Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is an American academic. He sought the endorsement of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party as a candidate for U.S. Senate in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, but was defeated by

Al Franken Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedian, politician, media personality, and author who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. He gained fame as a writer and performer on the television comed ...

Background

Nelson-Pallmeyer was born as the youngest of four brothers to parents Wayne and Audrey Nelson in 1951. He was born and raised in Minnesota. He went to high school in Coon Rapids,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

, and then attended

St. Olaf College St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American pastors and farmers led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after the King and the Patron Saint Olaf ...

Northfield Northfield may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Northfield, Aberdeen, Scotland * Northfield, Edinburgh, Scotland * Northfield, Birmingham, England * Northfield (Kettering BC Ward), Northamptonshire, England United States * Northfield, Connect ...

. After graduating with a B.A. in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

, he earned a Master's of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He has written several books on war, hunger issues,

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

, and

foreign policy A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through ...

. For the past 15 years, he has been a professor at the University of St. Thomas, in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

. He is married to his wife of 34 years, Sara, with whom he has three daughters, Hannah, Audrey and Naomi. He is a pacifist and a Lutheran.

Views

In his book ''Brave New World Order'' (first published 1992, reissued 2017), Nelson-Pallmeyer provides a definition of "

national security state National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military attac ...

". He describes seven defining characteristics, starting with the military exerting influence over economic and political affairs and progressing through maintaining an appearance of democracy while ultimate power rests with the national security establishment; concentration of capital by elites; obsession with enemies; and restricting and distorting information, among others. He summarizes how this found expression in El Salvador and discusses "similar dynamics" within the United States.

2006 U.S. House election

Nelson-Pallmeyer announced his intention to challenge incumbent Democrat

Martin Sabo Martin Olav Sabo (February 28, 1938 – March 13, 2016) was an American politician who served as United States Representative for , which includes Minneapolis; the district is one of eight congressional districts in Minnesota. Early life and ...

for

Minnesota's 5th congressional district Minnesota's 5th congressional district is a geographically small urban and suburban congressional district in Minnesota. It covers eastern Hennepin County, including the entire city of Minneapolis, along with parts of Anoka and Ramsey counti ...

U.S. House of Representatives seat in early 2006. After Sabo announced he was retiring, several other Democrats announced their intentions to run for the House seat. At the district convention in May,

Keith Ellison Keith Maurice Ellison (born August 4, 1963) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 30th attorney general of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Ellison was the U.S. representative for from 2007 to ...

won the endorsement after Nelson-Pallmeyer withdrew from the endorsement process and threw his support to Ellison, who went on to win the general election.

2008 U.S. Senate election

On October 10, 2007, Nelson-Pallmeyer announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican

Norm Coleman Norman Bertram Coleman Jr. (born August 17, 1949) is an American politician, attorney, and lobbyist. From 2003 to 2009, he served as a United States Senator for Minnesota. From 1994 to 2002, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota. First elec ...

. He ran against

for the DFL Party nomination. After a long fight for the party's nomination, culminating at the 2008 State DFL convention in Rochester, Nelson-Pallmeyer lost the nomination to Franken.

Notes

References

Books by Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer

* ''Hunger for Justice: the Politics of Food and Faith''. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1980. * ''The Politics of Compassion''. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1986. * ''War Against the Poor: Low-Intensity Conflict and Christian Faith''. Maryknoll: Orbis Books,1989. * ''Brave New World Order: Must We Pledge Allegiance?'' Maryknoll: Orbis Books 1992. * ''Families Valued: Parenting and Politics for the Good of All Children''. New York: Friendship Press, 1996. * ''School of the Assassins''. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1997. * ''Harvest of Cain''. District of Columbia: EPICA, 2001 * ''Jesus Against Christianity: Reclaiming the Missing Jesus''. Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 2001. * ''School of the Assassins: Guns, Greed and Globalization (2nd Edition)''. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2001. * ''Is Religion Killing Us? Violence in the Bible and the Quran''. Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 2003. * ''Worship in the Spirit of Jesus: Theology, Liturgy and Songs without Violence''. (2005) with Bret Hesla. Cleveland: Pilgrim Press/United Church Press, 2005. * ''Saving Christianity from Empire''. New York: Continuum International, 2005. * ''Authentic Hope: It's the end of the world as we know it but soft landings are possible'' New York: Orbis Books, 2012. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson-Pallmeyer, Jack Minnesota Democrats Living people 1951 births Lutheran pacifists St. Olaf College alumni Candidates in the 2006 United States elections Candidates in the 2008 United States elections Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) faculty