Update: Governor Dayton's communication office has sent the following email:
UPDATE: Due to being sick, the Governor has cancelled his planned events for today. . . .
Note that Forum News Service is still asking Legislative Leaders to attend the pre-session briefing today at 1:00pm, in the Minnesota Senate Building. Please contact Don Davis (ddavis@forumcomm.com) with any questions about the briefing. [end update]
Forum News Services veteran political reporter Don Davis typically is an understated, just-the-facts sort of writer, so when he calls a meeting a "break-up, or breakdown," we pay attention.
He does just that in his latest Capitol Chatter column, After Today, A Must-Watch Live Stream Monday:
The last time Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and House Speaker Kurt Daudt met, it lasted about a quarter of an hour before the governor walked out, saying Daudt did not want to help people afford health insurance.
“That was about as productive as everyone thought it would be,” Daudt, R-Crown, said Friday, Dec. 16, as he left the brief, tense meeting. . . .
The meeting breakup, or breakdown, apparently ended chances of a special session to provide financial aid that all sides say is needed. As that meeting ended, questions arose about how state leaders who exchanged more verbal blasts than policy ideas can get along in the 2017 session with even more at stake.
The next time the Dayton and Daudt will be at the same table will along with three other legislative leaders Monday when Forum News Service hosts the annual pre-session briefing to get an idea about what to expect during the 2017 regular legislative session. Minnesotans will be able to watch on the web.
The governor promised to be at the briefing for an hour, and legislative leaders are expected to remain 90 minutes. What happens when they are together is anyone’s guess. . . .
Bluestem suspects that incoming Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, and House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, will be the técnicos in this rumble, while Daudt gets to strut as the rudo. Dayton, as always, will defy conventions.
The forum will be live streamed at the Minnesota Senate channel here and at various Forum newspapers across the state. Pop some corn.
Photo: Could the Dayton and Daudt smackdowns come to rival the gold days of El Santo and Blue Demon? Tune in Monday! Monday! Monday!
If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 33166 770th Ave, Ortonville, MN 56278) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post.
Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen at gmail.com as recipient.
Comments