Steve Sviggum: Minnesota Speaker of the House
By Anna Duchon and Taylor Valore
Interview: Thursday, October 20, 2005
Both of us are out-ofstaters; what would you say makes Minnesota politics distinctive?
I think it’s much about what Minnesota is. Minnesota is a very diverse culture -- from Minneapolis/St. Paul to the iron range -- to the far Western cornfields. One thing that right now causes some of the stalemates -- or some would say dysfunction, or some would say balance in the legislature, is that we’re exactly split evenly. Nobody has an opportunity to bring forward their agenda without it being balanced or counterbalanced by some other agenda.
When you talk about the mix of culture and diversity in Minnesota, that piques my interest, because when I think of Minnesota, I, quite frankly, don’t think of one of the most ethnically diverse states in the U.S. For any state that might not be very ethnically diverse, to what extent can or should ethnic diversity be made a priority?
I don’t believe that just for the sake of diversity you celebrate diversity. But I think that it’s an enriching experience, bringing different folks into the culture. I guess I’m not smart enough to tell you that there’s cultures that are better or worse -- it’s just a mix. And that mix is who we are.
One of the most traditional Republican values is tradition itself, yet you’re a huge advocate for reform and change. How do you reconcile the two?
Tradition is our principles, and it’s our values that we grow up by and that we live by. I don’t think that you can divorce your actions from who you are. When it gets to government, though, we have to be able to change, and I don’t think that that changes your values or your principles. Your question basically asks, "Are they mutually exclusive of each other?" I think they can be mutually inclusive.
Many have said that the era of small government is over. What do you see as the role of state government in the current political system?
Government is part of our lives and needs to be part of our lives. And people, for whatever reason, feel more entitlements now than they probably did 50 and 100 years ago. The state government should be there to provide the basic infrastructures necessary for its people to have service and to move ahead -- to have growth and economic development.
You have some background in education. What are your thoughts on the ethnicity and race components in No Child Left Behind?
I tend to believe that the concept of No Child Left Behind is a good one -- that we shouldn’t leave anybody behind. Right now, we have a significant number of the population who start ninth grade and don’t finish. And an extraordinary amount of those happen to be children of color. That’s absolutely wrong, and it’s something we have to focus resources to. Maybe we need to find a way where those kids who are falling through the cracks have a second and third chance to make it.
You also mentioned that you liked going door-todoor campaigning.
I like folks, and that’s why I like door knocking. Going door-to-door and shaking hands and getting to see people eye-to-eye, they can see whether they can trust you or not. It’s the most effective way to campaign. It sets an example for other members of my caucus who are running that if the Speaker of the House is out door-knocking, then this might be important.
You come from a predominantly agricultural district. How does representing a rural area differ from representing an urban one?
It’s very significant from the standpoint of the issues that come forward, from the philosophies of the constituents, and from the standpoint of how you are identified in a local community. When I come back to Wanamingo or Kenyon, I can’t get lost. Everybody grabs me at the grocery store or at the football game. That’s not true in the urban area. The representatives and the senators there many times go to church and they’re not the last ones out.
You’re a big fan of Condeleza Rice. Is she presidential?
America’s ready for a woman president. And I think America’s ready for a person of color. I think Colin Powell would have made a great Vice Presidential choice a couple years ago or four years ago, but he has made it pretty clear that he’s not going to be a national candidate in any way, shape, or form. Condoleezza’s also said that she’s not going to be a candidate, but you can always hold that hope out. But I’m also politically realistic enough to know that the Republican, as I mentioned in the speech earlier, has got to win the South or at least get a significant number of southern states. I don’t know that Condoleezza can win in Georgia. I know Hillary can’t win there, so if it’s Condoleezza against Hillary, I think Condoleezza’s OK. You weigh a lot of things in politics. You know some people vote against me because of the way I cut my hair? Some people vote against me because of the way I say "Oofda" and "Yashure." And some people vote against me because I’m too conservative. I can handle that.
Strategically, what should Democrats do to become a stronger party?
They have to come forward with a positive agenda. They cannot just be the party of "We’re not the Republicans." They have very, very little to put forward on the agenda themselves. Once you’re trying to push something, you’re going to tick people off. It’s much easier to be against something that the other guys are doing. Other than universal healthcare, single-payer system, I can’t think of one agenda that the Democrats stand for. 