In 2015, his first year as Speaker of the House, Daudt's strategy was to use a friendship with Senator Tom Bakk, the Democratic former Senate majority leader, as a wedge between outstate Democrats, the metro area Democrats and Governor Mark Dayton. He did this by waiting until the very last second to introduce legislation, not even giving House members time to read it before having them vote. He then threw it up to Bakk's Senate, where there was little expectation of a double cross. Daudt made sure some things Bakk and a few moderate Democrats wanted were in the bill, but there was little knowledge of the "other stuff" Daudt had snuck in there. It worked. When the Democrats in the House and Senate actually read what they voted on, their jaws dropped, but it was too late. Governor Dayton had to allow some things through. Daudt's plan worked like a charm, with Bakk, who I think was well aware he'd been used by Daudt, having to stick with the votes he'd been duped into.
In 2016, everyone was expecting a double cross from Daudt. It tells you a lot about the character of the man when EVERYONE expects him to be deceitful. Daudt's new strategy was to lie. We know he outright lied about the timeline for passing unemployment aid for the Iron Range miners. We know from multiple sources, including some Republicans, he lied about Southwest Light Rail (SWLRT) being included in the final regular session bills. When he introduced bills at the last second again, the session ended up a mess, with poorly written legislation having to be vetoed by the Governor, and other bills being shelved by Daudt, to prevent votes on anything HE had not approved, including the SWLRT, which he had snuck out of the bill.
But this is where Daudt's winning streak started to take a turn. Governor Mark Dayton isn't a guy who backs away from a fight. He doesn't play games or allow his opponents weakness to go unchallenged. The Speaker pulled a fast one on him in 2015, but the facade was over. Dayton knew the kind of man Daudt was, and he also knew Daudt wanted certain bills passed during a Governor authorized special session. Since the House and Senate Democrats were unable to fight the Speaker effectively during the regular session, the Governor decided to use his power to demand Daudt compromise. Daudt, who's more committed to his ideology than to the state of Minnesota, started lying almost immediately, acting contrite and accommodating in private negotiations, and then insisting he never promised what he had promised when the cameras were rolling. Little did he know he was grossly overplaying his hand.
In late summer, after Dayton refused to play Daudt's games, Daudt had to get serious. He was willing to okay the SWLRT, and it alone, but only if he got major concessions from the Democrats on a whole bunch of other issues. Daudt tried to use the Federal Transportation funding deadline of August 31st on SWLRT to force the Democrats hands, but Dayton outmaneuvered him, got three local agencies to cover the cost of the SWLRT and immediately took Daudt's sole concession off the table. Realizing he'd have to give up on another issue which he didn't want to, Speaker Daudt threw a temper tantrum and stormed away from the special session negotiations.
During the 2016 campaign season, Speaker Daudt and the Republicans got strategic wins in November elections, with promises of an immediate (Lie!) special session to deal with MNSure, Minnesota's problematic health care program. Governor Dayton also wanted to fix MNSure, but he knew Daudt also wanted to get certain regular session bills resurrected before the new year, so the talks of a special session meandered through November. If there was going to be a special session, it had to happen before Christmas, and, per the Governor's demands (only the Governor can call a special session in Minnesota). Dayton wanted, in writing, the exact bills that would be voted on, and the signatures of both majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate before agreeing. In early December a tentative agreement had been reached on a MNSure fix, a trimmed down Bonding bill, and a corrected Tax Bill (where Republican bad wording was fixed).
Then Daudt, once again, did what he does best; he lied. He insisted things he'd agreed to in private were "add ons" from Governor Dayton, and acted as if updating dates on the Tax Bill was a concession to the Democrats. I'm not sure why he tried this power play, but it was stupid. Governor Dayton had had enough.
Dayton, in one of the best smackdowns I've ever seen, sent a letter to Speaker Daudt while he was in the Virgin Islands on a freebie vacation...er, I mean a professional conference, actually sending it to the resort Daudt was lounging around at, calling out the Speaker's non-stop lying. He also released a copy to the media, making sure everyone was aware that while the Governor was trying to find solutions for Minnesota, Daudt was partying in Hawaii and the Caribbean. Here's that letter:
Note how Dayton exposes Daudt by saying multiple people heard him agree to the things he was now insisting were deal breakers, how Dayton calls out Daudt for not communicating with the Governor (while Daudt was getting another drink from the cabana boy) and how the Governor had created a firm deadline for a special session agreement.
Daudt somehow scrambled back from the tropical paradise in a day, only to be greeted by a Governor who had decided to initiate a new tactic which would defuse Daudt's lies. He insisted, since Daudt was prone to lying about what happened in private negotiations, all negotiations going forward (for this year and the next two) would happen in public, starting last Friday with a final round of 2016 special session negotiations. Daudt, clearly uncomfortable and ill prepared for this new format, started off the public negotiations by insulting the Governor, calling his Virgin Islands letter a tantrum. Dayton, who had very clearly made his point, walked out. Daudt, outmaneuvered yet once again, stuttered a few lines and sulked off.
This is the worst thing that could happen to Daudt. If the Governor sticks with his plan for public negotiations on all bills, and he ABSOLUTELY SHOULD, Daudt has to be honest, something he's incapable of being. Dayton already has experience carrying the entire DFL platform on his back from his first two years as Governor, and he knows the Republican House and Senate can't override his vetoes. They have to work with him. Dayton just took away all of Daudt's tricks.
Daudt will attempt to talk Dayton out of doing the negotiations in public. Daudt will try to find someone in the Republican Party to be the 'good cop' to his 'bad cop.' Daudt will try to find enough Democrats to build a consensus to override vetoes, but consensuses mean concessions, and Daudt is too much of a jackass to actually follow through on working with the other side. Since he's not going to be a decent, non-lying human being, Daudt has nowhere to go. Daudt wants to be Governor is 2018, so an extended Republican initiated, Minnesota government shutdown only makes him look like he's incapable of putting his personal agenda aside for the betterment of Minnesota. Daudt will desperately try to blame a government shutdown on Governor Dayton, but Dayton is not on the ballot in 2018. They'll both look bad, but Daudt is far more culpable. And considering the Federal Republicans seem to be eager to put forward an agenda which will anger a lot of people, including Republican voters, it gets worse. Daudt has ZERO appeal with anyone but the racists and idiots who voted for Trump, many of whom are about to kiss their Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security goodbye. He's screwed!
Dayton has all the power, and that's what really angers Daudt. Dayton plays the game better than him, out hustles him, outwits him, and doesn't care what Kurt Daudt thinks.
Kurt, any happy feeling you had from election day should be gone. Dayton owns you. You know it, and it's killing you. Run home little boy, and grab your shine box. The Governor wins again!
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