Coleman and the DFL

R. Alex Whitlock writes to ask:

You mentioned in your Keiller fisking that Coleman was all but kicked out of the DFL. I've never heard that story... would you mind elaborating on it here or on the blog?

Happy to oblige.

For those of you not from Minnesota, here's how it worked: Norm Coleman was a DFLer (that's Minnesotan for "Democrat"). He worked in the Minnesota Attorney General's office, which is a breeding ground of Minnesota politicians: Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale both served there, and Norm was the protege of Skip Humphrey, Hubert's son and 1998 gubernatorial candidate.

The DFL in Saint Paul is, like Tammany Hall and the Daley Machine, an institution with its own set of rules and traditions. One of those rules is "wait your turn". But when Norm ran for mayor of St. Paul in 1993, he jumped his place in line, beating (if I recall correctly) longtime DFL stalwart Bob Long for the party nod.

This was the first of many transgressions against the party that eventually led to their parting ways after Coleman's re-election in 1997 - although it took a while. Coleman even introduced Paul Wellstone to the 1996 DFL convention! But Norm was a very moderate Democrat - a very Clintonian "New Democrat" in a city and state Democrat organization that isn't a hair to the right of Ann Arbor or Berkeley. He favored privatizing some city services, was openly but moderately pro-life, supported a pilot school voucher program...

...and the final straw; he refused to sign a city Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian and Transgender Pride proclamation. The DFL howled. They parted ways.

I think I got that right.

So when Keillor impugns Coleman for being an "ex-Democrat" - well, he DID have help. The question is, did he jump, or was he pushed?

Posted by Mitch at November 14, 2002 03:11 PM