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FROM STAR TRIBUNE: SEIFERT CALLS ARM-TWISTING TACTICS USED BY DEMOCRATS “DESPICABLE”
By Michael B. Brodkorb | February 21, 2008
"Republicans accused DFLers of resorting to heavy-handed tactics to gain votes.
House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, said the political pressure on Republicans — and even some DFLers — was 'despicable.' Tactics included threatening to find opponents to run against plan opponents, or to block bills or projects in their districts. The pressure, he said, was 'ten times of what it's ever been in the past.'
DFLers dismissed the charge and said that Republicans should produce proof. 'If they know it, that should be brought up,' said Rep. Bernie Lieder, DFL-Crookston, chief House author of the transportation bill (HF2800/SF2521). 'I can't believe it's our Democratic legislators.'" Source: Star Tribune, February 21, 2008
Click here for the complete story.
Topics: Marty Seifert | 26 Comments »
26 Responses to “FROM STAR TRIBUNE: SEIFERT CALLS ARM-TWISTING TACTICS USED BY DEMOCRATS “DESPICABLE””
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February 21st, 2008 at 10:20 am
Oh please, who is this Lieder guy? There are Democrats, there are Republicans. I don’t think Republicans (who are outnumbered 2-1) are threatening to block Republican bills in committees run by your Democrat legislators.
Just how stupid does he think the public is?
February 21st, 2008 at 10:26 am
[...] 10:25- While you’re waiting for the fireworks to start, go read Michael’s post on Marty’s comments about the armtwisting going on. [...]
February 21st, 2008 at 10:29 am
Lady Logician & I will be liveblogging the debate, assuming it gets started.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:32 am
Poor Marty. He isn’t exactly known for playing nice.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:33 am
Well he apparently fooled you Loris… you don’t think Seifert is putting the screws to his members? You don’t think he’s threatening members that they will be facing a primary opponent if they don’t uphold the veto? Or with holding support from the Caucus next election cycle?
February 21st, 2008 at 11:03 am
I feel bad for Rod Hamilton. He’s typically a solid conservative and a great guy. Somehow he has been convinced by the democrats that his re-election hinges on transportation. So much so that the dems gave him not only Highway 60, but also Highway 14 in his district. An extraordinary transaction if only it wasn’t at the expense of all Minnesotans.
Republicans offered a “minority report” alternative bill that devoted virtually every dollar to roads and bridges with no tax increase. The proposal is astute and strategically spot on. But the solidarity between the media and the leftists is keeping the public from clearly seeing what is going on in St. Paul.
February 21st, 2008 at 11:15 am
Marty’s not threatening anyone in his caucus. That’s not his style.
February 21st, 2008 at 11:30 am
How about this little quote from the bemidji Pioneer this morning.
With Democrats holding a veto-proof majority in the Senate, the bill’s approval and an override is more likely than in the House.
Still, Sen. Jim Vickerman, DFL-Tracy, made sure the state Highway 60 provision was included in the Senate version.
“I’ve been here 22 years and I got a little promise,†Vickerman said with a smile.
February 21st, 2008 at 11:49 am
Drew, how can you even type with all those black helicopters droning overhead?
As for Bernie Lieder, he’s one of the most principled legislators at the capitol. But then, I wouldn’t expect any of you clowns to be familiar with principled legislators.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Little to people know (or pay attention), but the Hennepin County GOP is havin’ a little get-together this weekend.
For those of you in Tax-a-pin county, how’s about a little resolution from the floor, stripping any rep or senator of their endorsement if they vote to override the veto?
Neil “Jock Sniffer” Peterson will be there. Ron “Tax us all” Earhardt will be there. Nail ‘em.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I have some pretty good sources down in St. Paul who think the votes are not there for an override after the latest head count.
The leadership in the MN House has begun to scramble after Pawlenty met with the caucus. A number of their own members are now threatening to bolt and are miffed about the tactics used.
I think this game of chicken so early on has the makings of a disaster for Democrat Leadership. They are grabbing for to much and are showing they will sacrifice their more conservative members once again to implement a liberal agenda.
Imagine if this bill fails again on top of all the failed bills last session. The speaker should be very concerned and this is politically very risky for them so early on.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Bernie Lieder is saying that this will lower property taxes, asked to show where that is stated in the bill he can’t answer. So for you to call this blatant lying “principled” proves you as a lier too.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:23 pm
If this is true, it’s good news: the DFL leadership finally grew a pair.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Titan:
It is a FACT that the ONLY people that can LOWER your property taxes is:
Your local school board, your local city council, and your county board. FACT.
The only thing the state can do is either throw money at the problem (which means the schools/cities/county can spend THAT money and raise taxes to spend MORE money)…or…cap property tax rates. And for the DFL morons in the audience, caping rate increases does NOT reduce taxes.
You want to hold property taxes down? Hold your local units of government ACCOUNTABLE. Otherwise, shut up.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:25 pm
“You want to hold property taxes down? Hold your local units of government ACCOUNTABLE. Otherwise, shut up”.
D isn’t that what I proved by saying Lieder who is claiming this will hold property taxes down couldn’t point that out in his bill? I suggest you re-read what I said, It seems like we are on the same side here, why attack me?
I imagine you are as upset as me about this money grab so I’ll take your misinterpretation as, just like me, upset as I watch thses cimmie chase me out of my state.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:48 pm
D, Titan is correct, you are on the same side but no doubt this gets us so upset it is hard not to want to jump down someone throat.
I hope the MN voters remember this crap the democRats are trying to pull.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Big K, thanks, I live in ST. Paul so I have reason to be more upset then most. This spring I’m outta here. I lived here all my life and planned on retiring here but can see the writing on the wall. I already have a 7% sales tax, if the DFL has it’s way I am going to be at 7.875.
I did a google and only cali is at 7.25, with 3 other states at 7%, we will be the highest in the nation. Same with the gas tax and when Feb’s rev numbers come out look for a new income tax increase.
I guess working hard, staying out of trouble and maintaining my property is not the type of person St. Paul wants. Watching todays legis session and listening to even some of these Republicans is just proving the state doesn’t want me either. WY, FLA and SD, in that order is where I have been looking.
I’ll keep my lake cabin and spend my summers here. With Obami almost the sure winner I need a place to hide-out from this coming economic disaster.
February 21st, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Tell me where you live Titan and I’ll come and help you pack. Take a hike
February 21st, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Q-bert, cam it up your ass.
You fucking liberals are killing the state one city at a time. I also had lived in St. Paul but now that ciy will never see another dime from me. I choose to stay and fight where i am at. I am in one of those nice suburbs where liberalism has not taken hold yet. 
Q-Best, I hope your taxes keep going up and up and you never get ahead. Enjoy being on the democRat nipple the rest of your life.
February 21st, 2008 at 5:08 pm
St. Paul and Mpls are prime examples of what you get with total DFL control. Poor schools, poor citizens, poor roads, bridges, high taxes, high crime, but really comprehensive social welfare programs.
Without conservatives, liberals could not survive.
February 21st, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Titan, good to hear your a bigot too, why bother packing then, we’ll just throw your shit in a pickup truck and you send you on your way. South Dakota or Bust! I hear it’s non-stop excitement!
February 21st, 2008 at 6:55 pm
The Republicans were in control in the House until 06 and the Governor has line item veto power, why is this the DFL’s mess.
At any time the Governor could have struck any pork,tax(fee)hikes,social program funding he wanted to out of appropriation bills, yet he choose not to, why?
Now the Governor has painted himself into a corner, he has placed a freeze on all hiring in the state, faces a $376 million deficit, high unemployment, crumbling roads, and has cut aid to local governments which has forced them to raise property taxes and ran the state on the cheap for to long, it starting to show.
Mr Jim Nobles and his staff, who was praised here months ago, released the state trunk highway report, and it give a bleak out look for Minnesota’s highways.
Fuel and vehicle tax revenue is on the decline, and the State’s use of debt financing is rising to make up the difference.
Half of the money allocated to trunk highways has been used for system expansion since 2002.
MNDOT will need all of the $672 million projected vehicle and fuel tax revenues just to complete these projects in the next ten years.
Doesn’t leave much for other road projects does it.
That’ll do Sheeple, that’ll do
February 21st, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Hey HCDFL:
The Republicans found a way to get $7.6 billion for transportation without a tax increase. The DFL proposal before amended got us a six billion dollar increase (about 15% of the current state budget) and gets us only $7.7 billion.
It seems that the Republican plan was far superior!
Furthermore during all that time the DFL controlled the state Senate. The House Republicans couldn’t pass anything unless they Senate cooperated. Their plan has been to raise taxes! Raise Taxes! Raise Taxes.
Now that the State Senate has a House DFL they go to a plan with bigger tax increases when the House Republicans showed you didn’t need to increase taxes to get to Seven billion.
So thanks for wanting to stick both of us with the tax increases including that metro area sales tax that won’t cause businesses to want to come to Minesota or expand. Sure way to make a recession worse. Oh I forgot you want the only employer in Minnesota to be government not private business.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
February 21st, 2008 at 8:38 pm
So the GOP House goes to the Dems with a 2.2 billion dollar surplus. The HCDFL plays around with their buddies like Pogemiller in the Senate to try to ram some gigantic tax increases thru in the last 30 minutes of last session knowing they won’t make it, jack up welfare spending, and now we are staring at a 8-900000 deficit. Now the DFL wants to ram the largest tax increase the state has ever seen in the form of the transportation bill thru before the Feb forecast gets here.
The HCDFL also ran on not seeing any reason to raise taxes… Thank God the House GOP will be getting some seats back so the Dems can quit salivating quite so much on trying to make MN the highest taxed state in the Nation and meanwhile making North Dakota such an appealing place for people to move. Otherwise, ND becomes MN Northwest.
February 21st, 2008 at 8:42 pm
And if all these increases pass are the roads going to be paved with gold? No potholes, no gridlock, no more accidents? I don’t think so HCDFL. Do you believe in the tooth fairy too? Are you going to try to jack more taxes up after this one just doesn’t seem to be enough? Must need more money… Always need more money. Never enough tax payer money.
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:57 am
I guess we will get what we pay for.
Taxes are not the only reason businesses are leaving Minnesota,
our crumbling roads, high tuition costs (causes a lack of new hires) and the failure to investment in the future are the biggest reasons.
The Governor has run the state on the cheap and uses his veto pen for political power, not for what’s best for Minnesota.
The line item veto puts the Governor in charge of spending, and he did nothing to decrease it.
That’ll do Sheeple, that’ll do