Last Saturday I attended the local (Senate District 47 DFL) Political Convention.  I’m Democrat, so it was the DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) Convention.  This was the second Convention enroute to Election 2024.  Precinct caucuses, (Feb. 27),  elected delegates to the District Convention; Saturdays District Convention elected delegates for the upcoming Congressional District Convention (May 4 in St. Paul); then comes the State Convention (May 31-June 2 in Duluth); then the National Democratic Convention (Aug 19-22 in Chicago).

All the Conventions are open to those who participate beginning at Precinct level, and are elected as delegates ,   The process is designed to be orderly and inclusive.  On occasion local issues create local dilemmas and controversy, and of course these get publicity.

Controversy was not the case for SD 47 this year.  Everything went smoothly, and by adjournment in early afternoon, 17 delegates from my Representative District (47A) had been designated to represent us at Congressional District 4.

Our Senator, Nicole Mitchell, could not be in attendance.  She was on National Guard duty, in which she is an officer and long-time member.  My Representative (47A), Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger, was in attendance, as was Ethan Cha, Representative for 47B.  Congresswoman Betty McCollum(CD4) stopped by, as did several others or their representatives making the rounds of District Conventions.  Here is a photo of the three legislators in attendance:

In addiition to electing officers and the like, including delegates to the next level, the other main task for delegates is to approve resolutions which will ultimately make up the party platform.  In our society, and within the Democratic Party, there are an infinite number of issues and points of view, but over the years the party has cobbled together a fair and efficient process to make sure anyone with a concern can get on the court with it.  This year 38 resolutions were approved in 12 subject areas, such as Consumer Protection, et al.  A Pre-convention committee assessed all resolutions submitted, dealing with duplications, and so forth.  The report and the ballot were clear and plenty of time was given to vote..

Here are the Resolutions presented to, and passed by, our Senate District (handwritten notes my own): DFLSD47 2024 Resolutions.  These will be further refined, included or dismissed, at later levels, ultimately making up the philosophical position of the Democratic Party.

The Convention itself was small this year.  Possibly this related to lack of controversy.

It is about 7 months to the election of 2024, and action will intensify.  Get on the Court, and stay there!  It’s about our future – all of ours.

Yesterday I did a post entitled Propaganda.  It is long, especially the Kanefield link, but I think it is pertinent

POSTNOTE: It is easy to forget that anyone elected to anything quickly learns a sometimes very hard lesson: they may have “won”, but their responsibility is to 100% of the people they represent, including possibly a majority of their constituency.  “We, the people” forget this too, at our own peril.  The blessing of Democracy is also the curse.  We have to work together to succeed.  If we don’t we all fail, to a greater or lesser degree.

The bag which held our Senate District delegate materials featured the most likely new Minnesota State Flag which will likely become Minnesota Law in a short while.  The design is below.  The right side of the real flag will be light blue in color.  This will replace a flag whose essence has been in existence for a very long time – since Statehood in 1858.  The process to this new flag was very long and deliberate in 2023.  As with any change, for some it was  controversial, to the point of hate mail.  This is one of the things every legislator has to reckon with, in every session, with every Bill on which he or she must vote.  The new flag misses the one thing I personally lobbied to retain from the old flag – L’Etoile du Nord.  On the other hand, I like the new design and I’ll get accustomed to it, as will all of us.  It’s government in action.