ANOKA—Bob Olson, a DFL candidate in the 6th Congressional District, participated in a live blog discussion with Minnesota Monitor readers Thursday evening.

Excerpts from that dialogue are pasted below. To read the entire live blog, click here.

Question: Your campaign literature features clean energy as a major theme (with the big windmill in the background).....are clean and renewable energy still big issues on the campaign trail? What are you hearing from voters as their major concerns?

Answer: Absolutely. Minnesota is leading in this area and it's time for Congress and the president to follow. Clean energy will create jobs here and throughout the Midwest.

Biodiesel, ethanol and wind can help us break our dangerous addiction to foreign oil -- strengthening our national security, jump-starting our economy and improving our environment. There's a lot of excitement out there about this.

Michele Bachmann, given the opportunity to vote on this in the recent energy bill, said no to economic development in Minnesota. Rather than empowering farmers and business people in the Midwest, she chose to support dictators in the Middle East. It's absolutely wrong and people get that.

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Question: Bob, How do you feel your campaign will do amongst independent voters? In what ways would a Bob Olson candidacy appeal to those people in the middle?

Answer: Michele Bachmann only received 50.04 percent of the vote in 2006. Hardly a mandate and that was before people outside her old state Senate district knew a lot about her.

I think independent voters are looking for a new direction. This is a change year.

Michele Bachmann has spent the last 8 years trying to scare and divide voters. I've been in the business world working on the big issues affecting our economy -- home ownership, higher education, health care, energy. I think people will see the distinction.

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I think the economy and Iraq are the two biggest issues facing the district and the country. It doesn't matter which candidate you supported in 2006, you're still feeling the impact of the Bush-Bachmann economy, $2.90 a gallon at the gas pump, higher college tuition, health care costs, etc.

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Question: How do you differentiate yourself from your DFL opponent? Why should DFLers in the 6th nominate you over him?

Answer: Elwyn Tinklenberg has had a long career in politics and as a lobbyist. I've been working in the business world as a bank owner and tax attorney (a real one, unlike M.B.).

I think voters will have two clear choices over the next few months. I look forward to making my case to them.

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Question: What's the first bill Congressman Olson would submit?

Answer: I'll introduce a bill providing for tax incentives and loan guarantee funds to make sustainable, American-made energy a reality in all parts of our country. Minnesota has done a great job on this issue. Now the federal government needs to lead.