Bush 41 redux .... in Minnesota

I knew from the beginning that as soon as Governor Tim Pawlenty proposed the "make nice" effort to impose a 75-cent cigarette user fee tax, he and the rest of the Minnesota Republican party would soon be heading for a tailspin. Not only from the disgruntled rank and file members of MN GOP, who have long held faith in the No-New-Taxes pledge Pawlenty ran on that kept his approval numbers in the stratosphere, but also from the DFL, who like the national DNC with Bush 41, would use this chink in the armor to deal, if not a mortal blow, then a deadening thud to the once-impenetrable Pawlenty mystique. This has already started:

"The governor has no high ground on taxes," Entenza said just before entering the talks with Pawlenty and the GOP leaders. By proposing the cigarette fee and $139 million of local property taxes, he said, "virtually every Minnesotan would be touched by the governor's tax increases."

This coming, of course, from the party who will pride itself on raising Minnesota's state income tax level to the highest in the nation, and after proposing upping every other tax under the sun, and after "accepting" 55 cents out of the 75-cent hike proposed by Pawlenty. Remember back in 1991? "Yes, George H.W. Bush... you go along with us in the (then) largest tax increase in American History, and we'll make sure you'll get full credit for it." Turned out well for good ol' George, didn't it? The Dems had it both ways. They raised taxes, and took down a well-intentioned Republican president in one feld swoop by pinning it on him. The same thing, very predictably, is happening with Pawlenty and the Minnesota DFL. Don't ever think that they will let this go come election time. Even though they themselves have proposed relatively astronomical tax hikes, you can bet that the DFL will do their level best to pin it all on Pawlenty, and hype up the notion that Pawlenty cannot be trusted to keep his promises. The DFL, right out of the playbook of the early 90s, was brilliant in setting up its trap, and the governor, obviously oblivious to history, took the bait.

Pawlenty appears to have finally recognized the folly of his ways:

Pawlenty, who has taken a licking from some fiscal conservatives for offering the tobacco compromise, said he had "burned substantial political capital" in negotiations so far.

Unfortunately, IMHO, a realization that came a day late and a dollar short. Although I would surely love to be proven wrong in this regard.

Well.. it was a good term while it lasted.