UP TO.

♪♪ >> JOINING ME, COUPLE OF MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATIONS INSIDERS, YOU CAN CATCH HIM FRIDAY NIGHTS A"ALMANAC" AND TOILED HERE AT WCCO RADIO FOR DECADES.

>> STILL SLUGGING AWAY.

>> AND CURRENTLY ON WCCO IN THE MORNINGS AND DOING MEDIA, BLOIS OLSON.

GIVE US THE TAKE.

WE HAVE SEEN LAWMAKERS IN THING.

>> I KNOW REPUBLICANS ARE CAUCUSING TONIGHT CURRENTLY AND I KNOW DEMOCRATS CAUCUSED EARLIER TODAY.

I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE A DEAL YET BUT I THINK THEY'RE CLOSE AND SOMEBODY TOLD ME THEY CAN BE BACK AS SOON AS TOMORROW.

BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS HAS BEEN TOUCH AND GO THE WHOLE TIME.

>> MM-HMM.

>> AND WE KNOW THE SUPREME COURT'S GOING TO HEAR ARGUMENTS TOMORROW ON THE REPUBLICANS' LAWSUIT AGAINST STEVE SIMON.

AND I THINK IF YOU'RE A REPUBLICAN YOU GO, WELL, YOU GOT TO LET THAT PLAY OUT BEFORE YOU FINALIZE THE DEAL BECAUSE IF YOU WIN THAT -- >> UNLESS DEMOCRATS ARE REALLY GIVING UP SOME SKIN BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.

>> RIGHT.

RIGHT.

AND I HAVE HEARD THEY'VE GIVEN UP SOME STUFF, I DON'T KNOW THE DETAILS.

>> PETER CALLAHAN'S GREAT PHRASE FROM MINNPOST IS MINNESOTA IS GOVERNMENT BY NEWS CONFERENCE.

AREN'T WE KIND OF TIRED OF HAVING THEM PARADE OUT?

THEY DIDN'T SHOW UP TODAY.

>> NO, WE SHOULD -- THIS IS OUR INSIDER INFO BECAUSE WE DID HAVE HOUSE LEADERS BOOKED FOR THE SHOW AND THEY BOTH THROUGH THEIR COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT CANCELED TODAY.

SORRY, GUYS.

>> THIRD RATE, THIRD CHOICE.

>> PLAN A.

BUT WE ALWAYS SAY WHEN THEY STOP TALKING TO US THAT MEANS THEY'RE STARTING TO TALK TO EACH OTHER.

THAT GETS MORE SERIOUS, RIGHT?

>> AND WE KNOW THEY TALKED THIS WEEK IN-DEPTH AND MET FOR HOURS.

>> SUPREME COURT'S AN IMPORTANT DEADLINE AND DATE TOMORROW, RIGHT?

THEY WERE TRYING TO MAYBE GET SOMETHING DONE BEFORE THAT?

>> LET'S LOOK AT WHAT WE KNOW.

MARCH 6TH IS THE REVENUE FORECAST, VERY IMPORTANT TIME FOR THEWHAT WILL BE USED TO MAKE DECISIONS MARCH 11TH IS THE DISTRICT 40B ROSEVILLE REDO.

>> WHICH COULD GET THEM BACK TO A TIE.

>> YEAH, SO WITH EKNOW THAT.

>> YES.

>> I THINK THEY'VE BLOWN PAST WHAT IS AEVER GOING TO BE A MAY.

>> CORRECT.

WHICH WAS GOING TO BE HARD NO MATTER WHAT.

>> YES IN, A BUDGET YEAR THAT'S ALWAYS HARD BUT WHEN YOU'RE AT LEAST FOUR WEEKS BEHIND IT'S HARDER.

>> YEAH.

>> WHAT ARE THE DYNAMICS GOING FORWARD, FOR INSTANCE, WHAT DO THE REPUBLICANS NEED TO SUPPLY A VOTE, FOR INSTANCE?

>> SO I HINK REPUBLICANS NEED THE SPEAKERSHIP AND THE CHAIRS.

>> THAT'S A LOT, RIGHT?

>> IT IS, BUT IF THEY HAVE THE CHAIRS AND A TIE THAT MEANS THEY STILL NEED A DEMOCRATIC VOTE TO MOVE STUFF.

>> LAST TIME THERE WAS A TIE IN THE HOUSE JOAN GROWE TOLD US HOW GOT THE CHAIR AND SHE SAID DEMOCRATS GOT A BETTER DEAL.

>> DIDN'T IN YEARS -- MAY HAVE DISPLAYED THAT?

>> BUT IF REPUBLICANS GET BOTH THAT'S A HUGE VICTORY FOR THEM.

>> IT IS A HUGE VICTORY BUT AGAIN THEY'RE STILL GOING TO NEED A D.F.L.

VOTE TO GET THINGS THROUGH.

AND LET'S FACE IT, DEMOCRATS NO MATTER WHAT AREN'T GOING TO GET ANYTHING -- THEY'RE GOING TO PLAY PRESERVATION.

AND REPUBLICANS ARE GOING TO TRY TO GET SOME THINGS.

>> MM-HMM, GET SOME THINGS ROLLED BACK OR CHIPPED AWAY.

>> ROLLED BACK.

AND THERE ARE SOME DEMOCRATS WHO ACKNOWLEDGE SOME OF THE STUFF NEEDS TO BE MODIFIED.

>> DID YOU ENJOY THE KSTP SURVEY POLL?

MORNING CONSULT?

, NO -- >> YEAH, KSTP.

>> SO IT TURNED OUT THAT DEMOCRATS' NO-SHOW, SHOULDN'T GET PAID, SEAT BRAD TABKE DOWN IN SHAKOPEE AND JOIN THE POWER SHARING AGREEMENT.

>> YEAH.

>> YEAH.

>> WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM THAT?

>> WE LEARN THAT PEOPLE, FIRST OF ALL IF THEY KNEW ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND TOOK THE POLL QUESTIONS, THEY'RE WATCHING THE SHOW.

[ LAUGHTER ] AND THEN SECOND, THAT NOBODY REALLY WANTS THE IGHTING IT TON.

>> IS THE VISUAL GETTING OLD?

IS IT STARTING TO REALLY HURT DEMOCRAT THE THIS EMPTY CHAMBER >> WE'RE GOING TO SEE THIS VISUAL FOR THE NEXT 20 MONTHS, PERIOD.

IT'S GOING TO BE IN ADS -- >> BUT IT WILL BE A MIDTERM.

>> WELL, MIDTERMS AREN'T WHAT THEY USED TO BE, MARY.

[ LAUGHTER ] >> ALWAYS THERE'S SOME SURPRISE ISSUE THAT BUBBLES UP.

>> YEAH, YEAH.

>> AND NOW THIS YEAR IT'S CAPITOL SECURITY BASED ON YOUR GOOD REPORTING.

>> YES.

>> YEAH.

>> WAS THE LAST STRAW THE TRANS ACTIVIST WITH THE BULLHORN IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING?

>> I THINK IT FORCED REPUBLICANS TO TALK ABOUT SAFETY, THE GOVERNOR WANTED IT IN HIS BONDING BILL THERE WAS MONEY TO UPGRADE SAFETY AND WHEN THE CAPITOL WAS RESTORED YEARS AGO THEY WERE ETTING CLOSE TO DOING A BIG UPGRADE.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?

>> I KNOW IT'S WIRED FOR SECURITY AND THEY COULD PLUG IN THE MAGNOMETERS QUICKLY AND O CHECKS QUICKLY WITHIN A FEW WEEKS.

>> I THINK TALKING TO PEOPLE INSIDE THE BUBBLE THE LAST TWO WEEKS I THINK PEOPLE ARE WONDERING WHY THIS ISN'T HAPPENED UNTIL NOW.

>> YEAH.

>> WHAT ABOUT THE SENATE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE NEWS OF THE WEEK?

THE SENATE'S NO LONGER TIED.

DEMOCRATS RETURN TO POWER.

DOES IT MATTER?

>> WE'RE STILL WAITING TO SEE -- WELL, I THINK WE WATCHED THAT SENATE SWEARING IN AND THE POWER SHARING AND SENATOR SEEBERGER GAVE A VERY COMPELLING SPEECH WHERE YOU THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHERE SHE WAS AND SHE SAT OUT A VOTE AND SHE STILL VOTED TO GIVE THEM THE MAJORITY AND IT JUST PROVES WE ARE N THIS DYNAMIC WHERE PARTY AND POWER OVER PRAGMATIC PEOPLE IS STILL THE ERA WE'RE IN.

BUT THE SENATE'S STILL SHARING SOME GAVELS THIS WEEK.

>> THAT'S PROBABLY A GOOD SIGN.

I THINK SENATOR PAPPAS IN THE END WITH KARIN HOUSLEY MIGHT SHARE BONDING, CAPITAL INVESTMENT.

>> AND YOU NEED TO BECAUSE YOU NEED REPUBLICANS GALORE.

[ LAUGHTER ] >> THAT'S A VERY LOW HANGING FRUIT FOR COOPERATION.

>> YEAH.

>> SO WHAT DO WE THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN HE SUPREME COURT?

>> I DON'T KNOW, I'M NOT ILAWYER BUT I OFTEN PRETEND THAT A MIGHT BE.

>> MM-HMM.

>> I DON'T KNOW, I MEAN THIS IS THE -- >> IT'S BEEN SPLIT DECISIONS, DEMOCRATS GOT SOMETHING, REPUBLICANS GOT SOMETHING.

>> YEAH, RISK-REWARD.

THAT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS.

I THINK THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO COULD RECOGNIZE ARE DEMOCRATS.

>> I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE SENATE FOR A SECOND.

THE BLUE DOGS, THEY FELT LEFT OUT WITH THE REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS CAUCUS, QUEER CAUCUS, POCI CAUCUS, NOW THERE'S 8 OF THEM THAT ARE BLUE DOGS, WHAT DO THEY ADD TO THE MIX NOW?

>> I HAD SOMEBODY TELL ME TODAY FROM MANKATO WHEN THEY'RE MORE THAN LIP SERVICE I'LL BELIEVE