Shot in the Dark

Carlson And Mondale: Marinading In Hypocrisy

I just finished watching former governor – as in, “not the governor anymore” – Arne Carlson on Channel 11’s morning show.  The former – as in, “hasn’t been elected in 17 years” – governor was promoting his “independent” budget commission.

I didn’t hear much; I was too busy yelling at the TV.  Having that smug, sanctimonous fop back on the TV still makes my wallet hurt.

But I do recall that his little spiel was clogged with references to “the way we used to do things in Minnesota”; code for “parties working together”.  As in “cooperation among elected officials, with no “extremists” hijacking the process to their ends”.

So what do we have here in Minnesota?

A legislative branch whose overwhelming majority agrees on a budget is being held up…

…by the Governor.

Is that the sort of “cooperation” that Carlson is talking about?

Or are his scruples purely partisan?

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Mitch Berg

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13 responses to “Carlson And Mondale: Marinading In Hypocrisy”

  1. nate Avatar
    nate

    So their bold, outside-the-box solution to all our problems is . . . a committee of also-rans and has-beens, appointed by the very Governor who’s holding the state hostage for a dollar-an-hour pay cut, chaired by the Governor’s lap-dog Commissioner of Management and Budget.

    Yep, exactly what I’d expect from the dream ticket of Carlson-Mondale (wow, even that sounds eerily familiar, somehow).

    I’m going to be shocked, just shocked, when they come back recommending a tax hike. Expect the press release in 9 days.

    .

  2. Kermit Avatar
    Kermit

    Arne Quisling.
    Get out of my party, you fraud.

  3. Troy Avatar
    Troy

    Oh look: volunteer mediators.

    Just what the Governor ordered!

  4. Scott Hughes Avatar
    Scott Hughes

    “as in, “not the governor anymore” – Arne Carlson on Channel 11′s morning show. The former – as in, “hasn’t been elected in 17 years” – governor was promoting his “independent” budget commission.”

    Hey Arne, kiss off, you self-aggrandizing bastard!!

    Mondale? Well some 30+ years ago he and the 2nd worst President of all time (Carter) were waxed by Reagan, and in ’84 Reagan again stomped his pompous ass into the dirt. In 2002 the Dems tried to resurrect his moldy carcass to fill the Wellstone void, his behavior at the Wellstone Memorial demonstrated how despicable a person he really is. We all know how that election turned out.

    Hold these clowns out as some sort of elder statesman? Pure comedy!

  5. Chuck Avatar
    Chuck

    I recall Arne vetoing an awful lot of Democrat spending bills. A quick internet search reveals the truth. Uncle Arne was a power hungry vetor of gov’t spending bills.

    He veto’d 179 bills, which is 40% of all gubernatorial vetos from 1939 to 2007.

    Looks like uncle Arne wasn’t a bridge builder after all.

    http://www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/cspg/pdf/Making_History.pdf

  6. Chuck Avatar
    Chuck

    Arne also used a line item veto to remove sections of bills. He really played hard-ball with the Democrats. No compromising here as they even took him to court over it.

    http://mn.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19931015_0002.MN.htm/qx

    The link is bad, but a headline on a Yahoo search:

    “Arne Carlson Was the Veto King ”

    I also found a reference to a health bill that he planned to veto because of lack of cost controls. Could not find a follow up article to see who that played out.

  7. Chuck Avatar
    Chuck

    So my point being…..uncle Arne got the Minnesota budget under control (which really wasn’t that hard in the go go 90s) by vetoing Democrat spending bills. Not by building any kind of bridges.

  8. Kermit Avatar
    Kermit

    Any man who could marry Barbara Carlson has serious judgment issues.

  9. Scott Hughes Avatar
    Scott Hughes

    Kermit, I said those VERY WORDS to my wife this morning!!! She just nodded her head in agreement.

  10. Bill C Avatar
    Bill C

    “and in ’84 Reagan again stomped his pompous ass into the dirt.”

    Understatement of the year. In 84, the only state that Mondale won the electoral votes for? Minnesota.

    “Any man who could marry Barbara Carlson has serious judgment issues.”

    Hey Arne? How’s Oscar doing?

  11. Kermit Avatar
    Kermit

    Oscar has left the building.

  12. Ben Avatar
    Ben

    Hasn’t been elected in 17 years AND never got the GOP nomination for gov either time he ran. He was too “Moderate” (ie liberal) FOR THE MN GOP CIRCA 1990 and 1994! THAT should say something.

  13. Ben Avatar
    Ben

    I think we are becoming a good model for the US. Centralized government? who needs it? Just pull 150 random names from the MN phone book and have them settle on a budget. It’d be better than anything these morons could come up with

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