Overlooking Minnesota's Big Pelican Lake is a lodge, a large one, renowned for the visitors it's attracted in its long history. Everyone from actors to governors have stayed there, planting themselves on Breezy Point Resort's long, lumber decks overlooking the lake. It's some of the state's best fishing and also the spot where the author Sinclair Lewis met future-governor Floyd B. Olson for the first, and only, time in 1926. Spending the first half of the year in Kansas City gathering material for his next book in June Lewis headed to Breezy Point to sit down and write. His choice of the northwoods was twofold as it "offered a sophisticated inn where he could get a good meal and drink with Minneapolis' business elite, as well as rustic isolation" (Lingeman 282). When he wasn't writing, Lewis could be found in the lodge doing impressions (as he was known for) or leading guests "in hymn singing around the piano" (Lingeman 285). Many of these he knew by heart since childhood but some came from his time shadowing ministers for what would become Elmer Gantry.
Category: DFL Party
Minnesota’s “Mrs. Peter Oleson is Mrs. Peter Oleson.”
In the early 20th century it was not uncommon for women to identify with their husband's full name and so when women started running for public office it raised an interesting question - how should their names be listed? In Minnesota this question was answered when, in 1922, DNC-member "Mrs. Peter Oleson," Anna Dickie Olesen, announced her candidacy for U.S. Senate. In what would be the state's first direct election of a senator with a full electorate, it was an open question which name would appear on the ballot.
Father to OccupyMN: The Farmer-Labor Association and the “Farmer-Labor Leader” Newspaper
The last several weeks have seen me whisked away to the archives of the University of Minnesota Morris where I have been researching the Minnesota Power Line Controversy of the 1970s (these archives have a really good collection of documents one will not find at the state's historical society; wiki). Sifting through hundreds of pages … Continue reading Father to OccupyMN: The Farmer-Labor Association and the “Farmer-Labor Leader” Newspaper
The MYDFL’s Letter to the Workers’ Youth League
In light of the terrible news coming out of Norway, the Minnesota Young DFL (MYDFL; an organization of which I am the “College Caucus Chair”) has decided to show solidarity with the Workers’ Youth League. After all, the shootings only served as a reminder that there are those in this world who would much rather … Continue reading The MYDFL’s Letter to the Workers’ Youth League
A Message to the DFL State Central Committee:
According to an article in The Nation (John Nichols 11/16/10) voter turnout plummeted 60% last year from the 2008 high, and if this trend continues there is no chance for our party in 2012. There just isn’t. And while it may be tempting to wallow and mourn about “how things used to be” doing so … Continue reading A Message to the DFL State Central Committee:
The Common Man Partisan
Morris Student DFL Column If you are like most youth, “politics” is something that happens only once every four years when there is a George W. Bush or Barack Obama at the top of the ticket. Besides that, “politics” is that thing that only the most hardcore of partisans pay attention to – something left … Continue reading The Common Man Partisan
I’m Coming Out: I’m a Unionist
When a close friend brought this to my attention, I believed it to be nothing more than a lame joke. You know, the kind that seems so absurd that it just can't be true; it's the joke you make when mocking Arizona, Georgia and Texas. So when I was told my state senator, Bill Ingebrigtsen … Continue reading I’m Coming Out: I’m a Unionist
Conscience Over Pragmatism
Besides writing for the campus newspaper at the University of Minnesota-Morris, The University Register, I also occasionally contribute a column for the Morris Student DFL when I can't delegate the task to someone else in the organization. It was published on April 15, 2010. DFL COLUMN - April 15, 2010 By Joshua P. Preston While … Continue reading Conscience Over Pragmatism
UR: Seventh District Congressional Race Heats Up
This is an article I wrote for the campus newspaper at the University of Minnesota-Morris, The University Register, about the endorsement by the Republican Party of Lee Byberg to run against Congressman Collin Peterson. For those of you who may not be familiar with the guy, I recommend taking a few minutes to visit his … Continue reading UR: Seventh District Congressional Race Heats Up
“The Rise and Fall of Common Decency”
One of the recent editions of the City Pages had a cover story (the article can be found here) regarding the University of Minnesota-Morris' most infamous alumnus, Joseph Basel. While our times at the University share only the slightest overlap (2008/9), it is not an understatement to say that his short time here has changed … Continue reading “The Rise and Fall of Common Decency”
Joshua Panduro Preston 