David Brauer wrote:
Wizard writes:
<>I think that the young turks, at this point, are more likely to come
from the Greens than from the DFL. It's a young party and is attracting
bright people. Farheen Hakeem is one such.
While I don't disagree the Greens are attracting bright people, I
think this
is way too harsh on the DFL. Look at the election just past: Ralph
Remington, Elizabeth Glidden, Betsy Hodges, Tracey Nordstrom, Scott
Vreeland
(the oldest Young Turk I know) all won; Jason Stone came damn close.
These
folks are reformers, and I think none fly the DFL flag out of
convenience.
I will concede David's point here, but add that I was talking about
those who are presently office holders. I have great hopes for the
January change, but not having seen them in action, have not much
information to work from. My caveat is that the very nature of a matured
political party is the weight it carries of traditional practice, some
of which the newbies need and others of which they do have to discard.
Whether the new folks can balance pushing into the future without
insulting the past is the question I'm now asking. Thus I'm not willing
to call he DFL dead, but until we see how the new bunch operate, I'd say
we are on life support.
<>Despite their exciting 2001 debut and Farheen's arrival, ... Natalie
couldn't win in a ward that was still mostly hers - turnout was key,
and the Greens (so far) have proven no better
than the old-guard DFL at getting new bodies to the polls in districts
where
they have viable candidates.
Too true. However, I think the Greens have the opportunity to come into
their own as the price of the "conservative agenda" comes to rest more
and more on our shoulders. The Green advantage is that they do not have
to slough off old habits, in some ways, to think into possible futures.
Since we all will be forced to redesign and/or adapt housing, the work
place, and the institutions to take advantage of renewable resources,
the Greens are ahead as a party in that respect. We all will have to
learn the language, ritual, and practice of conservation just to
maintain our lives.
<>All props to Cam Gordon, who did it the old-fashioned way: laboring
in the
vineyard of city issues before he was a candidate, earning trust, working
hard.
You have the advantage of me here, Mr. Brauer. While I can now say some
things about the sixth, eighth, ninth wards and a slice of the tenth,
(after watching a long time), I do not have the experience with the
other wards, the northern wards particularly. I have every respect for
Cam Gordon, and do like the way he has gone about becoming a politician,
I do not have any experience with the man's work.
<>I welcome their arrival and vote for their candidates. But the
whole "wave of the future" can be undone by self-satisfaction (a DFL
problem, too, of course). The future isn't promised to any political
party.
Say Amen, somebody. Thank you, gods. Mr. Brauer is a more optimistic
type of person than I am.
<>WizardMarks, Central
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