The end of the second civil rights era and the coming of the second great disenfranchisement

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With Monday’s affirmative action decision and Tuesday’s Voting Right Act case the Supreme Court has just about ended the second civil rights era in American history, paving the way for the second great disenfranchisement in American history. While the decisions were no surprise, they nonetheless tell us many things about race, class and power in American politics, and also about who the Supreme Court favors. . .and it is not the powerless and oppressed. Continue Reading

Ranked choice voting, and the People v. the Plutocrats and Political Scientists

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Everyone knows that the American political system is supposed to be based on majority will. True, but only half correct. It is actually a political system based on majority will subject to limits to protect minority rights. Our political system was never pure populism and it should not be. Respect for minority rights should not be viewed as a threat to democracy; instead, as recent debates surrounding ranked choice voting (RCV) demonstrate, the danger comes from the plutocrats and political scientists, both which seem to oppose it because either of fears that it threatens their power or because of the belief that the people are not smart enough to vote this way. Continue Reading

Obama’s Constitution

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Barack Obama’s constitutionalism is not quite what anyone would have expected. Far from embracing bold liberal notions of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, much of his legal philosophy seems at home with his predecessor George Bush and Republicans. Continue Reading

Grading the 2013 Minnesota legislative session: C+ for DFL but F on reform and bipartisanship

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Students across Minnesota are finishing their exams and awaiting their final grades. The 2013 Minnesota legislative session is over and now it is time also to assess the performance of one-party rule in Minnesota. So how did the DFL do? If the legislative session were to be graded, it earned an overall C+ but F grades when it came to working together and in making structural reform. Continue Reading

The end of ethics reform in Minnesota

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Minnesota’s 2013 legislative session will forever be known as the one that legalized same-sex marriages. Yet while many were celebrating this act the governor and the legislature are on the verge of adopting legislation that takes a giant step toward undoing political reform in the state and significantly increasing the chances that special interest money will further damage the Minnesota elections and law making process. The result is more money out of the taxpayer wallet funding special interest projects while legislators get free meals and gifts from lobbyists. Continue Reading

The day after reform: What happens now that same-sex marriage is legal in Minnesota?

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With Governor Dayton’s signature on Tuesday at 5 PM on Tuesday May 14, same-sex marriage will be signed into law. The question though is what’s next, and what will change as a result of legalization of same-sex marriage? Here is what we know based on Minnesota law and what has happened in the other 11 states that have already legalized same-sex marriage. Continue Reading

Same-sex marriage and the beginning and end of Minnesota politics: A tale of four circles

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The best thing that could happen to the Republican Party of Minnesota (RPM) if not the national Republican Party, is for same-sex marriage to be legalized. Its legalization would remove from the agenda one that the Republicans are losing on, and one that is continuing to alienate them from younger millennial voters and moderates. Legalization of same-sex marriage would permit Republicans to move away from social issues and concentrate on their core economic and limited government message. Continue Reading