Almanac: At the Capitol

• It should come as no surprise to readers here that there was a strong undercurrent among some of the audience that the decline in news coverage from the two papers meant the end to informed citizens and policy-makers. One audience member went so far as to suggest that the public "scared" him and he couldn't stand the thought of them playing a stronger role through blogs, etc.


• Well — I've spent time with the public and most of them inspire me. What scares and concerns me is when "experts" see journalism as simply the broadcasting of information through the radio waves or through newsprint to an ignorant public. Rather than seeing it as the collection of information and the distillation of information into knowledge for a public that is trying to pay attention and who's intuitive insight on policy is really pretty good.


• We're clearly moving into a new era, but we don't fully have the infrastructure in place to realize the potential of this new era.


• Again, none of this is not necessarily insight. But I can see the consequences of this transition in gaps in public affairs reporting which aren't sufficiently made up for in non-mainstream media. Examples?


• The under-reporting of the proposed moratorium on charter schools. What's really behind the issue, and what does this say about the status of public education reform and improvement in Minnesota?


• The potential for "good news" in the mental health reform proposals. While this has received some notice, no one to my knowledge has looked into the policy process that has helped to produce this opportunity. It's a hopeful model for other tough issues.

As the "Battle at the Capitol" comes to a head in the coming weeks, it is unlikely Republican Governor Tim Palwenty will lose much sleep over his differences with the DFL legislature — at least not insofar as his political standing and political future within the state is concerned. With every stroke of his veto pen, Pawlenty could actually enhance his support statewide, and deepen his popularity among independents and conservatives.

For starters, Pawlenty began this session with some pretty solid numbers demonstrating support for him statewide — despite winning a narrow gubernatorial race last November. Pawlenty defeated Mike Hatch in 5 of the state's 8 congressional districts, even though only 3 Republicans headed to Washington after the vote. Pawlenty also won 41 of Minnesota's 67 Senate districts (61 percent) — including 18 districts that were carried by the DFL.

Secondly, Pawlenty has maintained a strong job approval rating throughout the first three months of the session — hovering in the mid- to high-50s, with disapproval marks now dipping below 40 percent (SurveyUSA, March 2007).

Thirdly, Minnesotans will likely view a Pawlenty veto as the act of a strong executive. When the Humphrey Institute asked a series of questions on candidate image in a poll of likely voters a week before the election, Pawlenty scored very high on "providing strong leadership," with less than 25 percent of Minnesotans giving him negative marks on this measure. In fact, Pawlenty was seen as more strong than honest and more strong than caring in that poll. Even if a majority of Minnesotans disagree with Pawlenty on the details and substance of a bill, they will probably not be tuned in closely enough to find fault with the Governor for vetoing such legislation. What they will take away from a veto is the image of their Governor 'standing up' to the DFL legislature, and demonstrating 'strong leadership' on these issues. By contrast, President George W. Bush was frequently berated for not vetoing a single spending bill that crossed his desk during his first term.

If it seems as though Pawlenty might face a political backlash in vetoing DFL legislation, that is perhaps because he works in a media market that happens to be overwhelmingly Democratic (Pawlenty lost to Hatch by 35 points in the 5th Congressional district and by 14 points in the 4th). True, Minnesotans elected strong DFL majorities into the legislature, but they also sent Pawlenty back to St. Paul; and many voters did both.

Pawlenty is the face of Minnesota politics and his political defiance of the DFL will enhance his credibility as an executive who can make tough decisions. If you are a DFL-er, don't expect his popularity to take a hit anytime soon, so long as his ink well doesn't run dry.

Under the Guise of "Doing the People's Work"

It's amazing that the broad bipartisanship witnessed recently in the House has actually been bipartisan opposition to the DFL agenda. Then Omnibus State Government Finance Bill squeaked out with the bare 68 votes it needed for passage, despite a gigantic 85 seat majority in the House.

On Friday, the House will take up the Omnibus Tax Increasing bill of the DFL. Not one Republican will support the bill, just as not one supported the State Government Finance Bill. However, you will see DFLers tripping over each other to be "let off" on this vote. If there is such a high demand for tax increases, one would think that all DFLers would support that tax increase. The bill is above and beyond just taxing job creators. The bill raises taxes on hockey tickets, tobacco, employers, dead people and more.

While my good friends in the majority had some good provisions in a few of their bills, there's no doubt that a series of problems remain and unless addressed seriously, will result in a series of vetoes.

No one has said the sky is falling, but Republicans have urged fiscal restraint, common sense, a balanced long term budget and consensus over partisanship. The DFL looks like they are headed down the road of not constructively working to get mutual budget ceiling targets agreed upon with Republicans. Perhaps I'm wrong, but Friday will be the telltale if they are going to the fantasy route of having bills getting vetoed and sustained and then starting over in May. There will be a need for new bills, but much of the old legislation can be amended onto bills sitting on the general register. These bills are called vehicles. This can be done quickly, since the Democrats have more vehicles than Denny Hecker lying around the legislature.

I'd ask my DFL friends to lay down their partisan swords, flush the political poison pills down the toilet and work with the Governor and my caucus to bring a fruitful conclusion to our session. The people of Minnesota deserve and expect more.