Under the Bridge, Labor Secretary Solis Rallies for President Obama’s Jobs Plan

Speaking under the visibly time-worn 10th Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Congresswoman Betty McCollum and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak addressed construction workers and business leaders. The trio called on Americans to pressure Congress to pass the American Jobs Act, which President Obama proposed two weeks ago. Later in the day, Secretary Solis addressed a national young workers conference hosted by the AFL-CIO.

“One of the jobs that I have is to get the 14 million unemployed Americans back to work,” said Solis, “and get the millions and millions of construction workers who have been out of work for more than three years back to work.” According to a U.S. Department of Labor press release, the American Jobs Act would invest more than $600 million in the North Star State to fund highway and transit modernization projects — which could put roughly 7,500 Minnesotans back to work modernizing roads and bridges. In 2007, there were 116,000 people employed by Minnesota’s construction sector. Today, that number is down to 86,300. … Continue Reading

MN Activists Call on Obama to Stop Keystone XL Pipeline

The Twin Cities Tar Sands Action group marched in downtown Minneapolis on Monday, Sept. 26, and called on President Obama to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would transport synthetic crude oil from the Tar Sands of Alberta, Canada, to refineries in the Midwest, and southward to the Gulf of Mexico. Native American leaders and local environmental activists — some of whom were arrested as part of Keystone Pipeline protests in front of the White House this summer — warned that the pipeline would destroy wetlands, continue to feed our addiction to global climate change-inducing fossil fuels, and hurt indigenous peoples’ lands.

The demonstrators marched from the Royal Bank of Canada in Minneapolis to the Canadian Consulate, where they sought to speak with consular officials about their grievances. Speakers included Clyde Bellecourt of the American Indian Movement, Marty Cobenais of the Indigenous Environmental Movement and Michael Noble of Fresh Energy. The rally was staged to coincide with a demonstration in the Canadian capital of Ottawa, where hundreds were arrested for opposing the Keystone pipeline.

Robert Reich: Obama’s Jobs Bill Could Have Aimed Higher

Former Labor Secretary and progressive economist Robert Reich says that he applauds President Obama’s speech on Thursday but thought that the President should have been more ambitious with his jobs bill.

Were House Republicans to adopt the proposed legislation, Reich predicted that it could lower the national unemployment rate from its current 9.1 percent to approximately 8.7 percent by the presidential election 14 months from now. But the former Labor Secretary under President Clinton seriously doubted whether the GOP will work with the White House at all.

Reich also commented on Wednesday’s Republican presidential candidate debates, calling Texas Governor Rick Perry’s claim that Social Security is a “Ponzi scheme” absolutely ludicrous.

The Fair Economy Summit where Robert Reich will speak on Saturday in Minneapolis is focused on how we can rebuild our economy so it benefits everyone. Right now, the gap between rich and poor is at an all-time high. Home ownership and the American dream it represents is slipping out of reach for more and more Americans.

Bachmann Campaigns At American Legion Convention

Video by Jacob Wheeler
Representative Michelle Bachmann address the same group of US war veterans President Obama did two days ago. She tries to compare herself to Britian’s Margaret Thatcher, and while doing so makes a historical gaffe, claiming the Fauklands war that boosted Thatcher’s popularity was fought in 1992. It happened a decade earlier in 1982.

Full video of Michelle Bachmann’s speech to the American Legion plus her comments on “half-heartedly” deployed troops. … Continue Reading

President Raises Crowd’s Optimism In Minnesota

Small town Minnesota had a distinguished visitor today, August 15, 2011. President Obama held a town meeting on the banks of the Cannon River in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.
People leaving were happy and bubbling about his appearance and his message. The crowd of about 300 was not screened, tickets were limited to two per person. His speech and the question and answer session were greeted with cheers and enthusiasm. His optimism seemed to be infectious as the crowd filed out to the country fair grounds to retrieve their cars. People were impressed that the President answered questions instead of talking around them.

Cannon Falls is in a strong Republican area, so not surprisingly there were a few critical signs posted on the road in, but the arrival streets were full of cheering citizens who didn’t get the prized tickets.

More photos from President Obama’s visit to Cannon Falls, Minnesota … Continue Reading

Minneapolis Seeks Tornado Damage Help

U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) met with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and Minneapolis City Council President Barbara Johnson in Washington, D.C. to discuss the aftermath of the tornado that hit North Minneapolis on May 22 and caused millions of dollars in damage and resulted in the death of two Minnesotans. The officials talked about the recovery effort, the possibility of federal aid, and the Mayor’s and City Council President’s meeting with the Obama administration. Sen. Franken also reiterated his commitment to do whatever he can to help with the recovery process.

Howard Dean: Republicans Work for Corporations, not for People

Following his Netroots Nation keynote speech on Thursday night, former Democratic National Committee Chairman and Vermont Governor Howard Dean told The UpTake that Republicans have shown in Wisconsin and other Midwestern states this winter that they work for corporations and not for the people. Dean also addressed President Obama’s foreign policy, disagreed with his Afghanistan War policy, but said that, at the end of the day, despite their differences, progressives need to come together in support of building the movement.

Obama Honors bin Laden Kill Team

President Obama tells returning US troops that Osama bin Laden will never threaten the US again. He says he met with the special ops team that killed bin Laden and told them “job well done.”

President Obama Facebook Town Hall

Full text of President Obama’s remarks at a Facebook townhall … Continue Reading

Obama Confident Shutdown Can Be Averted

President Obama makes a statement after a meeting with Congressional leaders on the Federal budget. The President says he remains confident that an agreement can be reached and emphasizes that a government shutdown can have serious implications for the economy.