Speaker Kelliher, Endorsee

Congratulations to Speaker Kelliher for her gutty victory on Saturday:

DULUTH - In a night of high emotion and tactical maneuvering, House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher won a fierce DFL endorsement contest on Saturday, moving a step closer to becoming Minnesota's first female governor.

In a grueling day of battling over delegates, Kelliher triumphed over rival Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak after vanquishing a slew of other candidates.

However, as we know, and Chris Cillizza points out, this is only the preliminary round:

Kelliher's work is not done, however. Neither former Sen. Mark Dayton nor former state House Minority Leader Matt Entenza participated in the convention process, choosing instead to run in the Aug. 10 Democratic primary.

Add to that asterisks County Attorney Gaertner, perennial Ole Savior, and Podcaster Peter Idusogie, and we have a crowded field for the August Primary.

I was a leans Rukavina going in, and if he ends up on someones ticket that is the candidate I will look closest at. But I don;t see that happening. Looks like he is going to run for his legislative seat and focus on his Iron Range roots.

Here is my dilemma, we can;t tax our way out of this mess, and we can't cut our way out either. The Right is holding fast on a no new tax mantra (Well, the faux titled 'Fiscal Responsibility Pledge' this time), and although the Left has a more balanced approach, they insists there is nothing left to cut. Now I agree there are areas where we are chipping at marrow, and bring cutting to the bone, but I still think there is waste to be found.

The state can't go through 4 more years of the same policies that have gutted the very budget items that made Minnesota great. We need to find balance in our solutions, and whoever can show me they are willing to make the tough choices, and find the correct balance, will earn my support.

Flash