My, Dyna, you do spend a good deal of time going after Greens. Most Greens are either disaffected DFLers or new to the process, but a good deal more of the former than the latter. So, what does it matter under whose banner anyone ran last time? It's what and whom they're representing now that matters.
Parties can be helpful, but they don't speak to the issues much these days, although I'd say the Green party articulates and lives up to its platform one heck of a lot better than any other I've seen in recent years. That's why the DFL is losing its active membership and its voting base at twice the rate the others are. The DFL remains bogged down in a morass of its own making in most jurisdictions, principally because it cannot understand the need for expanding its view, its leadership and its rules. It continues to rest on the long archaic and discredited notion that a promise to "abide" by the endorsement is the most significant determinant of a candidate's qualifications for endorsement and election to public office. And it never seems to learn from its failed lessons. It's a party that refuses utterly to 10 hold its own incumbents accountable for their performance in office and lack of adherence to key platform planks, rendering its legislative caucuses pretty much foreign to the party itself and often directly conflicting with local district party organizations. The DFL and the Democratic Party have now proven beyond a doubt that they are unwilling, perhaps even unable to retain even the broadest, let alone the slimmest of majorities in any house of legislative persuasion, not because the country isn't ready for their message, (they are), but because there is no message. This is a party uniquely positioned in Minneapolis, in Minnesota, in Washington, to at minimum serve as an outspoken loyal opposition to the current administration and the majorities in all houses, and what do we hear? Not a peep anywhere. And when hear anything, it's just that - a peep. Even as Matt Entenza - my rep - takes his new minority leader's position, he sits on the Almanac couch repeating some sort of mantra about where the budgetary focus has to go, rather than taking the Republican agenda head on and mashing it with its hypocrisy. RT won in Minneapolis because Sharon fell away from her faith, not because the faith had nothing to offer. RT simply represents that faith in ways Sharon and the static DFL in Minneapolis long since forgot about. Greens are winning because they have the brains, the agenda and the know-how to do the job, but more than that, they fairly ooze integrity from every pore. They work on their faith and their agenda - and I speak mostly now of Dean Zimmerperson who, with Annie Young, is among the hippest of all good progressive politicians hereabouts. Minneapolis will be better off for them, but if you believe that, because Shane Price once, even recently, helped Democrats, it's because he believed in the Democrats he was helping, and that's the beauty of the whole thing. The Greens endorse him last time out and this time out, even though, in between, he may have tried to help re-elect Paul Wellstone. A heckuva lot of folks from all sides were prepared to do that. Andy ------ > From: dyna <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Sat, 14 Dec 2002 00:31:12 -0600 > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [Mpls] Re: Samuels vs. Price: discuss > >> Dyna, >> >> I'm not sure why you include Shane Price in your look at DFL endorsedment and >> candidates. He may have once been DFL, but he is now a Green and, from what >> I've seen, has the support of many Greens and Green leaners. >> > Fact: Shane was active in Paul Wellstone's campaign this year. Paul > Wellstone is a DFLer. > >> You feel he's an opportunist. Other people have tried to do the same with the >> Green party and have received little or no support. Shane gets Green support >> because he stands for Green ideals. >> > In the last city election cycle Shane ran for the DFL endorsement, garnering > something like 4 of 40 some votes. One of those votes for Shane was mine. He > then went to the Green's convention and garnered their endorsement. > >> I don't know how many people showed up to support Shane at the Green Party's >> endorsement because I wasn't able to be there (and even if I was, I wouldn't >> have been able to vote since I'm not a Green). I do know that he was selected >> with an overwhelming margin. >> > Not surprising- I don't believe he had any opposition. > >> Handle your party as you see fit, but for the election in general, lets look >> at how the candidates compare when it comes to being the next Ward 3 city >> council member. >> > Agreed. > >> If you think Moore will do a better job than Price at representing Ward 3 and >> leading this city, explain why. Whether or not Moore is a better DFL than >> Price is no more relevant than which is a better Green, GOP, or any other >> party. >> > I believe it's your Green Party's job to persuade the voters that Shane is > the better candidate. Absent such advocacy, I'll do the job for you. Shane > understands well the problems of young african-american men on the Northside > from his own experience. He uses that experience very well running Hennipen > County's Young Black Men Program. He understands the mechanics of urban > crime well and might use that knowledge very effectively. Where Shane stands > on a lot of other issues- human rights, the environment, budget, etc. we > know not. > > I might have supported Shane if he was a competitive candidate and I was a > Green Party member. Shane will draw from much the same voter cohort as Don > Samuels, and I suspect Don will get most of those votes. I once told Shane > that if all the Greens were like him I'd join the Green Party. Having been > rejected by the Greens as a "DFL dinosaur", I am still a DFLer, despite my > sometimes disagreements with the party. The Green Party did so badly in 2002 > that they weren't even able to throw any elections of import, never mind win > them. I thusly see no point in jumping ship now to a party that is clearly > in the end stages of the life cycle of 3rd parties. > > In reality this primary will be won or lost in the senior housing buildings > primarily in the Northeast. Shane will scare off many of the seniors, while > Don Samuels may be able to cross the river and racial lines to pickup > support there. This is largely a race between Margo Ashmore and Olin Moore, > with Don Samuels a close third and Shane Price competing for 4th place. > > from old 3-10 (which Shane carried in '01), > > Dyna Sluyter > >> - Jason Goray, Sheridan, NE >> > > -- > _______________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls > _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
