St. Paul would kill to get the kind of respect Rodney Dangerfield used to garner.
At least people knew who the late, great comedian was. St. Paul's problem is that it often doesn't seem to exist, being constantly misidentified as longtime rival Minneapolis by musicians, politicians and other performers.
When Hillary Clinton watched the Super Bowl at St. Paul semi-landmark Dixie's on Grand earlier this year, more than one national correspondent put her in Minneapolis. This summer, though, it got worse. A lot worse.
After Barack Obama's June 3 nomination-clinching speech at the Xcel Center, site of this week's convention, NBC "Today Show" host Matt Lauer recounted the events "from Minneapolis."
In late July, Lauer's former sidekick, CBS nightly news anchor Katie Couric, said (or likely read from a teleprompter) that "the mother of all appearances will be in Minneapolis in September, when [John] McCain accepts his party's nomination.
Couric subsequently apologized on-air "to all of the people of St. Paul," although a written version of the report (www.startribune.com/a/?4586) still contains the faux pas.
In the past month, two of the state's most prominent politicians -- Republican politicians -- have committed this gaffe. First, CNN's Larry King asked U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) if she thought Vice President Dick Cheney should come to the convention. Her response: "I hope everybody comes to Minneapolis." Shortly thereafter, Gov. Tim Pawlenty told CNN's Glenn Beck "When you come to Minneapolis for the convention ... "
Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung followed up with a semi-apology: "When he speaks about the convention, Gov. Pawlenty typically refers to Minnesota, since St. Paul, Minneapolis, Bloomington and several other cities are all playing a role. In this case, the governor misspoke.
"Of course, many reporters will be staying and working in Minneapolis, as well as St. Paul. We're looking forward to the opportunity to showcase the entire region to the world."
OK then.
Another politician, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, chuckled when asked about the rampant cases of mistaken identity. "I think it's a sign of how we're not teaching enough geography in the classroom," he said by phone from Denver. "When I was a kid, we learned where all the state capitols are."
Turning a bit more serious, he added, "We do like to have people who are sitting in St. Paul saying 'Hey, we're in St. Paul.' I don't think that's an unreasonable request."
Off-key notes
Over the years, musicians have been particularly prone to the blunder. During a 1999 show at St. Paul's Roy Wilkins Auditorium, Jewel made reference to a special tune as "my Minneapolis song." In 2003 Graham Nash said "Thank you, Minneapolis" after Crosby, Stills & Nash's opening number -- at an Xcel Center concert sponsored by the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce.
But the Rev. Al Green might hold the singular distinction of having bungled it twice in less than a year. In September 2006 at the inaugural Wild River festival in St. Paul, Green bellowed out "Hello, Minneapolis," and he greeted the crowd at last year's State Fair the same way. On both occasions, Green quickly corrected himself, although in the latter instance his confusion was understandable, since the fairgrounds are in neither city.
In this case, Falcon Heights was filling the Rodney Dangerfield role that St. Paulites know all too well.
Bill Ward • 612-673-7643
Staff librarian John Wareham contributed to this report.
