Minnesota's GOP: Pot, Meet Kettle

Image via WikipediaOne year ago, Minnesota Republicans were riding on a national wave of electoral triumphs, promising tax cuts and shrinking the federal deficit in a faltering economy.  They captured both houses of the state Legislature, and would have had Tom Emmer as its Governor if Democrat Mark Dayton hadn't won the recount.

Now the Minnesota GOP is a party in shambles.  In the waning days of the regular Legislative session, they dithered with things like the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage instead of working on the state's massive budget deficit, which eventually led to last summer's government shutdown.  The party is a million dollars in debt after its bombastic chairman Tony Sutton resigned.  Currently, there is no credible Republican challenger for Democrat Amy Klobuchar's U.S. Senate seat.  And Emmer, who currently co-hosts a morning drive talk show on KTCN (AM 1130), was recently turned down for a teaching position by Hamline University.

What is most surprising (and a bit disturbing) is the sudden fall of State Senator Amy Koch of Buffalo.  She had to resign her position as Senate Majority Leader because of what is termed as an "inappropriate relationship" with a fellow staffer.  Michael Brodkorb, who was on Koch's staff, was also fired.

What is meant by "inappropriate relationship" has so far been shrouded in secrecy and legal mumbo-jumbo by those in the know, pending an ethics investigation.  One figures either the state GOP doesn't want the public to know how bad it really is, or they're just plain embarrassed.  Respecting people's privacy is one thing.  Obfuscating the truth is quite another.

Koch, who still plans to serve out her term and is not running for re-election, has publicly apologized for her actions.  She still has a lot of explaining to do with her family (she's married with a daughter) and her colleagues.  If she chooses to share her predicament with the public at some point, then that's her (and her attorney's) call.

These developments have made Republicans look like hypocrites going into the 2012 elections.  All that talk about lower taxes, ethical government and family values tends to blow up in their faces when something like this happens.  But this isn't really news to anyone who follows politics at the state and national levels.  It is also true that all this might be forgotten by the time November rolls around.  Remember, power is an aphrodisiac.  You can get burned if you get too much of it.