As St Paul goes, so goes the nation

The New York Times published a story on the changes recently in Minnesota politics.

"Minnesota’s capital is in many ways the perfect petri dish for testing what the nation’s new political landscape may produce. Once predictably Democratic in national politics, the anchor of Upper Midwest liberal populism from the 1920s through Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale, Minnesota is now considered a battleground, with the Republicans scheduled to hold their national convention in 2008 in Minneapolis and St. Paul around that declaration."

All political eyes will be on Minnesota, as neo-con Michele Bachmann heads to her first term in Congress and Tim Pawlenty leverages when political capitol he has remaining for a possible VP run, the 08 GOP convention will be an enormous stage for conservatives in MN. It's sad that the DFL had a shot at getting the 08 convention here but could not come through.

"But they emerged divided, too, owing much of their surge to newly elected moderates from the suburbs who are unlikely to embrace a pure liberal agenda. The Republicans lost big, but were pushed toward the center as well, led by Mr. Pawlenty, who has said since the election that many of his second-term priorities will overlap with those of the Democrats he fiercely battled in his first four years."

Indeed, the GOP has shifted from its base to the center. Tom Emmer discussed it on KTLK a few nights ago and many conservative bloggers state that scenario as the reason for the GOP ineptness in the 06 elections. Some will argue that they were not pushed to the center, but sold out the party...are purely RINO's (Republican's In Name Only).

Pawlenty states in the article,

“Republicans love to talk about markets — well, the market just told Republicans something,” he said. “The market just told them, ‘We’re not interested much in your product, and we’re choosing to go to your competitor.’ We need to hear that message.”

Steve Swiggum was not as nice...

The departing speaker, Steve Sviggum, a Republican who will begin his 15th two-year term in the House when the session starts Jan. 3, said that in reading the election, Minnesota Republicans would be wrong to abandon their message of fiscal restraint and economic freedom or to see the vote as an endorsement of all things Democratic.

“It was about George W. Bush,” Mr. Sviggum said in his office, which was lined with boxes ready for his move downstairs.

The NYT has pledged to follow the Minnesota Legislature as we move closer to the 08 Conventions and election. With session starting on January 3rd, we may quickly see an erosion of positivity?

Who knows!