Minnesota Independent

Are corporations people? Bachmann won’t say

By Chris Steller | 01.25.10 | 1:41 pm

Rep. Michele Bachmann said she had no comment when asked whether corporations are people, as the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled. She did say that pending health care reform legislation is “regulation on steroids” and decried “the dirty…

As Speaker and guv candidate, Kelliher’s twin tasks are ‘tough, risky’

By Chris Steller | 01.25.10 | 12:08 pm

Margaret Anderson Kelliher is about to attempt a rarely tried feat: serving as Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives during a contentious legislative session while at the same time running for governor in a competitive DFL field.

AM.MN: Specter says sorry for telling Bachmann to act like a lady

By Chris Steller | 01.25.10 | 8:00 am

Rep. Michele Bachmann forced a fumble when a question she interjected during a joint radio appearance last week (“Why don’t we make [prosperity] a bill?”) prompted Sen. Arlen Specter to demand that she “act like…

Horner sees gubernatorial role model in Ventura

By Chris Steller | 01.22.10 | 4:34 pm

Tom Horner says Jesse Ventura’s first two years in office are a template for governing, should his Independence Party campaign match Ventura’s 1998 storming of the governor’s mansion. But before that can happen, says 2002 IP guv candidate Tim Penny, the party may have its first real endorsement battle.

AM.MN: GOP’s phony ‘census’ could hurt … GOP

By Chris Steller | 01.22.10 | 8:15 am

If official-looking “census” forms that actually come from the Republican Party succeed in confusing people, the tactic could come back to bite the GOP in Minnesota. Demographers have said the state is on the cusp…

AM 950 mostly unaffected by Air America’s demise

By Chris Steller | 01.21.10 | 4:53 pm

AM 950, Minnesota’s progressive talk radio station, won’t be impacted by national distributor Air America filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy Thursday. Only one weekday show and a handful of weekend programs come to KTNF-AM via Air America.

New math makes mockery of Dems’ Senate “superminority”

By Chris Steller | 01.21.10 | 10:39 am

Thanks to the majority of Massachusetts voters who put Republican Scott Brown in the U.S. Senate seat long held by Edward Kennedy, this was the week that the new political math in Congress finally sunk in. It went down better…

AM.MN: Unemployed, unsure what to do? Elect Parry, says Parry

By Chris Steller | 01.21.10 | 8:00 am

In Minnesota’s special state Senate election next Tuesday, DFLer Jason Engbrecht has the most money, the Independence Party’s Roy Srp has the most experience, but Republican Mike Parry has the most moxie: “I was…

After helping Brown, Pawlenty turns attention to Parry

By Chris Steller | 01.20.10 | 12:42 pm

Fresh off helping Scott Brown win in Massachusetts, Gov. Tim Pawlenty is turning to next week’s special Minnesota Senate election. T-Paw doesn’t always back the GOP pick (see New York State), but Wednesday…

AM.MN: ‘Independent Republican’ Brown is new Eugene McCarthy

By Chris Steller | 01.20.10 | 8:45 am

Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts’ U.S. Senate election is making some old Minnesota political names new again. Brown calls himself an “Independent Republican” — the same name Minnesota’s GOP used for 20 years after Watergate.…