Making yet another very public connection between the national Republican party and our own Minnesotan GOP, Karl Rove has signed on to
speak at a fundraiser for Governor Pawlenty's 2006 re-election campaign.
There are several indications and implications to be drawn from Rove's scheduled support. Perhaps most important, Minnesota's progressive population is clearly not represented by forward-thinking local representatives, but instead by right-wing radicals who push national party talking points as important issues.
Can one supportive fundraising speech be enough to illustrate this extremism? Well, no; we'll have to see what issues Rove raises for the state. But a quick look through today's sorry local news shows the (wrong) direction into which Republican leadership has already steered us.
Instead of making the land grant University more accessible to a greater portion of the state, University leaders are closing General College because of funding issues. Instead of responsible spending and funding, the Governor wants to supplement state government with unconstitutional casinos. And instead of addressing the nightmare of healthcare, individual Minnesotans, as well as small businesses, will face new challenges in affording health insurance.
Rove's appearance will no doubt celebrate all this as a model of Governor Pawlenty's success.