I'm a long-time Minnesota progressive and proud Kossack, so this is not a troll or concern diary.
Rather, as someone who supported, worked for and had my heart broken by Paul Wellstone (when his plane crashed), I want his Senate seat back. This cycle.
I always felt a little leery about Al Franken. I just didn't see how a ribald New York comedian would be the perfect match for one of the great democratic party institutions in America--a party, Democratic-Farmer-Labor, that has produced Floyd B. Olson, Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, Eugene McCarthy, not to mention, Paul Wellstone
Now look what is exploding on the media scene just as the DFL heads into its convention next week.
Personally, I can handle sexually explicit material. I don't think much of Playboy magazine in terms of its contributions to making the world a better place, but that's not my soapbox. I'm just not the morality police. But, the issue is, does this help us to unseat Norm Coleman?
I can hear the news and the conversations already in coffee shops, feedmills and diners: "Franken, is he the guy that wrote that one article in Playboy magazine?"
With Betty McCollum (D-MN 4), Keith Ellison (D-MN 5) and Tim Walz (D-MN 1) quoted in the linked article above--sorry people, this is not looking good for the party.
On Thursday, Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., called the sexually explicit article offensive and potentially damaging to Franken and other Democratic candidates in Minnesota.
The Franken campaign and backers of the candidate said the work was merely satire and faulted McCollum for dividing the party.
"As a woman, a mother, a former teacher, and an elected official, I find this material completely unacceptable," McCollum said of Franken's piece, published in 2000 under the headline "Porn-O-Rama!"
"I can tell you it's not playing comfortably in St. Paul, and I can't imagine this politically radioactive material is doing very well in suburban and rural districts," McCollum said
Along with Al's tax issues, I need to say that it is high time, indeed past time, for Kossacks to wake up and smell the coffee on Franken's candidacy.
We have running, right now, a college professor who is highly intelligent, with a wealth of international experience, who would instantly become an articulate, positive and well-grounded progressive--perhaps the most progressive senator in the country.
I give you Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer.
The convention is next weekend, June 6-7-8th, and I hope that Dkos folk really stand up and get counted on nominating JNP. Check him out. He really is a great candidate--not rich, not famous, just smart, ethical and very experienced.
Nothing against Al, but we want that Senate seat back and all the baggage is not playing well within the DFL, and it certainly won't play well with suburban and rural voters come November.