Tarryl, Let Me Explain It To You
According to this article, Tarryl Clark said that it’s difficult to figure out where Gov. Pawlenty is at with the special session. Here’s her exact quote:
“It’s been tough to figure exactly where he’s at,” she said.If Gov. Pawlenty’s position on the special session has been difficult to figure out, it’s because the DFL leadership kept pushing for an ‘all-inclusive’ special session, one which would allow them to refight the battles that they lost last session.
*This statement is truly remarkable, in that it shows the mentality of Gross (but hopefully not of his party) that Republicans are in this game not to improve the state or the lives of its people. Rather, they exist only to "win" the game. It seems a very disheartening sign that people such as Gross are out there counting things in terms of wins and losses rather than in what ideas and measures are good for Minnesota or the country.
Gov. Pawlenty’s position was simply that he wasn’t ruling things out because he’d hoped that the DFL leadership would agree to be reasonable. That didn’t turn out to be the case. Throughout the entire thing, he held fast to the need to limit the session to emergency items only. Now the DFL leadership caved and they’re saying that they can’t figure out what Gov. Pawlenty wants. (Perhaps that’s a hint that the current leadership is clueless? Or possibly dishonest? Or both?)
*Reasonable? It is quite amusing when someone such as Gary uses the word reasonable because it does not mean reasonable in the sense that most people would use it (compromise to reach an agreement). He uses it to mean that the only way the DFL can be considered reasonable is if they do whatever the Governor wants them to do. Also, you have to love the two options he gives about the DFL leadership, both negative! Is advocating ones position either clueless or dishonest? This is part of the problem with politics today, it is no longer about positing ideas and positions, examining the ideas and positions of others, and coming to an amicable agreement using the best ideas of both sides. For Gary, and others like him, it is purely about "winning" at the expense of any compromise or the valid ideas of others.
DFLers are not looking for a gas tax increase, metro sales tax increase, nor a bonding bill, she said. Democrats look to dollars left unspent last session as a result of gubernatorial vetoes as a funding pool that can be tapped for the bridge and flood relief, Clark explained.
Clark opined that the House and Senate DFL leaders will be able to keep their caucus in line during a special session.
This is proof positive that the DFL caved on a special session. I can’t believe that their activists are happy with the ‘returns’ they’re getting for their hard work. Let’s put this in perspective. These activists were rejoicing on Election Night. Since then, they’ve seen Larry Pogemiller, Steve Murphy, Tarryl Clark, Speaker Kelliher, Phyllis Khan and Tony Sertich get spanked by Gov. Pawlenty, Marty Seifert and the House GOP in the regular session, then watch them get whipped over the special session, too.
*Again, the idea that compromise equates to losing comes through loud and clear in the writings of Mr. Gross. That the DFL is simply trying to come to an amicable agreement so that a special session can occur, even if that means throwing some wishes aside, is unfathomable to him because "winning" is the only purpose.
Larry Pogemiller was rumored to be walking on eggshells towards the end of the regular session. After this embarrassing defeat, he’s gotta be thinking that he’s walking on thin ice. It isn’t a stretch to think that his political career is circling the drain as we speak.
*A defeat? How can the practice of representative government ever be considered a defeat unless one is so blinded by partisanship that they simply cannot see the value in working together to improve our state.
This year has been a good year for the GOP in Minnesota. More importantly, it’s been a good year for Minnesota’s taxpayers, who’ve been spared the additional burden of billions of dollars of tax increases, thanks to the steadfastness of our goalie, the House Republicans and GOP activists statewide.
I’d venture a guess that we wouldn’t be talking about the great string of achievements if the groundwork hadn’t fallen into place early in the regular session.
*Amazingly, this is the only instance in which Gary shows the slightest interest for the people of Minnesota over the myopic interests of his party. Whether I agree with his stance on the outcome of the regular session is irrelevant. I would much rather Gary focus on his ideas about taxes and their cost or benefit to Minnesotans than this constant win/loss partisan message. However, it becomes increasingly difficult to solve big problems when more and more people such as Gary refuse to see the value in compromise and see the world only in terms of their ideas even when presented with evidence to the contrary.
1 Response to "Fisking a Fisker!"
That's a sloppy bit of commentary. When I used the term "winning the battles of the regular session", I was simply saying that special sessions shouldn't be used for things that properly belong to regular sessions.
I'll stand by my statement that the DFL gets spanked in November 2008 because it isn't possible to compromise with a tax-increase hungry bunch of radical lefties. The only way to get the $5.5 billion tax increases off the table is by getting them from their agenda-setting role as the majority party in the House.