Minnesota Independent » mullet

McCollum moves (her part) to the right

Chris Steller — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:02:07 +0000

In a new official portrait photo issued today, U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum appears to have moved the part in her hair from the left to center-right. The Democrat also has added a House of Representatives pin on what appears to be a mauve Mao jacket, effectively jamming attempts at easy ideological interpretation.

McCollum’s occasional update doesn’t make her an outlier by any means. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has altered her ‘do from time to time, and McCollum’s colleague Michele Bachmann has been known to change hairstyles over a span of mere days.

Another Minnesota Betty, General Mills icon Betty Crocker, changed her hairstyle at epoch-setting intervals to great public interest.

Male members of Minnesota’s Congressional delegation tend not to change hairstyles much, but Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s mullet has seemed to appear and disappear in direct relation to his political prospects of the moment.

Why is a plane pulling a ‘Ron Paul Revolution’ banner over Minneapolis?

Chris Steller — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:27:31 +0000

In the last couple weeks, I’ve tried to extract extra political meaning out of all sorts of stuff — Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s growing back his mullet (for a presidential run in 2012?), Al Franken’s traveling to D.C. (to cast a provisional ballot against U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman’s committee chairmanship?), and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak’s playing with an Obama finger puppet (to jinx his own job prospects in Obama’s administration?). But today there’s something overtly political in the air that I can’t come up with any good reason for, let alone a hidden meaning: A plane is flying in the skies above downtown Minneapolis pulling a “Ron Paul Revolution” banner.

UPDATE: It apparently was here for today’s End the Fed rally at the Federal Reserve Bank. The sky advert was last seen in these parts at the tail end of the Republican National Convention. The timing and location made a certain amount of sense. But on a Saturday two-and-a-half weeks after the election, with a U.S. Senate recount in progress? What does Ron Paul have to do with that? Why here? Why now? Is this any better a use of fuel than Detroit’s Big Three auto execs each jetting into D.C. on private planes? Or does it simply signal that with the recount the Twin Cities have again achieved a critical mass of TV news crews?

Pawlenty’s mullet, trimmed for veepstakes, is back

Chris Steller — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:56:10 +0000

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty ditched his mild-mannered mullet hairstyle for the Republican veepstakes over the summer. But now he has grown it back, giving 2012 presidential handicappers something to watch. Is he trying to show he’s a Mesabi Maverick? Or simply readying his Bemidji neck warmer for winter?

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