DFL feminist leader resigns over Franken
Mari Urness Pokornowski, of Cokato, president of the Board of Directors of the DFL Feminist Caucus, resigned Saturday because of the group’s endorsement of Al Franken over his opponent in the Democrat’s nomination battle in the U.S. Senate race.
Pokornowski was not immediately available Sunday morning.
Jackie Stevenson, 73, political director of the DFL Feminist Caucus, helped recruit Pokornowski to run for head of the feminist caucus and describes her as a close friend, said she is disappointed that Pokornowski has resigned but isn’t sure yet why.
“It all started with the Franken thing and some things that were said, but I don’t know exactly why and don’t want to say more until I get a chance to talk with Mari,” said Stevenson, who joined the feminist caucus not long after it started in 1973.
On Saturday afternoon, the caucus endorsed Franken with 72 percent support in a surprisingly tough nomination battle with college professor Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer made much more difficult by negative publicity Franken got for past satiric writings that included “jokes” about rape, violence toward women and bestiality.
Republicans say they will try to make Franken and his personality the focus of the campaign against incumbent GOP U.S. Senator Norm Coleman.
In a press release announcing the endorsement, Stevenson said, “Al very strongly demonstrated an understanding of our issues and we know he’ll represent us in Washington.”
There’s no doubt that Pokornowski has had a tough week as head of the caucus.
After U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill, became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president after a bruising battle with U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-NY, Koryne Horbal, 71, who founded the DFL Feminist Caucus, said she would not support Obama and wanted to organize a write-in campaign for Clinton.
Pokornowski was forced to issue a press release distancing her group from its founder’s actions. “It was as much of a surprise to us as it was to you,” the press release said in part.
On its website, the feminist caucus says it works “to bring about change by electing progressive legislators.
“Our members and supported legislators have been responsible for progressive legislation including bettered women's programs, sexual assault programs, displaced homemaker programs, child health care, anti stalking legislation, among others.
Morning Reports
Obama and Franken
I don't think the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party could have picked a more worthless duo to support for President and United States Senate going into this important election.
Obama talks about "change;" but, he has never defined or articulated what kind of change he wants.
Franken talks about "standing up" for us when he has never stood up for anything in his life.
It is pathetic that the MN DFL refuses to take a stand in support of saving the St. Paul Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant, while Coleman, the Democrat turned Republican, has picked up on the tremendous popular support to save this plant and the hundreds of jobs provided all of which, like the hydro dam providing free, clean, green energy to power the operation, has been subsidized by tax-payers who, like Ford workers, have been frozen out of the decision-making process as Ford goes in quest of "greener" pastures... money green.
Talk about women's rights. Thousands of women, many of child-bearing age, go to work in smoke-filled casinos at poverty wages and without any rights under state or federal labor laws. The MN Democratic-Farmer Labor Party and its so-called "Feminist Caucus" which represents women to the same extent that Ray Waldron and the Minnesota AFL-CIO represents workers, have never lifted a finger or raised their voice to insist that this injustice come to an end.
Koryne Horbal states she will not support Obama... good for her for standing up for something. But, I wouldn't bother walking across the street to vote for Obama, Clinton or Al Franken... not because of some arrogant, pathetic, obnoxious drivel he wrote in Playboy Magazine, but because, like Clinton and Obama he doesn't have the political or moral courage to "stand up" for anything.
The time has come for the Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party to once again go their separate ways... the Democratic Party to its corrupt and stand-for-nothing ways... and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party needs to get back to its working class, socialist roots best exemplified by the "Red" Finns of the Iron Range who weren't afraid to stand up to the mining bosses and the bankers.
For now, I'm going to be voting for the best Democrat running for President--- Cynthia McKinney... a real progressive voice, for real progressive change, who has demonstrated the moral and political courage to "take a stand" for what is right; it is unfortunate she was driven out of the Democratic Party by political hacks and has to run on the Green Party ticket.
Betty Folliard may be concerned about a typo; if only she was as concerned about the plight of Minnesota's thirty-thousand casino workers, and as concerned about funding shelters for battered women as she is with a spelling error... however, quite typical for one who has supported the move by the MN DFL into nicely framed sound bites for television commercials while opposing bringing forward any real solutions to the many problems confronting working people--- with women getting battered the worst in every conceivable way, from being beat up to losing their homes to foreclosures to having their hearts broken as the merchants of death and destruction send their children off to fight an illegal, immoral and unjust war predicated on lies and deceit by the same oil barons who are gouging us at the pumps.
These Democrats can't even stand up for making the minimum wage a real living wage... again, women suffer the most.
In order for working people to "stand up" for real "change" we will have to organize powerful rank-and-file movements where ever we work and strong grassroots organizations in our communities. Then, like in the 1930's when this rotten capitalist system was on the skids to oblivion, just like it is now; we will have the power needed to win real change.
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/
Battered Women's Programs
Though women are always trying to better themselves, that last paragraph should probably read: battered women's programs. FYI.
BF