Draft Alan Page? Other than beating the Republicans can anyone tell me why?
Let's see now!
1. Alan Page was a great football player for a Viking team that won a great deal.
2. He used his popularity from that time to get a position on the Minnesota Supreme Court
3. Like many of us he is a Democrat
Can anyone tell me anything else, anything at all, Page has done in his life, and for our City, that would make us vote to have him represent us in the United States Senate. It may be that I was just to busy with a young family at the time to notice anything that Page did after football but before being "elected", but I seem to be ignorant of anything. I am open to be convinced however, if someone can tell me something.
There are, after all, a few Vikings from that era that have done actual "Work" in our community, and especially in Minneapolis, that I am fully aware of. Oscar Reed and Jim Marshal spring to mind and possibly Rufus Bess. Oscar not only lives in North Minneapolis, but he has worked for years as both a professional and a volunteer in our communities to save youth and to create economic opportunities for the young people of our community. Jim has worked with him in that endeavor, and his record of playing in so many games, without fail, even when hurt, gives us an idea of someone who would always be there working. Though not as physically gifted as Alan Page, Jim certainly demonstrated what can be done with hard work; a valuable thing in our budget crises time. Or how about Rufus Bess who has done such a wonderful job coaching and teaching the young people at North High? All of these are good Democrats that have actually done work in the community, some played on those great teams. Is the criteria they are missing that they were just not as great a football player as Page? Or is it that their actual work with and for "little people" someway makes them less desirable?
I think we need a different criteria for what we call "Great" football players. While Page was a marvelously good football player, those people I mentioned were good football player who became "Great" football players in life after football by becoming "great" members of our community. We might need a different criteria for exactly what qualifies someone to be elected to office and in particular the second highest office in our land. At every level we have seen what electing people solely on the basis of fame has gotten us and it is very little. We need real heroes from life, not just on a football field or from being on television.
Yes, if you want a football player who knows real life and needs, and who has become a hero in Life, I am voting for Oscar Reed. If Oscar can't get away from helping kids my second choice is Rufus Bess. Both Oscar and Rufus, though not lawyers, are carpenters who I would trust to build my house, trust to build the lives of our young people, and if it came to it build a better country. Alan Page, I know he was a football player who used fame to become a Minnesota Judge, but has he built any young lives who come back to thank him like the other two?
Clearly my idea of who is a "Football Hero", and who is a hero in life we should elect to be a U.S. Senator, may be different than some. I wish I understood why.
Caucus time is coming in a couple of weeks, folks let's think about electing a little more substance and a lot less fluff.
Jim Graham, Ventura Village Neighborhood in the Phillips Community of Minneapolis
Will Roger's advise to Minneapolis politicians:
"If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still back there."
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