Republican activists deadlocked between two candidates for the U.S. Senate — surprise leader St. Louis County Commissioner Chris Dahlberg and businessman Mike McFadden — temporarily suspending the convention to pick up the endorsing contest early Saturday.

After nine hours of voting and seven ballots, Dahlberg led McFadden 54 to 44 percent — however, activists gathered in Rochester for the party’s convention made little movement in the last round of balloting as the hour approached 2 a.m. With the patience wearing thin for the more than 1,000 remaining delegates, activists overwhelmingly approved a motion to suspend the convention. Republicans are vying to take on DFL incumbent U.S. Sen. Al Franken this fall.

Dahlberg was an underdog in the race but jumped to a first-ballot lead on with 25 percent delegate support. That was a few points ahead of McFadden and state Sen. Julianne Ortman. Ortman was the favorite to win the endorsement coming into the convention, after she won a Senate straw poll among GOP activists October.

GOP Rep. Jim Abeler, bison farmer Monti Moreno and activist Phillip Parrish also sought the endorsement but were dropped from the balloting early after failing to gain enough support.

Dahlberg’s support only rose in subsequent rounds of balloting, eventually knocking Ortman out of the endorsement race because she failed to get a minimum number of delegates. Ortman said she would abide by the process and withdrew from the weekend battle, but it was not clear if she would drop out of the fall race if delegates do not endorse. Abeler has not closed the door on a primary campaign. 

In his speech to delegates, Dahlberg said he has crossover appeal to voters, winning county commissioner races in St. Louis County, which includes the DFL bastion of Duluth. “I am the only one tested in battle that has won three times in northeastern Minnesota,” Dahlberg told delegates. 

He branded himself as a “constitutional conservative” and ardently defended the right to bear arms. “I’m a little troubled when we have candidates in this race who way we need more background checks,” Dahlberg said, referring to a position McFadden once held. 

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

Mike McFadden spoke with delegates during the

convention Friday.

McFadden focused his speech to delegates on the economy and education policy, rarely throwing out the kind of conservative red meat rhetoric that earned cheers and standing ovations from the crowd for other candidates. “The single biggest issue in this country today is we have created a class of politicians, and the Republicans are just as bad as the Democrats,” he said. 

He called for the repeal of the federal Common Core education standards for states and bashed so-called Obamacare, but didn’t call for a full-on repeal of the healthcare program.

Ortman, who has earned the backing of the Tea Party Express and other conservative groups in her quest for the endorsement, came down hard on the healthcare law, saying she would support a full-on repeal.

But her conservative credentials were questioned in a lit piece passed around the floor noting her support from Log Cabin Republicans — a “gay Republican organization,” according to the piece. 

MinnPost photo by Briana Bierschbach

Ortman said she would abide by the process and withdrew from the weekend battle, but it was not clear if she would drop out of the fall race if delegates do not endorse.

Fundraising ability became a critical dividing point between activists in the race.

McFadden, a businessman and political neophyte, has promised to move on to an August primary election and has $1.8 million on hand to support his bid. 

“I left my job and put my family at risk to beat Al Franken, and as long as I believe I’m the best candidate to beat Al Franken, I’m going to stay in the race,” McFadden told activists nearing midnight. “We need to have the resources to do that, and I’ve proven I can do that.”

Franken currently has nearly $6 million in his campaign war chest.

Dahlberg, who had about $40,000 on hand as of the last reporting period, downplayed role of fundraising alone in beating Franken. “This is about boots on the ground,” he said. “This is not about just throwing as much money as you can against the wall.”

Republican candidate for governor Scott Honour announced that state Sen. Karin Housley of Stillwater will be his running mate in the race for the GOP nomination.

Honour and Kurt Zellers are bypassing the endorsement Saturday in Rochester, not even placing their names in nomination. Honour, like Zellers, promised a primary campaign that reaches out beyond the boundaries of the traditional Republican primary voting field.

He said that strategy was reflected in his choice of Housley, who had been considering a run for governor herself.  "Karin, like me, has spent most of her life working in the private sector, not in government," he said at a news conference.

Honour's announcement came just before delegates are about to take their eighth round of balloting to endorse a candidate for the U.S. Senate. That battle, is a two-man contest, with St. Louis County commissioner Chris Dahlberg leading businessman Mike McFadden, 55 percent to 44 percent of the delegate vote.

After ten ballots and 15 hours of debate, Republican delegates in Rochester finally endorsed Sunfish Lake businessman Mike McFadden for the U.S. Senate.

"I am the candidate, undoubtedly, without exception, that can beat Al Franken," Mike McFadden told the delegates.

Ultimately, he convinced them — even if he acknowledged from the start he would run in a primary without endorsement.

McFadden defeated St. Louis County commissioner Chris Dahlberg, the last man standing in what started as a field of six. Dahlberg ran a campaign long on pluck and short on resources. McFadden exploited his fundraising prowess in his appeal to delegates.

A hoarse and visibly emotional McFadden addressed the delegates after Dahlberg conceded. "Thank you Minnesota I love ya," he said.  "I humbly accept. I'd like to give a special thanks to Chris Dahlberg  — what a great man and gentleman."

Dahlberg, who was greeted by a standing ovation, pledged McFadden his support.  "I'm going to get behind the endorsed candidate," he said.  "It's been a great honor and let's go on to win and defeat Al Franken." 

Dahlberg established his position as a frontrunner on the first ballot and held it until the ninth.

David Strom, a delegated from the Fifth Congressional District who switched from Dahlberg to McFadden on that ballot, said he thought the group knew it was time to kick one candidate over the top. "There was a general belief that McFadden would win a primary and it would be best to have the endorsement go to the eventual winner," he said.

The DFL party responded to McFadden's endorsement with a statement that his business practices, as a mergers and acquisition consultant, cost people their jobs. McFadden volleyed right back. "I don't think the DFL has any idea how the economy works," he said at a news conference.

"It's only the end of the beginning," McFadden said of the endorsement. 

Technically, it's not. State senator Julianne Ortman, who dropped out of balloting yesterday, said she would abide by the endorsement.  But state representative Jim Abeler who dropped out after the second ballot, has said he will go to a primary, although the filing deadline for office is Tuesday.  Abeler told MinnPost he will make his decision on Monday.

Rep. Steve Simon won DFL endorsement for secretary of state at the party’s convention in Duluth Saturday afternoon.

Despite its down-ticket status, Simon’s race — against Rep. Debra Hilstrom — was of far more interest than at most conventions because it was the only competitive race at an otherwise ho-hum convention. 

And because it was the only competitive race, it was surrounded by all sorts of political scuttlebutt and rumor-mongering.

Brooklyn Center’s Hilstrom apparently was receiving campaign advice from former DFL gubernatorial candidate Mike Hatch.

She was expected to get strong support from Iron Range delegates because Simon has taken positions on mining that Rangers see as unfriendly. 

Hilstrom indirectly attacked Simon on his refusal to push forward a bill that would have given access to voting to 50,000 Minnesota felons who have served their sentences. (Simon, who supports expanding access, had not pushed the legislation forward because it did not have bipartisan support and Gov. Mark Dayton said he would veto voting legislation that does not have support of members of both parties.) 

Turns out Simon had a pretty powerful trump card for every turn Hilstrom could make.

He was introduced  by longtime Secretary of State Joan Growe. 

“I’m Joan Growe,’’ she said at the start of what was to be a short introductory speech.

The delegates rose and applauded long and enthusiastically before she even had a chance to say she was on hand to “proudly introduce the next secretary of state.’’ 

Any doubts about Simon were swept away. He won after just one ballot.  No vote total was released.

“I want to pay tribute Deb Hilstrom,’’ Simon said. “We have not heard the last of Debra Hilstrom.’’

Simon talked about his own future campaign.

“The name of the game is ballot access for all Minnesotans,’’ Simon said. “That’s what we have to do going forward.’’

He said it would be “a cold day in hell or a warm day in Duluth’’ before Minnesotans allow “chipping away’’ at limiting opportunities to vote.

Additionally, of course, all incumbent statewide office holders were endorsed. Auditor Rebecca Otto, attorney general Lori Swanson won endorsement without opposition. Later in the day, Gov. Mark Dayton and Sen. Al Franken were to receive endorsement.

The four-way race for the Republican endorsement for governor ended with the endorsement of Hennepin County commissioner Jeff Johnson — but not before a Machiavellian twist that ensures a four-way primary. 

On the third ballot, Johnson led state senator Dave Thompson, and former state representative Marty Seifert by 17 points, clearing Johnson's path to an eventual victory.

Thompson dropped out on the third ballot, getting a standing ovation when he asked his opponents not abiding by the endorsement "to think about it."

"I would implore my opponents to think about whether running in a primary is for the good of a cause or for the elevation of self," Thompson said, asking his delegates to support Johnson. 

Seifert then startled the delegates by taking the podium.  He released his delegates but did not technically withdraw, forcing a fourth and final ballot. 

Seifert's move drew a surprisingly public rebuke from party chair Keith Downey who said when Seifert asked to speak to the delegates, "it was assumed he would also withdraw."

But Downey said Seifert's intent was to prevent any endorsement by telling Seifert delegates to leave and reducing the delegate number to an insufficient level for a legal endorsement. "That was uncalled for," Downey said.

Delegate numbers were sufficient to give Johnson a victory on fourth ballot. "It has been a positive race," Johnson told the delegates in his acceptance speech. "I particularly want to thank Dave Thompson and Michelle Benson for being two of the classiest people." 

He now faces Seifert, state representative Kurt Zellers, and Orono businessman Scott Honour in the August 12 primary.

"It ain't going to be easy," Johnson said of the primary contest.  "We need to ... pull together every faction and group in the party.  We need to appeal to the people that left [the party]."

The endorsement battles in both the U.S.Senate and governor's races have made the party stronger, Downey told the delegates.  "I thought our party had actually grown, the heart and soul even stronger, and it is," he said.

Delegate and Minnesota Tea Party Alliance chair Jack Rogers was blunter. "Marty [Seifert] has just galvanized every faction in this party to work for the endorsed candidate," he said.

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

Marty Seifert's move drew a surprisingly public rebuke from party chair Keith Downey.

President Obama negotiated with terrorists.

Post-convention coverage … . From Christopher Magan at the PiPress: “While the [DFL] convention was primarily a coronation of incumbent candidates, it was not without controversy. Throughout the day Saturday, delegates were lobbied to either embrace or reject a proposal to include ‘responsible mining’ to the party platform. DFLers from the mineral rich Iron Range want party leaders to take a kinder position on mining, but many worry about the environmental impact. Dayton reaffirmed his position that he would not make a decision on mining until all the different impact studies were completed. Franken said he believed DFLers on the Iron Range wanted sustainable mining.”

The Strib editorializes in a glowy Norman Rockwell way about the healthy two-party democracy on display and says about the GOP: “Two years ago, the state GOP was depleted by debt and a growing reputation for extremism. But since 2012 the party has cut its debt in half to a manageable $1 million, toned down its harshest anti-government rhetoric, rebranded itself as the ‘Growth & Opportunity Party' and put a version of its platform on accessible display via an online ‘Solutions Center.’ It lacks household names at the top of its ticket. But it has enough wherewithal and unity to change that come November.”

At MPR, Tom Scheck writes: “After losing every election for top statewide office since 2006, Republicans said they were looking for candidates at Saturday's state GOP convention who can win. The look and feel of the convention was dramatically different from the last two gatherings. In those years, delegates focused on the political purity of the candidates — even if those candidates may not have had the best shot at victory.”

For what it’s worth … prior to the GOP meet-up, John Gilmore at Minnesota Conservatives endorsed Marty Seifert for Governor. “The issues also favor a Seifert/Myhra ticket: mining in the northeast of the state, the ridiculous light rail projects that are disfiguring our two major cities and environs, and the malignant Met Council. This is a ticket that can reach out and get independent and moderate democrat voters. Any republican who wants to win must be able to do so. Marty Seifert can bring the fight to Mark Dayton. Money alone can't win races although this is heresy in some republican circles this cycle. But it's true. A good candidate is fundamental.”

Focusing on the mining issue, Baird Helgeson of the Strib says: “The Dayton administration could face a make-or-break decision point on the PolyMet project later this year, creating a sense of urgency for activists on both sides. The fight has pitted a strong and influential conservation-minded wing of the party against Iron Range DFLers, who strongly support the mining expansion.”

The AP ties it all up, saying: “Minnesota Democrats face a major challenge as they seek to keep Gov. Mark Dayton and U.S. Sen. Al Franken in office — getting their supporters to show up at the polls. Republicans face the challenges of uniting the party after a fractured state convention and a potentially divisive primary campaign ahead.”

And yet more on our Scottish nobility couple … . Dave Chanen of the Strib says: “Friends, who were unaware of the pair’s alleged crimes, have been left with a mixture of bewilderment, pain and pity. And they’re now drawn to the contradictions that were evident in the couple’s lifestyle. For instance, they say, among the Deephaven house’s sparse decorations was an electronic frame that rotated photos of the couple with others of media mogul Ted Turner, castles and polo players, leaving the impression that such associations were routine.” That sounds like something George “Seinfeld” Costanza would pull.

Also in the Strib, Pat Pheifer and Chris Havens talk… water. “The National Weather Service (NWS) said Sunday afternoon that some communities in the Twin Cities metro area could see up to an additional 3 inches of rain on top of the 2 to 5 inches that have already fallen. … there’s a chance of rain through Monday morning, but except for a shower here and there, the Twin Cities area should begin to dry out by Monday afternoon.”

Related … . At MPR, Peter Cox says: “The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is advising people to avoid swimming or skiing in Lake Minnetonka and two other nearby lakes, after heavy rains forced the city of Mound to release untreated sewage into the storm water sewer system Sunday morning. The MPCA gave Mound permission to release the sewage in order to keep waste water from backing up into the basements of around 1,000 homes in the city.” Remember that on your next fishing jaunt.

Also appetizing … . Raya Zimmerman of the PiPress covered the Grand Old Day hot dog eating contest. It wasn’t pretty. “Near the end of the two-minute mark, it looked as though yet another tie would ensue, but then [Steve] Hendry's bodily rejection began. Hendry said he was left with about a hot dog and a half stuffed in his cheeks before he lost his payload. The final bell rang just in time for [Yasir] Salem to be announced the winner. Then, as if on queue [sic], Salem also hurled. George Shea, chairman of the Major League Eating group, said it's the first time he had seen professional competitors vomit.”

Former legislator and St. Paul mayoral candidate Andy Dawkins is expected to announce on Tuesday that he will run as a Green Party candidate for attorney general.

Dawkins, a longtime DFLer and longtime spouse of former DFL state senator and Public Utilities Commission chair Ellen Anderson, said the decision to get back into campaign mode has been influenced by several factors:

1. Anderson has left the administration of Gov. Mark Dayton, taking a position at the University of Minnesota Law School. Her decision means Dawkins feels free to run against a DFLer, in this case incumbent AG Lori Swanson. (Recall, that Anderson was appointed by Dayton to be the PUC chair in 2011, but when they took over control of the Senate in 2012, Republicans refused to confirm her appointment.)

2. Dawkins says he’s hit a time in life when he feels free to run again. His two sons are in high school and, at 63, he’s retired from private law practice.

3. Dawkins wants to lead the Green Party to at least minor party status in the state by getting 2 percent of the statewide vote. A higher target would be winning 5 percent of the vote, which would give the Green Party major party status in the state. Deep down, Dawkins has an even higher target. “We can win this thing,’’ he says. 

The AG field now shapes up like this: The incumbent, Swanson; the GOP’s Scott Newman, a state senator who won endorsement over the weekend; the Independence Party’s Brandan Borgas; and now, Dawkins. 

Dawkins was first elected to the Minnesota House in 1986 and decided not to seek re-election in 2002.

But, to his chagrin, he may be best remembered for being honest in his mayoral campaign in 1993.

In a TV debate, hosted by media personality Barbara Carlson, the mayoral candidates were given two placards, one reading “yes” the other “no.’’

Carlson asked whether the candidates had smoked pot in the last five years. All of the candidates, except Dawkins, answered “no.” Dawkins showed the “yes” placard.

“It was a big news deal for the next 48 hours,’’ Dawkins said. 

Norm Coleman, a newcomer to St. Paul politics, went on to defeat Dawkins in the primary and the general election. To this day, Dawkins believes the difference in the race was his “yes’’ answer. 

How should he have responded?

“Dumb question, move on,’’ he said.

Dawkins, who has been busily collecting the 2,000 signatures necessary to be win a spot on the ballot, said he will aim his campaign at disaffected DFLers, “good-hearted” Republicans, progressives who are concerned about the environment, and libertarians, who are concerned about such issues as invasion of privacy.

Much of his campaign, Dawkins said, will be aimed at younger voters.

“I really fear that young people have lost any hope for politics,’’ Dawkins said. “I want to show them there’s a place for them.’’

By November, Dawkins even envisions a “united third party effort,’’ with either he or Borgas dropping out of the race depending who is running stronger.

The Greens, it should be noted, do not plan to put up a candidate for governor, concerned that a Green candidate might take away votes from Dayton.

Uploma is a commemorative desktop diploma

Quick – where’s your college diploma? If you’re like me, it’s in a box somewhere. And a Twin Cities company sees a business opportunity in that forgotten box.

Uploma is a commemorative desktop diploma. It sits in the open like a large paperweight or a small sculpture. Ed Reichow, owner of Dayton-based Titlecraft, came up with the idea after attending a trophy industry trade show. And, indeed, the five-pound Uploma does resemble what you might expect to see if universities handed out trophies rather than sheepskins to their graduates.

A nice chunk of business

With graduation products logging $4.7 billion in annual sales, according to the National Retail Federation, Uploma’s backers see an opportunity to carve out a nice chunk of business. More than 100 colleges and universities have either licensed their rights to Uploma or are selling Uplomas in their campus bookstores. Among them are the University of Minnesota, the University of St. Thomas, Gustavus Adolphus College, Bethel University and North Dakota State University.

“The space has been pretty dominated by the frames and the rings for a long time,” said Chris Deanovic, director of operations and business strategy for Uploma. “We came up with a better mousetrap, and it’s been really well received.”

Customization is a key attribute in the graduation market, and Uploma offers the option to engrave the sides of the piece with a personalized inscription, a list of accolades or the names of inspirational mentors. For example, recent University of Minnesota graduate Jordan Lynn, who lost both his parents during his time in college, had special words from each of them etched onto his Uploma.

Deanovic said the iconic piece is a great fit for millennials, who love to share their inspiration with the world, just as they love to share their tattoos and their social media postings.

“This fits right into how they’re wired,” he said. “We’ve seen songs, proverbs, quotes from Einstein and Dr. Seuss, parents writing notes to their kids, kids writing notes to their parents.”

'Bleed those colors'

The company also is projecting significant sales from alumni. “We’ve had a lot of people buy these for their parents, or their spouse,” Deanovic said. “A lot of people are very passionate about where they went to school. They bleed those school colors.”

The Uplomas range in price from $189 to $229. This being the first full graduation sales season, results are incomplete, but Deanovic said sales are running ahead of projections so far. Uploma employs about 10 people and hopes to expand.

The strategies of the four candidates who remain in the Republican race for governor share one tactic — broadening the base of voters.

That’s a tough job given that the number of primary voters are shrinking, not growing, and given that the primary takes place August 12. But it’s critical for unendorsed candidates Marty Seifert, Scott Honour, and Kurt Zellers who go into the primary without the party’s voter turnout apparatus. And it’s a good idea for endorsed candidate Jeff Johnson who would need more than the GOP faithful to defeat Gov. Mark Dayton in November.

“Part of my goal is, I want to expand the universe of people that think of themselves as Republicans,” said Honour, who made an appearance at the Republican convention in Rochester over the weekend but did not seek endorsement.

To prove that point, Honour and his choice for lieutenant governor, Woodbury state Sen. Karin Housley left the convention for an appearance in Duluth where the DFL was holding its endorsing convention.

“The contest is not here [in Rochester],” said Zellers, who pledged to rally conservative Democrats and independents over issues like mining in northern Minnesota. 

The state Republican Party has been conducting a frank reappraisal of its priorities, outreach, and messages since the 2012 election when the GOP lost control of the legislature.

That’s why the delegates in Rochester displayed a pragmatic streak in their choice of endorsees. They endorsed businessman Mike McFadden for the U.S. Senate over the more ideologically pure Chris Dahlberg. (McFadden may have a primary challenge from state representative Jim Abeler.) For governor, they chose Johnson, viewed by delegates as more centrist than state senator Dave Thompson.

When Johnson was asked about the first steps of his campaign, instead of offering campaign rhetoric he said, “What frankly the Democrats are really good at is telling stories about how laws affect real people and that’s what we need to do a better job of.”

Sixth District congressional candidate Tom Emmer, in his speech to delegates, pivoted from the conservative pitches he made when he ran for governor against Dayton in 2010. “We have to be for something, not against everything,” he said. “We must stop the circular firing squads.”

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

Mike McFadden greeting delegates during the GOP

convention on Friday evening.

The last remark referred to Emmer supporter David FitzSimmons, who was denied Republican endorsement for state representative from St. Michael for his vote to approve same-sex marriage.

In the ultimate demonstration of party practicality, Emmer and Fitzsimmons, who was working the delegates on behalf of McFadden, appear to have been responsible for securing Michele Bachmann’s endorsement of McFadden in a statement that was circulated among delegates.

Of course, the party cannot claim unity with a four-way primary for the nomination for Governor. And reaching out to new voters may be more difficult while trying to elbow aside the competition at the same time.

But the delegates, candidates, and party leaders can legitimately claim they’ve made progress since election losses in 2012 as they work to validate that progress with the voters of 2014.

Much has been written about the luxury apartment/condo boom in Minneapolis. We highly recommend this piece. If you haven’t gotten around to reading these articles, a video has surfaced that explains it all in three minutes and twenty seconds. Please, click.

First of all, much credit to the filmmakers for plucking Dollar Store Ryan Gosling from obscurity and handing him the role of his whey-protein lifetime as a Lake Calhoun über-bro.  The journey to hosting "Wake Up Eau Claire!" in 2019 begins with a single step, DSRG.

The clip opens with some generic aerial shots of the lake, the beach, and some of the beautiful people.  Then, we spy a tank-topped, sweaty DSRG, presumably having just blasted his core or some such, entering his swank-as-heck building. We see his sleek, modern kitchen (bagel toaster, bro!), and his sleeker, modern-er bathroom, where he steps into the shower to rinse off the day’s worries and/or creatine.

While he takes his sweet damn time primping his hair and fussing over his outfit, we cut to a Mystery Blonde at a high-end bar, checking her watch and waiting, presumably, for DSRG.

Once our hero has toweled off and suited up, he, being a jerk, does NOT go to meet her, but rather mixes himself up a big martini and watches the sunset. Once that’s done, he still does NOT go to her (see previous sentence about him being a jerk), but rather adds a tie and a clunky-ass watch to his ensemble.  Then, and only then, is he ready to go.  I do not remember this being part of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth.

DSRG clambers, SOCKLESS, into his Maserati (of course!) and drives the half-a-bleeping-mile to the Lake Calhoun Beach Club, where Mystery Blonde is still waiting for him due to this being a science fiction movie.

(In real, actual, sock-wearing life, I do not recommend keeping your significant other waiting on your date night so you can guzzle hard liquor and moon over the setting sun, unless joint custody is a goal of yours.)

They grab a bite to eat, order some more drinks, get into the Maserati and drive to Uptown, because that’s what you do when you’ve been drinking hard alcohol and keeping women waiting all night.  After a bunch of quick cuts of Calhoun Square and a surprisingly Gleeman-less Stella’s, they drive back to his place.

DSRG (still SOCKLESS) gets the fireplace going while Mystery Blonde powders her nose, then they just keep on drinking before clothes start coming off and they go to his sleek, modern bedroom.  The screen goes dark.  

Cut to the following morning, as the sun rises over Lake Calhoun, and DSRG and Mystery Blonde are standing on his balcony in matching white robes. It’s shot from a distance and you can’t see what they’re drinking, but I assume they’ve already put a good a.m. dent in a handle of vodka.  And the credits roll.

The unsubtle message for the viewer: live here and you will have perfunctory, joyless sex with attractive women even if you’re a tardy jerk who shows up one cocktail in.  

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

McFadden’s win means the relative unknown

can hoard more of his multi-million-dollar war

chest against Franken.

When financial advisor and political newcomer Mike McFadden first walked onto the stage at the Minnesota Republican Party’s convention in Rochester Friday afternoon, things looked grim for his campaign. Within moments of his appearance in front of more than 2,000 delegates gathered there, someone yelled from the audience, “Abide by the endorsement!”

He thanked the spectator for their comment, and moments later, another: “Respect the endorsement!”

But more than 12 hours later, after 10 rounds of balloting and a brief break to give delegates rest from the voting, McFadden took the stage as the party’s endorsed candidate in the U.S. Senate race — greatly aided by Rep. Michele Bachmann, who has always championed abiding.

The endorsement is a rare blessing given to outsiders in Republican politics, especially a candidate who said from the start he would move on to an August primary election. McFadden, of Sunfish Lake, has taken a leave of absence as co-CEO of Lazard Middle Market based in Minneapolis.

He beat out five other candidates, including initial vote front-runner and St. Louis County Commissioner Chris Dahlberg and state Sen. Julianne Ortman. He will almost certainly now face incumbent U.S. Sen. Al Franken in the November general election, though candidate and state Rep. Jim Abeler has not yet promised to abide by the endorsing process.

McFadden’s win means the relative unknown can hoard more of his multi-million-dollar war chest against Franken, who right now has even more cash-on-hand. But DFLers were already trying to exact the price of that win — Bachmann’s endorsement — to define McFadden as ideologically extreme.

"It's only the end of the beginning," a hoarse and visibly exhausted McFadden told the crowd of activists Saturday afternoon after winning the endorsement. 

The ‘resources’ to win

His victory reflects changing attitudes within activist ranks regarding the GOP endorsement process in Minnesota, which produced two candidates in 2010 and 2012 — gubernatorial nominee Tom Emmer and U.S. Senate candidate Kurt Bills — who vastly underperformed expectations.

But there was more than that to McFadden’s victory Saturday. In the governor’s endorsing contest, which immediately followed the Senate race, former Speaker Kurt Zellers and businessman Scott Honour didn’t even seek the endorsement after telling activists they planned to run in a primary. Former House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, who also refused to abide by the endorsement, did seek the blessing of activists but walked out of the convention with low vote totals and drew the ire of party leadership when he reportedly tried to block anyone from getting the endorsement.

Despite not promising to abide, McFadden pumped considerable resources into winning the endorsement — outside of the impressive firecrackers and streamers he launched off after his first speech to activists. His campaign put out thousands of calls to potential delegates ahead of the contest, campaign staff said.

Fundraising also became a critical factor for some activists, while not playing a major role in the governor’s race. That’s because Franken currently has more than $6 million in his campaign war chest, far more than DFL Gov. Mark Dayton. With the Republican Party of Minnesota still roughly $1.1 million in debt, McFadden touted his ability to raise cash for his race.

He has about $1.8 million on hand for his campaign, while his closest challenger for the endorsement, Dahlberg, had just $39,000 on hand as of the last reporting period. “We need to have the resources to [beat Franken], and I’ve proven I can do that,” he said. 

He also benefited from a contest in which many activists’ walked into the convention undecided in the race. That was evident after the first ballot when candidate Phillip Parrish — an intelligence specialist in the U.S. Navy Reserve with little profile in the party and no campaign operation to speak of — managed to gather 16 percent of the vote after delivering a rousing, red-meat conservative speech to delegates.

Many voters flocked to his campaign after being unimpressed by the top candidate speeches. Dahlberg led on the first ballot, much to everyone’s surprise, while McFadden and Ortman came in a close second and third. Ortman was the favorite to earn the endorsement after winning a straw poll of activists back in October.

“I think a lot of people walked in here today not knowing who they were going to support,” said GOP operative Gregg Peppin, who predicted a strong initial showing from Dahlberg.

A protracted battle 

Dahlberg gave the most conservative opening speech to delegates, taking a jab at McFadden’s former position on Second Amendment rights. “I’m a little troubled when we have candidates in this race who say we need more background checks,” Dahlberg said, referring to a position McFadden once held. 

But after the first few ballots, Ortman trained her fire on Dahlberg, passing out lit pieces that questioned the accuracy of several of his claims to delegates. McFadden went relatively unscathed and handed out flyers touting a growing number of endorsements from legislative Republicans.  By the fifth round of balloting, Ortman was barely dropped from the contest, failing to get at least 20 percent support.

With no movement between Dahlberg, in the lead, and McFadden, activists opted to recess at 2 a.m. and pick the contest up in the early morning Saturday.

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

“I’m a little troubled when we have candidates in this race who say we need more background checks,” Chris Dahlberg said, referring to a position McFadden once held.

When activists reconvened the next day, McFadden quickly released a flyer featuring his photo next to Bachmann’s, who had thrown her support behind his campaign. (You can read more about the machinations here.) She still holds considerable sway with the conservative ranks of the party. He also gave one final speech to delegates, delivering on some of the red meat activists wanted, calling himself staunchly pro-life and pledging to defend the right to bear arms.

On the ninth ballot, McFadden pulled ahead of Dahlberg 53 to 45 percent of support. A tenth ballot was submitted and tallied, but Dahlberg withdrew from the race before the results were revealed.

“Together, all of us in this room as a team, will fight and we will win,” Dahlberg said. “In November, we will beat Al Franken.”

DFL training fire 

McFadden’s next big challenge is beating a well-funded Franken and attacks from the DFL Party of Minnesota.

The DFL has been focusing on McFadden for months, criticizing him for not showing up to GOP candidate forums and avoiding taking positions on many policies. Many observers felt McFadden didn’t want to be put in the position to move too far to the right to get the endorsement and then have it used against him in a statewide campaign against Franken.

DFLers, via Bachmann, are already saying he did. 

In a memo to reporters after McFadden’s endorsement, DFL Party Chair Ken Martin described his victory as by “the skin of his teeth and only with an endorsement from Tea-Party extremist Michele Bachmann — running on a platform of touting his ability to raise money, and policy positions that would continue to hurt Minnesota families masked in platitudes and poll-tested talking points.”

The Democrats are also drawing parallels between McFadden and a dysfunctional Congress, touting his ties to the GOP establishment in Washington. Former Republican Minnesota U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman was one of the early backers of his campaign.

“McFadden says we’ve ‘created a professional class of politicians, and it is killing us,’” Martin wrote. “Yet he’s spent his entire campaign touting endorsements from entrenched Republicans in Washington like Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker John Boehner.”

- Cyndy Brucato contributed reporting to this story 

Creative Commons/James Willamor

Ultrafine sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and other toxic particles can embed themselves deep inside the lungs and then enter the bloodstream.

Heavy airplane traffic can pollute the air for a significantly wider area than previously reported — and in amounts that are equivalent to that produced by many hundreds of miles of freeway traffic, according to a study published late last week in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, which is published by the American Chemical Society.

The findings suggest, say the study’s authors, that “the air quality impact areas of major airports may have been seriously underestimated.”

The authors also warn that “a significant fraction of urban dwellers living near airports likely receive most of their outdoor [particle matter] exposure from airports rather than roadway traffic.”

Airplane air pollution — the ultrafine sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and other toxic particles that are created from the condensation of the jet’s hot exhaust vapors — is a health concern. The particles can embed themselves deep inside the lungs and then enter the bloodstream. The inflammation they cause is suspected of worsening many lung conditions, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and of contributing to the development of heart disease.

A new Massachusetts study, also released last week, has found, for example, that children living near Logan International Airport in Boston were up to four times more likely to exhibit signs of undiagnosed asthma than children living in communities further away, even after taking into account socioeconomic and other factors. In addition, adults living in neighborhoods bordering the airport were almost twice as likely to have COPD than their farther-away peers. Unlike other studies, however, the Massachusetts study did not find a higher risk of heart disease among people whose homes were close to the airport. (All of these studies are observational, which means they are able to show only an association between airport pollution and an increased risk of disease; they do not prove a causative link. Other factors, not controlled for in the studies, may also explain the results.)

Up to 10 miles away

Previous studies that have investigated the amount of airplane-related particle-matter pollution that exists in communities near airports have sampled air only within a couple of miles of the airports. For the current study, researchers at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Washington in Seattle spent 29 days measuring levels of air pollutants while driving through neighborhoods up to 10 miles from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Most of the measurements were collected between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., some of the airport’s busiest hours, when 40 to 60 jets arrive per hour. But samples were also collected early in the morning and late at night, when air traffic was much lower.

LAX is the sixth busiest airport in the world in terms of "movement" (flights), and the third busiest in North America, behind the Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, according to the Airports Council International. (The Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport is ranked 11^th in North America and 16th in the world.)

The scientists found that over a 23-square-mile area — an area that starts at the ends of LAX’s four runways and then fans out east for more than 10 miles downwind of the airport  — particle-matter concentrations were double what they were in nearby areas outside the area of LAX impact.

They also found that the concentrations were five times higher over a 9-square-mile section of the impact area, and within an almost 2-mile area just east of the airport, the particle-matter pollutants reached concentrations that were 10 times higher than in the non-impact areas.

“The consistent and distinctive spatial pattern of elevated concentrations was aligned to prevailing westerly winds and landing jet trajectories, and roughly followed the shape of the contours of noise from landing jets,” the study’s authors note, “indicating that landing jets probably are an important contributor to the large downwind spatial extent of elevation [particle matter] concentrations.”

The authors also calculated that the amount of pollutants produced by LAX is equivalent to the particle-matter pollution of 174 to 491 miles of freeway. To put that number in context, the total number of freeway miles in Los Angeles County, where LAX is located, is about 930.

“Therefore,” the scientists conclude, “LAX should be considered one of the most important sources of [particle matter] pollution in Los Angeles.”

The study was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. You’ll find the study’s abstract on the Environmental Science & Technology website.

For all the talk in Duluth of governing success in the recent past and unity going forward, the underlying current of last weekend’s DFL Convention was anxiety.

Throughout the day Saturday, speaker after speaker talked of the need for DFLers to get their base to the polls in November.

“It’s not my hard work that will decide this election, it’s yours,’’ Sen. Al Franken told the delegates, reminding them that there were “just 157 days” until election day. (Now, there are 155.) 

There were constant reminders to delegates of what happened in 2010, when DFL turnout was low and Republicans swept to control of the state House and Senate. And 2010 wasn’t a fluke. Historically, DFL voters haven’t had the gumption to get to the polls in off-year elections.

How much enthusiasm can the party raise? Certainly, at the state level there are progressive legislative triumphs.

But there’s also this reality: It will be the people running at the top of the ticket, Franken and Gov. Mark Dayton, who hold the fate of the party in their hands. If they don’t win, those running down-ticket are going to be in trouble. Remember, Dayton and Franken each won office only after recounts.

And there’s another nagging problem that could grow into a major headache for the DFL: how to handle mining. If the environmentalists keep pushing for more and more environmental impact statements, they could push the Iron Range — long a party stronghold — into the laps of the GOP … or at least push longtime DFLers into apathy. 

Throughout the day Saturday, there were meetings among Rangers and party officials over how to handle mining.

Even a milquetoast resolution party members had designed to try to please everybody was found to be offensive by the Rangers. (The resolution essentially said the DFL supports mining that doesn’t contaminate the water, etc.)

“If they’re going to do a resolution like this on mining, why not on 3M, why not on every industry in the state?’’ asked Sen. Dave Tomassoni, who is from Chisholm and was a convention delegate.

Tomassoni held up his cell phone, noting that virtually everyone at the convention — including the most ardent environmentalists — had one.

“There are 39 minerals in this little baby,’’ Tomassoni said. “It may surprise some of the people here that these minerals don’t just drop out of the sky. They’re mined. What, is it okay if the mining is done by some 12-year-old in a third world country, but it’s wrong if we [Rangers] do it?’’

Tomassoni, and other Rangers, seemed genuinely angry over the greener — at all costs — direction of the party.

“At some point in time, this party has to realize they need the Iron Range,’’ Tomassoni said, noting there already are “Dump Otto’’ signs popping up on the Range.

Those signs regard Rebecca Otto, the DFL’s incumbent state auditor, who won her last election by 1.2 percent over the GOP’s Patricia Anderson. Since then, Otto angered Rangers, when, as a member of the state’s executive council, she voted “no’’ on allowing 31 exploratory nonferrous mining leases. (She was the only “no” vote, so the exploratory leases moved forward.) 

Understand, Rangers involved in politics love trash-talking. Their actions don’t always follow their words. And, on Saturday, in Otto’s case, there were only a sprinkling of “nay’’ votes when she was endorsed, by acclamation.

MinnPost photo by Paul Walsh

Gov. Mark Dayton, right, and lieutenant governor candidate Tina Smith greeting delegates.

Still the Range has to be a major DFL concern. Franken and Dayton need enthusiastic support throughout northeastern Minnesota, and for the moment they’re waffling on issues of huge importance to Rangers. 

Listen to what Joe Begich, a former state legislator who has been attending DFL conventions since 1952, has to say about wafflers:

“If they’re seen as anti-copper, Dayton’s going down, Franken’s going down. And right now they’re both on the fence. They say things like, ‘We have to read another report.’ Tell me, what are you going to read that you haven’t already read? We’ve got young guys who need jobs. They’re fed up with this.’’

Franken and Dayton reiterated their fence-sitting positions at the convention. They’re awaiting new studies.

It should be noted that incumbent Democratic Congressman Rick Nolan stands in good stead with Range interests, though he’s expected to be in an extremely close race with Republican Stewart Mills, who has toiled up the ladder to the vice presidency of Mills Fleet Farm, which his grandfather founded.

And it should be noted that mining was one of those inside baseball issues that always seem so important to delegates of conventions, but don’t matter a bit to people who prefer to spend their late spring days ignoring politics altogether.

During Sunday's session, all resolutions referring to mining were dropped — which was the most peaceful solution for all DFLers. That's a question that individual candidates still will need to deal with, but it gives all more time.

This may have seemed like a boring convention to most, though party leaders and speechifiers were trying to say it was exciting.

“What a great day we had,’’ said Ken Martin, the DFL’s chairman. “You saw the energy!”

Hmmm. Not really. But there were reasons, beyond the age of the delegates (this was a white-haired crew) for all the yawns.

First, DFLers needed to vote endorsement for only one office — secretary of state — because they have incumbents in all other offices. Steve Simon defeated Debra Hilstrom on the first ballot. Without any other contested endorsing races, there was little for delegates to do.

Second, convention speeches weren’t exactly electric and some of the pols — think Sen. Amy Klobuchar — spoke way too long.

Even Dayton admitted that in terms of newsmaking excitement, the DFLers weren’t putting on the show that Republicans put on.

“Why aren’t you in Rochester?’’ Dayton asked reporters after his speech Saturday. “You must have drawn the short straw.’’

There were some interesting asides in Duluth. 

For example, Rep. Ryan Winkler was handing out mugs and free coffee, his way of “thanking’’ people who helped him push an increase in the minimum wage. This led to at least some wondering what higher office Winkler may have in mind.

But the representative from Golden Valley sort of denied that he was thinking loftier political thoughts, though he did admit that free mugs and coffee likely would raise his profile. 

One of the most active booths at the convention was the “I’m Ready For Hillary’’ booth. A considerable number of people were signing up to become supporters of the national organization set up to urge Hillary Clinton to run for president in 2016.

But before 2016, there is a huge hurdle for DFLers to clear.

“It’s over. It’s over. It’s over.”

Venus de Mars repeated that mantra to the roughly 75 fans, friends and family members who gathered Friday night at Patrick’s Cabaret in Minneapolis to celebrate the transgender performance artist/rocker’s victory in her nearly two-year dispute with the State of Minnesota’s Department of Revenue over what constitutes a professional artist.

“You’re an artist! By order of the state!” a woman in the audience shouted early Friday night, to which Venus responded blankly, “Yeah, well, I’ve been an enemy of the state for a while now.”

Clad all in black – torn fishnet stockings, leather thong, boots, bodice, and stars covering her nipples – the 54-year-old Duluth native opened the two-hour program of music, dance and performance art by reading from the state’s decision:

“After reviewing all of the information available, it is our determination that the taxpayer’s art/music activity was engaged in for profit as defined under Treasury Regulation 1.183-2 … This notice supersedes the order of assessment dated July 27, 2013, for tax years 2009, 2010, and 2011.”

From fundraiser to party

In other words, the state dropped its audit, which Venus said she was determined to fight no matter how long the state pressed the matter. Friday’s show at Patrick’s was originally scheduled to be an information session and a legal-fees fundraiser, but when word came late last week that the state had called off the dogs, it turned into a low-key victory party.

Last April, as the case against her and her wife, poet and professor Lynette Reini-Grandell, intensified, Venus told MinnPost, “We’re not rich people who pretend to run a vanity business, finance it out of their large savings resources, and claim deductions on everything so they can avoid paying taxes. I’ve sweat blood to keep my art going because people tell me how important it is to them. And because, yes, it’s my calling.

“They’re trying to go after the easiest targets, the ones who can’t afford to fight, the ones who have had a hard struggle and which is reflected on their tax returns. So they can build an easy case. So they can win. So they can claim money. So they can maybe then say, ‘Look at all these artists, these government freeloaders. Why are we supporting these tax abusers?’ That’s why they’re making an example of me by this audit.”

Friday’s performance at the 28-year-old Patrick’s Cabaret, long known for its support of all stripes of outsider art, was set to a backdrop of, as one observer put it, “sweet relief” if not total vindication for two gifted, generous Minnesota citizens who were made to feel like criminals for almost two years. As a result, the mood was guardedly festive. Yay, our friends didn’t get screwed by the state. Huzzah.

“Yeah, but you don’t know how this will impact other artists,” said Venus early Friday night, sitting in the cabaret lobby before the doors opened. “People can learn a lot from this case, and I hope they do. Springboard [for the Arts] says that as long as you have your receipts and everything in order, you don’t have anything to worry about, and you just go through the process. That obviously is not what happened with me.”

Themes of transition, creation

All of Friday’s performances, including Reini-Grandell’s poems and Venus’ songs, touched on themes of transition, new beginnings, creation, creativity and the often strange path of the artist. Venus gave a shout-out to “Orange Is the New Black” star Laverne Cox’s appearance on the current cover of Time magazine.

MinnPost photo by Jim Walsh

Lynette Reini-Grandell read poems at the performance Friday.

(“I guess we’re all OK with the trans stuff now,” she said, with a pioneer’s wry weariness) and then, to a sprawling sonic soundtrack made by Venus and her souped-up electric guitar, dancer Gadu DouShin rolled around on the floor in a clear plastic bag, finally emerging from the chrysalis as a fully-formed, full-bloom afro-rocking ‘70s sex kitten who shared a kiss with Venus at dance’s end. Erotic city, baby.

Naked (yes!) dancer Jaime Carrera likewise pawed around on the floor, and, with the aid of minimal props, delivered a funny, angry, sad expression of the human condition and how it feels to be gay, or delicate, or otherwise inner freaky. He was physical and funny, and a perfect complement to dancers Kelly Vittetoe and Eve Schulte, who delivered a memorable, sexy, physical, original and powerful interpretation of Venus’s thunderous glam rock.

All in all, it was an exhilarating performance on a night when it felt like a blow for sanity had been made, and an artist’s pummeled integrity was preserved.

“All the performers brought something new, and that was thrilling,” said Venus Sunday. “But I still feel like this thing has changed me. I feel like I’ve got somebody looking over my shoulder all the time now. It’s a bizarre feeling. Yes, I got through this and I think that’s great and they can’t do anything about this audit and these years, but I feel like they could audit me anytime and start it all over again. I might be in a similar situation again, and it’s an uncomfortable feeling to feel like the state has a right to make a determination on how you live your life as a professional artist. That’s something I’ve never even considered, or even thought about or even worried about.”

Coming up: First Avenue, Bryant Lake Bowl

Moving forward, Venus will keep working. Friday she’ll take the stage at First Avenue for Rock for Pussy, the annual David Bowie tribute, and June 19 she'll perform at a singer/songwriter night at the Bryant Lake Bowl.

There’s talk of producers and Kickstarter campaigns, and for her next act, she wants to do something she’s never done before: record an acoustic record.

MinnPost photo by Jim Walsh

Venus and supporters make the "V" sign for victory during intermission on Friday.

“I’ve spent a year and a half just kind of stopped, and just working on fundraisers, letter-writing. It was constant, and constant irritation,” she said. “It was making me double-think everything. Double-thinking what I posted on Facebook, double-thinking what I wrote on my blog, what I said in public. It was so oppressive, it affected my relationship with Lynette, and we couldn’t talk.

“I had become so cynical that I was sure that they were going to intimidate me into giving up, but now I don’t have to go back and justify my past anymore, and that is a huge relief. I feel like I can go back to my life and pick up the pieces and build my career again.”

On Monday, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled the latest Obama administration program to combat global warming: new rules to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing power plants, especially coal burners, the country's single largest source of the heat-trapping gas.

The new program bypasses Congress and uses the president's authority under the Clean Air Act to achieve greenhouse gas reductions. It will raise threats of lawsuits, claims of job losses and higher energy prices, and references to the recent pause in global temperatures dating from the beginning of the 21st century. The Obama program on climate change stresses extreme weather events as a primary motive for action on climate. Such events include storms with “heavy downpours as well as an increase in wildfires, severe droughts, permafrost thawing, ocean acidification, and sea-level rise.”

The EPA directives will apparently allow states to set up their own systems to achieve mandated cuts in CO2 emissions, including setting an overall “carbon budget” for states and leaving it up to them to meet the limits. 

EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said last week the rules will give states “flexibility to develop plans on how to achieve those reductions in a way that’s economically beneficial to them.” The rules will let states “establish their own energy policies as long as the carbon pollution reductions that we are going to require in this rule actually are achieved,” she said. 

Cap and trade

The new EPA rules will apparently give rise to cap and trade plans where emitting facilities will receive and buy tradable credits to allow a certain amount of CO2 emissions. Facilities which can lower emissions will have extra credits which they can sell to others who need them to continue operating.

This type of plan worked well in controlling the occurrence of acid rain from high levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2) being emitted from coal burning electric plants across the Midwest. Beginning in 2000 the sources were capped at 9.5 million tons of SO2 (compared to 1980 emission levels of 17.3 million tons), and the plants were held responsible for lowering their levels to those standards. The EPA issued each plant a certain number of credits, or allowances with each equal to one ton of SO2 emissions. At the end of every year, a plant would have to report to the EPA whether or not they had enough credits for their emissions, (i.e. a plant that emitted 1,000 tons of SO2 would need to hold 1,000 credits). Those under the cap could save their excess credits for the future, or sell them to other plants that were in danger of going over their limit.

If a plant went over its limit and was unable to purchase or trade for other credits, it would have to pay a fine to the EPA for each additional ton of SO2 emitted into the atmosphere. The acid rain program has been successful in lowering annual SO2 emissions.

Oceans absorbing heat

The current 21st century pause in global surface warming has given ammunition to skeptics who will oppose the EPA rules as not necessary. But climate scientist John Abraham of St. Thomas University explains the reason for the current global warming pause. Much of the missing heat is being absorbed by the oceans, he notes, so that the earth overall is still warming. Warmer oceans will warm us in the future much as the periodic El Nino induced warmer Pacific surface causes a warmer earth. Abraham summed up the issues in a recent letter, “What we are concerned about is that temperature increases, ocean acidification, a rise in sea levels, and more droughts and floods will come at tremendous human costs.”

I suggest that we humans are engaged in a great environmental experiment as we burn millions of years worth of stored hydrocarbon fuels, releasing CO2 to the atmosphere from which it came at a thousand of times nature’s carbon storage rate. The risks from this are uncertain, but given the points raised by Abraham, they are not worth taking. I would feel better if I heard more about measures like using new, safer nuclear plants, such as the Westinghouse AP 1000. A nuclear plant like that produces 8 billion around-the-clock kilowatt hours per year, without emitting any carbon dioxide.

Four of those plants are under construction in Georgia and South Carolina and many more in China. We also need many more.

Rolf Westgard is a professional member of the Geological Society of America and is a guest faculty member on energy subjects for the University of Minnesota's Lifelong Learning program. His spring quarter class was "Our Renewable Energy Future; Making It Work."

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Earlier today the worry about the sulfide mining fight in the DFLwas averted by an agreement to do nothing. Party leaders obviously stepped in to quell this growing storm and set aside controversy going into an off year election.

But we are just delaying the inevitable. Maybe we can temporarily sweep this under the rug, but at some point we have to meet this public policy with some kind of action. Avoidance is a temporary solution — a band aid.

The Republicans are going to continue to put pressure on the DFL to pick a side. That is the way it will be framed. They side with business. They always side with business. In the case of Polymet, business has managed to morph this into a labor issue. And that is the means of dividing the DFL Party.

The energy companies are pouring big money into framing this debate as being about jobs, economic costs, and energy independence. We are still waiting to have the debate about the methods they are using to make these things happen. And whether the relatively low number of jobs created are worth the costs and the risks.

The use of tar sand, fracking, and sulfide mining are not natural processes. They require chemicals, they require mixing pollutants with the environment, they require big risks.

In the case of Polymet, the question they are wanting us to ask is: “how much environmental damage is allowed and how much should we be asked to pay to clean it up?”

That is the wrong question.

What we need to ask Polymet is — “when are you going to present a plan that does not risk the land, the water, and the wilderness?”

When Polymet talks about jobs, the usual numbers talked about run between 400 and 500 jobs. Is that going to move the needle on our unemployment rate? No. Maybe there will be other jobs involved with the ongoing process, but is it enough to warrant the risks involved? We need to answer that question honestly.

More to the point on jobs is that the damage caused by unchecked mining will create more jobs in the clean up process than in the mining itself — and the taxpayers will end up footing the bill for that. All this talk of Polymet paying for the aftermath is bunk — when they are finished stripping the land they will be gone and declare themselves bankrupt if necessary to avoid the long-term obligation.

Many of the same things can be said of fracking. North Dakota has sold its future to the oil industry and its fracking methods of extraction. Sure, there are economic benefits for the moment, but what happens in the next generation? How much instability is being created in the earth? How much damage to the water table is in their future? Will North Dakota make enough in the near term to pay for the damage in the long term?

And speaking of the future. As Minnesota considers the major investment we just made to the Lewis and Clark water project in southwestern Minnesota, how are we going to balance the new resource shortage of the next generation — WATER. The western United States knows of this problem now. And although it is hard to imagine in a “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” we could be risking that abundant resource in our own future as well.

Sulfide mining is not safe. There is no clean coal. Energy creates new technology not new jobs. Fracking has consequences. These are the debates we must have in the future. 

We can avoid and delay them for only so long.

This post was written by Dave Mindeman and originally published on mnpACT! Progressive Political Blog. Follow Dave on Twitter: @newtbuster.

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The racist rants of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and LA Clipper’s owner Donald Sterling are easy to spot and condemn. Mitch Pearlstein takes pride in the country’s condemnation of outrageous racist comments and behavior of individuals as a clear sign we are a decent country after all. 

I would be more impressed if the country would be equally outraged by the racial inequities that plague our nation and state.

People of color, who make up the fastest growing segment of the population in Minnesota, compared with the white population, are more likely to live in poverty, less likely to graduate from high school, more likely to be unemployed, less likely to own their own home, more likely to suffer from chronic illness, and more likely to end up incarcerated. These negative outcomes are features of unjust systems and structures that produce disparities in income, healthy environments, and access to educational and employment opportunities based on race.

Maybe if we truly understood that the whole nation’s future prosperity depends on eliminating these inequities, our condemnation would go beyond the racist individuals to the racist institutions and systems that privilege white people and disadvantage people of color.

MinnPost welcomes original letters from readers on current topics of general interest. Interested in joining the conversation? Submit your letter to the editor. The choice of letters for publication is at the discretion of MinnPost editors; they will not be able to respond to individual inquiries about letters.

About 400 members of the International Economic Development Council are in the Twin Cities this week for the group's spring conference.

The theme is: "Economic Diversity, Innovation and Workforce Quality: Critical Building Blocks of a Globally Competitive Region." Featured industries for this conference are manufacturing, retail, entertainment, aerospace, automotive, healthcare, and logistics.

The nonprofit group says it has 4,100 members around the world involved in economic development.

Organizers say the conference will "analyze trends in existing and emerging industries, while demonstrating how communities and regions can support, attract, and retain diverse sources of cluster-based activity amidst a changing global economic development landscape."

The conference members, staying at the Radisson Blu Mall of America, will visit many locations around the metro area and are scheduled to hear from a host of local speakers, including:

• Gov. Mark Dayton
• St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman
• Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges
• Bloomington Mayor Gene Winstead
• Ecolab Chair Douglas Baker
• U.S. Bancorp Chair Richard Davis
• U of M President Eric Kaler
• Schwan's Executive VP Scott Peterson
• MNSCU Chancellor Steven Rosenstone
• U of M Carlson School Entrepreneurship Professor Myles Shaver
• DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben
• McKinsey Director Tim Welsh