Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer for Senate

I've seen all the candidates.

I chatted with Al Franken in Monticello at the VFW. Spoke to Frannie in Biscay and Darwin.

Spent some great time with Mike Ciresi in Monticello and Otsego. Spoke to one of his sons in Biscay and Darwin as well.

Talked with Jim Cohen in Otsego, Biscay and Darwin, as well as sitting with him at the Founder's Day dinner in St Paul.

I'd been leaning Mike Ciresi for quite some time. I really like Mike. I think he would make a great US Senator.

I have reservations about Al Franken and simply put, can't support Jim Cohen.

I'm a liberal.

I'm a liberal who was proud of the work of Paul Wellstone. I believe in "Stand Up, Keep Fighting!"

Bluewoman and I first met Jack at the CD 6 Garden Party in Otsego this summer. He had not officially announced his candidacy yet, but we both walked away pretty impressed with Jack.

We checked out the other candidates as they came through the area. Neither of us felt a strong connection to Franken or Cohen, although we both know they would be a vast improvement over Senator Oversight, Norm Coleman.

And while Ciresi connected with me, Jack connected with both Bluewoman and I. After meeting us in Otsego, he remembered who we were quite some time later in Biscay, for the McLeod County Hog Roast fundraiser.

I brought back memories of my meetings with Paul Wellstone, powerful meetings that have formed my political identity.

Jack does that for me. While he is not the favorite in this race, neither was Paul Wellstone, he is better aligned with what I stand for as a liberal, socially progressive Democrat.

He does not support NAFTA nor CAFTA.

Like another candidate I strongly support, Bob Olson, he has strong positions on the environment and sustainable / renewable energy.

He understands the tragedy that has become the Iraq War.

It's much deeper than issues though. A recent story in Labor World says it more eloquently than Blueman ever could.

The second reason I am supporting Jack is deeply personal. I, like many folks, still consider this seat Paul’s seat. And I, like many, want to defeat Norm Coleman so badly I can taste it. Maybe Al or Mike can win. And if either of them do win, they will cast a decent vote, most of the time. But for me, it is not enough to settle for just a decent vote in Paul Wellstone’s seat. I want more than a vote – I want a voice that speaks out, is never silenced, and is always courageous, always pushing for what is necessary and in doing so is redefining what is possible. That’s what Paul did so eloquently and effectively. There will be compromises, of course. That is simply part of getting things done. But like Paul Wellstone, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer will never sacrifice his principles, or his ideals.

Can Jack ultimately win? I don’t know. I gave up predicting that a long time ago. Paul and Jesse Ventura were never supposed to win and they did. Few would have predicted that Skip Humphrey – the most popular Attorney General in Minnesota history – would come in a distant third. What I do know is that Jack offers a true difference and a real choice of authentic and principled leadership, and we desperately need that in Washington now more than ever.

Authentic and principled leadership.

That's why I support Bob Olson.

That's why I support Ashwin Madia.

And that is why both Bluewoman and I support Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer.