[Winona Online Democracy] My feeling on the legislature is I'm proud of Dean Johnson and the DFL for standing up to the governor and the Republican machine in the House - but then that reflects my political leanings. It all depends on where one comes from. If the Republicans were using political maneuvers to stall things I wanted, I'd scream foul and call them names. When the DFL does it for things I care about, I call them clever and courageous. That's politics - the art of the possible - and it isn't always pretty.
Because of the close election and third parties I think we have a situation here in Minnesota similar to the one at the federal level. A third party skewed the vote (Nader on the national level, Tim Penny here) so that the "winner" (Bush, Pawlenty) didn't really get a mandate, only a good enough plurality to be elected. Pretending one has a strong mandate (as both Bush and Pawlenty have done) doesn't make it so when it comes down to the nitty-gritty of passing legislation. Phil Carlson, Mpls _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
