McCain's VP pick is...

...still unknown as I write this. I've been tracking the rumors via the Drudge Report and elsewhere on the blogosphere. First, it's Lieberman! Then, it's Romney! No, it's Pawlenty!

McCain may want to pick Lieberman. He may have toyed with it. But he's not going to pick Lieberman. It would be lose-lose. The Republican base would be upset. It doesn't pick up swing voters.

And I've never thought McCain would pick Romney. He doesn't like him. And I don't see how a flip-flopper Mormon from Massachusetts does much for the ticket. Oh, he'll fix the economy because he used to be a CEO. Whatever. He's an elitist who doesn't appeal to middle class voters very much. Plus, McCain must know by now that if this election is run on the issue of the economy, he loses.

I've gone back and forth over the months if he'd pick Pawlenty. At times I thought for certainty, at other times I thought no way.

But who else? Well, if he was smart, McCain would pick someone like Kay Bailey Hutchinson. She's a moderate that doesn't scare away the social conservatives. I don't think McCain will be that smart.

So maybe it will be Pawlenty. As I've written before, it puts Minnesota in the "more competitive" category, but is far from a sure 10 electoral votes for McCain. Pawlenty is high approval ratings in Minnesota, but he still barely won in 2006 by a 1% margin. Voters in Minnesota, like others, will still make their decisions on who is at the top of the ticket and that favors Obama.

I'm not going to say it will be Pawlenty announced tonight or tomorrow. I'm saying, maybe. Perhaps, though still unlikely, we'll hear the name Tom Ridge. I will, however, go out on a limb and say it won't be Romney,Lieberman, Huckabee, Rice, or Gingrich.

McCain running mate thoughts

We all know that McCain hosted Charlie Crist, Mitt Romney, and Bobby Jindal and guests this weekend. A flurry of commentary followed on whether this was the short list.

Obviously not. I think we can take that these three may be under consideration, but McCain is still probably considering others.

One name that has been up on the top of various lists is Minnesota's Tim Pawlenty. The youthful, but experienced governor would appeal to social conservatives without alienating mainstream voters. Minnesota is allegedly a swing state.

Still, there's an argument against Pawlenty.

I remain doubtful Minnesota will truly be competitive, and I don't think that Pawlenty would help much here or any other swing state. Who knows who McCain will pick, but I think its less likely everyday that it will be the Minnesota governor.

Getting what you pay for

Bridge collapse report critical of transportation agency

We can take several lessons in the aftermath of the 35W bridge collapse. One of which is that keeping taxes low and starving government can have negative implications. The independent report suggests that the funding situation at the Pawlenty/Molnau Department of Transportation was part of the blame with mistakes in the inspection process and tainted decision making on what to do with the substandard bridge.

This is what the no taxes, smaller government argument gets you. Governmental agencies incapable of performing vital tasks for the welfare of the people. Is there government waste? Hell yes. But the more constructive discussion is over what spending is important, where is the waste, and how can the revenue be properly and fairly raised? You can't get something for nothing with government too.

Remember, the reason Pawlenty put his Lieutenant Governor in charge of the Department of Transportation in 2003 is that he had made "cutting waste" at the DOT a priority in his campaign. Retrospectively, we can see this was an ill-advised policy that had a role in a major disaster.

McCain/Obama/Clinton administrations: Minnesota personnel

We've talked about the running mate odds already. Let's get even more ahead of ourselves and discuss which Minnesota politicians may be snatched to serve in the next administration.

First off, in the unlikely, but unfortunately possible, scenario of a McCain presidency. A lot of high profile current and former Republicans are off the table because they lack experience or have been discredited. It's difficult to see Michele Bachmann or Rod Grams serving in an administration.

• Tim Pawlenty - Conventional wisdom continues to build that Pawlenty is at the top of McCain's running mate list. If the governor does not become McCain's running mate, don't count a Governor Molnau out. Pawlenty could be a cabinet member; particularly but not necessarily the Secretary of Health and Human Services or Secretary of Education.
• Jim Ramstad - I don't know how Ramstad and McCain regard each other, but both have a reputation of bucking the party line in Congress. McCain, while a "maverick," is still a by-and-large conservative. Ramstad is a true moderate, particularly on social issues. Ramstad is retiring from Congress. His appointment wouldn't put a Republican seat in danger (it already is). Ramstad might not be a cabinet level appointment, but still in line for some administration job. Ramstad could serve the administration in a health care capacity or perhaps law enforcement.
• John Kline - Kline may or may not be out of a job come January. The Republican congressman has been a steadfast supporter of the war and is a consistent conservative. Whether or not he is reelected this fall, Kline could be a pick to serve as a higher-up in the Department of Veterans Affairs or perhaps in the Pentagon.
• Norm Coleman - Should Coleman lose election this fall, but McCain wins (an unlikely combination), he might be able to get employed in some capacity in a McCain administration. Perhaps with his 5 years working on foreign relations in the Senate, Coleman could be appointed an ambassador. Perhaps ambassador to the UN, but McCain would probably want someone with more experience and intelligence in that position. If Coleman wins in the fall, he's probably not an attractive enough person to vacate a Senate seat, even if a Republican would be appointed to replace him by a Governor Pawlenty or Molnau.

(Here's a scary scenario. Remember that once upon a time Pawlenty wanted the U.S. Senate seat before Dick Cheney "persuaded" him to run for governor. Should McCain win the presidency with Charlie Crist as his running mate and Coleman win reelection too, but vacate the post when appointed the ambassador to the EU or something. Pawlenty could then resign and Gov. Molnau appoint Pawlenty to serve out the six year Senate term. It's been done before, albeit without good results. Setting that aside, who would a Gov. Pawlenty or Molnau appoint to fill an empty Coleman seat?)


An Obama presidency:

Minnesota Democrats hold more congressional and statewide seats than Republicans, but most are relative newcomers. However, some DFL politicians stick out for an opening in an Obama administration.

• Jim Oberstar - It would be hard for Oberstar to give up his chair of the House Transportation Committee. It looks like he has just gotten started there. That is, except for maybe the possibility to become the Secretary of Transportation. The resulting special election would be competitive, but Democrats would still probably be able to keep that northern Minnesota seat.
• Lori Swanson - Swanson has been tarnished in recent months with allegations of ethical breaches and union busting. At this point, the charges probably don't rise to the level to stop Swanson from being appointed a federal judge. State Democrats would probably be resistant to the idea, since the governor would have the power to appoint a successor for the attorney general.
• R.T. Rybak - The Minneapolis mayor was an early and strong supporter of Obama's. It is not too far fetched to see Rybak serving in the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Betty McCollum - McCollum's departure wouldn't worry Democrats too much. McCollum has been steadily climbing the Democratic caucus leadership ladder since elected in 2000. She may not wish to throw that away. Still, McCollum might be an attractive fit in a number of administration posts within the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Education. McCollum might also be the type of person appointed to the National Endowment for the Arts.

A Clinton administration:

It is doubtful, although an outside possibility that Clinton will be elected the next president. In that scenario one can assume many of the first Clinton administration loyalists would return. Clinton would undoubtedly bring in some new blood out of need and a desire to make her own mark.

Under a Clinton administration, Oberstar, Swanson, and McCollum may all still be potential candidates for appointments despite Oberstar's and McCollum's endorsements of Obama. Rybak would be out of consideration in all likelihood. Two additional names:

• Chris Coleman and Susan Gaertner - The St. Paul Mayor and the Ramsey County Attorney, respectively, have both endorsed Clinton. Coleman has also served as a public defender and prosecutor in Hennepin County. Both are top names for a gubernatorial run in 2010, but one or even both could be persuaded to take a post in Washington, DC. Either could be good fits for a Department of Justice or federal judiciary post.

Pawlenty irritates Coleman

The A-P tells us that Republican Senator Norm Coleman has expressed disappointment over Pawlenty's line item veto of Central Corridor light-rail funds this week.

Normally, I'm pretty cynical about anything Coleman does. Especially in an election year. Mr. Votes-the-Republican-Line is trying to be seen as an independent and moderate voice for this November. Most of his actions should be viewed through that lens.

But I don't think his light, but helpful, criticism of the governor is for his own personal political objectives. I would say it is genuine. Certainly, there are other Republicans Coleman can publicly disagree with in order to be seen as independent minded. Expressing disagreements with the most popular, and influential, Republican in Minnesota probably doesn't help politically. So, good for him.

Namecalling in politics

I think there is not enough substance in politics and too much name calling. Just turn on the television or radio, and name calling is what you hear. It's unhelpful and immature.

I generally try to refrain from name calling. Even those who deserve it. This week, my resolve has been tested. lI've resisted two days, but I can't any longer.

Tim Pawlenty is a dick.

Randy Kelly at the DOT?

Again from the MinnPost (they're starting to regularly produce a stream of relevant breaking news), Joe Kimball writes that former St. Paul Mayor, Randy Kelly, has been mentioned as a possible nominee to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Kelly certainly shares political philosophy with the governor. He values keeping taxes down at the expense of necessary services and important infrastructure improvements. Current St. Paul mayor, Chris Coleman, has had the difficult task of catching up to the neglect of one term of Randy Kelly, preceded by two terms of Mayor Norm Coleman.

I don't know if Kelly would be a decent choice or not. It's clear that whoever takes over the Department of Transportation will share Pawlenty's vision of building countless roads in the suburbs and Republican areas of Greater Minnesota with tomorrow's money, but spend as little on possible on maintenance or mass transit development. All we can hope for now after several years of Lt. Gov. Molnau at the helm is some competence. It is a sad state of affairs when our main hope when public officials are selected are whether they have the mere competence to do their job.

Another reason to fire Carol Molnau

The Star Tribune unearths that Carol Molnau sold $3 million of land to a developer 8 days after a bill she successfully pushed for the passage of an expansion of a state highway in close proximity to the land. This was when she was in the Legislature in 2000. She has spent the past 5 years as the Lieutenant-Governor and the Department of Transportation Commissioner. Her tenure has had its failings.

The article gives more specifics and looks into what the ethical rules are pertaining to conflict of interest in the state Legislature. For me, it's just one more reason why the Legislature should fire Carol Molnau from her position at the DOT. Governor Pawlenty clearly isn't and she doesn't have the good sense to resign.

The article is a good piece of investigation. It delves into Molnau's pre-legislative career as a local official in Chaska involved in road and land-use decision-making that appears to have financially benefited her directly.
Regarding the sale of land a week after her conference committee finalized the highway's fate, Molnau asserts that putting the highway expansion of the burgeoning suburb had no impact on their sale price. The assertion challenges her credibility a bit. Alternatively, if we take that as her honest opinion, it's still a reason to fire her. If the head of the Department of Transportation doesn't think that suburban/exurban highway expansions would impact the property value of undeveloped land less than a mile away, maybe she's not qualified to be making transportation decisions.

Perhaps the future of the Minnesota state highway system: