Parents Talk: Do You Talk to Your Kids About Politics?

Use this forum to discuss kid issues with other parents. This week, we tackle children and politics.

Election Day may be over, but that doesn't mean we will stop hearing about politics any time soon.  This varies widely with age of course, but many kids want to know what is being talked about on TV, the radio and at family gatherings. So when political chatter arises, do you explain to your children what's being talked about or do you give a general answer? Do you feel like your kids should believe what you do or make up their own minds? "Of course, part of the cool thing about being a parent is creating 'mini-me's,' and in Washington that means creating a new generation of party members, regardless of what party you're affiliated with," wrote Tracy Grant in a Washington Post blog. And, what if your family is split on an issue/candidate …

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Election Results 2012: Voters Name Lorie Skjerven Gildea Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice

Barry Anderson and David R. Stras retain Minnesota Associate Justice seats.

Incumbent Lorie Skjerven Gildea will retain her role as Minnesota Supreme Court Justice in her win over Dan Griffith in the Nov. 6 general election, according to unofficial results posted on the Minnesota Secretary of State website. In the statewide race, Skjerven Gilda received 59.99 percent of the votes and Dan Griffith received 39.62 percent of the vote.  Skjerven Gildea was appointed Chief Justice January 2006 and her term was set to expire January 2013. Other statewide judicial winners included incumbent Barry Anderson for Associate Justice - Supreme Court 1 (Seat 1) over Dean Barkley. Anderson received 58.93 percent of the votes to Barkley’s 40.68 percent of the vote. Incumbent  David R. Stras for Associate Justice - Supreme Court 4…

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WATCH: Live Reports from Twin Cities Area Election Headquarters

Video from various spots around the metro, including Republican Party headquarters in Bloomington and the DFL Party's gathering in Minneapolis.

Red. Blue. Downtown or Southtown, we will have it covered tonight as election results come in around the Twin Cities. Twin Cities Patch sites are teaming up with our friends at TheUptake to bring video coverage from various sites tonight as we wrap up this historic election. The embedded player allows you to change feeds, or "channels," to check out the coverage and interviews you want to see.  Thanks for "tuning in," and enjoy a whole new way to take in the Election Night. 

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Twin Cities Democrats Confident Marriage Amendment, Mitt Romney Will Fail

President Barack Obama's ground campaign and a shifting sentiment toward the two constitutional amendments have the state's DFL party feeling positive headed into Election Day.

Twin Cities Democrats think the state's most controversial issue–the amendment to the state's constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman–will fall flat on Tuesday, making Minnesota the first state to vote down such an amendment.  In our survey of DFL influencers–local politicians and party activists–the Democrats also believe having the amendment issue on the ballot will be a boost for President Barack Obama, as he looks to defeat former Gov. Mitt Romney in Tuesday's presidential election.  Of the 100 influencers who volunteered to take our survey, 24 responded to our "flash" poll, issued last Friday.  Only a quarter of the responders thought the marriage amendment question would help Romney with turnout. The same …

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Election 2012

Church Council Urging Vote Against Voter ID

Minnesota Council of Churches represents the leaders of many Protestant denominations.

Seeking to bring attention to what it calls the "voter restriction amendment," the Minnesota Council of Churches announced its opposition to a state constitutional amendment that would require voters show photo identification at the polls.  The amendment, said Rev. Peg Chemberlin, the Council's Executive Director, has fallen too far out of the public eye. "We encourage and want a vigorous debate and conversation in the next few weeks on this amendment," Chemberlin said. "In fact, I hope there's some pushback. I hope people ask 'What's going on? Why have you taken this position?'" In a written statement, the Council's President, St. Paul Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Bishop Peter Rogness said “the fundamental issue …

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VIDEO: Jill Biden Promotes President’s, VP’s Support for Women

The vice president’s wife spoke during a campaign stop in Hopkins on Friday.

Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, stopped by The Depot Coffee House in Hopkins on Friday to emphasize how her husband and President Barack Obama have supported women. “I’ve seen firsthand how Barack and Joe stand up for the rights and freedoms of women everyday,” Biden said. The “Women for Biden-Obama Grassroots Event” was part of a campaign tour through Minnesota, Michigan and Pennsylvania over the weekend. In addition to the Hopkins stop, Biden’s Minnesota visit included events at North Hennepin Community College and Macalester College. Biden touted the Violence Against Women Act her husband drafted and helped pass in 1994 as an example of his support for women’s issues over the years. She also pointed out Obama’s signing of …

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Second New Poll Says Marriage Amendment Could Fail

Issue comes before voters in November.

A new set of survey results released Wednesday morning suggests support for a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage rests on a knife's edge.  The poll, by Public Policy Polling (PPP), said 48 percent of Minnesotans support the amendment and 47 percent oppose it, with less than sixty days to go until the November election. State law already bans same-sex marriage. "In January we found 48/44 support for the ban, while in June we found 49/43 opposition," said a statement from the pollsters, published on PPP's website. "It looks like a toss up." Opinions broke down by age group thus: Women (52/41), Democrats (78/16), and voters under 45 (50/45) all oppose the ban. Men (55/41), Republicans (80/17), independents (51/42), and …

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