Ellison Takes DFL 5th, Erlandson Concedes (be 1st Muslim in Congress)

[keopeli]

AP) Minneapolis State lawmaker Keith Ellison took a decisive step toward becoming the first Muslim in Congress Tuesday, winning a hotly contested Democratic primary for a seat long dominated by his party.

link to wcco.com

[Auntie Bush]

1. Good for him! That's how to bring people together, improve relations,

promote understanding and smooth a few feathers.

If he wins in Nov. I bet the good news would reach foreign Muslim nations.

[w4rma]

2. Sounds good if he can win the general election. How does he look for

the general?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. The district is staunchly DFL

My precinct went 80-20 for Kerry. The only precinct in Minneapolis where Kerry didn't win was one where most of the inhabitants are students at a fundie Bible college. :-)

[KingFlorez]

4. Good news

I'm glad he won the primary, we need more diversity in Congress. I bet the Freepers are screaming at the tops of their lungs.

[goodhue]

5. Go Keith Go!

He left Mike and Ember in the dust. This race was a big deal and Keith's victory is great news for the progressive peace and justice movement. He is a shoe-in in November.

[zbdent]

6. Watch the Reich-wingers try to institute the "Christian" rule

claiming that this guy will be trying to do a suicide attack on Congress ...

[wellst0nev0ter]

7. Glad The Voters Saw Past The Smear Campaign

it was unbelievable, coming from the broadcasters, the Star Tribune who BTW get all their information from the local conservative bloggers. And it was all about goddamn parking tickets and late campaign finance filings. And the Star Tribune used that as their excuse to endorse Mike Erlandson over DFL-endorsed Ellison. I hope the crow tastes bitter in the craw of those scumbags.

[goodhue]

8. The MN Daily has the best account I've seen . . .

They manage to report yesterday's victory without mentioning the nation of islam or parking tickets.

http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2006/09/13/68937

September 13, 2006

Eelections 2006

Keith Ellison wins Dem. primary

By Conrad Wilson, Charley Bruce

State Rep. Keith Ellison won the 5th District Democratic primary Tuesday. His victory could bring the first black representative from Minnesota to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Muslim to Congress.

Jim Leinfelder, communications director for Ellison, said "buoyant euphoria" lofted through the room after announcement of the win.

"I've been to a lot of events like this and it's hard to remember anything like this since (Sen. Paul) Wellstone's first victory," he said.

* * *

As Ellison accepted his victory, he said, "Peace must be the guiding principle of our nation."
"We knew that you can win an election by going positive and staying positive," Ellison said.

He said a caring nation provides for all its people.

"We don't let nobody break us apart, we accept you as you are," he said.

* * *

http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2006/09/13/68937

[CollegeDUer]

9. Go Minnesota!

[goodhue]

10. victory party video

http://blip.tv/file/73328

[dpbrown]

11. Keith will be a great asset

A real progressive is going to get elected to Congress.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

12. I hope Speaker Pelosi gives him a seat right in front of the podium, where

he can stare down the extremist pols who fulminate against "Islamic fascism".

[MH1]

13. Just curious - What's his record on women's rights? nt

[Hatalles]

14. He is pro-choice, if that's what you're getting at.

http://www.keithellison.org/issues-choice.htm

[MH1]

15. That wasn't what I meant, but the link is helpful.

He does seem to have solid progressive views, and I would support him based on that information, if it isn't contradicted by credible sources.

My real question - Has he - or his mosque - ever spoken out vehemently against the abuse of women in many areas of the Islamic world? The abuse of women in Islam seems to me far broader than other major religions - some fundamentalist Christians are pretty awful, but they are fringe groups and I don't believe they go to such extremes as is allowed in many Muslim areas. My point is that I wonder if he has stood up on this issue, or has remained silent.

Of course he seems to be better than a republican and even if he has remained silent about a great evil widely perpetrated in the name of his religion, I would still support him over the republican. I am all for diversity, and I struggle with this "stereotype" of Islam that I am all too aware that I carry - but at what point can a trait of a significant membership of a group stop being written off as a "stereotype", and become a fair question? I think the abuse of women in Islam is common enough and held by so many to be part of Islamic "law", that it crosses that line. So I question. I hope the answer is what I want to hear, and that Ellison represents a branch of Islam that will rapidly gain ground on the uglier version of it that we hear so much about.

[wellst0nev0ter]

16. Ed Shultz Pisses Me Off

He asked Keith yesterday if he would have any problem working with Jews in the US Congress. What the hell kind of question is that? If he's the type of "progressive" we supposedly have on our side, then I give up.
Thankfully Ellison answered diplomatically and pointed out he was endorsed by the city's largest Jewish newspaper, but still what a mouthbreather.

http://audio.wegoted.com/podcasting/91306EllisonKeith.mp3