Why I Haven’t Posted On Anything On Governor Art Link
Governor Art Link – a long-time state legislator, Governor and (for one term, until North Dakota lost one of its House seats) a House Representative – died recently. He was 96 years old.
I’ve been getting emails all day asking why, being a prominent political voice in North Dakota, I haven’t posted anything about his passing. The answer is simple: I don’t really have anything to say about it. I could dig back through his political legacy in North Dakota and probably find some things to write about, but there are others who knew Link better than I who are doing a much better job than I could ever do eulogizing him.
So that’s it. No conspiracy. No petty partisanship because Link was a Democrat. I just didn’t have anything all that original to say about his passing.
But since some are apparently upset that I’ve written nothing, I will add these three items.
First, Art Link was married to his wife for 71 years which is nothing short of astounding. Especially in this age where sex scandals have become all but de rigeur in politics, to the point where politicians caught in their infidelities aren’t even bothering to resign in shame any more.
Second, since Link’s political career was ended when he had to run on the same ballot of unpopular liberal President Jimmy Carter (remember that Carter lost in an epic landslide to Ronald Reagan), North Dakota Democrats have only held the Governor’s office once. But they’ve also held all three of the state’s Congressional seat since 1987. It’s interesting to note that all four of the Democrats who won those elections began their service during Link’s administration. What’s more, they won their lofty offices campaigning as relative conservatives much like Link himself.
It’s worth noting that Link was very socially conservative (in 1984 he effectively campaigned against a state lottery), and was hardly the liberal progressive we see dominating Link’s party today. In the mid-1970′s, when the midwest was suffering from a major drought, Governor Link eschewed demands for federal aid being made by other states and instead called on citizens to pray for rain.
That’s something of a departure from today’s liberals who seem to have an unquenchable thirst for expanded federal spending.
Third, I wonder if Link’s political progeny aren’t about to suffer the same fate as he did. I firmly believe that Barack Obama represents, for Earl Pomeroy (and to Byron Dorgan had he not retired), what Jimmy Carter represented to Art Link.
Tags: art link, Byron Dorgan, Earl Pomeroy, North Dakota News
