Thompson rejects calls for his resignation
Good evening,
The John Thompson saga continued over the weekend.
First came a report from Fox 9 that Thompson had been accused of domestic assault in the past [ Read more from Fox 9's Tom Lyden] That spurred Gov. Tim Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, House Speaker Melissa Hortman, House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler and DFL Party Chair Ken Martin to issue coordinated statements calling for Thompson to resign [Read more]The next day, Thompson issued a statement denying "that any of the inflammatory allegations... ever occurred" and refused to resign [ Read more from the Minnesota Reformer's Deena Winter] Republicans are prepared to file ethics complaints against Thompson but are holding off for now to see if events preempt thatHistorical context: Today, when a lawmaker is faced with scandalous accusations, they basically have two options: resign, or try to gut it out and remain in office. But interestingly, in the 19th century, there was a third common approach. Congressmen back then who were accused of scandal but thought they had done nothing wrong would not uncommonly resign — and then immediately go back home and run in the special election to fill their seat. If they won — which they often did — they'd return to Congress with a fresh electoral mandate. For example, after South Carolina Rep. Preston Brooks infamously beat Massachusetts Sen. Charles Sumner with a cane on the floor of the Senate in 1856, Brooks survived an expulsion motion, but he resigned anyway, won the special election and came back to the House (until his untimely death from croup).
Longtime state Sen. David Tomassoni announced over the weekend that he had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS. Tomassoni, 68, has served in the Minnesota Legislature since 1993 and is currently the president pro tempore of the Senate. He said he announced his diagnosis to try to raise awareness and intends to "continue representing you to the best of my abilities." [Read more]
The Minnesota Court of Appeals ordered the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to revisit its permit for the PolyMet copper-nickel mine, a victory for environmental groups opposed to the project. MPCA said it is "confident" in the permit it granted PolyMet. [Read more from Dan Kraker]
There's little evidence that state tax credits for film and TV studios bring much economic impact to states, especially amid a fierce competition to attract productions. But that's not slowing down that competition, with Minnesota now rejoining 33 other states to offer some form of film or TV tax incentive. [Read more from MinnPost's Peter Callaghan]
A prominent U.S. Senate Democrat is proposing to require women to register for the military draft, as opposed to current laws requiring Selective Service registration only for men. No one has been conscripted into the U.S. Army since the Vietnam War, but the laws remain on the books in case of future conflicts. A 2016 battle punted the issue to a committee, which last year issued a report endorsing requiring women to register for the draft. [ Read more from Politico's Burgess Everett and Connor O'Brien]
South Dakota governor and possible presidential candidate Kristi Noem is taking swings at other potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates, arguing that she took the least restrictive approach to the pandemic. [Read more from The Associated Press' Stephen Groves]
Something completely different: A fascinating paper just published looks at the question of "taste" and how people determine what's "good taste" — or high-status taste — and what isn't. Underlying their argument is the idea that preference can be either "inclusive" or "exclusive" — "I listen to a little bit of everything" vs. "I only listen to hard rock." The authors argue that the old way that high-status people was to be exclusive of genre — for example, only listening to classical music and not that juvenile rock-and-roll. But, they argue, that's no longer the case. Today high-status people generally signal their refinement by being inclusive of genre, but exclusive of particular cultural objects. That is, rather than watching only dramas, they also enjoy action movies and comedies — but (for example) they make a point of only watching supposedly high-quality action movies (think "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" but not "Olympus Has Fallen").
It's worth noting that they're not saying these high-status choices are better, just that they're seen that way.
Lots more fascinating arguments in the full paper! [Read more from Clayton Childress, Shyon Baumann, Craig M. Rawl and Jean-François Nault]
Listen: Last Friday night, after coming home from a crowded and loud wedding reception, I poured myself a drink, turned off the lights and listened to Gregorio Allegri's "Miserere," an early modern choral work with stunning polyphony and a soaring high soprano lead that just reaches out and grabs the soul — just wait for that high C! [Watch a performance by Tenebrae] | |
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