Ask a Congressional Candidate: Keith Ellison

[barondave]

My guest on the next Shockwave Radio will be Keith Ellison, Congressional Candidate. If he wins, he'll be my representative. Brief background: Minnesota's Fifth Congressional district (roughly South Minneapolis) is a safe, Scandahoovian-liberal Democratic stronghold. Our current Rep., Martin Olav Sabo, is stepping down after 28 years. Ellison is a comparatively young (42) lawyer currently in the MN legislature. He impressed the Democrats at their convention and was endorsed over several others. Party endorsement is a plus in Minnesota politics, but hardly a guarantee that he will win the primary.

I don't know much about Ellison, so I'm asking LJ people: What questions would YOU ask?

Ellison is making big news since Jesse Jackson is coming to town on Friday for an Ellison rally. He had a fairly critical write-up in today's conservative Mpls Star Tribune, Ellison's past views, ties drawing scrutiny. Ellison is black and Muslim, and had ties to Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam. He has distanced himself from those days, but questions linger.

Ellison would be Congress' first Muslim member, which I regard as a great plus, and would be proud to have him as a representative... if I agreed with his positions and he convinced me that the anti-semitism that permeates the black community had worn off. Further, at this point, I think I'd vote for anyone, even a Republican, if they promised that their first act would be to impeach Bush.

Thoughts on Ellison? Questions?

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

That article never says what the "often tense" meetings were about, does it? It also doesn't say what was in the letter to the Jewish Community Relations Council. It leads the reader to assume, but does not say that Ellison's march-organising was connected to the speech by Khalid Abdul Muhammad.

What unspeakably shitty reporting.

K.

[shelleybear.livejournal.com]

Shitty it may be, however using the trappings to inspire an image....

he said he put on a bow-tie on occasion -- a la Farrakhan -- aware of the powerful and even threatening image it might convey. He was known to show up at meetings accompanied by looming but silent black men in suits.

Now, if the paper out an out lied about that, well, he should be hauling them into court, and I await his rebuttal saying he was misquoted and being able to prove it.
But, until he discredits it, it stands.
If I walked into a neighborhood meeting wearing a J.D.L. "uniform" I would expect repercussions in certain groups. I would also expect it to be remembered.