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Monday, December 08, 2008

The Age Wave - what is the threat of a riptide washing us oldsters offshore and to the deep?

I have written before of Paul Thissen running for Governor, as has Thissen, this website.

I will go a step further. So far he is above the rest, and I intend to precinct caucus DFL, for Paul Thissen, when I get that chance unless somebody new enters the race and somehow entices my loyalty away from one that Aaron Brown described:

If Thissen really does get into the guts of every corner of the state and really does listen, he might have an outside chance. I described my talk with Thissen to a friend this way, and I'll stick with it now: He's so damn reasonable. As a health care expert, he strives and generally succeeds to avoid "wonkishness," showing a clear speaking style that makes sense -- especially to independent-minded anti-ideologues. The risk with being reasonable is that voters might lose him in the shuffle of loud, emotional, and better known candidates who might join this race. But the fact is that reasonable people make good governors. Thissen is experienced but not yet a career politician. He has shown something that I have found lacking at every level of government, from dog catcher up to President: curiosity. He wants to learn more about a problem before he decides what the best solution is. And he's also willing to talk about specific problems.


I have linked to that interview post before, and I encourage others to read the full thing. Regarding the "Age Wave" and you have to be curious, what is this thing, there is the Thissen website Whiteboard post by Katheryn Roberts, and the Thissen blog post on the same theme.

Here is the challenge for state Rep. Thissen, before being Governor - deal with this forecast $5.3 billion dollar tax revenue shortfall, and do so while having also to deal with this current governor and his veto pen, and deliver the best healthcare package, (including the almost inevitable compromises where needed to meet the reality of an executive on the lookout for a bigger stage and intending to hence stake out ever more firmly, the Tax Resistant Guru's mountaintop).

His latest web news feature, shows Thissen is aware of the problem as faced, and has been prompt to level with us about what it implies. Good luck Paul Thissen in the legislature between now and being Governor, do the best you can for Minnesota health needs and for the need to lessen deficiencies and to bring light out of darkness.