dfl060908.notebook
On the homepage
Al Franken
Out There
Your Voices
Breastfeeding
Home | Politically Connected | National Politics | U.S. Senate
From afar, Tom Hayden wades into Franken debate - but over Iraq pullout stance
Print this story
E-mail this story
Save to del.icio.us
Share on Facebook
Share on Digg
Another indication that the Al Franken-Norm Coleman U.S. Senate race is being watched closely across the country came Friday, when the Star Tribune received an e-mail from a longtime California political activist by the name of Tom Hayden.
Hayden, 68, has been keeping track of Franken’s efforts with the help of Bob Lamb of Minneapolis, an activist who served as a coordinator for the Chicago Seven in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
According to his message, Hayden isn’t too much bothered by Franken’s sex jokes. What troubles him more, he says, is that Franken hasn’t been a hard-liner when it comes to withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq — a point that the Franken campaign disputes.
Hayden commented on Franken’s Senate prospects the day before DFLers in Rochester endorsed the author and comedian to run against incumbent Coleman.
“Bob, I am following this insanity from LA with the expectation that Franken will get through the hazing, and be elected on the Obama tide this November,” Hayden wrote “Franken certainly needs to realize that it’s hard for many people to take joking about rape as satire, though it is. Sounds like a spear being used by internal factions.
“What should concern progressives about Franken is his perpetual inability to go beyond criticism and say whether he favors withdrawing all American troops from Iraq. Instead, he seemed somewhat supportive when the war began, then went on to criticize the handling of the war, but never came out for ending it. In that sense, he has been weaker than Sen. Obama when he should be a Minnesota voice for withdrawal and turning to diplomacy.”
Hayden concluded that he doubts Franken will be “reliable” in the Senate if he didn’t really oppose the war when he hosted his talk show on Air America, a liberal talk radio network.
Franken “is better than that old [Students for a Democratic Society] radical Norm Coleman, but he’s not Paul Wellstone,” Hayden wrote. “I know that I am not alone in these concerns.”
Andy Barr, a Franken campaign spokesman, said the contrast between Franken and Coleman on the Iraq war is clear: Coleman is a cheerleader for the war, Barr said, while Franken “believes it’s time to end the war and bring the troops home” after setting a timetable for withdrawal.
KEVIN DUCHSCHERE
Swanson is target of union leaflets
The dust-up between state Attorney General Lori Swanson and union officials trying to organize lawyers in her office continued at the state DFL convention.
The union — the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 5 — handed out leaflets criticizing Swanson, a DFLer. “Union Busting Is Disgusting!” the leaflet stated. “Tell Attorney General Swanson to stop union busting and recognize the union chosen by her staff attorneys.”
Swanson has been criticized for her management tactics, while the union’s efforts to take on an office that has traditionally been friendly to labor issues have raised eyebrows. Though they were limited in scope, two reports in recent weeks have cleared her office of acting unprofessionally.
MIKE KASZUBA
Teen dreams of becoming national delegate
David Gilbert-Pederson, 17, was scrambling Sunday to find votes for his bid to be a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
The odds were steep; he was facing about 150 people who also hoped to be among the 17 state delegates for presidential nominee Barack Obama.
“There are some people that think I need to pay my dues,” said Gilbert-Pederson of Minneapolis, who turns 18 in October. His campaign manager, he said, is 18 years old.
He admitted the competition was pretty stiff.
Nevertheless, he’ll keep trying, because “people of color are underrepresented,” said Gilbert-Pederson, who is black.
MIKE KASZUBA
Bank fees torment an identity theft victim, and park board tributes have a time limit: Whistleblower weekend roundup
Katie Trottier of Minneapolis turned to Whistleblower when she couldn’t persuade U.S. Bank to forgive overdraft fees charged to her after a thief drained her checking account. Whistleblower reporter Lora Pabst described the bank’s change of heart when confronted with the facts. In the Sunday Whistleblower column, I described how Vivian Mason, a Minneapolis park [...]
Recent posts
  Open positions!A new career awaits. Look through thousands of listings to find your new job. Start now! Get A ProfessionalFind home maintenance, car repair, legal advice, cleaning, and more in the Yellow Pages. Go now! |
Win tickets to the Yer Cronies Beach Party with Yer Cronies and Joey Ryan & the Inks at 7th Street Entry.Vita.mn presents the Yer Cronies Beach Party with Yer Cronies and Joey Ryan & the Inks at 7th Street Entry on July 25. |
Comment on this story | Read all 10 comments | Hide reader comments