Read how one British scientist believes that political ideology might be at least part genetic. This means that I need to start making plans with my family for what might be a long, slow descent into Libertarianism and gun hording. The only known treatment is whiskey, which yields sketchy results.

As I was walking through brown, crappy snow and lamenting the fact that I picked the wrong kind of jacket to wear ... again! ... I had a flashback to first grade at my now-defunct Forbes Elementary (My elementary school closed in 1988 and is now a bar called "The Boondocks"). We would make these construction paper lions and lambs during the month of March in honor of the old saying, "If March comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb," and vice versa. In northern Minnesota sayings like this are both common and extraordinarily incorrect. March goes in and out like it damn well wants to, it doesn't care if you like it or not and if you ever get tired of the crusty cookie dough snow that clogs driveways and parking lots, March is the first to tell you that you'd better just be glad it's not February again. May? You want it to be May? May is a f'ing pipe dream. Bring an extra jacket because it's going to snow tonight, punk.

A-hem:

Sen. Barack Obama's speech on race, "A More Perfect Union," was designed to open a national dialogue to chart a way past the racial bitterness of the past. It was also, from a practical standpoint, designed to put out the flames of controversy that had engulfed Obama's campaign after inflammatory video of hateful comments by his former minister were widely circulated. On both counts I believe the speech has been a resounding success. Obama leads by 10 over Hillary Clinton in today's Gallup tracking poll, his biggest lead ever in that poll. In addition, the speech has prompted an amazing column today from Hibbing Daily Tribune editor Mike Jennings. (Disclosure: I write a column for the Tribune and technically report to Mike, but I am not contractually bound to say nice things about him on this blog).

Here is my weekly Hibbing Daily Tribune column for Sunday, March 30, 2008. I archive my columns at my writing homepage if you're interested in reading more.

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura is at the center of presidential political chatter again. This morning CNN has been promoting an upcoming interview with Ventura that leans heavily on his potential candidacy.

What's still unclear to me is how Ventura would actually run for president. As an independent? On the Unity '08 ticket? Libertarian? He's not running as a Green. Unless he has ballot access through an existing party he would have to gather a couple million petition signatures across all 50 states to get on the ballot. That's what leads me to believe that this is just a book tour promotion and that by summer we won't hear much more about Ventura '08.

Jesse Ventura is a curious character in Minnesota political history. Bear in mind that I was one of those "young kids" who, in a moment of frustration, voted for Ventura back in 1998. I was ultimately disappointed in his term of office, but mostly because he wasted a unique opportunity to be a strong non-partisan governor. Instead he focused on his own self-promotion and a very limited agenda. Still, it is worth noting that Jesse Ventura did EXACTLY what he said he would do as governor. It wasn't pretty, but it was remarkable.

I haven't been writing much about the legislative session because the talks have been rather stagnant lately. Here are the questions to be answered next week and beyond:

There's an ad in this week's Scenic Range News (a weekly newspaper on the western Mesabi Range) promoting a new group, CHAMP, or Citizens Happy About the Mesaba Project.

Tune in Saturday, March 29 to KAXE's "Between You and Me" with guest host Scott Hall to hear a show about rebellion. What kind? All kinds! My weekly essay will discuss the history of the "State of Superior," the forgotten 51st state in the union. I'll suggest, ever so gently and perhaps with a small amount of irony, that we Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan northerners should stick together to throw off the shackles of our metro/suburban oppressors.

Statehood now! Brothers and sisters, we can create a wild paradise, funded by casinos and natural resource revenue sharing! Our highways will be fixed and there will be no Met Council because we will have no Met.

The show runs from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday on 91.7 FM in northern Minnesota and streaming online at http://www.kaxe.org/.

A belated thank you to all the people who have attended the KAXE Community Journalism Project blog sessions across the Iron Range. We held our third session in Virginia last night and a great group of people spurred a good discussion of community blogging. The work continues. Stay tuned for news about future sessions and the next stage of the project.

For more information, see www.kaxecommons.org.

From today's Mesabi Daily News:

Work is progressing rapidly on the Taconite Ridge Wind Turbine project in Mountain Iron. These towers are part of a ten tower project which will produce 25 megawatts of power and will be hooked into the Minnesota Power grid. When completed the towers will be about 315 tall. Photo by Mark Sauer

UPDATE: We're on! You can still register, but we have enough people to hold the session now and you can just show up if you want.

If you're interested, please register for Wednesday night's free blogging seminar at in room C-156 at Mesabi Range Community and Technical College in Virginia. You can just show up (it runs 6-8 p.m.), but we still need a couple more advanced registrants or they might have to cancel.

The seminar is sponsored by the KAXE Community Journalism Project.

Here's an interesting column from Swampland's Michael Scherer on how the Internet has changed the ebb and flow of the national news media.

Here is a basic shift that has occurred in the news business: Because of the Internet, you, the reader, no longer have to buy information in pre-fabricated packages like “newspapers.” You can just go online and individually select the articles you want to read. And there are lots of websites and blogs to help you out. Every day, Matt Drudge, the Huffington Post, Yahoo, Google, Swampland, or a hundred other different bloggers, will pre-select articles for you and provide links. You choose your own adventure.

There is a corollary effect here: As the value of the package declines, the value of the individual article increases. Online, news organizations charge advertisers based on the number of hits they can get on a site. And since the hits are often coming for specific stories, and not the entire site, a blockbuster story that gets linked to, say, Drudge, is money in the bank.

This means that the competition on the level of the individual story is more intense than ever before, and there is enormous pressure to distinguish yourself from the pack. Assume, for instance, that 12 news organizations do the same story on the same day about how Hillary Clinton has a tough road ahead of her to get the nomination. Which story is going to get the most links and therefore the most readers? Is it the one that cautiously weighs the pros and cons, and presents a nuanced view of her chances? Or is it the one that says she is toast, and anyone who thinks different is living on another planet?

I can't stress enough the importance for Democrats to resolve the presidential race soon, before the convention, before June and preferably before Memorial Day.

I write from the Iron Range, a place that gets little attention in political coverage ironically because of its reliably important role in Minnesota's electoral makeup. The Range delivers 40 point margins for statewide and presidential Democrats every election. Except when it doesn't, which is when statewide or presidential Democrats lose.

Around the dinner table at a recent family function, I was surprised by the discussion on national politics. First off, my family is not overtly political, and tends to eschew extremism of either liberal or conservative variety. This group of white males I was talking to (you know, the hot new 2008 demographic) wasn't really charged up by the racial tones of the election, but more so by the Democrats inability to settle the nomination. The tit for tat arguing and endless news cycle was the most troubling factor for my family members and for most blue collar, working folks I talk to around here (the ones who pundits worry will defect to John McCain). If this continues, I get the impression that Obama's margins on the Range in November will suffer. This puts Minnesota in jeopardy for the Democrats, and victory requires Minnesota in the blue coalition.

That's the problem with this year's campaign. If Barack Obama had put Hillary Clinton away a month ago, as McCain did his opponents, we'd be settling in for the long haul of the November campaign. And yes, all the same issues that are now being discussed (Obama's experience, the preacher controversy, etc.) would still come up, but would be part of the larger campaign. Obama's ability to answer these charges (wisdom is more important than years in Washington, we should open the conversation about race to include all parties and their legitimate grievances) would be winning him points against McCain, instead of a primary opponent.

So while Clinton continues to hold on to an outside chance to win the nomination, her ability to win requires at least three more months of this same campaign dynamic. Obama will win states, delegates and probably popular votes at this point. For this reason alone, the Democrats' best hope requires Clinton to cut a deal with Obama now. Supreme Court? Vice President? Senate Majority Leader? She should take a deal and we should move on.

I recognize this is unlikely. Clinton is starting to use the preacher controversy in her speeches and interviews now, which means they've focus group tested it and determined that it works with all the right demos. (You can tell the politicians that do this testing when they wait three or four days before talking about important news stories). But I hope that fellow Democrats recognize the damage we cause by allowing this to continue much longer.

I'll let yesterday's George Clooney/Renee Zellweger Duluth visit go after this, but here is the morning edition story from the Duluth News-Tribune. My new favorite detail:

Education remains one of the top political issues (and largest portion of the state budget) in Minnesota. But on the Iron Range, education takes on special importance. Here's why:

Today, an important meeting will shape the future of one Range district. Greenway schools serve Bovey, Coleraine and other small towns on the western edge of the Mesabi Iron Range. The district is in Statutory Operating Debt and faces the expiration of several major bonding levies all within the next few years. Maybe you've heard of districts seeking operational levies in your part of the state? Well, Greenway is going to be staging a bond issue that will determine whether or not the district will survive. If this one fails, they will be done for.

From Britta Arendt's story in the Sunday Grand Rapids Herald-Review (reprinted across the Range in the Hibbing and Mesabi newspapers):

At a meeting with Greenway staff on Thursday, Superintendent Rochelle VanDenHeuvel said that, without referendum dollars, severe budget cuts would be necessary. She said it’s probable that elective courses at the middle and high school would be eliminated; all day/every day kindergarten would be eliminated; all extra-curricular activities would be eliminated; up to 20 staff positions would be eliminated; administration would be reduced; class sizes would rise as high as 45 at the middle and high school and 35 in the elementary school, and; the school board would need to consider cooperation or consolidation with other school districts, or dissolution of the Greenway School District.

I've written and blogged plenty about the Mesaba Energy Project (notably here, and most recently here). This boondoggle proposal is built on a foundation of lofty economic and environmental promises that can't be fulfilled without a realignment of the universe. So I'll just point out this interesting MPR story from last week that shows the financial hurdles this coal burner will face and gently remind readers to tell their legislators that this project should receive no further special treatment.

UPDATE: The closing two graphs of the DNT wrap on the Clooney/Zellweger story seem kind of sad.

After about 40 minutes, when the stars’ handlers declared the time for questions were over, Clooney overruled them and took a question from a Duluth woman in the center of the crowd behind the press. Joan Koski presented the pair with hand-knit wool mittens and thanked them for bringing the city fame.

Clooney and Zellweger stepped outside to greet fans around 12:15 p.m. and left the Depot around 12:30 p.m., 30 minutes ahead of their scheduled public appearance.

Wanna stick around, George? Renee? Have a beer? Guys? Oh, OK. I see, well, bye then. Enjoy the mittens.

FROM EARLIER: The quick poll voters on this site proved to be prophetic indeed. The first comment from a famous person in today's Clooney/Zelleweger press conference in Duluth was about: THE COLD.

BREAKING: Zellweger plans to look at harbor later. She'd better not be lying about that!!!! We're not to be trifled with!

From today's Mesabi Daily News, the new administration in Virginia, Minn., has revived the tradition of the annual "Mayor's Ball," a big formal dance that was abandoned by his predecessor. I'm sure this adult prom is a fun tradition and that it could raise money for charity (in this case, perhaps a bit too ironically, the all-class reunion committee), but I am left with lingering doubts. Something about it reminds me of when I was elected high school class president on the platform of "a pop machine that you can use during the day." I suppose I shouldn't judge.

Certified famous people George Clooney and Renee Zellweger will be appearing in Duluth at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum soon. Their event (rally?) is scheduled for 11 a.m., with public "greeting" at 1 p.m. I'll liveblog it using 19th century blog rules. In other words, I'll find out later and tell you when I damn well have time and/or recover from polio and/or when the road to my deep woods settlement is of sufficient quality to allow postal service.

This is my weekly column for the Sunday, March 23, 2008 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. My columns are archived at my writing page.

Closing gender gap in Range leadership a worthy goal
By Aaron J. Brown

Anyone familiar with the news these days knows that the issues of race and gender play a big role in our political climate. The first African-American and first woman presidential contenders are currently vying for the presidential nomination of the oldest major party in the United States (the same party that once opposed women’s suffrage and civil rights legislation). Thus it’s exciting to experience this historically significant election, regardless of the outcome.

But if the buzz word of 2008 is change, we should be reminded that history has shown that real change only occurs from the ground up, with the support and, most important, actions of everyday people. As Barack Obama said in his groundbreaking speech on race this past week, no one candidate for national office can fix all our problems in one election cycle. But a lot of people working together can make huge strides.

I’ve written before that the Iron Range needs change, especially in the traditional, parochial attitudes that have held us back in recent decades. Not everyone likes to hear this, but the evidence is apparent in the leadership of our communities. I don’t mean to make a broad swipe at local and state leaders. But if there’s a unifying demographic that overwhelmingly dominates the Range leadership structure it’s the number of middle aged or older men who lead our towns, townships, counties, and local boards. No, not exclusively and there are outlying public bodies that feature gender and age balance, but they are the exception, not the rule.

Many middle-aged men are great leaders and continue to serve our community well, but one wonders what could happen if Range leaders reflected the Range population, which isn’t as old as people think it is, nor as male-dominated. In fact, if you spend time in the hearts of our communities, at the charity fundraisers, the arts events or the school activities, you see that men and women, young and old, contribute more or less equally to the health of our local society. Why isn’t this then reflected in our public offices, where most Range city councils and county boards have one or two women serving at most? (The notable exception is the Itasca County Board, where women hold three of five seats).

One encouraging sign is an upcoming event sponsored by the nonprofit White House project, called the “Go Run” women’s leadership conference. This leadership training helps women better understand their opportunities to take leadership roles in their communities. It’s been conducted all over the country and will be featured for the first time on the Iron Range, April 11-13 at Fortune Bay Resort and Casino in Tower. The registration is full, but the group is creating a waiting list for this or future sessions.

I spoke with one of the members of a steering committee that brought the Go Run conference to the Iron Range. Liz Kuoppala won a seat on the Eveleth City Council in 2006. As she prepared her campaign, she initially feared that she would have a hard time convincing some to vote for her because of her gender.

“Ultimately, I found that my gender was really a strength, not a barrier,” she said. “I think that the real barriers to seeing more women elected to office exist in their own minds. That’s what this is about.”

Kuoppala’s inspiration came from suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s observation that it’s remarkable how well America has done since it only used half its resources. Indeed, one wonders how things would be different, and perhaps better, if the Iron Range women (and I’ll add young people) were represented in public committees, boards and councils – no matter how high or low the office – at a rate equal to their numbers and significance in our society.

“We have a strong history of women’s leadership,” said Kuoppala. “We are still a place of fairly recent immigrants. People have had to work hard to get what they have and women have played a central role in our communities. We just want to see that reflected in our political structure, too.”

Indeed, the goal is not radical or discriminatory. The goal is simply to encourage more people to get involved in the hard work of running the everyday business of our Iron Range communities. When more people are included, progress is achieved. The same is true throughout history.

Aaron J. Brown is a columnist for the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Read more or contact him at his blog, www.minnesotabrown.com.

I know the stereotype is that the Iron Range is behind the times when it comes to trends. These punks aren't helping.

Vandals deface Iron Range welcome signs
By Janna Goerdt
Duluth News Tribune

Four highly visible signs on the outskirts of Eveleth, Virginia, Gilbert and Mountain Iron were spray-painted with obscene political messages earlier this month.

The “Quad Cities” signs were built outside each city in 1999, at a total cost of about $72,400. Iron Range Resources contributed $25,000 to the project, information officer Lee Bloomquist said, while the four cities directly contributed $8,650 each and raised an additional $12,800 to pay for the welcoming signs.

A St. Louis County Sheriff’s deputy confirmed that all four signs were vandalized in a similar manner, said investigator Richard Feiro of the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia. The signs were sprayed with messages in red and black paint denouncing President Bush. One sign also mentioned Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul.

Ron Paul graffiti? That might have been cool (to about 8 people) before Feb. 5. But in March? This is why you still see people wearing Members Only jackets around here. Not helpful.

I bet you'll find these kids breakdancing on a flattened cardboard box outside the Pamida to an oversized boom box. Just a theory.

Hello friends.

On Wednesday, March 26 I'll be hosting yet another blogging seminar for the KAXE Community Journalism Project at Mesabi Range Community and Technical College in Virginia, Minn. I briefly explain blogging, how it works and how to start a blog and then share information on a community project that supports new and existing bloggers across northern Minnesota. This is a great opportunity for beginners and for those who know about blogs but are looking for more readers and to network with grassroots news gatherers from across northern Minnesota. You don't need any experience to be a part of the class and there are no obligations after you attend. Blog topics can range from news and politics to hobbies and local culture.

Virginia Community Journalism Blog Workshop

KAXE's Citizen Journalism project continues with a workshop on Wednesday evening, March 26th, at 6 o'clock, at Mesabi Range Community and Technical College (Room C-156) in Virginia. This workshop is designed for anyone interested in journalism, creating a blog, or producing audio, video, or written content for a web site. Journalist and KAXE commentator, Aaron Brown, will lead the workshop.

No previous journalism experience is necessary. You can register for the class at kaxecommons.org or call Scott Hall at KAXE, 326-1234

It is free and open to anyone in the KAXE listening area - or out of it really. There is no charge, but we would like to know if you can make it, so registration is required. Call KAXE at 218-326-1234, e-mail: kaxe@kaxe.org or register online.

My weekly radio essay for Saturday's episode of "Between You and Me" on 91.7 KAXE will focus on personality quirks. The call-in and music show will explore some of the interesting quirks of our northern Minnesota friends, family members and neighbors.

Perhaps not big news to everyone, but the original Sammy's Pizza in Hibbing was damaged by fire yesterday. (Well, actually the original was in Keewatin before moving to a different location in Hibbing and then to this spot, but that's just the sort of local local history tedium that you don't need).

The Star Tribune reports on Monday's George Clooney/Renee Zellweger visit to Duluth. We now learn that common folk without media passes can meet the famous people at 1 p.m. at the entrance to the Depot. We also learn that the pair's movie, "Leatherheads," based on the real 1920s pro football team in Duluth called the Eskimos, takes several opportunities to mock Duluth even though the filming took place in North Carolina. I'm sure they'll probably spend some money in town on Monday, though, which will make it all OK. Right?

I have to admit, I've never been part of organized religion. But seeing that one researcher believes Moses might have been on drugs when he saw the burning bush and received the Ten Commandments does leave me feeling a bit empty. If the basis of most of the world's major religions is going to be false, I'd really rather it be an ancient conspiracy rather than just an old dude smoking tree bark back when it was legal.

The good news (if you're an Obama supporter and/or sick of primary election news coverage): The media, at least the pieces I saw on "Good Morning America" and in the New York Times today, are finally starting to openly question how Hillary Clinton could win the Democratic nomination at this point. The likelihood that Barack Obama will win the most pledged delegates, states and popular votes is now seen as almost inevitable since no one has quite figured out how the remaining unaffiliated superdelegates would overturn those results and keep the party from imploding.

It's been five years at war. As they say, I'm sure not against the soldiers, but this war has been the emblem of bad foreign policy from the start. For those interested:

Daily Kos has a good roundup of the reviews of yesterday's Barack Obama speech. First Read also has some good reactions. There are all overtly positive in their appraisal of the speech, but I'll take on the task of looking at this from another point of view.

At the top of the Duluth News-Tribune on this important news day is the BIGGEST STORY OF ALL TIME. George Clooney is coming to Duluth. WITH RENEE ZELLWEGER.




AT THE SAME TIME!



Oh Jesus, my heart. My heart is beating SO FAST right now.

Barack Obama delivered his much-anticipated speech on race issues in America and how they have become a divisive factor in this presidential campaign. He addressed the matter of his controversial former pastor, but did much more than that.

Read the text of Obama's speech today from the Obama website. This also includes a video link.

I'm an Obama supporter, but I know that Obama is not perfect. What I like about him is that, when confronted with what is the greatest strain of his campaign, he didn't lay up or dodge the real issue. This speech addressed the real problems of race -- shared by whites and blacks alike -- in a very courageous way. Some of the commentators say it may have been so honest that it will hurt him in the election. I don't know. But Obama laid it all out there. He said what needed to be said. I can't imagine either of his opponents, Hillary Clinton in the primary or John McCain in the general, showing this kind of political courage under similar duress. I really think this guy is for real.

Though not providing any new information, regional editor Charles Ramsey has an informative piece in today's Mesabi Daily News explaining how the Iron Range is plugged into the global economy. A good refresher or backgrounder for those unfamiliar with Iron Range current events.

If you didn't know, I am the co-chair and volunteer media coordinator for Dylan Days in Hibbing -- a celebration of the Iron Range's most famous son, Bob Dylan, and the arts community of the region. We've recently posted our schedule for the 2008 event which runs May 22-25 (perhaps you caught my blatant sales pitch in my last column). Check it out.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued comments last month in the matter of Excelsior Energy's Mesaba Energy Project, a coal-gas power plant proposed for the Iron Range. I've declared this project a boondoggle that will produce neither electricity nor jobs before its "owners" walk away with bags of money. (OK, perhaps it won't be literally in bags, but copious amounts of state and federal loans and grants are in the pockets of this so-called company).

Well, those comments were withheld from public view until late last week for no good reason, except that they are bad news for the project. Carol Overland, an attorney arguing against the project, issues a complete report on her blog, which I recommend you read.



In short, the EPA issued a statement that the project plan leaves numerous questions -- both environmental and functional -- and should not be approved unless those concerns are addressed (the company has refused to answer these questions because it would force them to discuss publicly that they have no customer and that the power they would produce would be prohibitively expensive).



The Army Corps of Engineers issued similar concerns about a lack of information about the practical operation of the plant. For specifics, see Carol's blog. In summary, these comments were withheld from the public by the MN Dept. of Commerce -- which works for Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a project supporter -- and by the Bush U.S. Dept. of Energy, which is trying desperately to funnel money to coal projects at the behest of the president and U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman. And before you think I'm just writing this to attack Republicans, let me remind Range readers that many (though not all) DFL Range lawmakers have been willing or complacent conspirators in this terrible public policy.


This thing is finally unraveling and it's time for our public officials to break away now while we can still preserve some of our funds and dignity.

An excerpt from the story in today's Duluth News-Tribune:

Babbitt bar gets smoking citation for "Gunsmoke Monologues"
Will Ashenmacher
Duluth News Tribune - 03/15/2008

What may have been the first ticket issued in connection with a bar hosting a “theater night” to get around the statewide smoking ban is now hanging behind the bar in a Babbitt tavern.

Babbitt police issued a $300 petty misdemeanor ticket Friday to Tom Marinaro, the owner of Tank’s Bar in Babbitt, after receiving complaints that Marinaro was allowing smoking inside the bar. The police issued a short press release, but wouldn’t comment on the tickets today.

Marinaro, like several other bars across the state, had been hosting a play so his patrons could be considered actors and, because of a loophole in the smoking ban, be allowed to smoke indoors. He said he’s been staging the play to recoup business lost because smokers are staying away.

This is my weekly column for Sunday, March 16, 2008 published in the Hibbing Daily Tribune. I archive my columns at my writing page.

I am a cooking fraud (and almost got away with it)
By Aaron J. Brown

If you missed it, I recently appeared on “WDSE Cooks” on Channel 8, northern Minnesota’s public television station. For a lot of people, the image of me in an apron on the TV came as a shock. An encore of the show, titled “C is for Comfort Food” will run again today. I baked fudge bars. More specifically I baked Beatty Zimmerman’s fudge bars, which were dubbed “Bob Dylan fudge bars” on the show in honor of the late Hibbing woman’s famous son.

It was a strange, winding road that brought me to the world of televised cooking. See, I’m involved with Dylan Days in Hibbing, an annual event celebrating Dylan and the arts community of northern Minnesota. (Disclosure: Dylan Days will be held May 22-25, with more information available at www.dylandays.com.) (Disclosure Disclosure: That last disclosure was an inappropriate excuse to plug Dylan Days … May 22-25 … d’oh!).

So when I was e-mailing a producer at Channel 8, “The Ocho” as the kids call it, I told her that the Dylan Days group had some of Bob Dylan’s mom’s old recipes. Maybe the cooking show would want them? (Har-har-har, small talk, is what I was thinking). Well, not only did she want Beatty’s fudge bar recipe, she wanted me to bake it … on TV. Apparently, they wanted to fight two widely held stereotypes: 1) that only women can cook well and, 2) that you have to know something about cooking to appear on a television program devoted to cooking.

Since the marketing department of Dylan Days can’t afford to buy a used Kia, much less air time in Duluth, I figured I’d do the show to mention the event. (Oh, is that too honest? Does that break the PR code of silence? OK, then I did it because I love to try new things).

The show went well, and my thanks and kudos go out to host Juli Kellner, all the good people at Channel 8, and the many skilled “real” cooks who shared their recipes. In the week that followed the original airing of the show dozens of folks told me they saw the show and even tried making the bars themselves. Hey, the bars were pretty good.

If the crushing fame of appearing on a local TV cooking show wasn’t enough, I also ended up in the “Taste” section of the Duluth News-Tribune. (Disclosure: The Duluth News-Tribune is a competitor of this newspaper and thus, you should never ever read it. Not even as a joke. Not even if an old copy gets stuck to your leg on a windy day and the front page story is about your long lost father. Not even then). The story featured several of the cooks who appeared on the program talking about their comfort foods. Now, remember, I was there to bake something that we presumed to be Bob Dylan’s comfort food. I had only learned the recipe a few weeks before the show. So when I was asked about MY comfort food, here is what was quoted in the Duluth story by Candace Renalls:

“For Aaron Brown of Bovey, comfort food is Kraft macaroni and cheese, just like he had with hot dogs as a boy. ‘Not the good homemade stuff,’ he said of his preferred macaroni and cheese, ‘but the cheap stuff from the store.’”

I have to imagine that real cooks and bakers – and I know there are thousands of you reading this right now – see a quote like that and shudder. Hibbing Daily Tribune publisher Wanda Moeller shook her head when I stopped by the office afterward. She said something, too. I don’t remember the words she used. I think “travesty” was one. “Assault on justice” may have in there, too.

Anyway, I’ve fessed up now. I am a cooking fraud. I do enjoy fudge bars though, and it feels good to bring more of them into the world.

Aaron J. Brown is a columnist for the Hibbing Daily Tribune.

I bring news from the Iron Range.

Public investment in high speed Internet on the Iron Range should be among our highest priorities. Whether we use this method or another, we need to make tech infrastructure happen. It's not for the people who are here now, it's for the people we need to come here and stay here.

Range fibernet project at a crossroads
By Marshall Helmberger, Tower Timberjay, March 15, 2008
The effort to bring an ultra-high speed fiber optic network to 11 Iron Range cities is exploring a new direction after a contentious meeting in January left some once-active members expressing doubts about the proposed project.

The Iron Range Network Joint Powers Board had planned to give presentations to the city councils of the 11 member cities in February, but those presentations have been put on hold while supporters try to determine their next step, a decision they expect to make at a meeting in Hibbing on Thursday.

County unit conventions are taking place all over Minnesota in the DFL and Republican parties. The only matter of statewide significance is who the Democrats will endorse in the U.S. Senate race to oppose Norm Coleman, Al Franken or Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer. Both have agreed to abide by the party's endorsement. One of the most important regions in that statewide race is on my native Iron Range, where a treasure-trove of DFL delegates will be allocated tomorrow at the Senate District 5 and Itasca County DFL conventions, respectively. Though the actual human population of these units is far lower than many metro-area units, SD 05 carries something like 26 delegates (It might have changed from when I lived over on that side) and Itasca, my current home unit, carries 12 because of the Iron Range's reliable, almost unbelievable DFL voting record. (We're talking 65 percent DFL in a bad year, 85 percent in a good year).

I am the DFL Precinct Chair in Balsam Township and will be a county delegate at tomorrow Itasca DFL convention in Nashwauk. I was a former board of directors member in SD05 back when I lived in Hibbing. I will make this prediction. If Al Franken does well in tomorrow's conventions, we're looking at a first ballot endorsement. Itasca County has a huge Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer following because of the strength of the Progressive Caucus there. I expect my convention to split roughly down the middle. But if Franken pulls out a majority at SD05 in nearby Hibbing, with its delegate count exceeding that of three suburban cities, I see no way that Nelson-Pallmeyer breaks the requisite 40 percent at the state convention to forestall a first ballot Franken endorsement. Mike Ciresi was going to get a dozen delegates in SD05 and maybe one or two out of Itasca. He's out now. His folks will determine how tomorrow's results turns out. Franken has held such an advantage in pledged delegates so far that Nelson-Pallmeyer needs to carry huge numbers.

I'll report in tomorrow evening with news of the Itasca and SD05 conventions. Franken and Nelson-Pallmeyer will both be there, shuttling between the working class Range towns of Nashwauk and Hibbing. It may come down to who's blue work shirt looks less new. (Less new being preferable).

For all we see in the media, especially television, you would think that the campaign for the Democratic nomination is all about the identity politics of race, gender and style. But that's just what's visible on the surface. When you consider history, voting trends and technological advances, what we're seeing in Obama vs. Clinton is more the inevitable conflict that occurs during a major generational transition.

We see two distinct coalitions of Democratic voters lining up behind Obama and Clinton respectively. Obama: young people, the more educated, African-Americans, independents and disaffected Republicans. Clinton: older people -- especially women, the less educated, Hispanics, and low-income whites. With the exception of Hispanics, a more recent demographic in America, Clinton has the old Franklin Roosevelt coalition and Obama has a coalition of people who have been slowly leaving the Republican party since Teddy Roosevelt. Clinton's coalition has been responsible for every major Democratic win since 1960. It has also failed to produce a majority in a presidential race since 1976. In the last eight years, Obama's coalition has been the difference-maker in just about every victory the party has won. Notable examples: Sen. Jim Webb's 2006 defeat of George Allen in Virgina. Jon Tester in Montana. This guy Bill Foster who just won a Republican Congressional district in Illinois during a recent special election. (Note: Illinois 14 is not only the district of former Speaker Dennis Hastert, it's where my wife was born and where many of her family still live). Take Minnesota in 2006. Amy Klobuchar united these coalitions to win a landslide victory in the Senate race. Mike Hatch could only hold the Franklin Roosevelt DFLers and lost the governor's race to Tim Pawlenty.

So if the question is which coalition will defeat John McCain, the answer must be both. And the numbers in the primaries seem to indicate that these coalitions are roughly the same size and hold roughly the same amount of power. But it seems to me that when you look at trends regarding union membership, population growth, and the core values of what is a surprisingly huge generation of people under 30 right now, you see that Obama's coalition will probably continue to grow while Clinton's will continue to shrink. I base that on the last two presidential years.

In 2000, we saw Al Gore and Bill Bradley emerge as the two contenders in the Democratic primary season. Gore was then the quasi-incumbent front runner with the backing of labor and most traditional Democratic constituencies. Bradley was the oratorical "change" candidate who was running on the need for a new kind of politics. Bradley came close in New Hampshire, but never caught fire nationally. Gore won the nomination easily. Today, perhaps ironically, Gore has adopted a mantra of change, especially in his most recent books, that sounds much more like Bradley 2000 than Gore 2000. I don't know, of course, but I infer that this might have something to do with Gore's experiences of watching the nation divide before his eyes after the experiences of the 2000 election. Gore's a smart guy. I think he sees how the nation and the Democratic party are changing.

In 2004, Howard Dean was at one point the presumptive nominee. Of course, that was before there was any voting. But in that moment, when Dean was leading the field by huge margins and raising what was then record-breaking amounts of money online, we saw the potential of this new independent-minded, younger, modern coalition. But it wasn't quite time yet. Dean was saying the right things, but didn't quite close the sale in Iowa. In the end, people went for the comfort and war hero credentials of Sen. John Kerry, then running with the traditional Democratic coalition. Kerry won Iowa and New Hampshire and, though facing a tough challenge from John Edwards after the Dean implosion, largely swept his way to the nomination. Then, like Gore, he lost to the Bush by a nose in the general.

Here we are in 2008. Obama was not the presumptive nominee before Iowa, but seized that title through impressive modern political organization and commanding victories in key states. Clinton, who has held a strong grip on traditional Democratic constituencies throughout this process, has yet to crack the code in stopping Obama. And while she still has an outside chance of snatching the nomination by way of superdelegate revolt, Obama has already shown that this coalition that started with Bradley and Dean and now rests with Obama has grown both in size and in sophistication. In short, this coalition -- once and if it absorbs the traditional Democratic groups now loyal to Clinton -- could represent a new majority for the next generation of American politics.

That is, if Democrats don't throw it all away. Following these trend lines, I see two truths emerging.

1) If Clinton is the nominee she faces the same problems that Gore and Kerry did -- the alienation of the new coalition, a close election, and possible defeat -- perhaps more so because of how she'd have to win that nomination.

2) No matter what, the coalition of young, educated, technologically savvy, racially mixed, global minded folks that supported Bradley, Dean and now Obama will be back in 2012, and 2016, and beyond. And they'll probably win next time if they don't win this time. It's interesting that Al Gore, Howard Dean, Bill Bradley, John Kerry, John Edwards -- who once fought one another -- are all now saying something similar to Barack Obama's central message, even though Dean, Gore and Edwards remain neutral in this year's race. America's problems can't be solved the same old way, but only by building a new, better organized and more transparent majority.

It's not a matter of if change will occur, but when. The Democratic Party and the United States of America are changing. Barack Obama is the change candidate; Hillary Clinton is the traditional candidate.

Which way are we going to go here?

Seeing as this year's presidential race will be so boring, former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura is entering the speculation of of national bloggers as a 2008 alternative candidate.

The final numbers are in.

The question: Several Iron Rangers are mentioned as possible candidates for statewide office. Which Iron Ranger do you think has the best chance of winning a statewide election?

* Tony Sertich, 21
That guy who posts the crazy signs along Highway 53 south of Cotton, 17
Tom Bakk, 8
Tom Rukavina, 6

It's not scientific, but I think Zogby might turn up similar numbers. The 2010 implications are thick.

The Duluth News-Tribune has a story today about the estimated number of needed construction workers for the proposed mining projects on the Iron Range.

I'm tired of these stories. I want to see financial close and shovels in the ground before I dance a jig for developers.

Mining plans require thousands of workers
Jane Brissett, Duluth News Tribune

Thousands of construction jobs will be needed for copper, nickel and other metal mining on the Iron Range if those projects come to pass, representatives of three of the companies told a meeting of the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota in Duluth on Thursday.

Three companies — Franconia Minerals Corp., Duluth Metals and PolyMet Mining — will need more than 2,200 construction workers if they go ahead with full-scale production of copper, nickel, platinum, cobalt, silver, gold and palladium, speakers said at a lunchtime presentation at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.

We get topical on "Between You and Me" this week as the music and call-in show will focus on gas. My commentary discusses gas prices and continues my growing advocacy for legalized moonshine. Huh? You'll have to tune in to "Between You and Me" Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon on 91.7 FM in northern Minnesota or streaming online at http://www.kaxe.org/.

I still have to mop up the blood on the last essay, but I've had a good week of writing for my book of Iron Range essays and finally feel like I can dabble in the time vortex that is blogging.

Hello, blog audience. I love all 38 of you beautiful people. Especially you, person reading this right now. But I need to take a few days off to finish the first draft of my book, which was unofficially due about a month ago. I'll post tidbits if I have time, but I might not be back until Thursday or Friday.

Meantime, I need you to do something for me, OK?



First, be strong. We'll get through this.



Second, be sure to vote on the poll on the right hand column. Which Iron Ranger would have the best chance of winning a statewide election? Your choices are State Sen. Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook), State Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia), State Rep. and House Majority Leader Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm) and that guy who posts those crazy signs along Highway 53 south of Cotton (I?-South of Cotton). Bakk and Rukavina both say they're exploring gubernatorial runs in 2010. They're also running third and fourth, respectively, in the poll. Don't worry guys, I'm sure that's not an omen or anything. Sertich has declared no 2010 ambitions, but is often mentioned for higher office and is the #2 DFLer in the DFL House, the same job Gov. Pawlenty had before he was elected. Sertich is tied with the highway sign guy right now at 13 apiece, a fact that would probably appall both of them. Make your unscientific, nonbinding voice heard, blog friends!


Third, you still have time to contribute title ideas and lines of dialogue for the action movie featuring John McCain and Barack Obama as mismatched police detective partners and Hillary Clinton as the by-the-books precinct captain.


Fourth, e-mail me any potential metaphors or points of analysis regarding the Iron Range during times of war. You just might get your name in a book.

Fifth, if you dare, do a shot every time you see Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell on tonight's cable coverage of the Mississippi Democratic Presidential Primary. (WARNING: This will probably kill you).

The Hibbing Daily Tribune, like many local papers, is running its "annual edition" this month. The edition spans four consecutive Sundays and includes large feature sections that, back in the day, were huge advertising revenue builders for the paper. They're not as big as they used to be, but the paper still puts a lot of work into these sections. The topic for this year's Tribune annual edition is "Iron Range Generations," featuring stories of people of many different age groups and how they contribute to our local culture.

Mike Jennings, the Tribune editor, wrote an interesting piece about the how the Iron Range inspires artists and writers of all ages. This is something I've talked about for a long time and is part of the book I'm working on for next fall. It's also a big part of why I have dedicated so much time to Dylan Days. I really think the Range, though a flawed region, is a great place for writers in particular. You don't get much more human than this place.

Jennings' headline says a lot in itself.

"Is Hibbing a town that breeds rare achievement, a town that spurns its talented young, or both?" March 9, 2008, Hibbing Daily Tribune

Excerpt:

Certainly there’s nothing remarkable about young people whose ambitions are out of the common run deciding that if they don’t escape their native small-town environment, their potential will wither and die.

What may be uncommon about Hibbing, though, is the number of its young who turned out to be correct about the rare nature of their talent. Bob Dylan (who, when he was still Bobby Zimmerman, had his microphone switched off by his principal during a high school talent show) may head the list. But it’s a lengthy list, and one that includes a healthy complement of literary and musical talent.

...

“I mean, there could be something about the landscape,’ [Hibbing High School drama director Chuck Viren] said. “There could be something about the makeup of the community, where you have these blue-collar roots, and yet now we have ... a mixture of people from various backgrounds.”

...

“People always question how Bob Dylan could come out of a place so barren, as it were,” [retired Hibbing English teacher Dan Bergan] said. “Well, how did Shakespeare come out of Stratford?”

This is my weekly column for the March 9, 2008 Hibbing Daily Tribune. I archive my columns at my writing homepage.