Happy birthday, Michele

Happy birthday, Michele

It didn't take long for word to get out at last Wednesday's Tea Party rally on Capitol Hill that it was Michele Bachmann's 55th birthday.

You haven't lived until you've been among 1,000 Tea Party patriots singing "Happy Birthday," following chants of "Cut Spending Now!" and "Shut 'er Down."

It appears that word got out in advance, because some of the rallygoers from all over the nation came armed with birthday cards, dutifully collected by Bachmann aide Doug Sachtleben.

Amid a possible government shutdown, the Minnesota Republican was clearly the belle of the ball. Assembled by Americans for Prosperity, a major player in the Tea Party movement, the crowd didn't fuss nearly as much over Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., the kick-off speaker.

With Bachmann taking the measure of a potential White House run, the national press couldn't get enough of her either.

KEVIN DIAZ

Pawlenty kickoff fundraiser

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty plans a May 18, $2,500-a-head Minneapolis fundraiser to "kick off" his presidential run.

"We need to make this a very successful event in order to help fund the initial phase of the campaign and to show the nation that Governor Pawlenty has serious support in his home state," said an invitation to the event.

Minnesota Republicans with money have given Pawlenty support in the past. He held a glittery fundraiser in Minneapolis for his political action committee, which was peppered with contributions from Gopher State givers. Polls, however, have not found a majority of Minnesotans support his national ambitions.

The event coincides with the closing days of the Minnesota legislative session. For the first time in eight years, Pawlenty will have no role in the intense negotiations.

RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER

Smoke 'em? Nah

If the mission was to catch our attention, it worked. A coalition of anti-smoking groups on Thursday distributed a press release about their fight to "protect" Minnesota's anti-smoking law and increase taxes on tobacco products. Attached to the release? A Marlboro cigarette and what appears to be a small cigar.

The person who distributed the release noted the smokeables were poked with holes, theoretically making them non-smokeable. In practice, however, any smoker -- or former smoker -- knows cigarettes' holes can easily be plugged.

So now we've got 'em. But we won't smoke 'em. (We will keep our nicotine gum handy, though.)

RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER

Jungbauer recovering

State Sen. Michael Jungbauer is recuperating at home in East Bethel after being released from Regions Hospital in St. Paul on Thursday, one day after he was struck by a car while jogging near the Capitol.

"I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers," he said in a statement. "It has been a difficult week, but with God's help and the prayers and well wishes from the people I have been blessed with in my life, we will be fine."

Jungbauer, 53, received a minor head injury during the crash. "I was ending mile 11 and making excellent time," he said.

On Thursday, he still had "a doozy of a headache."

BAIRD HELGESON