Karen’s Corner
April 18, 2010| Posted in Karen's Corner
This last week or so before the Convention, Paul and I are criss-crossing the state, holding meet and greets in various locations so that delegates can get to know Paul better and get his views on the issues that matter most to them. From Duluth to Stillwater, Moorhead to Rochester, both the turnouts and discussions have been great! At our Mankato meet and greet this weekend, we had the honor of having Congressman Tim Walz, his wife Gwen and their family stop by to participate! Even their adorable 3-year old Gus chimed in! It was an incredible way to connect on the ways that federal and state legislation intersect on issues like health care and education. Check out the Events Calendar on the website to find an upcoming meet and greet in your area!
April 6, 2010| Posted in Karen's Corner
Phoning, Phoning, Everywhere!
From morning till evening, in the office, at home or in the car, Paul and I are on the phone non-stop, intent on talking to every delegate and alternate to the State Convention! The warm weather has allowed us to do a little calling out in the yard so we can enjoy a bit of spring while we talk! Without fail, each delegate is taking their decision very seriously, and is making the time to talk through the issues and share what is important to them. We’re struck by the fact that there are a lot of people facing difficult times, and that the stakes are very high in this crisis election.
March 22, 2010| Posted in Karen's Corner, Uncategorized
On Sunday, in between DFL gatherings, Paul got to visit Featherstone Farm in Rushford, Minnesota. The farm has emerged as a leader in organic, locally grown fruits and vegetables in southeastern Minnesota, selling produce in the Twin Cities and elsewhere. If you want great seasonal menu ideas using locally grown produce, check out their blog at http://cookoutofthebox.blogspot.com.
The Featherstone farm is about an hour from Paul’s grandparents’ farm in Blooming Prairie, whose garden still turns out an impressive crop of rhubarb each summer for which the Thissens have many of their own seasonal recipes!
March 15, 2010| Posted in Karen's Corner, Uncategorized
Paul fires up the Dems!This was a fun convention weekend because many delegates had heard Paul aggressively take on Tom Emmer during a debate on MPR last week are revved up about the election! Paul’s call for Democrats to start standing up to the Republicans more and fighting for what we believe in received huge rounds of applause wherever we went.
Another plus this weekend was that Paul and I actually got to travel together to a few senate district conventions because there weren’t quite as many packed in all at once – this is as close to a “date” as we get these days!
March 8, 2010| Posted in Karen's Corner, Uncategorized
Another big weekend of County and Senate District Conventions – 33 in all! We figure that between Paul and I alone (not counting staff and volunteer travel), we drove about 430 miles to get to all the different locations!
It is fun to go back and forth between the crowded auditoriums of the bigger cities like St. Paul and Rochester and the smaller, more intimate rooms in places like Glenwood (Pope County) and Kasson (Dodge County). Each place has its own personality and with just 7 weeks until the State Convention, DFLers are really paying close attention and doing their homework on the race.
Paul had another great weekend, with support emerging in the Twin Cities, the suburbs and all over greater Minnesota as we keep the momentum going on the way to Duluth!
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