< Netroots Minnesota in Saint Paul Friday-Saturday
DFL Governor candidates, New Media Activists, Progressive Politics Take Center Stage at First Netroots Minnesota Conference
Saint Paul – More than 100 Minnesota-based netroots activists will be in Saint Paul Friday and Saturday for the first ever Netroots Minnesota conference. Modeled after, and partially hosted by Netroots Nation, the conference allows participants to learn about key issues, skills for advocacy and grassroots organizing and connect with other netroots activists.
As a regional gathering of Netroots Nation, Netroots Minnesota amplifies progressive voices by providing an online and in-person campus for exchanging ideas and learning how to be more effective in using technology to influence the public debate. Within that campus, we strengthen community, inspire action and serve as a incubator for progressive ideas that challenge the status quo and ultimately affect change in the public sphere.
Netroots Minnesota will also feature a DFL gubernatorial forum moderated by Minneapolis Star Tribune writer Lori Sturdevant. Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman will kick off the event and Congressman Tim Walz will brief participants on the latest from Washington, D.C.
Members of the media are allowed to attend the conference and the gubernatorial forum if they pre-register or bring their press credentials. For more information, contact Denise Cardinal of Alliance for a Better Minnesota at 612.269.9276.
WHAT: Netroots Minnesota WHERE:
Hilton Garden Inn City Center 411 Minnesota Street Saint Paul
WHEN: Friday, November 20 - Saturday, November 21
KEY EVENTS:
Friday, November 20
Welcoming Speech Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman 1:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
DFL Gubernatorial Forum 6-8 p.m.
Saturday November 21
Representative Tim Walz (MN-03) Congressional Briefing 12:30 p.m.
###
Alliance for a Better Minnesota (ABM) is a grassroots lobbying and online communications organization that works with progressive groups and working families on the issues that matter most to Minnesotans. You can find out more at www.allianceminnesota.org.
In two weeks, progressives from across Minnesota will gather in St. Paul for a day and a half of panels, trainings, networking opportunities and keynotes--all in an effort to strategize and organize around progressive change.
Netroots Minnesota will be the premier kickoff to the critical conversations progressives will be having as we approach 2010, and today, Denise Cardinal, ABM's Executive Director announced a forum for Netroots Minnesota attendees to start the conversation with the candidates running for governor.
The Minnesota 2010 gubernatorial race will be one of the most-watched in the nation.
What should the race be about? How can a progressive win? What role will the Netroots play in the campaign?
These vital questions will be answered by some of the gubernatorial candidates themselves at Netroots Minnesota.
On Friday evening, November 20, DFL candidates for governor will join us at Netroots Minnesota to take questions directly from you. Get all the details and register at:
During a discussion moderated by Star Tribune writer Lori Sturdevant, the candidates will be asked questions solicited online via Twitter (using the hashtag #nmn09gov), Facebook, email, and in person.
This forum, sponsored by Alliance for a Better Minnesota Action Fund, is going to be one of the most interactive and engaging forums for the candidates to date -- be sure toregister for Netroots Minnesota to get a front-row seat at this must-see-for-yourself political event.
Denise was really excited this morning to announce the first-ever Netroots Minnesota, a regional conference of the very successful Netroots Nation (formerly YearlyKos). Netroots Minnesota will include panels, workshops, caucuses, keynote speakers, and other creative sessions designed to educate, stimulate, and inspire the nation’s next generation of progressive leaders.
Check out the email announcement below:
Friend--
You know you're not alone in wanting to build progressive power in the state.
Over the next 12 months, we will be working hard to advocate for progressive policies. But in order to be effective, we're going to need to get the progressive grassroots and Netroots together to network and organize.
Join us, along with progressives from all over Minnesota, in St. Paul on November 20th and 21st for the first ever Netroots Minnesota conference.
We'll have captivating panels led by national and state experts, practical training sessions and workshops, and a gubernatorial candidate forum. This conference is the premier kickoff to the critical conversations progressives will be having as we approach 2010.
Netroots Minnesota is modeled after the Netroots Nation conference (formerly known as the YearlyKos Convention). The Netroots have played a critical role in helping shape a progressive agenda over the last several years.
We hope to build upon that same success in Minnesota, and with the hotly contested 2010 gubernatorial race on the horizon, now is the time to start this important conversation. Through this conference we hope to strengthen our community, inspire action and serve as an incubator for ideas that challenge the status quo and ultimately affect change in the public sphere.
SAINT PAUL -- Alliance for a Better Minnesota is hosting a media call tomorrow, August 20th, with Paul Begala, former Clinton advisor and national pundit, to talk about Minnesota's unique role in the health insurance reform debate.
In Minnesota, and nationwide, radical right-wing rage is occupying the front pages, websites and nightly broadcast of media outlets nationwide. Begala will discuss the problems with this right-wing strategy, his experience, and the next chapter in the move to health insurance reform with a Minnesota perspective.
The call is open to Minnesota-based media and bloggers.
For dial-in information, contact Denise Cardinal, ABM Executive Director at denise@allianceminnesota.org. (TV stations wanting an on-camera interview can contact Denise).
WHAT: Minnesota Conference Call With Paul Begala on Health Insurance Reform
WHEN: THURSDAY, August 20th, 10:30 a.m. Central Time
Alliance for a Better Minnesota (ABM) is a nonprofit organization that educates the public about the negative effects of certain policies, politicians and organizations on their quality of life using earned, paid and new media techniques. The ABM home base is a state-of-the-art website designed and maintained by Blue State Digital through the national ProgressNow network of organizations.
After yesterday's rally celebrating the end of the 2008 elections and welcoming Minnesota's second Senator, Al Franken, Denise Cardinal, ABM's Executive Director, shared the following note:
Yesterday, a huge crowd of Minnesotans came out and joined Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum, and Amy Klobuchar to finally welcome Minnesota's second Senator to the job.
In case you couldn't make it, here are a couple of photos:
Now that the wait for our second Senator is over, the real work begins. During Senator Franken's speech, he called on Minnesotans to keep organizing and to keep holding their elected officials accountable.
Well, Alliance for a Better Minnesota plans on doing just that.
Over the next few years, we are going to face many challenges -- including restoring the economy to make it work for middle-class families again, reforming our broken health care system, and solving the climate crisis.
We expect all of our elected officials, including Senator Franken, to fight for working families and not the special interests; to fight quality, affordable health care for every American; to fight for good-paying green jobs that can't be shipped overseas; and to fight for an education system that truly leaves no child behind.
It won't be easy, but with your continued support, we can rebuild the middle class and create a better Minnesota for working families.
Thank you,
Denise Cardinal Executive Director Alliance for a Better Minnesota
Denise Cardinal, Executive Director of Alliance for a Better Minnesota, released the following statement in reaction to the news of today's FEC ruling:
Now that the FEC has ruled on this matter, the people of Minnesota would like to know the truth about the FBI investigation and lawsuits concerning former Senator Coleman. We deserve to know if the allegations made in affidavits stating $100,000 was funneled by his friend and donor Nasser Kazeminy are true. Hundreds of Minnesotans submitted comments to the FEC on this matter, encouraged by ABM which filed complaints on the matter with the FEC, the FBI and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics.
Last week, Governor Tim Pawlenty announced the first round of budget cuts and unallotments. He's been trying to play them off as no big deal, but his proposals don't fix the problems that lead to the state's record budget deficit.
Instead, his proposals cut jobs, throw Minnesotans off health care (while increasing premiums for the rest of us), raise taxes on renters, and make it harder for working families to send their kids to college.
Boot hockey tournaments, wild rice, state fair foods on a stick, Joe Mauer behind the plate and snoopy statues are just some of the things that make our state "above average."
On Tuesday, Governor Tim Pawlenty went after some of the core services that make up another great part of our state. He chose to cut thousands of people off of health care, slash aid to cities used for police and firefighters, and gut higher education instead of working with the balanced budget provided by the legislature. It doesn't have to be like this--we need to step up now to defend the Minnesota we all know and love.
Pawlenty didn't get us into this mess by himself. Pawlenty vetoed the balanced budget plan and every single state Republican supported him, leaving our state in a deficit. Then, Pawlenty headed to Washington, D.C. for a string of public appearances to stir up talk about his presidential ambitions.
Tim Pawlenty may be more concerned about his political future, but we need to let him know we expect him to represent the state that elected him.
We need all of our voices calling for a special session NOW to get Governor Pawlenty's attention. He needs to come together with the Legislature for a one-day special session. A special session could save tens of thousands of jobs, keep thousands of Minnesotans out of emergency rooms, and keep class sizes down across our state.
Join me in defending the "above average" Minnesota that we all love. Take action here.
Thanks for all you're doing,
Denise Cardinal Executive Director Alliance for a Better Minnesota
Alliance for a Better Minnesota to Say “Thank You Taxes” on Tax Appreciation Day Americans United for Change and US PIRG to Release Shocking Report Detailing Tax Havens Cost to Minnesota
St. Paul- Alliance for a Better Minnesota (ABM), a progressive online organizing and communication organization will announce the launch of its “Thank You Taxes” Campaign on Tax Appreciation Day. ABM will highlight that the essential services that even “tea party” protestors use and enjoy, do not grow on trees—our taxes pay for them.
Americans United for Change and the US Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG) will be releasing a shocking report detailing the exploitation of tax loopholes by financial institutions like Citigroup and Bank of America, and the cost to Minnesota’s tax payers.
Who: Alliance for a Better Minnesota, Americans United for Change, and US PIRG. What: “Thank You Taxes” Campaign launch and tax haven report release. When: Wednesday, April 15th at 12:00pm Where: State Capitol, Room 125.
Norm Coleman has done another 180... this time, it's his position on the fairness of the recount process.
Jeff Rosenberg over at MNPublius caught this from Norm Coleman's appearance on the Rachel Maddow show:
I’m not saying, by the way, that this court was a partisan court. You had three trial court judges. They looked at the ballots in front of them. They made determinations about what they felt were legally cast ballots.
You'll remember, of course, that the Coleman campaign spent a lot of energy attempting to frame the recount as a partisan process, despite the Secretary of State taking every precaution to ensure a fair election under Minnesota law.
But Coleman's political future may depend on more than just the outcome of his appeals.
Norm Coleman insisted Thursday that he and his wife, Laurie, have done nothing wrong.
The former U.S. senator was talking about a Texas lawsuit’s claim that a campaign donor funneled the Colemans $75,000 disguised as a business transaction...
The FEC has also not made any public response to a complaint filed later in December by the Alliance for a Better Minnesota, which asked the commission to rule on what the Alliance called Coleman’s violation of federal election law. The alliance last year asked for investigations into the money-funneling claims by the Senate ethics committee and the FBI.
News last December that the FBI has launched a probe preceded Coleman’s announcement about the FEC request by a few days.
This week, the alliance’s executive director, Denise Cardinal, told MnIndy that she had received a flurry of calls from reporters in Washington, D.C., about the complaint, but she has no news from the FEC.
Interest in the Texas lawsuit, which was filed last October, was revived last week on news of sworn testimony by a second former executive from Deep Marine Techology Inc. B.J. Thomas claimed Kazeminy had demanded in 2007 that the company make a series of $25,000 payments to Hays Companies, a St. Paul insurance firm where Laurie Coleman works. Kazeminy, the executives claim, gave the order in the context of a comment that “United States senators don’t make shit.”
Yesterday, our state leaders announced the state's projected budget deficit for the 2010-2011 fiscal year--4.57 billion dollars. The deficit would have been even larger, were it not for the federal aid passed as part of President Obama's economic recovery package, a package which Governor Pawlenty frequently appeared on national talk shows to oppose.
Although Gov. Pawlenty has said he would accept federal economic recovery money, his proposed budget doesn't reflect the priorities of Minnesota's working families.
Denise Cardinal, ABM's Executive Director, sent out this message a few minutes ago, asking folks to ask Governor Pawlenty to use the "Recipe for Success" to solve our budget crisis.
New state budget numbers released yesterday show that our already bleak picture is getting worse.
Thankfully, President Obama's economic recovery package will shrink our growing deficit from a now-projected $6.16 billion to $4.57 billion. Of course, Governor Pawlenty has offered one-time budget gimmicks and accounting shifts as a "solution" while he weighs a re-election campaign or higher national office.
But our state's long-term economic recovery depends less on the ins and outs of political posturing, and more on how we get Minnesota on track to grow today and in the future.
We need him, and our legislative leaders, to use our recipe for economic success.
Pawlenty's plan calls for deep cuts to the services we need for long-term growth, like education and health care. It's obvious the last six years of his "solutions" are just not working.
Our recipe for success includes:
Create and keep good-paying jobs that have a future
These solutions will help us build for the future as we work to create an economy that works for all Minnesotans and keeps the things that make our state great.
Yesterday, Alliance for a Better Minnesota joined other progressive organizations to launched a counter framework to Governor Pawlenty’s budget plan. In a truly Minnesotan fashion, the announcement was made amid the backdrop of a church basement potluck.
Denise Cardinal, ABM's Executive Director, supplied the tater tot hot dish and I'm told the meatballs were delicious.
Governor Pawlenty flew around the state in his plane today while I served up tater tot hot dish and meatballs in a church basement with other progressive organizations, like Take Action Minnesota, SEIU Health Care, Minnesota 2020, ISAIAH, and the Blue-Green Alliance in unveiling Minnesota's Recipe for Economic Security, Fairness, and Opportunity.
With the economy in such dire straights, the Governor and lawmakers need to be focused on more than just getting in a news story or on Fox News Sunday. We need to be positioning Minnesota to come out of this crisis stronger and better prepared for the future. These set of principals for the budget will help us build for the future and an economy that works for all Minnesotans.
Governor Pawlenty's proposed cuts only increase the strain on Minnesotans struggling in this economy. Our priorities address the long-term needs of our state. I hope you'll read about them on our website, submit some of your ideas and sign the recipe card.
We need to let Pawlenty know that in church basements around this state, people care less about what he said on Fox News Sunday and more about how he's helping get our state back on track.
Salaries of MN Officials - Minnesota Subcommittee on Employee Relations Cut Salarys, Eliminating Deadwood Duplication, Hold Government Accountable this Blogger lives on Social Security, reduced to poverty. LGA ie: Local Government Aid, must combine services such as Police & Fire, the 42 St.Paul City Attorneys, double dipping, Pensioned Parasites with full pay pensions and full salarys, ie: DSI Director
SEC charges financier in $8 billion investment scheme [JURIST] The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) [official website] charged [complaint, PDF; SEC press release] financier Allen Stanford [professional profile] Tuesday with orchestrating a fraudulent $8 billion investment scheme by selling certificates of deposits on the promise of improbably high interest rates. Stanford, through his investment companies - Stanford International Bank (... [more]. Posted by Jake Oresick on February 18, 2009, 11:56 am
Economics Debts Combining Tips | Posts with the tag Denise Cardinal
One entity that some people do, who reach themselves swimming in a
association of nix but horrible debt, is obtain a deb...
Read more | Comments (0)
Politics or People? | Posts with the tag Denise Cardinal
Yesterday, we sent this email out to Alliance for a Better
Minnesota members in hopes that Minnesota Republicans would s...
Read more | Comments (0)
Posts
