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Thursday, May 14, 2009

MAUREEN REED - An update.

For starters, she's not Tinklenberg, so that's one plus.

She has gotten blog attention for a Senate Dist. 14 appearance; Political Muse, Blue Man, and Aubrey Immelman having noted the session - see the Muse link for video.

Immelman noted Steve Kelly attended the event with Reed. He has earned respect, and if he is supportive of the Reed candidacy that would be helpful. As a current candidate aiming to challenge Pawlenty, he has his own race to consume his main attention. However, presuming he and Reed share policy concerns and his present position with the U.Minn. Humphrey Institute and past Med. Board service may have overlapped Reed's tenure on the Board of Regents and her policy roles in medicine so that he knows who she is and the "cut of her jib"; then that says much in Reed's favor.

However --- We wait. We see.

Kelly has a Wikipedia entry, past legislative bio, and Humphrey Institute bio online.

Getting a Wikipedia entry for herself is yet one more thing Reed needs to put in place as she moves onward as a (true and sincere) Sixth District candidate.

With a background as a Regent, and projecting her concern for "jobs" in Minnesota would include a regard for the importance of broadband growth and other technological advances similar to Kelly's, I will guess, (in the absence of anything defining her on the record so far beyond vague speaking points); that she values higher education and especially the hard-earned reputation for post-graduate excellence the U.Minn. has achieved, is well positioned on technological imperatives, and is sympathetic to and not unmindful of the difficulties young scholars face in today's times. So far, so good; but again, we wait and see.

Those projected thoughts, however, are things I would want to hear her specifically articulate, and not merely presume them to be so.


Hence, AGAIN -- she's not Elwyn Tinklenberg - she's not Michele Bachmann - so she's already a few steps ahead of her opposition. (Even with that as faint praise.)

She has a pulse. She has a brain. Every other word is not "Oberstar" when pursuing her occupational alternatives.

Does any reader know, has she ever registered anywhere as a lobbyist?