Well, there you have it.
— Rob Doar (@robdoar) May 20, 2024
"The Democrats in the Minnesota House of Representatives did what we needed to do to pass our agenda"#mnleg pic.twitter.com/7cgTukdYX1
MN Gov. Tim Walz defends the way the 2024 session ended despite complaints from GOP that rules were abused.
— Peter Callaghan (@CallaghanPeter) May 20, 2024
"It's politics. It's democracy. It's messy. But at the end of the day the sausage in this one is going to taste pretty good because there's good stuff for Minnesotans." pic.twitter.com/h1zYcoxeMv
Well, since the "good stuff" was contained in a 1,400+ page omnibus bill which no one had time to read (and wasn't even available for viewing online until *after* passage on party lines), no one really knows if that's the case.
Here is what you get when you click on the link for the tax bill brought by @HouseDemocrats @melissahortman pic.twitter.com/rEyErgvfJt
— Rep. Jim Nash (@JimNashMN) May 20, 2024
33 refused to remain silent and took a stand for democracy, transparency, the people, and Minnesota’s Constitution.
— 🇺🇸Zach Duckworth🇺🇸 (@ZachDuckworth) May 20, 2024
34 chose to be complicit by violating the rules, circumventing the democratic process, and willfully tarnishing the legacy of a sacred institution.
Indefensible. pic.twitter.com/hI0CC3u91w
Even a former DFL Senator was abhorred by the process.
As a former Senate Minority Leader, it saddens me to witness the erosion of this institution. The minority must always have a voice in the legislative process. May we find the courage to work together to restore the public trust and that of each other. #mnleg
— Melisa López Franzen (@MelisaFranzen) May 20, 2024
So with just that snapshot, how can I declare that the ending of the 2024 session wasn't "all bad?"
Well, first off, one of the DFL's goals was to implement much more gun control than what they rammed through in 2023. But of the 14 agenda items addressing firearms, literally only one provision (i.e. the binary trigger ban) made it through, and that was only because the Dems buried it in that leviathan of an omnibus bill.
But in a development that I feel offsets a lot of the DFL overreach these past two sessions, they didn't have time for perhaps *the* big kahuna of their agenda.
Becca Delahunt, director of public policy with the Minnesota Family Council, delivered the good news via her Instagram story.
Amid widespread attacks on reproductive and LGBTQ rights nationwide, we call on Governor Walz to hold an immediate special session for the Legislature to vote on the Equal Rights Amendment.
— Gender Justice (@GenderJustice) May 20, 2024
Walz has bent to the trans mafia quite a bit over the past 16 months. Any chance he'd do so again?
When asked by @toreyvanoot about prospects of a special session (some are calling for one because equal rights amendment didn’t pass #mnleg senate)
— Caroline Cummings (@CaroRCummings) May 20, 2024
Walz says firmly: “No special session. Next question.” pic.twitter.com/dnWJhEXk4g
While even Walz's most fervent detractors might be tempted to give him an "attaboy" for that stance, let's not pretend he's doing this out of some sort of principle to save the amount of taxpayer money required to fund extra days of the Legislature. The fact of the matter is calling a special session would be a political disaster given the DFL controls all of state government yet couldn't even complete all of their agenda items within the normal legislative calendar. On the other hand, the Dems may believe they can also use the issue as the proverbial bloody shirt in their 2024 campaigns. Since the DFL House majority could well be lost this November, they figure one way to retain control is attempting to drive up turnout by declaring "human rights is on the ballot." Their pitch to voters would be that if they keep their majority in 2025, they along with the Senate (which is not up for election in '24, thus the DFL will maintain the majority) will immediately address the ERA issue to ensure it's on the '26 ballot.
On the flip side, Republicans now have their messaging, too. All they have to do is read on an endless loop the details of the damage prog legislation has already inflicted on Minnesota and how a GOP majority in the House would be the only backstop to more draconian measures.
It's no exaggeration to suggest this truly is the most pivotal election cycle in Minnesota's history.
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