Former Congressman Jim Oberstar's 1974 post-convention decision to challenge the DFL endorsed candidate Tony Perpich has been bandied about by both Tarryl Clark and Jeff Anderson as a means to justify their pre-convention primary campaigns in 2012. Yet history shows that the bitter and bloody Oberstar-Perpich contest of yesterday has virtually nothing in common with today's race between former City Councilor Jeff Anderson of Duluth, former State Senator Tarryl Clark of St Cloud and former Congressman Rick Nolan of Crosby.
In 1974, several candidates emerged to seek the Democratic-Farmer-Labor endorsement to succeed the retiring Congressman John Blatnik, chairman of the powerful Public Works Committee. Unlike today, there was no clear front-runner for the endorsement leading up to the 8th district convention in Grand Rapids and there were fundamental differences between some of the candidates. The major contest proved to be between long-time Blatnik aide Jim Oberstar and State Senator Tony Perpich, both of whom represented factions of the DFL in northeastern Minnesota that were frequently at war with each other. The convention itself proved to be long and contentious even by 8th district standards. Indeed, the moniker of the Fighting Eighth proved well deserved as Oberstar and Perpich forces engaged in a political fire fight that lasted into the next day. The convention was basically deadlocked, but after 31 ballots Tony Perpich finally emerged as the endorsed candidate from a bitterly divided DFL convention. The margin of victory: 1 vote.
Clearly, the delegates could not agree on the issues and the party remained hopelessly split between the two candidates. A situation like that is exactly why the DFL allows for primaries. A primary is a difficult process by which the DFL resolves serious differences and should be used only in those rare circumstances where a clear consensus cannot be reached. It is not meant to be used for personal gain or convenience. When an endorsement goes over 30 ballots, one can reasonably argue that the people should decide, and in 1974 they did just that.
The circumstances surrounding the 2012 endorsement race between Jeff Anderson, Tarryl Clark and Rick Nolan are not the same as the race in 1974 between Jim Oberstar and Tony Perpich. This year there is a clear front runner for the endorsement, there are no fundamental differences between the candidates and the intra-party war is long over. More importantly, Oberstar did not decide to force a primary before the convention as Clark has and Anderson has hinted. After battling Tony Perpich for over 30 ballots, Jim Oberstar had a legitimate right to challenge him in the primary. If Anderson and Clark are such poor students of our political history that they can't see the difference, they have no business representing this district in the Congress.
Furthermore, despite the extraordinary circumstances in 1974, the post-convention decision to go to the primary was not made lightly. Oberstar had serious fundamental differences with Perpich that he and his legion of supporters felt were important enough to warrant what all knew would be a bloody primary. It certainly was not done to further the career ambitions of Jim Oberstar or to boost his ego.
It was about the common good.
There is absolutely no legitimate reason for a primary in this race, and to compare the two is an insult to Jim Oberstar and to those who fought that bloody battle with him. Nobody, and I mean nobody, emerged from that war unscathed and I doubt any who were there at the time desire to go through that torturous process again without darn good cause. I know I don't.
I also know that if we engage in a similarly divisive battle today, it will be very difficult to unite in time to win the general election. In the 8th district of 1974, the DFL primary was, for all intents and purposes, the general election. But the politics and voters of today are different. The 8th district of 2012 is much more conservative and no longer a DFL stronghold, and we are tasked with unseating a slick Republican incumbent who demonstrated a strong get-out-the-vote organization during the last election. We can't afford to have democrats sitting out yet another election because they are disaffected after a bitter primary fight. And history tells us this is a likely outcome; to the best of my knowledge, no DFL candidate for the US House in Minnesota has ever defeated an incumbent Republican after first fighting their way through a primary.
Jeff Anderson and Tarryl Clark certainly have a right to run in a primary, but having the right to do so does not make it the right decision or a good decision or a smart decision.
It just makes for a very good day in November for Chip Cravaack.
Fri Jun 08, 2012 at 7:23 AM PT: In May, former Congressman Nolan handily won a first ballot endorsement by an impressive 76% to former City Councilor Jeff Anderson's mere 10%. Former State Senator Tarryl Clark of St Cloud received 0%, finishing behind no endorsement (12%) and undecided (.01%).