The Friday Link for 11/30/18

As the city of Minneapolis tries to digest the ugly story of officers in the Minneapolis Police Department's 4th Precinct putting up a racist themed Christmas tree...

...hold on a quick second...

(((WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU FOOLS THINKING?  A RACIST CHRISTMAS TREE??? HOW MANY PEOPLE WALKED PAST THAT AND DIDN'T RIP IT DOWN?  DID YOU THINK A BURNING CROSS WAS TOO OVER THE TOP? AND THIS WAS AT THE 4TH PRECINCT? HOW ARE YOU GOING TO EASE TENSIONS IN THE COMMUNITY WHEN YOU HAVE IDIOTS PULLING CRAP LIKE THIS?  SERIOUSLY, THIS COULD BE ONE OF THE DUMBEST THINGS I'VE EVER HEARD OF!)))

Any who...

Since they opened the door, let's take us back to when the Minneapolis Police Union and KSTP made international headlines when they tried a political smear campaign agains former Mayor Betsy Hodges with the now infamous #Pointergate!

Since Jon Stewart is back, why not also include his three segment stint interviewing Stephen Colbert on The Late Show.  You forget how good Stewart was at interviewing people, and how he could actually ask tough questions.  This is a fun interview.









Have a great weekend everyone!

Community Pride

This weekend I had a recurring conversation.  A friend who lives in Minnetonka wanted to console me for my hellscape existence in the town I live in, Hopkins.  I informed them there was no need to throw pity my way, as not only is my town doing great, Hopkins is what America should strive to be.

Most of time when I'm correcting false notions about Hopkins it's due to a common problem.  A person moves from Hopkins to a wealthier neighborhood in one of the surrounding communities (Minnetonka, Edina, Eden Prairie or Wayzata) and to validate their decision, they vilify Hopkins, implying their 'escape' from the town was on par with the Millennium Falcon barely getting out of the mouth of that asteroid worm.  It's fantastic you were able to move to a wealthier neighborhood, but just because you did doesn't mean the neighborhood you left was bad.  I've lived in my Hopkins house for almost 20 years.  Not only is my neighborhood sensational, there have only been two crime related police calls in my immediate neighborhood in two decades. TWO!  Not exactly a hellscape.

Part of Hopkins problem is they were a less desirable community for many years.  The glory days of their agricultural roots were a faint memory by the 1980's, when the town was mostly known for cheap housing, dive bars and hair metal motorcycle gangs.  But then Hopkins started to resurrect it's reputation, beginning with the opening of the Hopkins Center for the Arts.  They embraced a new focus, encouraging a more family friendly environment.  AND Hopkins did this while maintaining standards for affordable housing and accessibility.  The city's done a magnificent job.

It doesn't help Hopkins that it is surrounded by some of the wealthiest communities in the state.  Any community would seem subpar when compared with the million dollar McMansions which crop up just across the borders.  While the surrounding wealthy communities have changed, moving away from their upper class working family roots to embrace the trend of buying up smaller houses, tearing them down and then building a 7000 square foot monstrosity replacement house to the property lines, Hopkins has maintained most of their 1950's Americana suburban, single family charm.  This is because Hopkins has very strict zoning laws which prevent a Hopkins McMansion from becoming reality.  The house can only be a certain percentage of the property size.  This rule has been a Godsend for Hopkins, saving it from the wrong kind of development.  It's kept Hopkins unique, and in turn made it more desirable.

Even with preservation rules and affordable housing standards in place, Hopkins is still more upper class than lower class.  The average median housing price in Minnesota is $230,000.  Hopkins is $252,000, placing it squarely in the upper middle class range.

And Hopkins is about to go through a MAJOR renaissance.  The Southwest Light Rail Line is starting to be built, and with it comes three stops in Hopkins.  The light rail lines on University and Hiawatha have dramatically revitalized those communities, bringing in long overdue development and investment.  You should expect the same in Hopkins, as developmental property around the stations will make for a good return on many levels.  Already Hopkins has seen the addition of two brand new apartment complexes, and both were almost immediately full.  Expect the positive development trend to continue.

In my mind, what makes Hopkins truly sensational is how really unique it is; real ethnic diversity in a middle class suburban environment. I graduated Edina in 1986 and that school was almost exclusively white.  While Edina was a fantastic school, it did not prepare me for the real world on that level.  The streets and schools of Hopkins are a cornucopia of racial diversity.  Regardless of the irrational fear of some, this is a representation of the world we're heading towards.  It doesn't mean there aren't still issues, but having a more diverse community brings awareness and conversations which help drive Hopkins in the right direction.

This article is by no means an effort to bad mouth the wealthy suburbs of the southwest metro.  They're fantastic and offer a lot to their residents.  I don't have to bad mouth my neighboring communities to make myself feel better about living in Hopkins.  To paraphrase Prince:  "I like Minnetonka, Edina, Eden Prairie and Wayzata.  I just like Hopkins a little bit better."

The Saturday Link for 11/24/18

I know it's late this week, but I did have a plateful of things to do the last few days.  I hosted Thanksgiving at my house, cooked most of it, then made the most kick caboose soup you'll ever have.  I had created a window to do some writing yesterday, by my wife mentioned it was the last over 40 degree day before Christmas and so if I wanted to get the outdoor Christmas lights up without freezing, I'd better get moving.

That was not the chore I wanted to add to my agenda, but I did get it all done, and last night I spent the evening watching "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" and MST3K with the kiddos.  Priorities!

For this week, how about some of the better appraisals from Antique Roadshow.  These are jaw dropping finds which I've watched multiple times. Enjoy!



















Have a great rest of the weekend everyone!

Terry John Zila's Thanksgiving Recipes

Every year we have Terry John Zila, a fantastic local chef, join us on the radio show before Thanksgiving to talk turkey and other holiday favorites.  Every year, I post the recipes to the blog for you to enjoy.

Here are this year's recipes.  You can click and copy on any of the images to have a copy for yourself, Or you can do a screen grab.

I stand by all of these because Terry is a great chef!  Enjoy!

The Friday Link for 11/16/18

Howdy all!

This week I first want to post something which will infuriate many people, especially Republicans, and the Christians who keep voting for them.

It's always bothered me the religion I was taught was based on love and acceptance would ever be used to push hatred, but that's exactly what the Evangelical Republican Christians have allowed their version of Christianity to become.  They made abortion the only thing that mattered in their religion, dismissing the passages geared toward fighting hunger, curing disease, ending homelessness and fighting injustice from their Bibles.  Political homophobic opportunists cherry picked a few passages, mainly from Leviticus and Paul's letter to the Romans, to justify hating gay people.  Abortion and hating Gays is what the Bible has become for most Republican Christians.

Jesus never told us to hate, ever.  If you are a Christian, then you believe in Jesus's teachings, especially when they contradict earlier lessons from the Old Testament, and especially when they go against other church leaders who are preaching hate.  Your Chrisitan life should have no place for a Republican Party platform which directly goes against most of what makes you Christian.  Jesus and Deuteronomy directly tell us one of the two unbreakable rules is "Love Thy Neighbor." Republican Christians might claim they do, but they clearly don't.

I offer in my defense GOP Jesus.  This is absolutely a spot on merging of Republican policy with the Christian Bible many Republican voters claim to follow.  Conclusion: they're not compatible.  There's a reason the amount of people attending church is shrinking, and I guarantee it's not the people who are welcoming and compassionate to all who enter turning off the masses.



On a completely different topic, Meet Roger Webb, an Australian master woodworker.  This guy might not seem like a You Tube superstar, but look at the play count on this video. 11 million plus!!!

Why?  This is therapeutic watching.  Roger is a master woodworker making outstanding pieces.  What he does seems easy, but that is a lifetime of practice on display.  Enjoy!


Have a great weekend everyone!

Consistency

Since the election, I've had over a dozen people insist I've got a double standard when it comes to politicians accused of abuse, whether physical, mental or sexual.  It stems from Rightos trying to make themselves feel better for Keith Ellison becoming Minnesota's Attorney General by insisting on some sort of morality failure on behalf of all of his voters, a morality they insist they still have intact.  For the record, anyone who has championed Trump has zero ability to question mine or anyone else's morality.  Theirs dried up years ago.

I'm not going to spend this post defending Ellison over Wardlow.  Doug Wardlow, the Republican's candidate, was deeply flawed on his own level.  I've gone on record stating a more moderate Republican would've likely won against Ellison, but that's a subject for another day.  Today, I only want to focus on whether or not I've been consistent.

In my opinion, I have been.

When Ellison's ex-girlfriend made allegations of abuse against him, right before the official Democratic Primary vote, I VERY CLEARLY stated if these accusations against Ellison were true, he should withdraw from the race (you can find my shows here: https://soundcloud.com/user-587903571/sets/matt-mcneil-show).  His ex girlfriend stated she had a video tape of the abuse, but then refused to show said tape to anyone.  Why?  If the tape is real, no one has a clue outside of her.  I went onto state there should be a thorough investigation, and if the allegations are proven to be true, Ellison should (depending on when the accusations were proven to have merit) either withdraw from the AG race, or resign the Attorney Generals position.  If the allegations were proven to be false, then Ellison should have the ability to seek recourse for his damaged reputation.

Abuse allegations seem to come in three different varieties.  First are the ones where there's an immediate amount of substantial evidence the party being accused is guilty of the crime.  When this type of case arises, pretty much everyone is in unison; the guilty party should resign and face the consequences of their behavior.  One important definition in regards to these cases: it's not about what one side WANTS to be true.  It's about undeniable evidence coming to light of unacceptable behavior. Keith Ellison's allegation (as long as the video tape is not verified, and regardless of what the right wing WANTS to be true) doesn't fall into this category.

Then there are the allegations where a person comes forward to accuse someone of abuse, but the evidence is primarily 'he said, she said;' unsubstantiated allegations where there are no other witnesses to the actual abuse.  There might be evidence which points to the abuse happening, but nothing definitive, hence why a full investigation is needed.  This is where Ellison's allegation comes in.  In Ellison's case, the alleged abuse tape could elevate his allegations to a confirmed case of abuse, but without the tape, it becomes a 'he said, she said' accusation.

The third type of case is one where there are multiple, separate allegations of inappropriate behavior.  Justice Brett Kavanaugh, former Senator Al Franken and Trump himself fall into this realm.  Where each individual allegation of abuse is still a 'he said, she said' situation, multiple allegations against the individual establish a pattern of behavior which call for an immediate investigation.  Once again, there might be evidence which points to the abuse happening, but nothing definitive, hence why a full legitimate investigation is needed.

The Minnesota DFL took the Ellison matter very seriously, hiring an outside attorney to conduct an investigation.  The investigation determined the only piece of evidence which could prove Ellison's guilt or innocence is the alleged video, which the ex-girlfriend still refuses to release. Without the video, it comes down to a 'he said, she said' situation.  Then in an effort to show due diligence, the DFL tried to hand the case over to county prosecutors and local police for further investigation. Ellison himself called on the US House to conduct a full investigation into the allegations against him, something a guilty person would probably be hesitant to do.

Here's where I've been consistent,  In both the Kavanaugh and the Ellison cases (even though there were multiple allegations against Kavanaugh and only one allegation against Ellison), I called for the EXACT SAME course of action.  I wanted a fair investigation into both individuals.  If a fair investigation proves abuse, then appropriate action should be taken.  In the case of Kavanaugh, a fair investigation did not happen. Trump and the Republican's 'investigation' made it impossible for his accusers to prove their claims, even if a drunk Kavanaugh admitted to them in front of the Senate (even then, I still think the GOP would have approved him).  I've stated from the beginning of the accusations against Kavanaugh:  "Investigate him fairly and completely, and if the investigation proves to be unfounded, then, by all means, confirm him to the Supreme Court."

For the record, IF the abuse allegation against Ellison is proven to be true, then he should resign immediately, not only for his unacceptable behavior, but for running the Minnesota DFL thought his maze of lies.

I believe all people deserve to have the chance to defend themselves, as long as the investigations are conducted fairly.  This is one of the main regrets I've had about Senator Al Franken leaving office.  Two of the people making allegations against him clearly had political motivations (and mysteriously Trump BFF Roger Stone was mixed up in these allegations too), but since the bellowing screams from the right were "no investigation, only resignation," Franken never got a chance to defend himself.

Righto's are incredibly inconsistent when it comes to abuse allegations.  They claim anyone who supported Ellison is a hypocrite because many Democrats questioned Kavanaugh after the multiple allegations against him, but here's the catch.  Republicans themselves never held Kavanaugh to ANY standard.  They only use the Democrat's calls for investigation to imply they themselves were for investigating Kavanaugh when they clearly weren't!  Even though Kavanaugh wasn't held to any real scrutiny (outside of a carefully orchestrated dog and pony show investigation with very limited scope) Republicans demand Ellison withdraw/resign without an investigation because...frankly I have no idea how the modern Republican's logic circuits work.  Once again, this is them trying to claw themselves out of the gutter back to a pseudo-high road position by implying they have a morality the other side doesn't, a morality they themselves never display.

This highlights the insane modern Republican inconsistency.  If a Democrat is accused of abuse, the want an immediate resignation, a public apology and for every Democrat who voted for the individual to apologize in triplicate.  If a Republican is accused, they immediately dismiss the allegation, attack the victim (usually with death threats), and demand no investigation ever happen.  Even when a Republican is caught with substantial evidence against them, Republicans will still refuse to condemn them by name.  Try to get a Republican to condemn Kavanaugh, former MN House Rep. Tony Cornish, or Trump himself.  They can't call these people out by name.

Media outlets only like to point out alleged Democratic inconsistencies, even though the Republican inconsistency is a sledge hammer hitting them in the face.  The evidence against Kavanaugh is far more damning when compared to the evidence against Ellison, but most of the media gives Republicans an unearned benefit of the doubt.  I've heard media in Minneapolis St. Paul, even sports guys, state the allegations against Ellison were enough evidence to justify him withdrawing from the AG race, but yet they haven't called for ANY Republican to resign, including Trump, whose allegations against him are more consistent and damning than anything Ellison is accused of.  The predictable narrative most media accepts is 'Democrats are evil, and Republicans are incorrigible scamps.'

I've called for investigations into Ellison, Kavanaugh, Franken and Trump.  In all four cases, I've said if the evidence proves them guilty, they should all step aside.  I've been consistent, much to Republican and media pundit chagrin.  If you're still wanting to call me out, that's more on you than it is on me.

The Friday Link for 11/9/18

I hope everyone has a great weekend, but make sure on Sunday to take a moment to say a big thank you to all Veterans who have served our country, from the Revolutionary War (where we kicked the British's cabooses for trying to stymie Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press), to the Civil War (where we kicked the anti-American traitorous Confederates cabooses), to World War II (where we kicked the Nazi's cabooses), to the recent deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.  Also remember all who served during peace time, and the families of those we lost on the battle field.

For the Friday Link, the immortal Bob Hope gets Caught in the Draft, from 1941.  This was when the Nazis were the bad guys, not welcomed and tolerated as a part of a certain political party. Bob would not approve!

Enjoy!



For all who served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Marines, and the Coast Guard, thank you for your service!

Democrats, Enjoy This!

What a night to be a Democrat, especially a Democrat in Minnesota.  It was spectacular.  Let me break it down, race by race:

US House - The US House of Representatives went back to the Democrats.  It's looking like the final total will be somewhere around a 225 to 228 seat majority.  To achieve this, the Democrats had to do a frontal attack on an election system which has been unbelievably manipulated against them.  Inexcusable gerrymandering, a massive money and media advantage, rigged voting rules and purged voter databases made what they accomplished almost impossible.  The final advantage for the Democrats was a national popular vote margin of 9.2%.  How impressive is 9.2%?  In 2010, when Republicans bragged for two years how they had a mandate from the American people to screw this country up, their margin of victory was only 7.2%.  The Contract with America uprising in 1994 was only 7.1%.  The only time in the last 25 years we've had a stronger advantage by an individual party was when the Democrats dominated in 2008, with a 10.6%.

That's what makes this US House win even more amazing.  In 2008, we were in an economy which was imploding, and stuck in a war many Americans wanted to be over.  In 2018, the economy is doing very well, and our military deployments are mostly ignored.  This massive Democratic Party advantage is simply Americans repudiating Trump.

If this was a fair election process, the Democrats would be looking at a rout more like 1930 or 1932.  The Republicans, through their fixed system, were able to stop the bleeding, but not before they had to concede the losses.  Although I would've loved to see a majority closer to 235-240, at least we'll now have some level of oversight of what is clearly the most corrupt 'leader' in US History.

I also still think there is a legit chance Trump, out of fear the Democrats will get access to his tax returns, will resign his office right before the new year, making a deal with the outgoing Republican majority to keep his tax returns private for eternity.

Minnesota's Senators and the US Senate - Both Minnesota's Senators are Democrats, as Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith both won re-election.  While Amy's competition was a laughing stock, Tina did have a little more of a challenge in Karin Housley. Then Karin decided to feature her husband, former NHL player Phil, in a campaign ad, and she never recovered from the optics of it.  Amy and Tina will have a less friendly Senate to return to, as the Republicans bucked the mid-term trend and won seats in the Senate in 2018.  That wasn't so much on Republican popularity, as Democratic Senate candidates had a 12 point overall lead in the national popular vote but still lost 3 seats.  This was partially the rigged system, but it was also the aftermath of a massive Senate victory for the Democrats in 2012, President Obama's re-election year.  There were just too many seats for the Democrats to feasibly hold in a crooked system created by the Republicans.

Minnesota Governor and the Minnesota statewide races - We say goodbye to a great governor in Mark Dayton by welcoming in a well qualified Tim Walz, the former MN-01 House Rep who will take over the Governor's mansion.  The governor's race wasn't really in question as the Republican candidate Jeff Johnson made a glass of skim milk look exciting.  This was an relatively easy layup of a victory, an 11% win.  If the MNGOP would've stayed with Tim Pawlenty, my guess is it would've been closer, but still a Walz win.

Two of the other statewide races were a little closer for the Democrats.  Steve Simon won another term as Secretary of State by 9 points, and Julie Blaha won the State Auditor position by 6.  Usually these race differentials would match the governor's race margins, so there's a question of how many Republicans disliked Johnson as the MNGOP Governor nominee?

Minnesota Attorney General - Keith Ellison, the former Rep from MN-05, won the Attorney General position over Republican Doug Wardlow.  We all know the race featured two flawed candidates.  This is something I won't revisit here, but you can read about it at this link: https://progressivecitizenx.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-friday-link-for-11218.html?fbclid=IwAR2PMxaUsgCx72a61Y-wjE_DjBCnUwfC5xU9MIge5ErLt8dfZ1FME3ryd50

The reason the Republicans lost this race is due to their flawed selection process.  When they saw Keith Ellison was likely going to be the DFL nominee, they mistakenly interpreted the race as an easy win.  They thought all they had to do was run a campaign screaming "Beware the Black Muslim Man!" and the voters would flock to anyone they put the 'R' next to.  They decided to go with the far right extreme candidate in Wardlow.  If the MNGOP would've gone with someone like Johnson or Housley, they probably would've won, but when Wardlow's true nature started getting exposed, it negated the Right's fear mongering.  Because they went with an extreme zealot, they lost.

MN-02 and MN-03 - Finally, two of the most worthless Republicans I've ever seen, Representatives Jason Lewis and Erik Paulsen, lost. Lewis should've never won in 2016, but because he kept his past misogynistic and bigoted radio show comments hidden from voters, and because a third party candidate pulled just enough of the vote away from the Democrat, he got one term in the US House.  He's gone now, as Angie Craig won the rematch of the 2016 race.  Erik Paulsen's lack of a real record, and an unnatural fear of talking to his constituents, met it's match in Dean Phillips, an outstanding Democrat who took the MN-03 seat by 11%.  Paulsen was like a lot of Republicans who were undone by their health care votes; tied to his constant repeal of the Affordable Care Act while not having a replacement plan ready to go.  It becomes hard to convince people you really have a health care plan when you haven't produced one in 8 years.

Minnesota House - This was the best caboose kicking by the Democrats of the night, as a whopping 18 seats flipped from the Republicans to the Democrats.  The Republicans lost pretty much every suburban Twin Cities metro seat they had, even in outlying wealthy suburbs which they thought offered protection.  The Republicans were undone by a few things, starting with an exceptional slate of Minnesota DFL candidates, many of whom were furious with the broken Republican version of government.

Outgoing Speaker Kurt Daudt miscalculated on two initiatives.  First, his lack of any mass transit funding for the 16th largest metro area in the country left a bad taste in the mouth of many suburbanites, many who have to tackle hour long, one way commutes to get to work.  Secondly, the Omnibus Prime bill was a massive mistake.  Last session, there were a lot of popular stand alone bills with bi-partisan support the Governor was willing to sign.  Instead, Daudt threw them all into one massive, un-Constitutional 1000 page monster bill (Omnibus Prime), a blatant effort to use the popular bi-partisan items to get his extreme partisan agenda items passed.  What he did with Omnibus Prime was the epitome of bad government, something which in turn united many voters against the MNGOP.

Daudt's funny.  His greatest nemesis has been Mark Dayton, a governor who's brilliantly counter punched the Speaker at every turn, over and over again.  Just when Daudt thinks he's going to be able to get rid of Dayton, he loses the Speakership.  He's now subject to the will of incoming Speaker Melissa Hortman.  Paraphrasing Goodfellas, "grab your Shinebox Kurt."  Dayton gets one more laugh as he leaves office, at your expense.

There were three less than ideal outcomes for the Democrats on Election night in Minnesota.  The MN-01 and MN-08 seats both flipped to the Republicans.  MN-01 was a Republican district held by Tim Walz, so that was always going to be a tough hold, (although it was a very tight race).  Trump basically bought MN-08 with his steel tariff strategy, with the Iron Range being one of the few areas of the country which benefits from his asinine trade policy.  Also, the Minnesota Senate will stay in the hands of the MNGOP, as the special election in MN-13 saw a Republican victory.  The right spent so much money on that race, with near daily visits from recognizable Republicans, they were begging the voters to keep the district Republican.  Regardless, the Senate still has to work with a Democratic Governor and House.

I've heard some Democrats bemoan the loss of some of the high profile stand alone races, namely the Senate race in Texas, the Governor's race in Georgia, and the Governor's race in Florida.  To them I say "STOP IT!"  Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see the Democrats sweep the table, but considering what the Democrats accomplished on Tuesday, I'll take those losses.  Too many years, we've lost the war, trying to hang our pride on one or two individual races to make ourselves feel better. I'd much rather have won the US House this time around, as a single senator or a state governor can't hold Trump accountable.  Plus the governor races in Wisconsin and Kansas were pretty spectacular GOP meltdowns, so there's your gravy!

Democrats, enjoy this.  Take the rest of the week, and then get ready to begin again on Monday!  If we don't take back the White House, the Senate and the majority of state Legislatures in 2020, we'll have another ten years of this crap.

Matt's Guide to Voting

Many Trump/Republican voters are furious.  They're viciously mad at the minority Democrats, a party who currently holds as much power in our government as a turnip, for allegedly derailing their agenda, but the reality is their agenda came up against reality.  It's one thing to support a racist bigoted jackass who says he'll stop, jail, or kill his enemies.  It's a completely different thing to put a racist, bigoted agenda into place in the US.  The Federal Government's rules make it difficult to make earth shattering federal platform changing decisions quickly.

It's one of the two reasons modern Trump voters (and if you're a Republican you're a Trump voter) are flirting with the idea of scrubbing Democracy as a whole, embracing a more authoritarian/fascist/dictator type of rule.  The three branches of Government and the Constitution make huge racist changes to America difficult, so Righto voters are entertaining the idea of moving away from the system of checks and balances (not exactly like the Republicans in Congress are doing much anyway) to give Trump some level of absolute power.  They've convinced themselves a primary individual plutocracy is more what the founding fathers wanted.  It's also the only way they're going to stay in absolute power in the age of Trump.

The other reason the right is entertaining a dictatorship is the same reason they're really upset.  Even they have to admit this experiment with Trump has been an utter disaster.  He's put babies into prisons, sold off our national park land, and even made a tax cut so unappetizing it's making Republicans afraid of offering another.  Republican voters are looking in the mirror and realizing for a split second they're the problem.  Middle and lower class conservative voters have handed over their power to the ultra wealthy because they've been indoctrinated into HATING Democrats more than they love their quality of life, health, kids, religion, and their own country.  But instead of admitting they were wrong, wearing their shame, it's easier for them to embrace scrapping Democracy.  They're willing to end America because they're terrified of being embarrassed.

The first step at fixing this mess is a simple one.  If you were one of the 110,000,000 US citizens registered to vote in 2016, but who didn't, now is the time to correct that mistake.  What 2016 undeniably showed us is that sometimes you vote to prevent a truly horrible, evil person from getting into power.

Are you registered to vote?  In Minnesota you can find out at the Minnesota Secretary of State's page: https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/

If you're not in Minnesota, search for your individual state's Secretary of State page.

Do you know where to vote?  Once again check with your Secretary of State, but most town's City Hall have a person who can tell you where you vote, based on your address.

Remember not only are there Federal races, but a plethora of local races too.  Depending on your state, you might be choosing your Governor, your state Senators, your state House Representatives, your county commissioners, school boards, mayors and many other local civic positions.  There's usually a spate of judges to vote for too.  In Minnesota, to my knowledge, there are only two contested juridical races, where two appointees of Governor Mark Dayton (one on the MN Supreme Court [Chutich], and one on the Court of Appeals [Jesson]) are being challenged by outside candidates.  You're welcome!

Republicans, especially ones in major metro area suburban districts, are terrified of being identified as Republicans.  This is why you've seen Republicans with purple, orange, green and even Democratic Blue campaign signs, signs which make no mention of their Republican Party affiliation.  Talk to everyone getting ready to vote and make sure they check to see which party the candidates represent.  Make sure EVERYONE asks the question "why would this person work so hard at hiding which political party they belong to?"  If they're being deceptive, they probably shouldn't get your vote.

My suggestion would be to vote a straight Democratic ticket.  In Minnesota, I'll vote for the Minnesota DFL from the top of the ticket (Senators Klobuchar and Smith) to the bottom of the ticket (my Minnesota House Rep, Cheryl Youakim).

The Republicans don't deserve to stay in power at either the national or state level.  All they have done is hand over tax payer dollars to the wealthy, and in turn cut the programs and services we depend on.  They've failed at all levels.  The only way they'll learn they're wrong is for them to lose.  The incumbent Republicans haven't done squat to deserve another chance, and electing the new Republicans would only lead to more of the same.

Let's be honest about the Republicans.  They knew Trump had a less than Christian pedigree (to say the least).  They knew he mocked the disabled.  They knew he threatened to sexually assault a married woman.  They knew all about him, implied he probably should get their vote, and regardless they all voted for him in 2016.  They will ALL show up again and vote in 2018.  They will!  This was never about getting them to stay at home.  This was always about getting a large portion of that 110 million who sat out 2016 to the polls in 2018.

Ask your family, friends, and coworkers if they are registered to vote, if they know where to vote and ask if they are planning to vote.  It's your right as at US citizens.  Please don't waste it again.

The Friday Link for 11/2/18

The Minnesota Attorney General's race has become a regular discussion topic on my show.

First, right before the primary, Keith Ellison, the Democrat, was accused of abuse by his ex-girlfriend who insisted she has video evidence of the abuse, but refused to show it to anyone.  Ellison asked for the Minnesota DFL to investigate, which they did, and they couldn't substantiate the claim.  They've tried to hand the case over to law enforcement for further investigation; NOT because they think something is there.  They want to make this investigation is as above board as possible.  Also, Ellison has asked the US House to investigate the claims, something a guilty man usually doesn't do.

Then the Republican, Doug Wardlow, a guy who tried to play himself off as a wholesome non-partisan candidate (who just happened to stumble into the GOP nomination), went full nuclear.  His campaign could be summed up as "black, Muslim man beating up women!" A right leaning "news" outlet (seeming to be helping out Wardlow) went to court to open up Ellison's divorce records to see if there was any allegations of abuse in those records.

Wardlow then started to implode.  He was caught on tape saying he'd fire all the Democratic attorneys in the AG office when he wins, and replace them with Republican attorneys, implying he would push a pure partisan agenda (so much for the wholesomeness).  Then people started to look into his employment record, finding a lot of connections to groups which are extremely anti-LGBTQ, groups who try to write laws from the courtroom.

Then came the allegations of extreme bullying from Wardlow's high school ex classmates, allegations which have some level of corroboration, allegations which seem to be scaring the crap out of Wardlow.  The Ellison divorce papers were released, showing he was actually covering up for his ex wife and her abusive behavior (stemming from a medical diagnosis and depression. All they did by forcing open the divorce papers is to publicly shame a private citizen and her family), and now it's discovered Wardlow's wife's social media featured many hate based allegations against Ellison.  Her social media pages have been freshly scrubbed.

On top off all of that, the Grassroots Party candidate (legalize marijuana) Noah Johnson is now wanting all of his followers to vote for Ellison.  It's been a hoot, especially in a year when most of the Minnesota races seem to be yawners.

Why is the AG race so important?  For the Friday Link, John Oliver explains why (almost like it was on cue!).  As always, watch for rough language:



Have a great weekend everyone, AND FOR GOODNESS SAKE, VOTE!!!