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September, 2007

Progressive Promise 2008

First DFL PC Statewide Conference

The DFL Progressive Caucus held its first conference at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, September 29-30. The two-day conference that featured breakout sessions on elections issues, grassroot sucess stories, transportation and more was topped off with a forum for U.S. Senate Candidates.

Flyer (pdf)

Registration Form (pdf)

Schedule (doc, DRAFT)

Breakout Sessions (doc, DRAFT)

November, 2006

Peace in '08

Should we run a grassroots peace candidate in '08?

Charley Underwood moderated a panel discussion about the possibility of running a peace candidate for senate in '08. Panelists included U.S. Representative-elect, Rep. Keith Ellison; Sharon Sudman, Peace in the Precincts; former candidate for the U.S. Senate, Ford Bell; Sen. Becky Lourey; Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, Assistant professor of Peace and Justice Studies at the University of St. Thomas; and Brian Melendez, DFL State Party Chair. The meeting crossed party lines with over 100 people attending including Democrats, Greens, and Republicans.

Faith Kidder suggests that Elizabeth Dickenson would be a great peace candidate in '08.

Rep. Keith Ellison and Santwana Dasgupta talk to folks after the meeting.

Names that were suggested:

September, 2006

MN State Fair 2006

Instant Runoff Voting Election Results

Note: Instant Runoff Voting passed in Minneapolis with 65 percent of those voting yes out of all who voted on the measure to use IRV for Minneapolis elections. It also passed where it was on the ballot in four other places around the country.

Jeanne Massey of the Better Ballot Campaign (www.betterballotcampaign.org) writes:

"Thank you for your support and extraordinary leadership in helping bring Instant Runoff Voting to Minneapolis . You have been a strong, effective and active voice for democracy. This historic accomplishment wouldn’t have been possible without your advocacy and time, the foundation of grassroots success. You have been one of the main sources of energy behind this campaign – endorsing the idea, taking the idea to the streets, advocating inside the DFL, lit dropping, hosting house parties, among many other efforts!"

This year at the State Fair, the DFL PC featured an Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) demonstration. People learned about IRV as they voted on their favorite bumper stickers. Below are the election results with an explanation of how the votes were tallied using the IRV method.

This year voters in Minneapolis will decide whether to use IRV for citywide elections. The DFL PC supports this initiative. To learn more, see www.betterballotcampaign.org.

Many folks naturally wanted to know where they could purchase these fabulous bumper stickers. The ones we used in our demo were purchased at Northern Sun on Lake St. at 29th Ave. See www.northernsun.com for details.

Step 1 - Rank the Candidates

Using an IRV ballot, fair goers ranked the bumper stickers according to their favorite. In the example below, all of the "candidates" are ranked. However, it is not required to rank ALL of the candidates. Voters can rank just the ones' they like.

Bumper Sticker #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6
Renewable Energy is Homeland Security
Who needs Social Security when we've got homeless shelters and food shelves?
Our National Health Plan: Don't Get Sick.
It's Easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.
No Justice. No Peace. Know Justice. Know Peace.
Hatred is not a family value.

Step 2 - Count the votes candidates received as a FIRST CHOICE (#1)

A candidate getting 50% + 1 of votes as a FIRST CHOICE is declared a winner. In our demonstration, there was no winner after counting the votes for FIRST CHOICE because no candidate reached this threshold.

Bumper Sticker #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6
Renewable Energy is Homeland Security 34/194 Votes, 17.53% - - - - -
Who needs Social Security when we've got homeless shelters and food shelves? 32/194 Votes, 16.49% - - - - -
Our National Health Plan: Don't Get Sick. 32/194 Votes, 16.49% - - - - -
It's Easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. 39/194 Votes, 20.10% - - - - -
No Justice. No Peace. Know Justice. Know Peace. 29/194 Votes, 14.95% - - - - -
Hatred is not a family value. 28/194 Votes, 14.43% - - - - -

Step 3 - Drop the candidate that came in last place

Bumper Sticker #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6
Renewable Energy is Homeland Security 34/194 Votes, 17.53% - - - - -
Who needs Social Security when we've got homeless shelters and food shelves? 32/194 Votes, 16.49% - - - - -
Our National Health Plan: Don't Get Sick. 32/194 Votes, 16.49% - - - - -
It's Easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. 39/194 Votes, 20.10% - - - - -
No Justice. No Peace. Know Justice. Know Peace. 29/194 Votes, 14.95% - - - - -
Hatred is not a family value. 28/194 Votes, 14.43% - - - - -

Step 4 - Redistribute the votes from the dropped candidate by counting the SECOND CHOICE

In our example, "Hatred is not a Family Value" was dropped after the first round because it was in last place with 28 votes. For those voters who marked a SECOND CHOICE, their votes will be transferred accordingly.

Bumper Sticker #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6
Renewable Energy is Homeland Security 34/194 Votes, 17.53% 34+7=41, 21.13% - - - -
Who needs Social Security when we've got homeless shelters and food shelves? 32/194 Votes, 16.49% 32+2=34, 17.53% - - - -
Our National Health Plan: Don't Get Sick. 32/194 Votes, 16.49% 32+9=41, 21.13% - - - -
It's Easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. 39/194 Votes, 20.10% 39+3=42, 21.65% - - - -
No Justice. No Peace. Know Justice. Know Peace. 29/194 Votes, 14.95% 29+7=36, 18.45% - - - -
Hatred is not a family value. 28/194 Votes, 14.43% - - - - -

Step 5 - Continue Until A Candidate has 50% + 1 of the Votes

In our example, after the second round the highest vote getter only received 21% of the vote, which was a tie between Renewable Energy and Health Care. Since no one received 50% +1 of the votes, the last place candidate (Social Security, 17.5 %) will be dropped and votes will be redistributed as in the example above.

This particular election was very close. It came down to just two candidates before one of them reached the threshold to win:

Health Care: 54.26% WINNER!
Renewable Energy: 45.74%

Candidates dropped in the following order:

  1. Hatred is a Family Value
  2. Social Security
  3. No Justice. No Peace.
  4. ...build strong children...
  5. Renewable Energy

Some benefits of IRV include: 1) Requiring candidates to win 50% +1 of the votes will create more of a consensus among voters. 2) If we used IRV for elections, candidates would want to be your second choice if not your first. This means they will run more positive, issued-based campaigns. 3) IRV eliminates the fear of throwing your vote away. Voters could vote for whomever they thought to be the BEST candidate, without worrying that such a vote would ultimately help the WORST candidate. 4) IRV would eliminate the need for a primary election, which would ultimately include more people in the election process and save the tax payers money.

To learn more about why IRV is a more democratic way to do elections, see www.betterballotcampaign.org. If you live in Minneapolis, vote YES on IRV on November 7.

Photos from the Fair!

Grace Kelly, Jack Rossback, and Dave and Nancy Moe got us off to a great start at our first day at the fair. Watch Kelly introduce the DFL PC to the fair in this movie. See more photos below.


Jack and Kelly enjoy breakfast after an early morning start.


The quiz book is a great conversation starter (as well as a nice little cheat sheet when needed!).

Young State Fair goers learn about single-payer universal health care and Medicare Part D.


Jim takes a break from selling ice cream to have a laugh with Kelly.


Not officially there as a DFL PC volunteer, Joel Clemmer worked the crowd to collect signatures to draft Sen. Russ Feingold for president. Joel will put on his official DFL PC hat another time.


Overall, we had a very nice setup with popular petitions (health care, elections, and peace), a quiz book, and IRV demo. We also have a "create your ideal candidate" exercise. The morning crew didn't have a chance to try it out. We'll learn more about how it went with the evening crew (Dave and Nancy Moe) later.


In fact our table was so interesting that this visitor took lots of notes...hmmm...


Santwana and Pam talk to fair goers about issues and pass out cards reminding people to vote.


Cathy talks to people about their ideal candidate.


Phyllis tells people about upcoming events of the Network of Spiritual Progressives.


We are collecting a lot of signatures for various petitions.


Dave Moe is the ideal candidate!


Nancy adds another quality to her "ideal candidate" outfit.

January 14, 2006

Town Hall Meeting with Rep. Oberstar

Iraq: Where are we? Where are we going?

A large crowd gathered to discuss Iraq with Congressman Oberstar.

January 3, 2006

Town Hall Meeting with Rep. Sabo

Iraq: Where are we? Where are we going?

Over 300 people gathered at South High School to discuss Iraq with Congressman Martin Sabo. Mayor R.T. Rybak and Wendy Wilde of Air America Radio moderated the discussion.

September 2005

DFL Returns from Peace March in Washington DC

3 Days without a Bed, No one is the Worse for Wear

The Minnesota State DFL is back from the peace Rally in Washington DC where more than 100,000 marchers called for an end to the war and a plan to bring the troops home. The bus was sponsored by the DFL Progressive, Feminist, and the Veterans Caucuses.

September 2005

DFL State Central Committee Members Discuss Iraq Exit Strategy

With Rep. Bill Hilty, Rep. Keith Ellison & Coleen Rowley

There was standing room only at this DFL PC sponsored discussion that took place during a morning breakout session of the SCC meeting on October 1.

September 2005

Sen. Mark Dayton to Author Dept. of Peace Bill

Citizen Lobbyists Made the Difference

The Minnesota Department of Peace Campaign successfully garnered Sen. Mark Dayton's support for a bill that would establish a cabinet level Department of Peace. Ordinary citizens have been bugging Dayton for quite some time until he finally caved during a lunch meeting in mid-September. So never underestimate the effectiveness of sheer persistence! Thank you to everyone who made phone calls and sent letters!

September 2005

Thanks for Coming to See Us at the State Fair!

Progressives From All Around the State Want to Be a Part of the DFL Endorsing Process

Thanks to all who chipped in and helped, the DFL Progressive Caucus had a strong presence at the Minnesota State Fair this year. We distributed information about Universal Single-Payer Health Care, circulated a petition to bring the troops home, and promoted the Department of Peace which is being re-introduced in Congress next week.

It was great to get a chance to talk to so many progressives from around the state who are hopeful that the Democratic Party will articulate a vision and lead us out of troubled times. So many people expressed a great deal of gratitude to see the DFL PC reaching out to them and inviting them to participate in the DFL endorsing process. People agree, "The DFL Party belongs to those who show up."

We invite each one of you to participate in the DFL endorsing conventions coming up in 2006. Together progressives can help endorse candidates who can best reflect our values, who can articulate a clear vision, win elections, and pursue great policies that protect individuals and the environment while supporting businesses but keeping corporate greed in check.

Check back here or subscribe to our newsletter to find out more about meetings and trainings that will help you get ready for the precinct caucues in March, the district conventions in the spring, and finally the State Convention in June. The newsletter will also keep you posted on forums and "kitchen table discussions" in your area.

August 21, 2005

Welcome Home Sen. Becky Lourey & Coleen Rowley

Rally at the Capitol, St. Paul
This Sunday, August 21, at 2 PM

Dear Democrat,

Please join us on the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol this Sunday at 2:00 pm to welcome home Senator Becky Lourey.

Sen. Lourey traveled to Crawford, Texas this week to stand in solidarity with Cindy Sheehan outside President Bush's ranch. Sheehan has been camped outside the ranch for two weeks requesting a face-to-face conversation with Bush about the ongoing war in Iraq. Sen. Lourey's son Matt was killed in combat in Iraq when the helicopter he was piloting was shot down earlier this summer. Sheehan's son Casey was killed in 2004. Becky was accompanied by retired FBI agent Coleen Rowley, who will attend the Sunday event.

Bush has avoided Sheehan and refuses to even discuss plans for an Iraq exit strategy or provide real answers about Iraq -- with anyone. Bush stubbornly insists on continuing the misguided and mismanaged mess in Iraq without an open and honest discussion with the American people. Minnesotans are proud of the courage and the compassion of Senator Lourey for fulfilling her duty as a citizen to ask the question that our soldiers cannot. Join us Sunday at 2:00pm on the Capitol steps to support Becky and to join in the call for real answers about the Iraq war.

Thank you,

Donna Cassutt
Minnesota DFL Party Associate Chair

See Articles:

www.startribune.com/stories/587/5563795.html
www.startribune.com/stories/484/5568138.html
www.startribune.com/stories/468/5567812.html

July 2005

DFL State Central Committee Sends Message to DFL House, Senate Caucus

Thank you for preserving MinnesotaCare, Schools, Renter's credit...

When DFL State Chair, Brian Melendez, asked the State Central Committee if they wanted to send Representative Mary Ellen Otremba back to the DFL House Caucus with a message, the place erupted in cheering. Otremba addressed the SCC at a meeting this Saturday in Alexandria. She said that saving MinnesotaCare for the working Minnesotans who wouldn't otherwise have access to affordable healthcare was more important than getting re-elected.

The SCC sent the same message to the Senate DFL Caucus. Thank you for standing your ground and fighting the good fight. Thank you for putting people first, and your political aspirations second. Thank you for taking a risk -- in the face of a ruthless Repugnican propaganda machine -- and doing what's right by the people of Minnesota.

As predicted, the Repuugs are already blaming the government shutdown on freshman DFL legislators who were part of the 2004 victories that put the DFL within a hair of controlling the House.

Please take time to personally thank the Democrats in the Minnesota Legislature for fighting the good fight. It is about time we stopped rolling over for Governor who would rather win favors with the Tax Evaders League than make sure that our grandmothers get good care.

July 6, 2005

Shutdown Showdown

For once, Minnesota Dems take a hard line with Pawlenty. Read this City Pages article.

May 31, 2005

Progressive Caucus Chair, Donna Cassutt Elected DFL State Associate Chair

Ric Studer Steps Up, DFL-PC Associate Chair & Treasurer Positions Vacant

At the State Central Committee business meeting on May 21, Progressive Caucus Chair, Donna Cassutt was elected as the DFL State Chair with about 70 percent of the vote. DFL-PC Associate Chair, Ric Studer will step up leaving his current position vacant for a woman to fill. The club's treasurer position is also open.

Febuary 5, 2005

DFL Accepts Progressive Caucus Constitution

Progressive Caucus chartered as official DFL "club"

The Progressive Caucus presented a constitution to the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) State Central Committee at Anoka High School seeking the party's recognition of the Progressive Caucus as an official DFL "Club".

The motion for recognition was put forth by Minnesota Democratic National Committee member Jackie Stevenson, and was seconded from the floor. Progressive Caucus Chair Donna Cassutt provided the assembled Central Committee delegates with additional information about the caucus. During the discussion, several delegates spoke both in favor and against the motion, which was passed in a voice vote.

Thus, the DFL Progressive Caucus was officially born on February 5, 2005. Official recognition gives the Progressive Caucus additional legitimacy when dealing with DFL party officials, elected office-holders, candidates and party units, and gives it further credibility when screening, recommending and/or endorsing candidates. Additionally, party recognition also allows the Progressive Caucus to legally use the trademarked DFL logo on its literature. It also shows that the Progressive Caucus is committed to working within the DFL to promote its progressive vision, values and issues.

Now that the DFL Progressive Caucus is a reality, we are organizing local chapters in all eight of Minnesota's congressional districts. If you are interested in helping with the organizational effort in your district, please contact Donna Cassutt or Ric Studer for more information.

About the DFL Progressive Caucus

The DFL Progressive Caucus www.progressivecaucus.net is a newly formed grassroots organization that is committed to advancing issues of justice and equality, and helping to elect progressive Democratic candidates. It recognizes that democracy functions best with an informed and engaged citizenry and is working within the DFL, as well as with other organizations with similar views to educate and engage the public.

January 4, 2004

DFL Board of Directors Candidate Forum

Progressive Caucus recommends three candidates for board

The DFL State Central Committee will be electing four State Directors from underrepresented communities at a meeting on January 22, 2005. State Directors serve on the State Exective Committee and it's sub-committees and help to determine the directin of the party, and set policy.

At our January 4th meeting, the DFL Progressive Caucus held a candidate forum to hear from State Director candidates. What an impressive group! Thanks to all who participated. The Caucus voted to recommend the following three candidates. Follow the links to their individual biographies:

Additionally, here are the bios of other candidates running for the DFL board:

December 7, 2004

Minnesota Progressive Caucus Hosts First DNC Listening Session

More than 300 DFLers gathered to discuss the selection of the next Democratic National Committee Chairperson

Last Friday, an overflow crowd of more than 300 enthusiastic rank-and-file DFLers came together in the Carpenter's Union Hall in St. Paul for a "Listening session" to offer suggestions and register opinions about the direction of the National Democratic Party and the qualities they would like to see in the next person chosen as DNC Chair, a post currently held by Terry McAuliffe.

The two-hour meeting where the audience did the majority of the speaking about the direction of the National Democratic Party demonstrated an unprecedented level of interest in the next leader of the DNC. "We are very encouraged by the commitment and passion of so many DFLers who want to help shape the future direction of the National Democratic Party," said Mike Erlandson, MN State DFL Chair.

At the meeting, sponsored by the DFL, four of Minnesota's six DNC representatives were on hand to "listen" to attendees as they expressed their views on a variety of subjects, including: the need for continuous off-year organizing in all 50 states, stronger support for state parties, recognition of the power in the grassroots, an overhaul of the primary process, election reform for fair and transparent results, and the need to frame the Democratic Party's platform with greater clarity.

"The response to our first Minnesota Progressive Caucus event has been overwhelming. It was gratifying to hear all the thoughtful comments and ideas expressed by people who are proud to be progressive liberals," said Donna Cassutt, Chair of the Minnesota Progressive Caucus. "The excitement and enthusiasm in the room has us energized. This is just the beginning."

The most commonly expressed endorsement for DNC Chair from the participants was 2004 presidential candidate and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean. Simon Rosenberg, founder of New Democrat Network, was second. The election of the next National Chair to replace Terry McAuliffe will occur in February. Minnesota's DFL will send six DNC representatives to vote.

The "listening" event was the first of four hosted by the Minnesota Progressive Caucus. Future meetings of the "Listening Tour" will take place in Duluth, Rochester, and Bemidji sometime in January.

About the Minnesota Progressive Caucus

The Minnesota Progressive Caucus www.progressivecaucus.net is a newly formed grassroots organization that is committed to advancing issues of justice and equality, and helping to elect progressive Democratic candidates. It recognizes that democracy functions best with an informed and engaged citizenry and is working within the DFL, as well as with other organizations with similar views to educate and engage the public.