May Newsletter
The Resistance
by Alden Brown
President Joe Biden the leader or President Donald Trump the liar? That is the question for 2020.
I’d like to say it is a simple question. It is for Democrats.
Polls show that, at times, it is a pretty simple question for most voters.
“I am all-in on Joe Biden,” Howard Stern said on April 27, voicing what most of us thought of President Trump’s advice to inject disinfectant as a cure to COVID 19. “You see the wall that’s right next to you, I’ll vote for the wall over a guy who tells me that I should pour Clorox into my mouth.”
Now, that most Americans have decided not to take the President’s April 24 advice and inject Lysol, Clorox or another choice household cleaning product - provided you can find one – the shock has faded into another pandemic time warp moment.
It’s bad enough that tens of thousands of Americans are dying because this incompetent, unqualified conman divides us at the very moment we expect a president to bring us together to fight a common threat to our very lives. Many can’t hold on to the latest violation of our constitution, of our trust, of his basic oath of office because there is always another crazy made-for-professional wrestling moment to come.
Want a nuclear moment, let’s have chocolate cake at the country club and launch a missile. Worried about the economy, let’s open up. Worried about six-digit deaths, let’s close it.
Open-close. I decide. Governors decide. Who knew?
Who, for one moment, thinks a man who recommends we inject ourselves with bleach has any idea how to bring our economy back online and prepare for the next wave of this pandemic?
If voters will remember in November, it won’t be Trump.
The thing is, Trump counts on voters to forget. Or, by any means the GOP can find, not to vote.
As of April 14, The Washington Post has the Liar in Chief at over 18,000 misrepresentations or outright lies. The GOP is fighting mail-in ballots and any other safe voting alternative in hopes of COVID keeping voters away. Low turnout worked in 2016. They know their best chance to pulling off a double debacle is keeping voters away in 2020.
The COVID death toll is expected to top 135,000 by August. By November, maybe the numbers will be so large that we are all numb to that as well.
After all, Trump now claims that’s a good number. He says we have to get used to numbers like a, “Yankee stadium of death.”
How’s that for inspirational imagery?
The number grew from 12, the number he gave to a Phoenix television station on Feb. 19, to 60,000 to 70,000 in April. Now, 135,000. That is with social distancing restrictions.
Without leadership, who knows what the death toll will be as the virus continues to spread and social distancing breaks down with polarization along party lines.
As we divide, the world watches in amazement.
In an April 2 issue of Business Insider, Meghan May, a professor of infectious disease at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine was quoted as saying that people who work on emerging pathogens have been describing this potential for a very long time.
She said the US’s slow response, not the outbreak, shocked her.
The US has the largest number of cases in the world by a large margin. This, after a lead time of around three weeks from the time the virus emerged in China and the time it began spreading in the US.
Lies do not a response make. They only lead to an increase in the sick and the dead. We see this played out day after day.
Leadership is what is needed.
Joe Biden is what is needed. He does not recommend bleach for internal use.
Resist.
Vote Democracy.
Vote Democratic.
SENATE DISTRICT 26 DFL CONVENTION RESULTS
The balloting period for Senate District 26 DFL’s ballot-only convention ended May 4 and results were announced soon afterward. Aleta Borrud beat Tyrel Clark for the endorsement for the District 26 Senate seat. Mr. Clark ended his campaign after the results were announced. Representative Tina Liebling was endorsed for the District 26A House of Representatives seat. This is the tenth consecutive time she has been endorsed for a House seat, the first five times for District 30A and now five times for the District 26A seat. She did not have an opponent for endorsement.
Thirty-two people ran to be delegates or alternates to the 1st Congressional District and Minnesota DFL Conventions. We could elect 17 of each. Because these both will be ballot-only conventions, the emergency rules for those convention, following the rules for organizing unit conventions, upgraded all alternates to delegates, so all thirty-two became delegates. Their names (followed by their presidential preference and gender) are listed below.
Abdulkadir Abdalla, Joseph Biden – M
Nancy Adams, Bernie Sanders - F
William Aleman, Joseph Biden - M
Forrest Andres-Beck, Joseph Biden - M
Lucy Bahn, Joseph Biden – F
Darin Bolson, Bernie Sanders - M
Said Hajiali, Joseph Biden - M
Guy Howell, Joseph Biden - M
Mark Iverson, Joseph Biden - M
Eileen Kennedy, Joseph Biden - F
Shakila Khan, Joseph Biden - F
Christopher Kruger, Joseph Biden - M
Karen MacLaughlin, Joseph Biden - F
Jessie Martinez, Joseph Biden - M
Tawana Overton, Joseph Biden - F
David Pesch, Joseph Biden - M
Marsha Rea, Joseph Biden - F
Michael Resman, Joseph Biden - M
Beth Schmidt, Joseph Biden - F
Randy Schubring, Joseph Biden - M
Paula Skedsvold, Joseph Biden – F
Darin Bolson, Bernie Sanders - M
Jay Smith, Joseph Biden - M
Deb Staley, Joseph Biden - F
Patrick Stallman, Joseph Biden - M
Cathy Stroebel, Joseph Biden - F
Suzanne Szucs, Joseph Biden - F
Kathleen Tarara, Joseph Biden - F
Jonathan Thoreson, Joseph Biden - M
Jen Verhagen, Joseph Biden - F
Rachel Zhang, Bernie Sanders - F
Originally it was announced 14 resolutions passed with the 60% affirmative vote required, but it was later discovered the counting algorithm was wrong, as it incorrectly counted those who abstained from voting on the resolutions portion of the ballot as voting No on all resolutions. A corrected list of which resolutions passed is expected soon. The corrected list will be sent to the Minnesota DFL’s Platform, Issues, and Legislative Affairs Committee for consideration for the ballot that will be voted on at the state DFL convention. If successful there, resolutions will be added to the DFL Platform or Action Agenda.
When the Senate District 26 DFL Central Committee next meets again in person, which by the emergency rules will be after June 1, we will elect Senate District 26 DFL’s officers, directors, and members and alternates to the 1st CD and Minnesota DFL Central Committees.
1ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT AND STATE DFL CONVENTIONS
In March the Executive Committee of the Minnesota DFL decided that DFL Congressional District conventions would be ballot-only. On April 24, the DFL announced that the state convention, instead of being held in Rochester at the end of this month, will also be ballot-only.
Delegates to the Congressional District conventions will endorse a candidate for Congress, elect their portion of Democratic National Convention delegates, and elect an elector and alternate to represent the district when Minnesota casts its Electoral College votes in December. All other business normally done at a Congressional District convention will be postponed until the first in-person Central Committee meeting of that congressional district. Dan Feehan is unopposed for endorsement in our Congressional District, so should be endorsed. Delegates will be able to vote between May 14 and May 23.
The same delegates will represent us at the state convention, where they will endorse a candidate for the U.S. Senate as well as elect the rest of Minnesota’s delegates (and a few alternates) to the Democratic National Convention, its four Democratic National Committee members, and two electors and two alternates. They will also vote on resolutions, which if approved by 60% of those voting will be added to the DFL Platform and Action Agenda. Again, all other business normally done at the state convention will be postponed until the first in-person state DFL Central Committee meeting, tentatively scheduled for August 15. Tina Smith has one known opponent for endorsement, but is heavily favored to win that race. Delegates will be able to vote between May 26 and May 31.
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Minnesota’s filing period for the legislature starts Tuesday, May 19 and ends at the end of the business day on Tuesday, June 2.
Both the Senate District 26 DFL endorsed candidates are women and all three of the endorsed candidates in Senate District 25, which covers the rest of Olmsted County and about half of Dodge County, are women, which is unprecedented.
The reason we only have two endorsed candidates and Senate District 25 has three is that we couldn’t endorse a candidate for the District 26B House seat as no one is running for it. We have a little over two weeks to find a candidate and have that person file for office. It would be unfortunate if Nels Pierson did not have an opponent in the election. If you know someone who might run, send an email to sd26mn.dfl@gmail.com
You can now sign up for a ballot so you can vote at home for the August primary and for the November general election. To apply electronically, go to https://mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us/ABRegistration/ABRegistrationStep1.aspx. To get a paper application, go to https://www.sos.state.mn.us/media/2444/english-regular-absentee-ballot-application.pdf.
The DFL Coordinated Campaign has hired Martin Hernandez as the Regional Field Director for the 1st Congressional District to lead the Coordinated Campaign here. He comes from southern California and has lots of campaign experience. He’ll be living in Rochester once he arrives here June 1 and will spend a significant amount of time at the DFL office once that reopens. There will be field directors, working for Mr. Hernandez, hired, at least one of which will be assigned to Olmsted County. Dan Feehan will also be hiring field staff, at least one of which will be assigned to Olmsted County.
The Senate race in our district is likely to be one of the most hotly contested in the state. Aleta Borrud will need lots of volunteers to campaign in this race where traditional campaign methods will probably be severely affected by the pandemic. She will get a staffer from the Senate DFL Caucus to help her, too. Lots of outside groups are likely to make independent expenditures in the race, so watch for mailers and commercials as the election approaches. The DFL needs to pick up two seats to flip the Minnesota Senate and give the DFL control of the governorship and both houses of the Legislature for the first time since 2013-14.
A few Presidential primaries took place in April or early May. Joe Biden won them all. He announced he will pick a woman as his Vice Presidential candidate. The Democratic National Convention was postponed from mid-July to later in August and many people think it will be a virtual convention, rather than an in-person one.
While the DFL state convention has been converted to a ballot-only convention, there is talk of a some additional on-line events to feature DFL candidates and elected officials.
DONATE TO SENATE DISTRICT 26 DFL
We know this is a tough time economically for many people in Senate District 26 because of the economic effects from shutdowns due to the pandemic. Not everyone will be able to donate right now, but if you can, we need your help to keep a DFL presence in Rochester in 2020. We have a year-round office, which is expensive, but is crucial in a battleground area like Rochester. While one-time donations are welcome, we especially need monthly donations. We don’t get money from the national Democratic Party. The state DFL only contributes $500 a month, less than 1/3 of our rent. We rely on our local supporters to keep going and to get the DFL message out. There are tremendous opportunities for the DFL, locally and statewide, this year, including replacing Carla Nelson with a DFL Senator and Jim Hagedorn with a DFL member of Congress. We need more money at the local level to take advantage of them. We need the money and you want an active DFL. If you give, there will be an office for DFL events and meetings when those are possible again, DFL participation in events and parades that require entry fees, technology that makes the DFL work better, and outreach into underrepresented communities. Donate to Senate District 26 DFL and you can get up to $50/person or $100 per married couple back from the state of Minnesota if you are eligible to vote in Minnesota. You can make a refundable donation in 2020 even if you made a contribution and got a refund in 2019. Do it now. Make your donation via ActBlue (https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/senate-district-26-dfl-party-1?refcode=sd2). If you would rather write a check, please make it payable to DFL SD26 and send it to:
P.O. Box 9044
Rochester, MN 55904-9044
Send us a donation and we’ll send you a receipt. Send the receipt and a form
(https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/media/59866) needed to claim the reimbursement to
Minnesota Revenue Political Contribution Refund , St. Paul, MN 55146-1800.
Make a donation, file a claim, and you’ll get a check back soon. If you send a check, please include whether you are retired, self-employed or employed. If employed, include the name of your employer and your job title. The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board requires us to collect that information. If you use Act Blue, the appropriate information is collected.
Connect with us!
This is a monthly newsletter. However, events often happen on short notice, so we may not be able to include them in the newsletter. Check our website and Facebook pages for the latest news on what is happening.
Email: sd26mn.dfl@gmail.com
Twitter: @sd26dfl
Website: www.senatedistrict26dfl.com
Closed Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/144866495637545/
Facebook page with Olmsted-25 DFL and Senate District 25: https://www.facebook.com/sd26sd25olm25/?fref=ts
Instagram: @dflsenatedistrict26.
Our office is unstaffed for now because of the stay-at-home order but you can leave a message for us at 507-536-9785. We are monitoring the messages.
