D.C. Republicans: Take Notes on MN

The voters won today in Minnesota.  Senator Amy Koch and Speaker of the House Kurt Zellers firmly held their position, opposing any and all tax increases, even when proposals were called something else.  The fact that our blue state put Republicans in charge of both houses is emblematic of the national political environment.  The Republican leadership in this state showed D.C. the road to success.  It's funny how REASON SELLS.  Just as Gov. Scott Walker did in Wisconsin, conservatives everywhere just need to keep making their case, repeat, repeat and repeat some more.  Don't change your story.  Don't get agitated. Don't lose your cool.  Don't back down.  All of this establishes the argument and makes it plausible.

I find one of the most notable things about this struggle is the glaring absence of union presence at the capitol building in St. Paul.  Could it be they know, deep down, it is a lost cause?  I'm telling you, Wisconsin was the first domino to fall and the whole nation owes a debt of gratitude to Scott Walker for paving the way.  Unions planned a protest at the capitol on July 6.  Based on 2 accounts I read, the people "filled the capitol steps."  That tells me a lot--like there were probably 200-300 people there, not 70,000 like Wisconsin saw.  No, our legislature wasn't on the cusp of the kind of collective bargaining reform Wisconsin sought, but "taxing the rich," a favorite union drum beat and the centerpiece of Mark Dayton's gubernatorial campaign, was what was at stake.  And it didn't sell.  The Republican leaders succeeded in pressuring Dayton into caving on the cornerstone of his campaign victory.  This is a big win.  But, the point is NOT that the Republican leaders won.  The goal should NEVER be for Republican party victory, per se--unless the Republicans' goals are in line with what's good for the citizenry.  This was most definitely the case in our state's struggle.  The Republican leadership clearly understood this and unwaveringly demonstrated their determination to remain faithful to the voters who put them in power.

I pray the feds follow suit.