Paul Thissen: Innovation in Action

Meet Karen Wilson Thissen

Paul and I met in law school. We both went to the University of Chicago. I met Paul during my first week.

We had actually seen each other at the church near campus. I had never been to Minnesota before, but after I met Paul, this guy from Minnesota, I started hearing a lot about it.

The first time I came to Minnesota would have been the summer of 1990, after our first year in law school. I remember I took the train up from Chicago. Paul’s parents picked me up and they had signs in their front yard that said ‘Welcome Karen,’ ‘Welcome to Minnesota.’ And I remember I had an interview, and right before my first interview, Paul’s Mom took me on a practice run, driving me all the way from their driveway downtown to the parking garage of the building, and walking me up the escalator and showing me exactly where the office was, so that I would get everything right the next day.

I remember being struck by how much people embraced the outdoors. In Chicago everyone had sort of buried themselves inside during the whole long winter, but in Minnesota, I noticed right away that people had on their Gore-Tex and they were out jogging and walking, walking their dogs, walking their kids in strollers, and nobody seemed to be phased by the fact that it was cold out. And I loved that.

I remember not being able to believe how accessible politics was here. It was very easy to get involved, very open, accessible, down to earth, very different from Chicago where you sort of had to be either wealthy or have the right last name to be an insider of any sort.

I think when you first have kids your natural tendency is to focus very much on them. I just remember, especially when they were very little — you’re parents, it’s about these three kids, you want to protect them, you want surround them, you want to give them everything they need, and you almost don’t want to worry about anything else. I think that’s the natural inclination of any parent.

But as time goes on, you realize that, at least for us, these three kids are pretty lucky, we have a lot, we’re very fortunate, and we need to start giving back. So as the kids got older we started making more and more time, whether it be for pro bono work in our legal careers or community service. And eventually Paul running for the Legislature. I think the commitment to look beyond your immediate family is something that hopefully our kids come to admire and appreciate even though it does take some time away from them.

Like any family with two working parents, you sort of have to embrace the chaos. So we try not to sweat the small stuff. Our house isn’t always immaculately clean, we’re not always on time for every soccer practice. We focus on the big stuff. The kids are doing their homework. We’re talking about issues when the kids need to talk about issues. And we’re enjoying all the important things together. So I think embracing the chaos is also something that we just had to come to live with over time.

And the only way it seems to work is when we make the campaign itself a family affair. So we really have started to bring the kids along with us more and more. At first we started out with me really being the Mom, and taking care of the kids at home and Paul being off on the campaign. And that really wasn’t working because the kids really missed Paul and I really missed him. And so more and more over the last few months we’ve started to do it all together. And the whole thing is much more fun for everyone, including Paul.

Interview with Esme Murphy

WCCO TV

9/13/09

Paul sat down with Esme Murphy on Sunday, September 13th to discuss why he’s the right pick to help run the Minnesota Government.

To watch the interview, click here.

Pawlenty invokes 10th Amendment on eve of Obama’s Minnesota visit

Saint Paul Legal Ledger

By Charley Shaw, Staff Writer
September 14, 2009

Minnesota has become ground zero in the national debate over health care reform.

Late last week, President Barack Obama selected the Target Center in Minneapolis as the site for his first major health care talk since challenging Congress on Wednesday night to pass a major reform bill.

And less than 48 hours before Obama’s visit, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is traveling the country this summer in what is widely seen as his first attempt to become the GOP presidential nominee in 2012, went on the offensive – saying he might consider a constitutional challenge to the Democratic health reform proposals.

Minnesota Public Radio reported Pawlenty’s Thursday evening remarks made during a conference call hosted by the Republican Governors Association. When asked about invoking the 10th Amendment governing state’s rights in response to the federal health care legislation, Pawlenty said the strategy “may be a viable option.”…

…“His comment that he would assert ‘states’ rights’ to deny thousands of people in Minnesota the civil right of equitable access to health care hearkens back to the kind of politics we should have left behind decades ago,” said Thissen, who is a DFL candidate for governor in 2010.

To read the full article, click here.

Iron Range

We spent Labor Day on the Iron Range, which turned out to be very moving for us.  First of all, the history is incredible.  We took a trip a half mile down into Soudan Mine, Minnesota’s oldest (1894) and deepest mine.  The tour is amazing and the kids got to learn about what it was like to mine ore during very long work days.  We also toured the Iron Museum in Chisholm, and the nation’s largest open pit mine in Hibbing – it looks surprisingly like the Grand Canyon!  In addition to the history and the incredible scenery in between sites, we attended a number of picnics and parades, and you can palpably feel the connection that people on the Range have with one another.  The communities are extremely tight but we were also sincerely touched at how warm and welcoming they were to our family.  We felt lucky to be a part of it – it really was the perfect way to spend Labor Day.

As always, we look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail!

-Karen

DFL Governor: Paul Thissen — Not Going to Be Outworked

mnpACT! Progressive Blog

by Dave Mindeman
9/13/09

If Paul Thissen is not the DFL candidate for governor, it won’t be because he was outworked. I asked his staff person where he was going to be over the next week and she rattled off a list of places that made my head spin. He is criss crossing the state over and over again, determined to meet virtually every Democrat in the state.

Thissen makes a great first impression. He is tall with boyish good looks (dare I say Kennedyesque?)….and makes you feel at ease immediately. He has a great conversational way of speaking and engages his audience directly.

To read the full article, click here.