DELEGATES

Minnesota Friendlier Than New York? You Betcha

by Marilyn Werber Serafini

Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008


A few convention delegates have been sprayed with bleach this week, a few have been forced to duck urine-filled balloons, and some have had their credentials ripped from their necks. Plenty of others have been delayed by the road closings triggered by the police response to protesters. But, all in all, delegates seem to be having a "Minnesota Nice" time, basking in the locals' warm welcome.

So, what is Minnesota Nice? Wikipedia defines it as the "stereotypical behavior of Minnesota residents ... hospitality and courtesy to others." According to home-state Rep. Michele Bachmann, it's not just a slogan. "We really are nice here," she declared from the podium on Tuesday night. "We have a lot of liberals here in Minnesota. But they're happy liberals."

Nita Waddell from Arkansas says she felt the "nice" when a stranger drove her back to her hotel after a church service. Texas delegate Shere Vassberg, who is visually impaired, said that when she went on a walk a number of people helped her find her way back to her home base.

Minnesota Nice has been particularly noticeable to those convention-goers who were in New York City four years ago and experienced the not-always-nice reception that the predominantly Democratic metropolis gave their Republican gathering.

"There was a lot of antagonism in New York. People would yell obscenities at us every night," recalls Bob Kabel, who heads the Washington, D.C., Republican Party.

"New York was a huge, very liberal city," says Massachusetts delegate Janet Garon. "A lot of people from the city left, so there was a bad feeling that they up and left because they didn't want us there." The Twin Cities, she added, is a "politically better mix."

But there are trade-offs, said James Kadtke, who chairs the D.C. delegation. "New York was hostile, Democratic territory," he said. "But the city had vast services. Here, people are wonderful. They're more open and accepting. But it's a smaller city, and there are less services. We've had a harder time getting around."

Some delegates said that achieving the optimal GOP community feel has been more difficult in Minneapolis-St. Paul because delegations are spread across the two cities and surrounding suburbs. And delegates have to take buses everywhere, so mixing with the locals is a challenge.

Garon, whose delegation is staying in Bloomington, said it's impossible to "get the pulse of the [Twin Cities]. You don't get to interact much. If I were six blocks away [from the Xcel Energy Center], I would make myself a real tourist."

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