Posted: 12/31/07 13:26, Edited: 12/31/07 18:26
by Dave Mindeman
It's time for my second annual "Top 10 Worst Political Persons in Minnesota" diatribe. Oh, I know, I'll get the...why be so negative...or "there must be better things to write about" comments. If that be the case, you are excused from the 2007 list and can read something more uplifting. However, it is hard to look at 2007 in a very positive light. Despite a very hopeful election swing in the 2006 cycle, we still:
A. Have Iraq stretching out indefinitely.
B. Couldn't get any substantial Congressional legislative changes through.
C. Despite big majorities in the Minnesota State Houses, we didn't get any major legislation outside of a "Pawlenty" approved environmental package.
D. A Bridge fell down.
E. And we have a deficit looming....again.
So after all those "upbeat" assessments of the year that was, it is time to look at 10 reasons that contributed to all of that.
10. Rep. Marty Seifert -- The question about Seifert is... can he make a point without props? Master of the one-liner and the NO vote, Seifert has managed to maneuver his little minority caucus into a potent obstructive force when coupled with Pawlenty's veto pen. Unfortunately obstruction is all he does -- issues of transportation, health care, property taxes, education.... nothing gets accomplished. Seifert is the master of doing nothing -- and he does it oh, so well.
9. Rep. Mark Olson -- Somehow, Rep. Olson, can't seem to take a hint. Numerous calls for his resignation and an unceremonious booting by his own caucus weren't big enough hints, because he still occupies his chair. His bizarre court testimony and subsequent conviction on misdemeanor domestic assualt should make for interesting campaign issues. He says he will run again despite all of it. Oh well, shouldn't have too much trouble finding a broom closet to hold his caucus meetings.
8. SOS Mark Ritchie -- Well, well, looks like we are going bi-partisan this year. Ritchie let his ambition get in the way of....smart politics. Always looking for another way to raise money, Ritchie ventured into the forbidden territory of mixing campaign funding with his government job. He truly made Brodkorb's job way too easy. But the main reason he is on this list is: he lied. Politicians panic when they get caught in the cookie jar and just like your average 5 year old, they always try to hide it. Still, in spite of his transgression, Kiffmeyer was far worse. As I have said before, get politics out of the SOS job and make it an appointed position.
7. Sen. Dick Day -- Dick Day will probably vault to the top of the list next year, because he is embarking on, what will probably be, one of the most divisive Congressional campaigns in Minnesota history. He has latched onto the immigration issue with such a vengence that you would almost think he was phoning it in from Arizona. Backed by a lot of Hubbard money, Day (who still has to win endorsement) will be going after Tim Walz with the GOP patented fear and smear tactics in a big way. Funny how Dastardly Dick hardly ever mentioned immigration during his Senate career -- and as minority leader, he certainly had ample opportunity. Well, it looks like he is about to become Tancredo North. Its gonna get ugly.
6. Rep. John Kline -- I have been trying to figure out what it is, John Kline does all day. He takes all of his foreign policy votes from White House memos. He doesn't hold any district meetings for constituents. And now he won't sponsor any 2nd Congressional District funding projects. We could stick any mannequin in a uniform up there in Washington and accomplish the same thing. Gasp! You don't suppose......
5. Minnesota Majority/Tracy Eberly -- These are placed together because of one thing: racism. It is one thing to have disagreements on policy and with right wing blogs and groups, name calling is sometimes the only argument they know how to use. But it is quite another to use blatant racism. Eberly's screed about Native Americans titled "Dirt Worshipping Heathens" got a lot of attention and was generally condemned on all sides of the spectrum. It is still on the "Anti-Strib" blog, although some comments have been added to "explain" it somewhat. Then there is Minnesota Majority, a new right wing group promoting their idea of "values", which had this on their website:
"Black women, for a variety of reasons, are more prone to underweight babies than are Caucasian and Asian women. It is not surprising that Sweden has a lower infant mortality rate, or that Japan has a longer life expectancy than the United States does. They are nearly racially pure: we are not."
You won't find the "racially pure" reference any more; they softened the language but the underlying innuendo remains. Racism is simply not acceptable in any forum.
4. Tim Pawlenty -- Pawlenty's veto pen has put Minnesota in a quandry. Without new revenue.... education, health care, and especially tranportation issues... are not keeping up with the need. Pawlenty is waiting for the next economic boom to fix it for him but his policies are reducing jobs and economic activity....creating deficits and uncertainty. He and the legislature have opposite agendas which is not conducive to compromise. His positve environmental initiatives keep him from vaulting to the top of this list but without corresponding transportation initiatives, it is hard to make real progress in emissions and air quality.
3. Michael Brodkorb -- The MDE (Minnesota Democrats Exposed) blogger was #1 last year but moved down this year because his act is getting a little old. His rants about Al Franken go on and on and on.... Some of the quotes he digs up go back to the mid 1970's; heck, I don't know of anyone who wants to be held accountable for stuff they said in the 70's and 80's. And then, Brodkorb treats the statements of surrogates as if they are quotes from the candidate himself. The quotes about Larry David were hardly unusual for the Seinfeld creator -- how the Franken campaign is supposed to control every supporter is ridiculous. Then there was the attack on Terri Bonoff for stumbling over words in a speech....that was a little desperate. Still the main stream media picks up on this stuff and makes everybody comment on it.... so Brodkorb gets his wish. Throw enough mud and some of it is bound to stick.
We have a tie for #1 this year. Couldn't figure out who was worse, so they will share the "honor":
T-1: Michele Bachmann: The evangelical and right wing darling lived up to her unpredictable description in 2007. From the Presidential kiss to the "secret" plan for Iraq from Iran, Bachmann found her way into the news over and over. She has been less controversial lately because she has kept her comments to herself, but she has let her votes do the talking. Votes against SCHIP and for the Iraq War dominate her partisan outlook. But her recent votes against the funding for the I-35 Bridge are the most mystifying. Exactly how does she define representation? Right now it seems to mean -- check the White House talking points and then vote accordingly. Maybe that "star crossed" infatuation with the decider in chief has affected her judgment. Oh well, maybe God will intervene. The Lord can still overrule Bush can't she?
T-1: Carol Molnau: What Bachmann does at the Federal level, Molnau has duplicated for the state of Minnesota. It can certainly be argued that she is just administering the Governor's policy, but there are a couple of things to consider. First, Molnau was a big MnDOT critic before she became Commissioner. She accepted the dual position of Lt. Governor and Commissioner with relish. She took on MnDOT and managed to turn everything upside down. Oh, she finally got her precious Hwy 212 project going; but the Wakota Bridge, the Crosstown project, the stalled repair projects... have all put MnDOT under a dark cloud. I won't blame the I-35 Bridge collapse on her....but, the bidding process was horrible; the fights with the legislature on funding are horrible; and the stonewalling of information is indefensible.
Secondly, Molnau, as Commissioner of Transportation, can't separate herself from Molnau, Lt. Governor and administration lackey. A Commissioner is supposed to advocate for her department... Molnau advocated for Pawlenty policies. The department took the cuts and the revenue shortfalls while Molnau stood by silently. Some people believe that the absence of Molnau wouldn't change anything. I'm not so sure. A full time Commissioner who believes in the Department would be a vast improvement.... in morale if nothing else.
There were others that didn't make the cut:
Honorable Mentions:
Amy Klobuchar -- hasn't yet met a FISA bill she didn't like.
Sonia Morphew Pitt -- only bilked the state out of thousands. Not enough to make the top ten.
Diane Mandernach -- Taking the "public" out of public health.
Ron Carey -- only Carey could talk about the 2006 GOP election debacle as if it were a positive.
Margaret Anderson Kelliher -- Despite a huge majority to work with, she led her caucus timidly. I can't forgive that last minute, end of session, Transportation Bill override debacle.
Yes, 2007 was quite the year....here's to a better 2008.
And to begin, it's off to Iowa to watch the caucuses unfold....
