Horner, “Republican”
By Mitch Berg
The media has been breathlessly trying to set up Tom Horner as a “non-extreme” Republican alternative to Tom Emmer. For some, it’s a matter of conflating “Republican” and “Conservative”. For others, it’s a simple desire to spoof the GOP for the DFL’s beneift.
But the more you look at Horner’s political record – which, let’s make sure we’re clear on this, is entirely as a political consultant, as opposed to “an elected official or representative” – the more you realize that Horner’s entire career is built on making government bigger.
This blog, and many other Minnesota conservative bloggers, will be going over the Horner record in coming weeks.
The upshot? It’s looking pretty likely that Tom Horner will make a good, smallER government alternative to the DFL – but no Republican to the right of Ron Erhardt in his or her right mind should look at Horner as anything but “DFL Lite”.
May 18th, 2010 at 8:34 am
Horner is a 1986 Hyundai Excel Republican.
May 19th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
“It’s looking pretty likely that Tom Horner will make a good, smallER government alternative to the DFL”
Good news! That means he’s more fiscally conservative than Minnesota’s Republican party, which grew state government at an all-time record pace when they controlled the House and Governorship back in 2002.
May 19th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
“Scoobs”,
What on EARTH are you talking about? Pawlenty’s first budget rose 10%, while Ventura’s last budget grew 14%. The final budget when the grown-ups still controlled things – 2004-2005 – grew 5% and change.
“All-time” record pace? The budget grew by 46+% per biennium between 1968 and 1971, nearly 40% in 1976, and well into double digits through most of the eighties, and by an average of 12%/biennium throughout Arne Carlson’s regime (who is the “Republican” that Horner would most likely resemble).
Please cite some sources, or get some new ones!