The Questions:

1.  What is the one, absolutely critical, issue in Minnesota that candidates must address thoroughly in their campaigns for Governor, irrespective of political party affiliation? 

2.  What might candidates for Governor say or do to best reveal their relative potential for leadership of Minnesota at this time in its history?

3.  How should precinct caucuses be conducted next February so that political parties might select nominees for Governor representing the broadest spectrum of their respective party memberships?

Mark Ritchie

Wow, what a great discussion and summary - thanks again.

Bill Hamm

Your ideas and discussion again reflect your metro domination and show clear lack of understanding of differences in greater Minnesota. This discussion leads us nowhere.

Question 1: While there are several such potential issues, we will see no unity among candidates on any of them.

Question 2: Where does this question come from left or right? There is no such one thing that is going to traverse political polarities.

Question 3: We should conduct them as we always have.  I am getting tired of those who want to create their dream utopia of manipulative control of the political process.

Ray Cox

Question 1:  Identify how they plan to handle issues related to a population that is growing older, with declining tax revenues as a result of the baby boomers retiring. 

Question 2:  Show concrete examples of previous leadership examples in their lives. We don't need a 'learner' in the Governor's chair.

Question 3:  I don't see any major changes to the caucus system other than for parties to work even harder to get good participation.

Chuck Slocum

Question 1:  Providing real leadership concerning Mn economic future; jobs and related human resource development (early learning, mentoring, etc.)

Question 2:  Demonstrate abilities for effectively engaging the public on defining their future and experience in implementing change.

Question 3:   Change the way candidates talk to the party through outreach; parties at local levels begin a widespread candidate search far earlier, inviting leaders beyond the usual suspects to attend caucuses and to seek office…establish caucus goals resulting in a wide range of diversity in attendees…find a way to involve political independents (Independent-Republicans of Minnesota?)

Other comment: ­­­­A maxim for Minnesota: thoughtfully plan your work and effectively work your plan to achieve goals over a period of time.

Kent Eklund

Question 1:  Create a balanced financial model for state government based on real economic projections with adequate revenues and reserves to stop the peaks and valleys -- search for a stable model of relationships among the three sectors of Minnesota.

Question 2: Provide a vision for the state with specifics.

Question 3: I have given up on the caucuses.

Ann Berget

Question 1:  The state economy, as it functions through the filters of education, health care, taxation, job development, and statewide infrastructure. 

Question 2:  In my opinion: Get off the partisan bandwagon and develop serious conversation, understanding, and strategy for dealing with the major issues facing Minnesotans (see #1). This should not be about whether we have a Dem. or Rep. governor, but whether the policies advancing work to the benefit of Minnesota citizens.

 

Question 3:  I no longer view partisan precinct caucuses as a good way to select candidates for major offices.
 ­­­­Every election cycle good potential candidates get lost in the partisan weeds or, worse yet, choose not to run at all because of partisan orthodoxies that eliminate them before prospective voters ever have a chance to hear what they have to say. With the current caucus/convention system, critical eliminations are made by a small number of partisans long before the electorate has a chance to consider a diversity of views.

Roy Thompson

Question 1:  There is not "one" critical issue needed.  Just as a it is not one tooth of a saw that cuts off a board.  A knife may serve for single issue problems.  Holding together a team capable of solving or analyzing the problems is essential.

Question 2:   Experience in managing complex organization with community orientation is essential.

Donald H. Anderson

Question 1: Economy, on a non-partisan, non-locked in solution.

Question 2: How will they lead the state in this time of economic hardships.

Question 3: Don't stay locked in in one-issue solutions to problems.

Shirley Heaton

What a fascinating summer project! It's situations like this which make me sometimes wish I still lived in Minneapolis so's I could take an active part in the discussions. Although I shall not be participating in the surveys I shall look forward to the meeting reports.

Larry Baker

Question 1:   REALLY invest in education with goal of making MN K-12 best in the
World.  We could afford it, and it would become a signature theme for the state, with huge economic benefits.
Question 2:  Develop a state-wide visioning process during first year, developing in
forums throughout the state, then implement it.

Question 3:   Parties should consider "issues conventions" in election off years to encourage real deliberation on issues.  Parties would tend to converge on solutions, reducing  polarization. If all senate districts did this, and ideas were synthesize in party
 conventions, this could have some impact.  We tried this (once, an Energy Futures, in DFL 51B, about 2 years ago), and the results were encouraging.

Jim Keller

Question 1:  We have had an ongoing pattern of double digit increases in education and medical costs, while the remainder of the economy is crawling along. This I believe is the elephant that cannot be ignored. I believe that if he, (or she) proposes to increase spending, the candidate should have the intestinal fortitude to propose a general tax increase, (sales tax increase, sales tax on clothing, or an across the board income tax increase). We must get off this message of a free lunch for the general public.

Question 2:  Commit to involving the general public.  Push to replace caucuses with primaries . Push to have term limits for governor and the legislature. I believe both would increase public involvement and reduce partisanship.

Question 3:  I believe they should make an effort to seek candidates beyond the legislative spectrum.

Joe Mansky

Question 1:  Broadening the tax base.

Question 2:  Here are two: 1) Name one instance in which you championed a cause not fully embraced initially by the electorate; 2) Describe the most prominent example of a situation where you worked actively with members of the opposition party to accomplish an important public objective .

Question 3:  Each caucus will vote on a straw ballot to express their preferences for governor. Perhaps prior to the caucuses the parties could sponsor a series of public discussions that would permit potential caucus attendees to ask the candidates to describe where it is they would lead the state. Not specific proposals for individual actions but a broader vision.

Terry Stone

Question 1:  The governor must go beyond a statement of policy and work with the legislature toward defined policy intent.  Examples are in order.

The Republican policy of tax cuts and small government has the ultimate end of no taxes and no government.  While this is a well-known policy, it is rarely defined. We need to state a metric that defines this policy’s intent. The question for them is: “How much tax cutting is enough”? For the Republicans, let’s say that they agree to back off their tax cutting and small government policy when unemployment is at 4%.  Once so defined, this may be a goal toward which both parties can work.  An ideological battle, i.e., partisan politics, is the logical consequence of an open-ended undefined policy intent.

Environmentalism is a worthy activity with the ultimate potential of bankrupting the State of Minnesota.  As a DFL policy, it seems promoted without sensible regard to cost and without a clearly stated policy intent. Just how clean does water need to be before we stop pushing for cleaner water? Currently, the answer is that all water needs to be returned to the “reference condition”.  This is defined as “little or no anthropogenic perturbations”. Defined metrics delineating a more realistic goal might be a target toward which both parties might work.

Similarly, how much Minnesota land needs to be under Federal control to meet the policy intent of preservationist liberals? Let’s let the Governor help us mediate a specific target and work toward it together. Let’s state a specific policy intent on restricting mineral extraction for environmental purposes. The same needs to be done with alternative energy policy particularly as it pertains to (presently bungled) nuclear energy development policy.

These policies without clear intent are very large problems. To understand the order of magnitude of the clean water problem, consider that Minnesota has 17,000 lakes over 1 acre (yes, we should have counted before we made all those license plates). Each lake, by definition has a minimum of two rivers; one inlet and one outlet.  This gives us a total of 51,000 bodies of water that each require Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies under the Minnesota Clean Water Legacy Act of 2005. In reality, there are thousands more creeks and judicial ditches on which these studies are required. While the cost of a TMDL study varies greatly by water body type and segment length, the Congressional Research Service mentions $1,000,000 each for these studies. Discussions with the Department of Environmental Quality in King County, Washington confirm that, while a lake can cost millions of dollars in TMDLs, the overall average per water body is probably around a million dollars per study. Simple math then tells us that the minimum price of writing the state’s TMDLs will total $51,000,000,000 (something like $8,300 for every man woman and child). It is therefore understandable that the handful of legislators that understand this complex issue do not share the joy of the enthused environmentalists who are throwing pocket change at the problem with a dedicated funding amendment split three ways.

Welfare is another contentious issue that would benefit from policy definition achieved through strong leadership from the Governor. The DFL has a purported policy of helping our most vulnerable citizens. The GOP posits that a lot of waste and fraud can be trimmed from the system and point to suspicious patterns of Minnesota EBT card use in all 50 states.

If the governor can mediate mutually agreed policy intent, a common goal could be achieved.  The fundamental question to be answered is, “Just what standard of living should welfare recipients enjoy?” No one believes that the needy should starve and probably there are few who believe that an EBT card should yield more that the average per capita income for the state. A defined policy intent lies somewhere between the extremes; and the governor is in the unique position to Shepard a resolution to fruition. It would be refreshing to hear a clear statement of policy intent such as, “It is the intend of this party to provide various means of supplemental support for all families of four not to exceed $24,000 in total annual income. It’s at least a point from which to start a reasonable discussion; instead of one party getting the most money possible for their welfare clients and the other party trying to block every measure in response—on principle instead of fundamentals.

Without defined policy there are a number of additional areas where even too much money is regarded as never enough. Education and transportation come to mind.

So long as interest groups own our political infrastructure, the legislature will be a fair reflection of the competing interests in our society as a whole. Without a clear statement of the intent of policies, each side of the isle will regard the other with suspicion and understandable fear.

This matter of clear policy intent holds the highest priority because it requires initiative, leadership, compromise and extraordinary communications skills. Well-defined policy intent is fundamental to getting our state unified and pulling together toward where ever we decide to go. Until then, we will continue to dither in dysfunctional disarray with deficits.

Question 2:  The governor for our time in history should articulate to the populace that the policies of all political persuasions need well-defined intents and reasonable limits. He also needs to explain the price of various major policies in the context of cause and effect as well as elevating the idea of spending only money that we actually have. Without this type of leadership Minnesota is in for serial unallotment.

Final inflammatory ideas on this topic

Specifications for governor

·                                 Must have proven track record; this is no time to take extreme risks

·                                 Instead of a candidate who can hit the ground running, we need a candidate who has been on the ground running for some time and will continue to do so.

·                                 A working knowledge of, and respect for, the U.S. and Minnesota Constitutions.

·                                 Business background would be helpful. It is worth noting that Governor Pawlenty, in his current mode as Uber-Unalloter, is a de facto CEO of a corporation owned by millions of Minnesota taxpayers. By any standard, Minnesota is a big operation. It employs about the same number of people as Menards Inc. national workforce (45,000), while having eight times the $8 billion annual revenue of the building supply company. Our Governor is overseeing a budget about 18% larger than the 2007 revenue of Chrysler Corporation’s world operations.

·        The next governor should probably come from rural Minnesota. Rural Minnesota is the real thing. While Manhattan defines New York, the Metro area does not similarly define Minnesota. Our state is still seen largely as lakes, lake cabins, trees, hunting, fishing, faming, mining and snowmobiling. And yes, there’s that big seven-county paved-over area on the Mississippi.

Metro area governmental entities invest billions in greenery, pollution mitigation, park systems, multiple trail systems, fish stocking programs, noise abatement walls, and short-walk parking access; all to replicate the rural Minnesota living experience. A governor would do well to understand the unpaved portion of the state.

Question 3:  The 2010 race will be a rare and distinctive convergence of conditions. In addition to the lack of a presidential race, the lack of an incumbent governor and the lack of a Congressional Senate race, even the attendant State Senate races will be for only a two-year term. Strategists will have the potential to sell a senate candidate with a short-term trial offer: If you don’t like the new guy, you can vote the old guy back into office in a short two years down the road.

There is, as always, a downside of an unentangled and distraction-free gubernatorial election in 2010. For all of its transgression as a largely abstract distraction to Minnesota elections, the presidential race represents the quadrennial (and ephemeral) removal of the public head from the sand. Indeed, the Presidency, as mirrored in the media, strongly shapes the public view of politics in general. Comparing voter turnout in presidential years to non-presidential years leaves little doubt.

The lack of a presidential stimulus to the public’s interest leaves all Minnesota contests vulnerable to ownership by those who show up; and we all know that those who show up, rain or shine, are not the moderates we need to break the grip of partisanship.

Interest groups are already salivating over the prospect of inexpensively funding candidates in an “off year” while the public assumes its default position of sleeping soundly at the wheel.

There is little likelihood of changing the precinct caucus template by next February.  The next best thing might be damage control. Some of the steam can be bled from the extremist machines by holding an Internet straw poll concurrently with the caucuses.  All political parties wishing to participate would agree upon a third party host. The neutral host would accept votes by Internet registering voter preferences from a list of all candidates representing all parties.

Such a poll would be an interesting control group against which the preferences of the party faithful, who physically braved the February weather and attended their caucuses, could be compared. Call it a reality check for the political parties. Current technology allows test polling district House and Senate candidates at the same time as the gubernatorial preferences; providing additional input for the parties.

A tweet about twitter

Whatever else it may end up being, Twitter is a master propagandist’s dream come true. It allows the pathologically uninformed to efficiently become the profoundly misinformed. The 140-character limit assures that no meaningful context attends the sound bite. Marshall McLuhan, call your office for a message from the Luddites.

Wayne Jennings

­­­­I’m disappointed and frustrated at state governance after this legislative session. It was too partisan and leaders were obdurate.

Question 1:  Resources to meet state needs.

Question 2:  What they say is important but they must believe it and have a history of acting in accordance. Candidates could say MN must be an innovative, humane state, then detail what that means and how to achieve it. Candidate George W. Bush said he was a uniter and adept at working with both parties as a governor. We’re all pretty cynical about what candidates say.

Question 3:  I think understanding candidates has to be done via media such as television, Internet news and newspapers. Not enough people attend caucuses. Perhaps caucus meetings might feature videos produced by independent sources of candidates about their positions.

Al Quie

Question 1:  The priorities in the state budget.

Question 2: Lay out a vision to solve Minnesota's three basic problems and engage community groups._Leaders attract followers.

Question 3:  Each Party organize broad spectrum gatherings featuring their candidates in debate beginning in Sept. 2009. Change the rules for next Feb. so anyone who gets 20% of the votes in precinct caucus goes to the primary election.

Austin Chapman

Question 1:    Economic vision for the state of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest

Question 2:    Discuss vision for Minnesota, with significant focus on the economy---with key steps needed to accomplish the vision

Question 3:    Caucus system is fatally flawed and can't be fixed

Gordy Jacobson

Government in recent years has conducted itself as children would while playing government.

Question 1:  Management must come before politics - From here to Washington we haven't had management for a long time.

Question 2:  Restore values;  no whims and political gestures.

Pat Lowther

Question 1:   Health insurance for all Minnesotans at an affordable cost. It’s not just the poor who can’t afford it.

Question 2:  David Strom’s days of controlling the Governor’s office is over.   No more slight of hand - fee increases and increased local property taxes instead of shared responsibility. Voters can handle the truth, even if it includes taxation to fund the way of life Minnesotans have come to enjoy and expect.

Question 3:  A conundrum, for sure.  Other than for the Obama/Clinton matchup, precinct caucuses turn out the dedicated party activists only.  This system is flawed.  Runoff primary voting would be a better choice.

John Finnegan

Question 1:  Overhaul of taxing system
Question 2: Unallotment process for budget balancing. It allows governor to avoid seeking compromise.

Question 3:  Require candidates to take specific statements on major issues rather than avoid taking a stand on issues that might be counter to the caucus members stand.

Carolyn Ring

 Question 1:   Job Creation- that involves a whole series of actions such as educating to business needs, welcoming environment, tax rationale, aggressive recruitment of business and industry, small business initiatives and rewards.

Question 2:  Something innovative to reach the most people with a concise easily understood message.  Maybe, something like the old whistle-stop train.  Something that creates interest and excitement to get the people's attention. A motivational speaker is a must. 

Question 3:  That's a tough one. In the 60's the JCS had an excellent program of "Practical Politics" they used to educate business people about politic s.  Many GOP leaders came from those presentations.  Several years ago I took my materials for teaching "Practical Politics " to Duane Benson when he was Exec. Director of Business partnership, but to the best of my knowledge nothing was done with it.  The percentage  of people that understand what a caucus is minimal.  Both parties have tried for years, and spent a lot of money trying to get people to attend.

Peter Hennessey

Question 1:  If MN is anything like CA (I sure hope not), then the biggest issue is always the same old taxes and budget.

Question 2: A voter's sense for a candidate's leadership comes from months or years of familiarity, not a bunch of stump speeches. All great leaders (Churchill, Reagan) have first established a record of accomplishment, in deeds and words, before they gained the people's trust. On occasion, demagogues (Lenin, Hitler) have risen to power on oratory alone, and invariably made a huge mess that they left to others to clean up at great cost in lives and property.

Question3 : I don't see how the form of the voting procedure affects the outcome. The guy with the most votes wins. Or you could go with a European model of proportional representation and allocate seats in the legislature by categories. It does not really work in Europe but at least it's a bit simpler because they do it by parties -- and they have many parties, so they have to build a temporary ruling majority from a fragile coalition. But in America when we talk about the big tent or the broadest possible spectrum, we mean divisions on a much finer scale -- conservative or liberal, traditional or progressive, religious or secular, male or female, white or colored, straight or gay, married or single, urban or rural, etc., ad infinitum -- anything but individual freedom and responsibility, anything but freedom of choice, anything but freedom of association, anything but free enterprise. I have yet to see a theory of political science that would demonstrate how such inescapably authoritarian balkanization leads to a healthier body politic.

Lyall Schwarzkopf

Question 1:  All taxes; what should be raised; how to raise them; if we need to consider different taxes; the formulas that run the amount of taxes needed in state programs such as aid to K-12, higher education, state aid to cities and counties, and welfare, especially nursing home care; how to change the formulas; what should government be funding; etc.

Question 2:  Have them describe their innovative programs for encouraging jobs, their innovations on how to handle the deficits of the state; their innovations for conserving state costs of government; in their past professions how have they proposed and implemented new ideas and what did those ideas result in accomplishing. 

Question 3:   There is no way for this to happen unless the parties want it to happen.  The only other way for it to happen is for the moderates in both parties to decide to change their left and right leaning leadership.  So far there has been no interest in this happening.

David Detert

Question 1:  Developing a new health care system where everyone is guaranteed BASIC health care and costs are dramatically reduced

Question 2:  Provide realistic solutions to the state’s major problems.

Question 3:  I don’t know how you motivate the general population to participate but that would seem to be the key.

David Broden

Question 1:  A vision  for Minnesota in the future--addressing visions for the content of the economy including what category and type of business will be in the state, how will the workers be trained , what is the tax base required, what are the elements of education and how funded, how to manage our environment, and how does government work.  

If the candidates cannot lead and help to form a vision for Minnesota but would rather look for specific solutions nothing will change or move ahead and the same problems will be ahead of the next governor etc.   The governor candidate must also find a way to transform the legislature back to some form of a citizen legislature.  

I will throw out the wild idea of rather than go to a unicameral structure, or no change--lets go to a third legislative body that would have the purpose of serving as citizen input of priorities for the current two-body legislature.  The new third unit would set the state vision objectives, and it would be the responsibility of the current two bodies to enact actions on these guidelines prior to moving to other issues. 

Question 2:  Express a broad vision of what Minnesota can be and how he will work with all parts of the state to build a common vision that can be translated to action with some real incentives for each segment of the economy , education, health care etc.  It was interesting to see comments that Civic Caucus may not be thinking statewide--certainly a valuable input. 

Question 3:   The precinct caucus system works if the party leadership is committed to make it work and for that process to be open and accepting of all political views of each party.  The caucus system also can and should be driven by the activities of the various candidates who should reach out to engage people to participate. Changes to the precinct caucus system would likely not really bring change--an open primary has some benefits but the caucus if addressed in depth can make an impact.

Norman Carpenter

Question 1:  Education --K through College. What is taught, how, by whom, where, with what results and how is it financed.

Question 2:  Knowledge of tax structure: who levies, how computed, for what purposes, who decides on amounts, who pays. (Must have knowledge at the level of Jay Kiedrowski_and John Gunyou. )

Question 3:  Participation must be increased...going to the precinct caucus needs to become as important as voting.

Robert A. Freeman

Question 1:  The economy and budget - specifically revising our tax system so we do not lurch from deficit to deficit and moving to address our seemingly permanent budget deficit either through new revenues or cuts.

Question 2:  Outline their vision for the state at least for the next 10 years, with a mind to addressing our budget needs, demographic challenges and how Minnesota can become the leader of the world.

Question 3:  This question assumes a couple of tenets that I believe are flawed or at least worth challenging:
-- The world belongs to those who show up.  The caucus is a democratic process.  If it is important to a group of folks who lean one way politically to influence the process they should turn out and vote.  I note that Ron Paul supporters have been successful in getting a number of delegates elected at the local level.  I am very wary of interfering in the nomination process in order to obtain a result that someone outside of the party believes is more desirable. 

-- Primaries tend to select the best known, most well-financed candidates (the rock stars) whereas caucuses give underdogs a fair chance to compete based on their merits, organizing capacity and grassroots support.  If we had a nationwide primary system instead of allowing caucuses in some states then Hillary Clinton would be president now.