My excellent adventure at the 8th Congressional District DFL Convention

First, I've just gotta say, I LOVE politics! :7

Anyway, our 8th CD Convention took place yesterday (Sat. May 1) up in Duluth. Being a delegate to the State Convention (coming up on May 22), I was automatically a delegate to the Congressional District Convention as well (one of 4 Kucinich delegates from Pine county).

The 8th District is a HUGE district encompassing the whole northeast corner of the state, south to Chisago county and reaching as far west as Wadena county -- close to 1/3 of the state. We are represented in Congress by a GREAT old-time DFLer, Jim Oberstar, who's been there since 1975.

I was also on the nominations committee which met Friday evening and early Saturday morning before the start of the Convention. Our job was to screen folks for various DFL party positions, including the 8th CD executive board (chair, associate chair, secretary & treasurer), directors, convention chairs, and State Central Committee Commission delegates (there are 3 Commissions: Platform & Issues, Constitution & Bylaws, and Affirmative Action).

I am proud to announce that I won election as a delegate to the Platform & Issues Commission! My 2-year term begins after the State Convention. I am REALLY excited about getting this position. I was the chair of our county unit resolutions committee, and now I'll have the opportunity to have followed the progress of the resolutions all the way from the precinct caucuses to the State DFL Platform.

What the *reality* will look like, I have no idea, having never done this before, but I'll be doing whatever I can to see that progressive values stay front and center in the DFL platform.

Our 8th District is full of absolutely wonderful progressive activists! Lots of union folks, small business owners, family farmers, teachers, nurses, state employees and just plain folks with deep roots in the DFL.

And get THIS: the Convention passed a petition resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq! There was a great hardworking group of Kuticizens who collected enough delegate signatures on this petition to have it presented to the Convention, and only one delegate stood up to oppose it, while three of us (myself included) spoke up in support. The "yea" votes outnumbered the "nays" by almost 4 to 1 -- we are definitely a district FULL of anti-war Democrats!

There were lots of great rousing speeches from Senator Mark Dayton, Rep. Oberstar (both of whom voted AGAINST the IWR, btw), our WONDERFUL state senator Becky Lourey, the incomparable Tom Rukavina (state representative), and the rest of the state representives from all around the 8th District.

People are TOTALLY PUMPED to get out the Democratic vote and get RID of bush*! We are also determined to return the Minnesota House to the DFL, and we're organizing to help out in the districts that have Rethugs that need to be booted out.

I am also REALLY pleased to report that my good friend, Laurie Hilty -- wife of my most excellent state representative, Bill Hilty -- who has been working her butt off for the Kucinich campaign ever since Dennis announced, was elected as a national delegate -- she's going to BOSTON! :bounce: Every Kucitizen there immediately pulled out their wallets and checkbooks and showered her with donations as soon as the votes were tallied.

One last thing. Before I left for Duluth I printed out a copy each of H.R. 2239 and S. 1980 (the "Voter Confidence Acts"), along with the lists of their co-sponsors. I waylaid both Senator Dayton and Representative Oberstar after their speeches, handed them the printouts (Senate bill for Dayton, House bill for Oberstar) and asked them why they haven't added their names to the co-sponsors yet. :evilgrin:

Both of them asked for my name and address, and promised to get back to me on this. I pointed out to Oberstar that two other House Democrats from MN had signed on, and Dayton said that he had already been discussing the issue with (get this!) Senator Hillary Clinton. Senator Dayton's aide handed me her card and told me to give her a call, as well.

So, along with all the other fun I had, I got to do a small bit for BBV.

As I said, I LOVE politics!

sw

and nice work with Dayton and Oberstar!

:thumbsup:

I must say, getting involved in DFL party politics has been one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done in my life! I wish I had jumped into it sooner. I've voted Democratic every election since 1972 (the first year I was old enough to vote), but it wasn't until the 2002 election that I realized that I wanted to do MORE. (would have done more in 2000 but I was too embroiled in personal problems at that time)

I started out at the 2002 precinct caucus, and went on as a delegate to the county convention, where I was elected as the Affirmative Action officer for our county unit (and re-elected this year). In 2002 I was an alternate to the state convention, and THIS year I got elected as a full delegate!

I have met so many incredible people in the DFL, and I am so PROUD of our 8th district! We ROCK! :D

Where are you located, if I may ask?

sw

How refreshing to live in a district that wants to keep true to progressive values.

I attended a meeting of a few activists in the burbs yesterday. Very depressing. My state rep was there and she always pushes for playing the repuke lite game. The feeling of many there are we can be right or we can win elections (like winning elections if we're wrong is a good thing?) I just don't get that attitude, I don't see how winning means anything if we elect a DFLers who vote like Republicans. (Oh, BTW, she also mentioned how Tom Rukavina has got to stop slamming the suburbs on the floor of the house because it doesn't help her. Like 90% of the people in the burbs listen to what goes on on the floor of the house and never mind that everything I've heard him say is pretty much true.)

The big debate came over a number of people thinking it's time for the DFL to drop the F and L from it's name because people moving into the state have no idea what it means and it sounds exclusionary. The state rep said she never uses DFL when she's door knocking because no one knows what it is. However, one guy there, who had moved to Minnesota a few years ago, said he figured it out pretty quick.

I said I considered myself more of a Farmer-Laborite than a Democrat and that, if the name is changed, they're apt to see an effort to reestablish a Farmer Labor party and they'll lose a good chunk of the party's left wing. I was pretty much told I was wrong. Probably true of this area but I bet things would be different in the 8th. I know I have an emotional attachment to the name and it would hate to see it changed - it does set us apart from the national party and there is history there. I did try to float a suggestion that we drop the Democrat and go back to Farmer Labor.

My deepest sympathies to you. I know I'm damn lucky to be up here in the 8th -- and I say Tom Rukavina ROCKS!

Anyway, you bet things are different in the 8th. Labor is one of our BIGGEST constituencies up here, no way would folks put up with dropping that part. And others of our most active people are in the Farmers Union.

It's people like those suburbanites who are destroying the Democratic Party, imho -- people who have forgotten the real roots of what used to be the Party of the People.

I don't know what the other rural districts in MN are like, but up here I feel like I'm in the heart and soul of the DFL. Methinks the F & L of the DFL won't go down without a fight.

See you at the Convention?

sw

The "FL" is a MAJOR reason why this party has done as well as it has, IMHO. It shows that we have not forgotten the radical roots of our party, and we really DO stand for the working people of the state.

Unfortunately I have to agree with you re: the "suburban mentality" in the party of late. We're losing touch with the vast majority of working people who feel underserved by the party. It seems we're more concerned with "soccer moms" than working moms who work 2+ jobs to keep a roof over their head and food on their table.

I don't think they could get away with dropping the F & L. It's what makes us unique, and reminds us of our heritage of embracing good ideas, no matter where they come from. If they do, they can kiss the thought of winning any more statewide elections goodbye.

After all, it's what brought the Socialists on board with the Democrats in this state (or co-opted the Socialists, depending on how you look at it... ;-) ).

I was born and raised in Minnesota, but lived in several different states over my adult life. I always felt that one of the BEST things about Minnesota is our DFL party, and it's one of the reasons I was happy to finally move back here.

I totally agree with you. If we lose the DFL, we lose the state.

sw

heavily Republican. I've been told that you can count on one hand the number of DFL state Reps in districts from the Minnesota River to the Iowa boarder. The excuse that we've lost the farmers in that area (and because rural population is dwindling) is one of the reasons for dropping the F from our name. However, southern Minnesota has always been more Republican. My mom grew up in Renville County (though she moved to "the cities" in 1942 and never looked back) and it has always been a mystery to her why there are so many Republicans out there. There's a lot of farms that would have been lost if not for the D and the FL.

the very idea should be considered fightin' words ANYWHERE in Wellstone Country.
From St. Paul to the Megamall, from Austin to International Falls, from Ortonville to Stillwater - the values of ordinary Minnesotans are fought for by the Democratic Farmer-Labor party.
It's our party and we ain't tradin'!

Princess, smack that fool upside the head for me, will ya?

I absolutely ADORE the 8th District!!! Good, solid working-class Democrats, a strong leftist tradition (one of the birthplaces of the Farmor-Labor Party), and a place where 'liberal' has NEVER been a dirty word!!!

I'm so happy you got on the platform and rules commission! The DFL needs all the help we can get if we want to keep strong and trounce the Repubs this year and in 2006.

I was marching in Minneapolis's annual May Day parade with a number of other Kucitizens today. We were greated warmly all along the way by EVERYONE-- Democrats, Greens, Naderites, even the anarchist cheerleaders flashed us the peace sign!

And, better yet, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak signed a petition for the Department of Peace!!!! WooHoo!!!! First Sabo, now Rybak, next McCullom and Peterson? :)

Also, I heard talk among some of the Kucitizens in the state campaign that we're working on getting Dennis here for the state convention!!!! Now THAT would be AMAZING!!!

Glad the 8th went so well. See you in Duluth in a couple of weeks!!!

:hi:

I really lucked out, ending up here after living out of state for years. The 8th district DFLers totally blow me away, they REALLY keep on top of what's going on, and they ARE proud to call themselves "liberals". Seems like they've got alot more sense (common and UNcommon!) than the suburbanites.

Wow, Kucinich at the State Convention -- that would be AWESOME! Is there anything I can do to help make that happen? I'm no big party insider (yet ;-) ), but I'm on a first-name basis with alot of the main movers and shakers of the 8th district if that helps.

I saw your post earlier about Rybak signing that petition -- that is so cool! (Sorry I didn't reply in that thread -- had to go offline and then forgot to go back it to later) Do you have a pdf file for it? I'd be happy to print it off and start circulating it up here.

Btw, Jim Oberstar, Betty McCollum and Martin Sabo are some of the original co-sponsors of the Department of Peace bill (H.R.1673) introduced by Kucinich last year. (The entire list of co-sponsors is here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:HR01673:@@@P )

Looking forward to seeing you at the convention!

sw

p.s. -- Any pictures from the parade?

I just got this in the mail today:

http://imageevent.com/kayakbiker/mayday2004

There's a couple of DK folk, here's my favorite:


I'm "hiding" behind the guy holding the sign on the right (you can see my feet behind his legs). It was a pretty cool parade!

Also, IIRC, the petitions are on the Kucinich site (www.kucinich.us). I think you can even sign them online, too.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like we'll get Dennis for state. However, Dot Maver from the campaign will be there both days. Maybe if we keep contacting his office, persistently, he'll make the trip? Who knows?

Also, I think we're doing a pre-convention gathering on Friday night, but I don't know for sure. We ARE having a pre-convention meeting on Saturday morning, at the Holiday Inn. I'm not sure of the exact time, but I'll post in on the state web site when it's nailed down.

This should be an interesting convention. I'm screening tomorrow for a spot on the state board of directors, so I'm up late gathering my thoughts, putting together a speech, etc. Should be fun!

:hi: