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MUST READ FROM THE POLITICO: “MINNESOTA DEMS LEERY OF FRANKEN’S PAST”
By Michael B. Brodkorb | June 11, 2008
“‘The thing I don’t understand about Al Franken is how he thought those jokes were funny,’ said Steven Schier, a political science professor at Minnesota’s Carleton College. ‘The biggest failing of any comedian is failing to be funny.’
Coleman said that Franken’s comedy will be fair game in a general election, contrasting his own career in elective office with Franken’s comic background.
‘There’s as tremendous a contrast between myself and Al Franken as any two candidates running in the country,’ said Coleman. ‘His writing and his body of work is not an idle joke. That’s what he’s bringing to the table to say why he’s qualified to be a senator.’” Source: The Politico, June 10, 2008
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“But two leading female Democrats in the state are still staying on the sidelines. Rep. Betty McCollum has called Franken’s past writings ‘indefensible’ and said that she may not endorse him in the general election. McCollum did not attend a party unity event held Monday with leading Democratic officials in St. Paul, Minn.
McCollum was a campaign co-chairwoman for Franken’s primary rival, attorney Mike Ciresi, before he dropped out of the race. Her reluctance to back Franken has fueled speculation that Ciresi may be considering a challenge to Franken in the Sept. 9 primary. Ciresi did not respond to requests for comment, but he has not ruled out the possibility of a primary challenge in previous public statements.
Minnesota Democrats traditionally abide by the endorsement at the party’s convention instead of running primary campaigns.
Meanwhile, the senior legislative director of Planned Parenthood’s Minnesota chapter, Connie Perpich, sent an e-mail last week — first reported by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune — to state Democratic legislators saying it was very difficult to imagine her organization would be ‘endorsing the candidacy of anyone with such extreme perspectives.’
The group later issued an official statement saying Franken’s writings had ‘prompted much concern within our organization,’ but that it had not yet decided whether to endorse Franken.” Source: The Politico, June 10, 2008
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9 Responses to “MUST READ FROM THE POLITICO: “MINNESOTA DEMS LEERY OF FRANKEN’S PAST””
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June 11th, 2008 at 8:50 AM
I guess it isn’t news for such a publication to write about how leery a state feels about an incumbent who has not done a damn thing during his five plus years in office.
But believe me. There are plenty of people now who are leery about giving Norm a second six years, given the futility of the first go round.
June 11th, 2008 at 11:30 AM
And there are more people than those you have mentioned, especially on the DFL side, who are more likely to vote for Coleman because Franken is more of the same bullcred as seen on Aurora Avenue.
The fact is that the outstate DFL-ers will not vote for Franken. They will vote for Coleman. And the outstate DFL-ers will make the difference, unlike you, Mr. World of Warcraft name-stealer.
June 11th, 2008 at 12:10 PM
Democrat Betty McCollum was the first female from Minnesota to be elected to the US House of Representatives (2000) since the very first female Democrat Coya Knutson who served from 1955 – 1959.
I remember “Coya Come Home.”
The third female is Republican Michele Bachmann serving in 2008.
Mike Ciresi is a Minnesota native (St. Paul). Mike’s father was an immigrant to the USA; Mike’s mother died when he was young.
Mike’s worked hard and has a successful law firm.
Mike represented the State of Minnesota. He took on Big Tobacco and won a settlement of about 6 billion dollars.
Mike’s continuing legacy is that every year the State of Minnesota gets about $200 million dollars as long as the tobacco companies do business in Minnesota.
If the tobacco companies DO NOT WANT to do business in Minnesota, THEN THEY DO NOT HAVE TO PAY $200 MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR TO MINNESOTA.
I think that the Democratic Party has a bigger tent than some people might like others to think.
June 11th, 2008 at 1:23 PM
“I think that the Democratic Party has a bigger tent than some people might like others to think.”
While what you state maybe true, one can see there are a lot of camels looking under the side flaps of the tent, trying to get out and away from supporting Franken in this race.
June 11th, 2008 at 3:17 PM
Sakaki-
While I generally disagree with your theory here, I give you mad props for catching the source of my name.
June 11th, 2008 at 3:20 PM
Say, Leroy?
Got mad gaming skillz? pffft. Video game jockey, that fits.
June 11th, 2008 at 8:00 PM
I can’t imagine Planned Parenthood endorsing Norm Coleman, since Coleman has a poor record on reproductive health care (which is what Planned Parenthood is about).
If they withhold endorsement from Franken, that will hurt Franken.
June 12th, 2008 at 12:33 AM
If they withhold their endorsement, it will just mean that their issue will not be a focal point of this election.
So, people will move down the line.
Norm: Kill 4,000 more troops
Al: Stop the blood letting
ADVANTAGE: AL
Norm: Help the oil companies rake profits to the detriment of the economy and the people
AL: Promote alternative fuel sources that will decrease our dependence on foreign AND DOMESTIC oil.
ADVANTAGE: AL
Norm: Vote against the middle class in hopes that the uber rich will allow their income to trickle down to the rest of us.
AL: Elimitate the tax cuts to the uber rich.
ADVANTAGE: AL
I could go on, but you all already know this. What is shocking is the level of your apathy toward making the necessary change this November.
June 12th, 2008 at 6:47 AM
LOL, Leroy, those are each false arguments to the point of being near lies.
Who said anything about killing 4,000 more troops? Peace in Iraq is nearly at hand, with levels of violence below many other parts of the world, and declining. It’s over, you need a different stick.
The USA oil companies’ profits are a minimal amount of the price of a gallon of gas. Stealing their money wouldn’t even move the price of gas down, it would increase it because the market would know they would not have the funds to develop new sources of supply.
The uber rich pay the vast majority of the federal taxes. The middle class pay a small minority of the federal taxes. It has been demonstrated in the real world that lowering marginal tax rates stimulates the economy and increases the flow of tax cash to the government. Increasing the marginal tax rates changes people’s behaviors and decreases the flow of tax cash to the government.
You really should know these things and then you would not sound like someone who is at best an undereducated 20 year old surfing myspace and youtube.