Unacceptable Racism and Sexism From House Minority Leader

This is simply unacceptable: House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman engaged in blatant racism and sexism on the floor of the Minnesota House last night:

“I hate to break up the 100 percent white male card game in the retiring room, but I think this is an important debate,” House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman, of Brooklyn Park, said during a House session on Monday evening.

If Ms. Hortman wanted to complain that a bipartisan group of legislators was taking a break from the House debate in the retiring room–which I take it is what the retiring room is for–fine. But irrelevantly dragging race and sex into her complaint is racist and sexist.

It is no secret that debates in the Minnesota House and Senate (like the U.S. House and Senate) are generally not listened to with avid attention by all members. It is a rare occasion when all members of the House or Senate are physically present in the chamber to listen to an entire debate on legislation. Presumably Ms. Hortman knows this, which means that her comment was not serious and was intended for public consumption and political benefit. This is reprehensible.

Do Minnesotans want a racist, sexist House Minority Leader? I doubt it.