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Schooled 3/2/2008 6:50:13 PM
This last week has been an important one in Minnesota political history. The DFL controlled Legislature succeeded in schooling the Republican Governor with three well-placed blows that may have greatly undercut his power for the rest of his term, not ending until 2011. More importantly, the way they accomplished it may mark an important turning point in our state’s history. It is nothing less than an important lesson in the fundamentals of power and how to use it.
The first blow came with the passage of a Transportation Bill that was billed as a one-shot, take it or leave it piece of legislation. Though the DFL is four votes short of a 2/3 majority in the House (but has it in the Senate) they were able to maneuver their proposal into something that the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce found acceptable. This included a small increase in the gas tax, not raised since 1988. Governor Pawlenty has run and governed on a pledge of no tax increases, so the support of the Chamber was no small feat. It brought over six Republican votes on a bill heavy with road and bridge construction worth $6.6 billion over ten years. They also included our first independent support for transit projects with a quarter percent sales tax across the Twin Cities metro area.
Governor Pawlenty vetoed the bill, as promised, but the House was able to engineer an override; this is a very rare event in Minnesota History. It was a humiliation, to be sure, but there was more to come.
Two days later, the Governors choice of Transportation Commissioner finally came up for a vote in the Senate. Over six years, no one had taken up a vote on the unusual choice of Lt. Governor Carol Molnau to head this key agency, meaning that she was able to serve in two jobs for five years without challenge. But that was not to hold. The Senate finally took up her confirmation, and rejected her soundly. The mis-handling of the I-35W Bridge was given as the reason for this vote of no confidence. MnDOT has had a small house cleaning at the top, and the Governor has been stripped of his ability to determine how it is run.
The end of the week saw yet another shortfall in the state budget announced, this one at $935 million. These crises are an annual feature of Minnesota politics since we stopped including inflation in the budget forecasts. In the past, the Legislature has eagerly jumped in and worked to plug the gaps, proposing a wide range of tax increases and reshufflings to make it happen. Governor Pawlenty has used this annual rite to show that the DFL really just wants to raise taxes at any opportunity. So what’s the DFL going to do about this one? DFL House Speaker Margaret Keliher made it clear that they’d make an attempt, but if the Governor didn’t participate then it would be his own job to sort it out.
Taken together, these three strikes demonstrate something critical: the DFL is finally capable of using real power. When they took control of the House in the 2006 election, it was through a carefully coordinated campaign that turned many key suburban districts. It was a good sign that they understood the power dynamics of the state well enough to lead, but their first session under the new regime was a bit disorganized and lacking in focus. It seemed like the DFL that we’ve known for many years – well intentioned, but ultimately not able to deliver in the face of disciplined Republican opposition. No more. The power that was built through the election is finally being wielded skillfully.
Power dynamics like this are often disdained by people who want to do good things in the world for one simple reason – being capable of using power effectively does not mean it will be used for good. In fact, it is generally acccepted that as power corrupts it is unlikely to be anything other than a force for evil. This rather naïve view means that those who wish to do good are often disarmed by their own instincts and rendered powerless in the face of those who act selfishly.
While it is not at all true that those with power will do good, it is a prerequisite that those who do good have the power to do what needs to be done. I happen to believe that my experience has taught me that Saul Alinsky was correct when he taught us in “Rules for Radicals” that power is never granted, but either created or taken.
What we saw in the last week was a significant taking of power. The creation of power is something done through movements of people, and is generally more the style of a good DFLer. Perhaps Barack Obama will yet show this generation just how this is done, although those of us who believed in Paul Wellstone already know something about this. If everything comes together, this tutorial in the basics of power may yet mark a turning point in how those who want to do good things for the world create, take, and generally use power to benefit the welfare of a Minnesota, a state that has been sadly directionless for nearly a generation. It all starts with Governor Pawlenty himself being totally schooled, but the lessons are nothing less than fundamental.
