What a difference one election can make.
The list of populist achievements in this year's legislative session is long and impressive. Marriage equality. A new health care exchange free of insurance industry conflicts of interest. "Ban the box" legislation opening up access to employment for ex-offenders and moving us one step forward to closing the racial jobs gap. There will be fairer taxation, all-day kindergarten, and a stronger MinnesotaCare.
It's a day-and-night difference from the last Legislature, whose Republican majorities refused to raise taxes and caused a state government shutdown. They placed the anti-marriage-equality and photo ID amendments on the ballot, and used Obamacare as a political football.
On Election Day 2012, both amendments were defeated and the DFL won the triple crown of state government by taking control of the state House and Senate.
As this session began, Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative leaders knew they would be judged on their ability to get things done. This, after all, is what one expects when electing single-party control. Still, it's unusual to see this level of cooperation. Remember when Obama was first elected and Democrats controlled Congress? There was nowhere near this level of productivity. So what's different?
Just like the winter's snow that just wouldn't melt, the grass-roots movement that defeated both amendments and elected the new legislative majorities lasted until May.
The campaigns that defeated both the anti-marriage and photo ID amendments were an awesome display of sophistication, scale and efficacy. But it was the volunteers and grass-roots organizations of these campaigns that set higher expectations for legislators and were willing to extend their engagement into issue advocacy at our State Capitol.
Most of the money spent by electoral campaigns buys hot air — TV, radio and Internet advertising. Most are negative attacks, and by the election most voters feel cynical and discouraged. The "vote no" campaigns produced positive, compelling ads, but they did something more. They invested heavily in grass-roots volunteers who they relied on to talk to voters, and eventually, to legislators.