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Will the Last Liberal to Leave Minnesota Please Turn Out the Lights
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BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY
by Bill Chickering
You remember Minnesota, don't you?
We were the bastion of liberalism and progressive politics. Whether it was Hubert Humphrey, Gene McCarthy, Walter Mondale, or Paul Wellstone, you could count on Minnesota to carry the banner of midwest populism.
When Ronald Reagan made his juggernaut run to the White House in 1984, one state denied him the chance for a 50 state sweep -- Minnesota. The rest of the country claimed we were out of touch. I claim we were the only state that knew what the hell was going on. The current resident of the White House did his best to color us red in 2000, and we told him no.
But there's an ill wind blowing through the tundra these days. Some say it began when Jesse Ventura was elected governor in 1998, defeating Skip Humphrey and a little whippet with the morals and ethics of a jackal, Norm Coleman.
I don't think so. Jesse's election sent a message to both parties in the state. It said: "We don't care what party you represent. If you don't talk about issues that matter to us, we'll throw you out. If you're planning to wine and dine on our nickel, you better bring something to the table other than rhetoric."
Let's give Jesse his due. Whatever you thought of the man and his bombastic and combative style, he had a rare quality. Whenever he spoke, you never found yourself scratching your head and saying, "Now I wonder what he meant by that?" And not many people know that as governor, he put a proposal forward that would guarantee health insurance to every child in the state.
The election of 2000 kicked us in the gut. We watched helplessly as spoiled, vengeful trust fund brat sent his minions forward to steal an election for him. And he succeeded.
The next kick came after the horror of September 11. The president gave voice to our anger and grief at the carnage. He rallied the world to our side.
But not for long. Soon after accepting the world's condolences and best wishes, George W. Bush spit in its face. It was on to Iraq.
The next kick came last October when Paul Wellstone's plane went down and killed him, his wife Sheila and his daughter Marcia. This was much more than a kick. It was a full body slam to a concrete floor. And then we watched as the right used Wellstone's memorial service to chastise us for our expression of grief and then turn it into a campaign issue.
Walter Mondale stepped up and fought for Wellstone's ideals and policies in the ten short days he had to campaign against Norm Coleman, a lapdog candidate handpicked by the White House. The lead Wellstone had in the polls vanished with his death. Stunned, we watched Coleman, a man who, like George W. Bush, stands for nothing but himself, win the election. In a matter of ten days Minnesota went from a Senator with deep personal and political integrity to one whose tawdry lifestyle mocks his fawning portrayal of "family values" and whose ten-gallon ego and teaspoon-size brain would eventually lead him to say he was a 99 percent improvement over Paul Wellstone.
Coleman went right to work cementing his status as an ace presidential sycophant. Voters around the state received a letter from him outlining his support for judicial nominee Miguel Estrada. The letter praised Estrada's qualifications and presaged Coleman's future support for whatever the president decides to put in his food dish.
We also awoke the morning after election day to find that Republican Tim Pawlenty was our new governor. Our gaunt new chief executive wanted Norm's job but stepped aside at the insistence of the White House. What the hell, said Tim, I'll just run the state instead.
Pawlenty went right to work. His most flamboyant act of stupidity came just recently when he broached the notion that anyone arrested protesting the war be made to pay for their own processing through the system. That suave unconstitutional gem received nearly unanimous scorn. Judges mocked it. But we saw what Pawlenty was capable of and what he may do in the future.
The slide continued almost two weeks ago when the state legislature passed a "conceal and carry" bill. That's right. It's now legal in Minnesota to pack heat. No one has to know. "Minnesota Nice" has now become "Minnesota -- Land of 10,000 Lakes and 100,000 Shoulder Holsters."
But we're not finished. We still need to talk about state representative Marty Seifert, a Republican from Marshall, Minnesota. Rep. Seifert proposed that state prisoners should now receive only two meals a day on weekends and holidays. Senior citizens faced cuts in health benefits, he said. Why not make things a bit more equitable?
Not many politicians can work this kind of magic. It takes grace and skill to stand triumphant on the shoulders of grandmothers and car jackers so you can get your shot on the evening news and a page one story. The hard work of reforming the health care and benefits system didn't appeal to Marty so he went straight to the cheap shot.
But unlike Governor Pawlenty's swipe at protesters, no one laughed at Rep. Seifert. His proposal passed 108-22.
So is progressive politics dead in Minnesota? Four years of Tim Pawlenty and five more years of Norm Coleman should tell the tale. The margin of victory for both men was small. But the Democratic Farm Labor Party in Minnesota is in disarray. They can't find a message. And if you don't have a message, you can't expect anyone to follow you. The Republicans have a clear message. It may be repugnant and cruel, but it's consistent. It appeals to base prejudice and fear. It speaks a philosophy that says, "We know who did this to you and we're going to fix them good."
Red, white and blue signs reading "Liberate Iraq" dot the lawns of homes all across the Twin Cities. But every now and then I've noticed a less gaudy display of patriotism. It's a simple blue sign with white lettering that reads "Blessed are the Peacemakers." It's up to progressives in this state to decide whether that sign will become the dominant message once again or whether the few that remain get ripped out of the ground.
Bill Chickering
White Bear Lake, MN
A BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY
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