At Issue’s Greatest Hits

If you have ever watched the Minnesota State Legislature on television,
you have probably witnessed an off-color comment or an amazingly
laughable one-liner only to want to witness them again. Thankfully, the
people at KSTP’s At Issue, hosted by Tom Hauser, have the best of the best At Issue clips compiled on their website from 2000 to 2008.

The clips range widely: then-Rep. Pawlenty says, “I thought Austin Powers had mojo, but after watching Rep. [Ted] Winter at the Iron Range party last night, he’s got the mojo;” Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) makes the startling observation that “Zero percent of zero is zero…”; to a clip of then-Gov. Jesse Ventura almost breaking out into tears… and that’s just in 2000.

One recurring motif from At Issue’s Greatest Hits are the Animal House clips. The scene where John Belushi
screams “FOOD FIGHT!” works as a metaphor for floor debates. Belushi
saying “Have a beer, it don’t cost nothing,” and then spilling his beer
on the floor juxtaposes with clips of the Legislature’s endless
ventures into liquor laws and booze in general. In the 2008 Greatest
Hits the topic of the 4 a.m. bar close was debated on the floor. Sen. Julianne Ortman
(R-Chanhassen) wondered, “What are they doing in St. Paul?” A fair
question since only one bar in the metro area has paid the $2500 fee to
stay open until 4 a.m., Sheik’s Palace Royal. [First Avenue may also
obtain a license.]

If one experienced
all these moments watching Channel 17, legislators’ remarks would
merely range from the banal to the absurd; thanks to the excellent
editing, rearranged and shorn of their context, even the most boring
clips become entertaining and frequently, laugh-out-loud funny.