Thursday, April 29, 2004

Hostage exchange politics 

If you like this kind of inside baseball thing, the StarTribune includes this quote on horsetrading Cheri Yecke's confirmation.
Kelley insisted that DFLers on the Education Committee aren't using Yecke's confirmation as a bargaining chip to leverage legislative concessions out of either Gov. Tim Pawlenty or the Republican-dominated House. But Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, wondered if a little horse-trading might come into play, especially if a confirmation vote is put off indefinitely.

"The longer it goes on, the more likely that the governor could try to make deals with individual legislators," said Pappas, one of six committee Democrats who voted to recommend Yecke's dismissal. "I don't really like linkage, but that does go on around here."
That's bullpuckey. If there's linkage, it's between the chafing of teachers over the standards and EducationMinne$ota campaign contributions to the DFL. ($256,900 to the DFL party office alone in 2002, according to followthemoney.org) "Give us Christopher Columbus or we'll shoot this education commissioner." Pappas and Kelley are fishing for deals.

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