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 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, but was defeated by

Al Franken Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American politician, comedian, and actor who served from 2009 to 2018 as a United States senator from Minnesota. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he worked as an ...

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 U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, and then attended St. Olaf College in Northfield. 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 (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

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

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

, and

foreign policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

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

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

. 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". 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 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, Minnesota, Hennepin County, including the entire city of Minneapolis, along with parts ...

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 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 Senate, United States Senator for Minnesota. From 1994 to 2002, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Mi ...

. 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 alumni University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) faculty