A little bit of history to (perhaps) lighten this thread.
Nellie Stone Johnson (Minneapolis's first elected African-American) was one
of the people at the downtown Minneapolis Y cafeteria in 1944 who helped
forged the DFL party. She did it in large part to assure the election of FDR
to a fourth term (no sure thing at the time).
Nellie was elected to the library board, and helped Hubert Humphrey become
mayor in 1945. The very next presidential election, 1948, Nellie didn't
support the Democrats. Repelled by the Dixiecrats, she instead campaigned
for the Progressives, a party she believed was doing a better job of
registering (or attempting to register) blacks in the South.
Nellie was elected to the library board one more time (for a total of three
terms), as a DFLer. As she tells it, Orville Freeman (a rising DFL star) did
attempt to "purge" her for her "disloyalty" at the next state convention.
Fortunately, she had a powerful patron - Humphrey - who convinced delegates
not to kick her out.
Nellie went on to work very hard for DFL candidates over the years, even
becoming a Democratic National Committee woman in the '70s and a Perpich
appointee to the state college educational board. But she said she wouldn't
compromise core principles - she would attempt to change the party from
within, and if not, from without. And if the party did change (as the
national Dems eventually did), she would gladly rejoin the fold.
I've got to admit, I view some of today's Greens through this prism. I know
some sincerely want to build a new party, and others have merely tired of
changing the DFL's orthodoxy. I view Dean as a Nellie type - someone who
believes in DFL principles but feels rhetoric and votes have not lived up to
ideals. (I view this as much different from the analogy some have thrown out
about whether Democrats would allow a Republican to speak at their
convention - there are much greater differences there, and Dean, like
Nellie, has been a DFL participant over the years.)
I don't agree with everything the Greens stand for, but I respect the
sincerity and conviction many of them have. No issue may rise to the level
of Nellie-era segregation - but then again, many believe the DFL-endorsed
CODEFOR policy comes close. I respect that view, and would not censure
someone who ran outside the party on that issue, or others.
Last thing: in all the discussion about party loyalty and rule making,
there has been little about the issue differences that may fuel the race in
the Sixth (and elsewhere). I think Eva Young touched on a slightly less
abstract one - who the candidates would vote for for council president.
Let's face it, that might be the most influential vote they take. Would the
various candidates declare that they would vote to re-elected Council
President Cherryhomes, or would any declare that they would not?
More concretely, are there actual policy differences between Candidates
Kallenbach, Lickness, Zimmerperson, etc? As an interested observer from
another ward, I suspect those are more critical to the future of our city
than the convention contretemps of recent days.
David Brauer
King Field - Ward 10
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