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BREAKING NEWS: U.S. SENATOR NORM COLEMAN RELEASES STATEMENT ON “AL FRANKEN’S SATIRE ON YOUTUBE”
By Michael B. Brodkorb | March 17, 2008
I just received the below statement from U.S Senator Norm Coleman's campaign.
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Saint Paul – The following is a statement from Senator Norm Coleman regarding video of comedian Al Franken's derogatory satire featured on YouTube:
"As a former Mayor of Saint Paul, and as a United States Senator from Minnesota, I have been honored to work alongside those in the Southeast Asian community. In fact, I have been proud to have worked with many in the Hmong Community who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States during the Vietnam War – men and women who lost family members and loved ones, and then suffered persecution from the Communists long after the war. Many of these people I have worked with are proud American citizens, positively contributing to life in our nation every single day.
"Al Franken may have serious disagreements with people like Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh, but, I fail to see how he needs to play into stereotypes of cultures in order to attack those he opposes. I find this video to be extremely insensitive and out of bounds. Franken's supposed satire is debasing and degrading. It violates basic decency and dignity. The only absurdity and inconsistency Al Franken has exposed in this apparent satire is his own."
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This post also appears on Blogs for Norm!, an online community and blog covering the 2008 U.S. Senate campaign in Minnesota. The primary goal of Blogs for Norm! is to organize bloggers who support U.S. Senator Norm Coleman.
Topics: Uncategorized |
March 17th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
ROFLMAO!!!!
” In fact, I have been proud to have worked with many in the Hmong Community who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States during the Vietnam War…”
So says this guy:
http://mnpublius.com/2007/06/27/
Remember, Michael?
The guy with the long hair, and megaphone??!?
March 17th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Yes, Norm is the guy with the long hair in the link.
Now, he’s talking about this guy…who wants to be a Senator:
http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/gov/uploaded_images/franken-794120.bmp
March 17th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Will the Asian community stand by silent? Just as the GLBT community remained silent when Franken made inappropriate jokes directed towards them?
March 17th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
So, Ace - you want the Asians to hang Al for a reading 12 years ago, but give ol’ Smokescreen a pass from his drug-filled, anti-war, long-hair hippie days at Hofstra?
Thank you for proving, once again, why GOP now stands for GreedOverPrinciples.
March 17th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Earth to TwoPutt…
…ya think Angry Al needs a pass from his drug-filled, anti-war, long-hair hippie days?
…what about from his bunny ears and diaper days?..not that there’s anything wrong with that…
March 17th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Do I think Al needs a pass? Not “no”, but “(CHENEY) NO.”
And ol’ Smokescreen shouldn’t need a pass, either.
But what never ceases to amaze me about the bootlickers in the intellectually AND morally bankrupt republiCon party, is how they think ol’ Smokescreen gets a pass but Al doesn’t.
Which, of course, is but one reason why the small tent of the republiCon tent is gettin’ smaller by the day.
March 17th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
By saying Coleman’s office just released this to you, I assume you mean that he continues to endorse your politics of destruction and sleaze that, as Mark Kennedy proved, have been rejected by the people of Minnesota?
Why is Norm afraid to run on his own record?
March 17th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
just a darn minute here…..
…let’s watch this sexist racist sleazy Angry Al video again…and then decide who is sleazy…
March 17th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Dear Gentle Readers of MDE,
Tomorrow (or by the time this post is made, perhaps today) Senator Obama is going to give a major speech on the issue of racism in America.
I look forward to what he has to say, because I think it is high time that we had a candid conversation about it in this nation.
But, for those who will defend Al Franken no matter what, I have to say that this video is an affront to common decency. You can lash out at MDE — you can hate Coleman — you can make fun of who smoked pot and who didn’t — but you cannot in good conscience claim that this video and Franken’s speech doesn’t mean something.
I read a post somewhere on here where someone asked if the folks in the Asian community were going to be outraged about this or not…
…you know what, it isn’t about people in the Asian community being outraged…
…shouldn’t any of us be outraged by this?
There’s got to be someone out there — a supporter of Franken — who cannot justify what he does — yet, is willing to stand with Franken.
I can understand that — and respect that.
But, for folks who just simply say what he says is not wrong or beyond the pale — there’s no intellectual honesty there — none.
I think Franken’s a smart guy. He’s obviously been successful. But, being smart and being successful doesn’t entitle him — or anyone else — to be given a pass on matters that are an affront and indefensible.
My reason for posting isn’t because I want to bring Franken down — or, for that matter that I think Franken is a jerk. I am sure he is a decent guy who loves his family like anyone else.
But, he has an obligation to live by the same rules as everyone else. His fame and his fortune does not entitle him to special treatment.
Wrong is wrong — no matter who has done it.
March 18th, 2008 at 1:20 am
GENTLE READERS BEWARE AND ALSO BE CAREFUL:
Make the Post Matter writes, “Wrong is wrong - no matter who has done it.”
GWB states, When I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible.
MBB writes, “I just received the below statement from U.S. Senator Norm Coleman’s campaign.”
Norm Coleman writes, “Al Franken may have some serious disagreements with Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh but, I fail to see how he needs to play into stereotypes of cultures in order to attack those he opposes.”
A Republican state representative, Marty Seifert, set off a controversy when he suggested that if prisoners objected to his proposal to end deserts as a way to cut the state budget, they could “eat a tablespoon of lard.”
Ruben Rosario writes, “Kneel down, Marty. Court jester, hand me that ceremonial sword.”
Ron Carey, writes, “Grow up, Ruben Rosario.”
Joe Soucheray writes, “Maybe Mike Ciresi was just too regular a guy for his party.”
March 18th, 2008 at 3:17 am
If Fox news contributor and self confessed serial adulterer Newt Gingrich had somehow found himself in the Vietnam war (very unlikely, being a “chickenhawk”), what would his conversation with a Vietnamese prostitute sound like?
Is any discussion of Vietnamese prostitutes “racially insensitive”, or would you prefer to deny that Vietnamese prostitutes existed during the Vietnam war?
Franken is reading from his book, and is not mocking the prostitute, he IS mocking chickenhawk Newt Gingrich.
Is Coleman planning on beating Franken by criticizing 12 year old books and comedy routines? Why doesn’t he discuss real issues?
March 18th, 2008 at 6:48 am
This reading occurred more than 12 years ago.
If memory serves, wasn’t Norm Coleman a democrat at that time? Seems to me if you can ignore his positions from that time and elect him as a republicant to office, you should have no problem ignoring Franken statements from the same time.
Unless you lack consistency. that is.
March 18th, 2008 at 6:58 am
I agree with John. I wish Coleman would point to why we should vote for him and not vote against Franken.
Unfortunately, he became a stooge instead of being the man who cleaned up the mess in St.Paul.
Moderate RINOs try to make friends with liberals when all they do is get their wrath. Bush 43 and Richard Nixon come to mind. Stand on your principles, ignore the attacks and you will gain respect.
I would NEVER vote for Franken. But Coleman has to EARN my vote—so far he has not. If he hasn’t by November, I will leave the US Senate section of the ballot blank–just like I am going to do in the Presidential race.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:58 am
It’s OK to discuss issues AND the vulgar, sexist, racist character of one’s opponent.
March 18th, 2008 at 9:02 am
One of the effects of doing that is that Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer and the issues that he presents become overshadowed by the 12 year old stories about how long Norman Coleman’s hair was, the the Vietnamese women of Saigon, the Hmong Community of St. Paul.
This website Minnesota Democrats Exposed (MDE) is probably as much about exposing Republicans as it is about exposing Democrats.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Yay -you go with that el bozo, now get back in the clown car.
Franken is a jerk.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Pallmeyer, right up there with Wetterling and Rowley.