DFLers celebrate as Dayton nominated for second term

DULUTH - Four years after his party denied Mark Dayton access to its state convention floor in Duluth, DFL delegates welcomed him to the same floor Saturday with a riotous celebration.
“This is a great time to be a Democrat in Minnesota,” the first-term governor told a pumped-up crowd of 1,200 delegates in the old arena at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center after accepting their unanimous endorsement. “Aren’t you proud to be a DFLer? I sure am.”
With the governor’s seat open in 2010, Dayton chose to bypass the endorsement process and take his case to Democratic voters in the primary. Then, he was left to chatting with convention delegates and reporters in the DECC’s hallways. The party endorsed Margaret Anderson Kelliher, but Dayton had the last laugh, sweeping to victories in the primary and general elections.
Dayton’s first two years in office were challenging because of Republican obstructionism, he told the party faithful, boasting that he vetoed 57 GOP-sponsored bills.
But after voters gave control to the DFL two years ago, “We produced what I had promised: progress,” Dayton said.
He cited improvements to early childhood education, all-day kindergarten, a two-year tuition freeze in the state’s public colleges and universities, marriage equality, the $9.50 minimum wage indexed to inflation, anti-bullying legislation, higher income taxes on the top 2 percent and “Republican deficits turned into DFL surpluses” as among their accomplishments.
“That’s a pretty good beginning,” Dayton said.
Then Dayton turned to Republicans, who were in Rochester deciding who to endorse to run against him.
“Republicans’ problem is that they’re against everything,” Dayton said. “They have a one-word political vocabulary: No. … And, oh, how it upsets them to see Minnesota get better. Well, they’re going to have a lot more to get upset about.”
Franken endorsed
With only the endorsement for secretary of state in contention and a potentially fractious platform debate on mining mostly put off until the next day, Saturday was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor “love fest,” in the words of delegate Wayne Pulford of Proctor.
They were in such good spirits that in the midst of unanimously endorsing Sen. Al Franken for re-election, they didn’t mind poking fun at his narrow win - determined by a recount - over then-Sen. Norm Coleman in 2008.
“Driving up here from Minneapolis, there were more people in Tobie’s than Al’s margin of victory,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar joked, referring to the popular diner in Hinckley. After a little more teasing, she gave Franken a glowing introduction.
Franken responded that he had promised DFL delegates six years ago that he would win, “and I did. I just didn’t say by how much. … This time I’ll even tell you the margin: by more than last time.”
Franken said that he, unlike a Republican senator, would represent the middle class, not the wealthiest Americans. As an example, he cited his opposition to the proposed merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable, saying it would give Americans fewer choices, poorer service and higher rates.
Comcast, he said, has 114 lobbyists in Washington, and he understands it’s their job to protect their company’s bottom line. But, he added: “Minnesota families have a bottom line, too, and protecting their bottom line - that’s my job.”
Mining resolution
If there was a shadow over the festivities, it was cast by the festering dispute over a proposed resolution to change the party platform, declaring the DFL to be supportive of “responsible mining.” The Duluth News Tribune reported Saturday that some delegates see that as coming too close to endorsing potential copper mining in northeastern Minnesota.
Pulford said he already had turned in his ballot, marked in favor of the resolution.
But he said he wouldn’t be overly concerned if the resolution were voted down.
“If there’s no resolution either way, the party’s neutral on it,” Pulford said. “That might actually be the best thing.”