Gov. Mark Dayton(D-MN) didn't just blink

[Springer9]

he bent over and said Eff-Me.

The deal to erase a $5 billion deficit came after a big sacrifice from Dayton, who made new income taxes a central campaign message last year and the centerpiece of his budget. He dropped that and said he would accept — with conditions — an offer the GOP put forward on the eve of the shutdown to bring about $1.4 billion into the budget by delaying payments to schools and selling tobacco payment bonds.

Republicans agreed to his conditions, which included relinquishing a list of policy changes such as banning state aid for stem cell research and a plan to cut the state workforce by 15 percent.

They conceded to higher state spending than they had wanted. Republican lawmakers spent months insisting that the two-year budget be capped at $34 billion, the amount the state was projected to collect without new sources of money. Instead, it will be closer to $35.4 billion.

I'm not surprised, I knew Dayton when I lived up there. Linguine spined scion of a wealthy family is my opinion. I don't remember, is there recall in Minnesota?

http://www.startribune.com/politics/minnesotashutdown/125567728.html

[Brickbat]

1. Meh, I'm not thrilled, but I'm not throwing in the towel, either.

He wasn't going to get tax hike out of this fresh new crop of bizarre Republicans, who now own the shutdown, and they'll be gone in two years. I'm annoyed at the borrowing from the tobacco fund and school fund, of course.

Of course, I had a couple beers tonight; I could just be feeling optimistic.

[Springer9]

4. Optimistic about what?

It's a freaking 2 year budget, as I recall the Legislature only meets every 2 years.

What happened to "don't call my bluff"? Where is the "eat your peas"?

Damn I'm glad I moved, at least in Arizona I know what to expect, and I don't have to shovel it.

BTW, My "Cabin up Nort" is still for sale, I'm cuttin' the last tie to the State.

[Brickbat]

5. Where's the cabin?

[Springer9]

6. Manhatten Beach, Trout Lake, Whitefish Chain

4.5 acres, 500ft lakefront 4br main with 3 out buildings. Make offer.

(Is That legal here?)

[Brickbat]

14. Noice!

Wish I could take that off your hands for you. Trout's a nice lake.

[dflprincess]

7. The legislature meets every year, but the budget bill covers 2 years

Because of redistricting, the entire House & Senate are up for reelection in 2012. If we can get people remember who caused this mess & we can get them out to vote we may be able to have a DFL majority in both Houses again before the next budget bill comes up.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. I kind of thought something like this would happen.

Not because I think Dayton is a wimp - I don't think that - but because Dayton *cares* that the state shutdown was starting to cause terrible problems for a lot of people, while the Republicans in the legislature don't care at all. They were willing to let the shutdown go on indefinitely, or at least until their teabagger constituents started to complain. Dayton was always at a disadvantage for this reason. They always say you shouldn't negotiate with terrorists, but when the terrorists are willing to blow up a kindergarten and you want to save the kids, you compromise because you have to.

The good thing is that the Republicans aren't getting the nasty non-budget-related stuff they wanted, like a ban on stem cell research and cutting the state workforce by 15%. Dayton also gets $500 million for public works jobs.

[dflprincess]

8. I thought the same thing & for the same reasons you did

You'll note Mark made this move after having a few meetings with people around the state and hearing how this was affecting them (though many told him to hang tough). I think he knew he wouldn't get much else from the Republicans and that there was no point to causing more pain.

And, to add to your list of the non-budget related stuff the Republicans have had to remove, no voter ID requirement.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. Oh, yeah, the voter ID thing.

Getting that out of the deal was actually a pretty big victory. They'll try for it again, though.

[a kennedy]

10. Getting the deal with voter ID was huge.....

d*mn huge, and I agree it'll be brought up over and over, we've got to be strong to defeat it.

[myrna minx]

17. I have to agree, especially about the voter ID.

:hi: DFL.

[hifiguy]

16. +1

Dayton understands the pain and inconvenience that the shutdown is causing and felt he had to do something about it.

[Major Hogwash]

3. Pawlenty created the mess that Minnesota is in now. Put the blame where it belongs.

The radio stations here have had many callers call in and explain about the mess Pawlenty left in Minnesota by borrowing against future funds that never materialized.
Now it's time to pay those debts, but the anti-tax Republican jackasses have a strangle hold on the government.

How anyone can blame Dayton for that cluster fuck is beyond me.
He hasn't been Governor long enough to create that size of a problem!!
Even a blind man can see that.

[jwirr]

11. I do not blame Dayton for this. I blame the voters who elected the

tbaggers who shut us down. We need to get them out of there in 2012 and get MN back to being the great state it was before Pawlenty.

[Springer9]

13. Except that the same voters elected Dayton Gov.

after his disastrous stint as a Senator because of his family name. A dry goods store heir is not necessarily a good state executive, it's not an inherited trait.
When will we learn?

[jwirr]

15. Sorry - I do not think he was a bad senator and I do not think MN

Democrats do either. We had choices in the primary. And I doubt that Democrats elected the tbaggers we have now. Instead Democrats in MN were too confident and let themselves get beat. I know because that is how we ended up with craavack up here in the Arrowhead.

[myrna minx]

18. I loved him as a Senator. He was the only one who stayed in the Senate chamber to

allow Senator Byrd present his famous Anti Iraq war speech. Dayton is clearly an earnest man who cares about his constituents. On edit - ask the good farmers of Minnesota how much he cares - he actually visited greater Minnesota to see firsthand the challenges of family farms. He's a good man.

[Odin2005]

12. The Pukes will be gone after 2012 and then we can go to work.