1) They desperately wanted to endorse Obama.
2) They were going to use the “Palin” isn’t qualified excuse to do it – even tho she has more exec experience then Obama.
3) That would have left them looking incredibly stupid endorsing Franken because Franken has NEVER held any elected office, let alone US Senator. He’s never even had an adult job that didn’t have “entertainer” in the title.
4) Franken is a lunatic and was going to lose anyway. Liberal papers reserve a certain number of “throw away” endorsements to inevitable conservative winners. It lets them claim they are unbiased without actually helping the conservative.

So don’t worry folks the Red Star (and the People’s Pioneer) have not suddenly become GOP fans.

This newspaper is going to be as profitable as a hot sauce store in hell.

Does Norm hate freedom? Is Norm endorsing socialism?

(I think they’re right, and that the best check on a Democrat-controlled Congress would be John McCain, but that’s another issue . . . )

Pfft.

Yeah, and I’m sure all four of your approved readers were grateful for the tip, Aairhead. But now fans of quality political punditry can join in the celebration too.

Since Franken is the DFL opponent, apparently the Strib finds his 15 year career peddling partisan hate and making a joke of sexual violence offensive.

http://www.faithmouse.com/al_franken_with_a_pancake_on_his_head.jpg

As an incentive I’ll be happy to give Al a new suit plus butter and syrup.

My bet is that NOBAMA and his team lose big, and rightfully so. I am an EX Democrat who voted in a PROTEST vote Straight REPUBLICAN (except for two downticket dems I just couldn’t publish for the Demonazis beahvior) and I speak for MILLIONS of Americans who will be PROUDLY and RESOUNDINGLY voting REPUBLICAN THIS YEAR!!

You can call me Jennifer B. Anthony, because in honor of Susan and her historic 1928 ‘I can’t vote for the Democrats because they do not support women’ stance, this year I voted in her honor because THEY STILL CANNOT support Women. Howard Dean, Al Franken, and Brazilla got it wrong, we will NOT come home; instead, we will vote COUNTRY FIRST and then either purge the Democrats of the nutballs or forge ahead and form a new party. Either way, I’m taking my money AND my votes with me.

Jennifer X
American Citizen

I find your commentary about the comparison a little funny:

* Harris was running against an incumbent Democrat Senator (one who won the state of Florida the night that Gore lost Florida). That by itself isn’t a cake walk in. That’s a guarantee struggle.

* Okay the premise of your argument is that if the Republicans had nominated somebody who was likeable they would’ve won easily. Well in the state of Pennsylvania the Republicans had an incumbent US Senator who said nice things, he argued his case very well, and he lost by over 700,000 votes. Hint what history shows was a down Republican year she got killed (Kennedy in terms of popular vote percentage got just one percent more)

* In terms of ranking the races like you did North Carolina if it turns that Dole wins according to your assessment than the losses will be fewer. Dole has more against her in her race than John S, Schafer, and Smith have. If Dole wins the loss is closer to two or less than the five you’re predicting.

In terms of those people who say that Franken has been leading the polls the question isn’t why is the margin bigger? There is something like a five point plus gap in all of these for party identification. Obama in these polls have a ten plus vote margin. In other words Coleman is doing better than the top of his ticket (always a problem when you have an unpopular adminstration) and Franken is running far worse than the top of his ticket. This shapes up to be a problem for Franken on election day.

Furthermore if you folks want to say that there is no credible poll that says Coleman is winning you’re making the case that there is no credible poll that shows Tinkelberg and Madia are ahead since the only people who have polled those races is survey USA which said that Coleman is winning.

So I guess there is no credible proof anybody can claim that Paulsen or Bachmann is losing then.

Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN

The only reason Franken is leading or tied in the polls is because of the economic crisis. He was dead before then.

Any Democrat should be way ahead in this race, but Franken is struggling to keep it competitive.

Not to mention the fact that Franken is embarrassing for Minnesota and the DFL. These endorsements show that even left-leaning groups are willing to support Coleman because Franken is so terrible.

let’s hope norm wins and the gop can end up with 42-43 seats.

as i count it, gop will lose va, nm, co and nh. possibly alaska, but that will go stevens if he is acquitted or no verdict by day of election. gop will not pickup any dem seats. i am feeling more comfortable now about mn, nc and ky. oregon still a big tossup.

the best the gop can hope for in this election is obama victory by less than 5 points, and holding senate losses to 5 seats. that then gives dems white house and congress, but not filibuster proof so dems get all the blame (and credit if there is any in next couple of years) while gop can stir up the pot without any blame.

The Dems have repeatedly been sorry for endorsing Franken. Imagine if Ciresi was endorsed. He would have been supported by all the papers and after the economic crisis up by 20 points. The Dems really blew it on this one.

Has the Star Tribune endorsed Obama yet? When they do it will be so awkward for TeamFranken.

I hope these endorsements of Coleman register with voters. I will be ashamed to be a Minnesotan if we elect another celebrity goof.

This “conservative” paper endorsed all DFL candidates in today’s paper.

The endorsement of Norm Coleman for US Senate proves 1 of 2 things.

A broken clock is right twice every day

Al Franken is so far off the mark that even the Strib can’t bring itself to endorse him.

I will believe that this is a conservative paper when Barack Hussein Obama is not endorsed by the strib.

I went to sleep on planet Earth Friday, October 24.
I do not recognize the planet on which I awoke.

Unbelievable.

Nah, I doubt it. They must have had some bad mushrooms last week.