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On party differences(Letter published in the Midway Como Monitor, September, 2006.) September 1, 2006 Dear Editor: Thank you for the excellent article about David Schultz, our own “local guru” on politics and civility. While I agree with almost all of his comments, I do have to point out a difference between the Democrat and Republican parties in Minnesota. Schultz said you can’t be conservative or pro-life in the DFL anymore, or pro-choice and moderate in the Republican party. He’s right about the extremists chasing out moderates in the Minnesota GOP, but I believe the Minnesota DFL is still a “big tent.” I was one of the liberal, pro-choice, urban senators who organized behind the scenes to elect our new leader, Senator Dean Johnson, a pro-life Lutheran pastor and National Guard general who used to be a Republican and represents a conservative rural area of Minnesota. While our DFL Senators have deeply held differences on emotional and divisive issues like abortion, guns, same-sex marriage, and environmental regulation, our Senate DFL caucus has stood together with Senator Johnson. The reason we have navigated those difficult waters successfully is that as Democrats we share key values: economic and social justice, hope and opportunity for all, and belief that government can help all of us achieve our best potential together as a community that cares for one another. Therefore, we focus on education, jobs, health care, transportation and a clean and safe environment rather than fighting over divisive social issues. If we could focus on those core functions of government that would help Minnesota have a brighter future, I think civility would return to our politics. Sincerely,
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