So what are the chances the DFL would endorse the Green candidate for
council or mayor etc and NOT run their own DFL candidate? Who can imagine
that they would tell the next up-and-coming local hero that he could not
run because the DFL was going to endorse the Green candidate, thus almost
guaranteeing the Green candidate election?
I find this totally unimaginable. No way is the DFL going to not run in
every district, especially ones they have won in the past by 60% or
more. Walk away from certain victory to help a third party? Give up
personal power of a rising star to help a third party star to certain
victory? Sorry, I can't imagine it.
If there is cross endorsement, which party gets the credit when it comes
to getting or keeping major party status? Or money from the state to run?
Would the Greens get any? Or would they just wither on the vine and be
gone in ten years or so? If they vanished, would any DFL leaders cry? Hard
to imagine.
How about the Greens cross endorsing, but ALSO running their own
candidate? I'm sure this would be "against the spirit" of
cross-endorsement.
No, it would be all ONE-WAY. Cross-endorsement would mean that the Greens
would not run against the DFLer. Whenever there was an even moderately
better-than-the-GOP candidate, the cry would be, Cross-endorse! Meaning,
Don't run a Green, and lend Green credibility to the DFL. How many offices
would remain OK for Greens to run in? Hardly any. The death of the
party. Then the DFL would say (as they say now), you can and should work
inside the DFL - you don't need a third party -- why, we're a fine party,
doing fine things for you, why do you reject us? Etc. And once the Green
opposition is gone, the DFL can and would move even further toward the
big money.
The Green Party is essential to keeping (or making) the DFL honest.
Widespread one-way cross-endorsement means letting the DFL off the hook;
letting govt become even more arrogant and unaccountable.
It will be easy for the DFL to prove me wrong. They could cross-endorse
Cam Gordon in ward 2, or Gary Schiff in ward 9, or an as yet unannounced
Green in ward 6. Meaning NOT running their own candidate, and lending
their weight and money and organization to Cam or Gary. Any one want to
take this bet at any odds?
So, come on DFL -- you can make me eat my words. I would LOVE to eat them,
because it would place a Green on the council.
But if you would not do it under any circumstances, why should we
Greens? If your reasons are good, ours are the same reasons.
--David Shove
Roseville
On Thu, 18 Jan 2001, Lynnell Mickelsen wrote:
>
> For the record, the post-election mess in Florida PLUS the
> Democrats totally gutless reaction to it PLUS the likes of Wellstone
> and Russ Feingold saying they may vote for Ashcroft has made
> me---Resident List Critic of the Greens and The Notorious Bitch Who
> Shut The Door On That Poor Clean Water Action Nader Supporter-- more
> far, far, far more sympathetic to the Greens in a way that I wasn't
> pre-election.
> I still wish Minneapolis Greens and DFLers would consider
> cross-endorsements while remaining separate parties. I do understand
> David Shove's point about separate parties. But politics is about
> making alliances. If a candidate can be both Green and DFL, what's
> not to like?
> And who knows? The Republicans might actually nominate a
> somewhat viable candidate for mayor, as opposed to one of their usual
> lunatic fringe members. Does anyone remember the final percentage
> differences between Barbara Carlson and Sharon Sayles Belton? It
> wasn't exactly a nail-biting close one, but I remember Carlson's
> numbers were far higher than I would have predicted. So I think a
> more savvy, viable Republican candidate could easily win, especially
> if voters split between Greens and DFL. Which would mean we might as
> well directly deposit our city property taxes into the accounts
> receivable departments of the large corporations in town--it's all
> going to end up there anyways.
> Of course, one could argue this is exactly what happened on
> Sharon Sayles Belton's watch.
> Lordy, I'm sounding Greener by the moment.
> I think a feisty, charismatic, lay-it-on-the-line progressive
> candidate would be refreshing in ANY election, I don't care if they
> are Green or DFL. ( Especially in the upcoming governor's race. If's
> it's going to be Jesse versus Norm Coleman versus some drab DFL
> equivalent of Skip Humphrey, we're really going to need a blunt,
> funny Green candidate. But this is off-Minneapolis issues so forget I
> even said it.)
> Lynnell Mickelsen
> Ward 13. Linden Hills
>
>
>
>
> --
>
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