The Back Pages: Pawlenty’s predicted backlash not materializing

Tim Pawlenty made a bold prediction.

“You can mark the calendar,” the governor guaranteed on Tuesday. “Yesterday (Monday) will be the day that began a tax revolt in Minnesota, and you’re going to see the re-emergence of the Republican Caucus as the majority caucuses in this process as a result.”

Pawlenty postulated that Minnesotans would respond with anger. “People in Minnesota do not like this,” he said. “And there’s a reason for it. They’re not stupid. They know they just got dumped on, in terms of the tax burden.”

Despite Pawlenty’s proclamations, editorial pages across the state solidly backed the transportation bill and the subsequent override. The Bemidji Pioneer declared the override was “a message of ‘Get it done.‘” The Marshall Independent argued that the override “gives us a chance of keeping up.” The Grand Forks Herald declared that “you can’t argue with a 91-41 vote.“

The Minneapolis Star Tribune delivered an “incomplete” list of individuals deserving of plaudits for “making the state’s infrastructure a priority in 2008.” That list includes DFL House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher; Rep. Bernie Lieder, DFL-Crookston; Rep. Ron Erhardt, R-Edina; Minnesota Chamber of Commerce President David Olson; and Wells Fargo-Minnesota President Jon Campbell.

The only fingers that were waived pointed in the direction of House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall. The Mankato Free Press, St. Cloud Times and Worthington Daily Globe expressed disappointment in the GOP hardball tactics that punished the six GOP representatives who voted to override the governor’s veto by stripping them of their leadership positions.

Republican House Minority Leader Marty Seifert on Tuesday stripped all six Republicans who broke ranks of their leadership positions. This is the epitome of heavy-handed politics people are sick of. It’s a politics that puts the party before the people. It’s dirty, backroom politics that crowds out dissent and potential good ideas. - Mankato Free Press

The Pioneer Press quoted Pawlenty as follows on this issue: “If you are going to be a team, you know, then there are going to be some team rules and team expectations, and I’ll leave that up to the caucus leaders how they are going to address this further.”

We expected a lot of things in the wake of this transportation bill passing – safer bridges, higher taxes and, yes, some Election Day changes. We didn’t expect our governor and his political party to take such a low road in response to six votes cast for Team Minnesota, for once, instead of Team GOP. - St. Cloud Times

It should trouble all of us when parties attempt to hold elected officials hostage, thereby making it increasingly difficult for them to do the job they’re supposed to be doing – serving the people who elected them. Why do we elect representatives in the first place, then? - Worthington Daily Globe

After three editorials in as many days on the subject, the St. Cloud Times recounts its endorsement of Pawlenty in 2006 this morning expressing dismay at what Pawlenty said to them then compared to what he said in his Tuesday press conference.

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In 2006, when Gov. Tim Pawlenty was seeking this board’s endorsement for a second term, he was asked specifically what he’d do different if re-elected.

Coming off several very partisan sessions, he earnestly responded that he’d wished he had “kept a few pitches in the glove” when it came to partisan bickering preventing progress. Duly impressed, this board took him at his word and endorsed him.

Based on his reaction to the House overriding his transportation veto Monday, we obviously misunderstood him. He wanted to keep those pitches so he could throw high hard fastballs directly at the heads of anybody who disagreed with him.

Seriously, the immature reactions of Pawlenty and the punishments delivered by the Republican Party to six House members who broke ranks with their peers
to support the override are inexcusable.

Pawlenty’s predictions of a tax revolt may still come to fruition, but perhaps while looking ahead to Election Day revenge, the governor neglected to read the writing on the wall.

The Back Pages is a weekly roundup of editorial opinions on issues that face Minnesota. Look for it every Monday.