Reaction to Pawlenty executive order swift

Despite signing an executive order on Tuesday decrying “Obamacare” and directing state departments to reject discretionary grants from the federal government, Gov. Tim Pawlenty says the state will probably apply for the $263 million in Medicaid funds available through a bill signed into law in early August.

Reproductive rights groups chastised Gov. Tim Pawlenty Monday for refusing federal money for comprehensive sex education in exchange for abstinence-education funds that will cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars. Advocates say Pawlenty’s decision to opt for the more expensive — and controversial — program arises from his presidential ambitions and not the best interests of the state.

Glenn Beck may have been the star of Washington over the past few days, but he was not the only conservative figure to speak to adoring crowds in the nation’s capitol this past weekend. Minnesota’s Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) made the rounds addressing various gatherings of tea partiers, taking on the role of an anti-Obama Robin to Beck’s tea party Batman.

Washington experienced an influx of Tea Partiers this weekend. Not only did Glenn Beck host his “Restoring Honor” rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, Americans for Prosperity also held a conference on Friday. But not all activity was on the conservative side. Rev. Al Sharpton organized a counter-march to commemorate the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Here’s a selection of photos from these events.

At Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally at the Lincoln Memorial Saturday, one message rang loud and clear: America is a godly nation, and preferably of the Christian variety. Across town, the previous day, tea party organizers held a markedly different meeting. Americans for Prosperity (AFP) hosted the “Defending the American Dream” summit. It left history and religion almost entirely behind, instead focusing on taxes, the scope of governmental regulation and organizational efforts to support “free-market” candidates in the upcoming midterm elections.

As Minnesota’s largest school district records suicides by three gay students within the last year, a shadowy group called the Parents Action League is working to make sure LGBT issues aren’t discussed in Anoka-Hennepin schools. But the Gay Equity Team, motivated by the parents group, aims to make the district schools safe, healthy and welcoming for gay and lesbian students.

“Social Security is not in immediate trouble,” says Alice Rivlin, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a member of the deficit commission. “It is not on a solid basis for the long run, however. The sooner we act, the less we have to do.” The problem is, there’s no consensus on what form that action should take. And many of the most commonly discussed tactics for stemming the flow of red ink would disproportionately impact lower-income Americans, the segment of the population that depends on Social Security the most.

Democratic leaders in the Minnesota Legislature urged Gov. Tim Pawlenty Tuesday to apply for $236 million in federal health care money. In a letter to the governor, Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller and House Majority Leader Tony Sertich wrote that it would be “irresponsible” for the state to not seek the funds when many patients in Minnesota are struggling with the tough economy, adding, “You cannot let political ambition get in the way of doing what’s right for Minnesota.” They join the Minnesota Medical Association and the Mayo Clinic in calling for Pawlenty to secure the funds for Minnesota.

For the average worker who has lost her job since May 31, the cost of COBRA has tripled. And that’s likely to mean hundreds of thousands of families dropping out of health plans altogether.

Updated: Property owned by Living Word Christian Center has gone into foreclosure, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s office. On July 28, four parcels of land owned by the Brooklyn Park mega-church was bought at a sheriff’s sale for $5.1 million. Pastor Mac Hammond, who preaches a “prosperity gospel,” has been plagued by financial problems over the last few years. The church took millions from a man who was later convicted of fraud, and the IRS opened an investigation into the church’s finances stemming from favorable financial dealings between the church and Hammond.

Two campaign mailers targeting openly gay Republican Sen. Paul Koering raise questions about the National Organization for Marriage’s activities in Minnesota. NOM has been active in its opposition to candidates it perceives as supportive of gay marriage, but it hasn’t registered with the state, a requirement for groups that spend more than $100 to support or oppose political candidates.

As Randy Brown, the webmaster who posted a sexist video on the GOP’s District 56 website, is dubbed “Worst Person in the World” by MSNBC host Keith Olbermann, the Republican Party of Minnesota demands changes to reports on the incident by the Minnesota Independent, Gawker and Mothers Jones — changes that put distance between the state GOP and the local SD 56 party unit.

After last Tuesday’s primary, Minnesota voters learned the basic layout of the midterm election, with Democrats choosing former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton as their candidate to run against Tom Emmer for the governor’s seat. But with the candidates solidified, voters will actually know less about campaign finance after the primary election.