For the next four years, the nation’s capital will be the source of a lot of change but not much progress. We’ve already seen mindlessly inefficient executive branch layoffs, massive tax breaks for the wealthy, and deep and relentless cuts to the most critical anti-poverty programs.

…In that hazardous environment, Democrats who control state governorships and legislatures will need to be creative and resourceful to devise an agenda they can be proud to implement and give the party some element of hope. But not all blue states are created equal.

…We thought it would be instructive to look at the 17 states with Democratic governors and Democratic majorities in their state legislatures over the past two years, and study what they actually got done. We wanted to separate those states that took up the challenge of governing from those that were unwilling to use the power they have been bequeathed by the electorate.

Minnesota is number one. Woot.