Endless supply of goalposts

The focus group must have come back:

Gov. Mark Dayton on Monday surrendered in his fight to undo or delay a new law that strips much of the authority from the elected state auditor, likely clearing the way for a special legislative session soon to resolve the unfinished state budget.

With 9,400 state workers on notice for a July 1 temporary layoff in the absence of new budget bills, Dayton said in an afternoon news conference that he could no longer prolong the standoff with House Republicans over the auditor issue.

Dayton handled his capitulation with his usual grace and goodwill:

“I’ve learned before, I can never match the intransigence of Republican legislators,” Dayton said, specifically noting the 2011 partial state government shutdown that lasted three weeks until the DFL governor finally agreed to a budget that adhered to GOP demands.

Of course, Dayton had to move the goalposts again:

Dayton has not yet called a special session. He said three disagreements remain between him and House Republicans in the clutch of budget bills that would be up in the special session.

Specifically, Dayton wants $5 million total for two programs: one to help Minnesotans with disabilities find employment, the other to prevent homelessness among the mentally ill. He wants House Republicans to drop their insistence on cutting a tax incentive for people who power homes or businesses with solar or wind energy. And he’s seeking changes to a Senate DFL plan intended to help the taconite and forest products industries in northeastern Minnesota with utility rates, which he said would lower electric rates for large businesses at the expense of residential and small-business customers.

That last one seems like a poke in the eye to Tom Bakk, the leader of the DFL-controlled Senate, who has been mostly sitting on the sidelines in this round of negotiations. A few other thoughts:

• The auditor issue is mostly amusing. The reason that Auditor Rebecca Otto is so worried is that her office probably can't compete with private auditing firms. Both Dayton and Arne Carlson held the auditor office before they became governor, so it's potentially a springboard to the higher office, but there's almost no chance that Otto, a time server with the charisma of a lint brush, would have much of a chance of following that path. If there were a more promising DFL figure in that office, I suspect Dayton's handlers would not have let him sign the bill. I can envision a role for the auditor's office that would mimic the role that James Nobles plays in the legislature, but at this point there's little reason for the office to exist as it performs now, as a backwater patronage holding pen. We did get rid of the state treasurer position a few years back, so eliminating a constitutional office is possible, despite what bien pensant and local media Rolodex pundit David Schultz thinks.
• Speaking of handlers, have you noticed how prominent Lt. Governor Tina Smith is? You see her in nearly every Dayton photo opportunity these days. A lot of us on the starboard side have speculated that Dayton will not serve his entire term and it's quite interesting that Smith is so visible. I don't recall seeing Yvonne Prettner Solon, Smith's predecessor, standing next to Dayton at much of anything.
• I remain impressed with Speaker Daudt, who has not taken the bait. He's a lot cooler customer than some of his predecessors in the Republican leadership.