Eva Young writes: <snip> >Also, I'm curious why Brian Herron again left the Stonewall endorsement off >his literature. He didn't mention the endorsement during his speech (and >no, I don't have a copy of the speech, I'm relying on two ear-witnesses who >were at the convention where Herron was endorsed). Is Herron embarrassed >by the Stonewall Endorsement? Not so embarrassed that he won't go to Gay >Pride Parade along with Wizard Marks -- but too embarrassed to have it on >literature that goes to the wider public audience. I keep promising myself to ignore these posts and not waste my time, but here I am again. As someone who has done layout for plenty of DFL candidate lit, I have to tell ya, it is simply not customary to list all one's endorsements. DFL-Labor Endorsed covers it adequately. I'm a state officer for Stonewall DFL, but I certainly don't put the SDFL endorsement on the candidates' lit. If one puts SDFL's on, then one has to put the Feminist Caucus, the Green Caucus and every other DFL club and non-partisan endorsement. Prior to the DFL and Labor endorsements it's a different matter. The DFL Clubs' endorsements are one piece of information that good DFLers can use in making up their mind about whom to support at the endorsing convention. I don't have a problem with listing all the endorsements as a sidebar on stationary where I am listing a bunch of supporters names too if you have money for fancy stationary that can only be used in one campaign. Brian Herron's support for his GLBT constituents is such a given as a DFLer (the coalition of feminists, people of color, GLBT activists & friends, and labor and other activists *is* the DFL party in urban MN. That connection was forged long ago) that Eva's constant harping on this matter bears scrutiny. Why does she seem to be trying to drive a wedge between the DFL-endorsed incumbent in the 8th Ward and his GLBT constituents? I try not to question people's motives, especially old friends like Eva's. I like to work under the assumption that Eva is doing her best as a good Republican, in the same sense that I am a good Democrat. That is, as a good Democrat I have seen that my party of choice (the DFL) is a good fit for me as a lefty urban gay white male health care worker, I can do good work as a citizen to make things better for myself and my neighbors, and yes, at times that involves promoting the partisan interests of my political party. So what are the partisan interests of a lesbian Republican activist in South Mpls, where about 2/3 of the residents are people of color and we have the highest concentration of GLBT folks in the state? In neighborhoods that have a history within the DFL of working together in harmony as Dems? Could a Republican activist's job be to try to split that long-time coalition? One of the things that I love about the DFL is that it is an environment where people who have been born with different skin colors, etc. and have been socialized to be racist or homophobic by institutions to which they are mainly blind, can come together and work on common problems, get to know one another as *people* and allies rather than as preconceived notions, and have some successes together. In my opinion that is the best prescription against racism, although it takes a lot of time and repeated experiences. The destructive thing about what would be natural to be the Republican Party's agenda in such neighborhoods is that it tries to sew divisions among folks who have come a long way in overcoming them. I think it would be a lot more constructive for Eva to be supporting Republican candidates, black, white, gay, or otherwise, rather than acting like she is such a good friend to self-described Dems who lost their endorsement battles. Robert Lilligren hasn't been an active DFLer long enough to be that aware of the party history on this and you can't really hold him culpable. But Eva, you know better. David Finke Central Neighborhood Chair, DFL Senate District 61 State Secretary, Stonewall DFL _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
