Health care prominent in DFL caucus; turnout more than double that of GOP
The caucus — it’s one of the first steps in building the planks of a political platform and sets the framework for the party’s grassroots organization.
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party caucus resolutions were formatted Tuesday in Koochiching County, according to the party’s county chairman Joe Boyle.
At least 59 people attended DFL precinct caucuses held at the Rainy River Community College in International Falls and other locations in Northome, Big Falls, Littlefork and Birchdale.
“We had good attendance at the various sites,” Boyle said. “But you never get the same voter turnout as you do during presidential races.”
Delegates were chosen for the DFL county convention which is scheduled for noon, March 7, at Rainy River Community College. The county convention will send delegates to the Eighth Congressional District convention, and the DFL 2010 State Convention to be held April 23-25 in Duluth.
Those who attended Tuesday cast their gubernatorial preferences in a straw poll. The results are as follows:
Rep. Tom Rukavina of Virginia, Minn., 23 votes; Sen. Tom Bakk of Cook, 14 votes; Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher of the Twin Cities, seven votes; and remaining votes divided among Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, Sen. John Marty and former House DFL leader Matt Entenza.
“There are strong characters evolving from northern Minnesota,” Boyle said.
Statewide, Rybak had the strongest showing with 21.76 percent of the DFL caucus preference. Rukavina garnered 7.18 percent; Bakk, 6.28 percent; Kelliher, 20.05 percent; Entenza, 6.81 percent; and Marty, 9.57 percent. For a complete list of the results, see http://caucusresults.sos.state.mn.us.
Health care reform, which remains prominent in the nation’s politics, also took a front seat at the local DFL caucus level, Boyle said.
“I debated health care in the fifth grade,” Boyle said, adding that it was a time when there was no health insurance for the elderly. “And that issue (health care) is just as important today as it was then. The good news is that since the fifth grade, there is Medicare for senior citizens and people that are disabled,” Boyle continued.
“The bad news is that many working people, whether they be store owners on main street or carpenters — all have the difficulty of trying to protect their families on fundamental health care.”
Boyle talked about local people, who after working a lifetime, continue to work into the golden years because they can’t buy health insurance. He cited what he explained is a distortion of health care where the uninsured forego preventative and maintenance health care to end up dying in emergency rooms because it is one place where medical care can’t be denied.
For those who are against social medicine, Boyle says that Medicare, by definition, is social medicine. “Anyone think Medicare isn’t necessary?” Boyle questioned.
“I commend the president for fighting to make changes. It’s sad that the insurance companies pushed the Republicans to oppose health care and they can afford to pay for simplistic ads that end up without a much-needed reform to our health care system,” Boyle said. “... The people who own the insurance companies benefit from the people’s fundamental needs.”
Other local DFL resolutions made Tuesday include: opposition to large corporations funding candidates elections; opposition to "free trade" unless uniform minimum standards are imposed; opposition to using funds from the environmental sales tax for the Department of Natural Resources rather than increasing resident license fees; support for special teachers rights to report to better serve their students; prevention of reducing health and dental care for people with disabilities; and opposition of full funding of "for profit" educational institutions.
