[Speed Gibson,
Thursday September 29, 2005 at 10:41am]
Wanted: State Leadership
That's what the Minneapolis Star Tribune wants:
If only Pawlenty would surrender to House Speaker (hey, it costs me nothing) Steve Sviggum and Senate Majority Leader (in name only) Dean Johnson, Minnesota could avoid COS - Cold Omaha Syndrome.
If history repeats itself, Pawlenty will indeed soon surrender. He has presented lists of demands before and come away with nothing, Q-Comp, for example. He will claim to get some concession from the DFL, but if history repeats itself, Johnson will be lying once again and concede nothing.
The leadership the Star Tribune (who has vested interests here) seeks is really cowardice. Don't build consensus toward a successful referendum, just go around the electorate by routing it through as few officials as possible. These aren't weighty matters that require immediate action or circumvention of the existing processes for approving them.
No, true leaders would confront the unreasonable demands of the Twins, Vikings, and Gophers, not the reasonable expectations of the already highly-taxed citizens of Hennepin and Anoka counties.
It's a fantasy, we know, but it's wondrous to imagine a governor who actually leads a reluctant state into doing something that's difficult now but clearly in its long-term best interest. And that's to finally approve the Twins and Gophers stadiums.
If only Pawlenty would surrender to House Speaker (hey, it costs me nothing) Steve Sviggum and Senate Majority Leader (in name only) Dean Johnson, Minnesota could avoid COS - Cold Omaha Syndrome.
If history repeats itself, Pawlenty will indeed soon surrender. He has presented lists of demands before and come away with nothing, Q-Comp, for example. He will claim to get some concession from the DFL, but if history repeats itself, Johnson will be lying once again and concede nothing.
The leadership the Star Tribune (who has vested interests here) seeks is really cowardice. Don't build consensus toward a successful referendum, just go around the electorate by routing it through as few officials as possible. These aren't weighty matters that require immediate action or circumvention of the existing processes for approving them.
No, true leaders would confront the unreasonable demands of the Twins, Vikings, and Gophers, not the reasonable expectations of the already highly-taxed citizens of Hennepin and Anoka counties.