Over the decades, MPR has presented the many different perspectives of Minnesota politics and politicians. This collection is home to a multitude speeches, interviews and debates on the issues of the day. Important topics of civil rights, environment, crime, budget, legislation, and campaigns are addressed.
Click on link to these well-known figures to see audio segments directly related to them: Michele Bachmann Arne Carlson Keith Ellison Hubert Humphrey Amy Klobuchar Eugene McCarthy Walter Mondale Tim Pawlenty R.T. Rybak Jesse Ventura Paul Wellstone
February 25, 1999 - Governor Ventura offered an apology of sorts today for joking on national television that drunken Irishmen laid out the streets in St.Paul -- but he also accused the media of blowing the situation out of proportion. At the same time, some of Ventura's aides are hinting that other politicians are trying to use Ventura's gaffe for political gain.
February 26, 1999 - St. Paul business leaders welcomed Governor Ventura into their midst today. Ventura offended some St. Paul residents and Irish-Americans this week by joking on the David Letterman show that drunk Irishmen must have designed the streets in St. Paul. But Mayor Norm Coleman calls Ventura a huge asset to the city.
March 2, 1999 - Governor Ventura delivers his first State of the State today, less than two months after taking office. Republicans in the Minnesota House are also new to leadership, and have been taking their message to greater Minnesota since the session began. Republican leaders say their focus on tax cuts, education and government reform is resonating with voters, although their vision of a leaner state budget doesn't please advocates of certain programs. They traveled to Owatonna yesterday, and Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum went along.
March 4, 1999 - MPR’s Gary Eichten interviews Paul Wellstone, DFL-Minnesota U.S. senator, from Washington D.C. Wellstone discusses issues facing congress now that Clinton impeachment trial is over. Topics include social security, Medicare, taxes, health care, education and more.
March 4, 1999 - DFL State Senator Steve Morse is resigning to take the number two job at the State Department of Natural Resources. In his 12 years at the legislature, Morse has been a champion of environmental causes and has won high marks with such groups as the Sierra Club and the Izaak Walton League.
March 5, 1999 - Chicano-Latino community leaders in Minnesota are hoping Governor Jesse Ventura's administration will usher in a new era for Hispanics, and possibly open doors for future cabinet positions. They invited the governor to a reception at Boca Chica, a west side St. Paul restaurant that's been a hub of local Latino culture and politics for over 30 years.
March 9, 1999 - Governor Ventura has revised his tax cut proposals to reflect the state's increasingly rosy budget. The new plan edges closer to the kinds of permanent cuts called for by the House Republicans, but as Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports, Ventura and the Republicans are still no where near an agreement.
March 9, 1999 - So is there a deal... or isn't there? DFL Senate Majority leader Roger Moe says he and Governor Ventura have reached agreement on a one-point-three billion dollar sales tax rebate. But there's still a major sticking point between the Governor and Senate Democrats - and house Republicans are nowhere near signing on to the deal.
March 10, 1999 - Governor Ventura today endorsed Fairmont Businessman Terry Anderson in a special election in State Senate District 26. Anderson is running under the Reform Party banner, and this will be the first test of the party's electoral appeal since Ventura's victory last fall.
March 16, 1999 - Former US Attorney David Lillehaug today became the first candidate to formally announce plans to challenge Senator Rod Grams in the year 2000. Grams is considered one of the most vulnerable Republican Senators seeking re-election next year, and the list of potential D-F-L and Reform Party contenders is growing rapidly.