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THE BIG QUESTION/STAR TRIBUNE: “THE ATLANTIC: FRANKEN IN ‘PROTECTIVE CUSTODY’”
By Michael B. Brodkorb | April 9, 2008
“The theme of the story by Atlantic senior editor Joshua Green is that Franken, who has built a wildly successful career out of being both funny and confrontational, needs to convince Minnesotans that he’s as serious and somber — and presumably dull — a candidate as any of the rest of them.
One of the ways for the Franken campaign to do this, according to Green, is to limit face time for reporters with the candidate as much as possible, to avoid the chance that he will make an unguarded remark that will explode into the headlines the next day.
Green found this out when he wasn’t allowed to ride along with Franken and his staff on a campaign swing in February through St. Paul, the suburbs and Isanti County.
‘To project a more senatorial air,’ Green writes, ‘Franken is trying hard to watch what he says, and his staff has placed him in a kind of protective custody: journalists are not allowed to ride along, as is standard campaign practice, lest they overhear and report an undignified remark.’
So, Green adds, he spent most of the day in a rental car chasing the Franken hybrid SUV.
It didn’t take long for the Coleman campaign to state its claim that the senator is always available for questions and has, in fact, already conducted a ride-along interview ‘with one of the state’s larger newspapers’ (it wasn’t us).
‘Given a strategy of isolating Franken from the Minnesota press,’ writes Coleman spokesman Tom Erickson in a statement, ‘the phrase ‘Where’s Franken’ may soon become one of the state’s most often asked questions in the campaign.’” Source: Star Tribune, April 8, 2008
Click the complete story.
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9 Responses to “THE BIG QUESTION/STAR TRIBUNE: “THE ATLANTIC: FRANKEN IN ‘PROTECTIVE CUSTODY’””
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April 9th, 2008 at 10:28 AM
Once you add staff, campaign materials and the candidate to the hybrid SUV, where exactly would you have them put all the reporters?
And since when was it the candidate’s responsibility to transport reporters in the first place?
He has always been fine with talking to reporters so, I guess I am puzzled once again where the story is here?
April 9th, 2008 at 10:33 AM
“…the phrase ‘Where’s Franken’ may soon become one of the state’s most often asked questions in the campaign.’â€
It’ll never replace “Where’s Kline??!?” in the 2nd CD…
April 9th, 2008 at 11:47 AM
posting the exact same story on multiple occasions really hurts your credibility Michael. especially when its a story which in all truth isn’t yours. I think you are a hack, and I think you have an issue with reality, you keep posting these non-stories, multiple times. Just to clear things up, so this post is about any article the Strib did on an article the Atlantic did, which you already wrote about?
GENIUS!!!
April 9th, 2008 at 12:33 PM
I subscribe to the Atlantic and read the story about a week ago. It was a bland article. Nothing to get excited about for either side. Al is not my ideal candidate but he is head and shoulders above Bush’s lapdog Norm.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:37 PM
Post it again Mike, multiple times…we want to watch yoni’s head explode.
BTW yoni, how’s that new gig as Angry Al’s communications director working out? Hah!
April 9th, 2008 at 3:42 PM
Swiftee,
I am 12 years old, I work at a dairy queen
April 9th, 2008 at 4:19 PM
And yet Yoni you write with more content at 12 than puddles dos at whatever age the fat old guy is at.
At least it makes sense now Yoni, if you are under 20 and not a liberal, you have no heart, (here is the important part for you Yoni) if you are over 30 and not a conservative, you have no brains.
So we can still hold out hope you come around. I know the schools did what they could to force you to be a liberal, but in reality, liberals are the minority.
April 9th, 2008 at 7:05 PM
Keeping her mouth shut hiding her juvenile Democrat ideas worked for Klobuchar because she’s halfway likable and has accomplished family here. It will never work for Franken. One or two of those Dumb-as-a-Rock looks like he gave MDE at the capitol will be all it will take if he doesn’t speak up.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:57 AM
It worked for Mark Dayton too…..I’ve always wondered what that guy is hiding behind those creepy eyes…..
….anybody know?