Mike Fratto, though he gives an interesting discussion about the success of the
DFL endorsed candidates is mixing politics and platforms, and we need to keep
them straight.
Many candidates seek the DFL endorsement regardless of their personal
platforms, because they see their endorsement by the party as a vehicle to
election. Once elected, that same person sees the adherence to the principles
of the DFL Party or their other endorsed candidates as an unnecessary
inconvenience since their status as an elected official has created new
vehicles to their next election.
With me? When someone first starts out in politics in a DFL town like Saint
Paul they realize that they have to be a DFL'er to be elected. With the
exception of Tom Conlin and Mike Harris everyone who has held office in this
town for the last twenty years has claimed to be a Democrat. So, they sign up.
take the pledge and work as the team and support the endorsement process.
Until it occurs to them that they can put together enough resources on their
own (money) to win the election without the endorsement of the party.
With Randy it took about twenty-five years before he decided that he didn't
need that process to be elected and ran against the endorsement. In his letter
he was clear he had never openly challenged the process before and regularly
supported other DFL endorsed candidats. The party had endorsed him, knowing his
personal platform for the State Senate, but it would not endorse him for Mayor,
and he could see where he could still win.
With Chris it took almost seven months after he was elected to support a
different candidate than the party endorsed (Humphrey/Freeman). He realized
much more quickly that he didn't need the DFL endorsement process to raise the
resourse to be reelected.
Its nothing new, and has nothing to do with the platform of the party, only the
politics of being elected.
JMONTOMEPPOF
Chuck Repke
W 7th
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