Latest news with #MinnesotaMiracle
The Age
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
My friend was assassinated. In a world of shrinking political ideals, she was a beacon
My friend Melissa Hortman was assassinated on the weekend. I had hoped to welcome her to Australia one day. We were classmates at Harvard in 2017 when Melissa, who already had years of political experience by that point, became the top Democrat in Minnesota's House of Representatives. As she made plans to juggle her time on campus as a mid-career student with new political responsibilities, I texted her to say she always had a place to stay in Australia. 'I will have to visit,' she wrote back. Now, that will never happen. Like my classmates around the world, I'm heartbroken by the killing of Melissa and her husband Mark. She was widely loved and admired by friends, colleagues and constituents. We're now trying to work out the best ways to honour her legacy. Melissa's political prowess has been rightly lauded in recent days. She was a leading architect of what has been labelled the ' Minnesota Miracle ', her tenure as Minnesota House speaker ushering in major reforms on everything from free school lunches to action on climate change. Governor Tim Walz has called her 'the most consequential speaker in state history' – a sentiment echoed by some Republican colleagues, too. The human loss is magnified by the rare kind of person and leader Melissa was. Deeply authentic and humble, she was distinguished by her curiosity about the world and how to improve it. Though politically formidable, she had an insatiable appetite to learn. Somehow, she managed to retain these virtues in the most combative arena of public life. Loading The Melissa Miracle, we might say, was her ability to combine deep progressive convictions with a pragmatist's instinct to get things done, including by working constructively with her political opponents. She was a natural collaborator. Hers was a civility without illusions. Clear-eyed about moral and political differences – with her own robust commitments to the public good – without letting those differences fuel animosity for others or a desire to suppress disagreement. 'We are not here to avoid conflict. We are here precisely to have conflict. It's an important part of the democratic process,' Melissa insisted when she became speaker. 'But if we can have that conflict with good humour and humility, we'll be better off, and Minnesota will be better off.'
Sydney Morning Herald
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
My friend was assassinated. In a world of shrinking political ideals, she was a beacon
My friend Melissa Hortman was assassinated on the weekend. I had hoped to welcome her to Australia one day. We were classmates at Harvard in 2017 when Melissa, who already had years of political experience by that point, became the top Democrat in Minnesota's House of Representatives. As she made plans to juggle her time on campus as a mid-career student with new political responsibilities, I texted her to say she always had a place to stay in Australia. 'I will have to visit,' she wrote back. Now, that will never happen. Like my classmates around the world, I'm heartbroken by the killing of Melissa and her husband Mark. She was widely loved and admired by friends, colleagues and constituents. We're now trying to work out the best ways to honour her legacy. Melissa's political prowess has been rightly lauded in recent days. She was a leading architect of what has been labelled the ' Minnesota Miracle ', her tenure as Minnesota House speaker ushering in major reforms on everything from free school lunches to action on climate change. Governor Tim Walz has called her 'the most consequential speaker in state history' – a sentiment echoed by some Republican colleagues, too. The human loss is magnified by the rare kind of person and leader Melissa was. Deeply authentic and humble, she was distinguished by her curiosity about the world and how to improve it. Though politically formidable, she had an insatiable appetite to learn. Somehow, she managed to retain these virtues in the most combative arena of public life. Loading The Melissa Miracle, we might say, was her ability to combine deep progressive convictions with a pragmatist's instinct to get things done, including by working constructively with her political opponents. She was a natural collaborator. Hers was a civility without illusions. Clear-eyed about moral and political differences – with her own robust commitments to the public good – without letting those differences fuel animosity for others or a desire to suppress disagreement. 'We are not here to avoid conflict. We are here precisely to have conflict. It's an important part of the democratic process,' Melissa insisted when she became speaker. 'But if we can have that conflict with good humour and humility, we'll be better off, and Minnesota will be better off.'
Washington Post
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Melissa Hortman's legacy is a ‘Minnesota Miracle'
Melissa Hortman, the former Minnesota House speaker felled by an assassin's bullet at her home on Saturday, really did understand what democracy looks like. It is emphatically not about the vile arrogance of extremists so certain of their superiority that they bestow on themselves the right to snuff out the lives of their political foes. Hortman lived her highly constructive life in politics in the knowledge that achieving change democratically requires painstaking work: planning, coalition-building, persuasion, conciliation, vote-counting. She achieved far more using these humble, but ultimately exhilarating, tools of self-government than any violent fanatic ever will. Even before I knew the identities of the victims of Minnesota's seemingly politically motivated shootings, I shared with many a sense of mourning and horror over yet another episode of brutality in a moment already marked by too much of it. Then, I learned that Hortman and her husband, Mark, had been shot dead while another Democrat, state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, were severely wounded. With Hortman's death, the story suddenly became more personal. Almost exactly two years ago, I had an enlightening interview with her for a column I was writing about what progressives around the country were calling the 'Minnesota Miracle.' It was an outpouring of legislation made possible by the Democrats' narrow control of both houses of the state legislature and the governorship under Tim Walz. I can't do full justice here to all that Hortman and her colleagues achieved, but a lengthy partial list can give you a sense of just how much they got done. The miracle included legislation for paid family and medical leave, sick leave, transgender rights protections, driver's licenses for undocumented residents, abortion rights and voting rights. Also on the list were background checks for private gun transfers, red flag laws, legalized recreational marijuana, expanded education funding, investment in affordable housing, big steps toward a carbon-free electric grid by 2040, new reading curriculums based on phonics, a $2.58 billion capital construction package, laws strengthening workers' rights, unemployment insurance for hourly workers, a refundable child credit for lower-income Minnesotans; and free breakfast and lunch for all Minnesota K-12 students. As someone whose politics lean in a progressive direction, I cheered these achievements. But what should be stressed about Hortman herself is how deeply she realized that nothing like any of this could have been accomplished without careful attention to the broad range of views among her colleagues. She thus worked to bring together Democratic legislators from the metro Twin Cities, many on the left, and those closer to the center from rural and small-town areas. Preparing for efforts to enact progressive tax reform, Hortman told me, she appointed a staunch progressive from Minneapolis to chair one of the House's tax committees and a moderate from the increasingly conservative Iron Range to chair the other. 'If we couldn't get both of them on board, then it wouldn't be something our caucus could do.' That's a practical politician speaking. Hortman also knew that to be sustainable, the program needed to be fiscally responsible. She noted to me that a budget surplus of $17.5 billion had set expectations 'very high' for what Democrats could achieve. But fully $10 billion of that was 'one-time money,' meaning that programs had to be funded and revenue raised for the long term. And in an era when we have become numb to the claims of politicians — one in particular comes to mind — that they alone can repair what ails the country, Hortman was insistent on the centrality of working with others. In our conversation, Hortman spoke of how important it had been for her to work closely with Senate leaders to iron out difference between the two chambers' bills in advance. These killings should make us think hard about the contrast between what an effective, serious and — I stress, again — democratic-with-a-small-d politics entails, and the profound dangers of movements and individuals so certain of their own righteousness and so convinced of the evil of their political adversaries that they are prepared to overturn all the rules, norms and obligations that undergird political decency. It speaks to their state's robust civic health that the entire Minnesota congressional delegation quickly issued a joint, bipartisan statement decrying the shootings. Many years ago, Lawrence O'Brien, who was a close aide to President John F. Kennedy and later became commissioner of the NBA, wrote a memoir with a wonderful title: 'No Final Victories.' He paid tribute to the fact that in a democracy, there are no final victories, which also means that there are no final defeats. Hortman used the opening she had to accomplish a lot because she knew the opportunity to do so might not come around again for a while — and she fully accepted the right of her opponents to win the next time. Whatever her killer's political or personal motivations turn out to be, his actions show that he understood none of these things. We can never allow this approach to politics to prevail.
USA Today
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Former Saints QB Chase Daniel reflects on heartbreaking playoff losses
Former Saints QB Chase Daniel reflects on heartbreaking playoff losses 'I've been a part of some of the worst playoff losses in NFL history' Chase Daniel has done really well for himself, especially at the bank. He earned a whopping $43.1 million through 14 years as an NFL backup quarterback, spending time with seven different teams -- most notably the New Orleans Saints, where he spent five years of his career. Daniel won a Super Bowl ring with the Saints as a rookie in 2009 and later returned to the team in 2017. While he was inactive for many of them, he had a front-row seat to many playoff games along the way. And from where he stands, while he didn't throw many passes himself, he didn't exactly have an easy time of it in the league. "I've been a part of some of the worst playoff losses in NFL history," Daniel wrote on social media, rattling off a series of painful exits in the postseason. He watched Marshawn Lynch run wild in the "Beast Quake" game during the 2010 playoffs with the Saints, then saw Stefon Diggs do the same in the 2017 "Minneapolis Miracle" (also called the Minnesota Miracle). And that was just with New Orleans. As a member of the Chicago Bears in 2018, Daniel saw a rare "Double Doink" field goal try bounce off of the left upright and onto the crossbar before falling to the turf, ending Chicago's season. He's seen history made, too. Daniel was the Kansas City Chiefs' backup quarterback in a 2013 wild-card game they initially led 38-10, but lost 45-44 after Andrew Luck rallied the Indianapolis Colts with four touchdown passes and another score off of a wacky fumble recovery. Just a few years ago in the 2022 playoffs, Daniel was a member of the Los Angeles Chargers when they took a 27-0 lead and squandered it, losing 31-30 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. That's a brutal legacy to put together. That Daniel woke up in a cold sweat at his lovely California home, got on his phone at just after 6 a.m. California time, and reflected on all those defeats in a tweet speaks volumes. Losing is never easy. Between his time with the Saints and a few other unfortunate teams, he's had to deal with more heartbreaking season-ending losses than most.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Minnesota Miracle' upended by new Republican House speaker
Over the last two years, Democrats used their governing trifecta in Minnesota to push through arguably the boldest progressive agenda — touted as the 'Minnesota Miracle' — in the country. That's about to change with a history-making new Republican House speaker. Rep. Lisa Demuth will be both the first Republican woman to preside over the chamber and the first Black person of either party to wield the gavel in St. Paul. But the four-term lawmaker downplays the significance of those milestones. Instead, she emphasizes the need to restore balance to the Legislature and rein in spending. 'We cannot continue to raise taxes on Minnesotans because they can't afford their lives at this point,' Demuth said. 'Tax increases are off the table.' Her ascension to the position comes after chaos ruled the Minnesota House for three weeks after the chamber convened for its 2025 session last month. Republicans held a one-seat majority, but Democrats refused to show up at the Capitol due to simmering disputes over the outcome of two state House races. That meant they didn't have the required quorum to conduct business. So, after a moment of silence and the pledge of allegiance, the chamber was immediately adjourned for seven straight sessions. The standoff finally ended with a power-sharing agreement between the two parties. Republicans will initially control committees and therefore the legislative agenda. But after a March 11 special election — which Democrats are almost certain to win, giving each party 67 seats — control will be pretty much evenly split, with Demuth likely to stay as Speaker. Demuth points to combating fraud as another top priority, due to scandals that have sparked criticism of the administration of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz — Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 election — most notably a $250 million scheme that siphoned money from a federally funded program to feed poor kids. 'There's been record fraud over the last six years with Gov. Walz at the helm of the state,' Demuth said. 'There hasn't been any serious consideration given to stopping that fraud.' (Walz issued an executive order in January creating a state fraud investigations unit and proposed legislation aimed at combating misuse of government funds.) Demuth spoke with POLITICO one week after the power struggle in St. Paul ended. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. How are you feeling about the ability to work together with Democrats, given the tensions over the last month? We acknowledge the absolute difference of viewpoint on both what happened and where we sit as a Legislature. Right now, we are at 67-66 with that one-seat advantage. But we know from the beginning that we're going to have to work together in a bipartisan fashion to move any bills off the House floor with at least 68 votes. So even though there's been the tension in the beginning, we recognize the need to work together. I believe we'll be able to do that, and that is what Minnesotans expect us to do. If Democrats win the special election on March 11 — as is pretty widely expected — you'll be back to a 67-67 split. In that situation, you've agreed to have co-chairs of committees and equal partisan membership. Why do you think that approach can work? I do believe the co-chair model within the committees will work well. Knowing that we need bipartisan support to really move bills forward, it's better that that work starts right in the committee process. Now, the one exception is the fraud committee. That will — for the next two years — be under [a] Republican majority with a 5-3 split and a Republican chair. That will be the one difference because we've really prioritized acknowledging the fraud — not just looking at it but finding solutions to end it. Why is that such a priority? Why is it important that Republicans will be able to lead that committee? There's been record fraud over the last six years with Gov. Walz at the helm of the state. There hasn't been any serious consideration given to stopping that fraud. We know that there's over $610 million of proven fraud in the state of Minnesota, yet there's been no commissioners that have lost their jobs, and there's been no accountability and meaningful change to prevent it going forward. Minnesotans are tired of funding fraud here in the state. They know their tax dollars are going out to fraud where it hasn't been stopped. With having a Republican chair at the helm of the committee, we're able to have the hearings as necessary and then potentially move policy through to stop that. When you talk to people across the state, they can't believe it's been allowed to go on this long. And so I would say it's a Minnesotan priority to stop fraud here in our state. Republicans won control of the House, at least temporarily, even though Gov. Walz was on the Democratic presidential ticket that won Minnesota by more than four percentage points. What do you attribute that success to in the House races? Minnesotans watched what was taking place in our state over the last two years with full Democrat control. We know that we spent an $18 billion surplus and raised taxes and fees on every Minnesotan by another $10 billion. So just the fiscal spending [under] one-party control, [we] needed to make a change. And that's what voters said. It's really important to recognize, though, that we [won] six GOP seats in which Kamala won on [the presidential] ticket in that area. So voters were really saying we need something different here at a state level. You're the first Republican woman to serve as speaker and the first Black person from either party to hold the post. How are you thinking about that achievement? I know that I am the most qualified to be the speaker of the House for the next two years just based on merit. The fact that I am the first woman to hold the seat for the Republicans and then the first Black lawmaker to hold the seat for Democrats or Republicans is something that I acknowledge, but I definitely didn't lead on that. To me, it's merit first. Are you the person that is most qualified to do the job? That is the priority. Over the last two years, there wasn't a lot of bipartisan work at all. I dare to say almost none. I'm a different kind of leader than you've seen in the past, and that is not being disrespectful to any previous leaders. I am very collaborative, both within my party and as much as possible trying to find commonalities across the aisle, trying to find those things that we can find agreement on. The first month of the Trump administration has been marked by efforts to massively reshape the federal government. How that ultimately plays out, especially with legal challenges, remains up in the air. But how are you thinking about how the changes in Washington affect your job? Clearly Americans decided to send President Trump back for a second term. That was overwhelming. Both the popular and the electoral votes proved that. People are looking for change. Knowing that there's going to be changes as far as wasteful spending, that is a positive thing. Knowing that there is a positive movement toward more safety and cracking down on criminal activity — that's a good thing. Right now I am completely focused, though, on the work that we're doing here in Minnesota. Knowing that we have a four-week delay in our session because of Democrats not showing up for work really puts the pressure on us to get our work done. We are really focusing here on the state and what we can do and control and move forward in the best way for Minnesotans. This is a budget year. Minnesota is looking at a projected $5 billion deficit in the '28-'29 biennium. Given those challenges that loom on the horizon, how are you thinking about this budgeting cycle and your approach as leader of the House? This budgeting cycle needs to recognize the fact that we do have that deficit that is looming over our state. Again, [we're] coming off of a record surplus of $18 billion and record spending and growing the budget by another $10 billion. We have been saying for the last two years as House Republicans in the minority, 'This is not sustainable. We are headed for a path that is going to put our state in jeopardy.' Yet those cautions were completely cast aside and not taken seriously. We're now living in that reality. This is the time to start making wise decisions. We're not going to just cut across the board, but we have to get rid of the waste that is found in fraud. We have to take a look at everything almost line by line and make wise spending decisions. We cannot continue to raise taxes on Minnesotans because they can't afford their lives at this point. Tax increases are off the table.
