Sturdevant Attacks Minnesota Dems

The Strib's Lori Sturdevant wrote a stinging piece about the 2006 version of the Democratic Party. Check this out:
What's new with the Minnesota political party that lost a U.S. Senate seat four years ago because it couldn't put on a proper funeral? Let's see:
  • It apparently can't screen candidates for Congress. Even defenders of Fifth District DFL endorsee Keith Ellison in the wake of recent reports, the ones saying that he's a former Nation of Islam activist, a bad driver, a sloppy record-keeper, a tardy taxpayer, an irresponsible parker, and a campaign finance scofflaw, have to concede that it's a little late on the political calendar to be learning such things.

  • Where was the screening committee that should have been doing background checks on candidates before the May 6 endorsing convention?
What else would you expect from the party that ranks diversity as a higher priority than competence?
It apparently can't restrain an officeholder who decides to do a little freelance screening of his own, about a fellow DFLer. That's what Matt Entenza, the attorney general endorsee, did last year to Mike Hatch, the sitting AG and gubernatorial endorsee. The current and would-be attorneys general evidently have had knives out for each other ever since. (But now that it's clear to both that a prolonged feud could result in their mutual destruction, don't be surprised to see them walking arm-in-arm down a parade route near you.)
Ms. Sturdevant, I wouldn't be surprised to see that sight, though I'd love to see what they look like a mile down the road at the parade's end. I think it'd get mighty ugly.
This has been more than a passing shower. These developments call into question the DFL's ability to bring its issues of choice into focus in the fall. That's serious, because its preferred campaign topics also happen to be central to the business of state government. The GOP's favorite talking points. abortion, gay marriage, immigration and, henceforward, the questionable conduct of DFL candidates, are not.
Listen to that crap. The inference is that Democrats are all about governing & Republicans are all about being bigotted. Give me a break. When's the last time that a Democrat put together a coherent, appealing agenda? Or a coherent agenda? Or even had some thoughts that didn't sound like pure foolishness?

By the way, it isn't that DFL candidates' conduct has been questionable. It's that it's been despicable, dishonest & an outrage. And possibly criminal. At least it might be criminal if the DFL-controlled AG's office had a law enforcement department, which they don't because that would take up too much of their budget to hire an army of civil litigants.



Posted Monday, July 17, 2006 1:37 AM

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