Election 2008: What’s At Stake?

Rochester, MN

In some ways, a convention is a convention is a convention. There is party business to tend to, speeches upon speeches to make, endless points of order and information to raise, and, of course, candidates to nominate for office. But each convention is also a celebration and expression of a unique group of people that rallies together every two years - which means conventions can be as different as night and day. (Or in this case, GOP and DFL.)

Starting with the DFL delegate tables versus the rows of Republican chairs down to the different backdrops for the stage (the GOP hung an imposing flag behind the speaker’s rostrum, while the DFL is projecting various logos onto a faded blue velvet curtain), the tone of the two conventions is strikingly different. Aside from a more colorful crowd (delegates from one State Senate district have donned distinctive tie-dyed DFL t-shirts) that contains more, though not many, minorities (almost 90 percent of Minnesota’s 5 million plus residents are white), a more convivial atmosphere pervades the convention center. (At least until the Senate endorsement comes under debate tomorrow. The pervasive politicking of the Franken and Nelson-Pallmeyer camps is also a striking difference from the unanimous voice vote endorsing Republican incumbent Norm Coleman.)

From this time last week, speakers at the podium are more informal with the crowd (”Tell the people around you to sit down, shut up and listen!” chided a party official from the podium). The union folks are marching through the halls singing theme songs. Teamsters proudly wear their colors on their sleeves - and vests. A reverence for iconic Minnesota Democrat Hubert H. Humphrey (including an honorific slideshow) has replaced the love of all things Ronald Reagan. And while the Republicans had their fair share of enthusiastic responses (Ron Paul!), the DFLers seem to be caught up in the general wave of Democratic excitement pervading Minnesota this week (Yes We Can!). Ironically, the subversive Ron Paul element at the GOP convention also brought an infusion of new-blood that is somewhat lacking from the old-school DFL organization, which feels decidedly more like a class reunion than the first day of school.