OK...this is a bit of an irritation for me....but most anywhere beyond state borders you read about the Minnesota Senate Race, the only name that appears on the Dem side is Al Franken. I understand this from the mainstream media, but I am perplexed by myopic attention on Franken on the KOS. Franken has not yet been nominated, and faces a credible challenger in Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer. Pallmeyer has been steadily receiving delegate committments, and the court is definitely still adjourned on whether Franken will walk away with the nomination. I find this even more surprising because Pallmeyer is the kind of progressive that seems popular with readers at the KOS. More about Jack below the fold.
Minnesota has elected a fair share of underdogs, even to this very seat. The late Paul Wellstone narrowly won this seat against an incumbent republican, despite being outspent 7 to 1. Walter Mondale commented to Wellstone that "the kids won it for you". The energy and sentiment that quote describes is the same energy we see today with Obama, and is the same energy that people who hear or meet Pallmeyer experience.
Franken is being described as the "inevitable" nominee, is raising more money...is a tv star....yada yada yada. Yet the one with the superior oratory skills, and stronger ideas, is Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer. Sounds so familiar.
Pallmeyer has been consistently against the war in Iraq. He wants a foreign policy that starts with diplomacy. He supports single payer health care, like most developed nations. He supports national legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He demands economic fairness for all Americans.
Franken was on TV...he wrote some funny books. He was sort of for the war before he was sort of against the war. He supports some form of health care reform that will not piss off insurance companies.
I have seen both of them speak publicly. Pallmeyer is not only better informed, he is a better speaker, and a far better debater. Given Franken's tepid policies, Pallmeyer is the superior challenger to Norm Coleman, especially in this political climate.
Will Pallmeyer receive the nomination? I am not sure, and I remain a bit of a pessimist. But I never thought that the guy I supported, Obama, might fight off the Clinton machine, and win the nomination. This is the election of ideas. Please remember that there is another person in this race...and until June 6th....Al Franken is just another candidate. This year has made me believe...yes we CAN. And another one of my hopefuls is Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer. Read about him here