- For the first time in the 20 years I've lived in the state, the DFL will have total control. They will now control both houses of the legislature and all of the executive branch offices -- governor, secretary of state, attorney general. The Republican Party has nothing. Will the DFL use its power wisely? I know how I'm betting on that one.
- I'm especially surprised that the Voter ID amendment failed, since it's clearly the right thing to do. I suspect the ad that featured Gov. Dayton and our quisling former Governor Arne Carlson was especially effective. They told Minnesota to "send it back to the legislature." Of course, with the legislature we're going to have, it won't see the light of day. The DFL has no interest in ensuring voter integrity, so we won't have any chance of seeing it in Minnesota until 2017 at the earliest. While the GOP could flip the executive offices and the house in 2014 back to its control, the senate will stay in DFL hands until the 2016 cycle.
- Taxes are going to go up, potentially a lot. Dayton and his pals have big plans and they aren't going to be able to pursue any of them unless they get rich people to pay their fair share, or so they think. Rich people have options, and one of the options is to get out of Dodge. While Mark Dayton is incapable of learning that lesson, the rest of us are likely to find out why the mobility of capital has implications for this state, sooner rather than later.
- The failure of the marriage amendment is less surprising. Bottom line is we'll have gay marriage in Minnesota, probably within a year -- the pending court case in Hennepin County will see to that. I really dislike it when these sorts of questions are decided by the judiciary, because it really never settles the issue. Forty years on, we're still arguing about Roe v. Wade. There's a right way to do these things and we've now pretty much assured that we won't get a clean resolution, unless the all-DFL state government decides to make gay marriage the law of the state. And I'm guessing they won't do that.
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Picking at the Bones -- Local Edition
Minnesota is a different place today. That's the main takeaway from last night's vote. How so:
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9 comments:
Not apropo of MN's result, but we talked about what would be proven wrong in the polling - the turnout model or the definition/allocation of independent voters. A day later and we know the answer.
Romney did well with independents but no where near the levels that pollsters suggested. Romney won independents by 10 in Ohio & Virginia. But that was about his best performance in the swing states (Nevada was +8 among indies for Romney).
Because the pollsters got the topline of their polls right, they're not going to care much about how badly they botched the crosstabs.
Complain if you want about the Carlson/Dayton ad, but the big problem with the amendment was the "substantially equivalent" language. Nobody knows what in blazes that would have meant. Having worked to defeat the proposed amendment, I came to appreciate how much many supporters desired more security in our elections. While I believe their fears to be misplaced, I nevertheless appreciate them, and would encourage the incoming legislature to consider ways that they might address those fears while avoiding the negative consequences that the proposed amendment would have caused.
While I believe their fears to be misplaced, I nevertheless appreciate them, and would encourage the incoming legislature to consider ways that they might address those fears while avoiding the negative consequences that the proposed amendment would have caused.
Encourage all you want, pal -- not a chance in hell that Voter ID will even surface in upcoming legislature.
And I suspect you know it.
The one aspect where I can take heart is the seemingly "deep bench" of the national GOP. With young up and comers like Bobby Jindal, Marco Rubio, Susannah Martinez, Mia Love and Paul Ryan, there is definitely hope. All these individuals bring great ideas to the table. I just hope and pray our country is still salvageable in four years.
I think there is a chance that WI Governor Scott Walker and the Republican Assembly and Senate might organize the militia and pull a sneak attack in an effort to annex parts of MN while these DFL folks are playing with themselves in St. Paul. Both sides of the river would be a good start.
What happens when the increased taxes do not yield near the revenue the Daytonistas will be counting on? They wouldn't resort to across the board tax hikes to make up the "shortfall", would they?
What happens when the increased taxes do not yield near the revenue the Daytonistas will be counting on? They wouldn't resort to across the board tax hikes to make up the "shortfall", would they?
No, that would never happen, Steve. You can trust Mark Dayton.
look at today's California to see what MN will be tomorrow.
good luck.
look at today's California to see what MN will be tomorrow.
good luck.
California, indeed.
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