Editorial: Horner the choice for Minnesota

• Horner

Don Davis/State Capitol Bureau Tom Horner announces his state budget proposal Monday, including adding the sales tax to clothing and allowing casinos at the state's two horse-racing tracks. He is the Independence Party governor candidate.

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It’s not difficult to guess what makes so many people across Minnesota — and across the country — become disillusioned with politics. Candidates nowadays consistently take office with the primary goal of serving the interests of their political party. As a result of both Republicans and Democrats adhering to this type of philosophy, little in the way of compromise is ever reached, and we get bitter partisanship and finger-pointing — and little in the way of moving forward — as a result.

Election Day is an opportunity for voters to look forward and examine the best choice to lead Minnesota for the next four years. We believe that choice is Tom Horner.

In endorsing Horner, we support the Independence Party candidate, as opposed to the DFL’s Mark Dayton and the GOP’s Tom Emmer. We believe Horner is what Dayton and Emmer are not — a moderate, much like many Minnesotans.

Dayton, a former one-term U.S. Senator, has an extremely liberal voting record and seems to have based his entire gubernatorial campaign on a plan to tax the rich, a solution that by itself will in no way erase our sizeable budget deficit. Emmer, on the other hand, is an ultraconservative whose proposals to slash government would make a mess of Greater Minnesota municipalities, schools and health care.

Horner sees things in a different way. Rather than putting a radical left- or right-wing political dogma first, Horner would utilize a steady temperament and political savvy to get things done. He has previous political experience working for Sen. Dave Durenberger’s campaign and as chief of staff, during which he demonstrated his ability to work with others and build coalitions.

Given Minnesota’s current fiscal situation, the next four years will require a certain degree of sacrifice from all of its citizens. Horner, much more so than Dayton or Emmer, seems to understand this, and would seek to reach out to legislators of both major parties, rather than alienate one or the other with extremist ideas. We see Horner’s election as the best means of moving forward and ensuring we have a leader who puts us — and not a party — first.

Tags: opinion, editorials, politics, minnesota