U.S. Politics

North Dakota moving to ban all abortions with "personhood" bills

North Dakota is establishing itself as the most anti-abortion state in the nation with "personhood" bills that are working their way through the GOP-dominated Legislature.SEE ALSO: North Dakota Capitol reporters repeatedly warned about wearing revealing clothing If either of the measures are ultimat ... More >>

Mitt Romney blames Wisconsin's problems on Obama, ignores Scott Walker [VIDEO]

SEE ALSO:-- Wisconsin lost more jobs than any other state over last yearMary Hoglund, 83, spits in Romney supporter's face during Wisconsin event [VIDEO]-- Michele Bachmann says Romney is best presidential candidate because Obama is too wealthy [VIDEO]Scott Walker became governor of Wisconsin in ear ... More >>

GOP platform's new anti-porn stance unexpectedly mirrors Bachmann's pledge

SEE ALSO:-- Michele Bachmann pledges to ban "all forms of pornography" if elected president-- Bachmann pledge: Black families were better off during slavery than they are under Obama-- Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch: "There is a way to have a more 'forcible rape'" [VIDEO]While running for pres ... More >>

Ron Paul actually won Minnesota's GOP presidential caucus, it turns out

Remember all that stuff you read about Rick Santorum winning Minnesota's February Republican presidential caucus? Forget you ever saw it. Because last weekend, the Republican votes that matter the most were cast at Minnesota's district conventions, and Ron Paul won the majority of them.Paul won 20 o ... More >>

Michele Bachmann, drowned out by Obamacare supporters, says: "We are surrounded by those who benefit from socialism"

​If a shrill, conservative tree falls in the woods but everybody around is making too much noise to hear it, does it make a sound?Apparently, it does. And it sounds something like: "We are surrounded by those who benefit from socialism."Those were Michele Bachmann's words today in the midst of a c ... More >>

Michael Brodkorb social media rules ordered Republicans to delete controversial material

​After Republicans took control of the Minnesota Senate and made Michael Brodkorb communications director for the caucus, Brodkorb sent out a memo laying out the rules of social media. Addressed to "all staff," the memo begins by explaining that caucus members have a stake in the Minnesota Senat ... More >>

Michele Bachmann will run again come hell or high water

Michele Bachmann plans to run for another term in Congress, no matter what this week's redistricting brings. Bachmann held a press conference at the Minnesota Capitol this morning to demand more transparency into state and federal medicaid programs, declaring plans to work with Republicans and Dem ... More >>

Santorum's low-turnout, symbolic Minnesota victory signals Republican dissatisfaction

​Well, with Romney finishing a distant third, T-Paw is looking less influential than ever, isn't he?Rick Santorum crushed his Republican presidential competitors during yesterday's Minnesota GOP caucus, but the victory is only as significant as the momentum it generates for his campaign in states ... More >>

Ron Paul glitterbombed at Minneapolis Convention Center [VIDEO]

There's something in the air the night before the caucus. ​As Republican candidates descended on our fair state for today's caucus, the glitter was inevitably not far behind. At a campaign rally in downtown Minneapolis last night, Congressman Ron Paul became the latest conservative presidential c ... More >>

Mitt Romney's dubstep anthem has arrived

​Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has a new song dedicated to him with a message he probably won't approve. "Willard Mitt Romney Song" by Minneapolis electro-hop act the Sicko Pervs arrived over the weekend -- just as the former Massachusetts governor heads into a heated Republican pr ... More >>

Ron Paul focusing on MN caucus, buys "substantial" airtime in state

​Ron Paul, for one, isn't overlooking the Minnesota GOP presidential caucus, coming up on February 7. Paul's campaign recently announced that it has purchased "substantial" airtime in Minnesota in advance of the oft-inconsequential event, which has added significance this year as Republicans conti ... More >>

Michele Bachmann bombs in Iowa caucus, finishes in sixth place [UPDATED]

Michele Bachmann did not get the miracle she was praying for in Iowa Tuesday night. With 99 percent of votes tallied in the Iowa caucus, Bachmann has officially finished in a distant sixth place, losing to every candidate but John Huntsman, who didn't even campaign for the event. Former Pennsylv ... More >>

Michele Bachmann quits presidential race

Michele Bachmann has officially quit the 2012 presidential race. After a dismal sixth place finish in the Iowa caucus last night, Bachmann has finally read the enormous writing on the wall and effectively ended her ill-fated campaign. "Last night, the people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice ... More >>

Michele Bachmann channels Sarah Palin, accuses CNN of "Gotcha!" journalism [VIDEO]

In an interview on CNN's Starting Point this morning, Michele Bachmann quickly turned defensive after host Soledad O'Brien recited some of the candidate's comments about homosexuality. Bachmann accused Soledad of "Gotcha!" journalism, dismissing the question as simply "bizarre." The interview con ... More >>

Bachmann not pulling punches as Iowa Caucus nears

​With the Iowa Caucuses less than a week away, the 2012 Presidential campaign's preseason is not for long, and Michele Bachmann is far behind Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Ron Paul in the polls. Republican candidates will begin to drop like punch-drunk boxers as the primary process moves from Iowa ... More >>

Kent Sorenson betrayed Bachmann for 30 silver shekels, she claims

​Michele Bachmann's hopes for an improbable late rally in Iowa received the unkindest cut of all.  Yesterday, apparently just hours removed from campaigning with Bachmann, her Iowa campaign co-chairman pulled a Brutus and publicly threw his support behind Ron Paul.Et tu, Kent Sorenson? 

Gov. Scott Walker: Recall election is likely

It's been little more than two weeks since foes of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker began petitioning for a recall, and they've already surpassed 300,000 signatures -- more than half of the 540,000 needed by the January 17 deadline. If they keep progressing at this pace, a recall election will be inevit ... More >>

Rick Santorum and Bradlee Dean talked about gay sex last weekend

Bradlee Dean, Rick Santorum: Track suit, empty suit.​Rick Santorum, the former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, announces that he's running for president every few days, waiting for someone to finally notice. With Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, and Herman Cain (Herman Cain!) vacuuming all the oxygen from ... More >>

Minnesota GOP fined $170,000 for FEC violations

The state GOP failed to report nearly $1 million in debt.​The worst time to owe someone money is when you're in debt. That's the case with the  Republican Party of Minnesota, which is already in debt, but now owes the Federal Election Commission $170,000 for campaign finance violations. Funny ... More >>

Michele Bachmann: Tell Joe Biden I'm not a "terrorist"

Not only is Michele not a terrorist, she's a charity case.​Michele Bachmann is not a terrorist, and she needs your money. Bachmann sent out a fundraising e-mail yesterday attempting to raise money off of Joe Biden's reported comment that Tea Party Republicans "acted like terrorists" in the run-up ... More >>

Michele Bachmann's congressional record

C-SPANMichele Bachmann: Representation without legislation.​With so much written about the wild things Michele Bachmann says, City Pages thought we'd take a look at what she has actually accomplished in Congress. Despite Bachmann's early success in the presidential polls, her congressional record ... More >>

Minnesotans blame Legislature, Dayton equally for shut down

​Throwing cold water on claims of popular support by both the Republicans running the Legislature, and DFL Gov. Mark Dayton, Minnesotans in a new poll are blaming both sides equally for the budget battle that may force a state government shutdown. They also largely disapprove of the job the L ... More >>

Is Michele Bachmann smarter than a high school sophomore?

Let Amy debate! Let Amy debate!​Michele Bachmann is famously reluctant to put herself in positions where she might have to talk to someone who disagrees with her. But Jesus God do we hope she makes an exception in this instance. Amy Myers, a high school sophomore from Cherry Valley, New Jers ... More >>

Scott Walker wins: Wisconsin Republicans through union-busting bill [UPDATE]

Sue Peacock/FlickrLet the recall efforts begin.​Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly finally dropped all pretenses about Gov. Scott Walker's union-busting bill having anything to do with balancing the state's budget. Wednesday night, with 14 Democrats still on the lam trying to block a vote, the ... More >>

Scott Walker defends union busting, gutting public school spending

Walker defends his budget.​Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker stood before Wisconsin lawmakers yesterday, defended his union busting tactics against public workers, and then announced he wanted to gouge $1.5 billion out of the state's public school and local government aid spending. If he keeps this ... More >>

Minnesota Majority poll watchers accuse themselves of voter fraud

Election Integrity Watch got its wires crossed.​It was a relatively peaceful day of poll-watching by a conservative group that appointed itself Election Day big brother...aside from a few hilarious blips. All that the volunteers of Election Integrity Watch wanted was to make sure that voting sta ... More >>

Minnesota Majority urges volunteers to flout the law

Watch out for people wearing buttons--they're breaking the law. ​Minnesota Majority is urging supporters to commit civil disobedience by wearing their "Please ID Me" buttons at the polls today. A federal judge banned the buttons Monday, but the conservative group told followers to go ahead and ... More >>

Operation Streamline: An immigration boondoggle

Project Costs Millions, Tramples the Constitution, Treats Migrants Like Cattle, and Doesn't Work

Michele Bachmann dodges tea party smackdown with sick day

Graphic: Matt BardinsTea partiers in Missouri were spoiling for a fight with Michele Bachmann​So much for the smackdown with Missouri tea partiers: Michele Bachmann called in sick. Instead of showing up in the Show Me state in a dialing-for-votes effort with Rep. Roy Blunt, she went home after ... More >>

Keith Ellison says, yep, there's "extreme racists" in the tea party

Photo: cometstarmoonKeven LawWhat about racism at tea parties?​The Republicans, led by Michele Bachmann, are trying to figure out how to co-opt tea partiers, and the Democrats said yesterday they're happy to let the Republicans do it. You want to stand with folks determined to end Medicare, pr ... More >>

Norm Coleman rumored for Michael Steele's job, but can he match the flubs?

Steele is always ready with a colorful quote. We review some of the best blips of Steele's short career:

Bachmann: I'm the "receptacle" of the Tea Party

Michele Bachmann is queen of the Tea Party.​Michele Bachmann's crazy Tea Party Caucus press conference surpassed all expectations and was even loonier than we could have imagined.The first thing the Tea Party did was trot out their new Uncle Toms. Apparently stung by the accusation that they're a ... More >>

Satveer Chaudhary stripped of DFL backing over fishy vote

Photo: Minnesota SenateThe senator won special fishing protections for a lake at which he owns a cabin​So state Sen. Satveer Chaudhary gets language inserted into an omnibus game and fish bill in the waning days of the legislative session in St. Paul; he wants additional measures to protect th ... More >>

Michele Bachmann's now an official 'Tea Party Hero'

Photo: Nick Vlcek​Surprised? Thought not. The Tea Party Express published its hit list today -- no Minnesotans are on it -- as well as its list of heroes. House Candidate And Incumbent Heroes Tom McClintock (R-CA) Tom Price (R-GA) Walt Minnick (D-ID) Mike Pence (R-IN) Michele Bachmann ... More >>

Tea Party Express: Who are these people?

Screengrab via Pargon/TeabonicsBehold the creative spelling​The tour buses of the Tea Party Express rolled into St. Paul for a rally this morning as part of a 48-stop 19-day cross country tour. So who are these guys?Last month Michele Bachmann complained that the media depicts Tea Partiers "as too ... More >>

Palin trounces Pawlenty as GOP standard bearer in new poll

The governor has been racking up a lot of frequent flyer miles lately, but not a lot of love.

Michele Bachmann: Crazy like a fox

The Minnesota congresswoman gives Sarah Palin a run for her money

Obama's bank regulation: Doomed to fail?

Administration lax on cleaning up AIG, Bear Stearns, and Lehman Brothers

Ouch: Pawlenty takes last in latest GOP 2012 poll

There's a new poll out from Rasmussen Reports on 2012 GOP candidates and Gov. Tim Pawlenty came in at a depressingly low 4 percent of the vote.

Justice Department/USDA going after agriculture monopolies

In what is being described as "unprecedented," the departments of justice and agriculture will be teaming up to go after anticompetitive agricultural monopolies.

Rahm Emanuel and Norm Coleman both enjoy basement living

President Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Norm Coleman seem to have a couple things in common: they live in basement apartments and got in trouble for it.

Senate to try to seat Franken, but not this week

Franken and Coleman use inauguration to boost fundraising

Both of Minnesota's wanna-be senators sent out fundraising letters today regarding Barack Obama's inauguration.

Democrats still might seat Franken, Coleman is locked out

Senate Democrats still aren't ruling out options to seat Al Franken in the Senate before the Norm Coleman's legal battle is ove ... More >>

Coleman camp reacts to Reid's recount statement

Norm Coleman's campaign was not happy to see Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid jumping in on the nearly constant commentary of the ... More >>

Klobuchar's advice in recount: Become her best friend

If Minnesota's Senate recount stretches into January and you are itching for a ticket to President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in ce ... More >>

Bachmann says Franken stuffing ballot box, anti-American comments urban legend

Rep. Michele Bachmann appeared on FOX's Hannity & Colmes last night to spew some more great quotes to get everyone riled up. Sh ... More >>

Senator Jokester?

Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani back in Minnesota today