Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka's had a rough news day.
Off the bat, Ricardo Lopez at the Minnesota Reformer reported about various crinkles in the Brainerd Lakes-area lawmaker's worldview in Senate leader tells televangelist he’s in a ‘spiritual battle’.
Some classic placebaiting in that spiritual battle, as well as the usual anti-queer folx material.
We found another mouth-dropper in Gabriel D. Lagarde's article, Gazelka cites bonding, tax relief, infrastructure as primary issues in 2020 session, in Thursday's Brainerd Dispatch:
Now with some experience in negotiation with Gov. Tim Walz after years haggling with former Gov. Mark Dayton, Gazelka said Walz often presents himself a dyed in the wool liberal with much the same points of focus as Dayton. However, once they’re able to parse away less pertinent legislation and focus on policy that affects all Minnesotans, Gazelka said, Walz has proven to be a solid collaborator.
“I think he wants to do the same liberal goals and policies — recreational marijauna [sic], the 20% gas tax, Minnesota as a sanctuary state, etc.,” Gazelka said. “But, once we get beyond the things we know we’re not going to do … then we work together and get it done. I hope we do that this year, so that we focus on what we can get done together.”
Bluestem wonders what Gazelka was smoking when he thought former governor Mark Dayton shared Walz's "liberal goals and policies — recreational marijauna [sic]..."
It's true Tim Walz supports legalizing recreational cannabis. He campaigned on the issue.
I support legalizing marijuana for adult recreational use by developing a system of taxation, guaranteeing that it is Minnesota grown, and expunging the records of Minnesotans convicted of marijuana crimes. #mngov #OneMinnesota
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) August 10, 2018
But Dayton? In 2017, Minnesota Public Radio's Brian Bakst reported in Dayton: No legal recreational marijuana on my watch:
Gov. Mark Dayton warned Minnesota advocates of legal recreational marijuana that they won't be successful on his watch.
Dayton ruled out the possibility Thursday during an interview with MPR's Kerri Miller at the Minnesota State Fair. Asked by a member of the audience about the changing attitude toward cannabis nationally, the DFL governor said he won't loosen Minnesota's marijuana laws during his final year of his term.
Dayton went on to list problems he said stem from drug abuse -- though he focused on opioids and other illicit drugs. He said making marijuana more readily available goes in the wrong direction.
"If somebody wants to use marijuana, go visit California or Colorado. But don't bring it back here," he said. "But I don't see it as improving the quality of life of those societies."
Those states are among the eight that have legalized marijuana for any use. Many others, including Minnesota, have medical marijuana programs.
Bills to fully legalize marijuana through a ballot initiative have been introduced in the Minnesota Legislature but haven't gone anywhere. . .
Uffda. That's not Tim Walz's position, but then perhaps all DFLers look alike to Gazelka.
Earlier posts at Bluestem about Senator Gazelka:
- Second-hand socialism: MN Senate Republicans seek to import prescription drugs from Canada
- MN Senate Majority Leader Gazelka embraces the gospel of Minnesotans for Global Warming
- Gazelka claims diabetes advocate didn't contact him. Then says calls came at "busy stretch"
- Are ties of new MN Senate majority leader with New Apostolic Reformation recipe for gridlock?
- Senator Gazelka tells Little Falls forum that Minnesota's new buffer law didn't happen
Photo: Proof that Gazelka (right) has been in the same room as former governor Mark Dayton (center) and should be able to tell him and Governor Tim Walz apart. Photo by Don Davis, Forum News Service.
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