To MDE: "DOMAGATE is more than a partisan issue"

Minnesota Democrats Exposed has done an outstanding job keeping up with the flurry of developments on the Dean Johnson story. It’s the go-to place for the latest published and inside information. But with an exasperated sigh, I have to comment on the post “DOMAGATE: ARE DEMOCRATS WAIVING THE WHITE FLAG?”

I don’t dispute MDEs contention that from a political perspective Republicans have scored frequently this past week. Admittedly, Sen. Dean Johnson’s slouching toward the truth hasn’t hurt the Republican effort any. No, where I take exception is the somewhat gleeful tone of the post.

Dean Johnson has put the legislature and the judiciary in a lose-lose position, and that is not good for Minnesota, the Republican Party, or the marriage amendment (pass or fail). The issue in this controversy is the integrity of the state Supreme Court and the legislative process. Both parties should be uniting behind that issue rather than quibling over which party is less evil.

Putting Dean Johnson up on ethics charges is not going to bring closure to the issue; nor is it the political coup the Republican Party thinks it is. Dean Johnson is important right now only because ultimately he is the only one that can repair the damage he has done to the judiciary and the legislative process.

Looking toward restoring faith in the process would be a more honorable path for Republicans than trampling Dean Johnson and the DFL.