by Steve Timmer

Apr 15, 2012, 3:22 PM

Keith the Snoozer

Ordinarily, it is a waste of time to pay any attention to the inconsequential remarks of the inconsequential back bencher Keith Downey. One of the genuine tin horns in the Minnesota House, he’s a guy who grew up in Edina, with all the benefits that confers, went to public schools and a public university, and yet never misses an opportunity to kick a person when he or she is down.

I know, Keith, it’s easier to do it then.

But whether it’s kicking poor people off of subsidized health care, bashing teachers (which is amazing and kinda Oedipal, when you think about it), or arbitrarily cutting the number of public employees without the smallest explanation — or understanding — of how he arrived at the conclusion or that knows what the right size of government is, other than wanting less of it, Keith Downey can be counted on to stand on the side of puckered self-absorption.

He’s also a bigoted gay-hating legend. The complete package, in other words.

Every once in a great while, though, Downey says something that is so hypocritical and stunningly self-unaware that it is funny. Which brings us to his remarks on the occasion of Secretary of State Mark Ritchie announcing his strong opposition to the voter photo ID requirement proposed for amendment to the Minnesota Constitution.

The AP reporter who wrote the story at the link obviously knows the vein to tap when she’s looking for nonsense:

“For the secretary of state to be fear-mongering like that to the entire state of Minnesota. That’s pretty blatant politics,” said Rep. Keith Downey, R-Edina.