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Thursday, November 17, 2005

Sviggum on the rampage

House Speaker Steve Sviggum went up to Bemidji this week, where he ranted and raved in what appears to be a preview of the Republican strategy for the next elections. It appears to be based on hyper-partisanship and an appeal to right-wing social nuts. Sounds like a great plan!

Sviggum seems pretty ticked off that the area is now represented by two DFLers, Frank Moe and Brita Sailer. In order to turn their constituents against them, Sviggum said that those two and House Minority Leader Matt Entenza are "three peas in a pod." Yep, Moe and Sailer are definitely "liberal, leftist extremists" as Sviggum puts it. Why, I bet all those DFLers are down in St. Paul smoking dope right as we speak! Those darn "urban liberals" who are running Bemidji, doing, uh, urban liberal stuff like, hmmm, walking in parks and driving hybrid cars or something.

You shouldn't govern from the extreme radical left, he said (and added, probably as an afterthought, that governing from the extreme radical right is bad too). So how should people govern? By passing the extreme radical right ban on gay marriage! In fact, gay marriage seems to be the only reason that David Myers is challenging Rep. Moe, as Myers admits that "Frank Moe has done a good job representing his constituents." However, Myers needs to be elected so he can apparently not represent his constituents by being a right-wing tool. That sounds like a good campaign platform.

Add in a few lies about how the Evil Dean Johnson and Senate Democrats were solely responsible for the state's shutdown, despite the fact that the governor and House are Republican, and you're done!

If this is the Republican strategy for next year, bring it on. I think Minnesotans are getting really tired of partisanship, and attempts to paint moderate Democrats as extremists, while pushing an extremist agenda of their own, are not going to get Republicans any votes. They want results, not a lot of hot air. What Sviggum is pushing is enough to launch a fleet of balloons.

4 Comments:

At 8:55 AM, November 18, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sviggum always talks about balance in government and has for years. Maybe you should listen to the guy speak before you go ranting and raving.

Also, this is not the strategy for 2006. It is what you say to your base. The DFL does the same thing, you just don't post the news stories when it happens.

 
At 8:17 PM, November 18, 2005, Blogger MN Politics Guru said...

I'm duly impressed that Republican staffers are responding to this stuff, but really, do you think I am going to buy your unbiased commentary?

 
At 10:02 AM, November 20, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Obviously "anonymous" is an idiot. Wait, maybe he doesn't even come up to that high a level. Because any idiot can see/hear that Sviggum has "talked" about balance for years, but then "does" everything based on an extreme right-wing agenda, the using political slight of "watch what I say, and not what I do."
Oh, and "talking to your base" IS a campaign strategy. Idiot.

 
At 6:48 PM, November 21, 2005, Blogger MN Politics Guru said...

This isn't the strategy for the whole state? I think that pushing a ban on gay marriage and tying Democrats to far-left issues is pretty much the sum total of the Republican's message. I'm not seeing anything else; are you? And saying that this was just a rally to "the base" is rather weak; I've never seen Democrats rally their base by calling for second-class treatment of an entire group of people.

Sviggum is hardly interested in balance. Just look at the committee chairs in the House. Look at how he responded to the bipartisan transportation bill that was passed last year over his objections (and was ultimately vetoed by Pawlenty). Look at how he and his caucus treated Dan Dorman for having the audacity to fight cuts to LGA. Sviggum may personally believe in balance; I have no idea. But he sure doesn't walk the walk.

 

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