Without detail until later in the post, for now links only, two items this month were "alerted" by Google that are worth reading; an "idea board" issue item from the candidate's website on efficient mass transit needs and thoughts; and (again via the campaign site) this link - which I strongly urge everyone to read, here, Dec. 1, by Joe Bodell, at the spiffy new thing, the "MN Progressive Project" site.
I am impressed by the people maintaining the Thissen website, and by the fact the Google Alert web spider looks there, and probably everywhere (I even get alerts back to Crabgrass items - not consistently, but occasionally).
Also, I find "progressive" the month's word of choice, i.e., the new Bodell item; Holly Cairns blogging at MnBlue starting her "Progressive by Nature" effort, and then Blue Man Hal Kimball doing his first guest post at Political Muse - Liberal in the Land of Conservatives site, opining about what's "progressive" to mean, here, while still being Blue Man (leaning IP) in a Red District, which I always misread as "in a red light district" but that's a problem of having a flat learning curve.
So, given its general popularity and current fifteen minutes of fame, I will give "progressive" a rest and try not to use the word again this month, so that in excerpting from Bodell's post below I shall refer to it as "non-regressive" in commenting about his Thissen interview:
I asked Thissen about the massive impending budget deficit when the Legislature returns to St. Paul next month. He agreed that it didn't look pretty. "There are lots of things we need to do - but not just spending money for spending's sake. We need to invest in broadband infrastructure, bringing properties up to code, in transportation, and quickly. We need to prioritize in the budget the things that will help people make it through this crisis. And aside from easing the pain of a recession, we need to be putting policies in place that avoid this in the future - policies like reconfiguring the tax system for a new economy. There needs to be discussion about broadening and lowering the sales tax so it will grow more predictably... We're simply not going to be able to raise taxes enough to cover this deficit."
On the campaign, Rep. Thissen acknowledged that there are many voices already in the gubernatorial arena, but said the DFL "needs to put up a candidate who speaks to all parts of the state. If Tim Pawlenty runs, then it's very much going to be a referendum on him and his record. If he doesn't, then the Republicans have a lot of soul-searching to do as far as which wing gets their candidate - if there are two wings anymore...that's a harder question to answer."
Thissen enters a field that's likely to include figures from all over the state. State Sen. Tom Bakk of Virginia is already in, and House Speaker and St. Paul Rep. Margaret Anderson Kelliher's name keeps popping up. Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner has been involved already, and statewide figures like former House Minority Leader Matt Entenza and former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton are making noise.
Nevertheless, Thissen was frank about his role in the race as a Metro-area legislator: "We've been too distant. I've gotten outside the Twin Cities, and it's rare that TC legislators get out to greater Minnesota - it does empower people to be able to talk with people from other parts of the state. That's also a model for governing and selling the kinds of needs, investments we need to make, and having a real conversation about important issues like health care reform, taxes..."
That is a long excerpt, to get readers interested, but shortened enough that they should link over and read it all.
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(with all those links, I will hit the Blogger publish button and link check, but please I put them all in because they reach worthwhile things, so don't ignore the effort, link over)
_______UPDATE__________
The Bodell interview report triggered two thoughts, and more links: First, Thissen talking about being a TC rep getting a chance to go outstate reminded me of Russ Feingold's "Listening Sessions," statewide, see Feingold's site, and this Google. Second, the mention of braodband, it being a topic Thissen had recently featured in his "idea board" array, reminded me of the fiber-to-the-home effort that City of Montecello has pursued, it's nationwide prominance because of the local service provider's SLAPP-like suit, this Google, complete with an already-released downloadable Adobe pdf judicial opinion and mayor's statement, per the city's website.
Given the skill and effort of Thissen's web people, I expect they will help him with those links so that he can swipe and co-opt the Feingold idea of calling them listening sessions, (it's good both as concept and terminology and imitation is sincere flattery), and can be certain when next visiting in Montecello to go there prepared to talk (and listen) about broadband and with notice to the proper people there of his intent. There are votes there from people thinking broadband is as important as Thissen and his idea board expert see it.
__________FURTHER UPDATE________
I don't read many blogs regularly, but some I drift to on an irregular basis. Doing that, I see MnBlue tells me it is to be part of the spiffy new thing. MnBlue says it will rotor-me over, but it's not doing so today. We wait. We see.