Category: Health Care

by Dave Mindeman

As if there aren't enough good reasons to pass the health care reform bill, another one has been provided...and its a good one.

According to comments the entertainer (Rush Limbaugh) and one-man political oppression movement made on his radio show today, Limbaugh told a caller to his show that he would think nothing of moving to Costa Rica should the Obama administration succeed in pushing through health care reform that is rumored to cost one trillion dollars by providing coverage to 30 million Americans presently ‘flying naked’, without any form of coverage.

Oh, please, please, pass the bill.

And you know what the final irony is?

Interestingly, Costa Rica offers universal health care to it’s residents.

But do they have enough Vicodin?

Category: GOP Politics

by Dave Mindeman

The Emmer vs. Seifert free for all on the GOP side of the governor's race is heating up. Both sides are capable of some prolific attack dog politics. And it will get nasty.

It is gradually developing into a conservative base vs. party establishment fight. Emmer is increasingly drawing endorsements and support from conservative bloggers, conservative activists, and conservative leadership. Seifert has support from old line party leadership and the more traditional Republican base.

The two have developed a recent history. Emmer had challenged Seifert for Minority Leader a few years back and then refused to vote for him for Speaker in 2009. Emmer has been waiting awhile for this opportunity and he is cashing in.

Add to all of this the fact that delegate strength to the convention is nearly evenly divided and you have the makings of an old style, no holds barred, nasty party convention.

It is noteworthy that Seifert has been particularly critical of Emmer's voting record of late. The in-depth research style has the definite ring of a Brodkorb type tactic. Although the former MDE attack blogger has been careful to be neutral in his capacity as party deputy chair, his fingerprints are almost detectable in the current Seifert strategy.

Looking over the general Republican landscape, let me make a speculation...and mind you this is only an opinion.

The conservatives are putting a vested interest in Emmer. He is emerging as their consensus choice. Emmer has a wind at his back as he makes his case for the convention.

If Seifert manages to wrest the nomination away from Emmer in a bloody convention, you will see a party that will go into the fall campaign divided. A conservative backlash might just stop the conservatives from coalescing around Seifert, reducing his turn out and possibly moving toward some other third party or maybe even forming one.

Emmer may have a better chance of holding the party together but he is going to carry some baggage as well.

There will be blood.

Category: GOP Politics

by Dave Mindeman

Chalk this one up to another solution in search of a problem... while possibly creating a different one on its own.

Sen. Chris Gerlach, of Apple Valley, proposed a bill which would do the following:

The Apple Valley Republican was proposing that for people who come to the polls to vote without proof of residence, they be given a provisional ballot — be allowed to vote — but also required to come back with valid proof of residency. In the meantime, their ballot would be held but not counted until residency was established.

Republicans seem to continue to believe that there is some kind of massive voter fraud being perpetrated by Minnesota citizens. But, as memory serves, it would seem that we examined this particular issue ad nauseum in the Coleman-Franken Senate race trial. Yet, strangely enough, amidst all the investigations and examinations, voter fraud was not found.

Minnesota has one of the best track records in the nation for both voter turnout and voter access. In many instances, academics who teach proper voting procedure, use Minnesota as a model.

I will grant you that the absentee voting system that came under the microscope in 2008 and made its way through the entire court system, had its flaws. But the flaws were never classified as improper voter intent. No, the problems were in the tabulation process and how election officials applied the law in their own jurisdiction.

There is no question in my mind that even this problem will be corrected completely and Minnesota's election system will be better than ever.

Yet, the GOP continues to make attempt after attempt to put obstacles in the way of Minnesota voters.

Again, during the US Senate election trial, no illegal resident voting was brought to the attention of the court.

Minnesota's same day registration has been time tested and a testament to the idealistic "every vote counts" refrain. Provisional ballotting and extensive proof of residency requirements are a subtle method of voter suppression.

Minnesota is better than that... and more to the point, the problem that this bill was supposed to address does not exist.

It failed in committee on an 8-4 majority nay vote.