Today's State Central Committee Meeting

[dflprincess]

I was hoping I'd find something posted by DPBrown about this as I suspect he would give a better report than I will and I did run into him at the meeting so I know he was there.

First, I'll confess, I left early. The business portion of the meeting was unusually agreeable and, unless something came from the floor after I left, there were no burning issues on the agenda. A lot about caucuses, I left when they started discussing how to convene your caucus - I've done that so many times I really didn't think I needed to sit through it.

Anyway, the highlight was at the beginning of the meeting when we heard from all the candidates. Each one had two minutes and Brian Melendez did a great job of keeping the candidates to that...He'd just stroll up to the podium when their time was up and smile sweetly, most of the candidates got the hint though Hatch and Klobuchar ran on - but not for long.

We are lucky this year in that we have good candidates in all the races. The auditor and secretary of state candidates were all pretty impressive. Hatch made no secret of wanting Wetterling for his running mate. Doran received a polite, though not at all enthusiastic reception. He dragged his running mate up on stage on the assumption that she would also get 2 minutes (they gave her 30 seconds). I think, as far as the SCC goes, he's pretty much a nonentity. Kelley did a good job and, Lourey was very energetic and inspiring. Judging from the candidates stickers I saw people wearing I'd say the SCC was pretty evenly split between Lourey, Hatch and Kelley.

I was really uncomfortable with the "love fest" between Klobuchar and Wetterling. It just didn't ring all that true to me. I was also not happy with Klobuchar's statement that the campaign against Mark Kennedy starts today...She just completely ignored that Ford Bell is still in the race. Apparently, Bell also took exception to this because he did make reference to whether or not we were going to let the grassroots or the DNC choose our candidate. He also made it pretty clear where he stands on the war, health care and energy. Klobuchar once again managed to avoid taking a stand on anything. Later in the meeting one of the delegates got up and asked if the caucuses were just going to be for show this year as it appears that the party is willing to let the DNC pick our candidate.

I went to the meeting undecided in the senate race, but after hearing Bell and speaking to him before the meeting started, I'm supporting him. I certainly think his ideas are a lot closer to Wellstone's and he doesn't strike me as a guy who will let others push him around. He had position papers on several issues at his table and I agreed with everything he said in them. The only problem I see him having is that he seems a little stiff when he's speaking and he's very tall so his bearing is somewhat intimidating. He's also very obviously intelligent and we all know how well that seems to go over with American voters. I was talking to one of his campaign workers (quite a young guy - I noticed a lot of younger types seemed to be supporting him - maybe they just haven't been around long enough to become party hacks and take the safe route) and this guy was telling me that Bell is much better one on one. I did notice that when I briefly spoke to Bell so I hope he follows Wellstone's path and hits the coffee shops and community events where he can speak to people on an individual basis. The real trick will be mobilizing his supporters to make a strong showing not just at the caucuses but to follow through to their Senate District and County Unit conventions so they can get elected as delegates to the State Convention.

[csorman]

1. Thank you so much, dflprincess

I was there - I was running around though and probably didn't see you. This is such a great thing for me to read because I need a cheer-up - we just got back from "Brokeback Mountain" and I think I cried harder than any movie I've ever seen (except maybe The Mission). What a beautiful and heartbreaking love story. I can't stop thinking about it.

So now we will be hitting the ground running - and it's "game on" - even though as one of our young guys was handing out lit outside the door this morning, he got the F* bomb thrown at him three times. This kind of crap has to stop. I also got someone who told me that we should just give up and we're only "crying debate" because we're "behind" in the polls. Another person, chair of a local senate district (this person will remain nameless) screamed in Ford's face as he left the auditorium saying "Why are you being so divisive??? We have to keep this seat in the party!!!". It was pretty sickening.

But most people came up to us after the speech and gave great accolades, handshakes, etc., and took quite a bit of literature. We got VERY good reports from people re: how they felt about the speech - it was quite uplifting and makes me proud to be a democrat.

Because as we know...we're not supposed to be the party that pushes people out and paves the way for the established/insider/DLC folks. That's NOT how we're going to win elections. We need honest, open and heartfelt debate about these issues - it's the only way we can strengthen the candidates enough to face Kennedy.

Thanks again!

[Minnesota Raindog]

2. Was there any AG candidate besides Pretenza? n/t

[dpbrown]

3. Follow-up

I was wondering where you went!

I got there late, so I have nothing to add to your comments about what happened early on.

Comments I heard along the way included someone who said that he had heard the exact same speech given by Amy about someone else who had "courage" etc., except this time she substituted Patty for whomever that other person was. People I talked to had a lot to say about the supposed kingmaking going on with the influence of the DNC into Minnesota politics.

Ford Bell did a good job putting out his major issues - getting out of the failed invasion of Iraq, and Universal Single Payer Health Care. To Amy's credit, she did reference (blandly) getting everyone "covered" for health care, and "no permanent military bases in Iraq." I don't know if this is because failed coaches from the DNC (I'm thinking Donna Brazile or someone like her who seem to make a career out of coaching candidates how to lose) have gotten to her, because she is genuinely trying to be all things to all people (sure to fail with some), or whether she's just too comfortable not taking a convincing and aggressive position on the biggest issues of our day. To Ford's detriment, he sounded too bitter when denoucing Senator Schumer and the heavy hand of the insiders in stage-managing Amy's candidacy. I got the distinct impression that there is panic within the DNC at the idea that the Democrats could lose Dayton's seat (which, if they nutured a strong candidate with deep populist roots and a plain-talking ability to get the point across should be a no-brainer).

There were few other issues that came up before the committee. A change in the rules (was that the Constitution?), to make the DFL track who it gives its roster to passed nearly without commentary (you mean they gave the address lists away without knowing who was getting it before???).

Brian thanked the committee, since this was the committee that voted him in. The next SCC meeting won't be until July, and whoever is going to be on the SCC then will have to have stood for reelection by that time, so it'll be a new one that meets then.

And now a comment about the cynicism I heard from the new people who got on the SCC and who will be giving up this time.

In my opinion, no one can expect change to happen overnight. I don't make any secret out of the fact that I got involved in the SCC through the Kucinich campaign. Dennis, and Dean and others were urging at that time that people who cared about making the party pay attention to the progressive wing of the party get involved in politics, and I took them all at their word. To tell you the truth, it was easy to get elected to the SCC. All I had to do was write up a blurb about myself and give a little speech to the nominating committee of my local Senate District, and I got nominated. I am going to try to get reelected, too.

I was disappointed, however, when I heard the disappointment in several of the new members that the process was too time-consuming or misdirected, and so they were going to give up being involved. I also heard about some people who had gotten elected to the SCC who had already quit and went to the Greens. (I got a call from, and had a debate with, Ken Pentel, Green Party candidate for Minnesota governor, about "going Green" and rejected his premise that politics were so broken we had to start from scratch.)

It seems to me two things: One, we don't know how much more screwed up or top-down it was before we got here, so we should give ourselves a break and believe that we've already had a positive effect, and Two, when we started we understood that it was going to take more than just us and we told each other that we would be the leaders now and make sure that double our numbers got involved at the next caucus - what's changed?

I think the way forward is to continue to engage the Democratic Party to convince it that the populism arena is wide open and that by coopting it while the Republicans are being branded as the party of corruption, Imperialism, aristocracy, and militarism will sweep Democrats into power AND ensure the greatest good for the greatest number - and that's what we're all supposed to be about here.

While I personally haven't had the time I previously had to devote to barnstorming, I did stand up and give Ford Bell a standing ovation of one. That's an effect that I had at the SCC. I need to continue to have an effect, and everyone who believes that the DFL needs to stand up for its roots and embrace the populism and common sense of Paul Wellstone instead of the oft-failed "pragmatism" of the self-proclaimed centrists needs to get themselves to their Senate District Nominating Committee and get themselves elected to the State Central Committee of the DFL to make sure our numbers increase, instead of just thinking that someone else is going to do it.

We can change the party to make it more responsive. We can change the focus toward education through listening sessions and media events. We can bring to the political conversation Universal Single Payer, anti-corrupt-corporatism, ending senseless militarism, and stopping a government set on using the flimsy excuse of a made-up war on a fake bogeyman to strip us of all our rights and make us serfs to their fascist corporate greed. But we have to show up. We don't have the luxury of waiting for a nascent and waning third party movement. Our world is in jeopardy. Time is short. The Democrats have an existing structure. It won't be easy to inure ourselves into that structure, but there is no alternative. Along the way, we will have to put up with the B.S. that dealing with an entrenched and dominant paradigm brings with it. So what? Step back, take a breather, and get back in.

It's not just for us that we have to stay involved in an existing political party. It's for the children, and the future, and for everyone who needs a common good, a public square, tomorrow.

Because if we quit and go home, there won't be a public square tomorrow.

P.S. I did have several people say I should run against Entenza. :D

[csorman]

4. oh, dpbrown, please do

it would be great to see a debate in Entenza's race, too! I am NEVER one to encourage anyone to run for a seat they believe in. Go for it!

[katinmn]

6. Dan, I've wanted you to run for over a year!

Do it! Do it! Do it!

[dflprincess]

7. Run Dan Run!!!!!

With all your contacts, you have a good volunteer base already!

Also, thanks for your inspiring words. I've been giving serious thought to not running for SCC again - I've been doing this too long and I'm getting burned out. But I think I'll rethink that now. I can remember when the DFL SCC took some pride in being a thorn in the DNC's side. This was usually more obvious in years there is a national convention when we'd go back and forth over what DNC rules we didn't like. This often resulted in the Minnesota delegation being seated in the furthest corner of whatever arena the convention was being held in. If they could have, the DNC would have put Minnesota in another city. Once upon a time the DNC trying to push us toward a play it safe, don't rock the boat candidate would have made the SCC run in the opposite direction.

[katinmn]

5. dflprincess and dpbrown: Thank you for the great reports!

I'm grateful for your participation and also for the sharing of your observations. :yourock:

I take your comments to heart. You're both very inspiring and give me lots hope!

:hug: