Dueling House Parties

Dueling House Parties

The real battlefields of the DFL endorsing contest to run against GOP U.S. Senator Norm Coleman are being held in the living rooms of DFL activist homes. In PIM’s view, this is a good process: Democrats have the opportunity to judge the candidates up close and personal. We sent Pam Steinle to the front lines, armed with PIM business cards and escorted by her DFL-leaning cousin, Renee Mueller Steinle.
What follows are Pam’s observations (not to be confused with scientific
comparisons), nonetheless from anecdotal reports we’ve heard elsewhere,
she is right on target.

I, a Republican armed with my Politics in Minnesota
business cards, rode alongside my undecided cousin, Renee, into
delegate hunting grounds. Renee had been conveniently invited to both a
Franken and Ciresi meet and greet event, which were
located in her neighborhood and a mere week apart. She cleared my
presence at both events with the reception hosts: Franken’s December 6
event, hosted by Roann Cramer and David Zimmerman, which was specifically designated as a meet and greet event; and Ciresi’s December 12 reception, hosted by Laurie and Phil Seiff and Kathy and Vince Moccio, that strongly encouraged campaign donations on the invitation.

Round 1: Al Franken

Renee was invited to Franken’s event via a
casual, verbal invitation from Cramer accompanied by a flyer. We
entered the South Minneapolis home (once owned by Floyd B. Olson)
and were amazed to see about 250 casually-dressed people crammed into
the living room wing, as well as the dining room/kitchen room wing. The
food table appeared to be a potluck of sorts, with a hand-written sign
designated "No Pork" sandwiches, an array of crackers and spreads, as
well as cookies and fudge. The drink table had a variety of wines and
mixers, including a random container of prune juice (we asked
ourselves, do you drink this straight or is it a mixer?). A stage was
set at the intersection of the two rooms, complete with a sound system,
and Franken even brought along a small step-stool to make himself more
visible to the throng. Minneapolis City Council member Betsy Hodges (Ward 13) introduced Franken as a man who was