Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The candidates come to the Neighborhood - Part 3 - The Smartest Man in the Room


There is widespread discontent with the direction of government right now. The sense many people have is that the political system is dysfunctional and the political class has not been paying attention. That makes this moment a dangerous time to be a career politician. There is no doubt that Marty Seifert is a career politician. He is only 37 years old, but has been a member of the state legislature since 1996. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily.


While vision and inspiring rhetoric are essential tools of the political trade, there is no question that understanding the inner workings of government is a serious advantage. And if you listen to Marty Seifert for even a minute, it becomes evident that he understands many, many things. His intelligence is obvious and almost daunting, but he's not the sort to throw around a ten-dollar word when a two-bit one will do. His words are measured, well-chosen and sensible and his mind is razor sharp. He has met many people within the Republican Party apparat during his tenure and he remembers them all. He's the kind of person who has an internal outline that he follows and he is able to turn his knowledge into an understandable example, seemingly at will.

More importantly, Marty Seifert can give you all the examples you need. He provided the audience at Lakeside Homes specific examples of governmental decisions that have adversely affected people, and he told us in detail what the impacts were. If you want to know why Marvin Windows chose to open a facility in North Dakota, Marty Seifert knows the story. If you want to know why a vodka distillery would open in Iowa rather than in Windom, Marty can identify the ridiculous tax that drove the business elsewhere. If you want to know why high-tech laboratory jobs slated for Rochester are being performed in Tennessee, Seifert can pinpoint the "provider tax" that drove the work away. Marty Seifert also knows why these things are happening, because he has been in the arena and has been a participant in, and often an opponent of, the legislation that caused these dislocations to take place.


Because of Seifert's intelligence and organization, he was able to rise in the legislature to the position of Minority Leader and he was often a highly effective one. Because of his lengthy tenure in the legislature, he's cast some votes that cause conservatives heartburn, especially votes involving energy policy. Seifert's opponents have hung these votes around his neck and it has hurt him, especially in tandem with the widespread perception that as a career politician, Seifert has been part of the problem that Minnesota faces.


And yet it's not quite that simple. It is easier to maintain ideological purity when you are simply a member of the legislature and not part of the leadership. In some cases, Seifert was carrying water for a governor of his own party, a governor who has been an uncertain trumpet on a number of issues near and dear to conservatives. And there is no disputing that having encyclopedic knowledge of both the issues and the personalities in St. Paul is potentially a huge advantage for an executive. If Marty Seifert were elected governor, he would have no illusions about the challenges he would face and would have a keen understanding of his opponents.


One thing that doesn't help Seifert is that he doesn't have the charisma that his opponent, Tom Emmer has. Seifert comes across as smart, serious and focused, but he doesn't inspire the kind of fervor that a natural politician like Tom Emmer can. Marty Seifert has made the heavy lifting of politics his life's work and he has served the state very well. But will his resume be enough, in a time where vision seems to be required? That's the question we'll ask next.


Marty Seifert's website is SeifertForGovernor.com.


Next: Vision or Clarity

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