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Matt Martin

Mary's Campaign Notebook (07/11/08)

McCain, Ventura and the rest of the big political news of the week courtesy of political reporter Mary Lahammer. Mary also drops in on a group of Minnesota bloggers...

Blogger Happy Hour

07/10/08
by Mary Lahammer
Thanks to MDE and MnPublius for hosting a bi-partisan happy hour for bloggers. We were there to work (and alas not participate in happy hour) but it was so refreshing to see active, engaged, partisan and non-partisan people talking, laughing and getting along. The perception is that people on the left and right hate each other. Talking to people face to face makes it much harder to say or maybe even write mean things.
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Reflections on the Smoking Ban

05/15/07
by Matt Martin

Protecting People or Protecting Choices?

While I'm sure that every Minnesotan with a set of eyes is likely to want to read more on the smoking ban about as much as they'd like to read a dissertation on ear wax growth, I humbly ask you to indulge me for a moment. Don't worry, though, this isn't so much about the pros and cons of banning smoking in public, indoor places statewide as it is an analysis of the implications of this kind of legislature.


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What's "Your Fair Share"?

05/01/07
by Matt Martin
As I wrote in my previous column in this space, I think that the DFL leadership in the Senate and, to a lesser degree, the House has made a strategical error in the formulation of their budget plans.
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The State of the State Legislature

04/17/07
by Matt Martin
If you've opened a newspaper in the last 2 weeks you've no doubt heard the news: the DFL controlled state legislature has voted to change the name of our lovely state to "Taxapalooza," and, yes, Armageddon is on the way. Or that's what Tim Pawlenty, Ron Carey, and their Republican stooges around the state would like you to think. And, to the detriment of Minnesota, they seem to be winning the messaging war.
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Bloggers (04/04/07)

Top bloggers Michael Brodkorb from Minnesota Democrats Exposed and Matt Martin from MN Publius join Mary live the House Gallery for their perspectives on the session so far.

When the Reigning Champs Ignore the Locals

04/04/07
by Matt Martin
With the understanding that this particular Web-space, along with my own, is usually set aside exclusively for the discussion of Minnesota politics, it's with great reluctance that I steer this particular column towards national events. After all, there is no shortage of national voices to fill the need for Presidential punditry, but there can be something truly local about a Presidential race that is missed if not examined through the local lens. So, in short, bear with me for a moment.
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Real Progress Despite Seifertisms

03/27/07
by Matt Martin
A brilliant editorial ran in last week’s Pope County Tribune that almost perfectly expressed how I feel about the current GOP leadership down at the capitol. The piece was titled "Take a deep breath, Rep. Seifert." and I'd like to take a moment to echo that very same sentiment.
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Accountability, Accountability, Accountability

03/07/07
by Matt Martin
Over the past two weeks the Walter Reed Army Medical Center has become more than a simple medical facility located in Washington, DC. Just as New Orleans before it, Walter Reed has become tangible metaphor for the lack of accountability and oversight that this administration has made a central tenant of their modus operandi.
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Bloggers (02/14/07)

The top bloggers behind Minnesota Democrats Exposed and MN Publius join Mary to talk about the evolving Senate race and Capitol politics.

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