Al Franken has just informed the delegates to the DFL State Convention that Al Gore has officially endorsed him in the race to replace Norm Coleman in the United States Senate. I think that most are still feeling fairly certain that Franken will not have much problem securing the endorsement on Saturday in Rochester, but there’s no doubt that this is a great feather for him to have in his cap as he heads into the weekend. Al Gore may have passed on Presidential prospects, but he’s arguably still one of the most important figures in the Democratic party today.
Long story short: this is a big endorsement.
We’ll, of course, be reporting live from the convention this weekend, so stay tuned on all the news about Franken’s race for the endorsement and much more!
Sean Adds: I now have the full text of the letter below the fold (it’s dang good too).
Dear Friend,
I’m writing to urge you to endorse Al Franken at the DFL state convention in Rochester. Not just because he’s my friend — but because he’ll make a fantastic Senator at a time when we could sure use a few more fantastic Senators.
This administration — with help from followers like Norm Coleman — has wasted eight years while our environmental crisis has worsened and opportunities to lead the world in finding solutions to global warming have passed. (Al likes to say that this administration will be to climate change what the Hoover administration was to the Great Depression — and I agree with him.)
Al and I talk about these issues a lot — he’s one of the few people who spends as much time e-mailing as I do. He’s got a lot of great ideas about how we can address the climate crisis — and build a green economy for Minnesota at the same time. He’ll be a standout Senator on environmental issues, but he’ll also be a Senator who gets up early every morning and, judging by the times he e-mails me, stays up late every night fighting to create opportunities for Minnesota families.
But I’m not just supporting Al because I trust him to be right on the issues. I’m supporting him because I’ve gotten to know him well, and he’s exactly the breath of fresh air our government needs.
Believe me, Al definitely won’t be your typical Washington politician. That, my friends, is a compliment. As a Senator, Al will be passionate and principled and wonky and honest and, yes, funny — sometimes all at once.
I can also tell you that Al won’t be afraid to take on a Bush Republican like Norm Coleman. I know a little bit about how the right-wing does business. And I can’t think of anybody better-equipped to take them on this election season than Al.
Al’s been one of the hardest-working activists in our party for a long time. I’ve appreciated his support and friendship for years, and I know I’m not alone. And if we’re going to use our majorities in Congress to affect real change, we’re going to need Al’s sharp wit and strong convictions.
Democrats across the country looked to Minnesota’s Paul Wellstone to serve as a powerful voice for the progressive values that bind us together. This year, we’re looking to Minnesota once again to send another powerful voice to join Amy Klobuchar in the Senate.
That’s Al. And I hope you and your fellow delegates will endorse him in Rochester, just as I’m proud to do here.
Thank you for your hard work, and thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
Al Gore
THE KITCHEN SINK:
Jesse Ventura
Al Gore
Write-in campaign
Jack Nelson Pallmeyer
Al Franken
Norm Coleman
Playboy
DCI
Minnesota Pickle
Norm Coleman
Blo & Go Hair Dryer Holster Ad
[more]
Esme Murphy
“This race is the job Norm Coleman has done in Washington, D.C.?”
It seems a little late in the game to be calling people to the bandwagon. As the old Buddhist saying goes, “Be still, for you are on the edge of a cliff and you are very drunk.”
While I respect Vice President Gore a great deal, I am not going to substitute his judgment for my own.
Ben Goldfarb just sent a letter from Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer’s campaign. Goldfarb endorses Jack. You may remember that he was Amy Klobuchar’s campaign manager for her own U.S. Senate run.
a friend shared that she heard *** interviewed on radio recently and was going to vote for him for senate and I said don’t count on it.
This weekend 1500 people will decide for whom we get the opportunity to vote, that’s about 1/10th of 1% of the number of voters who will casting a ballet in the Nov.
We did go to our precinct caucus, where no straw poll for senate was taken, and I did go to my senate district convention where I voted for someone I didn’t know to be a delegate to state convention, a person who in reality can vote however they want and represents only his own preference (I was unsuccessful in my bid to be a delegate.) Somebody explain to me how this is a good process. My vote is let’s have a primary!
Gore endorses Franken!!!!
So why should I care if Amy Klobuchar’s campaign manager endorses someone? I’ve never heard of him before this.
That endorsement is good example of how serious a candidate Al Franken is to the rest of America. While the batshit Reight-wing columnist at the Tribune is making a tempest in a teapot, Al Gore is looking for help with protecting the environment.
I like the line about him not being a “typical Washington politician” as a compliment. Our typical politicians are the ones playing fast and loose with the Constitution. They are the ones trying to infantilise the American electorate.
Another out-of-towner for Franken! Who would have thunk it? I wonder if Gore even took the time to consider Jack’s STRONGER environmental stands? I am sure he will have plenty of time to consider how great they are after we endorse Jack on Saturday.
Gore knows little about how the campaigns have been going and which candidate will be more appealing to MN voters. Amy’s manager obviously helped her do well here and I’d take his jugement over Gore’s. Dem for senate, whichever one has the best chances to win!(JNP)
Does Al Gore know that there’s another candidate in the race? And that said other candidate, unlike Al Franken, doesn’t support building new coal and even nuclear power plants? That “other candidate” is Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer!
Gore’s endorsement is a big deal. I foresee a clear first ballot win. I’ve got a soccer game on Saturday.
I would believe this endorsement more if I believed that Al Gore had really gotten to know both candidates. Right now this sure looks like Washington trying to make our decisions for us. Why should a well known Minnesota campaign manager count more than Al Gore? Because even comparing the letters shows who put more time into looking into this race. Because the well known Minnesota campaign manager might be asked to prove it by taking on the task.
Lets ask for Al Gore’s phone number and quiz him on what he knows about both candidates. If that is asking too much, then why should we take the recommendation seriously?
Actually I am furious about this, because everyone knows that Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is the strongest on environment. Just like Gore caved on election fraud, it looks like he caves on endorsements too.
I highly doubt that Al Gore, career politician and former Vice President, made an endorsement without some understanding of the race. To think otherwise is naive and a good example of the kind of thinking that seems to be everywhere in JNP’s campaign. Good candidate, nice guy, great mind but not going to be nominated for US Senate from Minnesota. I have said from the beginning that Jack should run for a Minnesota post and do not understand his focus on international issues over Minnesota issues.
The one thing I can say is neither Al Franken nor JNP resorted to the backroom deals and mudslinging that came out of the Cerisi camp lately. I also appreciate that JNP has stated he would support the nominee and not go to a primary fight, again much more honorable than the other candidate. The fact is it is JNP that drove the Party hacks crazy as he was the one who defeated their handpicked candidate.
The Ciresi camp? Didn’t Ciresi drop out of the race a couple of months ago? How is the fact that Al Franken is a complete jackass Mike Ciresi’s fault?
Dan= Obviously never met Franken and is talking out of his A$$
So what if Gore endorsed Franken? I think it makes Al look desperate and it makes Gore look like he really doesn’t care which candidate in any race is strongest on the environment. It’s all about who inside the leadership of the Democratic Party pulls the strings. Franken has been the annointed candidate all along and is a political insider of which is the kind of politician he speaks against. Hillary being the nominee for president was a forgone conclusion and look how well that turned out.
I will be voting for Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer not because of any endorsement but because he is right on the issues and is the best candidate to beat Norm Coleman.
I’m officially uncommitted, but this endorsement strikes me as bewildering, to say the least. There has to be more politics than policy at stake with this endorsement.
An incredibly easy way for policymakers to make the cuts in global warming pollution we need by 2050 (aside for increasing energy efficiency) is to phase out conventional pulverized coal plants in favor of coal plants that do not emit global warming pollution (that is, plants that capture and sequester the carbon dioxide.) We are absolutely at a tipping point on global warming (Al Gore would agree) and we cannot afford as consumers, citizens, or stockholders to build more conventional coal plants.
And yet, as far as I’ve seen, Al Franken has not committed to building only zero-global warming pollution coal plants. In fact, he is the only DFL Senate candidate running who has not made this commitment.
So, as I say — the Gore endorsement is an absolute puzzle. But as far as I can see (and perhaps I missed something; I’d be happy to learn more) Al Franken does not seem to be serious about global warming solutions. I would be happy to be corrected on this point.
For what its worth I have met Al Franken. But I was responding to a comment blaming Ciresi for the non-stop barrage of bad news about Franken and pointing that its self-inflicted.
Anybody here who thinks they know more about environmental concerns than Gore, who has made it his life work, and has won a Nobel for his work is friggin’ delusional.
Lojasmo… your take on this is incorrect. While you have a point that anyone on this board would be hard-pressed to best Gore’s understanding of global warming, Gore has made a point of not endorsing specific policies to increase his credibility in working across the aisle and not putting all of his political/policy capitol “eggs” in one basket. This policy-agnostic approach is the only reason I can think of for a Franken endorsement by Gore.
Erin-
Perhaps you’re right. I like to give Gore the benefit of the doubt. even if you’re correct, though…
Endorsing a candidate who will either
1) lose the nomination process
or
2) lose the general election.
WIll do nobody any good. Either way, it appears that Gore is endorsing the candidate who has the greatest overall chance of impacting US environmental policy for the better.
I’m a pragmatist, what can I say?
Again, Lojasmo… Gore can talk about global warming, but I think we can both agree that Ben Goldfarb probably knows a bit more about electing a senate candidate in Minnesota. How is your confidence in Franken’s electability in light of Goldfarb’s endorsement (again, from someone who knows firsthand experience of such things) “pragmatic”?
I understand the Al Gore “brand” is handy to have on the Al Franken endorsement list. In this case, though, I don’t know that Al Gore really offered any kind of insight as to how Al would be a better candidate.