Political “horse races” ignore the issues

When elections turn into horse races and popularity contests, the candidates who end up rising to the top are not necessarily the ones who have the brightest ideas about how to govern our nation. Sometimes they’re the ones who’ll do anything to win.

Candidates are applying for jobs as public servants, and we, the voters, and the ones doing the hiring. If we’re going to hire the right person for the job, we need to focus on the candidates’ qualifications, their understanding of the issues that matter, and their plans for handling those issues. If any given candidate is too busy trashing his or her opponents to focus on the issues, then they’ve just told us they’re not qualified for the job

Parties need ideological base as well as grassroots

Religious Right & extreme left are both “morality brokers”

Considers himself a moderate libertarian

I believe that government’s proper role is limited to judging behavior that is harmful to people and property. Invariably, where the mega-libertarians screw up is carrying their argument for the rights of one person or group so far that they end up trampling on the rights of another. The right to swing your fist must end where your neighbor’s nose begins.

Independent Party, not Reform Party

The Minnesota Reform Party success story stands in stark contrast to the national Reform Party. When we find ourselves caught up in an unproductive endeavor, it is wise to cut our losses and move on. It’s time for the Minnesota Reform Party to disconnect from the national party. It’s time to shift our energy and skills from unproductive national party activities to highly productive state party activities.

I realize this letter will come as bad news to many good people in other states who were hoping the Minnesota seed of success would take root in the national Reform Party. I too am sorry that did not happen. But it’s hard to grow a rose in a desert.

I didn’t need this job (as governor)

Politics is not my life. I have a career in radio and another career in film. I have a wife who is the sweetest person in the world and two kids who are growing up into terrific, well-rounded people. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in politics. When I’m finished with my term as governor, I’m going back to the life that’s waiting for me in the private sector.

Voters want honesty; he provides it

Their answers were very clear, very honest. They said, It’s the same story every four years. Whenever an election’s coming up, all the politicians come out and give you the same song and dance about the same issues, all the way up until they get elected. Then you don’t hear any more from them until it’s time for them to get elected again. We’re tired of it. If you want to keep us involved, don’t tell us what you think we want to hear, tell us the truth.

There’s a great need in our government right now for honesty. I speak my mind. You might not always like what you hear, but you’re gonna hear it anyway. I call it like I see it; I tell the truth. And if I don’t know something, I’ll say so. Then I’ll try to find the answer.

Fiscally conservative and socially liberal

We need to keep a permanently tight rein on government spending. I believe working people should keep as much of their money as possible, and I believe they should have a more direct say in how it’s spent. But I don’t believe we need the government’s help as much as some think we do. That belief sets me apart from the Democrats, since their way of dealing with everything is to tax and spend.

I also believe that government has no business telling us how we should live our lives. I think our lifestyle choices should be left up to us. What we do in our private lives is none of the government’s business. That position rules out the Republican Party for me. As the clich‚ says, “I don’t want Democrats in the boardroom and I don’t want Republicans in the bedroom.”

Two traditional parties are out-of-control monsters

Does not plan to run for president; but won’t rule it out

Problem is with fundamentalist fanatics, not religion

But I do have a problem with the people who think they have some right to try to impose their beliefs on others. I hate what the fundamentalist fanatics are doing to our country. It seems as though, if everybody doesn’t accept their version of reality, that somehow invalidates it for them. Everybody must believe the same things they do. That’s what I find weak and destructive.

Big Plan: smart government and self-sufficiency

The “Big Plan” for Minnesota, which goes into effect in 2001, has three phases. The first deals with smart growth principles: focusing on urban renewal instead of adding to suburban sprawl. The second phase is called “Self-Sufficient People: You’re Gonna Make It On Your Own.” Remember that old saying about giving a man a fish and feeding him for a day, or teaching him to fish and feeding him for a lifetime? We’re going to be turning Minnesota’s social programs into fishing schools, instead of free fish markets. The third phase of the Big Plan, “Service, Not Systems,” is where we get to reform wasteful government: we’ll trim the fat from government spending, and curb excessive lawmaking with my “law review every fourth year” plan.

Wanted to be mayor & governor; doesn’t want to be president

I thought, “Don’t we elect these people to represent us, the populace? It don’t seem like they’re doing that.” The council’s voting record was 7-0, 7-0, 7-0 on every issue! They weren’t even letting other people talk unless they agreed with them.

I believe I was destined to become mayor of Brooklyn Park. And maybe, by fulfilling that destiny to become mayor, I sealed my destiny to become governor. I hope I’m not destined to become president. I don’t say that with arrogance-- it’s only that everything seemed to fall so easily into place in both of my other races. But I truly wanted to be mayor and governor--I don’t want the presidency. I’ll never say never, because you never know what will happen. But 99% of me says no.

Member of Midwestern Governors' Association.

The Midwestern Governors’ Conference (MGC) was created in December, 1962. The members of the conference include the governors of 13 Midwestern states. The MGC is a non-profit, bipartisan organization that brings together top state leaders to work cooperatively on important regional public policy issues.

The purpose of the Midwestern Governors’ Conference is “to foster regional development, to attain greater efficiency in state administration, to facilitate interstate cooperation and improve intergovernmental relationships, and to provide a medium for the exchange of views and experiences on subjects of general importance to the people of the Midwestern states.” In pursuit of these objectives, the conference has, through the years, established a wide array of committees, task forces and study groups charged with investigating and reporting on various issues of regional concern.

Recent subject areas addressed by various MGC committees and working groups have included agriculture, economic development, trade, child support enforcement, worker retention and recruitment, and tourism promotion. The results of these efforts have ranged from written reports to cooperative efforts. The conference also addresses these and other issues through policy statements and resolutions.

The conference also seeks to meet its goal of providing a forum for the exchange of information by sponsoring periodic meetings. In addition to the annual meetings, the conference has occasionally sponsored special meetings and regional roundtables devoted to specific issues such as international trade, state anti-drug strategies, and child support enforcement efforts. The MGC is increasingly concentrating on federal programs and policies and their impact on the region. This growing focus led to the addition (in late 1998) of a Washington-based staff person to monitor federal issues for the MGC.

Member, National Governors Association/Economic Development.

The National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation’s governors and one of Washington’s most respected public policy organizations. NGA provides governors with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issues to developing policy reports on innovative state programs and hosting networking seminars for state government executive branch officials. The NGA Center for Best Practices focuses on state innovations and best practices on issues that range from education and health to technology, welfare reform, and the environment. NGA also provides management and technical assistance to both new and incumbent governors.

Since their initial meeting in 1908 to discuss interstate water problems, governors have worked through the National Governors Association to deal with issues of public policy and governance relating to the states. The association’s ongoing mission is to support the work of the governors by providing a bipartisan forum to help shape and implement national policy and to solve state problems.

Fortune Magazine recently named NGA as one of Washington’s most powerful lobbying organizations due, in large part, to NGA’s ability to lead the debate on issues that impact states. From welfare reform to education, from the historic tobacco settlement to wireless communications tax policies, NGA has influenced major public policy issues while maintaining the strength of our Federalist system of government.

There are three standing committees—on Economic Development and Commerce, Human Resources, and Natural Resources—that provide a venue for governors to examine and develop policy positions on key state and national issues.

[Note: NGA positions represent a majority view of the nation’s governors, but do not necessarily reflect a governor’s individual viewpoint. Governors vote on NGA policy positions but the votes are not made public.]