The EU could totally bail us out

While the selection of presidential candidates continues to dominate national political coverage, state politics are heating up substantially in Minnesota, with our Legislature now two weeks into session, and plenty of signs of turbulence ahead.

Yesterday marked the first time Gov. Tim Pawlenty's veto was overridden, with some brave Republicans voting against their caucus position. The rhetorical reprisal and in-party retaliation that ensued suggests that this is not a political season for civilly agreeing to disagree on the fine points, while compromising to get the important work done. All this over a transportation bill that, um, recent events would suggest is overdue. We need a bridge over troubled waters, indeed.

I am anxious about whether lawmakers will have the courage, especially when faced with the pressures of reduced resources, to make the essential (and in many cases, long deferred) strategic investments in our state's infrastructure and basic needs. Our people, our quality of life, and our economy suffer in the absence of such courage. And history vindicates the brave, especially those attacked for their bravery.

EU, please save us from ourselves?

Presidential perspective

Two presidential candidates visited the Twin Cities yesterday, with a third on the way today.

The Star Tribune's coverage of these visits devotes comparable real estate to each candidate. (If anything, the online coverage seems to favor Mitt Romney over Barack Obama in the number of images and their relative prominence.)

photo: Brian Peterson, Star Tribune

photo: Jennifer Simonson, Star Tribune

Romney had a crowd of several hundred gathered in the lobby of an office building in Edina. Barack Obama filled the Target Center, twenty thousand strong. If pixels were instead allotted based on the event participants, it would alter the picture rather dramatically.

(Pixels aside, the Strib's coverage did do a good job of conveying the incredible support for Obama. And I'm certainly in favor of equitable coverage for a broad spectrum of candidates and their views, not scaled to an editorial board's view of their political chances.)

So even if political rally turn-out is no barometer of polling behavior, I'm still left saying Barack On!