With all the talk about the Democrats moving to the right in this Fall's election, I thought I'd post a snapshot of what's going on in true-blue Minnesota, where Governor Tim Pawlenty was the lone state-wide Republican winner from November 7th. He managed to beat Mike Hatch, a decent but flawed candidate by a single percentage point, with a 3rd party candidate--the very progressive Peter Hutchinson--getting 9% of the vote.
It seemed like "posturing" when Pawlenty conceded at his victory speech that the voters had sent a message about politicians needing to get things done. But, not anymore.
Check out
this article from the Star-Tribune in today's paper. Here is the key graf:
In a sweeping policy departure that aligns with a top agenda item of the newly elected DFL legislative majorities, Gov. Tim Pawlenty called Tuesday for extending health care access to up to 90,000 uninsured children as a step toward coverage for all Minnesotans.
"We all, I think, can chart a path toward universal coverage," he said in a luncheon speech to a health reform conference in Minneapolis. "We're going to have to move in stages. ... We should start with covering all kids."
The article then goes on to quote Pawlenty saying that failure to give the government authority to negotiate for bulk drug discounts under Medicare Part D is "unconscionable", that HMO's may not be capable of reversing America's health care crisis, and that drug ads may need to be limited or removed from television.
"Huh?" Do you think the Media will even recognize that Pawlenty has just moved his entire policy agenda four-suare into the Deomcratic platform? Hey Tim, there plenty of room in the big tent Minnesota DFL. Come on in, the waters great!
Or maybe this is his opening gambit on becoming a GOP VP hopeful in 2008?
Whatever is happening, it sure takes the sting off of losing the governorship to know that we have veto-proof majorities in the Minnesota House and Senate and that Pawlenty is singing our tune.