[Updated 8/27/07 with gas tax clip from Almanac]

Despite the fact that we are still 434 days or more than 14 months away from the 2008 election, the campaign to send Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) back to the private sector is starting to heat up. I can only imagine what its going to be like a year from now.

Al Franken and Mike Ciresi are campaigning hard already for the DFL endorsement in the MN-SEN race. Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is still but a rumor. I will continue to ignore Jim Cohen. How should a progressive voter in Minnesota decide who to support? Maybe by the issues? Okay, but let's catch up on what's going on in the race.

Al Franken

So far, Al seems to be a good candidate. He's quick-witted and his radio show has groomed him well for this campaign. He seemed relaxed on the Almanac debate and made his points clearly. He's done a tremendous amount for progressive politics in the last decade. He helped start Air America and has spent the last campaign cycle raising around a million dollars for upper-midwestern politicians through his Midwest Values PAC. Furthermore, he is out meeting voters almost each and every day. This is the classic Wellstone method. He's also at it early enough that he will personally talk to a large number of voters like Wellstone did in his first race. He's charming, funny and he has a secret weapon -- his wife Franni. If you go to an event, find Franni and chat with her ... she's a great campaigner, too.

The Franken campaign is a machine. Technologically, they're leading the way. They're beating Norm at fundraising. Democrats don't usually outraise incumbent Republicans and especially in Q2 of the year prior to the election! They have a massive volunteer pool and they're keeping them busy. They're garnering the endorsements. Its beginning to appear like this campaign is a juggernaut.

Machine
Franken's staff is outstanding. They are the heavy hitters and probably the best in the state at what they do. From Andy Barr running the overall operation to Jess McIntosh in charge of communications to J.D. Schlough (started MN Publius) managing the tech stuff to Dusty Trice in charge of logistics (and many more), they have the campaign running smoothly and in full swing as if the election is this November. It reminds me of how well the Klobuchar campaign was run.

Tech
Al's website says enough. The interactive map is a breakthrough. J.D. has Al talking to voters via YouTube. They understand the power of personalized communication that YouTube provides. Furthermore, they understand the power of the netroots. They've worked hard to have a presence in all the right places, because they understand that the combined power of the netroots will generate upwards of a million dollars in donations they might not otherwise get and more volunteers they might not have otherwise had. Despite my objections to the lack of transparency in the process by which Blue Majority/Act Blue endorsed the Franken campaign, it shows that they have not just worked hard, but have worked smart.

Volunteers
With the unpopularity of the occupation of Iraq, DFLers hate for Norm Coleman, Al's celebrity status and the campaigns excellent organization, they've been putting volunteers to work all over the state since April. They estimated that they had 4500 in June and I think its probably safe to say they have 5000 now. And there's still 14 months to go. The size of the volunteer pool indicates the strength of this campaign. It seems clearly to be a grassroots campaign.

Endorsements
The unions are lining up behind Al, the netroots are beginning to (see the bruhaha concerning the Blue Majority/Act Blue endorsement here and here) and politicians from all across the state are endorsing Al. I've listed them as of 8/26 in the comparison chart below, otherwise, go to Al's endorsements page.

Negatives
As time passes, Al is addressing the questions about his candidacy and his issues. Since Norm has admitted to doing drugs during college when he was a anti-war activist, Al's drug use becomes a non-issue. Worries that Republicans can paint him as a spiteful, sarcastic comedian are diminishing as voters meet Al in person, through his website and via YouTube. Its becoming clear that Al will be a jovial and sardonic candidate. For many progressives, his initial support of the Iraq War is troubling, for the peace community its a deal killer. For those who are concerned about his electability, his campaigns strength and Norm's weakness is beginning to make that a moot issue.

Mike Ciresi

Mike is also a good candidate. My interview with him is here. He is a good speaker and has experience campaigning from his 2000 Senate campaign. He has fought for the rights of the unrepresented and the downtrodden. From woman permanently injured by the Dalkon Shield intrauterine contraceptive device to residents of Bhopal, India killed and injured by the negligent chemical leak by Union Carbide to defeating Big Tobacco in 1994.

Making up for a later start
He got a later start than Al. He probably would have started his campaign in a couple of weeks if Al hadn't entered the race so early. While he's trailed Al in many respects, his fundraising and endorsements are respectable. He raised $750,000 in Q2 despite only campaigning for half of the quarter. Obviously, we'll see what his Q3 fundraising was like in early September. I'll compare his endorsements to Al's later, but you'll see that politicians and community leaders are coming to his side.

Concerns
One thing that concerns me is how he answers questions. Take the gay marriage discussion on Almanac. When asked his position on it, Al said "Yes" that he was for it. Mike said:

I'm in favor of no discrimination in this country whatsoever. I am not in favor of imposing requirements on religious denominations.
(Jason's blogpost on mnblue: DFL U.S. Senate Candidates on Almanac)

The problem is this sounded like triangulation when I first heard it. Why not just say "I'm for civil unions" which seems to be where he stands? His later explanation helped a little, but seemed to complicate an issue which for the GLBT community is a highly charged and emotional issue. He sometimes has a tendency to answer in language approaching legalese. This sounded like an answer he'd practiced so he'd have it just right rather than an answer that people can easily understand. The danger for Mike is the GLBT community may turn out and volunteer for Al and not consider helping Mike. Whereas, Mike's history of supporting GLBT issues is what he should emphasize and not be quite so concerned about what the people who think homosexuality is a sin are going to think about him. These folks are unlikely to volunteer for him, let alone vote for him. On the other hand, the GLBT community may likely turn out strongly for Al if he continues answering this question this way.

Polling as well or better than Al
Mike's polling numbers indicate that he's doing just as well as Al when going head to head against Norm. This is important, because progressives cannot dismiss him because he's not legitimate. Actually, either he or Al would likely kick Norm's butt in November 2008.

Always against the war
Furthermore, Mike has always been against the Iraq War. Al was initially for it, but soon after began opposing it. For the peace community, Mike may be a better candidate. However, the peace community won't likely be drawn to Mike as Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer may still join the race. Even if Jack decides not to join in, the peace first folks may even consider this issue a tie, hold their noses and decide who they are supporting based upon other issues. Mike hasn't done anything to oppose the war like Jack has or like Al has once he was against it.

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer

As this race roars along, Jack falls further and further behind. Will Al have raised $2M in Q3? Will Mike have raised $1.5M in his first full quarter in the race? How will Jack compete with the organizing that Al and Mike have done since Jack began exploring joining the race?

Jack has a dedicated group of volunteers ready, willing and able. The peace community is very well organized and would leap in as soon as Jack joins the race. As for fundraising, Jack wouldn't need anywhere near the money that Al and Mike have generated ... it would be a strictly grassroots campaign. The question is would Jack be able to take advantage of technology like YouTube and the netroots? It may be too late for the netroots as the big guns in the lefty netroots have endorsed Al, but hopefully, Jack would take advantage of YouTube, MySpace and etc.

The question, and one which I'm sure Jack is pondering, is can he make an impact in this race? Are Al and Mike too far ahead? Here's what Jack said on July 19th when I interviewed him:

"I won't do it as symbolic," he responded. "I won't put my family through a campaign unless I thought I had a realistic chance. I won't do it just to pressure Al or Mike to change their positions. I want people to take a close look at what they are actually saying on the issues not at their fame or fundraising prowess."

So what is it about Al and Mike's positions that makes Jack want to run?

• They haven't taken strong enough positions against the Iraq War
• They do not recognize the fundamental issue with our healthcare crisis that the insurance companies are the root of the problem
• They do not recognize that we have 10 years at most to address global warming
• They do not talk about how poorly the economy is doing for average Minnesotans

The Issues

For we progressives, its the issues that matter. We want candidates who will champion the issues that matter. Ending the Iraq War, single payer universal healthcare, global warming, accountability and transparency in government, gay marriage, preserving a woman's right to choose, public transit, tax fairness are all issues that matter. So how do our two candidates and Jack stack up?

Just before the August congressional recess, Congress passed and Bush signed an expansion of the FISA wiretapping. The Bush administration now has an unparrelleled ability to listen in on conversations without any oversight. Oversight of the program will be done by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Department of National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell. The Democrat leadership caved and allowed this. Since the FISA expansion capitulation I wanted to know what the candidates' positions are.

Al Franken's position on the FISA expansion
The truth is that the FISA bill never should have been left until the last minute. Al would have tried to bring it up earlier to devote the proper amount of time to a thorough revision of the law. Al would have stood with the Democrats in Congress saying we'll skip August recess - we'll stay in DC and re-write this thing. But ultimately, if it came to the vote taken, he would have voted no. He just couldn’t support handing Alberto Gonzales more power.
Jess McIntosh, Communications Director

Mike Ciresi's statement on the FISA expansion
"I would have voted against the amendment to FISA for the following reasons: First, procedurally, in my judgement there was not ample time for thoughtful review and dissent before voting by the Senate. Second, substantively, it places almost unfettered discretion with the Bush Administration and limited review by the FISA Court under a very difficult standard - essentially, it eliminates effective review by the FISA Court. Finally, due to the Bush Administration's track record, I am reluctant to place such discretion with the Administration because of the threat of intrusion into the privacy of law abiding citizens. To conclude, the amendment should have been more carefully crafted."

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer on the FISA expansion
Failed to return my email. Oh well. My guess is he'd think its ludicrous.Jack got back to me:

The Democrat-led Congress recently caved in to President Bush by voting to significantly expand the government's authority to eavesdrop on the email messages and international phone calls of American citizens. The new law marks a dangerous expansion of potentially abusive government power without meaningful legal protections. Of great concern is the fact that the bill shifts the power to approve surveillance from a special intelligence court to the Attorney General who himself should be indicted for obstruction of justice. Further, the law gives immunity to companies that cooperate in the government's spying operations. The expansion of FISA does nothing to keep US citizens more secure while further eroding civil liberties. I fear that the expansion of FISA is another example of too many Democrats being unwilling to stand up to and counter a politics of fear.

Gas Tax

Al Franken is for the gas tax in Minnesota and leaves all options open when comes to a national gas tax.

Mike Ciresis is for it both locally and national. "Policies have consequences and the bridge collapse is a consequence of policy." "We're living of our grandparents investment in our infrastructure. We can't pass it [the cost of rebuilding and maintaining our infrastructure] off to our kids."

Here we go. Here is my comparison of the candidates on the issues.