Post-Oscar Edition

I’ve been traveling so much with Mark Dayton that its not surprising that I feel like the only woman in the world who hasn’t seen Avatar. I did take some post-Oscar time out to view The Hurt Locker and five days later I’m still in awe. This film puts into real context how brave the men and women of our military truly are, and it spares nothing when showing you the true horrors of this war.

If there were ever a time to feel honored to be working for one of the 23 Senators who voted against the Iraq war, it was certainly after seeing The Hurt Locker.

OK, that may seem a little heavy to kick off the second installment of my travel blog but nobody said building a Better Minnesota would be all Broadway show tunes. The goal of “87 in 87” is to listen and share ideas with the people. Some of the stories we’ve heard along the way are encouraging: we met a teacher from Kennedy Community School in St. Joseph, one of the first schools in the country to meet the LEED silver certification rating for green schools. This teacher told us that they didn’t fire the boilers at their school all winter! And some of the stories we hear, like when we see and hear firsthand the results of cuts to Local Government Aid (which Mark likes to call “Police, Fire and Potholes” because that is what LGA goes to fund) are truly depressing. But at the end of the day, the people of this great state have so much to offer and have such a positive outlook even in these most trying times. The one thing I’ve learned from listening to the people is the undeniable fact that they will be equal partners with Mark in his goal to make Minnesota great again.

Moving on Up

Well, at least to St. Paul. If you haven’t heard by now, Team Dayton is packing up and moving to greener and larger pastures in St. Paul. There’s nothing like spending your days making cardboard boxes and cleaning out cabinets. And although I don’t expect any sympathy from our soon to arrive Communications Director, who packed up his entire NY apartment while dealing with an unexpected bathroom flood, any move yields a little bit of stress!

The move does bring good news – mainly, our campaign is growing. We’re reaching more and more people with our message that we can and will do better with Mark Dayton’s experience. Our volunteer base has grown significantly and it seems that every high school and college student remotely interested in politics wants to intern on our campaign. Thankfully, our new office will be able to accommodate them and many more.

Shout outs and Accolades

In addition to the men and women who serve in the armed services, as portrayed in the above-mentioned Hurt Locker, I’d like to congratulate director Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman to win an Academy Award for “Best Director.”

I’d like to give a hearty shout out to the folks at Java River Café in Montevideo—we really appreciate the warm welcome in Monte last week!

And I’d like to give a “get well soon” to Twins closer Joe Nathan. He’s going to give the elbow some rest, and wait on a second opinion, before deciding on whether he will try to pitch this season. Either way, I wish one of the game’s best closers a full recovery.

Thanks for reading,
Katie Tinucci
Deputy Campaign Manager