Mitt Romney is not the only GOP candidate showing nice fundraising numnbers. At the Strib, Corey Mitchell reports: “Republican U.S. Rep. John Kline, who represents Minnesota's Second Congressional District, raised $428,000 for his re-election campaign during the second quarter of 2012. Kline's campaign reports that he now has $1,337,000 banked for his re-election bid. June 30 was the deadline for the campaign finance reporting period that covered the months of April, May and June. … He won his last election by more than 25 percentage points, but redrawn political maps carved out Republican-leaning portions of his suburban and rural district and adding several areas with more DFL support. Looking to capitalize on the boundary changes, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has added [Mike] Obermueller to its ‘Red to Blue’ list for this fall's election — an indication that party leaders in Washington, D.C., intend to lend support to Obermueller's campaign.” Mr. Obermueller will need quite a bit more than that.
Another example of unwarranted hysteria … The AP reports: “When Wisconsin enacted a workplace smoking ban in in 2010, the state's hospitality industry worried the move would drive away customers. But two years on, the industry says its sales were largely unaffected. State tax-collection data show that sales at restaurants and taverns increased 1 percent in 2010 and 2 percent last year, mirroring national trends, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report. The ban ‘wasn't a boon to our industry, but it doesn't seem to have hurt our sales,’ said Pete Hanson, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.” Next up for a 20-pound chill pill … the terrors of “government-controlled health care.”
Wisconsin is moving closer to having its Supreme Court decide on gay marriage. A story by Ed Treleven at The Wisconsin State Journal says: “An appeals court hearing an appeal of a Dane County judge's ruling last year that upheld Wisconsin's domestic partnership registry on Thursday asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to step in and decide the case. The 4th District Court of Appeals wrote that it is asking the Supreme Court to decide the case because it ‘involves a novel constitutional issue and because a decision in this case will have statewide significance.’ In June 2011, Dane County Circuit Judge Daniel Moeser ruled that the registry, which took effect on Aug. 1, 2009, does not violate the Marriage Amendment to the state's constitution, which passed in 2006. That amendment defines marriage as being between one man and one woman and says that a legal status similar to marriage for unmarried people is not valid.
Well, I think it’s a lock for Quist now. MPR’s Tim Pugmire says: “Republican 1st District Congressional candidate Allen Quist announced today that GOP Congresswoman Michele Bachmann will appear on his behalf this month at two campaign fundraisers in Rochester. According to a Quist news release, the fundraisers are scheduled for Friday, July 20, at the home of Dr. Scott and Jann Wright. His web site says tickets for a private reception are $250, while tickets for a general reception are $50. ‘Michele Bachmann's appearance will highlight the looming political battles to balance the federal budget and to replace Obamacare with free market health care solutions,’ the release said.” Yeah, that “free” market thing is kinda what the noise is all about.
The story of the teenage girl killed by an out-of-control SUV is truly tragic. Mara Gottfried at the PiPress reports: “Police say a man driving an SUV lost control and ended up about 50 feet down an embankment, killing Clarisse Grime, 16, who was sitting under a tree with her boyfriend, Eduardo Vazquez-Torres, 17.”
Are you protecting your petunias? The heat is hellish on plants, too. Asha Anchan of the Strib writes: “The record temperatures baking the metro area are taking their toll on plants and greenhouses. ‘Plants need water just like people do,’ Susie Bachman West, of Bachman's Garden Center in Minneapolis, said on Thursday. This sweltering week, Bachman's workers have pulled out the watering cans and hoses as many as three times a day. … ‘Plants are surprisingly hearty, so if they're full-sun plants, they'll be OK,’ said Nicole Peterson, a Noerenberg Memorial Gardens horticultural intern. Watering consistently, weeding, mulching and being aware of the type of soil you have in your garden are ways Bachman West said any gardener can help their plants thrive.” Even if I took a flame-thrower to it, my Creeping Charlie wouldn’t die.
Did you see the video of the activist glitter-bombing protesters in front of General Mills? Gregory Pratt at City Pages has the video and the story: “Supporters of the anti-gay marriage amendment turned out at General Mills recently to protest the company's stance against the marriage amendment, and were countered by at least one young activist who walked down the picket line throwing glitter on them. That didn't go over well with the conservative protesters, especially when the activist, whose name is unknown, began glittering senior citizens and children. ‘Yeah, we're fags, we hate children,’ the young protester can be heard saying at one point. Michele Bachmann's former chief of staff Andy Parrish, who's been spotted at oil wrestling shows in the past, uploaded the video to YouTube.”
If you’ve got a maximum two-hour heat exposure and still want to hit the Basilica Block party, the pros have recommendations. At the Strib, Jon Bream writes:
“The Head and the Heart (7:30 p.m. Sun Country). These harmony-loving, jangly folk-rockers from Seattle crafted one of the best singles of 2011 — "Lost in My Mind."
Cake (8:45 p.m. Walser). Always entertaining live with their party grooves, the eccentric and eclectic 1990s Sacramento rockers landed on the radio again in 2010 with "Sick of You."
Train (9 p.m. Sun Country). These well-traveled hook meisters from the Bay Area have been on a roll since 2009's ubiquitous "Hey, Soul Sister," and they're chugging ahead with this year's "Drive By."
Finally, here’s something you can mull over the weekend. Conservative blogger Mitch Berg proposes a reader vote of who among the few, the brave and the true conservatives thought-leaders “liberals hate the most.” Voting apparently runs through Tuersday. Early nominees include:
- Alan Quist
- Bob Davis
- Bradlee Dean
- Bridget Sutton
- Chip Cravaack
- Chris Fields
- Dan McGrath
- Dave Thompson
- Ed Morrissey
- Erik Paulsen
- Gretchen Hoffman
- Jason Lewis
- Jen DeJournette
- Joe Soucheray
- John Gilmore
- John Hinderaker
- John Kline
- Katherine Kersten
- Katie Kieffer
- Keith Downey
- Kermit
- Kurt Bills
- Kurt Zellers
- Laura Brod
- Marianne Stebbins
- Mary Franson
- Michael Brodkorb
- Michele Bachmann
- Michelle Benson
- Mitch Berg (!)
- Norm Coleman
- Pat Anderson
- Pat Garofalo
- Paul Mirengoff
- Sarah Palin
- Scott Johnson
- Steve Drazkowski
- Sue Jeffers
- Swiftee
- Tea Party
- Tim Pawlenty
- Tom Emmer
- Tom Hauser
- Tony Sutton
- Twila Brase
- Walter Hudson.”
May I suggest, Mitch, a second survey of “Who Do Liberals Find Most Comical?”