MNpublius.com

The DFL put out a great release showing how Norm streached the truth in his nomination acceptance speech yesterday.  Read it in full after the jump…

Norm Coleman’s GOP Convention Acceptance Speech: Fact Check

May 30, 2008 – As he accepted the Republican endorsement for the U.S. Senate today, Norm Coleman made several statements about his vision for the future of our country, including ending our addiction to foreign oil, cutting wasteful government spending, bringing our troops home safely, and his bristling at unfunded federal mandates. These all stand in stark contrast to the record he’s established during his time in Washington.

STATEMENT: In His Acceptance Speech Today, Coleman Said, “We Must End Our Addiction to Foreign Oil.”

FACTS: Coleman Has Repeatedly Voted Against Energy Independence Initiatives While the Price of Gas in Minnesota Soars.

2008: Coleman Voted Against Budget Investing $8.45 Billion in Clean Energy, $3.5 Billion More Than President Bush’s Budget, Including $2.7 Billion to Create Green Collar Jobs. In March 2008, Coleman voted against the Senate’s FY 2009 budget, which invested $8.45 billion in clean energy, including $2.7 billion in investment in green jobs. The Senate’s budget invested $3.5 billion more in developing clean and renewable sources of energy than the president’s proposed budget. [SCR 70, Vote 85, 3/14/08; Chairman’s Mark of FY 2009 Budget Resolution, 3/6/08; Budget Committee Press Release, 3/14/08]

2006: Coleman Opposed Funding Cellulosic Ethanol, Extending Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit and Clean Energy Bonds. In 2006, Coleman voted against an amendment that would have funded cellulosic ethanol initiatives and extended the renewable energy production tax credit and clean renewable energy bonds programs for an additional four years.  The amendment provided for the following funding: Biomass cellulosic fuels ($250 million), Cellulosic biomass ethanol conversion assistance ($250 million), Renewable energy R&D Solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydropower ($290 million).  The amendment failed 46-54. [Vote 42, 3/14/06; Bingaman Floor Speech, 3/14/06]

2005: Coleman Voted Against Cutting Oil Imports By 40%. In 2005, Coleman voted against a proposal to reduce America’s dependency on foreign oil by 40% over the next 20 years. [Vote 140, 6/16/05]

Since Coleman Took Office, Price of Gasoline in Minnesota Has Gone Up $2.45 per Gallon. According to the Energy Information Agency, the average gallon of gasoline in Minnesota is up $2.45 since Coleman took office in the U.S. Senate. On January 6, 2003, the day before Coleman was sworn into office, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in Minnesota was $1.41. On the most recent day gas prices were tracked, May 30, 2008, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in Minnesota was $3.86. [Energy Information Agency, Accessed 4/29/08; AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report, Accessed 5/29/08]

STATEMENT: In His Acceptance Speech Today, Coleman Said, “America’s Two Greatest Threats are Winning the War on Terror So We Can Be Secure and Cutting Wasteful Washington Spending So We Don’t Burden Our Children with Debt.”

FACTS: Coleman Has Shown “Fiscal Disregard to Nation’s Checkbook” by Opposing PAYGO Rules.

Coleman Voted Against Restoring Pay-As-You-Go Rules at Least Five Times. In March 2005, Coleman voted against restoring PAYGO rules, which would require a 60-vote majority to pass any deficit-busting spending. In addition, Tax cuts and new entitlement spending would have to be offset with revenue increases or spending cuts. Coleman voted against restoring PAYGO rules again twice in November 2005. In 2007, he voted twice against budgets that would eliminate the deficit by 2012, extend middle-class tax cuts, and restore funding for children’s healthcare. [Vote 53, 3/16/05; Vote 283, 11/3/05; Vote 340, 11/17/05] ;Vote #114, 3/23/07; Sen. Kent Conrad Release, 3/23/07; Vote #172, 5/17/07; Sen. Kent Conrad Press Release, 5/17/07]

Mankato Free Press: Coleman Supported “Reckless Disregard for the Nation’s Checkbook.” In March 2006, the Mankato Free Press editorial board criticized Coleman’s vote against reinstating federal PAYGO rules. Praising those “courageous Republicans” who broke with their party to vote yes, they wrote that Coleman “had the power to change national policy, policy that would bring common sense back to this spending melee that has occurred in recent years. He chose not to…The debt limit has increased by $3 trillion since President George W. Bush took office. This kind of reckless disregard for the nation’s checkbook isn’t supposed to happen when Congress and the White House are controlled by the more fiscally conservative party.” [Mankato Free Press, 3/26/06]

STATEMENT: In His Acceptance Speech Today, Coleman Said, “The Spendthrifts in St. Paul and Washington Need to Realize That Minnesotans Still Clip Grocery Coupons, They Still Shop Garage Sales, and They Still Keep a Change Jar. Our Message to the DFL: Keep Your Hands Out of Our Pockets; Keep Your Hands Off Our Change.”

FACTS: As Chair and Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Coleman Failed to Hold Defense Contractors Accountable, Allowing War Profiteering and Wasteful Spending of Taxpayers Money to Sky-Rocket.

2008: Redistributing KBR Contracts Could Result in Higher Costs for Taxpayers and Weaker Military Oversight. For the first time since the war began, the largest single Pentagon contract in Iraq is being divided among three companies, ending the monopoly held by KBR, the Houston-based corporation that has been accused of wasteful spending and mismanagement and of exploiting its political ties to Vice President Dick Cheney.  Yet even as the Pentagon begins to pull apart the enormous KBR contract, critics warn that the new three-company deal could actually result in higher costs for American taxpayers and weak oversight by the military. In fact, under the new deal, KBR and the two other companies could actually make more than three times as much as KBR has been paid each year since the war began…KBR, previously a subsidiary of Halliburton, once headed by Mr. Cheney, has collected more than $24 billion since the war began. [New York Times, 5/24/08]

2006: Coleman Opposed Harsh Penalties for War Profiteering. In June 2006, Coleman voted to kill a proposal to crack down on war profiteers by imposing harsh new penalties of up to 20 years in prison and at least $1 million in fines for such abuses. Republicans killed the plan 55-43. [Vote #169, 6/14/06]

2006: Coleman Voted Against Investigating Waste and Fraud in Iraq Contracts. In June 2006, Coleman voted to kill a proposal to establish a special committee in the U.S. Senate, modeled after the Truman Committee, to exercise oversight over contracting abuses related to reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan. [Vote #176, 6/20/06; New York Times, 6/20/06]

2005: Coleman Voted Against Committee to Investigate Military Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. In September 2005, Coleman voted to kill an amendment “that would establish a new Senate committee to investigate contracts issued for military operations and reconstruction,” according to Congressional Quarterly [HR 2862, Vote 228, 9/14/05; Congressional Quarterly, 9/14/05]

2003: Coleman Said He Would Investigate Halliburton But Said Hearing Would Be “Premature.” In December 2003, Sen. Mark Dayton called on Coleman to investigate high gasoline prices the United States is paying to the Halliburton Corp. in Iraq. Coleman criticized Dayton for not calling him directly but said he would look into the matter. Coleman said media reports that Halliburton was getting double the going rate to import fuel from Kuwait “raises some very serious and legitimate questions about how fuel is supplied in Iraq. I don’t think one single news account is evidence enough to warrant a full investigation, but I do plan on looking into this, as every good legislator should.” Coleman added, though, “I think it’s premature to call for a hearing right now.” [AP, 12/10/03]

STATEMENT: In His Acceptance Speech Today, Coleman Said, “Minnesotans Want to See Our Troops Brought Home Safely Without Surrendering the Gains We’ve Made at Tremendous Costs.”

FACTS: Coleman Continues to Back Blank Check for Endless War Without Plans to Bring Troops Home.

May 2008: Coleman Voted for Bush Requested $165 Spending Bill for Iraq and Afghanistan; Klobuchar Opposed Bill. “Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., was one of 26 senators who voted against a $165 billion spending bill Thursday that would pay for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan into next spring. Republican Sen. Norm Coleman voted in favor of the spending bill, which was requested by the Bush administration. “I strongly believe we need to transition the mission of our forces in Iraq into a supporting role” Coleman said. “But I don’t believe we can delay funding for our troops on the ground any longer. Time has run out, and the president has indicated that he will veto a troop funding bill with 30 pages of prescriptive policy provisions.” The bill passed the Senate 70-26. Klobuchar and 23 other Democrats, one Independent and one Republican voted against it.” [St. Cloud Times, 5/23/08]

2007: Coleman Voted for Blank Check for War. In November 2007, Coleman voted to provide $70 billion for the war in Iraq “with no strings attached” and no accountability. [Vote 410, 11/16/07; CQ Today, 11/15/07]

• The Cost of War Could Reach $2.4 Trillion; Minnesota’s Cost — $12 Billion So Far. The National Priorities Project estimates that more than $511 billion has been spent on the war so far. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could cost taxpayers a total of $2.4 trillion by 2017, when counting interest costs, because combat is being financed with borrowed money. The CBO also estimated that of the $2.4 trillion long-term price tag, about $1.9 trillion would be spent on Iraq. The National Priorities Project also found that the cost of war to Minnesota as of May 1 was more than $12 billion.  [Reuters, 4/8/08; National Priorities Project, accessed 5/1/08]

2007: Coleman Voted 12 Times in 2007 Against Changing Course in Iraq. Senator Norm Coleman voted twelve times in 2007 against changing course in Iraq. [Vote #438, 12/18/07; Vote #437, 12/18/07; Vote #411, 11/16/07; Vote #362; 10/3/07; Vote #346, 9/21/07; Vote #345, 9/20/07; Vote #252, 7/18/07; Vote #167, 5/16/07; Vote #147, 4/26/07; Vote #126, 3/29/07, Vote #116, 3/27/07; Vote #75, 3/15/07]

2007: Coleman Opposed Timetables for Withdrawal and Said He Doesn’t Talk About Getting Out of Iraq. In July 2007, Coleman said, “We are going to be in Iraq a long time. I am not supporting dates, specific dates, timetables for withdrawal. When my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk about redeployment, they are talking about getting out of Iraq. I’m not. And simply because that’s the reality.” [Pioneer Press, 7/12/07]

2003: Coleman Twice Voted Against Independent Commission to Investigate Pre-Iraq War Intelligence. In July 2003, Coleman voted to kill an amendment “to create a commission to study the development of intelligence about Iraq before the war,” according to the Associated Press. In October 2003, Coleman voted to kill an amendment “that would establish an independent commission to investigate prewar intelligence on Iraq, which would build upon the inquiries already under way in the House and Senate intelligence panels,” according to Congressional Quarterly. [HR 2658, Vote 284, 7/16/03; Associated Press, 7/16/03; S 1689, Vote 395, 10/17/03; Congressional Quarterly, 10/17/03]

STATEMENT: In His Acceptance Speech Today, Coleman Said: “I Can Tell You as a Former Mayor, I Bristle with Unfunded Mandates”

FACTS: Coleman Repeatedly Voted Against No Child Left Behind and Special-Education Funding.

But Coleman Voted Six Times Against Additional Funding for No Child Left Behind; Voted Six Times Against Funding for Head Start and After-School Programs. Since Coming to the Senate, Coleman has voted at least six times against additional funding for No Child Left Behind. Coleman has also voted at least six times against additional funding for Head Start and after school programs.  [HJR 2, Vote 5, 1/16/03; SCR 23, Vote 60, 3/19/03; HR 2660, Vote 330, 9/9/03; HR 2660, Vote 342, 9/10/03; SCR 95, Vote 35, 3/10/04; HR 3010, Vote 269, 10/26/05; SCR 23, Vote 86, 3/25/03; SCR 23, Vote 99, 3/25/03; HR 2660, Vote 333, 9/9/03; HR 2660, Vote 340, 9/10/03; HR 3010; Vote 272, 10/26/05; HR 3010, Vote 279, 10/27/05]

Coleman Repeatedly Voted Against Increased IDEA Funding, Often Choosing to Protect Tax Cuts For The Wealthy. Since coming to the Senate, Coleman has voted at least five times against increased special education funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  Four of the amendments Coleman opposed contained sufficient funding to fully fund the federal government’s commitment to pay 40% of the cost of implementing IDEA.  Three of those amendments were paid for by rolling back President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy or closing corporate tax loopholes.  [HR 3010, Vote 273, 10/26/05; HR 2660, Vote 324, 9/3/03; SCR 18, Vote 79, 3/17/05; SCR 23, Vote 70, 3/21/03; SCR 23, Vote 103, 3/26/03]

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