urbanMSP

I literally don't care what else they put in the bill, they need to do it.

With the Superbowl stuff (4am bar close) also included in this year's omnibus liquor bill, it's the perfect year to hold the whole bill hostage over Sunday Sales. Stand in the way of Sunday sales at the risk of angering a whole new set of people (besides the usual agitators that have pushing for the past few years).

The DFL really needs this to pass so it can't become an issue in the Governor's race in 2018. We'd probably be dumb/ignorant enough as a party to nominate a candidate who opposes Sunday Sales, which could easily cost said candidate a couple percent in the general. It's amazing how badly DFL leadership wants to lose on this issue (which just a few years ago, was a totally non-partisan/bipartisan issue, with support/opposition on both sides)...it's now almost exclusively DFL opposition. There's only a handful of uber-religious GOPers still sticking to their opposition on religious/traditional grounds, while the bulk of opposition comes from DFLers beholden to special interests (either pressure from the Teamsters or small liquor store owners or municipal liquor cities)

Lol lol lol. Here's the voting demographic that could swing the governor's race against the DFL:

1. well informed enough about happenings in the legislature to know the detail of a policy that doesn't neatly cut along ideological lines.

2. Be a DFLer. People who fit point 1 are partisan or have strong leanings.

3. If not a partisan have the privilege of caring about this issue as opposed to health care, education, taxes, and transportation.

4. Be 1 and 2 and think the governor, not legislators, will decide the issue.

Over 5% in 2014 voted third party, and in many of the other statewide races, not insignificant numbers of folks voted for marijuana legalization candidates. Not an exact parallel issue for issue, but shows how single-issue voters absolutely do exist and are enough to swing a close election. 2018 will be much closer than Dayton's 6 point margin in 2014.

It benefits the DFL to get this issue resolved now so it can't bite them in the ass in 2018. Bakk, Thissen, Murphy are all "no" votes and that absolutely will be held against them as gubernatorial candidates if this doesn't pass

If the dfl nominates bakk, thissen or Murphy they deserve to lose though I'll still vote and door knock for them.

You wrote Sunday sales could easily (my emphasis) cost the dfl one or two points. There aren't more than a couple hundred people simultaneously well informed on the issue, idiotic enough to not know any governor would sign an omnibus liquor bill containing Sunday sales, and myopic enough as a DFL voter to pull the lever for Kurt Daudt because a couple mayors on the Range have Tom Bakk's ear. Like I said the moving parts to this issue are fairly complex. Even pot heads understand Grassroots is marijuana legalization.

I don't know, it would be pretty easy to *make* a political issue of it, especially given the way the DFL is holding special interests above the clearly-stated preference of their base on this issue. I like my representative, but I swear if somebody ran promising to end the Sunday liquor sale ban I'd vote her/him in for one term to give it a try. It irritates me that otherwise great politicians have such a blind spot to how terrible they look when they kowtow to special interest money and then try to make it sound like a defensible position.

It's not money holding back Sunday sales, it's business owners and local officials who advocate non stop against Sunday sales. Those of you oddly obsessed with buying liquor on the Lord's day should hound their legislators. It might work.

Imo, if Bakk or Thissen is the nominee the dfl will lose but Sunday sales will not have hurt them. They're smart enough to say they would sign a liquor bill authorizing Sunday sales if Daudt made an issue of it. Nearly no-one who could differentiate between Bakk and Daudt on Sunday sales wouldn't have strong opinions on both to begin with. An important lesson for democrats coming off the last election is marginal or swing voters don't care about hypocrisy or deep dives into policy.

"not money" - they get large campaign donations from the liquor stores.

I think the scenario twincitizen is suggesting is that Republicans could make this a campaign issue, and if they did it's such a common sense change that the person opposing it would look totally out of touch on one of the few issues understood by the larger electorate. Right?

Nobody (or few people) will vote for a candidate simply because of Sunday Sales. But it can be used as part of a narrative that sways middle-of-the-road voters: "Just another example of the DFL thinking they know better than you and kowtowing to special interests/picking winners and losers in the market with the heavy hand of government."

Yep, exactly. It's a silly thing for the DFL to let the Republicans have, considering there isn't popular support for the ban.

Disagree a gubernatorial candidate would take a stand against Sunday sales even Bakk. It's a losing issue for an executive whose fate is decided in high profile endorsement, primary and general election battles. Tens of thousands voters that would amount a two point swing aren't going to know or care about the difference between Bakk and Daudt.

In legislative districts dominated by a single party the biggest threat to an incumbent is an endorsement battle. A small issue that's a very big deal to a few business owners or religious types might matter to an endorsement. Money doesn't.

http://www.startribune.com/sunday-liquo ... 413497703/

"Opponents are resigned to defeat, though supporters and foes alike say alcohol bills can have all kinds of strange outcomes when the moment of truth arrives and the House voting board opens."

Thissen and presumably other DFL gubernatorial candidates are in favor of Sunday Sales. There goes Daudt's easy two or three point built in Sunday Sales advantage.

http://startribune.com/sunday-liquor-sa ... tion=local

Daudt' s easy two or three point Sunday sales advantage one step closer to evaporating.

This is a weird issue because although it is inconvenient and annoying, most people don't care that much. Hard to build a critical mass on something like this.

Sunday sales passes the House. It would be cool if any of these Strib articles explained why the Senate would be tougher, instead of just mentioning it as an offhand line.

Actual journalism in our newspaper? Let's not get carried away now.

The pi press is showing who voted how: http://www.twincities.com/wp-content/up ... -house.png
I'm pleased to see that my representative has switched his position and voted yes this time, along with a large contingent of DFLers who switched from No to Yes. The map defies easy explanations - the metro seems to be more "yes" than the outstate, but that pattern is pretty weak. Interestingly, only one metro Republican voted no, and that's an east-side Republican whose district has a long border with Wisconsin(!!).

Hopefully the Senate carries the bill too. Write letters!

I know VAStationDude will tell me otherwise, but I think DFL leadership (Thissen, Hortman, E. Murphy) saw the writing on the wall and started whipping votes (as opposed just changing their minds on their own). They did not want the DFL to wind up on the wrong side of this with Kurt Daudt taking 100% of the credit. Exhibit A & B are Jim Davnie and Raymond Dehn, whom I thought would never change their minds.

Lotta Minneapolis, St. Paul, and inner suburban (DFL) Senators that could be flipped from no to yes. That reminds me I need to write to my new Senator (Torres Ray). I'll probably drop a line to newly-elected Senators Cwodzinski and Little as well. First termers are more likely to vote yes than someone with a long history of voting no.

P.S. I'm really glad Erin Murphy voted yes, as I can now rest a little easier supporting her run for Governor. I think she's a much more attractive/electable candidate than Coleman or Otto are.

Our favorite local liquor store is in a "No" district. I have no idea which way the store itself wants to go and I prefer not to know. Either way, I look forward to patronizing them all days of the week in the near future (hopefully!).