Dear Neighbor,
You open these legislative updates expecting to learn what is happening at the Capitol in St. Paul. Before I get to the outlandish high lowlights of this past week, let me begin with the "why." Why are Democrats doing what they are doing?
Understand that the controlling interest in the Democrat Party nowadays is an ideological commitment to power. The radical activists who constitute the Democrat base believe wholeheartedly that the currency of our society is power. This is why, when you listen to them speak for long enough, you will inevitably hear appeals to “power dynamics,” sometimes cloaked in marketing terminology like “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” When you examine the details of what they propose, you will note that “diversity” never includes you, “equity” always takes from you, and “inclusion” always excludes you.
This stands in contrast to the classical liberal order many of us were taught to respect while growing up. The idea which made America prosper has been that our currency is value, not power. We create value, we produce value, we trade value, and we determine value for ourselves. When our currency is value, we serve one another, we serve customers, we make money, we earn a living, we provide a service.
When power is our currency, we dominate each other, we dictate, we tax, we punish and redistribute. That is the governing thought-process of the Democrat Party.
I take the time to outline that “why” so you might understand the astounding events of this week.
As you likely know, Sen. Nicole Mitchell last week was arrested for the first-degree burglary of her own mother. She reportedly was found lurking in her mother’s bedroom, laying prone on the floor, tripped over as the victim investigated signs of disturbance. Mitchell allegedly had entered through a basement window. When confronted by law enforcement, she was quoted as saying “I’m not very good at this” and “I know I did something bad.” These details were outlined in a filed criminal complaint signed by authorities under penalty of perjury. After spending a night in jail, Mitchell took her first opportunity to express herself publicly and did not apologize or acknowledge her confession. Instead, she countered the claims in the criminal complaint, implied that authorities had lied, and telescoped her intention to remain in the state Senate.
Since then, the story has only gotten worse. This week, Mitchell returned to the Capitol. She cast a vote on whether she should be allowed to vote, failing to recuse herself despite the fact the motion would have failed without her vote. Then, she started casting deciding votes on major legislation affecting the entire state of Minnesota.
Understand. Mitchell is not alone in responsibility for this insult. She was welcomed with literal open arms by her Democrat colleagues, caught on camera hugging, laughing, and gleefully chatting on the Senate floor. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy stepped up to the cameras and told Minnesota media that retaining Mitchell in the chamber was a matter of “principle.” She actually said that the principled thing to do was retain a person caught red-handed burglarizing her own mother as a state senator.
Here's the thing: She’s right! It is a matter of principle. It is the application of their principle I described above. They care about power above all else. They care about it so much that they won’t surrender it even now, at the tail end of the legislative session, when the lion’s share of their agenda for the biennium has been achieved, and when showing a modicum of humility might actually help their image. Holding power is more important to them than anything else to them. It’s more important than the integrity of their brand. It’s more important than the legitimacy of the legislature. It’s more important than their personal honor or decency. And, to them, it’s more important than your rights.
That is why, to add insult to injury, this week has seen the advancement in the House of perverse gun control legislation which will not earn bipartisan support in the Senate and therefore will not become law unless Mitchell – out on bail under a felony charge – votes in favor. They are literally passing bills in the House that would make it harder for you to defend yourself against the crime Sen. Mitchell has been charged with.
It’s tone deaf. It’s arrogant. But it’s on brand.
Friends, I have never seen such a display of disdain in my life. Consider the degree of indifference required to retain an accused burglar as a deciding vote in the Senate and then move forward with legislation that enables burglary in the House. It’s hard to conceive of a way Democrats could prove more disrespectful.
Sincerely,
Walter