No actually, Pawlenty did win this time around…
I think Lori Strudevant fails to understand checks and balances… Or, maybe we experienced different elections in 2006… I don’t know… I’m not a wonk…
See, if I remember correctly from my high school civics class and talking to Kevin Knight back in the day, the point of being the governor is being able to veto dumb legislation. Really, it is. And the point of being in the majority in the legislature is to pass your agenda. So, if you are in the majority party in the legislature, and you can’t pass veto proof legislation, something’s wrong, and it’s your problem.
Because there are others who are better at fisking Lori Strudevant then I am, I’ll just point out a couple of her flaws this week.
“Far from being cowed into conciliation by the big DFL majorities in the House and Senate, the Republican governor's near-defeat experience apparently left him rarin' to veto any little (or big) bill he didn't like. And when a governor is on a tear like that -- and has enough veto-sustaining allies in the Legislature to back him up -- there's just no stopping him.” See, the Democrats won majorities in the Legislature, but the people of Minnesota still saw fit to elect a Republican Governor. Let me interpret: The people of MN were ticked at the Republican legislature for whatever reason, war in Iraq, some difficult budget years, whatever, but they weren’t ticked off enough to give the DFL carte blanche.
This paragraph: ”DFL legislators had voters with them in November. But they couldn't assume the public would stay on their side after years of being told that any tax increase is evil. A sales campaign would've been useful on several fronts -- not least the possibility that some Republicans in shaky seats might have felt a little heat from home as a result.” Is inconsistent when taken into context with her earlier statement here: “Further, to most Minnesotans and the governor, gas taxes are taxes too, even if they don't flow into the general fund.” So, Minnesotans obviously see tax increases as bad, how would this bring heat to Republicans in shaky seats?
And I disagree with Ms. Strudevant’s conclusion: “But this much is sure: Neither the DFL majorities nor the governor should feel good about what they did -- or rather, how little they did -- this year.” I’m of the opinion that Tim Pawlenty should feel good about the past session. He was able to stand his ground. And it’s the DFL that comes off looking bad.
Watch the Twins game.
See, if I remember correctly from my high school civics class and talking to Kevin Knight back in the day, the point of being the governor is being able to veto dumb legislation. Really, it is. And the point of being in the majority in the legislature is to pass your agenda. So, if you are in the majority party in the legislature, and you can’t pass veto proof legislation, something’s wrong, and it’s your problem.
Because there are others who are better at fisking Lori Strudevant then I am, I’ll just point out a couple of her flaws this week.
“Far from being cowed into conciliation by the big DFL majorities in the House and Senate, the Republican governor's near-defeat experience apparently left him rarin' to veto any little (or big) bill he didn't like. And when a governor is on a tear like that -- and has enough veto-sustaining allies in the Legislature to back him up -- there's just no stopping him.” See, the Democrats won majorities in the Legislature, but the people of Minnesota still saw fit to elect a Republican Governor. Let me interpret: The people of MN were ticked at the Republican legislature for whatever reason, war in Iraq, some difficult budget years, whatever, but they weren’t ticked off enough to give the DFL carte blanche.
This paragraph: ”DFL legislators had voters with them in November. But they couldn't assume the public would stay on their side after years of being told that any tax increase is evil. A sales campaign would've been useful on several fronts -- not least the possibility that some Republicans in shaky seats might have felt a little heat from home as a result.” Is inconsistent when taken into context with her earlier statement here: “Further, to most Minnesotans and the governor, gas taxes are taxes too, even if they don't flow into the general fund.” So, Minnesotans obviously see tax increases as bad, how would this bring heat to Republicans in shaky seats?
And I disagree with Ms. Strudevant’s conclusion: “But this much is sure: Neither the DFL majorities nor the governor should feel good about what they did -- or rather, how little they did -- this year.” I’m of the opinion that Tim Pawlenty should feel good about the past session. He was able to stand his ground. And it’s the DFL that comes off looking bad.
Watch the Twins game.
posted by Consecutive Odds @ 7:51 AM
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