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MDE FROM THE ARCHIVES: KERRY LIVES WITH LOBBYIST FOR FREE
By Michael B. Brodkorb | June 30, 2008
The DFL had a press conference to complain about a property Senator Coleman legally rents in Washington, D.C. I agree with Larry Jacobs, who said on WCCO-TV that he questions if this story has any “legs.” The reality is that Senator Coleman paid rent, and no laws or rules were broken.
It’s funny, but I don’t remember any Democrats holding press conferences to denounce Senator John Kerry. I would remind readers of Minnesota Democrats Exposed that Kerry was a well-connected, powerful U.S. Senator when he lived for free with a lobbyist in a 8,000 square foot waterfront apartment in DC.
Please read the below excerpt from a 1996 story from the Boston Globe.
“During his first term in the US Senate, Sen. John F. Kerry lived for periods totaling at least a year in two Boston condominiums provided for him by a political contributor and one of his leading fund-raisers - for a fraction of the cost of a normal rental.
And in 1989, after he sold his town house in Washington to buy his own condominium in Boston, Kerry stayed from time to time over three months - without paying any rent - at an $ 8,000-a-month Washington waterfront apartment leased by Robert A. Farmer. Farmer was then vice president of Cassidy & Associates, a major Washington lobbying firm that owes much of its success to access to US senators.
The Globe discovered Kerry’s unusual living arrangements during a review of his finances. The review also turned up suggestions that Kerry had taken steps in the 1980s to effectively conceal the information - efforts continued in the last two weeks as Kerry and a top aide at times offered evasive and contradictory information about where he lived and when.
At one point Kerry, embroiled in a tough reelection battle with Gov. William F. Weld, his GOP challenger, told the Globe he could not recall where he lived in Boston for a 20-month period during his first term in office.” Source: The Boston Globe, October 18, 1996
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June 30th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
John Kerry lived for FREE in the Republic of South Vietnam.
It seems to me that Norm Coleman didn’t qualify to live for FREE in the Republic of South Vietnam because he was AN ANTI-WAR PROTESTOR & WAS TOO SKINNY.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I don’t think this story will have (or should have) any more legs than a lot of the mud thrown at Franken. But, MDE and the GOP surely should be subject to the same “two wrongs don’t make a right” standard they used to deflect counter-attacks related to MN GOP’s own accounting problems.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
So when John Kerry isn’t gold digging, he’s living off his sugar daddies?
June 30th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Hey, the Star-Tribune, believe or not, has a story on a potential huge scandel involving Mike Hatch and Acorn. Remember Hatch, who gave a no-bid contact to Cerisie….go to the paper and read the article.
June 30th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
PlymouthDem, you said something smart earlier, so I’ll give you a break, but your comment here:
“But, MDE and the GOP surely should be subject to the same “two wrongs don’t make a right” standard they used to deflect counter-attacks related to MN GOP’s own accounting problems.”
… is among the dumbest things I’ve read from any Democrat.
To wit: Democrats accuse Coleman of doing something wrong. As usual, there’s no basis to believe their claims. MDE pulls out an example of a Democrat ACTUALLY committing the wrong act, and you say something about two wrongs not making a right.
I guess you’re correct in that regard, notably because there remains just one “wrong”… the wrong committed by the Democrat.
Ugh.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Dave, nice catch on the Hatch article. That angry fucker steered half a million dollars away from the state treasury and toward his political buddies.
… and isn’t this just the latest example? Didn’t he also steer a similar settlement involving an insurance company to a liberal group, diverting about the same amount away from the State Treasury.
What a s.o.b.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
How much was borrowed from Social Security to pay for John Kerry’s military trip to the Republic of South Vietnam in the 1960’s/70’s?
It really wasn’t FREE.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Is John Kerry running for Senate in Minnesota? Did I miss something? What does John Kerry have to do with Norm’s sleazy living arrangements? That National Journal article raised more questions than it answered. I think this story has some long legs. You don’t try to change the channel if you like the news that’s on.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Frankly, bring up what you want about John Kerry.
Look at Duke Cunningham in 2005, living off a boat that a defense contractor owned while “paying rent.” I believe he won’t be out of prison for another 10 years.
Michael, I wouldn’t be so quick to say that no rules or laws were broken. Senate rules are clear, and accepting goods or services at a discount not offered to the public as a whole can be considered bribery. It’s hard to prove, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the FBI would take notice of such an arrangement.
I hate to say it, but in politics when there’s women problems, there’s usually money problems too. Deny it all you want about Norm’s fidelity issues, but it’s true in far too many cases. Look again at Duke Cunningham, and the stories about hookers on that boat.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
You’re going to have to come up with something better than, “Hey that’s pretty cheap!” in order to seriously call his living arrangements sleazy.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Michael, you rightwingers claimed Franken’s tax problems went to his character. Are you now claiming Norm’s rent problems don’t go to his character?
You act all holier than thou when Franken has problems, but act like nothing is wrong when similar problems befall your candidates.
That’s why your party got beat in 2006 and will get beat again this fall - rank hypocrisy.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
[...] Senator Coleman, who is renting a small bedroom for $600 per month, DSCC Chairman Senator Chuck Schumer is renting an entire house, with a full-kitchen for only $150 [...]
June 30th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Is Chuck Schumer running for Senate in Minnesota? Did I miss something? What does Chuck Schumer have to do with Norm’s sleazy living arrangements? That National Journal article raised more questions than it answered. I think this story has some long legs. You don’t try to change the channel if you like the news that’s on.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
“sleazy living arrangements? Hardly.
Coldwell Banker Real Estate>
Gotta love THIS!!!
Downstairs, a huge English basement with a media center, office space, gorgeous custom marble and oak bar plus an airy guest bedroom and bath. (A C of O allows you the flexibility of an income unit).
Simply divine!
Hey - isn’t ol’ Smokescreen tryin’ to claim the basement’s a dump?
Seems like Norm’s got some ’splainin’ to do!!!
June 30th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Two wrongs do make a right, until July 15th when this race changes.
July 1st, 2008 at 3:08 am
- Is there a regular door person?
- Does Norm take out the garbage/trash?
July 1st, 2008 at 9:06 am
Tommy, don’t go by the real estate description. They can be hilariously misleading. The old joke is that one agent wrote up one property’s problem with drunks from the neighboring bar sleeping it off, or relieving themselves in, the shrubbery as the place having “lush” vegetation. Coleman only rents two rooms in the basement. It doesn’t matter how fancy the bar or the office someone else works in, because Coleman doesn’t rent all of the basement.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:08 am
“…because Coleman doesn’t rent all of the basement.”
Really? How do you know that?
July 1st, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Tommy, I know that because even the DFL grand poobahs hollering about the situation talk about the quarters as a small bedroom and a bathroom.