Fast forward two years and it’s the new Democrat
majority earning the amateur hour reputation.
Monday afternoon, the Democrats in the state Senate failed to
muster the votes for their own multi-billion-dollar tax hike bill. Later in the day, they had to conduct an embarrassing
do-over vote to get the measure through, forcing two members into the
never-pleasant “I voted against the tax hike before I voted for it” position.
All of this is made that much more delicious because
of this April 16th
quote from Democrat Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk,
"It is the majority's job to put
up 34 votes for a bill and we did that."
Sen. Bakk was speaking specifically about the lack
of debate on the Senate’s efforts to raise their own pay. But even in that limited context, I think he
misunderstands his role in leading the upper house of the state legislature.
For beginners, he failed to put up the 34 votes this
afternoon. In what had to be ranked as
the biggest vote to date of his tenure as Majority Leader, he fumbled the ball. And this from a Senator so famously intolerant of
legislators with less experience than his 18 years. I’m sure there is an argument to me made for
a less stage-managed politics. Tom Bakk
is not the guy to make that argument.
Instead, his job should be more than just putting up
34 votes for whatever whim strikes one-party-rule that day. If you are raising taxes to record levels,
raising your own pay, and regulating industries like never before, you owe an
explanation to the voters, even those who did not vote for you.
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