Severson for Senate: Invaluable Legislative Experience
Each day until the state convention comes to order on May 18, we shall consider a variety of reasons for endorsing Dan Severson to challenge Senator Amy Klobuchar in November. Follow the series at Fightin Words and check in on the day of the convention for a compilation including the most compelling reason to support Dan Severson.
For better or worse, there is a pecking order in legislative bodies that is determined to a large extent by seniority. Freshman legislators are always going to be subjected to some degree of rookie treatment from senior members. Established seat holders have a vested interest in coopting fresh blood in order to secure long-sought status. Until a freshman learns to stand on their own two feet, they are vulnerable to the buffeting winds of deliberative peer pressure.
While that learning curve is not entirely avoidable, it can be greatly mitigated by stature and experience. Dan Severson is far and away the most experienced candidate seeking the MNGOP endorsement to run for U.S. Senate. That experience falls into three relevant categories, the first being legislative.
When you are looking to hire someone, it is preferable that the candidate has done the job before, particularly when you don’t have the time or luxury to suffer though comprehensive on-the-job training. As we consider our candidates for U.S. Senate, we do well to remember the urgency with which the next senator from Minnesota must act upon reaching Washington DC. There will be no time for orientation, no allowance for gaffes, and no margin for error. Our next senator needs to get to work right away, and he needs to know how to do so effectively.
Dan Severson has served four terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives, including one as minority whip. He worked from the minority to achieve reforms in tort litigation, veteran education and employment benefits, and judicial accountability through state statue. He not only knows how the deliberative process works, but how to work it to the good of his constituents.
That’s invaluable. Good ideas are worthless without the proven ability to act upon them. Dan Severson has that ability, and will bring it to bear in the U.S. Senate.
That is another reason why I support Dan Severson for our party’s endorsement. Check in at True North or Fightin Words each day until the state convention for more reasons to support Dan.