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DFL FRICTION
By Ryan Flynn | March 23, 2009
Doug Grow has a story on MinnPost today regarding the State House and State Senate not being able to come to agreement on a budget proposal.
Grow focuses on the implications of what exactly this means down at the legislature and during the current session.
More important though is what this could potentially mean for some DFL Gubernatorial candidates, namely Speaker Anderson Kelliher. Why can the DFL led legislature not come together on a budget proposal? They have plenty of times before come together and proposed legislation together.
The Chairman of the Senate Tax Committee, Tom Bakk, is running for Governor and has made no secret of his openness to tax increases.
I have always expected the Speaker to make a run for Governor as well. If it really is her intention to run for Governor she may want to try and get a hold of her caucus, not to mention make it at least appear that she and Senator Pogemiller can work cohesively. If she cannot do that, how can we expect her to run an entire state and work with the Legislature as Governor?
Remember that the Legislature eventually has to agree on a budget that the Governor will sign. This could be interesting.
What do you think about the implications for Gubernatorial/potential Gubernatorial candidates?
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Topics: Uncategorized | 21 Comments »
March 23rd, 2009 at 10:29 PM
Yeah, having bizarrely large majorities sometimes makes it hard to keep everyone rowing in the same direction. The beauty is, the Speaker and the Tax Chair don’t need everyone rowing in the same direction. The partisan margin is sufficiently wide to allow some free spirits to have some fun. In the end of the day, I am confident that the democrats will come together and even offer republicans seats on the ship that is about run the motionless and rudderless republicans down.
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:40 PM
Leroy, your metaphorical skills a lacking. They are also are quite sickening.
The only ship the democrats are running is a pirate ship.
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:41 PM
I’m just glad that the Democrats in the White House have their ducks in a row. It’s been a long wait for this kind of bold leadership.
The Team may take a few licks here and there, but their commitment to change is rock solid. I look forward to watching the remaining GOP blowhards wither on the vine.
What ever happened to Erik Paulsen’s balanced budget amendment? All I’ve seen from Erik so far is him reading some prepared statements from the “just say NO” clowns. I hope he has more to offer than that!
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:44 PM
Check out the clips on his website, his delivery is worthy of SNL. Only problem is, he’s serious!
March 24th, 2009 at 12:00 AM
danbrome, unlike Assclown Madia, Paulsen is one of us.
March 24th, 2009 at 5:02 AM
Ironic the only thing the DFL House and Senate agree on is $1.5-$2B in tax increases – or “revenue”. But neither has said where it will come from. They assign Bakk to sort out that particular detail and continue their pointless bickering. The strategy Sertich mentions is probably cutting only the items which, at the end of the unproductive process, are seen to be most important to Republicans. Either that or they cut the items most important to the those Republicans that dare note their pointless jabber. Why else would the Democrats waste time like this? It’s not like they’re accomplishing anything. I sometimes think the Republicans in the House and Senate cannot be given the timely information they need to make informed spending cut proposals.
March 24th, 2009 at 6:36 AM
“Why can the DFL led legislature not come together on a budget proposal?”
Because they are group comprised of independent and strong willed people with lots of different ideas about what to do with Minnesota’s budget deficit. I can tell you from a DFL perspective, the questions isn’t why Democrats agree so little, but rather why Republicans agree so much?
Who do Republican legislators work for? Marty Seifert? Gov. Pawlenty? Or the people who elected them?
“What do you think about the implications for Gubernatorial/potential Gubernatorial candidates?”
The speaker came out way ahead last session, but a lot depends on the outcome of this one. And I think that outcome depends on how successfully the DFL leaders work with the governor. I don’t think the governor cares much who the DFL candidate will be, but like the DFL he has lots of other concerns as well.
March 24th, 2009 at 6:54 AM
Hiram, what is the DFL strategy that Sertich admitted to?
March 24th, 2009 at 7:40 AM
danbrome, your boy lost, ours won. Get over it and quit all the whining and crying. Erik Paulsen won by a wide margin and will hold that seat as long as he wants too.
2010 is looking to be a good year for conservatives so you socialist need to start focusing on what you can get done before then because after that you don’t have a prayer.
March 24th, 2009 at 7:49 AM
“what is the DFL strategy that Sertich admitted to?”
Did I say or imply that Rep. Sertich admitted to a DFL strategy? I don’t think I meant to. As things currently stand, the Republicans in the legislature are a non-factor because they have strong party discipline and are unwilling to carve out positions distinct from the governor. It’s also the case that they don’t speak for the governor, so there is little point in talking to them, since it’s the governor’s approval that’s needed to enact legislation, not the Republican minority’s. Their self-inflicted powerlessness explains why the Republicans have so much free time to hold press conferences, and craft ridiculous amendments which have no hope of passage.
All this is quite apparent when you talk to Republican legislators. When you talk to them about specific legislation, they kind of retreat into a shell, and then ask, have you cleared this on a leadership level? I almost feel embarrassed for them.
March 24th, 2009 at 9:35 AM
Grow’s column has quotes from the who’s who of DFL candidates for Governor, Kelliher, Tarryl Clark, Baak. I think you will see in-fighting in the coming months for the spotlight between DFL legislators who have their eye on the prize.
March 24th, 2009 at 11:15 AM
danbrome says: “Check out the clips on his website, his delivery is worthy of SNL. Only problem is, he’s serious!”
danbrome, you remind us of the SNL character, Lyle – The Effeminate Heterosexual. (Except for the hetero part)
March 24th, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Quicksand-
When you suggest that Paulsen is “one of us” is that a way of saying white male?
That is pretty despicable, even for you.
March 24th, 2009 at 2:29 PM
Leroy Jenkins thinks only white males can be one of us. Talk about a despicable racist.
Leroy is just plain Loopy.
One of us is a patriotic American who does not wish to turn this country into a socialist nightmare.
March 24th, 2009 at 4:03 PM
So, the true patriotic American in that race was the one who did NOT serve in the military?
Pete, you never cease to amaze me with how poorly you can make a point. Seemingly each post is less relevant than the previous.
March 24th, 2009 at 5:29 PM
Serving int he military does not make you a patriot in and of itself. You of all people should know that Leroy.
March 24th, 2009 at 5:34 PM
Glad to see you did not deny that you are a despicable racist Leroy. Confession is good for the soul.
I also see you did not disagree that you and people of your ilk wish to turn this country into a socialist nightmare.
Way to go Leroy, about time you “man up” to these issues.
March 25th, 2009 at 12:14 AM
No, Leroy “not one of us” has nothing to do with race. It meant he’s more suited for the 5th district, you know: Unmemployed, never paid a property tax bill, big fat liar – that sort of thing.
March 25th, 2009 at 2:01 PM
The only 3rd CD candidate to explicitly or implicitly use race to encourage support was Ashwin Madia.
March 26th, 2009 at 10:06 PM
What an absolute race baiting ass you are, Leroy Jenkins. Do you still beat your wife?
March 29th, 2009 at 6:12 PM
With Leroy the word wife will never apply.