Thanks to this article, I’ve learned something new today. I didn’t know this:
Though the makeup of the group is largely affiliated with the DFL, the Rangers don’t consider their party alignment the most important aspect of their political goals. It all comes down to the Range, whether you’re Democrat or Republican.
“I like to make my own decisions and exercise my own independent thinking,” said Anzelc.
The reason I didn’t know that is because Rep. Anzelc’s statement isn’t true. Rep. Anzelc votes like a Metrocrat about 95% of the time. The Range delegation puts up token opposition to the Metrocrats’ environmental regulations, then get bought off by not fighting for the things that would actually improve Rangers’ lives. That isn’t independence. That’s tokenism.
If the Range delegation wanted to be a potent political force, they’d join forces with Republicans each year and insist on a list of high priority items that would create mining jobs. Instead, they keep doing what the Metrocrats want them to do. That isn’t fighting for improving Rangers’ lives. That’s putting party loyalty ahead of loyalty to their constituents.
Common goals are one of the central political strategies of the Rangers, who often face legislative opposition from other parts of the state. While the Range and the metro area are both DFL political strongholds, their lawmakers have different ideas about issues ranging from gun legislation to the environment. Meanwhile, Republicans from other parts of the state have largely had an unsympathetic voting record.
I don’t doubt that Republicans haven’t always voted with the Range delegation. There’s no question, however, that the Metrocrats always vote against the Range delegation on mining issues. In fact, Metrocrats have bragged in fundraising emails that they stood up to the Range delegation.
The thought that Range delegation Democrats are independent is laughable from the standpoint that they haven’t insisted on legislation that opens up mining. Rep. Anzelc rightly states that the Range economy is a natural resource-based economy. The Metrocrats stand vehemently opposed to natural resource-based economies. That won’t change anytime soon.
Rep. Anzelc can spin it that the Range delegation is independent thinking but the truth is that they’re puppets controlled by the Metrocrats.
