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COLEMAN FOR U.S. SENATE PRESS RELEASE: “COLEMAN CAMPAIGN RELEASES RADIO AD ON FRANKEN RIDICULING HOSPITAL IN WALKER AS ‘SMALL-BORE STUFF’”
By Michael B. Brodkorb | June 13, 2008
SAINT PAUL – Following Al Franken’s elitist comments calling northern Minnesota issues, including a long-sought hospital for Cass County, “small-bore stuff,†the Coleman for Senate campaign today released a radio ad featuring Walker Mayor Brad Walhof responding to Franken’s comments.
“Al Franken referring to a needed hospital for the community of Walker as ‘small-bore stuff’ shows just how out of touch he is with the needs of rural Minnesotans – and they deserve to know how Al Franken really feels about the issues important to them,†said Cullen Sheehan, campaign manager. “While Al Franken attempts to belittle Norm Coleman’s record, what he is really doing is belittling the people of rural Minnesota by characterizing their needs as not worthy of the attention of a U.S. senator. We all know that Al Franken moved to Minnesota just two years ago after spending three decades living and working in New York City, but if he thinks he is going to represent Minnesotans in the Senate, he needs to stop dismissing the importance of issues like access to a hospital, forestry funding and cross-border travel.â€
In the ad, Mayor Walhof discusses the importance of the new Critical Access Hospital to the people of Walker and Cass County, which has been a longtime priority for the community. Senator Coleman worked closely with the mayor and other elected officials in Walker to successfully obtain a federal waiver that will allow the hospital to be built in Cass County after meeting with them about the issue.
In the ad, Walhof says “A Critical Access Hospital is anything but ‘small-bore’. It’s about saving lives. Quality of life. The care our seniors deserve. And a future for our children.†He goes on to conclude “So here’s a simple message to Al from a small town mayor: Norm Coleman’s been one of our strongest advocates in the fight for rural health care. And he’s strengthened our rural communities…Norm doesn’t belittle our needs. He delivers on them. And no matter where you live – that’s no ‘small bore stuff’.â€
Text of the article with Franken’s comments is below:
Bemidji Pioneer Excerpt: “As Franken in his stops Monday accused Coleman of representing special interests such as oil companies and pharmaceutical companies and not average Minnesotans, the Coleman campaign put out a list of some of the Republican senator’s accomplishments for northern Minnesota
- Coleman pushed the Veterans Administration to establish an outpatient clinic in Bemidji to expand outreach and accessibility to northern Minnesota veterans.
- He worked to delay State Department rules to require a passport for travel across the northern border, mitigating a backlog of requests for passports, and pushing the State Department to develop less expensive passport cards.
- Coleman fought to restore $2 million cut from Chippewa National Forest and Superior National Forest budgets, under funding implementation of their forest management plans, an effort crucial to the economies of northern communities.
- Worked to bring clean coal technology to the Iron Range with funding for Mesaba Energy, a clean-coal power plant proposed on the Range
- Sought a waiver from federal rules siting rural hospitals to allow a critical access hospital at Walker.
‘That’s great,’ Franken said of the latter. ‘This is very small-bore stuff he’s talking about, his accomplishments.’†(Brad Swenson, “Campaign 2008: Franken defines his agenda, Bemidji Pioneer, June 11th, 2008)
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18 Responses to “COLEMAN FOR U.S. SENATE PRESS RELEASE: “COLEMAN CAMPAIGN RELEASES RADIO AD ON FRANKEN RIDICULING HOSPITAL IN WALKER AS ‘SMALL-BORE STUFF’””
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June 13th, 2008 at 11:25 AM
Even your highlighted quote from the article defeats your premise.
Al called Norm’s accomplishments small bore, not the projects themsevles.
The fact that republicans are this petrified about November’s elections proves that they can no longer be trusted to provide any form of leadership on any issue.
June 13th, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Unbelievable how bad you people take stuff out of context. Is this what rural Minnesotans want, a smear machine which takes things out of context and transforms them into something which they aren’t.
the MNGOP tactics are unbelievable. I guess as long as the full transcript is included, Minnesotans will hopefully be smart enough to tell the difference between truth and smear.
I am surprised you picked that line to highlight, Michael, especially the part that says HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS. clearly he is talking about Norm’s accomplishments, which are “small-bore” stuff compared with perhaps, taking a stand on Iraq, making living conditions better for the bulk of Minnesotans by not being controlled by special interests, etc. etc.
June 13th, 2008 at 11:50 AM
Yeah, I’m sure that the people of Cass County all get together over hot dish and Grain Belt to ridicule Norm for wasting his efforts on their piddely little small bore stuff.
What they want is a Senator that focuses on the big time, New York\Hollywood type stuff.
June 13th, 2008 at 12:05 PM
Swiftee-boat, being NORM ISN’T YOUR HERO, perhaps it might be because Norm is the Native New Yorker with the BIG BORE STUFF.
“You’re Out of Touch,” by Hall & Oates
June 13th, 2008 at 12:19 PM
Leroy, aka First Poster, you are missing the point, but that would be a Franken mistake. Come the day after election, lets check vote results from the Walker area, you will see what life is like outside the center of universe of the Twin Cities.
June 13th, 2008 at 12:32 PM
This campaign will be won or lost in rural Minnesota. Franken’s “satirical” past will not play well there. Coleman will have to re-double his efforts to win the rural constituency.
June 13th, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Being a social and fiscal conservative, it goes without saying that I agree with Norm at about a 30% clip. I too agree that Norm is weak and beatable, but Franken is not the man to do it! He has too much baggage and has a personality comparable to Hatch’s. Just think if the DFL had a somewhat likable candidate in 2006 to run against Pawlenty. Same scenario is panning out in 2008 with Frnaken and Norm. Norm by 2 or 3 points.
June 13th, 2008 at 1:33 PM
Is this what rural Minnesotans want, a smear machine
Looks like Yoni got the DFL talking points fax. Sad that one can’t think for themselves.
June 13th, 2008 at 1:49 PM
Not DFL talking points, just the truth. I grew up near Walker. I feel that the DFL candidate will beat Norm Coleman in that area despite the efforts of MDE & other right-wing mudslingers.
June 13th, 2008 at 2:24 PM
Abramoff is going to do Coleman in. Abramoff took down Conrad Burns last cycle, has put Colorado GOPer Scaffer in serious trouble in his senate run this cycle, and the braintrust in the Republican Party Of Minnesota opened up the Abramoff Door to be used on Norm.
Abramoff won’t be sentenced until September, and will be in national news all summer long. It won’t be hard to tie Coleman to Abramoff – the forced prostitution and forced abortions Coleman’s subcommittee ignored is a big story.
June 13th, 2008 at 2:30 PM
Hey Flounder , how that greedy FuxK dollar Bill Jefferson gonna play in the media?
Proubly as well as Sharptons vidio of greed or Marion barrys crack cocaine ?
June 13th, 2008 at 2:38 PM
coleman with below 50% approval rating should be 10-15 points behind franken at this time. depending on the poll franken is slightly ahead to even after all the publicity of the endorsement process.
does anyone think this is the end of franken revelations? i suspect there are many more and they will keep the worst until after labor day.
does anyone think franken can beat coleman in a debate? if so, listen to some of franken’s old radio shows where he has a guest on he disagrees with. even when he led the discussion, he comes across as an arrogant, ignorant jerk; i cannot imagine he will look better when a third party is asking the questions.
June 13th, 2008 at 3:29 PM
Hmmm.
I wonder if by “small bore stuff”, Angry Al was referring to his “go-to” guy when he needs to “man up”, dolt #1?
Was he smiling when he said it?
June 13th, 2008 at 3:51 PM
[...] Franken has responded to the radio released by U.S. Senator Norm Coleman’s campaign. Representatives of Team Franken didn’t deny the claims made in Coleman’s release [...]
June 13th, 2008 at 3:52 PM
It’s a damn shame ol’ Cold Cash Jefferson isn’t sittin’ in Club Fed.
If Boy Blunder’s misAdministration wasn’t so (cheney)in’ incompetent, maybe he would be.
Why is it that those that claim to be in “The Party Of Personal Responsibility” never hold Bush The Lesser responsible for anything?
Oh wait – it’s because GOP now stands for GreedOverPrinciples.
“Dollar Bill Jefferson – walkin’ ’round free, ’cause the misAdministration of Boy Blunder And The Plunderers can’t get anything ‘right’”.
June 13th, 2008 at 5:04 PM
Say, “Small bore” Johnson?
Great job “manning up” Al, as usual. Keep it wide, fool.
June 14th, 2008 at 1:02 AM
Joe,
you say the stupidest stuff, Looks like Yoni got the DFL talking points fax. Sad that one can’t think for themselves.
what does that even mean? seriously? you are a straight up moron….
You basically took something I said, replaced Republican with DFL, and then say I can’t think for myself. unbelievable. Dumbest thing I have seen on the net, well not quite, when you claimed that you were on the internet before it was invented, that was WAY dumb.
June 14th, 2008 at 10:13 AM
Coleman Campaign probably verb-like list of accomplishments:
1. worked
2. worked, pushing
3. fought
4. worked
5. sought
TOTALS:
“worked” 3 times
“fought” 1 time
“sought” 1 time
“pushing 1 time