I am the one who suggested that DFLers not do anything to produce a "self-inflicted wound".
I wholeheartedly disagree with Renee's assessment that the DFL is "eating its own" this year. I've talked with many friends supporting both campaigns, and Renee is the first person I've heard who thinks there's any real problem. The tearing down of candidates is always a danger, but so is the tearing down of the party. Both have been almost uniformly avoided this year.
The real problem here is democracy. The DFL endorsement is acting as a countervailing force to a Chamber endorsement worth something like $500,000 to Kelly. Unlike the Chamber, the DFL's influence is ultimately accountable to the public, which makes it at times messy and imperfect. By comparison, the Chamber doesn't have to air its internal policy disagreements in public, which is a bonus for its endorsed candidates.
Yet as a general principle, I will take the power of an imperfect democracy any day, over the power of unaccountable money.
Respectfully,
Bob Spaulding Downtown
-------------------------------------------------
JOIN the St. Paul Issues Forum TODAY:
http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/
-------------------------------------------------
POST MESSAGES HERE: stpaul@mnforum.orgTo subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul
Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
