Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District DFL

Tim O'Brien and Minnesota Progressive Project bloggers Tommy Johnson and Joe Bodell take measure of Representative Steve Simon’s compelling testimony against anti-gay legislation on the current edition of Democratic Visions.  The trio of well known, southwest suburban Democrats also put local Republican legislators through their analytical grinders. 

This editon concludes with an affectionate tribute to DFL elder Dwaine Lindberg. The segment features some of the  many friends of the community activist and DFL Education Foundation board member including retired Congressman and Minneapolis Mayor Don Frasier, former DFL SD 41 Chair Del Smith and Edina City Council Member Joni Bennett.

Take the following links to enjoy segments from the full program.

O’Brien, Johnson and Bodell on the Legislative Session

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoPnLQdgDx0

Dwaine Lindberg Tribute with Don Frasier and Joni Bennet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBIL6TcbAUk&feature=related

DFL Hubert H. Humpfrey Day Dinner  (June 11^th)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtOnQRrsCSk&feature=related

Rock with the DFL  (Fun look at the DFL State Office)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snq8i7mFR2c

Comcast Channel 15 - Hopkins, Minnetonka, Edina, Richfield and Eden Prairie Sundays at 9 p.m. and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m

Bloomington Cable Channel 16 - on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m

 

April 2011 Program

Ken Martin grew up in and attended high school in Eden Prairie (long a Republican stronghold)  and now heads the State Democratic Farmer Labor Party.  Martin, educational reformer Sondra Samuels and “The Junk Yard Democrats,” appear on the April edition of Democatic Visions.

Democratic Visions host Tim O’Brien and Martin take measure of the current legislative session and a shift in the mission of the DFL in reaching out to voters.  Samuels describes a multi-faceted  initiative called the Northside Achievment Zone that aims to get the kids of every enrolled north Minneapolis family into college.  This segment concludes with a remembrance of highly respected, northside activist, community leader and DFLer, Dottie Titus.

“The Junk Yard Democrats,” a faux trio of rockers (Eden Prairie DFL legends Norb Gernes, Doug Lind and Tommy Johnson) lift progressive spirits in this rollicking music video.  Norb recently retired from chairing DFL Senate District 42, but as you will see, will keep on truckin'.

The  video premiered on Saturday April 9th during DFL Senate District 42's convention at Eden Prairie High School.  It was the first time local Democrats had laughed out loud (or even smiled) since before the November election. Medics handed out milk, cookies and hugs to those who had fallen off their chairs.

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Comcast Channel 15 - Hopkins, Minnetonka, Edina, Richfield and Eden Prairie Sundays at 9 p.m. and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m

Bloomington Cable Channel 16 - on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m

MTN Channel 17- Minneapolis Sundays at 7 p.m

LINKS TO YouTube

Comcast Channel 15 - Hopkins, Minnetonka, Edina, Richfield and Eden Prairie Sundays at 9 p.m. and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m

Bloomington Cable Channel 16 - on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m

MTN Channel 17- Minneapolis Sundays at 7 p.m. When MTN's webmaster gets around to it, repeats will be posted in "TV Guide" a

 

March 2011 Democratic Visions

DFL State legislators Rep. Steve Simon, Rep. John Benson and Senator Terri Bonoff are featured on the March edition of Democratic Visions.   For starters, they respectively take critical measure of various Republican priorities including photo IDs for voters, cuts to local government aid and passing State expenses off to cities and counties.   And of course, there’s more including ongoing Republican failure to propose realistic options to deal with the State budget deficits,  bonding bills for the Vikings and government efficiency.  Bonoff and Benson were recorded at their Minnetonka City Hall town meeting on February 5th.   DFL SD 42’s Associate Chair Laurie Pryor and Democratic Visions producer Jeff Strate are also in the March mix.   Pryor lays out to Host Tim O’Brien the “Taking Back our Future” theme and the program of the DFL Senate District 42 convention at Eden Prairie High School on April 9th.  Strate presents a compelling message from the Heal the Bay environmental initiative in Santa Monica, CA about the great environmental damage being caused by discarded plastic bags.   The message comes in the form of a knowing parody of a reverent PBS nature documentary narrated by actor Jeremy Irons.  Strate tags it with a companion look at Minnesota’s plastic bag and litter migrations from snow drift to lakeshore.

Segments of the March program can be seen by clicking on the following links:

Steve Simon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_BeG0vO7t0

Terri Bonoff and John Benson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwulA2F0OtE

DFL 42 Convention: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FZzbjqTXdc

"Migratory PlastIc Bags:" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-dgINOn0K8

 

CABLECAST SCHEDULE

Comcast Channel 15 - Hopkins, Minnetonka, Edina, Richfield and Eden Prairie Sundays at 9 p.m. and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.

Bloomington Cable Channel 16 - on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.

MTN Channel 17- Minneapolis Sundays at 7 p.m. When MTN's webmaster gets around to it, repeats will be posted in "TV Guide" a.

 

February 2011 Democratic Visions

 

Persuading Republican lawmakers to provide responsible and effective state deficit reduction proposals is one of the charges laid out for Minnesota House Democrats by Minority Deputy Lead Debra Hilstrom and Minority Leader Paul Thissen.  Hilstrom and Minnesota Progressive Project writer Eric Pusey are featured in separate segments in the current edition of Democratic Visions. Hilstrom tells interviewer Tim O’Brien that constituents can expect Senate and House Republicans this session to draw up numbers of state constitutional amendment bills as a means of skirting gubernatorial vetoes and over ride votes.  Proposed constitutional amendments would have to be approved by Minnesota voters during the 2012 general election.  Minnesota Progressive Project writer Eric Pusey is among the few Minnesota journalists who have been reporting on and tabulating the public statements made by Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann.  Pusey, who posts blogs from his southwest Minneapolis home, claims and demonstrates that the Tea Party/Republican operative is unable or unwilling to distinguish facts from unsupportable assumptions.   During his interview, Pusey scolds the Star Tribune, Minnesota Public Radio and other regional broadcast news outlets for not holding Representative Bachmann accountable. Democratic Visions is a public issues cableTV program  produced by Eden Prairie, Minnetonka and Edina volunteers for DFL Senate District 42.  Links to the YouTube version of the interviews are:

Rep. Debra Hilstrom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2To_Fsdb90

Eric Pusey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8nlRImvB6g

 

CABLECAST SCHEDULE

Comcast Channel 15 - Hopkins, Minnetonka, Edina, Richfield and Eden Prairie Sundays at 9 p.m. and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.

Bloomington Cable Channel 16 - on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.

MTN Channel 17- Minneapolis Sundays at 7 p.m. When MTN's webmaster gets around to it, repeats will be posted in "TV Guide" at http://www.mtn.org/.

 

December/January  2010 Democratic Visions

The holiday season edition of Democratic Visions features media themes including a 1988 discussion with fondly remembered WCCO-TV newscaster Dave Moore.   AM950 talk radio’s Nancy Nelson and program host Tim O’Brien examine current DFL challenges in communicating with voters in an era of unchecked corporate political donations.   Retired ad agency executive Bill Sorem talks about his new role as a “citizen journalist.”  The seventy-six year old Minnetonka resident uses a camcorder to cover the region’s political protests and humanitarian demonstrations for The Uptake, a pioneering Internet news service anchored in St. Paul.   Sorem tells how he helped Eden Prairie mother Randi Reitan reach hundreds of thousands of people via YouTube about her opposition to Target corporation’s donations to a political action committee which supported Republican Tom Emmer’s gubernatorial campaign.   The former candidate is opposed to gay rights.  Reitan, whose son Jake is gay, let Sorem video tape her at the Eden Prairie and Chanhassen Target Stores last summer as she bought goods and then cut up her Target credit card at a customer service counter to make her point.

 

Bill Sorem - Citizen Journalist  (12 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDAyd3HH028

Nancy Nelson and Tim O'Brien on Democrats and the midterm elections  (10 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqAtqHyQ4ro

In Hopkins, Minnetonka, Edina, Richfield and Eden Prairie, Democratic Visions can be seen on Comcast Channel 15 on Sundays at 9 p.m. and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.  Bloomington Cable Channel 16 carries the program on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. and Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.  In Minneapolis Democratic Visions can be seen on MTN Channel 17 Sundays at 7 p.m.

 

November 2010 Democratic Visions

Notable bloggers Joe Bodell, Steven Timmer and Two Putt Tommy Johnson join Tim O'Brien to discuss the 2010 mid-term elections in the southwest suburbs.  Bodell writes for and moderates the Minnesota Progressive Project, Timmer helms The Cucking Stool's salon of political perspective and Johnson remains the chief scold of southwest suburban right wingers at MPP, Democratic Visions and other venues including AM950 Radio.

Bodell, Timmer & O'Brien on the 2010 Mid-Term Elections
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CESpjUzA5Mw/

Timmer & Bodell on the Election and Minnesota Judges.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdgBDVkG5vw/

Two Putt's Take on the Mid-Term Elections
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArOfSmYE8q8/

CABLECAST SCHEDULE

Comcast Channel 15 - Hopkins, Minnetonka, Edina, Richfield and Eden Prairie Sundays at 9 p.m. and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.

Bloomington Cable Channel 16 - on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m.

MTN Channel 17- Minneapolis Sundays at 7 p.m. When MTN's webmaster gets around to it, repeats will be posted in "TV Guide" at http://www.mtn.org/.

Democratic Visions has become Minnesota's best and most supportive broadcast/video venue for progressives and Democrats. Click below for videos featuring Jim Meffert, Tarryl Clark, Al Franken, Jack Nelson Palmeyer, Nancy Nelson, Mark Dayton, Mark Ritchie, Rebecca Otto, Mike Freeman, Terri Bonoff, John Benson, Audrey Britton, Maria Ruud, Kevin Staunton, Ray Daniels, Ron Case and most of the 2010 gubernatorial candidates. More progressives are being added to the 55 plus viewable segments on the Democratic Visions YouTube Channel.

t http://www.mtn.org/