Posts by Molly Priesmeyer

Spotted in South Minneapolis this morning: this handmade yard sign for McCain-Obama. Is it an expression of an undecided voter? Wishful thinking? A brainteaser? A peaceful compromise? As for what this sign means, we’re undecided, too. But we’re pretty sure we get the whole “08″ thing. That’s for the Super 8 Motels, right? Or is [...]

Foreclosures are rising rapidly in John Kline’s 2nd Congressional District, where counties like Le Sueur and Carver saw foreclosures spike by more than 140 percent last year. Most of the district is experiencing a foreclosure rate that surpasses the national average, and the numbers are expected to rise this year. With the economy in a slump and a consistent record of voting against foreclosure prevention and help, is Kline’s reelection in jeopardy?

For weeks in Powderhorn Park there stood a lone McCain-Palin sign in a yard on 16th Avenue. It abutted an Obama-Biden sign, nearly touching its tip as if the property line were the red-state-blue-state divide. Along a street with homemade “peace” signs, Obama yard signs, and anti-war messages in windows, the McCain-Palin sign looked like [...]

Even before her Friday Hardball debacle, Michele Bachmann faced a challenge back home that’s been little-noted but may pose difficulties for the first-term incumbent: the impact of the mortgage crisis in her suburban and rural district.

Got credit card debt? You’re not alone. According to a recent report, consumer credit card debt has increased 75 percent since 1999 while wages have remained flat and savings rates have declined to their worst since the Great Depression. Already banks are hoarding cash in preparation for what analysts say is the next great crisis.

A sleuth over at Democratic Undeground uncovered some dirt on the token hard-working American Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher (pictured) from last night’s debate. It looks like McCain’s poor buddy is actually an investor, according to this web site. JCC Investments was started in 2001 and includes one employee, Joe Wurzelbacher. Mr. Wurzelbacher, who said today [...]

While there are plenty of memorable images in this presidential campaign that are still jockeying to be the Most Significant, a design by artist Shepard Fairey has, quite literally, changed the face of presidential campaigns. His now-famous “Hope” and “Progress” images designed for Barack Obama helped bring art and design culture into campaign marketing. After [...]

A story last week by the Wall Street Journal reveals a growing and troubling trend: One in six homeowners are under water, or living in a home in which they owe more than it’s worth. In the Twin Cities the economic picture is even more dismal. Minneapolis and St. Paul rank fifth in the nation’s most in-debt households, meaning that area homeowners have less equity in their homes–and are more in debt–than the national average.

Conservative columnists, pundits, bankers, and politicians like Minnesota’s own Michele Bachmann have taken to blaming the subprime fallout and subsequent credit crisis on the Carter-era Community Reinvestment Act. But housing and civil-rights experts say they’re just plain wrong. And if Minneapolis doesn’t take steps to fix the problem soon, things will get a lot worse.

It had to happen sometime. Or maybe it didn’t. But yesterday a company announced it was releasing a Sarah Palin blow-up doll. The sales pitch? “Sarah Palin blow-up doll is full of more hot air than the real Republican vice presidential running mate!” Whether it’s love or hate or an obsession with ephemeral pop-culture phenoms [...]