You Dig Sixteen Tons Of Legislation, And What Do You Get?

I read a Tweet from State Senator Taryll Clark, the endorsed DFL candiate running against Michele Bachmann in the Sixth District this fall.

The Bachmann Agenda: More media less legislation

And I thought I should thank Senator Clark for illuminating the difference between liberals and conservatives as thoroughly as anyone possibly could.

Do we judge our legislators by how much legislative manure they shovel through the grinder?  Or can we go for something a little deeper?

The tweet linked to this bit on her website:

Minnesota congresswoman and conservative darling Michele Bachmann has mastered the art of bypassing the mainstream media in favor of more ideologically friendly outlets, according to a long profile in today’s Washington Post.

Oh, goodness.  We’re back to that old chestnut?  Goody.

The first time this accusation came out – from Andy Birkey at the Minnesoros “Independent”, no less – that Rep. Bachmann shied away from liberal news outlets and favored conservative ones, I took the liberty of asking RT Rybak, Al Franken, Amy Klobuchar, Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum, Dane Smith and a few other prominent DFLers to come on the Northern Alliance – the Twin Cities’ flagship conservative media outlet.  Only Smith and Rybak appeared and, for that matter, paid us the courtesy of a response.

So since Taryll Clark is so into across-the-aisle communication, I invite her to come on the Northern Alliance Radio Network with Ed Morrissey and I.  We’ll talk for 30-60 minutes.  It’ll be fun – ask RT Rybak!  I’ll make sure she gets this invite, but if you’re a member of Sen. Clark’s staff (or one of her St. Cloud-area gadflies), feel free to forward my cordial and sincere invitation.

But that appears to have come at the expense of her legislative activities.

Washington’s got all kinds of legislators who shovel legislative manure into the hopper.  Bachmann is leading a movement, and doing spectacularly well at it.

And if Bachmann beats Clark by less than eight points in November, I’ll be amazed.

21 thoughts on “You Dig Sixteen Tons Of Legislation, And What Do You Get?

  1. I don’t have a radio program, but I will invite Ms. Clark to run on an “I will pass more laws!” platform.

  2. Still, Bachmann told the Post that passing bills is not a priority for her. Rather, her priority is to keep the government from “eclips[ing] freedom in people’s lives.”

    Taryll really needs go into detail about the downside of Bachmann’s priorities.

  3. To be fair Ellison has appeared on Chris whats his names KTLK show a few times. I heard Rybak on your show, the Minneapolis he describes sounds a great deal different than the Minneapolis I escaped.

    Next years redistricting is going to be very interesting. If the DFL holds the MN House and Senate look for Gerrymandering like we have never seen before.

  4. I hope they Gerrymander me out of the frikkin 5th. I’d like to have an actual rep in D.C. for the first time in 30 years.

  5. I wish they’d get me out of the Oberstar 8th! I’d love to be in Bachmann 6th (I’m right on the border).

  6. Oberstar’s district will have to expand maybe it will push more west than south but I think your stuck. The 5th will probably expand as well. So Kermit your best chance at rescue is to stop waiting and vote with your feet.

    If MN loses a seat which one do you think it will be?

    If the DFL controls both houses I think the third is toast. Meanwhile they will move the borders of the districts so that Kline and Bachmann end up residing in the same district.

    If the Republicans control both houses (Lots of luck) 4 and 5 will merge with parts joining the surrounding Districts.

  7. If MN loses a seat which one do you think it will be?

    I thought that due to our higher-than-average census return, we were considered “safe” this time around and possibly even in the (not likely) running to pick up a seat.

    Regardless of how the census turns out, we’re likely to going to see some redistricting and consequently opportunities for gerrymandering at least at the State legislative level. If the DFL gains control of the governor’s office and keeps control of both legislative Houses, we’re setting ourselves up for a repeat of 1990. All the more reason to elect Tom Emmer as our next governor and work like heck for worthy Republican legislative candidates.

  8. Thorley, high Census return rates don’t say much about population. They say that our population is willing to return the Census form and maybe we have fewer vacant addresses. But your right about doing whatever we can to get worthy Republican candidates elected. Unfortunately, mine is Jim Abler with Jungbauer as my State Senator. But that is a Giant step forward from my former state Sen Pogemiller.

    Sorry Scott but, the range has been losing population for decades. Oberstar’s district almost certainly will need to grow just to maintain population. There is no way that the 8th will be the one disbanded.

  9. Good point. Our population will be what Obama’s Census Bereau says it is. I wonder how many ACORN people are working on it right now?

  10. Northern Alliance – the Twin Cities’ flagship conservative media outlet

    Thinking highly of yourself today, are you?

    Our population will be what Obama’s Census Bereau says it is.

    Wow.

  11. Thinking highly of yourself today, are you?

    Don’t be silly.I”m Norwegian.

    It’s hyperbole for comic effect.

    Although our ratings are pretty excellent.

  12. Stooj, I am not terribly worried about some conspiracy to hijack the Census. It is a flawed system and we won’t get it 100% correct. But I think most errors will be unintentional and those that are intentional may have unintended consequences.

    My questions about it are: Why are we asking about Hispanic origin? Why are we asking about race?

    Race has been part of the Census since 1790. However, at that time we were counting slaves as 2/3rds of a person. Since we haven’t been doing that for quite some time maybe it’s time to drop race from the Census.

  13. I know, Mitch.

    jpmn, I’m glad Kermit’s view isn’t widespread. I question the asking of “race” as well. The correct answer is human, unless a particularly smart cat happens to be filling out the form for a household.

    Clearly Obama and the democrats are the only reason “race” is on the census. I’d suggest that when the republicans take over the House and Senate this fall, you push that they remove it.

  14. If the DFL gains control of the governor’s office and keeps control of both legislative Houses, we’re setting ourselves up for a repeat of 1990.

    I wasn’t paying any attention to state politics back then. What happened?

  15. Stooj, your pets cannot be citizens.

    ….

    “I’d suggest that when the republicans take over the House and Senate this fall,”

    Wow, stooj, I HOPE you are right, that is the CHANGE we need.

  16. I read somwhere (too lazy to look it up) that Nazi Germany and Apartheid S. Africa were the only other countries to historically concern themselves with the “race” of their subjects.

  17. your pets cannot be citizens.

    You didn’t get the secret census memo that says that if you voted for Obama you can count your pets in the census.

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