COMMUNITY VOICES | Video: MN Precinct Caucuses – Be heard on Feb 4

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Minnesota’s precinct caucuses will be held on Tuesday February 4.  I’m hoping you attend and nudge your friends to attend.  I have produced the accompanying Democratic Visions video to help.And I here share with you a portion of a January 18 letter-to-the editor of The Journal, a New Ulm, Minnesota newspaper.The letter is co-signed by the Brown County Chairs of the Republican and DFL Parties.  That would never happen in Senate District 48 (Eden Prairie/Southern Minnetonka).  The political culture here in the southwest suburbs may be trending blue, but right wing activists continue to dominate the local Republican Party and, given early PAC mail attacks on moderate, frosh Representative Yvonne Selcer (DFL, HD 48A), party lefties aren’t likely to co-author with the righties any love-notes about the democratic process. But its damn comforting to know that political party folk elsewhere in Minnesota are in tandem, making a good case for caucus attendance. “As leaders within our political parties in Brown County, we would like to personally encourage you to attend your precinct caucus on Tuesday, Feb. 4.The precinct caucus is a gathering of your friends, family, and neighbors to exercise your rights in the American political process. It is your first opportunity during an election year to talk about issues, learn about the candidates running for statewide and local office, make recommendations for changes in your party’s platform, and choose delegates to represent you at upcoming county conventions and beyond.You are welcome to express your opinions on important issues, or you can come just to listen and observe. The atmosphere is similar to that of a neighborhood town hall meeting where the exchange of ideas is encouraged and all participants are treated with fairness and respect, regardless of whether you are expressing your opinion or just listening to others.The caucus system in Minnesota is a unique system in the United States, where ordinary citizens have the opportunity to participate not only in the selection of the candidates who will represent your political party but also in defining the issues and positions under which those candidates will run in elections. It is participation citizen democracy in action.Jim Hahn-Chair, Brown County, Republican CommitteeLori Sellner-Chair, Brown County DFL Committee” Democratic Visions is handcrafted by Eden Prairie, Minnetonka and Edina Democrats and has a YouTube Channel and can be seen has the following Cable Channels –Hopkins, Minnetonka, Edina, Richfield and Eden Prairie – Comcast Channel 15 – Sundays at 9 p.m., Mondays at 10:00 p.m. and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.Bloomington – BCAT Cable Channel 16 – Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m.; Fridays at 9:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.Minneapolis – Minneapolis – MTN Channel 16 -Sundays at 8:30 p.m.; Thursdays at 2 a..m. Continue Reading