The article in the paper this morning shows Norm kicking serious butt on Franken and Ceresi. This is after Franken has spent considerable money trying to erode Norm’s credibility over the course of this far too long campaign ramp up.

Pat Lopez goes to great lengths to discount Norm’s significant lead. Somehow I think much of that spin was probably her editor’s decision and not Pat’s.

When will the left engage on the issues instead of focusing all of their energy on attacking the candidates personally? Remember the signs posted in the state fair DFL booth?

If you have an argumant please make it so that we can debate issues. Your credibility suffers when you make baseless claims about Michael’s character. Aim a little higher.

Even a broken clock is right twice per day. And even a blind squirrel finds an acorn sometimes.

The Red Star has a long and well documented history of poor polling. Its a fact.

A reporter is a type of journalist who researches and presents information in certain types of mass media.

Reporters gather their information in a variety of ways, including tips, press releases, and witnessing events. They perform research through interviews, public records, and other sources. The information-gathering part of the job is sometimes called “reporting” as distinct from the production part of the job, such as writing articles. Reporters generally split their time between working in a newsroom and going out to witness events or interview people.

Most reporters working for major news media outlets are assigned an area to focus on, called a beat or patch. They are encouraged to cultivate sources to improve their information gathering.

Does Michael research and present material? Check.

Does he interview sources? Check. Does he review public records? Check. Does he write articles? Check.

Michael has probably broken more political stories in the past few years than anyone at the Red Star or the Pioneer Press.

Is he biased? Yes. However, many reporters are biased. Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, Katie Couric, Helen Thomas just to name a few.

Please. Michael is a shill first and foremost, he’s not about reporting the facts. He spent countless posts in 2006 blasting the Minnesota Poll claiming it was heavily biased toward Amy Klobuchar because her father worked there over a decade ago. He then went out of his way to show that there was no way that the Minnesota Poll was even close to accurate. I’m really understating this, do a search on this blog for “Minnesota Poll” and see what I’m talking about. Honestly, I remember a whole elaborate chart that he made (or someone on the Kennedy campaign had ghost-written) showing all of the Minnesota Poll results for the last 25 years, begging his readers not to trust any of its results.

I’m not debating the merits of the Minnesota Poll. However, it is self-serving for GOPers to trash it one year and then embrace it when it has numbers they like. It is ironic when the person doing it is also calling Al Franken a flip flopper on his position over the Iraq war. Which is it, the Minnesota Poll can never be trusted because of its extreme bias, or not? Were you against it before you’re for it?

For the record: Michael is not a reporter, he’s an opposition researcher. One of those professions has a hint of integrity and the other doesn’t. I’ll let you figure out which is which.

I for one would like to see him put up one of his lame disclaimers when he has a post praising a Minnesota Poll.

Don’t perform blatant flip-flops for self-serving purposes. Just last year your candidate wrote that the Minnesota Poll “has a quarter-century history of gross inaccuracy” (that ironically lost by the same margin projected in the Minnesota Poll…). In case you forgot, I invite you to look here: http://www.minnesotademocratsexposed.com/2006/09/17/kennedy-campaign-another-minnesota-poll-tries-to-influence-election/

Just pick one side and stick to it…

Best,

Franco