Wisconsin and Minnesota: A One-Sided Political Competition

Crash Pad DCA

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Mar 6, 2011
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DCA
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/wisconsin-and-minnesota-one-sided-political-competition
 
 
Wisconsin and Minnesota have long made fascinating bookends. As longtime readers may recall, the two neighboring states have similar sizes, similar populations, similar demographics, and even similar climates. But they don’t necessarily have similar politics, at least not lately.
 
In the 2010 elections, the Badger State elected Scott Walker (R) governor and gave control of the legislature to Republicans, while the Gopher State made Mark Dayton (D) governor and elected a Democratic legislature. The former got to work targeting collective bargaining and approving tax cuts, while the latter raised taxes on the wealthy and boosted in-state investments.
 
Nearly five years later, one of these two states is doing quite well. Policy.mic had an interesting report this week.

Since 2011, Minnesota has been doing quite well for itself. The state has created more than 170,000 jobs, according to the Huffington Post. Its unemployment rate stands at 3.6% – the fifth-lowest in the country, and far below the nationwide rate of 5.7% – and the state government boasts a budget surplus of $1 billion. Forbes considers Minnesota one of the top 10 in the country for business.

As Patrick Caldwell recently explained very well, Minnesota’s gains come on the heels of tax increases on Minnesota’s top 2% and higher corporate taxes, both of which state Republicans said would crush Minnesota’s economy. As for their neighbors to the east:

By a number of measures, Wisconsin hasn’t fared as well as Minnesota. As the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal reports, Wisconsin’s job growth has been among the worst in the region, and income growth is one of the worst in the country. It has a higher unemployment rate than Minnesota. And the budget is in bad shape.

Back in January, the editorial board of LaCrosse Tribune wrote, “The governors of Wisconsin and Minnesota each presented their versions of new year’s resolutions in various media interviews last week….Which approach is better? As we enter the new year, Minnesota is clearly winning by a long shot.”

 
Political scientist Lawrence Jacobs published a related comparison a while back, which drew a similar conclusion: “The lesson from the upper Midwest is that rigid anti-tax dogma fails to deliver a convincing optimistic vision that widens economic opportunity and security. The excesses of liberalism may lurk, but Minnesota is building a modern progressivism that plows a hopeful path.”
 
Comparisons between states can be inherently tricky, but that’s what makes the Minnesota/Wisconsin test so interesting – two similar, neighboring states, trying very different approaches at the exact same time, facing identical national conditions.
 
I’d imagine most Republicans might find the results hard to explain.
 
Business LOVES a known operating environment. Dayton, in an odd way delivers this far better than the confrontational Walker. Oft times the rigidness of the Neo-Cons is not seen in as favorable a light as the populist feel good politics of the left. Because confrontation breeds uncertainty which business loathes.
 
TX is in the hole $275 billion.  We must be doing something right.  Something like 98% of TX health care is unfunded.  But hey, the rich are getting their tax breaks so all is good in the hood.
 
They may share a border, but that's about it.

There are a dozen or so major corporate headquarters up in MSP, and a decent iron ore mining industry.

The only real resources WI has is pulpwood for its dying paper industry, and more recently, they've been mining fracking sand. Milwaukee's never really recovered from the job losses of the 1990's. They lost several breweries and major manufacturers like AO Smith & Allis Chalmers, the GM plant in Janesville remains shuttered, and the consolidation in the paper industry has resulted in many mill closures up closer to Green Bay. Just as Chicago is a drain on Illinois, MKE is on the rest of Wisconsin.

Going back 20 years, MN's unemployment rate has consistently been 2-3% lower than in WI.
 
Excellent article....."Crash Pad, Excellent Article.  One, I shall not soon forget !
 
Except for an ocean ,....' Minny.....reminds me of A baby Norway.....for a LOT of reasons !
 
Right Eric  ??
 
Having lived in MSP for a few years I can tell you the Iron range is hurting big time. YES, there are several large Corporations in the MSP area. SuperValue @ 17 Billion. Vargill, 3M, General Foods and some others. That's good economic base along with two or three wind farm that generate significant amounts of relatively cheap energy
 
La Li Lu Le Lo said:
I see the liberals are manufacturing more "proof".
So actual budget and employment numbers produced by Scott Walker and Mark Dayton administrations are "manufactured proof"
 
But, but.  This article must be bogus.  Everyone knows (well everyone with any sense) that cutting taxes on the rich creates jobs.  Yeah, it might be maid, cook, and yardman, but those are jobs, are they not?
 
jimntx said:
But, but.  This article must be bogus.  Everyone knows (well everyone with any sense) that cutting taxes on the rich creates jobs.  Yeah, it might be maid, cook, and yardman, but those are jobs, are they not?
 
Morally and ethically the tax income tax rate for all citizens should be ZERO percent. So that would be a non-issue. 
 
Sound Money and not money from thin air would benefit the average worker as inflation is a form of taxation. 
 
MN's economy seems to do pretty well regardless who is in office at a given moment. When you have a robust and diverse economy like MN you can do a lot of things and not strangle people with taxes. The work ethic in MN is very high as are the level of employment. A fact that should not be discounted.
 
Yep. And MN has always had a more diverse economy. As Illinois goes, so does Wisconsin.

Iron Range is definitely not where it was 50 years ago, but it's still employing a lot of people at above market wages.

The Left is clearly scared of the potential for a Walker presidency, but I suspect they're more afraid of having a 25th state added to this map:

us-map.gif
 
Forced union states?
 
Gimme a break no one is forced to be in a union unless they are in a closed shop and then they can become dues objectors.
 
No one should ride for free if they get the wages and benefits of a CBA, they should pay to whats germane to the contract.
 
Beck vs CWA and Machinists vs Whirlpool.
 
eolesen said:
Yep. And MN has always had a more diverse economy. As Illinois goes, so does Wisconsin.

Iron Range is definitely not where it was 50 years ago, but it's still employing a lot of people at above market wages.

The Left is clearly scared of the potential for a Walker presidency, but I suspect they're more afraid of having a 25th state added to this map:

us-map.gif
America should be afraid of a Walker presidency. Anyone that compares standing up to protesters (and apparently, being shuttled in/out of the capitol via an underground tunnel counts) to ISIS is clearly not up to the task.

E-- Your son is a Marine, correct? All due respect, but to compare teachers to those he's defending us from is an insult to all of those serving.

For those of you that like to wrap yourselves in the flag, ask yourself this: do you really want someone that tried to have people arrested for exercising their 1st amendment rights in the Oval office? 

As for RTW, Walker has repeatedly stated he wasn't interested...until now. How convenient. This is a guy that will clearly put moneyed interests ahead of his constituency.
 
To be fair to walker, when I read what he actually said I think it was taken out of context. What he actually said is equally stupid in my opinion. The way I read what he said was that his leadership ability in facing down the protesters is the leadership ability that will translate into the ability to lead the county against groups like ISIS. Equally stupid but not the same as comparing ISIS and protesters which is not what I think he did.

I'm also concerned about the fact that he thinks creationism is real and evolution is fake.

All in all not the type of person who is fit to sit in the WH.
 
Kev3188 said:
America should be afraid of a Walker presidency. Anyone that compares standing up to protesters (and apparently, being shuttled in/out of the capitol via an underground tunnel counts) to ISIS is clearly not up to the task.

E-- Your son is a Marine, correct? All due respect, but to compare teachers to those he's defending us from is an insult to all of those serving.

For those of you that like to wrap yourselves in the flag, ask yourself this: do you really want someone that tried to have people arrested for exercising their 1st amendment rights in the Oval office? 

As for RTW, Walker has repeatedly stated he wasn't interested...until now. How convenient. This is a guy that will clearly put moneyed interests ahead of his constituency.
 
Why does Obama come to mind?  On several of your points?
 
 
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