Covering last Tuesday's meetings of the Minnesota Senate Ethics Subcommittee, MinnPost political reporter James Nord snapped a telling picture of embattled retiring Senator Geoff. In soft focus just behind the subject of investigation, a bevy of senate pols sit in solidarity.
Lack of news coverage of the senatorial sit-in demonstrates just how hard it is to gather earned media in this 99%Spring.
Fortunately, a sympathetic Bluestem reader has supplied the photo above and kindly identified the sitting senators. Their witness will not remain unseen.
As they did at a hearing on March 23, GOP caucus members sat for hours in a senate ethics committee hearing rather than do work that could lead to a timely adjournment of the 2012 legislative session.
In Senate ethics panel deadlocks again over DFL complaint against Geoff Michel, PIM's Brianna Bierschbach reports:
The committee of four senators — two DFLers and two Republicans — met twice on Tuesday for more than four hours and took multiple votes on how to proceed with the complaint, each one failing on a 2-2 party line vote.
It had been nearly a month since the subcommittee last met to discuss the complaint. This time senators acknowledged their unbreakable stalemate, and voted 3-1 to adjourn to the call of the chair with no final decision.
In a complaint filed by Senator Sandy Pappas, Michel is accused of lying about his role in the handling of the sex scandal between Senator Amy Koch and the Senate GOP communications director, Michael Brodkorb.
In addition to their legislative salaries, Minnesota senators collect $86 per day in per diem payments.
In the spirit of the First Amendment, Bluestem is happy to share news of the senators' protest. It's important that the public know about their concerns. They are so not the 99%!
Photo: (L to R) Senators Michelle Benson, (R, Ham Lake); Dave Thompson, (R, Lakeville); Gretchen Hoffman, (R, Vergas); Gary Dahms, (R, Redwood Falls); Paul Gazelka, (R, Brainerd); Dave Brown, (R, Becker); Sean Nienow, (R, Cambridge); Chris Gerlach, (R, Apple Valley); Dan Hall, (R, Burnsville); David Hann, (R, Eden Prairie); Geoff Michel, (R, Edina); Bob Maher, Michel’s attorney. Submitted photo; please credit Bluestem Prairie upon re-use.
Wow. It's like a Who's Who of Mendacity, all in one spot.
Posted by: Phoenix Woman | Apr 21, 2012 at 12:58 PM
Come on, they were working. At least half were tweeting, texting, reading email or perusing Hot Air.
Posted by: Charlie Quimby | Apr 21, 2012 at 04:25 PM