News Release: New Minnesota political documentary featuring Minnesota House Republicans to be released

 

Contact: Cassandra Harvey, Publicist -- 218-591-6678 -- cassie@republicancontract.com

News groups: Capitol, College, Daily, Law/Politics, National, Neighborhood

For immediate release

No New Texas!

New Minnesota Political Documentary to be released

Two Republicans who voted to override the 2008 Transportation veto talk about their decision, and the retaliation that resulted.

Republican Lyall Schwartzkopf calls for return to a non-partisan legislature, calls Minnesota’s change to a partisan legislature: “a severe mistake -- very, very severe mistake…”

 

Minneapolis, MN, August 15^th, 2008 – On Monday, September 1st, a documentary will be released, featuring current and past Minnesota House Republicans, including two who voted to override Governor Tim Pawlenty’s veto of this year’s Transportation bill. The documentary will also feature a 2006 interview with then House Speaker Steve Sviggum, and his largely favorable responses to an eight point Minnesota Republican State Legislator’s Contract with Voters (“the contract”.)

The documentary is the first in a series, called “Escape From History,” designed to examine in depth the Minnesota Republican party in the context of what Republicans have been, and done, through Minnesota’s history.

“The contract, and the documentary series, are intended to move the Republican party back to what has historically been a more moderate approach to politics,” said Bob Carney Jr., writer and producer.  “Following the release of the documentary, I’ll be e-mailing all Minnesota House incumbents, and challengers, of all parties, asking each person to respond to the contract point by point,” Carney added.

Inevitably, the documentary examines the Minneapolis milling district’s most recent tragedy – the collapse of the I35 bridge a year ago.  The 2008 transportation bill is examined, and two Republican Representatives, Kathy Tinglestad and Jim Abeler, comment in depth on their decision to vote to override Governor Pawlenty, and on the retaliation they knew would follow their decision.    Lyall Schwartzkopf, who served as a Minnesota House Member from Minneapolis, as Chairman of the Hennepin County Republican Party, and as Chief of Staff for Governor Arne Carlson, comments on the transportation override vote, and the retaliation that resulted.  Schwartzkopf also provides an historical perspective on how the Minnesota Legislature was changed from a partisan to a non-partisan institution.  Schwartzkopf was instrumental in bringing that about, but today he says: “That was a severe mistake -- very, very severe mistake, and what happened out of that is the enormous partisanship that we have today.  To break that partisanship that we have today, we need to go back to a non-partisan legislature… I was wrong.  I voted wrong to convince the people to change the [Minnesota] Constitution to a partisan legislature.” 

In addition to presenting the contract, the documentary begins an in-depth examination of the Minneapolis Park System, viewing it as infrastructure, and an example of what can be accomplished when infrastructure is planned with a very long time frame.  “As just one example, we’re now seeing a boulevard added to Lyndale Avenue south,” Carney said.  This is something that was recommended to the Park Board by Professor H.S.S. Cleveland – in 1883,” Carney added.  “Similarly, the last link of the Grand Rounds is now moving towards completion – the roots of this are also in Professor Cleveland’s 1883 report.”

The documentary also examines, in video essay format, two examples of post-9/11 architecture – the new Guthrie Theater in the historic milling district, and the nearby Minneapolis Central Library.   “We’ve now reached the point where the impact of 9/11 is starting to appear in architecture.  These buildings seem to be telling us some very disturbing things about the world we live in,” Carney observed.  The Central Library is the jumping off point for a video children's short story – The Fox and the Library -- examining nice, innocent Republicans who may be listening too uncritically to Fox. 

Finally, the documentary examines an alternative approach to the so-called “marriage amendment,” endorsed in 2006 by Speaker Sviggum.

The documentary will be available for sale as a two DVD set, and will also be available for license by anyone who wants to make it available on their web site as a free download. Carney’s goal is to make the documentary available in a format, and at a price, that works for everyone. 

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