September 20, 2010

Minnesota gov candidate: Wooooooooooo Vikings stadium!

Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Horner has gone from touting a long-failed plan to fund a Vikings football stadium with slot machines at race tracks (racinos!) to a more politically promising exercise: Standing outside Vikings games surrounded by fans and declaring his love for the team and its new stadium plans.

"This is another issue where it really comes down to leadership," said Horner as a large crowd of fans streamed by him heading into the Metrodome for the Vikings first home game of the season. "We can save the Vikings, we can build a new stadium.

"We can do it in a way that says to all taxpayers, we'll be fair," he added. "If you don't want to pay for a Vikings stadium, my plan says you don't have to do it. We'll protect education, we’ll protect health care, we'll protect infrastructure." ...

"If you want a Vikings stadium, I need your vote on November 2," Horner yelled to the fans. "And the last message -- Skol Vikings!" The crowd gathered around him roared its approval.

At least one fan remained skeptical, holding a sign reading "No Welfare for Billionaires — Fund Social Services Not Stadiums" and noting that Horner's former public-relations firm has contracts with the Vikings to push for a new stadium. Horner insists that if he becomes governor, the fact that he'd be getting lobbied by his former business partner wouldn't play into his stadium decision at all. Which, to be fair, is probably true, since it's hard to picture Horner being influenced more than he is already.