A few random thoughts on this discussion---
First, let me just say that I don't know who this Turchick is (not that it makes any difference who Turchick is) but it seems completely irrelevant to me whether or not one has a chance of winning an election as to whether liberals, progressives and the left come together to run a candidate/s... you have to start someplace.
Plus I don't think "beauty" has anything to do with politics or I would have been elected to something a long time ago--- even if I hardly ever get haircuts.
To get serious...
When I look at Michelle Bachman or Amy "Republican Lite" Klobuchar... all I see in either one of them is the ugliness of war, racism and poverty.
You know, I have yet to see any Democrat or Republican concede a race prior to an election even when all the polls show them trailing badly... why should a coalition of liberals, progressives and leftists make any decision about running candidates for political office because they might not win... or, because they might lose?
We saw the impact that even a very small fledgling political party and movement without any financial resources propelled by honest people concerned about their lives and livelihoods and the livability of their communities can have even though they didn't win an election with what the "Warriors for Justice" have achieved up here in northern Minnesota in spite of having to take on a very racist and corrupt political establishment of Democrats, Republicans and Independence Party... not only did they generate tremendous interest and concern for their issues; but, because of their common sense and very practical approach in making electoral politics part of their long-term strategy... we now have Mark Dayton elected as Governor of Minnesota--- the most liberal Governor in the Nation--- unfortunately there are no progressive or left governors in the country.
Mark Dayton's campaign was washed up and done for and this is why Brian Melendez felt so arrogantly smug in kicking him out of the MNDFL State Convention--- but, little did Melendez know that Warrior for Justice Greg Paquin would respond to this undemocratic maneuver, and in defense of affirmative action, by standing as a Delegate and nominating Dayton from the convention floor--- a very sharp move that all the media quickly picked up on because there was an outpouring of support for Dayton from the convention floor which had to signal to Melendez and company that Margaret Anderson Kelliher was in deep, deep trouble since it became very apparent that Greg Paquin's move demonstrated that there would now be massive grassroots support for Dayton from the most important DFL activists in the Primary... support for Dayton that Melendez and company assumed that their circus without a Dayton presence would provide the kind of united effort to give Margaret Anderson Kelliher an easy victory in the Primary.
The Warriors for Justice had previously used their influence to get Dayton to publicly state a commitment to enforcing affirmative action which has NEVER been enforced here in Minnesota in spite of state and federal legislation mandating its enforcement.
If Dayton can't do anything else because of opposition from Republicans who refuse to cough up money or tax the rich, Dayton can see to it that he makes good on his promise to enforce affirmative action pursuant to Federal Executive Order #11246 and the state statute that mirrors the federal mandate... it won't cost one dime; other than for the paper needed to write a letter to every state agency and the stamps to send a copy to all 87 counties.
Liberals, progressives and the left from labor, civil rights, peace and the environmental movements have been pathetically too divided to get behind a candidate who is serious about bringing about real change. The racism within these movements has been readily apparent, too--- one need only look at the "color" of the demonstrations and even the DFL state conventions to know this to be true and this racism has divided liberals, progressives and leftists just as it has divided our society in general to the point where not one single Native American Indian is sitting amongst our more than 200 state legislators or our congressional delegation and poverty and unemployment is soaring beyond anything one could imagine on Indian Reservations and urban areas with large Native American Indian populations simply because the casino industry wants a huge pool of cheap labor.
The abysmal DFL leadership has been able to twist liberals, progressives and even the left around its corrupt, greedy little fingers--- cases in point are the DFL Progressive Caucus which claims membership in the Progressive Democrats of America, the Sierra Club and the other established environmental organizations--- mostly all foundation funded, the NAACP and Urban League and the Minnesota AFL-CIO... but even many of the peace organizations who buy into this crap every time sleaze-balls like Amy Klobuchar or Keith Ellison say: "Come see me in my office I will take care of you." Once there its "ten minutes and get out."
In fact, the big-business/AIPAC/casino/health insurance/war industry interests in control of the MN DFL have gone all out to try to prevent:
1. Fed up people from bolting the DFL
2. Marginalizing anyone and everyone and any group or organization concerned about peace, social and economic justice.
This entire scenario needs to be firmly challenged in a very straight-forward, direct, principled, united AND WELL ORGANIZED manner--- we saw what happened to Jack Nelson Pallmeyer when he thought he was going to go after the money from the Indian Gaming Industry and get support from the corrupt tribal councils without going out among the people suffering real with real problems while ignoring the plight of casino workers--- it didn't take much effort on our part--- after making repeated requests to Pallmeyer and his handlers to bring forward the plight of casino worker (over 40,000 Minnesotans) for us to derail his campaign real quick like by pointing out his hypocrisy. Just like we went after Mike Hatch when he smugly thought he was going to have an easy run for governor.
We didn't need this report from this Turchick to know that Amy Klobuchar is VERY vulnerable in 2012 and we intend to take complete advantage of this... in the same way we hammered away at Oberstar, State Senator Mary Olson, Representatives Brita Sailer, Dave Olin and that pathetic excuse for a politician--- Bernie Lieder... all of whom were in the same stable and owned by the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association.
The Minnesota DFL has now paid a very heavy price for making the racist, anti-union and thoroughly corrupt Minnesota Indian Gaming Association its partner rather than the working people of Minnesota... our first success was in defeating DFL candidate Valerie Solem whose election would have given the DFL a House majority--- when Ray Waldron and the AFL-CIO, after a lengthy three hour screaming and hollering match in his office said we didn't dare wage a campaign to defeat a Democrat we showed this worthless labor "leader" that we meant business and we served notice the only focus of our political activities would be to defeat Solem... and, in spite of the polls and everyone saying we couldn't be successful because it was "the year of Democrats" we were successful in defeating her... and we showed Mike Hatch the same thing because he threatened to get injunctions against us.
I will tell you flat out--- I take no pleasure in seeing Republicans elected; however, if the only Democrats being thrown at us are no better and often even worse than Republicans we are going to continue using the tactics we have so successfully in punishing our enemies at the polls on Election Day... and we certainly aren't going to support those claiming to be progressive like Jack Nelson Pallmeyer even if he is right on issues of peace and some social reforms if he doesn't have the courage to stand up for what is right and just by working people--- after being subjected to our attacks he managed to try to cover his tracks by securing a letter of support from the real Norma Rae... but, he should have been concerned with the injustices and plight of more than 40,000 Minnesotans and the resulting poverty from a racist and corrupt Indian Gaming Industry.
We would like to work with all who are for peace and social justice in defeating both worthless business-serving Democrats and Republicans to elect real liberals, progressives and leftists to office in Minnesota.
I would suggest that a state-wide conference be convened at the earliest possible time after the Holidays where we can all discuss these issues in a frank and open manner... an all-inclusive conference with an open call going out welcoming all liberals, progressives and leftists with a primary objective of coming up with a candidate for the United States Senate to run against Amy "Republican Lite" Klobuchar... if Klobuchar loses because of our efforts it is her own damn fault; and that we closely examine the work of the Warriors for Justice and invite them to participate because as far as I can see, they have been the most successful in wresting from politicians the kind of change we need here in Minnesota.
For those who have been baiting me with accusations that the only reason we supported Mark Dayton was because we were able to reach agreement with him on several issues, I say, "So what." My job is to represent casino workers... casino workers whose union organizing efforts include more progressive initiatives than any other unions in this state... if you are going to wait for the backwards leadership of these foundation funded environmental organizations, in-fighting leftists, worthless union bureaucrats, and do-nothing civil rights organizations or the Minnesota League of Women Voters or the ACLU or any of these other Democratic Party fronts to move on peace, social and economic justice issues you will be dead before there is any change in Minnesota.
There are no shortcuts for real social change; we need to go back to square one and begin building the kind of liberal, progressive left coalition at a grassroots level like what won the New Deal reforms and civil rights legislation. If we put our minds, our efforts and our limited resources together we can take the first step of setting up small electoral committees for real change in all 87 Minnesota counties... these need not be large committees to start with--- three to four people working around kitchen tables to get things going.
You know, over the last ten years the peace and social justice movements in Minnesota have been in dire straits because all these small peace and social justice groups have been at each others throats... trying to be first in line to get permits for demonstrations so they can control who the speakers will be, what the demands will be... and even what the tactics will be and all to often this has resulted in exclusion rather than inclusion (not to mention a lot of needless arrests)--- not good when the objective is to build UNITED movements.
I hope people will consider the idea of calling a statewide electoral conference of concerned liberals, progressives and leftists in a centrally located place where everyone will feel comfortable expressing their views--- no exclusion, only inclusion.
Let me close by saying that I support a position where people should feel part of this movement because there is unity on certain issues and bringing forward an alternative agenda... some people may want to continue working in the Democratic Party, others may want to break free of the two-party trap--- it would seem to me there is room for all based upon a solid alternative agenda... my own inclination is that Klobuchar should face a primary challenge and if unsuccessful everyone should be willing to back a third party alternative like maybe seeing if the Warriors for Justice would be willing to consider going statewide. They got the idea for the name from Stuart Acuff's (an AFL-CIO organizer) and Richard Levin's (a Minnesota professor)excellent little book--- Getting America Back to Work which everyone might want to read in order to get to the point where we have a place to begin our discussions from. Also, George Lakoff wrote an excellent little book--- "Don't think of an elephant"--- with lots of good ideas (except for one big problem he recommends no specific solutions be brought forward... but Acuff and Levin take care of this pretty well)
A fairly basic alternative agenda to what has been offered by politicians to Minnesotans should be quite easy for us to arrive at--- its about jobs, jobs, jobs... putting people to work solving problems of the people (health care and child care; rebuilding our infrastructure, defending public education, re-forestation, saving the Ford Plant and 2,000 jobs, and coming up with ways to pay (like ending the wars and taxing the rich).
In struggle and solidarity,
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
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