The conservative Minnesota legislative vote tracker, Bills and Votes, is has called it "quits."
"It's a money and staffing thing - to do this right we need at least two more full time analysts who know the system and understand the politics. But the money is just not there and rather than limp along, trying to keep pace with the House and Senate vote factories, I decided to mothball the site. I'll keep the lights on for a few weeks, and I plan to post a few commentaries on how conservatives can keep the pressure on and what outcomes they should demand of the new legislative leadership," wrote Bob Shipman on the site earlier this month.
While the site offered information on legislative votes, it also offered a conservative spin on the outcome.
The site's ultimate demise, Shipman wrote, came down to money.
"The site was finding its audience, but the market to finance this unique political product never materialized, at least for me. Conservatives and Tea Party activists are a natural base of support, but money is tight and the movement lacks organization. Certainly groups like the Chamber, the Business Partnership and other very-slightly-right-of-center-left organizations are not interested in having the votes of their guys in St. Paul tracked by some meddling conservative. It's just not appropriate," he wrote.
Shipman wasn't always a Republican-party friend.
In a January blog post, he wrote: "Well Tea Party, you can forget about the current Minnesota House Majority. Commence recruiting for 2012 endorsement challenges as soon as possible....Three months after you handed them the majority, the GOPers you put in charge have all but forgotten you."
