Short Course in 
Minnesota Politics circa 1960's - 1970's

Wendell Anderson got better national publicity than his successor Rudy Perpich. Newsweek or Time ended up quoting Rudy's detractors who called him "governor Goofy" for such stunts as putting a siren on his state car and pulling over traffic violators.  But Wendell Anderson, who's detractors called him "Spendy Wendy" got this very favorable write up in Time.

When Minnesota Senator Walter Mondale became Vice President in January of 1977 Wendell stepped down from the Governor's office and Rudy Perpich appointed him US. Senator. The move backfired with both men's public approval falling. Both were defeated the following year in what was called by Republicans the "Minnesota Massacre." 

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Self aggrandizement and patronage had become an embarrassing habit in the Anderson Administration. These two editorials from the Duluth News Tribune in the fall of 1977 when the "Boyd" scandal became public condemn the hiring of large numbers of political hacks in two Minnesota agencies.

Don Boyd was to find several of these hacks, some of whom were "fundraisers" for the Democratic Party appointed to work for him, sometimes over his objections, by his boss, Michael Pintar. 

This editorial details the hiring of 45 party hacks     This editorial describes Perpich's efforts to 
in the Dept. of Emergency Services.                      clean out the "political dumping ground" that was
                                                                                        Dept. of Manpower Services. When he had 170
                                                                                        of its employees tested 1/3rd of them failed the test.