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McFeely: Red Minn-Kota state map again shows MNGOP's intellectual bankruptcy

Proposal by rural state representative shows depths to which once-serious Republican Party has dived.

MIKE McFEELY FNS FSA
Mike McFeely

MOORHEAD, Minn. — Freedumb is just another word for nothing left to offer.

Apologies to Janis Joplin, who doesn't deserve to be dragged into the bottomless pit of nothingness that is the Minnesota Republican Party.

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If the possibility of running Gov. MyPillow (Mike Lindell) or Gov. Tinfoil Hat (Scott Jensen) wasn't enough to tell you the state's GOP is void of serious people offering serious solutions to Minnesota's serious issues like income and education inequality or access to health care and paid family leave, let us offer Rep. Jeremy Munson.

Munson, of Lake Crystal (just southwest of Mankato), last week offered the brilliant idea that Minnesota counties should be able to secede from the state and join South Dakota. Because, you know, freedom and liberty. South Dakota is led by COVID queen Gov. Kristi Noem , who loves Donald Trump , while Minnesota is led by mask-loving dictator Tim Walz , who loves for people to not die.

Munson posted a map on Twitter that showed each Minnesota county west of the Twin Cities colored red and tied into South Dakota. It's all about Republican rural legislators playing the anti-Minneapolis card.

There is zero chance Munson's proposal goes anywhere, of course, but that's not his point. His intellectual bankruptcy was immediately validated by Noem herself, who tweeted her support of it. That was his point. Munson is getting media attention (including in this space). That was his point. He might even get a guest shot on a Fox News or Newsmax show. That'd be his dream.

The clapback to Munson's idea was immediate and harsh. Social media did its thing, pointing out the obvious flaws in the proposal. The most obvious being that if Munson or any other disgruntled conservative wanted to free themselves of Walz's shackles, they could quite easily move to South Dakota.

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It costs about $250 to rent a U-Haul trailer one way from Mankato to Sioux Falls. Perhaps we should get a GoFundMe page started for Munson.

Munson and his GOP friends have no intention of leaving Minnesota, though. They are not going to leave behind quality of life, superior government services, better job opportunities, higher wages, well-funded public education, proximity to a major metropolitan area and all the things Minnesota offers compared to South Dakota.

It's all a performance, playing to an audience, just like everything else Republicans do these days. A political party that once offered legitimate policy contrasts to Democrats is now filled with sideshow performers like Munson, empty of substance but always seeking the cheap applause line.

While Democrats in Washington were passing a COVID-19 relief package supported by 70% of Americans, Republicans were railing about Dr. Seuss. While Joe Biden is getting vaccine shots in arms, Republicans are caterwauling about him tripping on stairs.

article6955049.ece embed - SDpoll If you're a Minnesota resident, would you consider moving to South Dakota in the name of freedom and liberty? In a heartbeat, and I might get a Kristi Noem tattoo. No thanks, 10,000 lakes is better than 1 million pheasants. Depends. Which state has more rocks and cows?

And while Walz is announcing anybody in Minnesota over the age of 16 can get a vaccine shot, Munson is proposing secession.

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Further evidence Minnesota Republicans have nothing left to offer, except for freedumb.

If South Dakota is where you'll find it, by all means move there. We'll give you the number to the nearest U-Haul dealer.

Readers can reach Forum News Service columnist Mike McFeely at (701) 451-5655

Mike McFeely is a columnist for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. He began working for The Forum in the 1980s while he was a student studying journalism at Minnesota State University Moorhead. He's been with The Forum full time since 1990, minus a six-year hiatus when he hosted a local radio talk-show.
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