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 12, 2008 - Midday broadcasts live from the Capitol on the opening day of the Minnesota Legislature's 2008 session, featuring interviews with key lawmakers and legislative leaders.
February 13, 2008 - Dee Long, former DFL Speaker of the Minnesota House, and Phil Krinkie, former Republican lawmaker and president of the Taxpayers League of Minnesota, join Midday to discuss Gov. Pawlenty's State of the State address.
February 29, 2008 -
March 6, 2008 - R.T. Rybak, mayor of Minneapolis, discusses crime and the economy with Midday host Gary Eichten. Other topics include bridge collapse and city initiatives. Rybak also answers listener questions.
March 12, 2008 - Midday presents recording of prominent Minnesotans sharing stories about Minnesota during a story telling event put on by the 2008 Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission. Mark Seeley, University of Minnesota Climatologist; Carl Eller, professional football hall of famer; Al Quie, former Minnesota Governor; Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator (D-MN), and more gathered to wax Minnesota during a story telling event put on by the 2008 Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission.
March 13, 2008 - St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman joins Midday to discuss the challenges facing his city, and the achievements that have been made in the past year. Coleman also answers listener questions.
March 14, 2008 - MPR News analyzed the governor's campaign travel, his public events schedule and press accounts and found that he's been out of the state all or part of the day at least 25 times between January 1st and March 12th, 2008.
April 9, 2008 - MPR’s Perri Finelli talks with U.S. Congressman Tim Walz about a process underway in Washington that'll determine where billions of your tax dollars will be spent…called earmarking. That's where local projects get funding from the federal government. The number of earmarks has grown over the years.... and the projects have been criticized as pork.
April 9, 2008 - MPR’s Sea Stachura profiles 1st District Congressman Tim Walz as he prepares to run for re-election. The Republican Party thinks 1st District Congressman Tim Walz is one of the country's vulnerable freshman Democrats. One analyst says Walz has inoculated himself against a Republican challenger. But will it be enough this November?
May 15, 2008 - MPR’s Mark Zdechlik reports that former Governor Jesse Ventura said he's serious about a possible run for U.S. Senate, and he had harsh words for some of the other candidates already in the race. Comments were made when Ventura broke his boycott of the Minnesota broadcast media, appearing on Minnesota Public Radio's Midday program to talk about his latest book.