Summary
In Minnesota’s evenly split state House (67-67), Republicans have temporarily seized control by exploiting a judicial ruling that disqualified a Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) legislator, giving the GOP a 67-66 edge.
Despite the lack of quorum and an upcoming special election likely to restore the tie, Republicans unilaterally elected a speaker and are blocking another DFL candidate certified as the winner after a recount.
Critics label this a “coup,” reflecting broader trends of minority rule and disregard for democratic norms.
Legal challenges are underway to restore balance.
Hindenburg was a retired Prussian Chief of General Staff who led the German forces in WW1. He was not in any sense a liberal in the modern US sense of the word. He lobbied for, and was granted, powers to suppress free speech, freedom of association and other civil rights in the interest of “preserving social order.” He was, however, liberal in the 19th-century sense of being pro-capitalist instead of pro-aristocracy, even though he himself was an aristocrat.