The politics of the Vikings stadium debate are a curious thing. Republicans in the Legislature refuse to pass any bill allowing a local sales tax increase to fund a stadium without a referendum. Any referendum would likely fail in either Hennepin or Ramsey counties, which leaves Governor Dayton in the awkward position of cautiously supporting a solution that includes gambling revenue. Despite all the political hemming and hawing, the Vikings will likely get their new stadium. No political officeholder wants to be blamed for letting the local team depart to Los Angeles in an election year. And while I don’t have strong feelings about the stadium’s location, Minneapolis would probably be the most sensible site. The transit infrastructure to support a stadium already exists here and the skyline provides a more interesting blimp-cam view than anything the suburbs can offer.
