A few weeks ago, a caller on MPR's Midmorning program asked Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer to identify a proposal or idea from his DFL rivals that he liked.
Emmer thought about it, but couldn't come up with anything. On Tuesday, the three DFL gubernatorial candidates were on the same program and were asked about any of Emmer's ideas that they like. They all found at least one, but couldn't help but take a jab at their GOP competitor. Former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton said he agreed with Emmer's desire to make government more cost-effective, but he disagreed with Emmer's "buzz saw" budget solutions. Minnesota House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, who served in the House with Emmer, said she agreed with Emmer's focus on encouraging prosperity. Her dig: she disagrees with Emmer's support of a "tip credit," which allows businesses to pay hospitality workers less than the minimum wage. She called it a "tip penalty." Former House Minority Leader Matt Entenza said Emmer "doesn't show up to forums, but one of the things I've heard him say is we need to cut down on the amount of time it takes to get permits." Entenza said he agreed that change would help make the state more competitive. The winner of the Aug. 10 DFL primary will face Emmer in the general election.
