Commentary
After we turn the clocks forward this spring, we should leave them that way
Editor’s note: The Minnesota Legislature is currently considering legislation to end the twice-per-year practice of moving the clocks forward and back. In my research on daylight saving time, I have found that Americans don’t like it when Congress messes with their clocks. In an effort to avoid the biannual clock switch in spring and fall, […]
Hey senators: Don’t presume to speak for all rural Minnesotans. We want electric cars and hybrids, too
A bill is making its way through the Minnesota Senate that revokes pollution regulators’ authority to update auto emissions standards. The bill specifically targets the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s ability to adopt new regulations called “clean car standards.” In September, Gov. Tim Walz proposed that Minnesota join 14 other states and the District of Columbia […]
Daily Reformer: Klobuchar campaign sputtering into the finish
Good morning Reformers! Pete Buttigieg is out of the presidential race, just four weeks after winning the most delegates in the Iowa Caucus, another death blow to the “first-in-the-nation” hooha of our neighbor to the south. Buttigieg proved himself a very smart political talent who also aroused an unusual degree of loathing from some of […]
Super Tuesday in the Land of 10,000 Pundits
This would be a good time for me to tell you who I thought was going to win Minnesota’s Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday. I’d be making it up, though. Nobody knows. I can’t even tell you who’ll win my precinct, much less Itasca County or the 8th Congressional District. Polls show hometown favorite Sen. […]
Daily Reformer: Super Tuesday cometh
Good morning. With Joe Biden’s polling looking good going into South Carolina, supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders are already beginning to say if he has a plurality of delegates but not a majority and then is denied the nomination, they will not support the eventual nominee. Here’s local progressive lawyer Will Stancil on Twitter: “The […]
Years later, Weinstein is off to prison, but the Legislature still has not acted on sexual harassment law
“All sixteen said that the behavior was widely known within both Miramax and the Weinstein Company.” Those 16 words changed my life. It was October 10, 2017 — I was a freshman state representative attending a legislative conference in Washington D.C. when I read those words. I was taking a break between sessions, scrolling through […]
Daily Reformer: Bakk’s revenge; Bernie is coming
Good morning. Sign up to receive Daily Reformer in your in-box! An insulin bill passed the Minnesota House although it’s a long way from hitting the desk of Gov. Tim Walz. A spicy quote from the debate by Rep. Jeremy Munson, R-Lake Crystal, via Forum News reporter Sarah Mearhoff: “Why diabetics? Why are diabetics getting […]
Education amendment highlights racial disparities: A look at the data
A bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution Tuesday that would mandate that “all children have a fundamental right to a quality public education.” The proposed amendment is the brainchild of former Supreme Court Justice Alan Page and Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari. Minnesota has “some of the worse educational […]
Daily Reformer: Klob gets help at home while others say it’s time to drop
Get Daily Reformer direct to your in-box! Good morning! Didn’t watch the debate. Who won? [email protected] I hear Joe Biden did well. Josh Kraushaar of National Journal persuasively argues that Biden is the only Dem who does well with non-white voters, which means he’s the only one who can put together the coalition to beat […]
Daily Reformer: Caucus Day. Does anyone care? They should.
Good morning. Today is caucus day. With next week’s presidential primary, expect turnout to be way down, which means it’s a big opportunity for activist groups to win power if they’re organized. Here’s how former DFL operative and current PR executive Todd Rapp put it: “With Super Tuesday just a week later, these caucuses may […]
Book excerpt details rise of labor leader who is now Walz education commissioner
Editor’s note: This book excerpt from “Beaten Down, Worked Up” by longtime New York Times labor reporter Steven Greenhouse describes the difficult union negotiations in 2013-2014 between St. Paul Public Schools and teachers, who successfully pushed for smaller class sizes and more support staff in addition to higher wages. Last Friday, St. Paul teachers voted […]
Daily Reformer: The Democratic presidential nomination is nearly finished
Dems have 8 days to stop Bernie. Then it’s over. Good day. The Democratic race for president is all but over, but few people will admit it. My thinking on all this was really clarified when I read this cogent piece by Tim Miller, who was in the middle of the 2016 GOP effort to […]