John: I have to disagree with your premise. I would never condone anybody advocating on my behalf using bullying tactics, nor do I know of any legislators or public officials whom I respect who do things that way. Yes, it's certainly a longstanding political tradition, one that's probably been in practice for hundreds of years. But it largely represents all the things that are wrong with politics and society, not something good. So no, I would not be happy to know that something I cared about only got done because somebody was in a position to intimidate someone else. That's horrible governance, sets a terrible example, and, frankly, serves no one in the end. One thing I have observed on both a national and local level is the way that George W. Bush has set the tone for (or better, unleashed) these kinds of tactics, such that petty bullies from Ari Fleischer on down to our governor and the mayor of St. Paul can employ these methods. Or, as a friend puts it, now every rooster gets to rule a dung heap for a little while.
The ends don't justify the means, and any politician with an ounce of self-respect would know this. If you can't persuade somebody to do the right thing, then you aren't working hard enough or don't have enough suipport for your position. But getting your way simply because you can means nothing; it's how fascist regimes and dictatorships operate, and it bodes nothing well for a democracy. Trust me, if Randy Kelly we're using the exact same tactics to keep the Holman project from happening, I'd say the very same thing. Bullying offends me from any side of the aisle or political spectrum. Tom Goldstein Hamline-Midway ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Harris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2005 12:22 PM Subject: Re: [StPaul] Airport Dike - Game Over I think that depends on what side of the coin or issue you stand. If you are for the issue you don't have a problem with the "bullying" but if you are against the issue, it appears that you are appalled that a mayor can get away with such "bullying". relate it to GSE and Coleman. Who here would have been outraged if Coleman were able to "bully" those at the state house into closing them down? It is clear that most here, including myself, believe that the floodwall was the wrong issue for the mayor to flex his political muscle. I don't find the act of political muscle flexing, irresponsible though. John Harris camden, mpls ------------------------------------------------- JOIN the St. Paul Issues Forum TODAY: http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/ ------------------------------------------------- POST MESSAGES HERE: [email protected] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
