Shot in the Dark

The Shorter Mark Dayton

The bad news:  While I got through the screener for Mark Dayton’s chat with Gary Eichten on MPR this morning, I never got on the air.

The good news:  It was probably because Eichten stole my thunder on the question I gave the screener, and even the followup I had if they’d still put me on the air.

The worse news:  Dayton’s answers weren’t any better than I expected.  Minnesota is truly, madly, deeply screwed if he gets elected.

The mild consolation prize; by the time I got to the nearest wi-fi coffee shop, ordered a coffee and unpacked my laptop, this post was completely written in my head.

I’ll run through my questions (channeled more-or-less capably by Eichten):

Your budget is $890 million short. How do you plan on closing the gap?

Dayton had an answer.  I could try to reconstruct it, but at the end of the day this classic cartoon really captures it.

Dayton’s the guy in the glasses.  The equation is his “budget plan”.

No, really.  His answer wasn’t a whole lot more detailed than this, and a whole lot less funny.

His answer mentioned revenue forecasts; he’s hoping that the economy closes the gap via increased tax revenues.  Read: “Then A Miracle Occurs”.

I silently constructed a followup question.  Eichten actually hit on this one too:

Your budget plan will have to go through a Legislature that used to be overwhelmingly DFL, but might well flip one, maybe both chambers this fall.  What then?

The answer was a long one – but it basically came down to “I have many years of experience working across the aisle”.

I almost did a spit-take.

Dayton served as Auditor and Economic Development Director during the Perpich administration, when the DFL was at its extended post-Watergate high and the then-“Indpendent Republican” party was at its collaborationist nadir.

Oh, and he was a Senator during the Bush Administration.  Seriously, he used his time there as an example of his “bipartisanship”.

His “bipartisanship” included accusing NORAD, and by extension the Bush Administration,  of lying about its responses on 9/11, among a list of other greatest hits.

The quote of the hour, though?

“I want to appoint people who believe in government“.

The MNGOP should make up T-shirts with that quote on ’em.

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Mitch Berg

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23 responses to “The Shorter Mark Dayton”

  1. Kermit Avatar
    Kermit

    I believe in government. That’s why I want to cut the legs out from under it. Maybe Brave Sir Mark can find me a spot in his “across the aisle” administration.

  2. Chuck Avatar
    Chuck

    What about this…..could a governor Mark Dayton do for Republicans in Minnesota what Barry Obama is doing for Republican nation-wide? Or don’t Minnesotans make the connection between wealth fleeing the state and the actions of the gov’t? Note being sarcastic, many people, when seeing a bad economy, just call for more free stuff.

  3. Tweets that mention Shot in the Dark » Blog Archive » The Shorter Mark Dayton — Topsy.com

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by mitchpberg and mitchpberg, DerekBrigham. DerekBrigham said: Babble RT @mitchpberg: The Shorter Dayton on the budget gap: "Something will happen. I can feel it". http://bit.ly/c9yHcK #stribpol #mn2010 […]

  4. Dog Gone Avatar
    Dog Gone

    Speaking of getting past screeners, I understand ‘the Ed Morrissey Show’ on 1280 AM the Patriot will be hosting Michele Bachmann. Is that what your show is called?

    I want you to have at least equal billing.

    I wonder what the odds are of getting past screeners when Bachmann is dodging other venues where there could be difficult question for a heavily right wing audience and more softball questions….

  5. flash Avatar
    flash

    This whole meme is simply hilarious coming from a a supporter of a candidate whose way of solving a 6 billion dollar deficit is simply to claim it doesn’t exist and then covers his ears singing lalalala when presented with facts.

    Thank God for Sutton and Bordkorb or we might have been stuck with Emmer. With them steering your ship you won’t even be able to win in a favorable year. Just keep bashing on the very people whose votes you’ll need to become relevant again!

    Flash

  6. bosshoss429 Avatar
    bosshoss429

    Nice double standard, Doggie!

    Your lefty heroes have been getting softballs since the Kenyan Klown started campaigning. I am willing to bet that she gets fastballs, right down the middle of the plate, which she will, as most conservative GOPers do, hit them out of the park.

  7. Mitch Berg Avatar
    Mitch Berg

    claim it doesn’t exist

    He doesn’t “claim” it doesn’t exist – he shows that it doesn’t exist.

    The deficit is against the amount the DFL legislature is planning to ask for, as part of their baseline spending formula.

    If you cut your spending, there is no deficit.

    I don’t expect most leftyblog clowns to get that, Flash, but since you call yourself “Centrisity”, you should certainly be able to follow that fairly simple bit of math, no?

  8. flash Avatar
    flash

    “”He doesn’t “claim” it doesn’t exist – he shows that it doesn’t exist.”

    Then, buy your math, Dayton’s Budget has an extra 5 billion in it, perfect. Will be nice having a reserve again

  9. Troy Avatar
    Troy

    So Dayton is going to cut spending? Put down the crack pipe, flash.

  10. Ben Avatar
    Ben

    Anyone here a Southpark fan? The season primere was last night but this reminds me of the business model of the Underpants Gnomes (I think it was 7-8 seasons ago) they had.

    Step 1: Collect Underpants
    Step 2: ?
    Step 3: Profit

  11. Mitch Berg Avatar
    Mitch Berg

    Speaking of getting past screeners, I understand ‘the Ed Morrissey Show’ on 1280 AM the Patriot will be hosting Michele Bachmann. Is that what your show is called?

    Nope. Ed does “TEMS” as an online show; occasionally (since he’s a Salem empoyee) he gets to put the show on the station for various promotional reasons.

    I want you to have at least equal billing.

    You’d need to take that up with the station. But this isnt’ the NARN.

    I wonder what the odds are of getting past screeners when Bachmann is dodging other venues

    She’s “dodging” nothing. She’s just not appearing with them.

    where there could be difficult question for a heavily right wing audience and more softball questions…

    How would that benefit her?

    And by the way, not a single DFL pol came on AM1280 this season. Apparently they prefer softballs, too.

  12. Kermit Avatar
    Kermit

    Dog, I await Tarryl Clark’s appearance on the NARN with great anticipation. I will not, however, hold my breath.

    Flash, if you would prefer a dry drunk, mentally ill, failed Senator over Emmer you have certainly presented the true face of the Minnesota liberal. Congratulations, Mr. Centricity.

  13. swiftee Avatar
    swiftee

    Moonbat Flush, I’m concerned.

    Your isolation is obviously aggravating teh stupid, and in addition, it appears you and Linda are drinking kool-aid out of the same sippy-cup now.

    Get help, moonbat Flush; get it quickly.

  14. swiftee Avatar
    swiftee

    Say, moonbat Flush?

    Have you ever had a moment’s doubt about supporting a guy that thinks rape is suitable material for humor and steals from underprivileged kids, or did you lose all aspects of your humanity in the brain extracting process?

  15. Smokey Washington Avatar
    Smokey Washington

    Then, buy your math, Dayton’s Budget has an extra 5 billion in it, perfect. Will be nice having a reserve again

    Can you be that dumb, Flash? The budget in question is for FY 2012 & 2013. The projected deficit only exists because the state intends to spend about 15% more than it does currently.
    Emmer says keep spending at or near current levels to get rid of this future deficit.
    Dayton says he can meet that 15% increase by pulling money out of his ass — but let’s be honest. What Dayton will do to close the budget gap is increase sales and sin taxes that are highly regressive. He will bleed the poor.

  16. bosshoss429 Avatar
    bosshoss429

    Smokey;

    “What Dayton will do to close the budget gap is increase sales and sin taxes that are highly regressive. He will bleed the poor.”

    Spot on comments!

    It just infuriates me that these liberal moonbats still can’t see that they are being played for chumps! Despite historical evidence, they still believe that their pimps will “only raise taxes on the rich.” Apparently, they also don’t believe that the incremental increases that affect them day to day, aren’t really taxes. Sheesh!

  17. Kermit Avatar
    Kermit

    Can you be that dumb, Flash?
    Rhetorical question of the day. Smokey hasn’t enjoyed the full scope of Flash’s insights.

  18. Kevin Avatar
    Kevin

    Flash, you can’t be THAT obtuse. If it’s intentional, that just make you an annoying troll. If it’s not, well, that just makes you dumb. Not sure I care which one it is.

    But I’m guess the answer is the same reason you fly the flag of Centrisity but just parrot left-wing talking points with every comment. At least everyone else here is honest with their bias.

  19. Smokey Washington Avatar
    Smokey Washington

    Oh, I’ve got Flash’s number, Kermit. He’s got a post over at his place now explaining how if the feds raised taxes on top wage earners the deficit would go away and the failed porkulus program — beloved by all lackeys of the state — would be paid for.
    Horseshit. Spending is the problem, not taxes. The federal government is a devourer of wealth. It will consume and consume until its host — the American People — is destroyed, and liberals and progressives are the federal government’s enablers.
    If taxes were increased to pay for what the fed owes now, within a few years we’d right back to trillion dollar deficits.
    Economics is the science of rationing scarce resources. Liberals don’t believe this. They think that there is enough money to ease all of the world’s pains, if they can just get it out of your pocket and into theirs.

  20. Smokey Washington Avatar
    Smokey Washington

    violent imagery and naked racial appeals on Talk Hate Radio!

    A Republican majority in Congress would mean “hand-to-hand combat” on Capitol Hill for the next two years, threatening policies Democrats have enacted to stabilize the economy, President Obama warned Wednesday.

    Speaking on Michael Baisden’s syndicated radio show, Obama also made a direct appeal to African Americans about the importance of the November vote, even though he’s not on the ballot himself.

    http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-base-20101008,0,3160644.story

  21. justplainangry Avatar
    justplainangry

    It just infuriates me that these liberal moonbats still can’t see that they are being played for chumps! Despite historical evidence, they still believe that their pimps will “only raise taxes on the rich.” Apparently, they also don’t believe that the incremental increases that affect them day to day, aren’t really taxes. Sheesh!

    Oh, they know exactly what they are doing. Increasingly, all lefty dhimmonrat libruls are on a government payroll. 0bama is turning USA into a banana republic. Let’s see if we can say “No” to that in November.

  22. golfdoc50 Avatar
    golfdoc50

    Dayton’s budget plan reminds me of the Underpants Gnomes on South Park. Here was their “business plan”

    1. Steal underpants
    2. ????
    3. Profits!

  23. golfdoc50 Avatar
    golfdoc50

    I just scrolled up and noticed Ben beat me to it. Good work!

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