Almanac: At the Capitol

The first person in line outside Landmark Center is Rep. Dennis Ozment, the highly respected moderate Republican from Rosemount who is retiring from the legislature. Interesting to see a guy like Ozment showing his support for McCain, who made his name as a maverick moderate but is now being questioned for moving to the right. The other lawmaker in line is Rep. Steve Smith, another well-liked moderate from Mound. They said they weren't part of the undecided voters but rather a small group of supporters also invited.

Meanwhile, inside the undecided voters are starting to make their way inside the St. Paul venue. So far most of them appear to be middle-aged white people. The one person of color in the crowd was sitting on the wings and they just moved her into a more prominent position closer to McCain and in the camera's direction.

Here's the official word from McCain's campaign on who's in the crowd:

There are two groups of people in the audience tonight. The main group will be described below, and will be participating in Q&A with John McCain. Along the wings, there are a group of supporters, who are viewing the event but not participating in the town hall.

The main audience:

Using traditional media and polling protocol, the McCain campaign worked with the independent firm Direct Response Group, a telephone marketing firm, to identify “undecided” Minnesota voters:

• We used a phone bank to identify non-partisan voters - those who don't call themselves strong Republican or strong Democrat.
• Those who were not strong partisans (lean towards a party or call themselves Independent) were then asked how they will vote.
• If they “leaned” towards a political party AND “leaned” towards either candidate, they were included in the sample audience.
• Those who had not made a decision whatsoever or were not affiliated with a party were included and were our top priority.

Rather than giving lofty speeches to the converted behind a teleprompter, the McCain campaign will continue to participate in this town hall format in an effort to speak to undecided voters and raise the level of dialogue in this campaign. John McCain believes it is essential that we are able to talk about the issues with voters, and Barack Obama said he agreed, claiming to be willing to meet at “anytime, any place” but as of yet, he has not taken us up on our offer to meet tonight in Minnesota. Nor has he followed through on our offer to hold 10 joint town halls with undecided voters. We await follow-thru, but in the meantime, look forward to the opportunity to talk with Minnesota voters this evening.

It's a big and surprising political victory that the governor and a Democratic and Republican lawmaker have struck a deal to give immediate help to victims of the 35W bridge collapse. After the bi-partisan handholding turned into partisan finger pointing, this is a win for everyone. Sen. Latz and Rep. Ozment both have a history of working with the other side of the aisle to get things done. So here's the deal that, note, doesn't need legislative approval:

GOVERNOR PAWLENTY, SEN. LATZ, REP. OZMENT ANNOUNCE PLAN FOR BRIDGE COLLAPSE RELIEF FUND

Existing state funds to be made available for interim support for victims and families

Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty and the co-chairs of the Joint House-Senate Subcommittee on Claims, Senator Ron Latz (DFL-St. Louis Park) and Rep. Dennis Ozment (R-Rosemount), today announced a plan to provide near-term relief for victims of the I-35W bridge collapse.

Under the plan, which does not require legislative approval, up to $1 million in existing state tort claim funds will be made available to individuals who suffered injuries due to the collapse of the I-35W Bridge on August 1, 2007. Families of those killed in the collapse will also be eligible for funds.

Payments from the “I-35W Emergency Hardship Relief Fund” would be limited to $10,000 per claimant and would be based on lost wages due to physical injury or death. The Governor’s Office and legislators continue to work on a plan for consideration during the 2008 legislative session to create a special victims fund that would provide additional support for victims of the bridge collapse and their families.

“This is an important first step toward assisting the individuals and families impacted by this horrible tragedy,” Governor Pawlenty said. “We hope these funds will provide a measure of relief in the near-term while we work on a bipartisan longer-term solution.”

“We're doing our very best to do what’s right for the survivors, victims, their families and the people of Minnesota,” Senator Latz said.

“All Minnesotans came together in the aftermath of the bridge collapse,” Representative Ozment said. “Now we are making sure those on the bridge that day have the help and support they need.”

Those seeking funds will use the existing claims process that involves the Department of Administration’s Risk Management Division and their claims adjusters to process claims requesting interim payment. The Risk Management Division will consult with the Attorney General’s Office. Lost wages payments will be based on existing no-fault reimbursement process.

Payments from the “I-35W Emergency Hardship Relief Fund” would not be an admission of any liability and would not be admissible in any adjudicatory proceeding. Payments would be offset against any future recovery from the State.

Claimants can receive more information or file a claim at:

Claims Helpline: (612) 766-3920
Hearing impaired: (800) 627-3529
Allied Adjusters
I-35W Emergency Hardship Relief Fund
P.O. Box 583479
Minneapolis