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
December 8, 2000 - Rod Grams and Mark Dayton on how they want to spend the state budget.
December 12, 2000 - Tease Cut. Congressman Minge-Florida is a circus, nothing like Minnesota . Congressman Kennedy-Minnesotans can be proud of our process . There are no hanging chads in Minnesota--but as the Minge-Kennedy race makes clear, we do have some very close elections. Yet when elections are tight, the Minnesota experience is far different than events unfolding in Florida. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Buzenberg has been watching the post-election contests in both states, and takes a look at how these two extremely close elections have been sorted out:
December 12, 2000 - Newly elected Minnesota Senator Mark Dayton made one of his first public appearances today in Rochester. Last week the freshman Democrat was in Washington for senate orientation. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally reports.
December 12, 2000 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports that the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employee Relations says Governor Ventura's new job as an XFL analyst is NOT a conflict of interest. The Governor's office says the decision confirms what Ventura has argued all along, while critics of the Governor's outside earnings say the decision lacks credibility, because it was made by a Ventura appointee.
December 13, 2000 - Republican Mark Kennedy, the Congressman-elect from Minnesota's Second District. You can hear more from him today on Midday at 11:00. While yesterday was a happy day for Republicans like Kennedy, it was disappointing one for Democrats like Minnesota DFL Chair Mike Erlandson. He says the Supreme Court decision was not as decisive as he had hoped it would be.
December 13, 2000 - Fifth District Congressman Martin Sabo.
December 13, 2000 - Many are saying it's time for Al Gore to concede after last night's decision by the U-S Supreme Court. Yesterday, Second District D-F-L Congressman David Minge conceded and halted a recount in his race against Republican challenger Mark Kennedy. Minge had called for a recount after the certified vote totals gave Kennedy a victory margin of only 155 votes, but Minge determined yestreday that even if the vast majority of disputed ballots went in his favor, he would not have enough to win. Joining us now is Congress-elect Mark Kennedy.
December 13, 2000 - Republican Gil Gutknecht, who represents Minnesota's First Congressional District, says last night's decision means George W. Bush is the winner of the Presidential election. First District Congressman Gil Gutknecht. Senator Paul Wellstone says he will react to the decision later today.
December 14, 2000 - After the speeches last night by Vice-President Gore and President-elect Bush, Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone announced he is reconsidering his pledge to serve no more than two terms in the U-S Senate. Wellstone's second term ends in 2002. He joins us now. Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone.
December 15, 2000 - Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe is a DFLer from Erskine. Moe thinks that the surplus should be put aside for an endowment in case of something happens in the future. The current law is to give the surplus back to the tax payers.