Re: [Mpls] Questions and WHO can't find a union printer...
Sums-up my feelings pretty well Jonathan. Apparently, even though we live in a city that is made-up of what 22%African American, the DFL stillchooses to place a much higher priority on being politically correct (in hiring a union printer) than itdoes on furthering the cause of job creation for disadvantaged minorities. One has to wonder whose priorities are out of line. I am white, yet it hit me right between the eyes when someone once said to me "the reason change comes so hard, isbecause the people in power have yet to realize that they don't have togive-up their piece of the pie to allow the others their fair share". Is it possible that Don's campaign has "dissed" no one? Instead maybe he has chosen to make a statement of what he views as an equally important issue? The lack of employment opportunities available to disadvantaged minorities. I personally find it interesting that Don, most likely because heIS African American, is being 'taken to task" on the issues of being both politically correct and doing the right thing in supporting job opportunities for minorities, yet Olin is not. I could care less if Don were an alien with seven toes and fingers on each hand and foot. I'd still vote for him because he's willing to do the right thing and take a stand on a very tough (and apparently) unpopular issue. For me to be able to get behind an effort to censor Donfor his stanceon thecorrectness of hiring a minority would, in my opinion, be hypocritical. Dennis Plante Jordan From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Mpls] Questions and WHO can't find a union printer... Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 14:48:28 -0500 Hear Hear Lisa, the problem is that all of the detractors want you to "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain as it were" and obfuscate the true issues with political sound bytes. Wizard raised an interesting argument except for one thing...no printer was selected prior to the convention. It wasn't until after the convention that the Samuels campaign began looking at the printers, ergo her argument is moot. In fact none of the unions have even bothered to invite Don to screen with them, yet the campaign is chastised and accused of union busting because in a special election it decided to support economic and minority business development within its ward boundaries. Yet no issue was raised when the Moore camp took their dollars not only out of the ward but out of the City. Since this is such a pressing issue to the Moore camp, why didn't they utilize a printer in the 3rd ward? This campaign has been rife not only with inane questions, but with attacks and threats of legal action against the campaign for daring to "not know its place" by utilizing a local printer or daring to call Don a "DFL candidate". In fact, I have even been told I should resign my position as a director of the CD and co-chair of the Affirmative Action Commission by 5th CD DFL Leadership because it is "insulting" and "disrespectful" that I would be 'uppity' enough to have chosen to support an African American man running as a DFler over the endorsed candidate who is a White man. All of this while we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who stood for justice, civil rights and freedom. And because of that, it brings to my mind several questions: -How appropriate it is to tell the Affirmative Action Commission co-chair that for promoting a DFL candidate who is a person of color, that they should resign? -Why is it that there is not a single originally endorsed DFL Council member of color? -Why is it that the DFL tries to railroad out of the party people that disagree with them? -Or how inappropriate it is for African Americans and other people of color to be told that their time has not yet come? -Or how inappropriate it is that close-minded party-centric hacks continue to drive the DFL toward minority status? -Why is it okay for the 32 year old white DFL-endorsed candidate with no platform to continue to appropriate the positions, words and record of the 53 year old African American candidate and call them his own and the party still calls him the better candidate and continues to lambaste the other for principled decisions? There are no answers to these questions forthcoming and every time they're asked you get a deflection faster than Vice President Cheney on business ethics. But I guess if these questions were to be considered, someone would have to take a good look at the inconsistencies in practices. I have posted sections of the platform with little response – and nothing forthcoming from Olin’s campaign on where he stands other than the message of “Olin agree with everything Don says –but he's not a black man from North Minneapolis” Lets get this back to issues: How about this: RACE RELATIONS "Minneapolis is strongest when we all work together. Embracing our differences makes us better." - Expect that issues of race will be part of public
Re: [Mpls] Questions and WHO can't find a union printer...
WizardMarks wrote: [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hear Hear Lisa, the problem is that all of the detractors want you to pay no attention to the man behind the curtain as it were and obfuscate the true issues with political sound bytes. Wizard raised an interesting argument except for one thing...no printer was selected prior to the convention. It wasn't until after the convention that the Samuels campaign began looking at the printers, ergo her argument is moot. :-[ Sorry, people, Joe and I did not communicate well about the time line on the printing. However, Jonathan and I agree that what happened here was, at best, some unfortunate miscommunication. The miscommunication which seems apparent to me between the campaign of Mr. Samuels and the DFL is a very serious issue. In fact none of the unions have even bothered to invite Don to screen with them, yet the campaign is chastised and accused of union busting because in a special election it decided to support economic and minority business development within its ward boundaries. WM: It was my experience that one calls the union and requests an interview. I did very poorly at that because I understood it to mean all of the ones pertinent to Minneapolis working people. Yet no issue was raised when the Moore camp took their dollars not only out of the ward but out of the City. Since this is such a pressing issue to the Moore camp, why didn't they utilize a printer in the 3rd ward? WM: I'm not willing to lay it to either Moore or Samuels campaigns. The point I am making is that this is pertinent to every DFL campaign in Minneapolis. At the very least we have, in this discussion, made it clear that miscommunication is at the heart of a continuing problem within the DFL and, lucky us, its correctible. The conundrum is that labor is not confined to union labor, nor can it be. But a DFLabor party expresses that as organized labor. There needs to be attention focused on the issue of whole industries (like computer companies, for example) where unionization, unless it is organized around issues other than wages and benefits, cannot work. The DFL needs to think about this and its implications to the party and how to address it. This campaign has been rife not only with inane questions, but with attacks and threats of legal action against the campaign for daring to not know its place by utilizing a local printer or daring to call Don a DFL candidate. WM: Not precise, Johnathan. I know its true that you received what you say were threats and nastiness from some members of the DFL If you received those from any elected leaders of the party, that's one thing. If it was just someone informing you that he/she could be a jerk and a DFLer, that's another. Daring to call Don a DFL candidate is not the issue. After endorsement has happened, its illegal to called yourself a DFL candidate unless you were endorsed. Why? Because its too confusing. Some voters actually want to know that any candidate who claims the party as his/her own, has been endorsed by that party. I think Republicans, Greens, Independents probably want the same thing from their endorsed candidates. In fact, I have even been told I should resign my position as a director of the CD and co-chair of the Affirmative Action Commission by 5th CD DFL Leadership because it is insulting and disrespectful that I would be 'uppity' enough to have chosen to support an African American man running as a DFler over the endorsed candidate who is a White man. WM: This is the same problem Eva Young had with being a DFLer. It is true that people who hold office in the DFL are expected to respect the party's endorsed candidate. A DFLer who does not hold a party seat can choose to support an un-endorsed candidate. For the love of Mike, legally, elected officers of the party are the party after a candidate is endorsed. The officers have to suppot the endorsed candidate. If an officer, for any reason, cannot support the endorsement He/she steps down from office with great fanfare, thereby making it clear he/she smells a rat. All of this while we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who stood for justice, civil rights and freedom. And because of that, it brings to my mind several questions: -How appropriate it is to tell the Affirmative Action Commission co-chair that for promoting a DFL candidate who is a person of color, that they should resign? -Why is it that there is not a single originally endorsed DFL Council member of color? WM: Very good question and one I want an answer for as well. -Why is it that the DFL tries to railroad out of the party people that disagree with them? -Or how inappropriate it is for African Americans and other people of color to be told that their time has not yet come? WM: Before or after the endorsement? Before the endorsement it's a crime. After the endorsement it is usually said to the
