Melendez, Carey spar on MPR

MN GOP Chair Ron Carey and DFL Chair Brian Melendez faced off on MPR's Mid Morning yesterday (Audio). The overal tone was conversational. It is a fair interview, I thought, with both sides getting some tough questions. [Note to MPR: Why as the DFL website inexplicably left off of your list of Web Resources associated with the story? Not good. I have asked them to fix this.]

Most interesting to me was the tone each Chair struck. Brian's core message was one of positive, populism: opportunity, accountabiltiy, prosperity, fair play.

Mr. Carey gave us a preview of the basic Republican pitch. Taxes bad. Democrats Bad. Bad Democrats, Bad! Any negative reality is a result of not getting what they want, not having enough control. What struck me about Carey's pitch is how little it maps to any kind of reality we know. This should give democrats a little lesson: Keep focusing on the facts. The Republican story that the GOP represents the party of small government and fiscal responsiblity is quickly exposed for the fairy tale it is when confronted with a small dose of reality.

In fact, Carey stumbled badly when confronted with the republican party's profligate spending.

First Carey says that Democrats are the party of big government:

Ron: I think the process sometimes from the DFL standpoint they have four candidates all have different credentials but they are all singing from the same page in the hymbook, basically, of "more government." And I think that's a clear distinction between the Republican candidates and the DFL candidates. I think the voters will have a clear choice next year.

Of course the Republicans, with more control than at any time in modern history have overseen an enormous expansion of government. You want big governemnt? Vote Republican.

In the same vein, Carey stumbled badly in logic and fluency when he attempted to respond to the following:

Miller: It used to be that the republican party stood for fiscal conservatism. But new research shows that pres. bush is the largest spending president since LBJ. Evidence shows that domestic spending, not even defense spending, has gone through the roof. He hasn't vetoed one spending bill. Ron Carey, does that make you comfortable that the Republican Party can no longer be associated with fiscal conservatism?

Ron: We are still the party of fiscal responsibility. The pressure is great, especially from, again even in congress, even when you have the majority, it's hard to get a majority to agree to cut spending. And that's something I personally .. I am a big detractor of pork. (further exchanges) ...We need to get back to fiscal responsiblity back into government.

Miller: But republicans say that, but the republicans are in charge. And they are not neccessarily doing that are they?

Ron: It's a matter of, um, uh, We are in charge in a numerical standpoint. It's something I was talking to the governor about recently, is that even though you have a numerical majority organizationally, having a majority philosophically is often times challenging. That's happened for both, challenge, for democrats and republicans, whoever has the organizational majority, getting this in the state house at this point in time is difficult, we have 68 republicans and 66 democrats. Trying to get all 68 republicans to agree on any one state bill is very difficult.

Melendez: If you look at the state level. Tim Pawlenty has presided over tremendous tax increases even though he doesn't admit it. Property taxes are going up while services are going down. I don't think that's fiscal responsibility and I think the Republicans need to own up to the fact that they have now become the spend and claim you're not taxing party.

Ron: I rember I think it was Senator Dean Johnson that, uh, was proposing in his caucus an 11% tax increase. We are already the 4th highest taxed state in the country and the democrats here in the state want us to be #1. You know it's one of those things, where, yes it's not a perfect system and the republicans are not perfect and able to get everything we want because we don't have total control but the democrats alternative and their proposals are more spending, so, I, if you look at the democrats for them to criticize us that we're not fiscally responsible, that is, uh, rather, uh, well, a surprising charge to have made.

Republican duplicity on this issue will hurt them badly in the next election cycle.

Note to Brian: It's ok to kick Randy Kelly out of the DFL. One of the qualifications for membership in any political party is that members don't spend their time endorsing candidates for other political parties. Democrats can and should vote on legislation sponsored by officials from other parties if that legislation supports our party's ideals. But a DFL endorsed candidate can't reasonably expect to actively campaign against the party and remain in the party. Kelly endorsed Bush and is campaigning for Norm Coleman, ergo, he obviously doesn't stand with the DFL. He stands with the Republicans. If he wants to be a Republican, let him be a Republican. Nothing wrong with that. But the DFL should reserve the right to act for, and not against, its interests.

Note to Ron: How old are you? You think the democrats have controlled the Minnesota Governorship for most of your lifetime? Can I suggest a historical review?

Note to Readers: I transcribed the interview. This is not my chosen profession. I tried very hard to catch every word, but I know I missed some.