Is Barack Obamas website conducting an outlawed-in-Minnesota raffle?
The Minnesota Gambling Control Board thinks giving new donors a chance to meet Obama backstage in Denver is worth investigating. The Strib’s Randy Furst says only nonprofits, not campaigns, can conduct raffles in Minnesota. The raffle standard: it costs money to participate, it’s based on luck of the draw, and something of value is at stake. Obama’s campaign sounds like it will argue the winners won’t be random. In June, more than 100 fugitives were nailed in Minnesota, thanks to a U.S. marshal-led sweep. The state-fed-city effort occurs annually; authorities found 112 of the 350 to 400 people on their list, the Strib’s James Walsh reports. Fox9’s Beth McDonough offers video of the busts. Crimes included five sex offenses, seven armed robberies, 29 assaults and 19 “narcotics-related offenses.” No shots were fired. Unasked question: why don’t they do this more often? Minnesota Independent’s Paul Schmelzer writes that Norm Coleman is trafficking in a debunked claim about Chinese drilling
