Sunday, February 26, 2012
Magna Carta on Display
The Minneapolis Star Tribune carries a wire report in the Sunday Travel section on the Magna Carta. A 1297 version of the document is on display at the National Archives in Washington, DC. If you are going to visit the imperial capital this summer, add a stop to your itinerary.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Tom Steward is Following the Money on Rochester TV
The Freedom Foundation's Tom Steward is featured in this Rochester TV news (KTTC-NBC) piece following up on Tom's three-part report covering the influence of out-of-state foundation money on Minnesota energy an environmental policy.
The Emperor of Vanished Kingdoms
The Wall Street Journal weekend edition has a great interview with British historian and author Norman Davies on the fate of nations.
Friday, February 24, 2012
What is Going Right for the Midwest
Two recent pieces worth reading tout the success/prospects for our Midwestern and Great Plains region. Over at New Geography Joel Kotkin and the Sagamore Institute look at the prospects and history of the Great Lakes region.
At City Journal (California edition) Brian Calle asks "What Does North Dakota Know That California Doesn't?" The real boom is in traditional energy, not "green jobs".
At City Journal (California edition) Brian Calle asks "What Does North Dakota Know That California Doesn't?" The real boom is in traditional energy, not "green jobs".
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Follow the Money: Politics and Environmentalism, Part 2
Drilling deeper into my post yesterday about the seams between the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party and the state's environmental non-profits, this post will go in depth on the activities of the Conservation Minnesota Voter Center/Voter Fund, the political action arm of the environmental group Conservation Minnesota.
According to data available at Minnesota's Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board's website, the Conservation Minnesota Voter Fund raised over $120,000 in 2010 and spent over $166,000 on election activities (including in-kind contributions and unpaid bills).
Of the money raised, the largest single contribution ($50,000) was from Rockefeller-heiress Alida Rockefeller Messinger, the first wife of Minnesota's DFL Governor Mark Dayton. The next largest contribution came from the national League of Conservation Voters at $35,000. Taking the bronze medal was the Governor's aunt, Mary Lee Dayton, at $25,000. Board members Darby Nelson (former DFL state representative), Nancy Gibson (controversial Co-Chair of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources) and Lucy Rogers (founder and board member of the Federal PAC Wait a Minute), all made contributions.
In 2010, the Wait a Minute Project raised less than $4,000 from individuals, with Alida Messinger contributing $2,000. It supported DFL candidate Maureen Reed in her unsuccessful bid for the 6th District Congressional seat nomination. In 2008 the Project supported DFL candidate Elwyn Tinklenberg in his unsuccessful bid for that same seat, which was won both times by Michelle Bachmann.
The Conservation Minnesota Voter Center/Fund's board also includes, among others, Alida Messinger (as Vice President), Michael Noble (Executive Director of the Minnesota non-profit Fresh Energy), Gene Merriam (former DFL state senator), Frank Moe (former DFL state representative), and Judy Johnson (former Plymouth mayor and Republican candidate for state senate).
In 2010, the fund endorsed a total of 33 candidates for state legislature, including 8 Republicans. If the idea was to gain credibility and get credit as a bipartisan operation, well, words are nice but cash is King.
Of the $166,000 spent by the Voter Fund in 2010, over $77,000 went to reimburse the Voter Center for its efforts. According to its 2010 IRS Form 990, the Voter Center, in turn, made a $50,000 grant to Conservation Minnesota. This arrangement works out well for the environmental non-profit. Money raised for political purposes is used to support staff and overhead at the parent non-profit, freeing up other funds to be used in the core mission. Of course, taking political money may imply some support for party or causes not related to that core mission.
A total of $15,050 went to party units, with $14,000 of that amount going to Democrats. More than $33,000 was spent on Google ads to defeat Republican Tom Emmer, Mark Dayton's opponent for Governor, despite the fact that the Fund did not endorse a candidate in that race. Of the remainder, less than $5,000 went to support endorsed candidates, and all 11 were DFLers. Not one penny, in cash or in kind, went to support endorsed Republicans.
But then again, all 8 endorsed Republicans won, anyway
According to data available at Minnesota's Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board's website, the Conservation Minnesota Voter Fund raised over $120,000 in 2010 and spent over $166,000 on election activities (including in-kind contributions and unpaid bills).
Of the money raised, the largest single contribution ($50,000) was from Rockefeller-heiress Alida Rockefeller Messinger, the first wife of Minnesota's DFL Governor Mark Dayton. The next largest contribution came from the national League of Conservation Voters at $35,000. Taking the bronze medal was the Governor's aunt, Mary Lee Dayton, at $25,000. Board members Darby Nelson (former DFL state representative), Nancy Gibson (controversial Co-Chair of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources) and Lucy Rogers (founder and board member of the Federal PAC Wait a Minute), all made contributions.
In 2010, the Wait a Minute Project raised less than $4,000 from individuals, with Alida Messinger contributing $2,000. It supported DFL candidate Maureen Reed in her unsuccessful bid for the 6th District Congressional seat nomination. In 2008 the Project supported DFL candidate Elwyn Tinklenberg in his unsuccessful bid for that same seat, which was won both times by Michelle Bachmann.
The Conservation Minnesota Voter Center/Fund's board also includes, among others, Alida Messinger (as Vice President), Michael Noble (Executive Director of the Minnesota non-profit Fresh Energy), Gene Merriam (former DFL state senator), Frank Moe (former DFL state representative), and Judy Johnson (former Plymouth mayor and Republican candidate for state senate).
In 2010, the fund endorsed a total of 33 candidates for state legislature, including 8 Republicans. If the idea was to gain credibility and get credit as a bipartisan operation, well, words are nice but cash is King.
Of the $166,000 spent by the Voter Fund in 2010, over $77,000 went to reimburse the Voter Center for its efforts. According to its 2010 IRS Form 990, the Voter Center, in turn, made a $50,000 grant to Conservation Minnesota. This arrangement works out well for the environmental non-profit. Money raised for political purposes is used to support staff and overhead at the parent non-profit, freeing up other funds to be used in the core mission. Of course, taking political money may imply some support for party or causes not related to that core mission.
A total of $15,050 went to party units, with $14,000 of that amount going to Democrats. More than $33,000 was spent on Google ads to defeat Republican Tom Emmer, Mark Dayton's opponent for Governor, despite the fact that the Fund did not endorse a candidate in that race. Of the remainder, less than $5,000 went to support endorsed candidates, and all 11 were DFLers. Not one penny, in cash or in kind, went to support endorsed Republicans.
But then again, all 8 endorsed Republicans won, anyway
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Follow the Money: Politics and Environmentalism, Part 1
Today's excellent feature on Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) follows the money circulating through Democratic-Farmer-Labor-friendly independent political action groups in the state.
The MPR piece focus on two groups, the Alliance for a Better Minnesota (ABM) and WIN Minnesota. Both supported the narrow victory of current Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Governor Mark Dayton, whose campaign committee is named "Mark Dayton for a Better Minnesota." These groups are supported financially by members of the Dayton family, including the Governor's ex-wife, Alida Messinger of the Rockefeller family, and the Governor's aunt, Mary Lee Dayton. MPR's graphic does a good job tracking the $ millions sloshing back and forth amongst these groups.
But casual observers of the Minnesota political scene will be confused by this sentence in the MPR piece,
"All major players in DFL politics, from unions to environmental groups to community organizers, either support ABM financially or are involved in key decisions on Democratic talking points, spending on campaigns and public policy priorities."
What, what, what? Environmental groups? I thought that they were just trying to save the planet! Well it turns out that, while the planet remains unsaved, Minnesota environmental groups are deeply involved in state DFL politics. A close examination of reports filed at the state's Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board shows just how much.
We pick up the story in 2008, with the formation of the "Vote Yes Minnesota" political action fund, which led the campaign to pass the "Clean Water Legacy" amendment, a constitutional amendment that raised sales taxes to fund environmental and arts projects. Vote Yes was led by Ken Martin, now the Chair of the state's DFL party. Vote Yes raised and spent $3.7 million in getting the amendment passed. Among the contributors to the fund were Alida Rockefeller Messinger ($1,000,000) and Mary Lee Dayton ($250,000) along with other members of the Dayton family (the future governor donated $6,000).
Curiously, among the expenditures made by Vote Yes in 2008 was one for $1,500 to the Alliance for a Better Minnesota for "research/polling."
Jumping ahead to 2010, we find Ken Martin now as the head of the WIN Minnesota organization and its 2010 Fund political contribution arm. WIN's biggest contributors included Mary Lee Dayton ($250,000) and Alida Messinger ($500,000). In turn, WIN donates to ABM, Putting Minnesota First, and other political groups. As I noted back in May, both ABM and WIN received money in the past from the San Francisco-based Tides Foundation, as did Minnesota environmental non-profits Fresh Energy and Conservation Minnesota, among others. In 2010, Tides also donated to the national Clean Water Action, the national Sierra Club, and the Rockefeller Family fund, where the son of Mark Dayton and Alida Messinger, Eric Dayton, sits on the board of trustees,
During the 2010 race, a number of environmental groups were active politically. RE-AMP member Clean Water Action Alliance assisted a number of candidates, nearly all Democrats, through its Clean Water Action Voter Education Project and Clean Water Action Independent Fund. Alida Messinger had donated $15,000 to the Project in 2008 and $35,000 in 2006. In 2006, 2008 and 2010, the Project in turn donated funds to Putting Minnesota First, another political action group that supported DFL candidates. The Sierra Club (RE-AMP member) also contributed to Putting Minnesota First in the two most recent election cycles.
Clean Water Action and the Sierra Club also belong to the state environmental coalition Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP). Fellow MEP member Conservation Minnesota is another group with a political action arm, the Conservation Minnesota Voter Fund. Two of its largest contributors, in both 2010 and 2011, were Alida Messinger and Mary Lee Dayton. Conservation Minnesota Voter Fund's biggest vendor during the 2010 election was the Conservation Minnesota Voter Center, whose board members include Alida Messinger (Vice President) and Michael Noble, Executive Director of the RE-AMP and MEP member organization Fresh Energy. For its part, the Conservation Minnesota Voter Center lets us know that, "When it is time for elections, the Conservation Minnesota Voter Fund provides information on candidates across the state." The Voter Fund shares the same board of directors as the Voter Center.
The Fund endorses candidates for office, mostly Democrats, of course. In 2008, the fund endorsed 21 Democrats, 4 Republicans, and 1 Independent. In 2010, the Fund disbursed $15,050 to party units, $14,000 of which went to the DFL. The remaining $1,050 went to Republicans, with $550 of that amount donated after the party swept the 2010 Legislative elections. The Fund worked against the election of Mark Dayton's opponent in 2010, spending more than $33,000 on Google ads to defeat Republican Tom Emmer.
The Sierra Club's political activity in 2010 was a more modest affair, spending a little over $10,000 to support DFL candidates. The group had been more active in 2008, raising and spending more than $25,000.
Putting Minnesota First offers a strange example of the confluence of the various parts of the DFL coalition. In 2010, it spent only $57,000 on DFL candidates, but its contributors list makes for interesting reading, nonetheless. As noted above, both the Sierra Club and Clean Water Action contributed, as did several unions and Planned Parenthood.
I hope you are not too dizzy after pinging around the world of DFL campaign finance. Just keep this analysis in mind the next time you are tempted to donate to save the polar bears.
The MPR piece focus on two groups, the Alliance for a Better Minnesota (ABM) and WIN Minnesota. Both supported the narrow victory of current Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Governor Mark Dayton, whose campaign committee is named "Mark Dayton for a Better Minnesota." These groups are supported financially by members of the Dayton family, including the Governor's ex-wife, Alida Messinger of the Rockefeller family, and the Governor's aunt, Mary Lee Dayton. MPR's graphic does a good job tracking the $ millions sloshing back and forth amongst these groups.
But casual observers of the Minnesota political scene will be confused by this sentence in the MPR piece,
"All major players in DFL politics, from unions to environmental groups to community organizers, either support ABM financially or are involved in key decisions on Democratic talking points, spending on campaigns and public policy priorities."
What, what, what? Environmental groups? I thought that they were just trying to save the planet! Well it turns out that, while the planet remains unsaved, Minnesota environmental groups are deeply involved in state DFL politics. A close examination of reports filed at the state's Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board shows just how much.
We pick up the story in 2008, with the formation of the "Vote Yes Minnesota" political action fund, which led the campaign to pass the "Clean Water Legacy" amendment, a constitutional amendment that raised sales taxes to fund environmental and arts projects. Vote Yes was led by Ken Martin, now the Chair of the state's DFL party. Vote Yes raised and spent $3.7 million in getting the amendment passed. Among the contributors to the fund were Alida Rockefeller Messinger ($1,000,000) and Mary Lee Dayton ($250,000) along with other members of the Dayton family (the future governor donated $6,000).
Curiously, among the expenditures made by Vote Yes in 2008 was one for $1,500 to the Alliance for a Better Minnesota for "research/polling."
Jumping ahead to 2010, we find Ken Martin now as the head of the WIN Minnesota organization and its 2010 Fund political contribution arm. WIN's biggest contributors included Mary Lee Dayton ($250,000) and Alida Messinger ($500,000). In turn, WIN donates to ABM, Putting Minnesota First, and other political groups. As I noted back in May, both ABM and WIN received money in the past from the San Francisco-based Tides Foundation, as did Minnesota environmental non-profits Fresh Energy and Conservation Minnesota, among others. In 2010, Tides also donated to the national Clean Water Action, the national Sierra Club, and the Rockefeller Family fund, where the son of Mark Dayton and Alida Messinger, Eric Dayton, sits on the board of trustees,
During the 2010 race, a number of environmental groups were active politically. RE-AMP member Clean Water Action Alliance assisted a number of candidates, nearly all Democrats, through its Clean Water Action Voter Education Project and Clean Water Action Independent Fund. Alida Messinger had donated $15,000 to the Project in 2008 and $35,000 in 2006. In 2006, 2008 and 2010, the Project in turn donated funds to Putting Minnesota First, another political action group that supported DFL candidates. The Sierra Club (RE-AMP member) also contributed to Putting Minnesota First in the two most recent election cycles.
Clean Water Action and the Sierra Club also belong to the state environmental coalition Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP). Fellow MEP member Conservation Minnesota is another group with a political action arm, the Conservation Minnesota Voter Fund. Two of its largest contributors, in both 2010 and 2011, were Alida Messinger and Mary Lee Dayton. Conservation Minnesota Voter Fund's biggest vendor during the 2010 election was the Conservation Minnesota Voter Center, whose board members include Alida Messinger (Vice President) and Michael Noble, Executive Director of the RE-AMP and MEP member organization Fresh Energy. For its part, the Conservation Minnesota Voter Center lets us know that, "When it is time for elections, the Conservation Minnesota Voter Fund provides information on candidates across the state." The Voter Fund shares the same board of directors as the Voter Center.
The Fund endorses candidates for office, mostly Democrats, of course. In 2008, the fund endorsed 21 Democrats, 4 Republicans, and 1 Independent. In 2010, the Fund disbursed $15,050 to party units, $14,000 of which went to the DFL. The remaining $1,050 went to Republicans, with $550 of that amount donated after the party swept the 2010 Legislative elections. The Fund worked against the election of Mark Dayton's opponent in 2010, spending more than $33,000 on Google ads to defeat Republican Tom Emmer.
The Sierra Club's political activity in 2010 was a more modest affair, spending a little over $10,000 to support DFL candidates. The group had been more active in 2008, raising and spending more than $25,000.
Putting Minnesota First offers a strange example of the confluence of the various parts of the DFL coalition. In 2010, it spent only $57,000 on DFL candidates, but its contributors list makes for interesting reading, nonetheless. As noted above, both the Sierra Club and Clean Water Action contributed, as did several unions and Planned Parenthood.
I hope you are not too dizzy after pinging around the world of DFL campaign finance. Just keep this analysis in mind the next time you are tempted to donate to save the polar bears.
Minnesota Public Radio is Following the Money
Better late than never. Two years after Minnesota's last election for Governor, Minnesota Public Radio is tracking the money that helped to defeat Republican candidate Tom Emmer in a recount-close race. MPR focuses on two groups, the Alliance for a Better Minnesota and WIN Minnesota, that together spent $5.2 million in electing Mark Dayton as Governor.
Alert readers of this space will recall that back in May, we tracked some of the money to these groups from the San Francisco-based Tides Foundation.
MPR's main story does a good job naming names and establishing facts. These groups are turning their attention this year to getting the DFL party back in power at the state legislature. We need to ask ourselves whether we will allow out-of-state monied interests to determine who governs this state.
Alert readers of this space will recall that back in May, we tracked some of the money to these groups from the San Francisco-based Tides Foundation.
MPR's main story does a good job naming names and establishing facts. These groups are turning their attention this year to getting the DFL party back in power at the state legislature. We need to ask ourselves whether we will allow out-of-state monied interests to determine who governs this state.
Monday, February 20, 2012
The Daily Caller is Following the Money
The Daily Caller is following the money on the U.S.-based foundation-led campaign against the Canadian Keystone XL crude oil pipeline. A $7 million annual effort coordinated by the Rockefeller Brothers fund. Complete with "smoking gun" PowerPoint presentation. In a 48-page slide deck, guess what word doesn't appear: "science."
What's Next for the American Dream?
Walter Russell Mead continues his a series of essays to see what is over the horizon for the American Dream as the "Blue Social Model" continues to collapse.
California: Heading to Greece by Way of Detroit
At least, that's what the editors of the Orange County Register think. The editors cite these two related pieces, that are also worth checking out:
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