Thanks to Chief Finney for his comments.
I think people rallied for Chris Coleman because the majority of delegates thought he would move the City in the right direction and he had the best chance of winning in November. This year, moderate and progressive Democrats are frustrated. We've spent "twelve long years in the political wilderness". We have a Mayor who seems intent on taking Norm Coleman's path to political glory. We have a Mayor who has governed as a bully from the political right. For these reasons, I think this was a year that we Democrats opted to trust in a better-known candidate, and a candidate who could challenge Kelly on his own more traditional terms.
Of course, it was my argument that if a candidate can successfully mobilize communities of color, it would be a major asset politically, perhaps on par with the kind of excessive financial advantage Kelly is bragging about. We could go head to head with someone like Kelly, but on different terms. That is why I never bought the argument that because Rafael Ortega didn't have as much money as Chris, that alone meant he was less likely to win in November. Yet other people didn't feel this was the time or place to test this route -- the stakes were too high -- and I can respect that. But I think we should keep these considerations in mind for future years.
Though I was an Ortega supporter, I can count numerous ways in which Chris' record and commitments suggest he will improve the City, and he will get my support. If you don't like what Kelly has done to the City, then let's show him the door. If we are going to show Randy the door, we need a candidate who can win. Our winning against Kelly is by broadening Chris Coleman's base of support, beyond the moderate traditional DFL base. Candidates generally remember who helped put them in office (and if they don't, then we can all commit to support some other viable alternative next time around). Rafael's very gracious invitation to ride in the Cinco de Mayo parade with Chris is an excellent start to building the relationships and the kind of campaign that can win, and move our City in the right direction.
Bob Spaulding Downtown
PS: Mike, you misread Jeanne Weigum's comments - the first paragraph was a quote from Dennis Tester. I haven't heard anyone implicitly or explicitly say you should support a candidate just based on race or ethnicity, save our Republican friend.
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