Who should run against Norm Coleman?

[ButterflyBlood]

I know it's pretty far off but I honestly just can't wait until we kick his ass out. Every minute he's in office is a minute he annoys me.

I want Betty McCollum to run against him, since she's probably the most liberal candidate with an excellent chance of beating him. And coming from St. Paul she should eliminate the very small regional advantage he had (aka he gets his ass kicked in St. Paul even more than last time)

[Rowdyboy]

1. State Auditor Judy Dutcher...

top quality candidate on issues, background, and education. The fact that she is stunningly beautiful even to a gay man, never enters into my decision...

[election_2004]

6. Dutcher is running for Governor...

against Pawlenty in 2006.

[Rowdyboy]

7. Didn't know that Judy was running for governor...

Thanks for the heads-up. I really think Judy is one of the hottest political items in Minnesota right now. However, I live in Mississippi so what the Hell do I know?

Appreciate your opinion...

[election_2004]

25. a professor at my university...

Who commutes from Minnesota said that Dutcher was most likely to run for Governor. And she'd probably beat Pawlenty too.

Pawlenty was a one-hit wonder.

[dflprincess]

12. I'd say Judy Dutcher is the best state wide candidate

I don't want to risk losing McCollum in the House

[leftist_rebel1569]

2. I agree

Betty McCollum would be a good choice. also, maybe the candidate Mark Kennedy defeated, forgot her name....

[ButterflyBlood]

3. Janet Robert

but she was too much of a conservative Democrat, she was pro-life, talked a lot about gun rights (not really a problem with me but it shows who she was aiming at) and did a lot of lip service to Bush's "War on Terror"

[goodhue]

4. mpls

Rybak or Ranum

[ErasureAcer]

5. Me

I wanna beat Norm.

Saint Paul is my hometown. Go to school in Mankato(Mass Comm/Pol Sci..."B" student).

I could out debate the guy in a second. Throw lots of history and law at the guy.

Please vote for me in 2008!

[ButterflyBlood]

9. You go to MSU, Mankato?

so do I. what year are you?

[ErasureAcer]

10. I'm a junior/senior...

Should be graduating this coming up year...but have like 3 semesters to go(took some easy(low) credit semesters)...so I might just do another 2 years and take it easy as well. I dunno when I'll graduate. Might take some extended time off after this year.

What about you? What grade you in?

I was in the big(couple hundred people) protests last March on campus. Even landed my picture on the front page of the reporter with my sign.



source(Picture Taken by Ben Makaloff):
http://www.msureporter.com

had a half-decent quote in the article too that went with the photo. The other side of my poster said "Drop Bush, Not Bombs".

I take it you were in on the protests too?

[ButterflyBlood]

11. nah, i never heard about them until it was too late

i mostly paid attention to when the shows at The Indigo (Dispensing of False Halos twice!) and the parties in town. one hell of a great town for parties and drinking :)

I'm a sophmore next year. Technically still a freshman since I had to drop a class I was going to fail and only have 26 credits now, but that'll change after this semester.

[MinnFats]

8. McCollum makes sense, with some caveats..

....she could kick his ass in a debate; he will condescend to her.
i wonder if she can raise enough money? you know Coleman, inheritor of the Rudy Boschwitz money-collecting machine, will have virtually unlimited funds...and McCollum's House seat, the old Vento seat, is sure to remain in DFL hands if she runs for the Senate....


I still think it would be kind of fun to get Jim Ramstad to jump ship, join the DFL and run against Coleman. A dose of ol' Norman's own medicine. Ramstad would flatten Coleman, of course, but it will never happen.

anyway, all the DFL has to do in my book is put up, say, a toaster, and it's got my vote over Stormin' Norman Coleman...

and: Janet Robert is kinda nuts. Rule her out right now. Might as well give Coleman a pass...

[dflprincess]

27. Check the way Ramstad's been voting lately,

party line all the way (though I haven't checked his Head Start vote -anyone know what he did on that?)

I used to think it would be a good idea for if Ramstad jumped ship now I've decided that we already have to many moderate Repukes in the DFL, he should stay where he is.

[mndemocrat_29]

13. The Challengers

I can't wait to be rid of Coleman. He reminds a lot of Grams, and I think that we'll easily be able to defeat him, as long as we run a smart campaign.

Several Prominent Candidates:

Judi Dutcher-I think that she'll hold one of the top spots eventually. However, I believe she's our best shot at ousting Tim Pawlenty, and any Minnesotan out there knows that getting rid of him will be our top priority in 2006 (along with reelecting Dayton)

Betty McCollum-She has an excellent chance of being elected Senator in 2008. I see her as being the top candidate for this job. However, I think McCollum has a real future in the House, if she choses to stay there. Either way, I want her to be in office for a long time.

Julie Sabo-She ran for Lt. Gov. in 2002, and I think that she has a real future in the party. If she choses to run here, she'd probably win.

John Hottinger-I believe he'd have the name power to command a real race in Minnesota. However, his best shot would be to run for and win a congressional seat in 2004, then use that as a platform for the 2008 race.

Rebecca Yanisch-Though she hasn't mustered huge numbers, she has an ardent group of supporters and she's fairly well known. She has expressed interest in serving in the U. S. Senate sometime.

David Minge-I believe he's a judge right now, but Minge once considered a run for the Senate. He may take a jump at this race.

Mike Hatch-Attorney General is a strong jumping point for any politician. Hatch will eventually try for higher office. I imagine he may run for governor in 2006, but he could be interested in the Senate.

George Latimer-One of the most articulate and humorous of Minnesota politicians, he'd make one heckuva Senator. However, does anyone know how old he is?

I would whole-heartedly support any of the above candidates (or pretty much anyone

[mndemocrat_29]

20. Alan Paige

Also, if Alan Paige isn't in the Supreme Court by then (the Democratic winner from 2004 should appoint him) then he'd be a swell candidate for this job. There are at least a dozen other really good candidates who may try and run here. Coleman is toasted cheese in 2008.

[ErasureAcer]

21. Yanisch: Kill me now

She comes from the Joe Lieberman school of morons where they blame videogames for youth violence.

I won't be voting for someone that fucking stupid.

NEXT!

[Randomthought]

14. Mark Wellstone

n/m

[JohnKleeb]

15. I thought only David the oldest could run

anyways it would be the ultimate if one of his sons won. Feel so sorry for those guys lost their parents and sister on the same day.

[NewJerseyDem]

16. Could he win?

Especially after the memorial service thing, I would think that it would be hard for him to win, but people may forget about that by 2008. Does anyone know if he is as liberal as his father, or is he more liberal?

[mndemocrat_29]

17. I doubt it would be one of the sons

While they may run someday, I think that they'll wait for a while before entering politics. They're both very young and may not even be old enough to be senators in 2008.

[Randomthought]

22. not that young

What I heard from some people who are supposed to in the know, David is doing his public housing work and wishes to continue. I didn't actually look it up but I believe Mark will be about 34 or 35 in 2008. That's old enough.
Also the same people think the memorial service 'spin' was just that 'spin'.
These folks say that the outer ring of suburbs even though they are conservative voters consistantly voted for Wellstone. They polled as still being in the Wellstone camp right up until his death. They did not transfer their vote to Mondale. Wellstone was the only progressive candidate that they have been willing to vote for.

[Randomthought]

23. I found the ages

Mark was 18 in 1991 and old enough to vote for his father so he will be about 35 in 2008.

[genius]

18. How about David Wellstone?

I think he would be an excellent candidate.

[genius]

19. Either of the sons would be great

We need someone with values similar to Paul's in the Senate.

[Vis Numar]

24. The DFL is in a mess

The men need to turn it over to the women, I know that much for sure.

[election_2004]

26. Becky Lourey

There's also state senator Becky Lourey, who was a 2002 candidate for Governor and would have been in the running had she and Dutcher not been asked to step aside for Moe.

http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/candidates2002/08Lourey.htm

[dflprincess]

28. Becky Lourey would be great.

Even if we have to put up with Norm for 5-1/2 more years, at least we get our shots at he and Pawlenty in two different elections. That should help. But, as much as I want to see Pawlently gone in 2006, I'll be concentrating on getting Dayton reelected.

[SaveElmer]

29. I hate to say it but it doesn't look good

I grew up in Minnesota (Go Twins !!!), and most of my family still lives there. And from their perspective, unless there is some major shakeup, Dayton is probably a goner (unless the IR is stupid enough to nominate Grams), and Bush could very well take the state in 2004. The DFL is a mess with no clear star. Pawlenty has gotten himself into some trouble, but I really don't think it's gonna end up amounting to much. The only guy who could possibly emerge is Alan Page. For those of you under 25 or so, he is the former Minnesota Viking defensive star, a hall of famer, and the first defensive player to win the MVP award. He is also a member of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Election to the supreme court is, I believe, technically a non-partisan race, but it is well known that Alan Page is a Democrat, and he is by far the most popular elected official in the state if you look at voting percentage.

[Randomthought]

30. Well gosh darn

Let's all just open a vein. Mark Dayton will be reelected if he wants to be. He has enough money if he wants to spend it.

[SaveElmer]

31. Oh that's right - no bad news here...Rose-colored glasses on

The DFL is in great shape, Mondale is Senator, Moe is Governor, Jesse Ventura is still a wrestling announcer, the DFL has firm control of both branches of the State legislature, George W. lost the state by a landslide in 2004, and the Republicans aren't even gonna bother putting up a candidate against Dayton. There, is that better ?

[ButterflyBlood]

32. yeah, Mondale and Moe lost in landslides

and all Republican state office holders won in landslides (go look at the margin of victories.) I'm interested in how someone like Pawlenty who only got 44% of the vote, is now extremely unpopular and trapped in scandals is OK. And anyone who points out how close the state was in 2000 is forgetting that Nader got more than 5%. With the massive backlash against Republicans due to Pawlenty and Nader clearly getting less of the vote next time if he even runs I don't see why Bush is so likely to win.

[ErasureAcer]

34. Pentel should have been Governor.

Moe was a joke. He and Pawlenty acted like children in congress. Pentel was the real liberal choice.

I'm proud to be one of the 50,000 who voted for him.

[SaveElmer]

35. The point is

That it didn't used to be this close for Democrats. It has been trending Republican for 20 years or so. If it continues, the state is in real danger of going to Bush. Add to this the disarray in the DFL and there is a potential disaster in the making.

[pragmaticprogressive]

39. And the suburbs are growing too fast

The suburbs are the IR's stronghold area. They are the fastest growing areas of MN. Some of the DFL areas are shrinking (look at the Iron Range and outstate like around Senate district 20). Minnesota will be very very tough in 2004. Maybe things will change but right now the people around where I live (outstate federal congressional district 7) aren't caring about how they got screwed.


BTW Hottinger is a mook. He capitulated and sold every dfl'er out this fall.

[mndemocrat_29]

40. Strongholds

I also live in District 7 and I think that people really do care. There are a lot of Democrats that are mad about how Coleman was elected, and I believe that this will destroy his chances in 2008. Unlike some other Republicans who seemed to click with Minnesotans (Carlson and Boschwitz), Coleman won't. He seems like too much of a Bush rubber stamp, and the voters of Minnesota won't like that. Above all things, Minnesotans like their politicians opinionated. How else could you explain how we had one of the most liberal members of the Senate (Wellstone) and one of the most conservative (Grams) at the same time? The real question is, "Who can we get to beat him?" Who is the candidate that will really connect with Minnesotans and become the new face of the DFL?

I believe that if we elect Judi Dutcher as governor and Betty McCollum or Julie Sabo as senator, Minnesota will be placed back into the Democratic stronghold.

[mndemocrat_29]

33. If only...

But seriously, as a Minnesotan, I think that we have tough election coming up, but we can win these. I've heard nothing but complaints about Pawlenty (both for his ethics and his policies). Now, granted, I live in a rather liberal wing of the state, but still. The main reason he was elected was that Minnesotans cared so much about not having Jesse around for another four years, they didn't bother to notice that they were voting for some archconservative Republican with flashy commercials. Secondly, the Coleman election can be considered a fluke. In 2008, we have a real chance against Coleman. He reminds a lot of Grams. Rumors that he cheats on his wife will not sit well with the farming communities (which are very socially conservative). Secondly, the Wellstone Memorial may not have upset people in the Twin Cities, but it did really upset people from outstate. I know many undecided voters who went for Coleman and Pawlenty because of the uproar. Both of these seats are winnable

However, the DFL needs to focus. Not all of the blame can be placed on those final days. The DFLers have to stop relying on their old guard. In 1998, they nominated Humphrey, and in 2002 they nominated Moe. I hardly heard a word about the governor's races without the mention of old politics. Minnesotans do not like career politicians (Hubert Humphrey aside), and anyone viewed as a career politician is ousted. If we wish to win with Dayton, he has to start to develop a "he's one of us" connection with Minnesotans, much like Paul Wellstone did. If Dayton truly is going to run against Mark Kennedy or Rod Grams (both inept politicians, I used to be in Kennedy's district, I know), then he just has to get the word out. He has a good record, he just needs people to know about it.

Lastly, the DFLers need to reach out to more than just the Metro area. There are other areas of the state that vote for Democrats. It is the Democratic-FARMER-Labor party. Yet, many districts that involve farming voted for Pawlenty-Bush-Coleman. We have to reach out to the agriculture and take back both the State Senate and the State House. This state is winnable, but DFLers have to stop being nostalgic for the days of Rudy Perpich and Hubert Humphrey, and start creating new Minnesota legends.

I will now get off of my soap box and let someone else have a turn.

[Randomthought]

36. And in edition

we have ~200 new graduates of Camp Wellstone. I'm betting that we are going to be a real force.
It's not rose-colored glasses. It's hard facts. Minnesotans want their 'quality of life' back.
If we assume we can't win then we won't. If we don't get off our bums and work we won't win.
I live in a safe DFL senate district but I have already promised to help some candidates in out state MN with their campaigns. That seems to me to be a much better approach than announcing that that the DFL can't win.

[Randomthought]

37. Addition! Not edition.

How embarrassing

[dflprincess]

38. I believe Mark has said he plans to do more fund raising next

time and not spend so much of his own money. I think he looks at that as a way to measure his support.