I had a couple of poignant comments from friends after last week’s post here about the U.S. Senate race. I want to address both of them.
The first was from my friend Dave over in the Red River Valley (Dave is not affiliated with Senator Dorgan’s office), who pointed out that perhaps Governor Hoeven owes Byron a third thank you card for all the federal funds he’s brought to North Dakota. Something like half a billion dollars, Dave said, and much of it has gone to help create those “good paying jobs” Governor Hoeven talks about a lot. It’s true, the governor has been at a lot of groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings for projects funded by grants Senator Dorgan has gotten for the state. Point well taken, Dave.
The other was from my friend Tom, who winters in Texas, and read my blog from afar. I’ve never known Tom’s politics, but he’s either a Republican or just a fan of the Governor’s, based on his note: “Are you going to say anything good about John?”
Yeah, I am, Tom. Here’s goes.
John Hoeven is not a conservative.
That said, you’re going to have to work pretty hard to find someone to say that Governor Hoeven hasn’t done a pretty good job. Even among Democrats. In fact, maybe especially among Democrats. A lot of conservatives don’t like him at all. The Governor has indeed, as I pointed out, been the beneficiary of lots of money with which to run his government. He’s done a pretty good job creating programs to spend it, and hiring a decent Commerce Department Director to manage them.
The governor, and all North Dakotans, got some good news this week when Senate Minority Leader McConnell showed up and promised that if Governor Hoeven becomes Senator Hoeven, he gets to be on the Appropriations Committee (although I’m not sure if he consulted the Majority Leader and the President of the Senate first—seems to me they might have something to say about that. Not sure—how does that work, anyway?).
Problem is, the quid pro quo for Senator Hoeven is probably going to be that he has to vote with the Republicans. All the time. And if he happens to be the 41st vote for the Republicans, that means he kills every Democratic legislative effort. And if he does that, Democrats on the Appropriations Committee are not going to be happy. And so he’s going to be the most ineffectual member of Senate Appropriations. No bacon to take back home for him.
Well, Governor Hoeven is no dumb man, and he’s going to catch on pretty fast. I’d say it’s more likely that once in a while the new Senator will vote (with the Democrats) in the best interests of North Dakota instead of voting in lockstep with Mitch McConnell. When that starts happening, Democrats might even let him start using that seat on the Appropriations Committee to start delivering the kinds of things Byron Dorgan has been delivering. Good paying jobs for North Dakota. Pretty hard to turn that down.
And I don’t think it will bother him to “go rogue” on the Republicans. I mean, when you stop and think about it, John Hoeven is not a very good Republican, at least as defined by the tea-bag wing of his party. And they are the ones who are running the Republican Party these days. I mean, just look at the huge budget increases in North Dakota during his time as governor. Look at how many times the Democrats have cheered on his budgets while his own party whittles away at them. Look at all the new state funding for education and all the new state programs. Sheesh, looks more like a Democrat than Republican anyway.
And he’s really only been a Republican for ten years—that’s not long, and the Democrats are pretty forgiving folks. Switch parties? Not unheard of. Happened a couple times already in Washington in 2009. So don’t be surprised if North Dakota has an all Democratic-NPL delegation in Washington again before the ink is dry on President Obama’s second certificate of election.
What do you think, Tom?
Footnote:
“I have always been moderate in my political views, but now that I am considering elective office, I realize I must join a political party and stick to it. I have decided to join the Democratic-NPL Party because I believe that is the best fit for my views.”
John Hoeven, letter to the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, February 1996
3 comments:
Okay, never mind that part about the 41st Senator. But the point is still the same.
Now that would be an interesting twist on the ND political scene!
And Hoeven governed pretty much like a Democrat. He listened to us on property tax relief (although he directed too much of it to out-of-state corporations) and funding education, finally fulfilling the Democrats' long-held goal of the state providing 70% of the cost of public education.
His administration found Democrats much more supportive of his policies than were Republicans in the legislature. That's how he built his popularity - by being called a Republican but pursuing Democratic policies.
Now that he's running for federal office, where there are no moderate Republicans, his popularity is already starting to fade. The more he takes a hard right turn to appease the tea partiers, he will open the center to the Democrats.
Post a Comment