>> Mary: I WANT TO APOLOGIZE WE HAD A LITTLE TECHNICAL ERROR BOULEVARD THIS AND EVERYBODY IS WORKING NOW AND IN TIME FOR OUR GUESTS, FORMER SENATORS ANALYZE EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENED SO FAR IN THIS SESSION.

IT'S A LOT FORMER DEMOCRATS SENATOR -- FORMER SENATOR, WE NEED TO SAY IT IN OTHER WORDS, I THINK YOU'RE STILL A DEMOCRAT.

>> YES, YES.

>> Mary: AND MICHELLE BENSON, FORMER SENATOR, REPUBLICAN.

LET'S START WITH THE BILL SIGNING.

IT'S BEEN A FULL DECADES, MARRIAGE EQUALITY SINGS THE LAST TIME ANYTHING LOOKED LIKE THAT BILL SIGNING TODAY.

>> VERY EXCITING, WHAT A TREMENDOUS, TREMENDOUS SESSION.

YOU THINK MR.

THE INVESTMENTS IN SCHOOL, TRANSPORTATION, MINNESOTANS IN GENERAL WHERE YOU TALK ABOUT THE CHILD CARE CREDIT, ALL THE DIFFERENT CREDITS THAT ARE REALLY TARGETED TO HELP FAMILIES, JUST REALLY GOING TO MAKE A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON FAMILIES AND IN THE FUTURE OF MINNESOTA.

>> Mary: I USED THE WORDS "UNPRECEDENTED," I THINK YOU MIGHT SAY THAT NOT AS MUCH IN A GOOD WAY.

>> I HAVE DEEP CONCERNS AS WE GO INTO A RECESSION, THE PROGRAMS, THE PERMANENT SPENDING PUT IN PLACE ARE GOING TO DRIVE US TO A DEFICIT AND AS WE SAW, ANNUAL REST SAID THERE'S SORT OF THIS INSATIABLE APPETITE NOR TAXES.

THEY WENT AS FAR AS THEY COULD GO ON TAXES SO WHEN DEFICITS COME, THEY AREN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO RAISE TAXES TO FILL THAT HOLE SO LACK OF PRUDENCE IN SOME OF THE SPENDING E HAD $19 BILLION, MOST OF IT WAS ONE-TIME MONEY AND THEY COULD HAVE MADE REALLY BIPARTISAN INVESTMENTS.

THEY COULD HAVE DONE A LOT OF THE PRIORITIES THAT THEY WANTED TO BUT THEY WENT ALL IN AND, YOU KNOW WHAT, IN A POLITICAL STANDPOINT, GO ALL IN BECAUSE YOU GOT ONE SHOT.

I UNDERSTAND THAT BUT THE REALITY IS, THIS PERMANENT HIGH LEVEL OF SPENDING HURT CALIFORNIA AND IT'S HURTING ILLINOIS, AND MINNESOTA'S SETS UP TO BE NEXT.

>> Mary: A LOT OF REPUBLICANS ARE SAYING WE'RE GOING TO LOSE PEOPLE, HIGH INCOME FOLKS ARE GOING TO TAKE OFF, WE'LL BE IN DEFICITS LIKE THE OTHER STATES.

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT?

>> NO, ECAUSE OF WHAT WE OFFER, THE QUALITIES OF SERVICES WE OFFER OUR RESIDENTS HERE AND, YEAH, I MEAN, THAT -- THE TAXES ARE PART OF GETTING THE WONDERFUL EDUCATION, YOU KNOW, THE ENVIRONMENT, THE ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE THAT OTHER STATES, QUITE HONESTLY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO AND IT'S COVERED.

IT'S PREVENTIVE AND DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT.

I MEAN, MY GOD, HOW MANY YEARS DID WE HAVE TO FIGHT OVER $25 CO-PAY FOR INSULIN?

EPI PENCE.

>> ACTUALLY, WE DID THAT.

I CARRIED IT.

THAT WAS BIPARTISAN.

>> WE GOT IT, I GOT IT.

>> I DID IT.

>> WE GOT IT.

SO ALL OF THESE ARE PERMANENT AND ONGOING AND WILL REALLY MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF MINNESOTANS AND THEY SAY THAT THE SKY IS FALLING AND EVERYTHING.

IT'S NOT GOING TO.

WE REALLY INVEST IN OUR PEOPLE HERE.

>> Mary: WERE YOU SURPRISED BY HOW PARTY I LINE THE SENATE VOTES WERE IN PARTICULAR?

>> THEY HAD 34, THAT MEANS THEY COULD LET NO ONE OFF AND SO EVERYBODY HAD TO WALK THE PLANK -- >> Mary: VERY FEW REPUBLICANS CROSSED THE POINT -- >> THERE WERE QUITE A FEW BILLS THAT HAD 41.

>> Mary: BUT NOT CONTROVERSIAL BILLS.

>> THEY WERE OMNIBUS BILLS.

>> ON THE BIG -- THEY'RE ONLY OMNIBUS BILLS S DEFINED -- AG IS ALWAYS BIPARTISAN.

JOBS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

>> Mary: BUT TAKE SOMETHING LIKE MARIJUANA, WHERE WE SAW FIVE HOUSE REPUBLICANS CROSS AND NO -- AND WE SAW REPUBLICANS VOTE AGAINST THE PRINCE BILL.

THERE WAS A DIFFERENT GUY NAM MICK IN THE SENATE.

>> THERE ERE FEW REPUBLICANS WHO WERE JUST GOING TO VOTE NO ON EVERYTHING, MARK BUESGENS USED TO VOTE NO ON EVERYTHING SO WE'VE GOT SOME OF THOSE IN THE SENATE BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TOGETHER TO BRING MORE PEOPLE AND HAVE LESS CONFLICT AND LESS CONTROVERSY.

THAT'S NOT -- IF YOU'RE GOING TO RUN THINGS THROUGH, YOU CAN'T EXPECT PEOPLE TO NOD AND SAY OKAY.

>> Mary: SENATE COULD FLIP.

COULD THIS BITE DEMOCRATS' BACK?

>> THOUGH.

I'M GOING TO TELL YOU WHY, THE REPUBLICANS DID NOT HAVE A COHESIVE STRONG MESSAGE THIS YEAR AND, YOU KNOW, THEIR MESSAGE CONTINUES TO BE, EVERYTHING ABOUT GUNS, GOD, GYNECOLOGY AND GAYS.

AND THAT WAS RESOUNDINGLY REJECTED IN NOVEMBER AND THEY WANT INVESTMENTS IN OUR EDUCATION, IN OUR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS, IN OUR ENVIRONMENT, IN OUR HEALTH CARE AND THAT'S WHAT DEMOCRATS DID, THEY PROMISED AND DELIVERED.

>> PUBLIC SAFETY AND EDUCATION AND UTTING TAXES, MAKING GOVERNMENT RIGHT-SIZED WERE THE THREE THINGS REPUBLICANS RAN ON.

THE PRINCIPLES F SUPPORTING THE SECOND AMENDMENT, ET CETERA, WEREN'T FRONT AND CENTER BUT A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WERE PASSED HERE ALSO WEREN'T FRONT AND CENTER ON DEMOCRAT CARDS.

THEY TALKED ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY.

BUT THEY -- >> THEY PASSED IT.

>> THEY'RE LETTING MORE PEOPLE OUT F PRISON EARLIER, AND SO WHAT'S THAT GOING TO DO?

WE SEE PEOPLE CYCLING THROUGH THE SYSTEM OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

>> Mary: YOU TWO LIKE PROCESS AND YOU VALUE THE INSTITUTION, SO LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE INSTITUTIONAL THINGS BEHIND THE SCENES THAT CHANGED.

LET'S TAKE, FOR EXAMPLE, ELECTION LAW.

WE'VE HAD A LONG, UNWRITTEN POLICY BUT AGREEMENT THAT ELECTION LAW CHANGES WOULD BE BIPARTISAN.

NOT ANYMORE.

>> YEAH, AND IT REALLY STIFLED MEANINGFUL REFORM FROM HAPPENING BECAUSE OF THAT AGREEMENT, AND NOW YOU HAVE SOME OF THE MOST MEANINGFUL UPDATED AND INVESTED ELECTION LAWS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE PEOPLE REALLY ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR DEMOCRACY.

AND THAT -- THINGS WERE SO STALLED FROM HAVA, FEDERAL FUNDS WERE STALLED AND HELD HOSTAGE FOR YEARS -- >> WE'RE STILL NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH HAVA BECAUSE WE DON'T -- >> Mary: WHAT ABOUT IMPACT ON THE INSTITUTION?

>> WE DON'T EVER PROVISIONAL BALLOTS WHICH WAS IN HAVA.

THAT COULD HAVE BEEN A BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT BUT THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT.

TAKING AWAY SOME OF THE INSTITUTIONAL PROPER PRICE, I KNOW IT SOUNDS STUFFY BUT IT'S WHAT YOU BUILD CONNECTIONS OF TRUST.

ANN REST AND MARY KIFFMEYER COULD TALK ABOUT ELECTION, THEY KNEW WHAT THEY COULD BRING TO THE FABLE AND THAT BUILT COMITY AND TRUST, AND MINNESOTA HAD REALLY HIGH VOTER TURNOUT LEADING THE NATION OVER AND OVER AND OVER.

WE HAD HIGH LEVELS OF TRUST IN OUR ELECTIONS AND THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE BECAUSE WE WENT PARTISAN ON ELECTION BILLS.

I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT.

>> I JUST THINK THAT THERE HAS BEEN MORE BIPARTISAN BILLS PASSED.

WHAT I'M WATCHING PASS, THEY'RE PASSING 40, 39 IN THE SENATE, 41, THERE HAS BEEN MORE BIPARTISAN BILLS THAN I ACTUALLY THOUGHT WERE GOING TO HAPPEN UNTIL -- >> THE MOST SIGNIFICANT BILLS WERE STRAIGHT ALONG PARTY LINES AND EVERY DEMOCRAT SENATOR WAS THE DECIDING VOTE.

>> Mary: THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU TWO.