Minnesota Independent

Early on, Obama wanted no ‘vanity campaign’ or ‘cult of personality’

By Chris Steller | 01.20.09 | 10:52 am

Two years ago Barack Obama told his early supporters in the nascent “Draft Obama” movement that he wanted no part of a “vanity campaign” in which he would make nice speeches and then lose. He was also wary of developing a “cult of personality,” Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak told Minnesota Public Radio by phone this morning from the site of Obama’s inauguration.

Minneapolis mayor’s race: With Rybak in, Remington’s out and Miller remains as rival

By Chris Steller | 01.14.09 | 7:18 pm

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak’s announcement Tuesday that he’ll run for re-election means there’ll be a two-man race for the DFL endorsement, at least according to the other man: Rybak rival Bob Miller. Miller’s prediction was borne out, for now anyway, by City Council Member Ralph Remington, who confirmed he won’t run for mayor now that Rybak’s in the race.

You’ve heard of ‘No Drama Obama’ — now meet ‘Mr. Exact Rybak’

By Chris Steller | 01.14.09 | 8:21 am

“Politics is not an exact science,” said the German and Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck. Another politician whose name ends with the letter K might beg to differ: Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak says, about his relationship with the Obama administration: “This is working out exactly as I would want it.” That’s similar to what he told the Southwest Journal: “I live exactly where I want to be … I am exactly where I need to be right now.” Turns out that Rybak, more than being Mr. Minneapolis or Mr. Mayor, is actually Mr. Exact. See his litany of exactitude after the jump.

Minneapolis a-twitter as Mayor R.T. Rybak rolls out re-election campaign

By Chris Steller | 01.13.09 | 2:19 pm

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak announced today he is running for re-election. The announcement took the form of a mayoral message on Twitter directing people to a video on YouTube, which in turn directed viewers to his new campaign Web site,…

Franken already a 2:1 favorite to win re-election in 2014

By Chris Steller | 01.06.09 | 1:05 pm

Al Franken is taking a scolding in some quarters for declaring victory yesterday after the State Canvassing Board certified that he received 225 more votes than former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman in Minnesota’s Senate recount. So it’s probably best if he stays off the front steps of his downtown Minneapolis condo today and makes no public comment about this development: A University of Minnesota political scientist has calculated that Franken stands a 67 percent chance of winning re-election to the Senate in 2014 — assuming he ever gets seated in the first place, that is.