Tracking Minnesota Politics Since 2005
Norm was fidgeting like a 3rd grader off their Ritalin .
Why exactly would Norm be nervous about renting a room clearly below market value?
Because the Capitol Briefing suggested that Norm find as good a lawyer as he can afford with his cut rate rental.
Check out the Capitol Briefing from the WaPo and mumbling, squirmy Norm Coleman on WCCO, and be sure to check back with MNPublius as this story continues to grow.
Surprising many Republican insiders, Mitt Romney is at the top of the vice-presidential prospect list for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). But lack of personal chemistry could derail the pick…
So two other names are in the top tier:
—Rob Portman, a former congressman from Ohio, member of House leadership, U.S. Trade Ambassador and White House budget director.
—Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who would delight conservatives and is at the top of the list of the party’s prospects for the presidential race in 2012 or 2016. He was described to Politico by a McCain confidant as a possible “compromise” if the senator can’t stomach picking Romney.
Then there’s a second tier of candidates who are less likely, but possible: former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, who dropped out of the top tier because of recent revelations about his lobbying; Florida Gov. Charlie Crist; Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty; and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), who is one of McCain’s most energetic and successful fundraisers.
I think Romney and Portman would be horrible picks for McCain, Thune would be slightly better. Romney would be the Edwards of 2008: as soon as the polls turn south, he’ll start planning for 2012. Portman, on the other hand, was a member of the Bush Administration. Pretty easy to tie McCain to Bush’s economic policies when his Budget Director is on the ticket! Thune would be fine. Nothing special, but a better pick in my book than either Romney or Portman.
What is surprising about this list is that Tim Pawlenty is listed as a second tier candidate. Other published reports have the Pawlenty buzz increasing and he did well on This Week. But hey, if McCain wants to go with Romney or Portman, I’m all for it.
The 2nd Quarter ends at midnight tonight. Fundraising totals from this quarter will be used to make critical targeting decisions in the fall. The folks in DC will be watching closely to see if Sarvi, Madia, Tinklenberg and Franken have been able to put together the financial resources they need to be competitive. If you want the DCCC to target the 2nd, 3rd or 6th Congressional Districts, if you want the DSCC to target Norm Coleman, we need to help them turn their 2nd Quarter FEC Reports into a statement of strength.
Since last Wednesday, liberal blogs in Minnesota have been working together to raise money for Steve Sarvi, Ashwin Madia, El Tinklenberg and Al Franken. We smashed our first goal, $1,000, in less than 36 hours. We’re now just $92 away from reaching our new goal of $2,000. With your help, we can reach that goal and send a message to the DCCC and the DSCC that Minnesota is ready for change. Your small donation today could lead to huge contributions by the national party organizations in October.
Remember, every single Republican in our congressional delegation is up for reelection and every single one of them is vulnerable. We could send a 100% DFL delegation to Washington in January if we work hard enough.
Rahm also did well. (I think if Rahm wasn’t from Illinois, we’d be looking at him as a strong VP prospect for Obama).
I am impressed. On Wednesday, we joined with several other liberal blogs based in Minnesota to ask you to donate to one of our four great DFL challengers before the end of the quarter on Monday. We set a goal of raising $1,000 for these four candidates by that day. Well, we passed that goal late yesterday afternoon, just 36 hours after we started this project.
In response, we’ve done the only rational thing we could have done. We’ve raised the goal. Now we’re shooting for $2,000 by the end of the quarter, or $500 per candidate.
We’ve got an amazing opportunity this year. Every single Republican in Minnesota’s congressional delegation is up for reelection and every single one of them is vulnerable. If we work hard enough, we can send a 100% DFL delegation to Washington in January. Imagine how much good Steve Sarvi, Ashwin Madia, El Tinkelenberg and Al Franken can do in partner ship with Sen. Klobuchar and Reps. Walz, McCollum, Ellison, Peterson and Oberstar.
Norm Coleman, the hobo senator from Minnesota, rents a basement room from a Republican campaign consultant so he doesn’t have to sleep in the back of a freight car when he’s in Washington. Senator Coleman is supposed to pay $600 a month in rent, but he missed a couple of payments over the past year because he is a degenerate as well as a hobo.
Senator Coleman’s landlord is a gentleman named Jeff Larson, whose employer has helped the senator with fundraising ‘n stuff. Also Larson is the chief executive of the Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee, which is hosting the Republican National Convention.
But enough about their completely above-the-board connections! Apparently this apartment is a frightful dungeon that would terrify all but the most desperate vagrants, and Jeff Larson is a monster:
“I rent a cramped bedroom from him, with no kitchen. … It’s a place to lay my head,” the senator told a reporter.
Somebody needs to notify the proper authorities that a Republican pervert is keeping an impoverished, starving senator in his basement Incest Dungeon, the end.
As hilarious as the above is, it really hits the nail on the head at the same time: where the heck does someone find a $600/month apartment in D.C., much less on Capitol Hill? I’ll tell you where: no where. It’s just not possible in that area. I had an apartment on the hill and it cost me $1200 a month and that was after it was subsidized by an intern housing organization and the place was a 1-bedroom studio dump (which I was more than happy with because of the location, but it was a dump) that I was splitting with a roommate. Now, I might give Coleman the shadow of the doubt if he said he was paying $1000 for a room in a $1 million townhouse on the hill (that would still be stretching it), but $600? Give me a break. Does he really think we’re dense enough to see this as anything but a political favor?
According to the Journal’s calculations, that work has meant a payoff to [Jeff Larson’s] company of about $1.6 million since 2001.
The Journal piece suggests the relationship “could prove politically damaging” in his re-election campaign this year but does not conclude there is anything nefarious or improper about the coziness of the relationship.
Last year, the senator moved from his D.C. apartment to a bedroom in a town home Larson owns. In doing so, he cut his rent from $1,780 a month to $600 a month, according to the piece and confirmed by Coleman and Larson.
Coleman has occasionally been late on his rent and didn’t pay for two months, although he later made up the back rent for the kitchenless abode.
Ethics have never been a barrier for Norm Coleman’s unbound ambition, but I have to admit that the National Journal’s article (seriously, read the whole thing, it’s stunning) about Norm Coleman’s extremely close ties to GOP operative Jeff Larson surprised even me. Jeff Larson is a behind the scenes political strategist who runs a political telemarketing group that has “profited handsomely” (according to the article) from his close relationship with Coleman:
Most curiously, Larson provides Coleman with a place to live in Washington. In July 2007, Coleman began paying Larson $600 a month in rent for a portion of a one-bedroom basement apartment in a Capitol Hill town house that Larson owns.
…
Earlier this month, after National Journal questioned Coleman and Larson about the living arrangement, the senator said he discovered that his rent for last November and January had not been paid. In mid-June, Coleman covered the back rent with a personal check for $1,200 made out to Larson and signed by the senator’s wife. Last year, Coleman sold furniture to Larson to cover one month’s rent, according to Larson. And Larson held on to yet another month’s rent check for three months, cashing it a few days after NJ’s inquiries.
Okay, so this guy provides Coleman with a place to live, gets paid by Coleman’s wife (apparently the Senator doesn’t have a bank account of his own or a joint account under which he can sign his own checks, and occasionally accepts furniture as rent… anything sound sketchy yet? If that doesn’t sound like the typical landlord-tenant relationship it’s probably because it isn’t. See, Jeff gets paid in other ways as well, Larson’s St. Paul company “has been paid about $1.6 million since mid-2001 by Coleman’s Northstar Leadership political action committee and two Senate campaigns.” All these furniture based rent payments are starting to seem more reasonable…
But it gets stranger in that Coleman now lives in Larson’s townhouse when in DC… for free by all accounts. His previous apartment cost him over $1700 a month. Now why would Larson be so generous, well maybe some of these explain the situation:
The information and evidence in this article is so extensive that I don’t have enough room to list it all here. The ties here are stunningly interwoven; it will take a while to sort out where Jeff Larson ends and Norm Coleman begins… or where the money between the two begins and ends. This is just beginning…
Although it’s an admission that is simultaneously embarrassing and frightening, I was so jarred by today’s news that Anheuser-Busch will stop manufacturing and selling caffeinated energy drink “Tilt” that I am moved to mourn it publicly. Oh Tilt, you were so awesome and so awful at the same time. Like a peak and a valley rolled into one amazingly ugly aluminum can, you are something that was seldom understood but always welcome. You will be missed dear friend.
Some of the events were unpaid, therefore he wouldn’t owe taxes for visits to those states, the events in DC and Nevada may have been paid but both of those states have residency requirements, therefore he wouldn’t owe taxes for those visits and one of the state visits — to Kentucky — Franken actually did pay taxes for earlier this year, she said. The Kentucky visit was wrongly listed as an Ohio visit in the materials released to members of the press in April but that mistake was rectified a few days later and the taxes were paid.
Man, this must be an embarrassing day for the NRSC, the GOP, and certain MN bloggers…
Loading ...Obviously they’re both great, but if you had to pick one over the other…
We’re just one day into our Minnesota Blogs fundraising drive and we’re already two-thirds of the way to our goal! Way to go!
We’ve got a great chance to take back the entire Minnesota Congressional delegation this year. Let’s not let money be the reason we fall short of that goal. Remember, every dollar makes a difference. So take a moment, head to the Red to Blue MN page and make a donation to one of our great DFL challengers!
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Do you think going to war with Iraq was the right thing for the United States to do or the wrong thing?
Right thing - 31%
Wrong thing - 61%
Norm Coleman’s answer:
Just goes to show that if the Franken campaign can turn the conversation away from the distractions and smears thrown out by desperate Republicans (the big if) they’ve got some great material to work with. Also, the fundamental mood of Minnesotans is just terrible…
In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in the nation today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?
Very/Somewhat Satisfied - 21%
Very/Somewhat dissatisfied - 79%Which best describes your family’s financial situation - Getting ahead, falling behind or holding steady?
Getting ahead - 15%
Falling behind - 23%
Holding steady - 61%
And of course, there is this delightful statistic…
Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as President?
Approve - 24%
Disapprove - 70%
The event starts at 5:30 p.m. This isn’t just a blogger event, although free Wi-Fi is available if you wish to blog. This event is an opportunity for people of differing political parties to get together and have fun for a few hours. Hope to see you there!
People Are Shouting
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