May 3-4, 2011
May 03 02:09 Making 2012 Predictions Already is Foolish May 03 03:57 Gov. Dayton, DFL Lack of Leadership is Showing May 03 06:17 Rep. Thissen's Lack of Leadership Legacy May 03 18:27 Why Does the NLRB Hate South Carolina? May 04 01:37 Shocking: DFL Already Complaining About Redistricting May 04 03:26 House Redistricting Committee Hearing Observations May 04 09:28 Why Should We Trust the DFL?
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Making 2012 Predictions Already is Foolish
Already, people are predicting that the presidential race is everything but officially over. If the predictions are as persuasive as this article , then it's time to filter out these predictions. Check out this logic:
1) Obama got his man. Nothing irks Republicans so much as a Democrat they can't paint as being soft on crime or terrorism. Obama's hit on Osama Bin Laden will go down as one of the most masterful military operations in American history. No one is shooting this sheriff.
2) The GOP doesn't have their man. Or woman. For all the fire and brimstone of the Tea Party movement in the 2010 mid-term elections, the Republicans have not yet produced a viable candidate for 2012. Sarah Palin, who has the best brand recognition, the goodwill of conservatives, and the added bonus of being a woman, has phased herself out of the running with each attempt to cash in on her fame. Michelle Bachman is too crazy even for the crazies. Trump has been slapped back into reality (TV) by Obama's one-two combination: the Correspondents Dinner and the killing of Osama bin Laden. Mitt Romney is about the only sane one, and he has all the mojo of a dead fish. Unless Bloomberg decides to run as a Republican, it ain't gonna happen for them.
3) The economy is looking up. We know that sensible people disagree on this assertion. But if you look at the general direction of the important indicators, the odds are in Obama's favor as the sitting president who presided over a miraculous recovery, albeit incomplete.
4) They've got no way to get Black and Latino voters. With the census data going the way it is, its increasingly difficult to win national elections without people of color. And now that the 'birther' movement has made it clear that brown and black skinned people, no matter how high they rise in American society, may be called upon to prove their citizenship, Republicans have basically told young multiculturals that they are not welcome in the party, nor in their vision of the nation.
5) Fox News needs ratings. A Republican in the White House will deprive Fox News of its cherished target. And with Glenn Beck on the wane, can they really afford to let Fox wither?
The person that wrote this isn't dealing with reality. The economy is looking up? Who knew? I would've bet the proverbial ranch that Q1 2011 GDP of 1.8% is proof that the economy is heading for the crapper . I would've bet that JP Morgan's downgrading their GDP for 2011 to 1.4% and Macroeconomic Advisers downgrading its GDP to 1.7% was proof that the economy is heading in the wrong direction for re-election.
That's before talking about rising gas prices serving as a weekly reminder to people of how expensive life is. That's before talking about how the CPI hit its 2 1/2 year high last week. The economy is doing anything except heading in the right direction for President Obama's re-election.
There's no arguing that President Obama gets the credit for signing off on the attack that ended UBL's life. It's still to early to tell whether President Obama will get a lasting bump from this or whether his bump will be short-lived.
I'm betting that the bin Laden bump won't last beyond the second refill of the car or the second trip through the grocery store.
I'm not minimizing the killing of bin Laden. It's a welcome boost in the nation's morale. I'm just arguing that it won't have the lasting effect that a stumbling economy or high inflation will have.
I'm betting that President Obama won't be re-elected if the economy doesn't pick up significantly. He can be proud of this accomplishment but this alone won't put him over the top.
Posted Tuesday, May 3, 2011 2:09 AM
Comment 1 by eric z. at 03-May-11 07:31 AM
The press justifies its existence by such stuff. It will continue, and it will continue to be largely irrelevant. You are correct, Gary.
Gov. Dayton, DFL Lack of Leadership is Showing
If anything is apparent about this year's session, it's that DFL legislators are getting annoyed with GOP legislators who won't do what the DFL tells them they should do. Check out this exchange between Rep. Winkler and Rep. Banaian:
Winkler proposed to change House rules to prevent the House from passing constitutional amendments until Governor Dayton signs the budget into law. Winkler then asked several first-term Republicans to highlight what their constituents think is the top priority of the session. Nearly all of them responded that job creation and the state budget are the top priorities. But some said that didn't mean they couldn't address other matters.
"Jobs and the economy are important," Rep. King Banaian, R-St. Cloud, said. "They also believe that we follow the constitution. Which means we do have the right to listen to other bills while we're waiting for the governor and his commissioners to show up and actually work with us in the conference committees."
Someone should check Rep. Winkler's back to check for treadmarks because King bulldozed Rep. Winkler with that reply.
If the Republicans' numbers are off as much as Gov. Dayton claims and if the conference committee reports for the budget aren't moving along, isn't it Gov. Dayton's obligation to step in and kickstart the budget process?
Let's stipulate first that a leader wouldn't sit on the sidelines and complain. They'd jump into the middle of things and start directing traffic until the right things got accomplished. Leaders don't just hope for the best.
Rep. Winkler's PR stunt provides me with the opportunity to ask why Gov. Dayton isn't having his commissioners attend the conference committees. Wouldn't that give Gov. Dayton a better chance of influencing the conference committee reports? I'm also curious why Gov. Dayton is just sitting on the sidelines complaining about the GOP doing this or not doing that.
Gov. Dayton told KSTP's Tom Hauser that alot of people voted for him. As governor, it's his affirmative responsibility to fight for those people. Instead of fighting for Minnesotans by actively participating in conference committee negotiations, Gov. Dayton is taking a sit-on-the-sidelines, innocent bystander role.
That isn't what leaders do. That's what complainers and followers do.
I'm betting that Rep. Winkler won't try pulling that obvious of a PR stunt the next time he tangles with King. When Rep. Winkler attempted to belittle GOP freshmen, King stepped into the fight and showed everyone that, in a fight between King and Rep. Winkler, it's apparent that King has gravitas, Rep. Winkler doesn't.
This statement isn't totally accurate:
Dayton is proposing to increase income taxes on Minnesota's top earners to erase a $5 billion budget deficit.
It isn't that Mr. Scheck is lying. It's that he didn't add "and increase spending" to the end of the sentence. It isn't that Gov. Dayton just wants to balance the budget.
It's that he wants to balance the budget and increase spending by 20+ percent. In fact, Gov. Dayton wants to spend $3,000,000,000 more this biennium than the DFL legislature spent when we had a $2,163,000,000 surplus in 2007.
If solving the budget is Gov. Dayton's top priority, why hasn't he instructed his commissioners to start negotiations with conference committee chairs yet? They've certainly been invited to participate. If Gov. Dayton's highest priority is solving the deficit problem, his administration should be negotiating.
If Gov. Dayton's highest priority is complaining, he can stay sitting on the sidelines. That's an awfully odd approach to take for someone who's got a litany of complaints.
If Gov. Dayton and Rep. Winkler want to lead, they have to get involved in the negotiations. If they just want to complain without providing leadership, they're heading down the right path.
Something tells me that their constituents want more from them than sitting on the sidelines complaining.
Posted Tuesday, May 3, 2011 3:57 AM
Comment 1 by eric z. at 03-May-11 07:29 AM
Dayton? The Governor of No? My oh my. When will the finger pointing stop?
Comment 2 by C Quigley at 03-May-11 07:40 AM
The finger pointing will stop when the DFL quits sucking on their thumbs and whining they aren't getting their way. If you don't like what is going on, submit something better, don't try and do an end around the process.
Rep. Thissen's Lack of Leadership Legacy
It's getting annoying hearing Rep. Thissen whine about the GOP's bills' shortcomings, especially considering the fact that Rep. Thissen hasn't offered a constructive piece of legislation yet this session. Now he's gone too far, accusing Rep. Gottwalt of being a liar:
Rep. Gottwalt's alleged offense? He's accurately said that the Dayton budget for the 2012-2013 biennium increases state government spending by 22% over the 2010-2011 biennium. Rep. Gottwalt's statement is 100% accurate and verifiable.
During the current biennium, state spending will be approximately $30,500,000,000. Gov. Dayton's budget, which still hasn't found a DFL legislator to sponsor the bill, calls for spending over $37,000,000,000 during the 2012-2013 biennium.
What's most obnoxious about Rep. Thissen's statement is that he said that he isn't impugning anyone's motives, that he's just stating a fact. That isn't what he's doing and he knows it. Rep. Thissen should be sanctioned ASAP for insisting that Rep. Gottwalt is lying.
Let's show people how unproductive Rep. Thissen has been this session:
HF307-- Minneapolis; Phillips Community Center swimming pool renovation funding provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HF345-- School finance system modified, new education funding framework created, and income tax schedule changes made.
HF383-- Radiation therapy facility construction moratorium extended, and exception to moratorium provided.
HF488-- Voluntary, full-day kindergarten funding authorized.
HF646-- Reproductive privacy right established.
HF766-- Spousal contribution required for long-term care expenses.
HF1182-- High-risk adult demonstration project continuation money appropriated.
HF1249-- United States Congress and the President of the United States urged to reorder federal spending priorities.
HF1303-- Revenue-based filing fee gradually adjusted beginning in fiscal year 2014.
HF1438-- Health insurance benefits required to be made available to domestic partners of state employees if they are also made available to spouses.
Conspicuously absent from the bills Rep. Thissen has co-sponsored are Gov. Dayton's budget and Gov. Dayton's bonding bill.
Rep. Thissen, sitting on the sidelines and constantly complaining isn't leadership. That isn't even contributing. That's just whining. If you didn't put concrete proposals on the table for consideration, then you're part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Saying that Rep. Gottwalt's statement "it's been proven false by the objective media over and over again" is itself laughable. There aren't but a handful of objective media in the entire state. Not all of them write about politics, either.
People that whine as much as Rep. Thissen does usually aren't legislators. They certainly aren't their caucus's leaders.
A simple benchmark needs to be applied to Rep. Thissen: will he be part of the solution? Or will he spend his time constantly whining? At this point, if forced to decide between the two, I'd bet he'll spend this entire session whining.
It's so sad to think that Rep. Thissen's greatest contribution to this session would be as the DFL's most consistent and frequent complainer.
Minnesota deserves better than that from their legislative leaders. It's shameful that we're subjected to such substandard, inconsequential leadership.
Posted Tuesday, May 3, 2011 6:17 AM
Comment 1 by eric z. at 03-May-11 07:28 AM
The Democrats, The Party of No? My oh my! With them taking away hard-earned accolades from others, no wonder there's complaining.
Comment 2 by C Quigley at 03-May-11 07:35 AM
This is the best the DFL can come up with huh? The problem is the local media is the mouth piece for these worthless DFL whiners and even though they never ever tell the truth, they get all the attention and the brainless DFL followers believe them.
Why Does the NLRB Hate South Carolina?
Reasonable people have battled over right-to-work laws now on the books all across the nation. The battle that's now been joined over the Boeing 787 matter, however, isn't about reasonable people disagreeing. It's about an out-of-control government bureaucracy telling a corporation that unions, not corporate management, has the final authority on where the product is made.
H/T HotAir
The Denver Post has a stinging editorial criticizing the NLRB for going into full autocratic mode :
A common refrain among recession-weary Americans is that we don't make anything in this country anymore. However, workers in South Carolina have a chance to make something, Boeing 787 Dreamliners that would be flown around the world, and yet Obama's labor-cozy appointees to the National Labor Relations Board are intent on scuttling it.
Boeing, a vital U.S. company, wants to build a plant in South Carolina and bring good-paying manufacturing jobs to the state. They've already poured billions into the facilities and have hired 1,000 workers. But the NLRB filed a lawsuit last month to force Boeing back to Washington state, where workers would be represented by a union. The NLRB claims Boeing decided to open a non-union plant in South Carolina in retaliation for past strikes in Washington.
So what if it did?
The NLRB's action is beyond unsettling. The lawsuit, in effect, is an effort to tell an American company how to operate its business and to intimidate its officers.
Union workers most certainly have the right to strike, but as an editorial in the Detroit News, a city that knows plenty about manufacturing and unions, pointed out, "they don't have a right to escape the consequences of striking, which is that an employer may be persuaded to open up shop elsewhere, including in right-to-work states such as South Carolina."
The NLRB, with Craig Becker playing the role of the leading extremist, is acting like it's a full-blown dictatorship. Their dictate is unprecedented and radical. There's no logic that justifies the federal government's actions.
The NLRB needs its wings clipped ASAP and with strong bipartisan support in both houses. If Senate Democrats insist on protecting these thugs with political maneuvering, they should be repaid with pink slips the next time they're up for re-election.
The Senate should reject Craig Becker's nomination to the NLRB, too. He wouldn't be serving there if President Obama hadn't installed him at the NLRB with a recess appointment. President Obama made that decision after it was made apparent that he didn't have the votes for confirmation.
This is proof that President Obama's positions on unions aren't mainstream. They're far outside the mainstream. President Obama can't credibly argue that he didn't know about Mr. Becker's radicalism. Here's a little sampling of Mr. Becker's thoughts:
'Similarly, employers should have no right to raise questions concerning voter eligibility or campaign conduct. Because employers have no right to vote, they cast no ballots the significance of which can be diluted by the inclusion of ineligible employees. Because employers lack the formal status either of candidates vying to represent employees or voters, they should not be entitled to charge that unions disobeyed the rules governing voter eligibility or campaign conduct. On the questions of unit determination, voter eligibility, and campaign conduct, only the employee constituency and their potential union representatives should be heard.'
That's radical but it isn't dramatically different than other quotes, like this one:
'Just as U.S. Citizens cannot opt against having a congressman, workers should not be able to choose against having a union as their monopoly-bargaining agent.'
The reason why President Obama is in difficult electoral shape is because his appointees have espoused such radical opinions. President Obama can't now seriously argue that he didn't know about Mr. Becker's radical opinions because they've been frequently raised prior to his recess appointment.
President Obama's radicalism can't be ignored. It's indisputable that his appointees are killing jobs and hurting state economies while running interference for the unions.
Posted Tuesday, May 3, 2011 6:27 PM
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Shocking: DFL Already Complaining About Redistricting
Before the redistricting map for the Minnesota House of Representatives was unveiled, the DFL and their special interest allies were complaining about the end result . This isn't surprising. It's what I'd expect from a bitter, dishonest political party that's devoid of sensible solutions.
The initial effort, a map prepared by a House committee headed by Rep. Sarah Anderson, R-Plymouth, is being heavily criticized even before its formal unveiling at a public hearing tonight at the Capitol. A Senate map has yet to be floated.
That isn't shocking, especially coming from the party whose House Minority Leader is reduced to calling his legislative colleagues liars .
The basics of the legislative map are not surprising, given the state's continued population shift toward the metro. Everyone expected that rural Minnesota would take some redistricting hits and that the suburbs would gain more seats, and clout, no matter who draws the redistricting maps.
Actually, there's a fair amount of growth in exurban Minnesota.
I studied the House district map put together from 2010 census data by State Demographer Tom Gillaspy's office. Of the 62 state legislative seats held by the DFL, 55 must grow to meet the requirement of 39,582 people per House district. Of those 55 seats, 38 seats must grow by more than 2,000 people. House seats 58A-67B must grow by an average of 3,000 people per House district.
There are 18 House districts that need to shrink by 5,000 or more. All are held by the GOP. I'd classify a third of the districts as being outer ring suburban districts. I'd classify two-thirds of them as exurban districts.
For instance, HD-16B, currently represented by Mary Kiffmeyer, needs to shrink by 12,447 people. FYI- Big Lake is the bigggest city in the district. HD-19B, currently represented by Joe McDonald, must shrink by 19,486. HD-19B has 3 'anchor cities': Delano, Rockford and St. Michael. Speaker Zellers' district, HD-32A, must shrink by 15,935 people. Mary Liz Holberg's district, HD-36A, must shrink by 10,617 people.
I'd further add that many rural districts are within a couple hundred people of balancing.
Larry Jacobs, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that the House map is "dead on arrival" because of the way it clearly favors Republicans.
Jacobs wondered why the House committee went to all the trouble of drawing a map that clearly would be vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton. Dayton has said he will veto any redistricting proposal that doesn't have clear bipartisan support in the House and Senate.
This is much pontificating about nothing. I'm betting that Professor Jacobs couldn't construct a map that's more 'balanced' than this map.
I'd further suggest that Gov. Dayton never intended to give this map serious consideration. Gov. Dayton's saying that he'd veto any bill that didn't have "clear bipartisan support" is PR.
Mike Dean of Common Cause Minnesota issued a commentary piece this weekend critical of the Republican process even before he saw a map.
"This week, Republicans in the Minnesota House of Representatives will unveil their new map for legislative and congressional lines," Dean wrote. "This map is the product of a failed process that has lacked a level of transparency and citizen input that would restore faith in the redistricting process. No matter what the proposed map looks like, legislators should restart the redistricting process in order to get the process right."
Dean's complaint that the process is flawed isn't a substantive complaint. It's a political complaint because it isn't to his liking. According to the House Redistricting Committee's website , the committee has held 13 hearings at the Capitol. In addition to those hearings, the House Redistricting Committee held public hearings in Marshall, Hermantown and Rochester .
How many meetings need to be held to satisfy Mr. Dean? Or is the process fatally flawed because it isn't being done by a partisan commission?
I compliment the committee for finishing its work despite the DFL's unserious complaints.
Posted Wednesday, May 4, 2011 1:37 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 04-May-11 10:33 AM
A biased jiggering of district borders is "what I'd expect from a bitter, dishonest political party that's devoid of sensible solutions" - one holding a legislative majority and exploiting it to the hilt.
In some ways, Gary, our expectations overlap; in other ways, less so.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 04-May-11 11:38 AM
Eric, I've got multiple complaints with the DFL & special interests groups like Common Cause MN. Common Cause MN started a website called Draw Minnesota. It lets the average Joe off the street draw a redistricting map. For politically savvy people like elected officials & activists from Common Cause, they can get the House district census data & plug that into their maps.
Still, with that software at their avail, Common Cause MN & the DFL redistricting committee members didn't put a map together.
Why didn't they?
House Redistricting Committee Hearing Observations
Tuesday night, I spent almost 2 hours watching Rep. Sarah Anderson chair the 13th hearing of the House Redistricting Committee. In addition to those hearings, Rep. Anderson's committee has also held committee hearings in Hermantown, Marshall and Rochester.
The first noteworthy sparring followed Rep. Marquart's complaint that they weren't allowing enough time for public testimony and for offering amendments. Rep. Sarah Anderson's reply cut like a knife, saying that "This process started 4 months ago. In that time, you've made one suggestion...which was adopted by the committee. We can't wait another 4 months to hear another suggestion."
Another contentious moment came after Rep. Melissa Hortman repeatedly asked Rep. Anderson the same question. Rep. Hortman's questions were met with the same replies: that the lines were drawn according to the principles passed last week.
After hearing the same question repeated seemingly forever, Rep. Pat Garofalo posed a simple question to Rep. Hortman. He asked if the DFL would present their own map, saying that "I know you guys won't present your own budget, which is something entirely different, but I was wondering if you planned on presenting your own map."
Later, as the vote approached, DFL Lead Mary Murphy said that she'd hoped that the vote would be postponed so more people could testify. Rep. Murphy then said that postponing the vote would lead to more bipartisan support, which would lead to Gov. Dayton signing the bill rather than vetoing it.
At that point, Rep. Peggy Scott chimed in, saying that she'd attended the hearings and that this newfound spirit of bipartisanship was missing until the DFL had seen the map.
It wasn't a surprise that the map clearly favors the GOP. The congressional district breakdown chart says it all. Here's the congressional district breakdown both in terms of the current population and in terms of how many people the district has to shrink or expand by to balance:
CD-1 Tim Walz-- 2010 population 644,787; must grow by 18,204
CD-2 John Kline-- 2010 population 732,515; must shrink by 69,524
CD-3 Erik Paulsen-- 2010 population 650,185; must grow by 12,806
CD-4 Betty McCollum-- 2010 population 614,624; must grow by 48,367
CD-5 Keith Ellison-- 2010 population 616,482; must grow by 46,509
CD-6 Michele Bachmann-- 2010 population 759,478; must shrink by 96,487
CD-7 Collin Peterson-- 2010 population 625,512; must grow by 37,479
CD-8 Chip Cravaack-- 2010 population 660,342; must grow by 2,649
Most of the growth areas are either south of the Cities (Prior Lake, Shakopee, Jordan) or north of the Cities (Big Lake and Buffalo). I wrote here that House districts 58A-67B must grow by an average of 3,000 people per district. HD58A-HD67B are urban districts.
I don't think it's possible to draw a map that won't increase GOP control of the State legislature. Gov. Dayton's claims that he wants a bill that attracts strong bipartisan support is disgraceful. He knows that the DFL will never vote for a map that gives the MNGOP a bigger structural advantage than they currently hold.
The most damaging quote of the night came from Rep. Garofalo when he highlighted the fact that the DFL hasn't put forward a budget plan or a redistricting map. Instead, they've sat on the sidelines complaining about everything that the GOP legislature has done.
The DFL is quick to criticize Republicans for everything they've done. Unfortunately, the DFL doesn't have any substantive ideas that would a) improve Minnesotans' lives or b) build a dynamic economy. The DFL hasn't offered any reforms that would make health care more affordable. The DFL hasn't offered any suggestions on how to streamline government.
After 4 months in session, the DFL hasn't offered a budget. After 4 months in session, the DFL hasn't put a redistricting map together either.
In short, the DFL has been the next closest thing to worthless. They've done nothing to earn their pay. The only thing that they're good at is being a whining, unproductive minority party.
What type of political party can't put a plan together for the biggest issues facing the legislature this session? We're 4 months into this session and the DFL hasn't offered a comprehensive plan for eliminating the deficit or for redistricting.
The only thing the DFL has been good at is whining and criticizing. Based on what little they've done this sesssion, there's no arguing that they've earned the right to be the minority party for the next decade or more.
Posted Wednesday, May 4, 2011 3:26 AM
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Why Should We Trust the DFL?
Last night's redistricting hearing served as another reminder of how obstructionist and disingenuous the DFL has been this session. I noted in this post how GOP Rep. Pat Garofalo exposed the DFL's (lack of) work ethic, saying that the DFL hasn't submitted a budget since the February forecast came out.
Now, they're complaining again, this time saying that more time spent on hearings will make the map better. What the DFL wants people to ignore is the fact that they haven't submitted a redistricting map since voting on the principles that would guide redistricting were passed.
The DFL knows the principles that should guide redistricting. Most of the principles adopted were adopted from Gov. Dayton's letter to the committee on redistricting . The census data was released a couple months ago.
In his letter, Gov. Dayton insisted that these principles be used while drawing the redistricting map:
1. achieve the smallest deviation possible to ensure that every citizen has an equal voice in electing their representative;
2. provide for fair representation of racial and language minorities;
3. minimize dividing counties, cities and towns;
4. preserve communities of interest and
5. not be drawn for the purpose of protecting or defeating an incumbent.
Republicans abided by those rules to the fullest extent possible. Admittedly, there are a number of instances where two incumbents would be paired against each other, either in a primary or in the general election. That was inevitable considering where the biggest population shifts happened during the last decade.
Each House district must contain approximately 39,582 people. The twenty urban districts in the Twin Cities need to expand by an average of 3,000 people.
Meanwhile, districts like Prior Lake, Big Lake, Buffalo and Eden Prairie grew at astonishing rates. HD-16B (Big Lake) must shrink by 12,447 people. HD-14A (Sartell) must shrink by 6,632 people. HD-35A (Prior Lake) must shrink by 20,290. HD-35B (Jordan) must shrink by 9,110 people. HD-19B (Buffalo) must shrink by 19,486 people. HD-32A (Speaker Zellers' district) must shrink by 15,935 people. There are multiple other exurban districts currently represented by Republicans that must shrink by 5,000-9,000 people.
How do you draw districts that protects DFL incumbents in urban Twin Cities districts when explosive population growth is happening 15-25 miles away from these urban districts?
It isn't possible without drawing the most convoluted redistricting map in U.S. history. Even then, it's an iffy proposition at best.
All of the existing districts that need to shrink by 10,000 people or more are exurban districts or exist in the bedroom communities of Buffalo, Big Lake and Eden Prairie. They're all represented by Republicans. The existing districts that need to grow the most are urban and represented by DFL legislators.
Simple math tells informed voters that this won't end well for the DFL.
During last night's House Redistricting Committee hearing, the DFL also suggested that delaying the committee vote would produce more bipartisan support. The DFL didn't guarantee better bipartisan support. The DFL hinted at it.
The reality is that the DFL is scrambling in their attempt to limit the damage while playing their typical PR games. Admittedly, barring an act of God, the courts will draw the redistricting map. The DFL should just admit that this won't turn out well, then start crafting real legislation that appeals to people who aren't currently welcome in the DFL's cartel of special interests.
If the DFL doesn't do that ASAP, this year's map will seem mild in 10 years.
Posted Wednesday, May 4, 2011 9:31 AM
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