DFL delegates confident Obama, Klobuchar will win
With just five months until the general election, DFL delegates say they are confident that their candidates at the top of the ticket will have no trouble winning Minnesota this November.
Matt Toburen of Minneapolis is among those who say President Barack Obama and Sen. Amy Klobuchar are shoo-ins.
"I think Minnesota will go strongly for Barack Obama and Amy Klobuchar this year," he said.
Mike Quinn of Rochester shares Toburen's optimism.
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"I don't think Minnesota is going to go anywhere but with Obama and Klobuchar," he said, adding that he believes the top of the ticket will help the DFL win majorities in the Legislature as well.
But not everyone at the convention believes that Obama and Klobuchar have flawless records.
Beth Walters of Sauk Rapids said she wished both had done more for labor unions. And she expressed some disappointment with the new health care law.
"I think the health care reform was a good first step, but I think it needed to go further," Walters said.
While the crowd has legitimate reasons to be optimistic - both Klobuchar and Obama are so far enjoying strong support in the state - party leaders have warned against over confidence.
"No one is taking the president's election for granted starting with the president, who expects a very tough campaign. Certainly not Amy [Klobuchar], who is working harder than anybody," said Gov. Mark Dayton. "Everybody has spent the last two years in the minority, and with all the frustrations involved with that, there's no complacency whatsoever."
Some delegates are more concerned about passage of two constitutional amendments on the ballot, one that would require voters to show identification at the polls, and another that would define marriage between a man and a woman.
Quinn said he's confident Minnesotans will reject the marriage amendment, because voters don't want to change the state's constitution.
But voter ID is on shakier ground, he said.
"I think you have a lot of people on both sides, probably even a lot of Democrats, who don't quite understand what the problem is in regards to the election ballot," said Quinn. "I think we have to do a lot more to get them to understand that it is difficult to get older people and students their notification of having an ID like that especially in a short period of time close to an election period."