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Saturday March 24, 2012.

The Senate District 63 DFL Convention had 102 resolutions to vote on. The 60 getting the most "yes" votes would be forwarded to the state convention. There were a few I didn't vote on; either because I didn't know enough to have an opinion, or because I wanted a third option. Most of the rest, I voted "yes" on.

Some I voted "no" on:
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Saturday March 24, 2012 Politics is a form of magic.

This is most obvious in Charles Fourier's writings: when government has been completely organized into phalanxes, the oceans will turn to lemonade and carnivores will give up eating meat. (Some of his other ideas were stranger.) But it's common for political activists and thinkers to believe that if the proper rituals are followed, the results are certain. Pass the right law, and the problem is solved; hold demonstrations, and public sentiment will change.

Today I was a delegate to a ritual: the Senate District 63 DFL Convention. [DFL: Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party; a merger of Minnesota's Democratic and Farmer-Labor parties.] It was held at Roosevelt High School -- named after Republican President Teddy Roosevelt.

As I signed in, I asked if I needed a photo ID. Answer: laugh, "Not yet."

(The MN GOP wants photo IDs required for voting. Each party believes a majority of those entitled to vote support it. When the results don't agree, Republicans think it's because there's rampant voter fraud. Democrats are certain it's because eligible voters are unfairly discouraged or disenfranchised.)
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