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Scandinavian = Wuss?

By Jay Newton-Small | @JNSmall | March 30, 2009 | +

Seems that Rahm’s brow beating sessions with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) have paid off. While Conrad last week was adamantly opposed to including reconciliation instructions in the budget, this morning he told reporters on a call that he’s pretty much expecting to get rolled when the bill goes to conference with the House. House and White House Dems want the provision in the budget — just in case health care reform fails to make it through regular order. Budget reconciliation only requires a 51-vote threshold in the Senate, thus avoiding a filibuster.

Here’s Conrad’s odd explanation (what does being Scandanavian have to do with anything?) in an amusing exchange with Roll Call’s Emily Pierce on the call:

Emily Pierce:
Senator, saying prefer — you would prefer not to do reconciliation is not very strong language. It leads me to believe that you’re leaving the door open to signing a conference report that has it in there.

Senator Conrad:
You know, Emily, I’m Scandinavian. What can I tell you? I’m — I don’t control the outcome of the conference. You know? I’m a participant, but I don’t control the outcome. And so — you know, I’ve stated by strong preference is not to have reconciliation. I will argue that position strongly in conference, but I can’t control the outcome. And one thing I’ve learned around here I’m not going to commit to outcomes that I can’t control.

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  • Mad As Hell

    I don’t know what the Scandinavian thing means either, but this is a good piece of news.

  • Ivy_B

    As a long time Prarie Home Companion listener, I think I know, but am checking with two friends of Scan descent.

  • bangormaine

    Prairie Home Companion is a good start to understand this. Check with anyone who has lived in the upper midwest. Scandinavians are a humble lot.

  • Paul-no not that one

    “Scandinavians are a humble lot.”
    .
    Take my word for it those hoopleheads aren’t humble, just passive-aggressive.

  • bangormaine

    They CAN be passive-aggressive, but I’ve seen NYers be that way, too! It’s the understated, humble, I don’t want to stand out too much or claim to much for myself kind of thing that is quintessentially upper-midwest Scandihoovean.

  • stuartzechman

    That’s fantastic, Jay Newton-Small.
    .
    What in God’s name does he mean by “I’m Scandinavian”?
    .
    What if I were negotiating the minimum amount due on an unpaid credit card bill with Visa on the phone, and I suddenly mentioned “You know, I’m a Viking…”?

  • dunedweller

    sz – then Visa would tell you to call Capital One!
    .
    I’m of norse decent and I don’t have a clue what he means except maybe he’s “fishing” for support?

  • http://nicewhitelady.blogspot.com/ joyomama

    Maybe it’s just code for Lutherversalist (Lutheran->Unitarian Universalist). (His Wikipedia bio says his parents were German American, and he’s now a UU.) But he also attended Exeter, same class as Judd Gregg.

  • stuartzechman

    Visa would tell you to call Capital One!
    .
    LOL Got me!

  • http://smoothlikeremy.blogspot.com/ sgwhiteinfla

    I don’t know much about Scandinavia but was there ever a time when they were ruled by someone else or weren’t in control of their own destiny? That would seem to be the only way that reference would make sense.

  • FlownOver

    Uff da! Anyone who’d eat lutefisk will swallow anything!

  • formerlyjames

    I think the Scandinavian refers to Minnesota nice way of behavior and talk. Easy going, don’t get excited, don’t raise your voice.

  • spob

    A lot of wussy Scandinavians in Malmo, given the current cave to radicals on the issue of Israel’s tennis team.

  • shepherdwong

    So even thoroughly modern, intelligent-looking, young, journalist women are seduced by our ever-so-serious political press to look at any compromise (by a Democrat anyway) in testosterone-laden, “wussified” frames of reference. Say, when do you kids graduate middle-school? Neato.

  • Ivy_B

    One of my Scan friends said it sounded like he was trying to avoid being blamed if it went wrong. That and the passive aggressive humility!

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