Anatomy of an Override

In yesterday’s Weekly Report we predicted that the House would not be
able to muster the 90 votes necessary to override GOP Gov. Tim
Pawlenty’s veto of the $6.6 billion transportation funding bill. We
were wrong. What happened?

The legislator we had described as "no way, no how," in fact, did.
Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba (DFL-Long Prairie) voted to override, along with
Rep. John Lesch
(DFL-St. Paul), who also voted against the bill on the House floor last
week. That seemed to empower the six Republicans who voted for the
package, and having already rattled GOP cages by voting for the package
the first time, they stayed the course. The six are Reps. Jim Abeler (R-Anoka), Rep. Ron Erhardt (R-Edina),
Rep. Rod Hamilton (R-Mountain Lake), Rep. Neil Peterson (R-Bloomington),
Rep. Bud Heidgerken, (R-Freeport) and
Rep. Kathy Tingelstad (R-Andover).

We think the Star Tribune got the list of winners about right: House Speaker Margaret Kelliher (DFL-Minneapolis), House Transportation Finance Chair Rep. Bernie Lieder, (DFL-Crookston), Erhardt, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce President David Olson and Wells Fargo-Minnesota President Jon Campbell. To that list we add House Majority Lieder Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm), who helped Kelliher in achieving DFL House Caucus cohesion.

The biggest losers are the Taxpayers League of Minnesota and state GOP Party Chair Ron Carey.
The tax increases in the bill are the first tax increases to become law
(if you buy into the cigarette distributor fee increases as fees and
not taxes) since Mike Wigley founded the League. Wigley has promised retribution. In an email to his members and others last Friday, Wigely wrote,

"The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce IS NOT YOUR FRIEND!!! Today, THEY CROSSED OVER TO THE DARK SIDE. AND THEY WILL NEVER EVER GET ANOTHER CENT OF DUES FROM ME!!! NEVER EVER!!! David Olson,
my friend, you can take that to the bank!!!…So, my good friends,
here’s what you can do: (1) Call David Olson at the Chamber and rip him
up oneside and down the other; and (2) DROP YOUR MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHAMBER NOW. Vote with your VOICE AND YOUR POCKETBOOK!!!" [Emphasis is Wigley's.]

Carey
showed up at Tingelstad’s GOP endorsing convention over the weekend and
helped orchestrate a move by delegates not to endorse her. He also
came to the Capitol yesterday and was unable to change a single GOP
vote. Carey has created an almost untenable position for himself in
GOP circles. He backed Arkansas GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee for
president…even though Huckabee signed a three-cent gas tax increase
in his state. To mount insurgent campaigns against the six GOP
incumbents who voted for the bill creates opportunities for Democrats
in those districts they would not otherwise have.

Yet to be discerned is whether House Minority Leader Marty Seifert (R-Marshall)
is a winner or a loser. If Seifert can channel all the anti-tax
sentiment–and all the anti-tax checkbooks–into viable GOP contests
against vulnerable DFLers this fall, he could be the long-term winner.
Certainly GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty goes into the immediate loser category.

In
the immediate aftermath of yesterday’s vote, Republicans are crossing
their fingers. With a likely looming large budget deficit to be
announced this week, perhaps Democrats will propose more tax
increases. Kelliher and Sertich have their work cut out for them,
trying to prevent a tax increase avalanche.

No Responses to “Anatomy of an Override”

1. phillegser Says:
   February 26th, 2008 at 10:55 am

   Oddly enough, I don’t see Governor Pawlenty as a real loser in this. He realizes the ongoing funding problems for transportation; it’s his administration after all. Now he has some real additional funding to pay for popular projects across the state but has no responsibility for the unpopular tax increases that support those projects. He can thunder against the “ridiculous” DFL tax increases at a time when Minnesota families are facing significant financial hardships and take the credit for MnDOT accomplishments during his administration. Seems okay to me!