Politics get pointed at this year's Farmfest

REDWOOD FALLS, MINN. - The often genial yearly convergence of agriculture and politics in western Minnesota known as Farmfest got a little testy Tuesday as Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Walz grew frustrated during a debate with challenger Randy Demmer, a Republican state representative.

While Demmer criticized Walz for aligning himself with Democratic leadership in Washington, Walz accused Republicans of the "demonization of our institutions."

Walz, a military veteran, said "I sat up here with a candidate for Congress talking about [Democrats] trying to destroy freedoms and those things. I didn't serve our nation in uniform for 24 years to bicker with my neighbor about that." Citing Republicans who call Democrats socialist, he said, "These people aren't talking revolution, they're talking civil war."

Demmer went after Walz on his vote for cap-and-trade, legislation that would have essentially transformed carbon emissions into a tradeable commodity.

"Cap-and-trade is not energy policy," Demmer said. "Cap-and-trade is tax. It's an energy tax and it falls particularly hard on agriculture."

Walz noted that cap-and-trade was "simply a start" to moving the country away from foreign oil, a habit that makes America too reliant on volatile foreign governments.

Though the bill is all but dead in Washington, cap-and-trade has taken on a second life on the campaign trail, coming back to haunt House Democrats who were urged by the White House to pass the bill.

"We need now to elect leaders coming from private enterprise that understand that we need to rein back excessive governments so farmers and private enterprise can succeed," Byberg said in his signature Norwegian accent.

A moderate Democrat who rules over agriculture in the U.S. House as head of the powerful Agriculture Committee, Peterson said the Environmental Protection Agency is "out of control" and that he would like to cut the agency's budget in half.

Lowering the nation's deficit, he said, is his No. 1 priority.

"I believe ... there should be no new spending on any program at this point, no matter how good it is or how good it sounds," Peterson said.

Two Republican incumbents, Rep. John Kline and Rep. Michele Bachmann, skipped the debate. Kline said he had a conflict in his schedule, while Bachmann is recovering from a recent illness.

After the debate, with temperatures that soared well into the 90s, Democrats went for pork chops.

While Walz talked to a veteran at the Farm Bureau's grill, state Rep. Tarryl Clark introduced herself to two voters at a nearby picnic table as people walked past with giant slabs of "the other white meat" affixed to sticks. Clark, a Democrat, is challenging Bachmann.

"Which side of the aisle are you?" asked Harry Baulisch, a retired Navy officer wearing a cowboy hat, as he examined Clark's business card.

Baulisch and a friend peppered Clark with questions for several minutes on issues ranging from health care to gun rights. When they parted, he told a reporter he believes Bachmann's is a "voice that needs to be heard in Washington," though he could support Clark if she was truly a centrist Democrat, similar to Peterson.

"When you hang that Democrat or Republican or even independent nametag on yourself, right now it's doing more harm than good...," said Baulisch, who lives in Walz's district but does not support him. "Because we really need to take care of the people."