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
May 14, 2004 - Midday continues to broadcast live from the State Capitol. Host Gary Eichten and MPR's political editor Mike Mulcahy talk with key lawmakers at the MPR broadcast table. Guests include Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, DFL-Willmar; Governor Pawlenty's chief of staff, Dan McElroy; Senator Dick Cohen, DFL-St. Paul; Representative Jim Knoblach, R-St. Cloud; Representative Doug Stang, R-Cold Spring; and Senator Stevey Kelley, DFL-Hopkins.
May 14, 2004 - Midday broadcasts live from the Capitol rotunda on one of the last regular days of business for the state legislators. By law, the state legislature must adjourn in three days. Key legislators stop by the MPR broadcast table, including House Speaker Steve Sviggum, R-Kenyon; Senator Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis; Representative Phil Krinkie, R-St. Paul; Senator Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon; House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, DFL-St. Paul; and Representative Alice Seagren, R-Bloomington.
May 18, 2004 -
May 18, 2004 -
June 1, 2004 - (For air on M.E. 6-1-04) The Pawlenty Administration is moving ahead with its plan to end long-term homelessness in Minnesota. Legislators this session didn't approve $20-million dollars for the proposal's first-phase. But the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency says 59 apartments are already being developed using money the agency has re-directed from its own budget. Over the next seven years, the administration hopes to build or refurbish 4000 apartments to house the state's most chronically homeless residents. Homeless advocates generally welcome the idea, but some wonder if it's targeting one group at the expense of another. Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports.
June 7, 2004 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan has passed away, at the age of 93. He spent the end of his life in seclusion battling Alzheimer’s, but his legacy lives on. Midday takes a look at the lasting effects Reagan has had on America's economy, foreign policy, and domestic political landscape.
August 2, 2004 - Minneapolis City Council members Don Samuels and Dean Zimmerman talk about their ideas to prevent crime in Minneapolis. The guests also answer listener questions.
August 26, 2004 - In a live Midday broadcast from the Minnesota State Fair, Susan Gaertner, district attorney for Ramsey County; and Amy Klobuchar, district attorney for Hennepin County, discuss trends and issues in Minnesota law enforcement.
September 1, 2004 - Governor Tim Pawlenty has asked the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul to make it easier for police officers to ask about a person's immigration status. The governor made his request in a letter to the city councils of the two cities. Both have ordinances that generally bar police from asking about immigrant status unless it relates to illegal activity. Pawlenty says he's concerned about homeland security.
September 1, 2004 - Michael Khoo reports on a State Fair debate between state legislative leaders. DFL Matt Entenza and Republican Steve Sviggum shared their diverging views in an effort to influence the make-up of the state House next year.