State of the Heartland?

Minnesota had a reputation once for a rather distinguished delegation in the United States Congress. Men such as Eugene McCarthy, Hubert H. Humphrey and Walter Mondale may have been liberals, but they were lions of the Senate, respected by their colleagues for their intelligence, integrity and mastery of the legislative process. What has happened, that pygmies have replaced giants and Minnesota is now content to be represented by the likes of the late Paul Wellstone and the even more absurd buffoon and practitioner of political theater, Al Franken?

The moral rot is seen in both parties. In the 90's, Jon Grunseth, a Republican nominee for Governor of Minnesota, was forced to abandon a race he was likely to win when it was disclosed that he would skinny dip when his teenage daughter and her girlfriends were using the Grunseth family pool. And former U. S. Senator David Durenberger became the subject of a Senate Select Committee on Ethics investigation for breaking rules restricting Senators' outside income, in particular by laundering about $100,000 in speaking fees into book royalties. He was subsequently denounced by a unanimous vote of the Senate for bringing "dishonor and disrepute" to the body, disbarred, and pled guilty to five misdemeanor counts of misusing his congressional expense account.

But where is the concern over "dishonor and disrepute" when Senate Democrat leaders collaborate with a fraudulent election and recount process in Minnesota that would make New Jersey blush? Does anyone believe they would allow Norm Coleman to be seated were he the beneficiary of such a corrupt process?

If heartland states like Minnesota reflect the real America, its political and moral decline should trouble all thoughtful Americans.