Capitol Retort: Rigged election, opioids, costumes, go Cubs

Editor’s note: Welcome to Capitol Retort, our weekly review of issues in state and national news, with a rotating cast of political people in the know. Answers have been edited for length and clarity. Any instances of agreement are accidental.

Question 1: Donald Trump insists the election is rigged and not even half of Minnesotans think he is wrong, according to a new Minnesota Poll. Fully 43 percent agree with the Donald. What does this portend?

Carlton Crawford, Republican activist: Most of that impression just comes from the fact that most people aren’t in contact with the way elections are run. It’s something you think about only once every two or four years. For most people it’s just a black box where you don’t really know what is going on. I don’t think that the minds of the voters are what is problematic. I think if there are problems in terms of accepting the outcome afterward, it is literally that we just have a candidate who is willing to exploit the thinking of the population.

Peter Bell, conservative think tank fellow: I think it is going to mean that Hillary Clinton, if in fact she is victorious, is going to have a very difficult time governing because many people will not view her election as fully legitimate. But I think the question of “the election is rigged” really is, in some respects, in the eye of the beholder. I am not sure if all of the people who answered the poll saying it’s rigged or possibly rigged think that polling places are allowing dead people to vote. I think it is for many people more a generic response to money in politics and to what many people perceive as media bias. Those things combined equal an election that is somewhat less than totally fair. So I think the question has to be interpreted through that lens.

Sarah Walker, liberal lobbyist and political consultant: Donald Trump’s false accusations that this system is rigged simply are a product of a decade-plus of Republicans touting that we have widespread election fraud, despite all evidence that we have next to none. So unfortunately, Donald Trump is a product of the Republican Party.

Question 2: There has been an alarming rash of opioid overdoses in Minnesota, especially around Anoka County. What should state government do to meet this crisis?

Crawford: I hate to be too philosophical about it, but in the end this particular problem will be cleaned up and it will simply be replaced by another drug problem, or something else. It does seem like we are in this permanent cycle of rotating among various drugs. We give them attention, and then the world moves on.

Bell: I think we always have to be a little bit humble about what government can do to deal with deep-seated health care/cultural types of problems, and I think that addiction in some respects falls in that category.

I tend to think there is uniform agreement across the political spectrum that we can’t law-enforce our way out of addiction. I think we need to reallocate our resources slightly toward early detection of alcohol and drug problems because I think addiction is no different than any other disease — the earlier you diagnose and intervene, the more likely you will be successful. The second thing I would do is reallocate resources slightly, but not overwhelmingly, toward aftercare because treatment for addiction isn’t an event, it’s a process. I think that the public would get a bigger bang for its buck.

Walker: We have a huge shortage of treatment beds and mental health beds. Another problem related to that is that people are often scared to turn in their family members or turn themselves in because they are scared of ending up with a criminal conviction that could bar them from employment and housing for lifetimes. So we need more access points, and when someone comes into the criminal justice system we should have more options like drug courts. But the most fundamental thing is we must expand drug treatment and mental health treatment throughout the state.

Question 3: What was your all-time most fantastic Halloween costume? Where did you wear it?

Crawford: I did dress as Uncle Sam once. And I actually had the bike all decked out in red, white and blue streamers. That was in second grade if I can remember right. It was really well done, so I was very proud of myself and what my mom did for it as well. I was in full patriotic mode at that point.

Bell: Probably my best costume, when I was about 25, is I went as the Godfather. I think I still have photos. That was the one that most immediately comes to mind. It was just a large Halloween party. Going as the Godfather was probably the most fun.

Walker: I was born in Zambia. On my very first Halloween [in the United States] when I was a little kid I got to be a princess. My parents had told me all about it and told me we would get free candy and that excited me. But my mom didn’t understand the advertising, so she took us out a month early thinking it was Halloween because someone had put decorations up. So we went door to door. And by the way, we were the only black family in the entire town, so it was super-funny. Other than that, I used to love being a ninja.

Question 4: The Twins aren’t in, but the Cubs are. Admit it: You’re rooting for Chicago to win the World Series, right?

Crawford: Overall, yes. In the end, having no feelings one way or the other for the Cleveland Indians, I just want people from Chicago to stop complaining about their bitterness at not getting in while still calling them “the lovable Cubs.” It’s about time for it just to be another baseball team.

Bell: Well, I guess I am. But when you pose that question I think of two clichés. One is that misery loves company. And that kind of says, gee whiz, the Twins were terrible—the worst team in history. The Vikings are stumbling a little bit and the Timberwolves, who knows? I kind of hate to see everybody else climb out of the cellar and we are still there. The other cliché is that hope springs eternal. And if the Cubs can win, then there is hope for my Minnesota teams. I’ll go with the Cubs.

Walker: I guess my only response is I don’t see who has time to watch sports right now when Donald Trump is making new comments every single hour and tweeting.