more than ample time to endorse a replacement. As I write this, the list of potential GOP candidates to replace Bachmann has reached double digits.

Again, I will miss Bachmann as my representative. However, those feeling of regret have been more than soothed by the wind going out the proverbial sails of the Graves campaign. Literally the only thing Graves had going for him was that Bachmann was his opponent. In fact, the Democrat Campaign Congressional Committee had tabbed the MN CD6 race as one of the top five they were committed to flipping from Republican to Democrat. The DCCC will now have to seriously consider whether to invest seriously in an R +10 district where their only advantage (i.e. a vulnerable incumbent) has now vanished.

Heck, will Graves even stick around after this announcement? I don't know if that's a sure thing either.

--------------------------------------------

Box Score of the week

The Boston Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. However, they were beaten pretty soundly in this July '04 game against the Baltimore Orioles.

---------------------------------------

I chose this game for one reason and one reason only. 

One of the more bizarre examples of "Manny being Manny", Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez inexplicably dives to cutoff a throw center fielder Johnny Damon was trying to get to the infield. 

 

----------------------------------------

People think we're nearing the end of time, but we've had enough and we've drawn the line...

Yes, we will have a live Memorial Day broadcast of The Closer in the usual 1:00 until 3:00 PM Central time slot today.

In the first hour, we will focus on the spirit of Memorial Day by paying homage to those who have paid the ultimate price to defend our land.

Then in the final hour, I will look back at the week in political news, including the end of a disastrous Minnesota legislative session. Also, will the scandals in Washington, D.C. result in any high profile heads rolling? We'll discuss.


So please give us a call at (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to discuss any of the topics we plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast, if you so desire. Check it out here. 

For mobile phone users, there are apps available for iphone, Blackberry and Android!

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

---------------------------------------

AK for AG?

It would appear U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder lied, under oath, to Congress last week. That's probably not the ideal scenario for the county's top cop to escape prosecution, much less keep his job. Even before those hearings regarding the Justice Department seizing phone records of the Associated Press, there was speculation that Holder desired to remain AG only until the end of 2013. Whether or not his master plan comes to fruition remains to be seen.

While there is certainly more to discuss regarding the scandal which caused Holder to perjure himself, I'm actually using this post to speculate how this could potentially affect my home state.

If indeed Holder is gone sooner rather than later, a replacement will be needed posthaste. There has been one name bandied about which really has me intrigued. That name is none other than Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar. Before she was first elected to the US Senate in 2006, Klobuchar was Hennepin County Attorney for eight years. Whatever you think of her politics (which, for me personally, is very little) she is reputable legal mind (she also served as a legal adviser to former VP Walter Mondale). Plus, her credibility with Senate Democrats (and even some Republicans) is a definite plus given that a sudden vacancy in the AG's office would call for a quick confirmation process. At the very least, the Democrats have a comfortable majority in the Senate, which would assure Klobuchar a swift nod for the job.

If that indeed comes to pass, what happens to the suddenly vacant MN Senate seat? Well first, Governor Mark Dayton would appoint a replacement (obviously a Democrat) for Klobuchar. However, that appointment would last only until the 2014 elections (coincidentally, Senator Al Franken is up for reelection that year). Whomever prevails in that particular contest would have only a four-year term, as that seat's six-year cycle would be up again in 2018 since Klobuchar was reelected in 2012.

To me, that whole scenario is equal parts invigorating and frightening. Sure it would have been better for Klobee to have been defeated electorally, but her being gone from the Senate would be a good thing. On the flip side, I just alluded to the fact that in 2014 there would be two US Senate races for which the Minnesota GOP would have to put up candidates. While the atmosphere and financial outlook within the state party has improved over the past 18 months, the fact remains that the MN GOP is still in disarray, thus making it difficult to support candidates running in statewide races. That, and there's been so much difficulty putting forth just one candidate to oppose a mediocre incumbent like Franken. Now just imagine trying to field a second formidable GOP candidate to oppose whomever may run for the other Senate seat in 2014.

Whatever ends up happening, 2014 is shaping up to be a very critical election cycle in the state of Minnesota.

-----------------------------------------------

Not happy unless miserable

The latest Minnesota legislative session wrapped up with the Democrats ramming through almost everything they wanted. Amongst the leftist utopia implemented was significant spending and tax increases (to the tune of about $2 billion), legalization of same-sex marriage, setting up a State Health Exchange and forced unionization of in-home childcare providers.

Such is the reality of one-party rule, since the DFL controls both chambers of the Legislature as well as the governor's office. With that, you would think they would spend Tuesday giving themselves the proverbial pat on the back for what I'm sure they considered a job well done.

Alas, these are leftists, who never seem happy unless they can emit some sort of spittle-inducing rage. But seriously, what kind of issue could they possibly manufacture, no matter how benign, in order to behave like their irritable selves?

Leave it to a complicit media (in this case, WCCO-TV political guy Pat Kessler) to throw them a bone.

Why does MNGOP deliberately misname MN Democratic-Farmer-Labor party as "Democrat"-Farmer-Labor? Same when identifying lawmakers. Discuss.
— Patrick Kessler (@PatKessler) May 21, 2013

Former campaign staffer guy Zack Stephenson weighed in.

@patkessler A pet peeve of mine. Dems prefer "Democratic Party." Its common courtesy to call each other by the names we choose for ourselves
— Zack Stephenson (@zackstephenson) May 21, 2013

Never one to shy away from "controversy", Rep. Ryan Winkler, who once call a constituent (though not one of his own) an "a-hole" on Twitter, whined about the House Minority Leader leaving out the "ic."

Republicans, including @kdaudt, continually refer to the "Democrat Party" as a way to disparage the Democratic Party. It's cheap.
— Ryan Winkler (@RepRyanWinkler) May 17, 2013

Let's look at this logically.

If you're a Republican, you're a member of the Republican party.

If you're a Libertarian, you're a member of the Libertarian party.

If you're a Communist, you're a member of the Communist party.

And if you're a Democrat, you're a member of the....what? Again, following a logical trend, it should be Democrat party. I seriously have never understood why Democrats get all bent out of shape when their party is labeled as such. 

A friend mine also pointed out the party name of the MN Democrats, which is the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party. If we're to be grammatically consistent there, it should be Democrat-Farmer-Laborer. So it would appear both MN Republicans and Democrats have had that one wrong.

Oh well, this manufactured controversy helped the Dems get through at least day one of them not being in session. I wonder what other "pet peeves" can keep their dander up until February 2014.

----------------------------------------------

Putting the "Big L" in DFL

Minnesota Democrats (known as the Democratic Farmer Labor party) bowed to pressure from public employee unions SEIU and AFSCME to pass legislation unionizing in-home day care and Personal Care Assistants. With the Senate passing the measure last week (barely, 35-32), the House on Monday approved the bill by a razor thin 68-66 vote. Not a single Republican voted yes in either the House or Senate.

First off, I'd like to give kudos to the 4 Senate and 5 House DFLers who maintained a shred of common sense by voting "no." Of course, I may be giving too much credit to these legislators. Political maneuvering in the DFL caucus probably gave permission to these people to vote "no" since they were likely deemed the most vulnerable in future elections. Let's face it. Other than with union members themselves, this legislation was woefully unpopular amongst most factions, left or right. Heck, even both the St Paul Pioneer Press and Minneapolis Star Tribune (neither will ever be confused with the Washington Times) panned this bill.

A couple of final thoughts.

First, this is a golden opportunity for the MN House Republicans when the 2014 campaign season kicks in to high gear. If just one more House Democrat had voted "no" on the daycare/PCA unionization bill, the final roll would've been a 67-67 deadlock, meaning the legislation would have failed (unless the Dems had called yet another "do over"). With that in mind, every one of the 68 DFLers who voted "yes" can be tabbed as having cast the deciding vote.

Finally, it's pretty obvious that House Democrats were incredibly reluctant to hold a vote, thus they waited until there was less than 12 hours remaining in the legislative session to walk the proverbial plank. DFLers know this is crap legislation, but they're indebted to their union cohorts, who donated about $11 million to their campaigns this past election cycle. So the unions ended up being placated but at the expense of a group of people whom I know full well you should never anger --- Mothers.

Expect this bill to be challenged in court.

--------------------------------------------

Box Score of the week

April 20, 1978 - The Atlanta Braves travel to San Diego to take on the Padres.

------------------------------------

This is the greatest defensive play I personally have ever seen, courtesy of Padres' rookie shortstop Ozzie Smith. 

 

----------------------------------------

The spray flies as the speedboat glides, and people forget......

Yet another busy news week to look back upon as I will once again be in the Patriot bunker for the latest edition of The Closer. As per usual, I will be broadcasting from 1:00 pm until 3:00 Central.

At 1:15, I will be speaking with Jeff Johnson, who announced two weeks ago that he is vying for the GOP nomination for the 2014 MN gubernatorial race.

The rest of the show will likely be consumed with the news of this past week, including political news locally (e.g. the quagmire that is the DFL controlled legislature, same-sex marriage becoming the law of the land in Minnesota, etc.) and nationally (e.g. the scandals involving the IRS and Dept. of Justice).


So please give us a call at (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to discuss any of the topics we plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast, if you so desire. Check it out here. 

For mobile phone users, there are apps available for iphone, Blackberry and Android!

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

---------------------------------------

Today at the Capitol

I will be going to the Minnesota State Capitol today to show my support for in-home childcare providers as well as Personal Care Assistants.

Hopefully many Minnesotans know by now that the MN Democrats are attempting to pass legislation to reimburse unions for their generous campaign donations force the aforementioned small business owners to unionize. It has already passed the Senate, so the House will be taking up the matter on today.

Here is the general information from the event listing on Facebook:

Saturday at 11:00am until Sunday at 2:00am

Most of the day and into the night, debate is expected on the House floor on the childcare and PCA unionization bill. T-Shirts (white with red print), buttons, stickers and sign-making materials will be on hand for protestors who oppose the unionization of small business owners.

Session start time is not yet determined, but it's likely going to go on all day. We'll post the exact start of session time when it's announced.

We expect people will be coming and going. Even if you only have an hour or two to spare, please come show your opposition to this monstrous, underhanded money-grab racket.

My wife and I do not operate an in-home daycare business nor do we utilize one. However, mandating independent business owners join a union (and thus fork over union dues) flies directly in the face of "freedom of association." That is a principle for which we should all fight, regardless of the endeavor.

I plan on arriving right at 11:00!

------------------------------------------

Saturday at the Capitol

I will be going to the Minnesota State Capitol Saturday morning to show my support for in-home childcare providers as well as Personal Care Assistants.

Hopefully many Minnesotans know by now that the MN Democrats are attempting to pass legislation to reimburse unions for their generous campaign donations force the aforementioned small business owners to unionize. It has already passed the Senate, so the House will be taking up the matter on Saturday.

Here is the general information from the event listing on Facebook:

Saturday at 11:00am until Sunday at 2:00am

Most of the day and into the night, debate is expected on the House floor on the childcare and PCA unionization bill. T-Shirts (white with red print), buttons, stickers and sign-making materials will be on hand for protestors who oppose the unionization of small business owners.

Session start time is not yet determined, but it's likely going to go on all day. We'll post the exact start of session time when it's announced.

We expect people will be coming and going. Even if you only have an hour or two to spare, please come show your opposition to this monstrous, underhanded money-grab racket.

My wife and I do not operate an in-home daycare business nor do we utilize one. However, mandating independent business owners join a union (and thus fork over union dues) flies directly in the face of "freedom of association." That is a principle for which we should all fight, regardless of the endeavor.

I plan on arriving right at 11:00!

------------------------------------------

Taken by force

After about 17 hours of debate (from about 3:00 pm Tuesday until approximately 8:00 am Wednesday), the MN State Senate, by a 35-32 vote (with zero Republicans voting "yes"), passed Senate File 778, a measure requiring in-home childcare workers and personal care attendants to join a public employees union. In perhaps one of the more unamerican (Yep. I said it. Unamerican. Whatcha gonna do about it?) pieces of legislation I have ever known, these small business owners (not employees; owners) are asked forced to do something approximately 90% of them don't want to do.

The House will take up this matter as early as Friday. With the legislative session slated to end on Monday, it's possible the GOP may be able to "run out the clock" on this one.

One of the more galling aspects of this whole process was the erratic behavior of Sen. Terri Bonoff  (D-Minnetonka). While on the Senate Finance Committee last week, Senators Bonoff and Barb Goodwin (D-Columbia Heights) broke from their party and cast "no" votes on SF 778, which resulted in an 11-11 committee vote. With that deadlock, the Senate version of this union power grab was buried. Ah, but as is the DFL's wont, they once again declared a "Mulligan", similar to the floor vote they had taken on the tax bill the week before. So when taking a second committee vote, Sen. Bonoff inexplicably change her vote to "yes" despite declaring that she still opposes the actual bill.





That has to be the most stupefying logic I have ever heard. If Sen. Bonoff's position on the bill is in line with her constituents (who she says oppose it) then why would she vote to bring it to the Senate floor and risk passage? Her killing it in committee would be something her constituents would apparently rejoice in since they adamantly oppose this legislation.

By the way the other DFLer who voted "no" in the Finance Committee, Sen. Goodwin, stuck with the courage of her convictions and voted "no" in the second committee vote. But on the floor vote? Sen. Goodwin inexplicably voted "yes." I haven't seen any on-the-record explanation as to why the flip, but I'll bet it's a doozy.

So the next time you hear that DFL pap about how they're the party of the middle class and that they care more about the children, just remember all of this if indeed this legislation becomes law. Childcare workers will take a hit on their bottom line when having to fork over union dues (even if they opt out, they still have to pay a percentage of full dues, aka "fair share."). I have yet to meet any childcare workers that are in the top 2% income bracket, which the DFL pledged would be the only people dinged financially. Also, by opting out of the union, a childcare worker will not be eligible to accept low-income families who receive Child Care Assistance. So not only is the opting out childcare provider losing business, low-income families are going to have fewer options for providers. And the providers that will begrudgingly accept union membership will likely pass extra costs on to the consumers. Again, I don't know of many folks in the top 2% income bracket who are utilizing daycare services to begin with, so that is also going to be quite a burden.

So much for that DFL promise that there won't be any extra financial onus on the middle class. They have more pressing issues to address, like paying back their generous donations received via the unions.

-------------------------------------

Mere formality

After the MN House last week approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, it was considered a mere formality that the Senate would go ahead and OK the House version. After about four hours of debate Monday, that is exactly what happened. Now the bill awaits Governor Mark Dayton's signature.

Dayton's signature, expected (this evening), will make Minnesota the 12th state in the country to allow same-sex marriage - and the first in the Midwest to do so via the Legislature and not the courts (That is one positive, IMO - ed.). Same -sex weddings could start here Aug. 1.

Once the DFL gained control of both chambers of the MN Legislature, I'm certain many Republicans felt that same-sex marriage was an inevitability if indeed the Democrats decided to broach the issue. Once the issue was engaged, the GOP wanted the religious liberty aspects sufficiently addressed. Unfortunately, many GOP senators did not feel such matters were resolved, hence only one Senate Republican (Branden Petersen, my own State Senator) cast a "yes" vote.

"This proposal does not protect religious institutions and non-profits," said Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove. Organizations like the YMCA, Northwestern College and the University of St. Thomas "are all religious affiliated institutions, but they are not protected. Northwestern is a very popular place to get married. That Christian college cannot refuse (a same sex wedding on its grounds), according to this law that we're considering. And so it goes with other institutions."

Wedding photographers and others who make a living off weddings but don't believe in gay marriage would be put in a position of being put out of work or "violating their core beliefs," said Sen. Sean Nienow, R-Cambridge.

The concerns addressed by Sens. Limmer and Nienow are usually dismissed since they're supposedly addressed in the First Amendment to the US Constitution. But as we've seen just this year alone, there were stringent attempts to infringe upon the Second Amendment in several states, not to mention by President Obama at the Federal level. And just last month, there were law enforcement officials going door-to-door in Watertown, MA in a feverish search for the surviving Boston Marathon bomber. I don't recall any search warrants being shown to residents in accordance with the Fourth amendment. With that in mind, it isn't exactly a 100% certainty that those with religious convictions will have their 1st amendment rights unequivocally protected.

One other thing that really bugged me during this whole process was the borderline condescension of the same-sex marriage supporters. We were constantly hearing the phrase "Be on the right side of history." I thought my friend and Northern Alliance Radio Network alum Chad the Elder's response pretty much captured my sentiment.

For years we've been told that we're "on the wrong side of history" on abortion too yet somehow we've been able to live with that.
— ChadTheElder (@ChadTheElder) May 9, 2013

 Indeed.

-----------------------------------------------

Gosnell guilty

Pennsylvania abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell is going away for the rest of his natural life. This afternoon he was found guilty on three counts of first degree murder.

This case seemed to get its most notoriety for the fact it barely covered by the mainstream media. To me, that was the biggest travesty. Not so much that the media seemed to be in dereliction of duty. No, what angered me was there seemed to be an orchestrated agenda to their non-coverage.

When President Barack Obama was an Illinois state Senator, he voted no on legislation that would have mandated medical care for infants born alive after an attempted abortion. Since Gosnell willfully (and barbarically) snuffed out the lives of fetuses which he attempted to abort past 24 weeks (the threshold which makes abortion illegal in the state of Pennsylvania) yet were born alive, it actually gave people a mental picture into how horrific any abortion may be. Hence, Obama was seen by many as the most radical pro-abortion President in U.S. history. No way his water carriers in the press could risk that mindset expanding.

Somehow, NARAL and anyone associated with them found a way to use the Gosnell case as a cudgel for expanding abortions services.

The numbers don't lie- #Gosnell is result of #antichoice attacks on abortion access. Check out the stats & pls RT: twitpic.com/cqdnca
— NARAL (@NARAL) May 13, 2013

Reminder after #Gosnell verdict: Women went to him b/c they had no other options. We must expand access to abortion. rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/0…
— Steph Herold (@StephHerold) May 13, 2013

With that, Ms. Herold completely misses the point. Again, abortions past 24 weeks are illegal in the state of Pennsylvania. These women should not have been seeking abortions anywhere. Apparently in the minds of NARAL and Steph Herold, "choice" should have no time limitations.

------------------------------------

Box score of the week

Let's go back to 1956 when the Brooklyn Dodgers traveled to Forbes Field to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates.

-----------------------------------------

This was the eighth consecutive game in which the Pirates' Dale Long hit a home run, which still stands as an all-time National League record. 

------------------------------------------ 

My faith was so much stronger then, I believed in fellow men.....

My friend and Northern Alliance Radio Network colleague Mitch Berg and I will be switching it up this weekend, so The Closer will actually be headlining the NARN festivities. With that, I will be broadcasting today from 1:00 until 3:00 pm Central Time.

There has been wayyyyy too much news this past week that there's no way I can sufficiently address it all. Nevertheless, I at least want to touch on some of the major stories locally (MN House passing same -sex marriage bill, the MN DFL's second "Mulligan", Vikings cut outspoken Chris Kluwe, etc.) as well as nationally (Benghazi hearings, SC01 Congressional election).


So please give us a call at (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to discuss any of the topics we plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast, if you so desire. Check it out here. 

For mobile phone users, there are apps available for iphone, Blackberry and Android!

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

---------------------------------------

Inevitable

On Thursday afternoon, the MN House of Representatives voted to legalize same-sex marriage in this state. The measure passed 75-59.

This coming Monday, the Senate will also approve the measure. By this time next week, Governor Mark Dayton will have signed the bill into law making Minnesota the 12th state to legalize gay marriage.

I have used many words in this space conveying my opposition to this proposed law. However, within the past couple of years, it's become pretty apparent that gay marriage will one day be the law of the land. Regardless, I will never acknowledge that same-sex marriage is right for reasons you can ascertain in my previous writings on the subject.

In closing, I would like to share with you how my friend Walter Hudson summed up this battle upon the House vote being taken yesterday. He pretty much conveys my sentiments in a way I don't feel I could adequately articulate.

Minnesota Christians, today berated for being "on the wrong side of history," rest secure in their knowledge of the Author of History. We've read ahead to the last chapter, and know how the story ends.

Amen.

--------------------------------------------------

Benghazi hearings

On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee heard testimony of three "whistleblowers" whose perspective of the 9/11/2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya differed from that of the Obama administration. Within days after the attack, it was very obvious that a YouTube video denigrating radical Islam was not the catalyst for a so-called spontaneous protest.

On Sept. 16, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice hit the media circuit, appearing on all five Sunday talk shows to dispel the notion that the strike was a premeditated terrorist act and to perpetuate the case that it began "spontaneously" out of protests in Egypt. Rice's spot on "Face the Nation" that day was preceded by the new President of Libya Mohammed al-Magariaf, who said his government had "no doubt that this was preplanned, predetermined."

"For there to have been a demonstration on Chris Stevens's front door and him not to have reported it is unbelievable," (Greg Hicks, a 22-year foreign service diplomat who was the highest-ranking U.S. official in Libya after the strike) said. "I never reported a demonstration; I reported an attack on the consulate. Chris - Chris's last report, if you want to say his final report - is, 'Greg, we are under attack.'

"...I've never been as embarrassed in my life, in my career, as on that day," Hicks continued in his interview with investigators. "The net impact of what has transpired is, [Rice,] the spokesperson of the most powerful country in the world, has basically said that the president of Libya is either a liar of doesn't know what he's talking about. ....My jaw hit the floor as I watched this."

CBS News, of all outlets, has been doing yeoman's work in covering this story. 

The thing that is most bothersome to me is how Obama administration sympathizers characterize the hearings as nothing more than showmanship or a proverbial witch hunt. It's as if demanding accountability for the deaths of four innocent Americans (deaths which were utterly preventable, by the way) is a waste of time.

These hearings also provide a certain amount of credence to the theory that the Obama administration was merely trying to protect its reputation as a stalwart against terrorism. One of the mantras of the Obama-Biden reelection campaign was that "Osama bin Laden is dead and GM is alive." But a terror attack by an Al Qaeda affiliate would take some of the shine off the administration's crown jewel in the global war on terror (i.e. the capture and killing of bin Laden).

Another layer to this is the YouTube video was a convenient little cudgel to rail on free speech, in the motif of the Tucson, AZ shooting. As we have also seen with the Newtown, CT school shooting, President Obama et al aren't above exploiting tragedies in an attempt to affect policy changes. While there has been very little in which I have personally aligned myself with Obama administration policies, I am certainly hoping that the "spontaneous protest" myth was not conjured up for the purpose of attempting to suppress speech they find abhorrent or, worse yet, to protect their pride.

---------------------------------------------------

Marriage moment

For close to a decade, same-sex marriage has been a hotly debated issue in the state of Minnesota. However, it didn't appear the issue would ever be resolved unless one political party had complete control of state government. Sure, the GOP-controlled Legislature attempted to put the issue to rest two years ago. But since DFL governor Mark Dayton would not have signed a bill defining marriage as strictly between a man and a woman, Republicans went the route of putting the measure on the November 2012 ballot for voters to decide whether to amend the state constitution. Said measure failed.

Now the DFL has complete control of state government, which means they can ultimately decide this issue without any Republican support. Naturally, the Democrat position on gay "marriage" is overwhelmingly in support of such a union. The problem in this state is there are a number of Dems who represent rural areas where their constituents are more socially conservative. As such, they're hesitant to go against the people whom they represent. While it appears there are enough votes in the Senate to legalize same-sex marriage, it's unclear whether that's the case in the House. However, House Speaker Paul Thissen went on record saying he "thinks" there are enough votes in his chamber. It appears this Thursday is the day when the House will quite possibly move this issue to a floor vote.

So what does this mean? If you oppose gay marriage, it's time to make a last minute plea to House members. Assuming none of the Republicans in the House will vote "yes" that means six DFLers will have to be persuaded to break ranks and vote "no" to effectively thwart legalizing same-sex marriage this session.

The pro-traditional marriage organization, Minnesota For Marriage, is holding a rally Thursday at the State Capitol.

Here is the pertinent information:

To contact a member of the MN House of Representatives, you can find their telephone numbers here.

------------------------------------------------

Punted

Normally when an NFL team releases its punter, it comes with little to no fanfare. But Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe is no ordinary punter. That became quite clear if you followed Twitter when the news broke Monday morning that Kluwe's eight-year tenure with the Vikings had come to an end. 

While gaining a significant following due to his being a gaming enthusiast and bassist for local band Tripping Icarus, Kluwe's profile went into hyperspace with his tireless advocacy for legalizing same-sex marriage (His Deadspin piece lighting up a Maryland state delegate who opposed gay marriage has, to date, received approximately 3 million views). It also resulted in countless media appearances, including venues like Ellen, The Colbert Report, The Tom Barnard Podcast and the highly rated Northern Alliance Radio Network program The Closer.

So when Kluwe's on-field performance floundered a bit midseason 2012, some may have attributed it to his off-field excursions. Special Teams coach Mike Priefer was one of Kluwe's most outspoken critics, specifically when it came to Kluwe's efforts to support punter Ray Guy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

When asked about the $5,250 fine that Kluwe incurred for putting "Vote Ray Guy" over a patch on his jersey commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Vikings special teams coordinator Mike Priefer delivered a sharp rebuke.

"I don't even want to talk about that," Priefer said Thursday. "Those distractions are getting old for me, to be quite honest with you. Do I think Ray Guy deserves to be in the Hall of Fame? Absolutely. But there's other ways of going about doing it, in my opinion."

So in the end, was Kluwe released because he became too much of a distraction or lacked the proper focus? ESPN.com's Kevin Siefert, who blogs about all things NFC North, weighs in.

I just don't think it's that simple. When viewed through the bigger picture of NFL business, and in the context of the Vikings' personnel approach over the past 16 months, you realize that Kluwe's off-field life was at best the final shove at the end of the plank.

The facts:

• Kluwe finished 2012 ranked No. 31 among NFL punters in a statistic the Vikings value highly: punts downed inside the 20. Of Kluwe's 72 punts, 18 settled in what the league considers poor field position. By comparison, the Chicago Bears' Adam Podlesh nearly doubled Kluwe's total among his 81 punts. Podlesh finished with 34, while Green Bay Packers punter Tim Masthay had 30 in 70 punts.

• Kluwe set a career high with a 39.9-yard net average, but that mark still ranked in the lower half (No. 18 overall) among punters.

• In a relatively flat salary-cap era, the Vikings had an opportunity for significant savings. Because of a rarely needed NFL rule, Kluwe has no acceleration remaining on his six-year deal. Thus, all of his projected $1.45 million cap figure has been erased. His replacement, Jeff Locke, will count about a third of that total. In two years, in fact, the Vikings have shaved 23 years off the combined age of their punter and place-kicker and have lowered their cap commitment for those roles by two-thirds.

So in cold business terms, the Vikings had a 31-year-old punter who turned in a below-average performance last season and was entering the final year of his contract. They had several options, including keeping Kluwe for one more season, before deciding whether to re-sign him.

Remember, it was Priefer  who suggested last year that the Vikings would be better off jettisoning reliable veteran placekicker (and all-around great guy) Ryan Longwell in favor of a kicker drafted in the six round who made only 60% of his field goals his senior year at Georgia. Nevertheless, Priefer felt the issues Blair Walsh endured his final collegiate season were correctable. The result? Walsh hit 92.1% of his field goal attempts (an NFL rookie record), including hitting all ten tries from 50 yards or more, which is an all-time NFL record. As a result, Priefer has the clout (for better or worse) within the Vikings organization when he insists that the 2013 fifth round pick, punter Jeff Locke out of UCLA, would be a more than suitable replacement for Kluwe.

In the end, this appeared to be more an on-field business decision than anything else. But to say Kluwe's advocacy had absolutely nothing to do with his release might be a bit naive.

-------------------------------

Irony eludes them

There are officially two Republicans who have stepped forward in a quest to be the GOP challenger to Governor Mark Dayton in 2014.

A couple of weeks ago, Wayzata businessman Scott Honour stepped forward to become the first to declare his candidacy. Honour had barely finished his announcement before Carrie Lucking, Executive Director of the leftist organization ABM (Alida Buys...er.. I mean "Alliance for a Better Minnesota"), sent an avalanche of snarky tweets in reference to Honour's wealth.

As my friend and NARN colleague Mitch Berg so astutely pointed out, the irony was completely lost on Ms. Lucking.

.....“Alliance for a Better Minnesota”, an organization largely bankrolled by a Rockefeller heiress, largely launched to aid the career of a feckless trust-fund baby; the organization is attacking a guy who actually earned his money, unlike any of Lucking’s benefactors.

I guess wealth is only virtuous if the wealthy is willing to fund progressive causes. But I digress.

Then this past Sunday, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson officially launched his candidacy. Johnson, who is also the Republican National Committeeman from Minnesota, served three terms in the Minnesota State House and in 2006 made an unsuccessful bid to be Minnesota Attorney General.

Now, it's not all that unusual for the opposition party to weigh in with their objections of a candidate looking to defeat their guy. But, once again, the Democrats aren't able to make a lot of substantive retorts.

DFL Party chair Ken Martin called him “a classic politician trying to climb the ladder.”

Yes, Mr. Martin is the chair of the same party which includes the current Minnesota governor. Yes, that would be Mark Dayton, who made an unsuccessful bid for the US Senate in the 1982, was Minnesota State Auditor in the 1990s, a US Senator from 2001-2007 and elected Governor in 2010.


Once again, Berg's Seventh Law of Liberal Projection has been validated: When a Liberal issues a group defamation or assault on conservatives’ ethics, character or respect for liberty or the truth, they are at best projecting, and at worst drawing attention away from their own misdeeds. 

---------------------------------------------------

Box score of the week

This week I am featuring a 1972 game where Milt Pappas of the Chicago Cubs tossed a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres.

-----------------------------



------------------------------

Here you come again, acting like a saviour....

Happy Cinco de Mayo to all! I'll be celebrating the festivities in the Patriot bunker today, as The Closer will be on the air from 1:00 until 3:00 pm Central. And when I say "celebrating" I mean fulfilling show host duties, natch (after all, FCC regulations preclude any indulgence in margaritas).

At 1:15, MN State Senator Dave Thompson (R-Lakeville) will call in to discuss the controversial tax bill "re-vote" which took place last Monday as well as other salient issues being addressed in the upcoming week.

At 2:00, I will play a prerecorded interview I conducted with nationally syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt. Hugh, whose fine program can be heard every weeknight from 5:00 until 8:00 Central on AM 1280, will be in Minneapolis for a special Patriot event called "Taking Back the Tundra." He'll lead a panel discussion on the best way for conservatism to triumph in the state of Minnesota.

Finally at 2:30, basketball wonk Mike McCollow will weigh in on the Friday announcement of his longtime friend Flip Saunders being named President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Mike will also discuss the NBA playoff matchups now that they've moved on to the second round.


So please give us a call at (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to discuss any of the topics we plan on addressing. You can also text comments/questions to (651) 243-0390.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area, you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link.

Even though I have a face for radio, there is a UStream channel where you can watch the broadcast, if you so desire. Check it out here. 

For mobile phone users, there are apps available for iphone, Blackberry and Android!

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #narn or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

---------------------------------------

Much anticipated politcal announcement

Earlier this week, I was invited to an event slated to take place this Sunday.



Since I will be conducting hosting duties of my weekly radio program right when that event begins, I am unable to attend.

Then today I received the following email:

MEDIA ADVISORY: HENNEPIN COUNTY COMMISSIONER JEFF JOHNSON TO MAKE MAJOR POLITICAL ANNOUNCEMENT

WHO: 

Jeff Johnson--current Hennepin County Commissioner and Republican National Committeeman for Minnesota; former three-term State Representative

WHAT:

Making a major announcement on his future political plans

WHEN:

Sunday, May 5, 2013 at 1 p.m.

WHERE:

Hamel Community Center, 3200 Mill Drive, Hamel, MN 55340 

(Hamel is just west of Plymouth on Highway 55; the announcement will be indoors)

*Note: Johnson will be available to answer questions from the news media on-site following his announcement

CONTACT:

Gregg Peppin

612.209.9351

gregg@JohnsonforGovernor.org

Let's see. The photo attached was saved as a jpg file titled "JJ4G-Announcement." Then I noticed the person listed under "CONTACT", Gregg Peppin, having a very specific email domain.

Huh. Perhaps someone attending the meeting can call my radio show Sunday upon the official announcement to inform us what this all entails. We'll unravel this mystery yet.

-----------------------------------------------

Happy "Everybody Blog About Pigford" Day

In perhaps one of the more stunning cases of fraud involving taxpayer dollars, the "Pigford" scandal is finally getting long overdue coverage.

Of all the mainstream media outlets, the New York Times put forth an incredibly thorough piece on the corruption that took place in the US Dept of Agriculture. The 1999 class action lawsuit (Pigford v. Glickman) against the USDA alleged racial discrimination in its allocation of farm loans and assistance between 1983 and 1997. Initially, the Clinton administration agreed to $50,000 payouts to the plaintiffs in this class action suit.

Over the next several years, things spun out of control.

A series of fraudulent claims combined with complicity from the Obama administration, members of Congress and the USDA has led to approximately $4 billion in payouts to 90,000+ complainants (now covering multiple minority groups), many of whom never produced any documentation substantiating that they were in fact farmers or even attempted to farm.

Until literally his dying day, uber citizen journalist Andrew Bretibart was tireless in attempting to bring this story to the mainstream. However, because this could potentially put President Obama and the Congressional Black Caucus in an unflattering light, Breitbart was dismissed as a conspiratorial, racist wingnut.

A little more than two years ago, Andrew spoke about Pigford with my friend and former NARN colleague Ed Morrissey. The following two videos show Andrew giving his insights on what he had uncovered to that point. 






Now that Breitbart has seemingly been vindicated by the recent New York Times story, there is an opportunity to continue the momentum of this scandal receiving even more coverage. Breitbart contributor Lee Stranahan, who has also done yeoman's work in  researching this story, needs your help.

Did you see the blockbuster New York Times story that validated the long hard slog that Andrew Breitbart and I put in on the Pigford story?

Last Friday was a big day in the saga to get the truth out about what is the biggest, most underreported political scandal of the Obama administration; their funding of four different ‘farmers settlements’ to the tune of billions of dollars, with the money going to people who have never farmed a day in their life.

After spending months on the road covering the story, it’s time to help expose the Obama cover-up and vote buying scheme and hit the road again.

My goal is to raise $1600 to cover my travel expenses for this story and any amount you give helps.

In order to take the story to the next level, I need to travel to Washington D.C. and a couple of southern states. I’m going to get more great video interviews and do some activism that I believe will get the media’s attention.

I’m not going to lie; we’re up against big challenges. We’re taking on the corrupt, ruthless Obama administration including the President and Eric Holder. We’re up against trial lawyers who are taking in over $100 million. We’re fighting an indifferent media.

But the tide has turned.

The New York Times story shows the tide is turning. Even the left media has been forced to acknowledge fraud in the farmer settlements. The time is NOW to push the story forward.

Please chip in if you can and thanks for everything you do.

Click here to donate.

For more information on "Everybody Blog About Pigford Day", check out Stranahan's post on the subject.

--------------------------------------------------