[Marxism] A Muslim Candidate's Run for Congress

[Walter Lippmann]

Would like to hear from someone in Minnesota about this candidate. 

NPR's report was amazingly unhostile FROM NPR. Unlike most Democrats,
Keith Ellison is said to call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq. 
Yesterday I saw the movie DIXIE CHICKS: SHUT UP AND SING, a brand-
new documentary depicting the lives of the female country-western
singing group which wouldn't knuckle under to a rightist-mobilized
hate campaign against them for their opposition to the Iraq war. 
It seems their success may be a reflection of further sentiments in
opposition to the war. Lots can happen in the few days between now
and the November 7 election, of course. Knowing what was done by 
rightist elements to knock Cynthia McKinney out of Congress twice,
nothing would surprise me were it pulled out to prevent someone 
with a similar approach to enter Congress from what might be seen
as an even MORE heartland segment of these United States of America.

Having little confidence in opinion polls, expecially when they tell
me what I want to hear (say, in Venezuela), it is clear to me now 
that a profound groundswell of opposition to the Iraq war is being
felt throughout the land. Many of the most prominent Democrats are
doing what they can to de-rail this. Kerry called in a major WSJ
editorial for five thousand MORE troops to be sent to Afghanistan,
for example. This seems to be the dominant trend among Democrats.
But as these reports indicate, there are a few other individuals in
the same league as Cynthia McKinney, and this guy seems like that.

ABOUT THOSE DIXIE CHICKS:
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/pipermail/marxism/2006-October/005454.html


Walter Lippmann
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Election 2006
A Muslim Candidate's Run for Congress

Listen to this story... by Tom Scheck 

All Things Considered, September 1, 2006 . Minnesota Democrats have 
endorsed an African-American Muslim to succeed Rep. Martin Sabo. 
Keith Ellison, a state lawmaker, defense attorney, and activist, 
would be the first African-American congressman in Minnesota history.

But there are some skeletons in his closet. In particular, he worked 
with the Nation of Islam in the mid-1990s. Tom Scheck of Minnesota 
Public Radio reports.

LISTEN TO FOUR-MINUTE LONG NPR REPORT:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5751618

Commentary
A Muslim in Congress?

Listen to this story... by Robin Washington 

News & Notes, October 10, 2006 . Keith Ellison's victory in the 
Democratic primary for a Minnesota Congressional seat sets up the 
strong possibility that he will be the first Muslim in Congress. 
He is likely to face many challenges. Commentator Robin Washington 
is the editorial page editor for 'The Duluth News Tribune'.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6230684

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The Wall Street Journal   	    	
October 30, 2006

In Minnesota,
'Everyman' on the Ballot
Political Novice Battles Republican Incumbent,
With Iraq and Immigration at Forefront
By DAVID ROGERS
October 30, 2006; Page A4

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- If there is one House race that captures the
struggle between Republican power in Congress and a grass-roots
demand for change, it is here in Minnesota's First District.

Twelve-year incumbent Rep. Gil Gutknecht is a political survivor and
force for the dairy industry as a senior member of the House
Agriculture Committee. But in a district President Bush carried
twice, the Republican Party and corporate allies are spending heavily
to fend off Democrat Tim Walz, a high-school teacher and political
newcomer.

Three possible 2008 presidential contenders -- Republican Sen. John
McCain and Democratic Sens. John Kerry and Barack Obama -- are all
due here this week. Mr. McCain's appearance, which his camp says is
to help re-elect Gov. Tim Pawlenty, not Mr. Gutknecht per se, touches
a nerve since Mr. Walz -- a retired National Guard master sergeant --
is a fellow veteran and has been attacked by Mr. Gutknecht for
supporting immigration policies akin to the Arizona senator's.

"It's been, 'Holy smokes, the First District can elect a guy who woke
up one morning and said let's change this country and let's do this
together,' " Mr. Walz laughs.

The heart of his campaign is just that: Everyman running for
Congress. With his former National Guard artillery unit deployed in
Iraq, Mr. Walz emphasizes the need for change in the war's strategy.
But most of all, given the House's low standing in opinion polls and
voter anxiety about America losing its way, he sees his candidacy as
a wake-up call for Congress and the nation.

"When you wake up Nov. 8, it can be a brand new world," he told
supporters last week in Owatonna. "It's not vindictiveness. It's not
us saying all our Republican neighbors are wrong. It's us saying this
Congress is broken. This rubber-stamp Congress is not giving this
country the ability to move forward and compromise.

"If you know how good we are going to feel, picture for a moment how
the rest of the world is going to feel. When they wake up Nov. 8,
they're going to look and say, 'The Americans are back.' "

Up and down the ballot, Minnesota is a battleground this fall with a
Senate seat and the governor's mansion also up for grabs. Early in
the nominating process during the spring, Mr. Walz -- who bears a
resemblance to another high-school teacher and coach: House Speaker
Dennis Hastert of Illinois -- showed promise but was overlooked
nationally because of his lack of political experience. He and his
fellow Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidates are their own cast of
characters, less a political party than a repertory company for
modern America.

The DFL's field includes a black Muslim; a former Federal Bureau of
Investigation agent who was an early outspoken critic of the agency's
9/11 performance; and a child-safety advocate whose son was abducted
years ago. But just as the party is seeking change in Washington, it
is also struggling to deal with change among its own ranks.

Women and minorities have demanded more of a voice. The retirement of
Rep. Martin Sabo, a Democrat, has forced the Fifth District -- made
up primarily of Minneapolis and close-in suburbs -- to confront how
much it has changed from the working-class neighborhoods that first
sent Mr. Sabo to Congress 28 years ago.

Keith Ellison, an antiwar state legislator who would be the first
Muslim ever in Congress, won the primary last month with the help of
a relatively new Somalian immigrant population. Supporters praise the
young African-American attorney as a new voice for the party, but 
Mr. Ellison's history of parking tickets and tax liens have caused his
candidacy to divide longtime allies such as former Vice President
Walter Mondale and Mr. Sabo.

The Fifth District is more gentrified but still Democratic. Mr.
Mondale says it has changed significantly, "and Keith is part of that
change and he will be a good congressman." But Mr. Sabo, whose
favored candidate lost in the primary, hasn't made any endorsement.
Instead, he has permitted his photograph to be used in campaign
literature for independent candidate Tammy Lee, who hopes for an
upset and is drawing support from disaffected Democrats as well as
conservative bloggers who feel Republican Alan Fine has no chance.

"I'm the palatable alternative to Keith Ellison," says Ms. Lee. 
"He has a lot of baggage. ... You have a lot of Democrats, lifelong
Democrats, who are very uncomfortable sending Keith Ellison to
Washington."

Mr. Ellison says of his critics: "When I'm talking about health care
and getting out of the war, they are talking about me. The image
that's being created is Keith's careless. Maybe I have been careless
and I am wrong for it. The voters will decide if I am too careless to
go to Congress."

Minnesota's Sixth District, which stretches from the Twin Cities
suburbs to St. Cloud, is another open seat -- held by a Republican.
Both parties rejected more moderate nominees last spring, and the
result has been a nasty, costly contest that has largely eclipsed
others in the state.

Democrat Patty Wetterling is proving more resilient than Republicans
expected against state Sen. Michelle Bachmann. In recent days, the
St. Cloud Times and a suburban newspaper chain, both of which opposed
her candidacy two years ago, have endorsed Ms. Wetterling, and polls
show a tight race in a district Mr. Bush won with 57% of the vote in
2004.

In the First District, both national parties have entered the fray's
home stretch with attack ads focused on the race's top issues:
immigration and the war in Iraq. Labor unions are helping Mr. Walz;
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and first lady Laura Bush made
back-to-back appearances with Mr. Gutknecht, and, led by agribusiness
interests, political action committees have contributed almost
$200,000 into the contest since Labor Day.

In an interview during the spring, Mr. Gutknecht played down the
political threat posed by the war. But after traveling to Baghdad
this summer, he began expressing doubts about the direction of U.S.
policy. "The American people are incredibly patient, but their
patience is almost at the end," he says.

The congressman faults the Mark Foley page scandal for a drop in his
own polls during the first week of October, but says he has
recovered. The first lady puts "more of a human face" on the
administration and, he says, will help him reach out to swing voters.
"They don't wake up in the morning angry at George Bush," he says.
"They wake up frustrated and ask themselves, are we doing the right
thing?"

Mr. Walz began running a new Iraq war TV ad last week, showing him
standing before empty football bleachers intended to represent the
number of dead U.S. troops, now approaching 3,000. "Serving right now
are kids I taught, coached and trained to be soldiers," he says to
the camera. "They deserve a plan for Iraq to govern itself so they
can come home."

To blunt the war issue, Republicans have attacked Mr. Walz on illegal
immigration. The challenger has proposed that undocumented workers be
put on a path toward earned citizenship, but only if they first
return to their native country and legally re-enter the U.S.

This is a position akin to one championed by prominent House
conservative Rep. Mike Pence (R., Ind.) and to the right of Mr.
McCain, but Republicans are spending heavily on spots accusing Mr.
Walz of supporting a sweeping amnesty.

Mr. Walz says he hopes voters will see the attacks as another aspect
of Washington they want changed.