Welcome to our new blog. With an insider’s eye, Hot Dish will track the tastiest bits of Minnesota’s political scene and keep you up-to-date on those elected to serve you.
Contributors in Minnesota:Pat Doyle, Baird Helgeson, Mike Kaszuba, Patricia Lopez, Eric Roper, Rachel E. Stassen-Berger and Bob von Sternberg
Contributors in D.C.:Click here to read previous posts in The Big Question.
On the homepage
Demmer takes a bye on House Tea Party (Updated)
Coming a day after fellow Minnesota Republican Michele Bachmann rolled out her U.S. House Tea Party Caucus on Capitol Hill, the question naturally arose as to whether Demmer, if elected, would become a member.
It’s a question that has put a lot of House Republicans on the spot this week.
Demmer, it appears, is no more eager to join up than U.S. Reps John Kline and Erik Paulsen, Bachmann’s two Minnesota Republican colleagues who so far have declined to attach their names to the newly formed caucus.
“I have great respect for the Tea Party movement,” said Demmer, noting that he doesn’t just join any caucus that comes along. “Whether I’d join that caucus, I can’t say.”
A lot of other U.S. House Republicans have had similar reservations, judging from the confusion Wednesday that surrounded the compilation of Bachmann’s final 35-name Tea Party roster. That’s 35 out of a total of 178 Republicans in the House. (And zero out of 255 Democrats, though Bachmann said she hopes to work on some of them too).
(Update: As Demmer was talking Thursday morning, Bachmann updated her roster to 38).
Join the discussion: Your Voices is a group blog featuring unique perspectives from members of your community. Find commentary on current events, public issues and day-to-day life in Minnesota.
Recent posts
Near the Wyoming-Utah border in Sept. 4, 2009 on a mountainous curve we came upon a group of mule deer. Luckily, all drivers were alert and could enjoy them as they made their way over the barrier.
See thousands of photos from other StarTribune.com readers and share your own photos and video today.
Comment on this post | 46 comments | Hide reader comments