GOP has the edge at start of final week

05/13/2007

By Patricia Lopez,
Star Tribune
Last update: May 13, 2007


On the surface, it's Gov. Tim Pawlenty who appears to be in the driver's seat as the 2007 legislative session turns toward the finish line, rejecting every tax hike and most budget bills passed by defiant DFL majorities in the House and Senate.

But the secret to Pawlenty's success so far lies in a less-than-obvious source: the tiny Republican caucuses in the House and Senate that seemed so powerless and irrelevant when the session started but have become decisive simply by sticking together.

With one week to go before adjournment, Republicans are boasting openly of their ability to sustain Pawlenty's vetoes, which can be overridden only by a two-thirds majority vote in both legislative houses. Helpless so far to overcome the Republican blockade, DFLers have made a growing number of concessions.

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