♪♪ >> ALL RIGHT, POWER SHARING AGREEMENTS ARE CRUMBLING HERE AT THE CAPITOL.

OUR NEXT GUEST REALLY CARES ABOUT THAT.

SHANNON WATSON FROM THE MAJORITY IN THE MIDDLE.

>> YOU'RE USUALLY A VERY OPTIMISTIC PERSON, ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO FIND OPTIMISM RIGHT NOW?

>> YOU KNOW, I'M NOT.

>> OKAY.

>> OPTIMISM NUMBER ONE COMES EASY FOR ME.

NUMBER TWO THERE'S A LOT OF OPTIMISM STILL TO SEE.

SO THE SENATE SWORE IN THE 34TH D.F.L.

MEMBER AND THEN IMMEDIATELY DISSOLVED THAT POWER SHARING AGREEMENT.

BUT YOU WOULDN'T NECESSARILY KNOW IT TO WATCH THE COMMITTEES.

>> OTHER THAN THE LEADER SAYING BIPARTISANSHIP IS DEAD.

>> I THINK SOME OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH HIS JOB AND THAT WAS SORT OF THE MESSAGE THAT -- YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO BE A MINORITY LEADER BECAUSE THAT'S KIND OF THE -- >> AND QUOTES IS ALL YOU'VE GOT, RIGHT?

IF YOU DON'T HAVE POWER, YOU HAVE QUOTES.

>> YEAH, QUOTES IS -- BUT THERE ARE A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF REPUBLICANS THAT HAD GAVELS STILL THIS WEEK.

THERE WAS A LOT OF REPUBLICAN BILLS TILL BEING HEARD.

SO WHAT I'M SEEING IS I'M SEEING BIPARTISANSHIP HAPPEN NOT BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO BUT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO.

AND THAT'S ACTUALLY PROBABLY A BETTER CASE THAN IT IS JUST WHEN THEY'RE DOING IT BECAUSE THEY HAVE AN AGREEMENT.

>> OKAY, I CAN HEAR IT IN THE SENATE.

>> YEP.

YEAH.

>> THE HOUSE, IT WAS CALLED GROUNDHOG'S DAY HERE.

>> RIGHT.

>> HALF THE CHAMBER IS STILL GONE, HEY'RE GOING TO THE COURT AGAIN.

>> YEAH.

>> THAT CAN'T GIVE YOU A LOT OF OPTIMISM.

>> IT'S JUST, IT'S SUCH A UNIQUE SITUATION AND I THINK THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO HAVE A POWER SHARING AGREEMENT AND THEN THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO HAVE LIKE A DIVISION OF POWER AGREEMENT.

AND SOMETIMES I THINK ONE OF THE BEST EXPRESSIONS OF POWER IS HOW MUCH YOU'RE WILLING TO GIVE UP BECAUSE LIKE YOU JUST TALKED TO THE OTHER TWO, LIKE THAT 68D VOTE TO GET ANYTHING PASSED IS GOING TO GIVE PEOPLE AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF POWER WHETHER THEY SIT AT THE FRONT OF THE ROOM OR NOT.

>> BECAUSE THE SENATE DOES NOT NEED BIPARTISAN BILLS OTHER THAN THE BONDING BILL.

>> CORRECT, YEP.

>> BUT NOW THE HOUSE IT HAS TO HAPPEN FOR ANYTHING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THE MATH.

>> ABSOLUTELY, AND I THINK THIS IS THE ONE CASE WHERE BEING IN THE QUOTE, UNQUOTE MINORITY WOULDN'T BE AS BAD AS IT NORMALLY WOULD BE BECAUSE YOU STILL NEED TO BE AT THE TABLE -- I MEAN, IT'S LIKE IF EVERY BILL WAS THE BONDING BILL.

>> WHAT ABOUT QUANTITY OF BILLS?

ALREADY HAVE JUST ENORMOUS NUMBERS IN THE SENATE, OBVIOUSLY NOTHING CAN HAPPEN IN THE HOUSE.

>> MM-HMM, RIGHT.

>> HOW DO YOU THINK THAT ALL SHAKES OUT AND ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION YET TO HOW MANY BIPARTISAN COAUTHORS THERE HAVE BEEN ON BILLS?

>> YEAH, I HAVEN'T RUN NUMBERS YET.

I HAD HOPED TO BECAUSE I'M HEARING SENATORS -- JUST TODAY TWO DIFFERENT SENATORS WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW SENATOR ANN REST SHE'S LIKE WE HAVE HEARD 40 BILLS SO FAR THIS YEAR, 20 OF THEM HAVE BEEN D.F.L.

BILLS, 20 HAVE BEEN REPUBLICAN -- >> YEAH, IN THE TAX COMMITTEE TODAY, 50/50, I WAS STUNNED BY THAT.

>> AND SENATOR FRENTZ IN THE ENERGY COMMITTEE HE WAS ENDING THE HEARING AND HE WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW THAT COMMITTEE THEY HEARD THE FIRST D.F.L.

BILL TODAY THAT THEY HAD HEARD, THE OTHER ONES HAD BEEN REPUBLICAN BILLS AND HE SAID HE HAD COMMITMENT TO I BELIEVE IT WAS MAKING IT EITHER PROPORTIONATE OR REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COMMITTEE.

SO I THINK THERE'S STILL A LOT OF HOPE THERE.

>> SO DESPITE, YOU JUST HEARD OUR MEDIA ANALYST SAY THE BLUE DOG DEMOCRATS AREN'T A THING BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T BROKEN ON VOTES BUT YOU'RE SEEING SOME OF THE MODERATES MAYBE HAVE AN EXCUSE NOW AND THE ABILITY TO REACH OUT AND SHOW OME MODERATION?

>> I THINK COVERAGE MATTERS, IT IS REALLY HARD -- I THINK THE BRAVEST PERSON IN THE BUILDING THIS WEEK WAS JUDY SEEBERGER STANDING UP AND SAYING WHAT SHE DID.

>> EVEN THOUGH SHE VOTED WITH HER CAUCUS.

>> EVEN THOUGH SHE VOTED WITH HER CAUCUS.

>> OKAY.

>> BECAUSE LIKE IT'S REALLY HARD TO GO ALONE AND, YOU KNOW, SAY LIKE I'M NOT NECESSARILY COMFORTABLE DOING THIS, THERE WERE A COUPLE OF SENATORS WHO HAVE DONE THIS IN THE PAST.

I'M NOT TERRIBLY COMFORTABLE DOING THIS, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY KEEP GETTING HIT WITH IS, WELL, THESE LAST TWO YEARS YOU VOTED WITH YOUR CAUCUS THE ENTIRE TIME.

THEY VOTED WITH THEIR CAUCUS ON THE THINGS THAT MADE IT TO THE FLOOR.

>> YEP.

>> WE HAVE NO IDEA ALL THE THINGS THAT COULD HAVE MADE IT TO THE FLOOR THAT THEY STOPPED IN THE CAUCUS ROOM.

AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THAT -- >> BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.

>> BEHIND LOSED DOORS, BEHIND THE SCENES.

YOU DON'T, I MEAN, IN BEING A SENATOR OR BEING A REPRESENTATIVE, BEING A LOBBYIST, YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT THE BILLS YOU KILLED.

>> WHAT ABOUT THE POLL WHEN WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MAJORITY, THE MAJORITY OF MINNESOTANS WANTED A WHOLE BUNCH OF DIFFERENT THINGS IN THAT POLL, DIDN'T THEY?

>> THEY DID, AND I THINK SOME OF IT IS BECAUSE THEY SITUATION IS VERY CONFUSING TO PEOPLE WHO FRANKLY DON'T WATCH YOUR SHOW.

>> IT'S OKAY, WE'RE NOT NORMAL.

>> NORMAL MINNESOTANS, LIKE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND -- >> HESE ARE HIGH INFORMATION VIEWERS.

WE LOVE THEM.

>> YES, HIGH INFORMATION VIEWERS.

BUT LIKE THE PEOPLE WHO WATCH THE SHOW LIKE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MATTERS TO HAVE A GAVEL AND WHY A PARLIAMENTARY MOVE WOULD MATTER.

MOST MINNESOTANS DON'T GET IT, THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND, THEY HEAR WE'RE ARGUING OVER POWER AND THEY'RE LIKE, WELL, THERE'S GOVERNMENT.

>> AND QUICKLY A CLEAN FINISH, IS THIS IMPOSSIBLE SINCE WE'RE AT LEAST A MONTH BEHIND ON STARTING THE HOUSE >> I DON'T THINK IT'S IMPOSSIBLE, I THINK IT'S UNLIKELY BUT AT THE SAME TIME LIKE THEIR JOB IS CONSTITUTIONALLY TO GET THAT BALANCED BUDGET DONE.

>> MM-HMM.

>> AND I THINK NO MATTER WHAT ELSE HAPPENS THERE ARE ENOUGH PEOPLE WHO VIEW THEIR ROLE