Wellstone's Revenge: How Minnesota Democrats Took Their State Back

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From: "David Corn and Kevin Drum at Mother Jones" <do_not_reply@motherjones.com>
Date: Oct 25, 2013 5:54 AM
Subject: Wellstone's Revenge: How Minnesota Democrats Took Their State Back
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	POLITICAL MOJO FROM DAVID CORN, KEVIN DRUM, AND THE NEWS TEAM   MOTHER JONES October 25, 2013   TOP STORY Wellstone's Revenge: How Minnesota Democrats Took Their State Back By Andy Kroll Minnesota's liberal revival may seem like an outlier considering the conservative resurgence in state capitols. Right next door to Minnesota, Wisconsin is a particularly vivid example: In a onetime bastion of progressivism, Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican Legislature have targeted unions and public servants, shuttered abortion clinics, and passed a rigid voter ID law. "They're talking about transvaginal ultrasounds and all that shit," says Denise Cardinal, a Minnesota operative who runs the ProgressNow network of liberal advocacy groups. "We're talking about raising taxes on the rich and paying back our school debt." For that Minnesotans can thank—or blame—a small, press-shy circle of operatives, activists, donors, and party leaders who have built a political machine that chugs year-round to elect Democratic candidates and pass progressive policies. Their strategy has created a road map for Democrats from Concord to Santa Fe… [READ MORE]   MOST READ GOP Senate Candidate Addressed Conference Hosted by Neo-Confederate Group That Promotes Secessionism CISPA Zombie Bill Is Back, With Fewer Privacy Concerns...Maybe? How Healthcare.gov Could Be Hacked Hey, Ted Cruz! These Texans Say Obamacare Is Helping Them     TOP IN SOCIAL MEDIA Elizabeth Warren to Wall Street Regulators: Put Big Bank CEOs in Jail Iconic and Unseen War Photos From Vietnam and Iraq How 9 Major Newspapers Deal With Climate-Denying Letters How Smart Are American Kids?   ADVERTISEMENT Blending clean renewable fuel with gasoline reduces CO2 emissions as much as 50% compared to gasoline alone. Learn more: http://bit.ly/PSCIGF. IN OTHER NEWS Could Obama's Campaign Tech Gurus Fix Healthcare.gov? Let's Ask 'Em! By Tim Murphy The president's reelection team never had to tackle a project this big—or federal procurement rules. [READ MORE]     THIS WEEK'S NEWS ROUNDUP Judicial Races Now Look Like Regular Old Political Campaigns. Thanks, Citizens United! Justice is blind, except when it's backed by millions in political spending. In the wake of Citizens United judicial races in the thirty-eight states that conduct elections for their high courts have become indistinguishable from ordinary political campaigns, according to a new report released Thursday… [READ MORE]   CHART OF THE WEEK: Welfare Reform Is Leaving More In Deep Poverty [READ MORE]   QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Marijuana Will Probably Be Legal in Most of the Country by 2020 [READ MORE]   Become a fan of Kevin Drum on Facebook.   Follow Kevin Drum on Twitter Follow David Corn on Twitter Hi. Thanks for signing up for Mother Jones' Political Mojo newsletter. Wait, that was your cat? Smart cat! If you don't want to get Political Mojo, or to make changes to your subscription, click here. And lock up the cat. For advertising opportunities see our online media kit. MOTHERJONES.COM Mother Jones 222 Sutter Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94108