Waiting Is the Hardest Part

By midnight tonight, the legislature will conclude its business, passing through a series of budget bills that Gov. Tim Pawlenty will sign into law.

Or they won’t.

The latter possibility seems to be growing with each passing hour.  The DFL-controlled legislature and Gov. Pawlenty have repeatedly said they have the framework for a deal, but evidently the drywall, electrical and plumbing work still leave a lot to be desired.  With the legislature required to adjourn at midnight tonight, it seems like tomorrow will probably be much like today: a day with no budget agreement.

And so what if it is?  This would hardly be unprecedented. The last time the legislature adjourned on time in a budget year was 1999, when the world was still so shocked from Jesse Ventura’s victory that for one brief moment, DFLers and Republicans worked in concert to get things done.  Otherwise, Republicans and Democrats have generally been at each other’s throats.

This year is no different.  Despite an epic collapse by the GOP in last year’s elections, the right has been steadfast in its opposition to the DFL’s agenda.  And why not?  It’s hard to believe the right could get much more unpopular in the state, and thanks to Mike Hatch’s inability to keep his fool mouth shut for five more days, the right has Gov. Timmy as a convenient sledgehammer.  The right can gum up the works and keep the Democrats from passing anything the right wants to stop.  And if the DFL is wedded to the idea of passing a budget in the waning hours of the session, well, there’s not much the DFL can do.
more insideWhich is why, in these last few hours of the regular session, the DFL should either get an agreement right now or simply pack up, debate a few social issue bills like medical marijuana and adjourn.  If they want, they can pass through their dream budget, knowing full well it will get vetoed.  Or if they’d prefer, they can pass nothing and wait for the special session.

Oh, they’ll be immediately painted as “do nothing,” and fine.  Every legislature for the past hundred years or so has been painted as “do nothing,” with varying degrees of success.  But the Democrats seem to have forgotten that they, too, hold a hammer.  If Pawlenty can stop legislation, he can’t start it.  Any bills will have to be written by the DFL-controlled legislature.  And if Gov. Timmy wants to draw too wide a line in the sand, well, that’s no reason for the DFL to jump back to avoid getting in the way.

Yes, this would be the start of a high-stakes game of chicken.  Eventually, things will get down to the point where a budget must be passed to avoid a government shutdown.  But at that point, the DFL can remind people that it’s dutifully passed legislation, that the GOP is standing in the way of progress — and that it would only take one Republican in the Senate and five in the House to get the legislation through, Pawlenty be damned.

And then Tim Pawlenty and the GOP can worry about whether it’s still a good idea to drive the train off the cliff — or if it might be time to blink.

There’s no shame in a special session, and Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Sen. Larry Pogemiller need to remember that.  The deal that is on the table looks to be a mediocre-to-bad one for Democrats.  That might not improve with time — but it might.  It’s worth taking a few more days to find out.