TheBanyanTree: Minnesota Did the Right Thing

[Margaret R. Kramer]

I knew it was going to be bad for Kerry on Election night.  The returns were
showing a strong Bush surge.  I felt bad, not because I’m a big Kerry fan,
but because we were going to be stuck with Bush for another four years.
Well, I threw away my vote for Kerry instead of voting for Nader like I
usually do.

I still wonder if the DFL ticket had been reversed, Edwards for President,
and Kerry for Vice, if that would have made a difference.  I know Edwards
doesn’t have a lot of experience, but neither did Bush.  He was a coddled
governor of Texas and is a coddled President with all Daddy’s men to advise
him.  But Edwards has a pleasant media personality, he’s moderate, he’s made
it on his own, and his wife is an “every woman.”  She’s smart, overweight,
the “anti Barbie” as she calls herself.  But she connects and I think he
connects with people as well, where I think Kerry never really did, and
certainly Teresa Heinz was a frightening possibility as a first lady.

My son wonders how much Teresa Heinz factored into Kerry’s loss, and I bet
anything she did quite a bit.  It’s not something the media was going dwell
on, instead they decided to dwell on “moral issues.”  She could tell the
world to go to hell,  because she has enough money to do so, but if she
would have become a major player on the world stage, she would have to learn
diplomacy, and not everyone wants to have their thumbs jerked out of their
mouths by her.

I woke up the next morning with the election undecided.  It was obvious,
however, that Bush was going to win.  I felt sad and wondered if I should
leave the country and head back to Norway, the homeland of my great, great
grandparents.  I’d have to learn Norwegian, but there might be some genetic
memory in my DNA that would allow me to catch on fast.

How could 51% of the country vote for a man who is a complete moron?  What
do they see in him?  Was Kerry that bad?  And “moral issues” only accounted
for 22% of the issues people were thinking of when they went into the voting
booth.  But this is the country that voted Nixon in for a second term when
the Vietnam War was raging.  This is the country that voted in Reagan for a
second term, even though it was obvious even then, that he wasn’t all there
mentally.

But before I went online to order my one way ticket to Norway, I watched our
local news and read the newspapers.  Kerry won the state of Minnesota.  I
would have been more surprised if he wouldn’t have.  Minnesota was a swing
state, and Bush has his supporters here, but we’re a smart people and we can
tell a moron when we see one.  And he visited our state every five minutes,
so most of us could tell he was a moron.

The local elections really told the tale, however.  The Republications lost
13 seats in the state House.  The DFL already had a majority in the Senate.
The Republicans now only have a 2 seat lead in the House.  I think people
were fed up with our governor’s (a Republication who is being groomed by the
conservative GOP for bigger and better things.  It will be interesting to
watch to see if he’ll become more moderate, which is attractive to Minnesota
voters, or if he’ll become more conservative, which will make him more
attractive the national GOP.  If he goes down the conservative path, then he
’s sold his soul to get ahead.) stance on no taxes and cutting services
dramatically to make up the budget deficit.

Most Minnesotans don’t mind a little belt tightening, but when it means
school services get cut, fire people and police people get laid off, our
parks go without maintenance, and our overall quality of life is threatened,
then they begin to vote the DFL back into office.  Sure, there are no new
state taxes, but our property taxes are soaring, sales taxes are up, and
there’s additional fees attached to everything to pay the bills.  No new
taxes?  Yeah, right.

The Minnesota Vikings never win the Super Bowl, but by gosh, we have good
schools.  We’re an educated people.  Our state provides great services for
its residents.  We’re number one in the country for health care.  We have
nice homes and are building back our good jobs, and we try to do the right
thing concerning people who are down and out.

The legislator who got the conceal and carry bill passed was voted out of
office.  Why do we need to carry guns anyway?  We’re not cowboys.  That
whole gun thing is racist.  It’s to protect the whites against dark skinned
people.  Everyone knows it’s  the dark skinned people who are the criminals.
Right?

The legislators who weren’t supporting mass transit solutions were voted out
of office.  We almost have rush hour traffic 24 hours a day in the metro
area, but we have lawmakers who don’t want to change anything.  Our one
light rail train is way over projections for use.  It’s a wonderful
transportation alternative and the fact that so many people use it indicates
that there is a need for more mass transit solutions.

Now our governor is trying to get the Indians to give the state some of
their profits from their casinos.  If anyone reads history, they know we
treated the Indians as the same level as the Nazis treated the Jews.  We
herded them onto reservations and kept them poor and full of alcohol.  They
finally figured out a way to make a little money, and now we want to take
that away from them, too.  They can keep their money.  If we need to make up
the deficit, there are other ways to do it.  If whites don’t like the fact
the Indians are making money at the casinos, then they shouldn’t go to the
casinos.

I didn’t order my ticket to Norway.  Maybe the national scene will stay the
same, although that’s changing, too, with Cabinet members resigning in
droves.  Perhaps Cheney’s heart will finally give out.  Maybe they’ll lock
Rumsfeld in a closet and throw away the key.  Bush might spend more time on
his ranch now that 9/11 is fading into memory.

But our local scene is definitely heading in the right direction.  The DFL
is strong here.  Our values are strong.  Minnesotans’ desire to do the right
thing is still beating in our hearts.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

http://www.polarispublications.com
Be a star!

http://www.bpwmn.org
Business and Professional Women of Minnesota

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be
careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude.
~E.P. Powell