Local DFL delegates unify at convention

By Lauren Radomski (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Monday, June 9, 2008

Otter Tail County delegates to this weekend’s state DFL convention in Rochester say Minnesota Democrats left the event largely unified over the endorsement of U.S. Senate candidate and former satirist Al Franken.

LaRon Adkins of Battle Lake is a retired teacher and a longtime Franken supporter. She also served with Richard Kagan of Fergus Falls as co-chair of the Otter Tail County group, which included 11 delegates and a handful of alternates.

“I really like his passion about the troops,” she said of Franken. “Even though he doesn’t support the war, he’s been to Afghanistan and Iraq several times, and that’s really been the issue for me — that he’s an advocate for the troops.”

Adkins also characterized Franken as a good listener concerned about rural Minnesota. Franken connects with people, she said, and even though his humor can be controversial, that humor can also work to his advantage.

Franken’s humor was the target of both Republicans and fellow Democrats just a week prior to the convention. U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (Dist.4-DFL) was among the lawmakers responding to a sexually explicit article published in Playboy magazine in January 2000, with McCollum telling the Star Tribune the article was tantamount to pornography.

Franken later apologized for the piece at Saturday’s convention.

For Chet Nettestad, a convention delegate and member of the nation’s largest communications union, Franken’s humor is not a major concern.

“That’s in the past,” said the Pelican Rapids resident. “I’m concerned about the future of my kids, my grandkids and the people of Minnesota.”

Franken won the endorsement over University of St. Thomas professor Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer on the first ballot Saturday at the Mayo Civic Center.

While the Senate race was the convention’s focus Saturday, delegates say conversation turned to presidential politics Sunday. Desta Hunt of Fergus Falls said she and her husband, Tim, saw support for Barack Obama across the board.

“We talked to all kinds of people from all over and we never met a single person who said they weren’t going to vote for Obama,” she said.

Nettestad said Hillary Clinton’s health care plan was a major reason he’d been in her corner, though he plans to vote for Obama following Clinton’s concession Saturday.

Otter Tail County DFLers said they were especially pleased to have a number of young delegates as part of the group, including 18-year-old Tiffany Thanel of Fergus Falls. The group served the county DFL well, Adkins said, staying through the entire weekend and participating in a number of sessions.