Mark Dayton speaks to Drinking Liberally

Drinking Liberally is a group that meets every Thursday evening at the 331 bar in NE Minneapolis.  Periodically they have a politician come in to speak to the group and answer questions.  This is a very thoughtful group.  Last night one of the questions for Mark Dayton was, why did he not seek the DFL endorsement, and isn’t this a slap in the face to the DFL, if he wins the primary?”

Dayton said he believes the primary is more democratic and open to more people rather than the few who participate in the convention process.  He feels the endorsement should simply be a recommendation by the party, but not  a requirement that the rest of the people have to abide by the decision.

I have to agree that the more people who get involved with selecting our leaders, the better.  The time and financial commitment to becoming a delegate to state is not something most people are willing or able to do.    An open primary where everyone has the opportunity to cast a vote for their choice does seem most fair in my opinion.   Even at that, it is predicted that only 15-20% of the population will be voting in this primary for this very important election.

Too bad we don’t have instant run off voting.  Jay Weiner reported in Minnpost today that Mark Ritchie is making preparations in case there needs to be a recount.  I’m glad he’s going to be prepared.  The large majority of people I’ve talked to who are planning to vote are still undecided, but being very thoughtful about their choice.  That is the good news.  The bad news,  many people I talked with say they have not paid attention and most likely would not be voting in the primary.

More on my Gov blog here.