Walter Mondale

Remember Walter Mondale? Neither do we, but he once carried Massachusetts in a presidential election. Now he's been born again as a true believer in the filibuster, writing in a "bipartisan" guest column in Minneapolis Star Tribune. Strangely, he didn't always feel this way. In 1975 he was leading the fight against the filibuster:

Power Line: Walter Mondale hits bottom: "Mondale speaks on the record (the Congressional Record, that is), 1975:

'It seems to me that a not-so-subtle difference, a profound different [sic], between 66 2/3 percent and a simple majority could be the different between an active, responsible U.S. Senate and one which is dominated by a small minority.' Cong. Rec., Jan. 17, 1975, p. 759.

And yet again: 'May a majority of the Members of the Senate of the 94th Congress change the rules of the Senate, uninhibited by the past rules of the Senate? I firmly believe that the majority has such a right -- as the U.S. Constitution, the precedents of this body, the inherent nature of our constitutional system, and the rulings of two previous Vice Presidents make clear.' Cong. Rec., Jan. 17, 1975, p. 758.

Walter Mondale and the Star Tribune are two disgraceful 'that was then, this is now' peas in a pod."

He hits bottom, but he keeps on digging.

UPDATE 6/1: We erred in stating the Mondale carried Massachusetts. In fact he carried only Minnesota and the District of Columbia. Ronald Reagan managed to eke out a victory with 525 electoral votes to Mondale's 13.

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