America's Small City Mayor gets new address & look!!

America's Small City Mayor is getting a new look and another address. In the meantime I will be posting to both sites until my new page is fully operational and ready to go.

Please take the time to update the RSS feeds if you use them to the smallcitymayor.com/ address as we begin to make the transition. Part of the remaining project is to get the older posts categorized, reassembled, and user friendly.

Special thanks to Derek Brigham & Brian Mason for their great design and work on the new site.

A Special Note to Lt. Governor Carol Molnau

Dear Lt. Governor Molnau:

As you know the focus is on Governor Pawlenty being selected as the Republican Vice-Presidential candidate. I will be the first to admit I got this possible outcome completely wrong earlier in the year. However, that is clearly unimportant now.

What is important is understanding that you need to prepare to be the next Governor of Minnesota.

Honestly, I am excited about the possibility because I think you are a solid conservative. Anyone who can tame Jesse Ventura on a couch, and withstand a media barrage of unimagined scale tells me your are the right person for Minnesota.

I have a few suggestions for you as you prepare:

• First, surround yourself with some good public relations people. A solid strategy on rebuilding your image is important. I have been disturbed at the lack of defense you have received from our party, so this is vital. Two years until the election is an eternity in politics, and you can comeback with a new reputation and a solid conservative message that Minnesotans can believe in.

• Second, the 35W Bridge collapse was a tragedy. The Democrats want to lay everything at your feet. However, I think the average Minnesotan wants someone to simply take responsibility it happened, and assure them our bridges are safe and our transportation system will be transformed without scare tactics and excuses to raise taxes.

• Third, you will need to select a new Lieutenant Governor. It will need to be someone that is not a lightening rod that can be confirmed by a hostile Poggy & Company. It should likely be someone who can bring a perspective from outside St. Paul that average Minnesotans can relate too. It might be a common sense small city mayor? Just something to consider.

This would just be the first set of ideas that should be considered soon as we wait to see the outcome on Pawlenty. All kidding aside (specifically.....point number three) I hope you are moving ahead as we do not need a state with all three branches of Government under DFL control. You could be the new face of Minnesota's Republican Party and we are here to support you.

Sincerely,

Mayor Nathan P. McLaughlin

America's Small City Mayor

Liberal Keith Ellison gets higher Conservative rating than Blue Dog Collin Peterson

Representative Collin Peterson received a rating of ZERO from The Club for Growth in spite of all his talk on how "Conservative" he is. The issues are listed here and many are bread and butter issues for 7th District Minnesotans.

Rep. Keith Ellison scored 2% and he comes from the most liberal areas of Minnesota. Amy Klobuchar scored 7% and Senator Norm Coleman scored 33%.

Source: The Club for Growth

KSTP: Franken refuses Lord Faris debate

KSTP NEWS
Updated at: 08/13/2008 09:27:13 PM
By: Nicole Muehlhausen, Web Producer

Priscilla Lord Faris wants to be taken seriously as a DFL candidate for the U.S. Senate seat.

While she’s running television ads and traveling the state, there's one traditional campaign event she hasn't been able to do so far—debate her opponent.

DFL-endorsed Al Franken won the party’s backing in June. As far as he's concerned, Republican Norm Coleman is his opponent.

So he won't agree to any pre-primary debates with Lord Faris or anyone else.

"I'm the endorsed candidate of this party. We went through a long process and I was very proud to receive the endorsement on the first ballot and receive it by acclamation," said Franken.

Franken said he debated his DFL opponents for the party endorsement multiple times, and doesn’t plan to Lord Faris or any other DFL candidate running in the primary.

"I did 17 debates during the primary, caucus season up to the convention. I’m not going to debate her. I’m not going to debate Dick Franzen. I’m not going to debate Ole Saviour," Franken explained.

Lord Faris said she assumes Franken is being advised by campaign strategists not to debate her. But that won't stop her from conducting a "mock" debate.

"That's fine. He can follow their advice. But I’ll use some other unique ways to debate him and they'll be fun and I’m going to have fun at this," Lord Faris said.

Political science professor Larry Jacobs said denying Lord Faris a publicity opportunity is smart strategy.

"It might well irritate Minnesota voters who would like to see them match up. But from a political strategy point of view, it's the only way for Franken to go," Jacobs said.

Comment: Al Franken has to address the concerns of women within his own party and around Minnesota. The half hearted endorsement well after the nomination was secured from Rep. McCollum and those expressed by his challenger Attorney Lord Faris make you wonder how bad his campaign can continue to stumble with the election a few months away.

One Step Forward and then Two Steps Back!!

I think MDE really does a great job on expressing the dismay many of us have watching the events over in MN Senate District 16.

I had started to write a rather lengthy post with my thoughts, but I think it is worth every one's time to read the links listed below. MDE elaborates on many of the same points, but with greater experience given his past work experience.

It is frustrating to many of us when we see the GOP leadership showing questionable leadership in a time that clear direction is required.

Minnesota Democrats Exposed

ON REPRESENTATIVE MARK OLSON’S ENDORSEMENT BY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

PRT is Bogus-Dump Mark Olson

Complaint: Page 1

Complaint: Page 2

Complaint: Page 3

A Liberal View of Obama's Energy Policy from a Conservative

Democrat Lord Faris takes on Democrat Angry Al Franken

While on vacation I did not get to attend FARMFEST which was unfortunate.

However, the farmers I have heard from around here say Al Franken is just not familiar with Minnesota politics and his attacks were an embarrassment. One farmer out here says he's calling him Angry Al from now on.

Here is the Lord Faris commercial the new Democrat challenging Angry Al in the primary this September.

Minnesota Democrats: Please consider the fate of the poor Gorilla!!

I believe 10 million dollars was enough money to house the Gorilla's at a new zoo exhibit in Minnesota. I think Representative Seifert needs to frame his comments in a way that apparently captured the hearts of Democrats during the last legislative session.

Just a suggestion from a humble Small City Mayor.

Republicans wave 'red flag' over use of welfare benefit cards

By MIKE KASZUBA, Star Tribune
Last update: August 7, 2008 - 12:24 PM

Welfare recipients in Minnesota used state-issued benefit cards to make more than $10 million in purchases in other states last year, including places as far away as Hawaii, House Republicans charged today.

While acknowledging the purchases were not illegal, House Minority Leader Marty Seifert said the disclosure was "a red flag for the taxpayers." Seifert said Republicans, who are trying to recapture a majority in the House this fall, had asked the legislative auditor to investigate the findings and called for legislative hearings.

A chart and map distributed at a mid-morning news conference showed that the most transactions last year came in bordering states, such as Wisconsin and North Dakota. In Illinois, statistics provided by Republicans showed there were 48,821 transactions last year totaling $1.3 million. In Iowa, there were 14,037 transactions totaling $498,129.

Seifert acknowledged that some of the transactions in bordering states could simply be recipients in Minnesota crossing the state line to make purchases. He also said the $10.2 million in out-of-state purchases last year represented just a fraction of the $496.3 million in total transactions.

"Some people might say it's only $10 million," he said. "To me, $10 million is $10 million."

How Obama's Oil Plan would work!!

Source: 620WTMK

Let's return to our core values!!

Pawlenty says Republicans need fresh ideas

Source: StarTribune

Our Governor is right that the Republican Party needs to refresh and update its image. The last election and our tenuous political situation right now is certainly no secret. We fell behind on explaining the important issues facing our country in the 21st Century and paid the price at the ballot box in 2006.

On current issues like energy independence, renewable fuels, and clean technology a good case can be made for working on goals that are realistic and market driven without the scare tactics.

Rural America agrees becoming less dependent on unstable parts of the world for our energy while creating true free market solutions here at home makes sense.

However, I still want to be convinced our party leaders are returning to some of our core issues. The issues that have made us the dominant party since Ronald Reagan. Fresh Ideas are fine if they are good and based in core principles.

Our core principles should be the foundation of these new great ideas.

The newly coined "Sams Club" voter does not shop there because it is the trendiest spot. They come back time and again because it consistently provides the goods and services at the lowest cost creating true value.

Sams also spends a lot of time and effort letting people know (time and again....repeatedly) why we should all spend our vote there with our dollars. Republicans need to get beyond the catchy phrase and look at the business model employed.

How is your Minnesota school doing?

Minnesota Non-Metro School Rankings

I just thought I would post this. The school system in Clarissa & Eagle Bend did meet the No Child Left Behind criteria for 2008. (Click the StarTribune link above)

Other school systems in the area including: Browerville, Long Prairie, and Bertha-Hewitt apparently missed the cut this year and all received grades that did not pass.

I am still out on an opinion regarding No Child Left Behind. I do think it is important to test and see how we are doing. Obviously a quality education for our children is important. However, I have spoken with some teachers who think there are better ways to go about doing this. If there are teachers out there who could post comments with their thoughts on No Child Left Behind it would be appreciated.

Congrats to Eagle Valley teachers and staff on being the only school to pass, and for the great education they are giving students.

America's Small City Mayor: Breaking NEWS!!

I am happy to announce that America's Small City Mayor has received press passes to live blog the 2008 National Republican Convention.

We will be there September 1st - 4th to bring you all of behind the scenes buzz, interviews, and news. Again we will make all of our posts relevant to the issues that are important rural America.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation for all of the dedicated readers. My blog four years ago started as a personal log of events here in Clarissa but has grown in ways that really continue to amaze.

The screening process the GOP uses is based on readership and unique content among other criteria. The America's Small City Mayor blog continues to grow with readership in Minnesota and around the United States increasing on a monthly basis.

Thanks and stay tuned for further UPDATES!!

On the lighter side: The US mortgage problem