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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
NEWS COLUMN
Political landscape changes
By State Rep. Paul Anderson
Although not totally unexpected, Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s announcement June 2 that he would not be seeking a third term will change the political landscape, not only in Minnesota, but quite possibly, on the national scene as well.
It didn’t take long after his press conference ended last Tuesday before the pundits were coming up with their lists of potential Republican candidates to run in 2010. House Minority Leader Marty Seifert announced the next day that he was stepping down from his House leadership position to avoid a potential conflict of interest as he explores the possibility of throwing his hat in the ring for a run at the governorship.
No fewer than 10 names had popped up on the DFL side this past winter as potential gubernatorial candidates. And, now that Pawlenty has made his decision, the door has been thrown wide open for candidates on both sides of the aisle. It promises to be an interesting campaign, with neither side having a candidate who’s a shoe-in right now, although I would say that Seifert is the leading GOP contender.
Listening to Governor Pawlenty announce his plans (or lack of same, at least with regard to a run for the presidency), my feelings were mixed. I think he has the right stuff to lead our country and would bring some much needed fiscal sanity to Washington. He’s the right age, he’s charismatic, and he is a man of his word.
As a member of the Republican minority in the Minnesota House, I’m going to miss him. Despite being outnumbered by nearly 40 members, we had power. That power was directly connected to the governor’s office, by way of his veto. Even though the Democrats had majorities in both the House and Senate, they still couldn’t enact statutes that they had passed without first getting past the governor and his veto threat. And as long as our Republican House caucus stuck together, his veto couldn’t be over-ridden.
As this is being written, our part of the state is in critical need of rain. My farm here in Pope County has received about .6 inches of precipitation since spring’s work started. The last couple of weeks haven't seen enough rain to even get the sidewalk totally wet. Soybeans I planted after the legislative session ended are, for the most part, laying in dry, lumpy dirt. First-cutting alfalfa has nearly all been cut and chopped or baled. Tonnage, I suspect, is lower than normal. Even the lawns, usually green and lush heading into June, have taken on a mid-August appearance, with varying shades of brown and an occasional weed sticking up above the parched grass.
Hats off to our dairy producers, as they still work against negative cash flows. Their importance to our rural economy, and to our state’s economy, as well, is huge.
In future columns, we’ll examine some of the bills that passed this past session and were signed into law. In the meantime, pray for rain.
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Rep. Anderson encourages constituents to contact his new office with input regarding any state legislative issue. He can be reached on the web at www.house.mn/13A and via email at rep.paul.anderson@house.mn. To contact Anderson by phone, call (651) 296-4317. Mail can be sent to Rep. Paul Anderson, 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155.
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