Same as it Ever Was

Unless you live in Minnesota or are really, really plugged in to state-level politics, you probably don’t know who Margaret Anderson Kelliher is. So allow me to introduce her. She’s the current Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, the second and longest-serving woman to hold the position. She’s also one of the DFL candidates seeking to replace incumbent Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty in 2010. She’s considered one of the front-runners for the DFL nomination, along with a handful of

Pawlenty comes from a community that Alinsky organized

Croation Hall, South St. Paul, Minn. Photo: Chris Steller, Minnesota Independent When Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty introduces himself to Republicans around the country in hopes they’ll support him for president, he tells about his working-class upbringing in South St. Paul. One thing he doesn’t say: “Saul Alinsky organized my hometown.” It’s a little-known fact that Pawlenty’s hometown was an important early beachhead for Alinsky, the pioneering American community organizer. “I grew up

Jackson Williams: Republicans Identify Their Problem: It’s The Packaging!

Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota weighed in last Sunday on fellow Republican Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina: "Any time you have leading figures who are engaged in behavior that is sad and troubling and hypocritical...It certainly hurts the brand ." The brand? Interesting word choice, and Republicans have been using it quite a bit lately. We all know that political parties must be sold like shampoo or a new car. Yet politics is a somewhat different commodity. The coin of its rea