Minnesota's right to self-determination, Blue Majority, Act Blue & Al Franken

Today on Daily Kos, MyDD, Open Left and ... heck ... pretty much every blog in the netroots, Blue Majority/Act Blue's endorsement of Al Franken for US Senate, was front page news. Great news for Al, but it didn't sit well with Mark Gisleson. The Wege, as he is sometimes known, writes the blog Norwegianity and was incensed by the endorsement.

The problem with this endorsement is its lack of transparency. Blue Majority/Act Blue have a lot of power. The netroots can raise millions for a candidate. Its people power at its best. The race between Franken and Mike Ciresi is neck-n-neck in the polls, so this is a sweet feather in Franken's cap. But what about when someone on the east coast decides who should be the candidate running in Minnesota. Isn't that the problem we in the netroots have been railing against with the DC-based pundits?

Were all the MN-SEN candidates screened? Where they given a chance to make their case? What was the process used by Blue Majority/Act Blue? How does this affect the outcome of the DFL endorsement process?

The problem with power is responsibility. We progressives want transparent government and we want open, transparent campaigning. This endorsement does not seem at all transparent.

So what did they all have to say...

Chris Bowers wrote the post that was cross-posted or carried all over.

Last month, in a post on Open Left, I wondered if Al Franken was the best example of a progressive movement candidate we had seen to date, given that his campaign is overwhelmingly people powered (over 45,000 donors so far), he passed the "bar fight primary" with flying colors (more than willing to take the fight to Republicans), he comfortably and repeatedly self-identifies as a progressive, and that he came into politics as an outsider, specifically from progressive media. The response I received to that post was almost universally positive, and while I don't know if he is the very best example, he clearly is an excellent case, and so I urge you to contribute to Al Franken on the Blue Majority Page. Let's build the progressive movement together by supporting a first-rate movement candidate.

...

As a final note, I want to mention that while Al Franken is involved in a competitive primary in Minneosta, this endorsement comes entirely because Al is so fantastic, not because his primary opponents are clearly defective in any way. Al is a Democrat who I believe will never let us down, and always make us proud. He comes from the progressive movement, and will take the fight to Republicans. He is exactly the sort of candidate many of us have looked for these past few, and we are happy to reward that with our support in and of itself, not just relative to other candidates in the campaign. It certainly is great to make an endorsement for someone, rather than against someone else.
(dKos)

The Wege let loose in the comments before posting on Norwegianity.

I've only lived here 19 years now but I'm just livid right now about this endorsement by BM/AB. Last year the DSCC interfered with our primary when we had a slam dunk general election coming up, and now we've got the netroots butting their goddamned heads into our decisions.

Mike Ciresi deserves better than this. I started out very pro-Franken, and cheered when the rumors started about his candidacy. Then Ciresi got in and I started learning more about him. I've been very impressed. This guy would get things done for us and he's every bit as good on economic issues as John Edwards. I think more so...
(Wege's comment #1)

Other Minnesotans brought up their concerns about the race in general, meddling and their thoughts about why they did or didn't like Al. Chris Bowers weighed in in the comments:

Maybe he should have set up an Act Blue page. Not even bothering to do that, which only requires contacting Act Blue and asking them to do it for you, indicates an extreme lack of interest in such an endorsement, if you ask me.

I have nothing against Ciresi. However, he simply didn't seem interested an a blogopshere endorsement. This endorsement if pro-Franken and anti-Coleman, with a strong emphasis on the former.
(Chris Bower's If he had been interested)

Chris, it's August 2007! I know the netroots is champing at the bit to get going but this is ridiculously early to be endorsing!

I'm very upset with you about your interference in what is strictly a Minnesota matter. Mike Ciresi is no Joe Lieberman and there is absolutely no reason to be picking between these candidates right now. Between the two of them they'll hog all the media in Minnesota until next summer. Unless, that is, the new powers that be decide to make our decision for us. Right now you remind me more of the DSCC than you do the netroots.

I am not at all happy about this and intend to write more about this in my blog tomorrow. You've got the clout but you're pissing on my turf and I intend to open up a dialogue with my readers and other Minnesota bloggers about your arrogant interference in our race.
(The Wege's ??? comment)

As of 9pm there were 173 comments. If you have the time, its a fascinating discussion, wide-ranging too as you'd expect.

As promised Gisleson posted more on his blog.

Excuse me if I'm somewhat underwhelmed by Bower's enthusiasm for Franken. Nowhere in his post does he mention Mike Ciresi or fault Mike Ciresi. No acknowledgment that the two men are polling dead even against Coleman, no hint of any objection to Mike Ciresi's record or candidacy despite Ciresi's clear advantage as an early objector to the war in Iraq (while Franken was still buying into WMDs).

I was absolutely livid last night when I read this endorsement post. For months now I've been agonizing over the choice between Al Franken and Mike Ciresi. When I was at City Pages, I applauded the rumor that Al might get in the race, but since then I've come to know Mike Ciresi's record and I've been deeply torn over who to support. I've been trending towards Ciresi, but my inclination has been to not endorse a candidate in this race as I have this bizarre belief that we should let the state's Democrats do the picking (and I mean in a primary and not the goddamn DFL's lets-let-the-activists-piss-off-half-the-state endorsement convention).

Christ but I am pissed. We're half a year from the caucuses and out-of-staters from our own movement butt in and tell us who to support? How could this have possibly passed any sane netivist's radar? How is this one iota different than the DSCC fucking with last year's primary?
(Norwegianity)

I concur with Gisleson that this seems like meddling in our ability to determine who our candidates are. I'm beginning to see why he hates the endorsement process wherein candidates are leaned on very heavily to abide by the endorsement when running to the primary is more democratic.

However, many organizations endorse candidates. For example, Take Action Minnesota endorses in local races. They have an open screening process. All candidates are contacted and are given the chance to appear. Members show up, listen to the candidates and choose to make and even sometimes not make an endorsement.

Why shouldn't Blue Majority/Act Blue be held to the same standard when Ciresi and Franken are polling neck-n-neck against Norm?