Reporting on State Politics and Government
Reporting on State Politics and Government
Capitol View Digest reporting on state and politics and government
| | The Daily Digest for August 28, 2019 | | Posted at 6:40 a.m. by Bill Wareham |
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Good morning. Here's the Digest. 1. Klobuchar supporters want her to 'rev it up.' When Amy Klobuchar wends her way through the hordes of people at the Minnesota State Fair, it’s clear she’s on her home turf. She stops to greet familiar faces at the Farmers’ Union. She poses for photos with metal workers at the AFL-CIO building. From the day she entered the 2020 presidential race with a speech delivered in a snowstorm, such affection — the key to her success in Minnesota — has been the core of Klobuchar’s claim on the Democratic Party nomination. She touts her record of winning in Minnesota, even in areas held by Republicans, by reaching out to voters and working with GOP lawmakers to get things done. It’s a formula she says she can replicate in states like Wisconsin and Michigan that Democrats likely need to win to defeat President Donald Trump. But even some of her biggest fans at home aren’t buying the case. As they milled about for a chance to snap a picture or shake Klobuchar’s hand, many of the people who know her best said it’s been disappointing to see her struggle — Klobuchar has been polling from 1% to 4% — in a crowded primary field. Now that she’s qualified for the next debate, they wished there was something more she could do to grab the spotlight, increase her name recognition and convince voters that she can win. They, ever so nicely, counted themselves among the doubters. “I love Amy. And I think she’d be a great president,” said Merilee Vados, 64, of Blaine, a Minneapolis suburb. “But I think you’ve got to really rip Trump apart. You’ve gotta dish it out.” “We’re afraid she’s not going to be able to beat him,” added Vada Rudolph, 74, of Circle Pines, a neighboring suburb. (Associated Press)
2. Taking the Fed to the fair. A new attraction at the State Fair this year is not aiming to draw in thrill seekers, or even fans of food on a stick. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis said its first-ever State Fair booth is helping introduce the regional bank to thousands of Minnesotans at a time many people are concerned about the economy. The Minneapolis Fed has several dozen square feet of real estate tucked away in the Education Building on the east side of the fairgrounds. And officials are hawking a product that’s sure to garner attention. “Free money! How often do you get free money? Genuine U.S. currency,” barked Karmi Mattson, who manages public programs for the regional bank. Too good to be true? Yup. It’s not spendable cash that the Fed’s giving away at the fair. “In fact, it’s shredded,” Mattson said. She said the Federal Reserve Bank's first-ever State Fair presence is not a reaction to President Trump’s frequent criticism that the institution has been slow to act to help the economy. Mattson said they hatched the State Fair idea before Donald Trump won the presidency. “We have been on a waiting list for a booth at the fair for three years,” Mattson said. She said the goal is to teach Minnesotans about what the Fed does. (MPR News)
3. State must pay back $48 million to feds. Minnesota must pay back an estimated $48 million to the federal government because it improperly dealt out money to certain state chemical dependency treatment providers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services told the Minnesota Department of Human Services in May that it must “immediately cease” payments to a group of substance abuse treatment providers formally known as “institutions for mental diseases.” These institutions include hospitals, nursing homes or other facilities that have more than 16 beds and treat people with mental illness or chemical dependency. Federal Medicaid money generally cannot be used to cover treatment in these facilities. The Centers ordered DHS to return the money it improperly dealt out but did not disclose how much the agency owed. On Monday, a DHS spokeswoman said the agency estimates it owes the federal government $48 million. (Pioneer Press)
4. Politically speaking, it's not all fun and games at the fair. Minnesotans visit the State Fair for their greasy food of choice or a favorite Grandstand performance. But politics is always woven into the spectacle of the Great Minnesota Get-Together. Election Day is 434 days out, but DFL and GOP Party staff both said their booths are on track for record sales. At the Democrats’ stand, Sen. Elizabeth Warren is leading the presidential “bean ballot” and a Republican survey shows immigration and border security to be the top concern of their visitors. Clashes have inevitably erupted. So far: political partisans have been seen shouting obscenities at each other; one group unfurled a massive Trump 2020 banner in middle of the street by the DFL stand; others poured drinks on GOP merchandise; and, in perhaps the most serious confrontation, Republicans accused Democrats of “fostering” the harassment — including an alleged sexual assault — of volunteers at their booth Friday night. The DFL responded by condemning any form of physical or sexual assault. But for the most part, the Fair presents an opportunity for politicians and Minnesotans to focus on things that bring people together, like marveling at gastronomic oddities. (Star Tribune)
5. Drazkowski takes on role as Omar's nemesis. State Rep. Steve Drazkowski tells a story about getting soaked in a rainstorm on his way to a TV studio in Minneapolis for an appearance on Fox News. People don’t use umbrellas where he comes from in rural Minnesota, he says. In Drazkowski’s telling, he’s just a guy from the sticks, raised on a farm. “If we did well,” he said, “we got supper.” But the end of his story — an appearance on the nation’s most watched cable news network to criticize U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar — reflects his growing national profile as a leading opponent of the liberal Minnesota congresswoman, a member of the “squad,” all women of color, who have been in a summerlong public feud with President Donald Trump. In the past few months Drazkowksi has rocketed from conservative backbencher to a leading Minnesota critic of the Somali-born lawmaker, repeatedly raising questions about potential immigration, tax and campaign violations — charges that have taken hold in conservative media nationwide. (Star Tribune)
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