Monthly Archive for June, 2008

DONATE!

by
Zack Stephenson
Published on June 25, 2008 at 6:17 am
, filed in CD2, CD3, CD6 and MN 2008: Senate
. 26 Comments

Minnesota Democrats have a historic opportunity this fall.  Between Al Franken, Steve Sarvi, Ashwin Madia and El Tinklenberg, the DFL has strong candidates running for every single Republican-held seat in our congressional delegation.  With Barack Obama sporting double digit leads at the top of the ticket and a Democratic wave building, we could win each of these seats.

Achieving a 100% DFL delegation will not be easy.  To even have a chance, we’ve got to give it everything we’ve got.

In that spirit, liberal leaning blogs in Minnesota are joining together to sponsor and end of quarter fundraising drive for our DFL challengers.  Together with MNCR, Centrisity, Blue Man, Chris Truscott and Power Liberal, MN Publius is asking you to donate to one of our great DFL candidates before next Monday.  We’ve established an Act Blue page so we can track our efforts, called Red to Blue MN.  Our goal is modest, to raise $250 for each candidate.

So please take this opportunity to make a donation (no matter how small).  Its your chance to be part of something historic.

Strib Editorial Board Notes Coleman’s Sensitivity

by
Zack Stephenson
Published on June 24, 2008 at 9:05 pm
, filed in General
. 14 Comments

The Star Tribune’s editorial board has noticed that Norm Coleman is a little oversensitive when it comes to the subject of his marriage:

A handful of liberal bloggers apparently touched a nerve in Sen. Norm Coleman’s campaign when they suggested that his wife, Laurie Coleman, appeared to be “green-screened” into a commercial featuring her husband taking out the household’s trash.

More…

It also showed a Senate candidate being hypersensitive to blogged comment and, at least in this case, hypereager to steer the campaign toward a discussion of personalities, not issues.

The Coleman campaign really bungled their response to the green screen questions. By overreacting, they demostrated their unease with answering questions about the Coleman marriage.  The press noticed and now team Coleman finds themselves in a much trickier situation.

Media Attention Shifts to the Colemans’ Marriage

by
Zack Stephenson
Published on June 24, 2008 at 4:34 pm
, filed in General
. 27 Comments

Though the green screen question has been put to rest, the media attention continues to focus on the new Coleman ad.  Why?  Because of the inclusion of Norm’s wife Laurie in the ad.  WCCO did a story on this last night:

“By putting Laurie Coleman in this ad, the Coleman campaign has invited scrutiny on an issue they thought was long forgotten,” said Professor Larry Jacobs of the Humphrey Institute.

The issue that the Coleman campaign “thought was long forgotten” is the Coleman’s “untraditional marriage” or so says Doug Grow. This makes the Coleman campaign very upset.  Esme Murphy at WCCO has more:

The real issue is that the Coleman campaign has always been super-sensitive about Laurie Coleman. I am not sure why. She is an exceptionally beautiful woman who has pursued a modeling and acting career long after most of us could not hope to look one-quarter as good as she does.

More Murphy…

It really seems the Coleman campaign is not comfortable with the fact that the Colemans don’t fit a cookie cutter mold of what is a family. But what family does these days?

There are a few possible reasons why the Coleman campaign is so sensitive about any attention paid to the Coleman marriage.  I’m sure one reason is the rumors that circulate through political circles that Coleman has been less than faithful in his marriage.  But no concrete evidence has ever been produced to substantiate these rumors, despite the fact that they have been around as long as Coleman has been in the public eye.

Larry Jacobs offered a more basic rationale on WCCO last night:

“They have now launched an ad that’s taken the attention away from Al Franken and put it right on Senator Coleman,” said Jacobs.

I don’t always agree with the good professor, but he got this one exactly right.

Minnesota Presidential Race Update

by
Zack Stephenson
Published on June 24, 2008 at 3:24 pm
, filed in General
. 2 Comments

The Obama campaign has hired a Communications Director for Minnesota.  Its Nick Kimball, formerly the CD for the DFL.  More recently, Kimball has held a variety of roles inside the Obama campaign.  Nick’s uncle Joe at MinnPost has a nice summary.

He was busy with Obama during the primary season, starting out as new media director in Iowa, where the campaign really took flight. He then went to Texas, where he worked as spokesman for the campaign, then back home to Minnesota to be communications director in the weeks leading up to our caucuses. Then it was off to Indiana and Oregon, where he was press secretary for those primaries.

Nick is very well known in DFL circles and is a first rate operative. He’s going to do a great job in Minnesota.

Meanwhile, in a broader report on the McCain campaign’s media spending, Marc Ambinder writes:

In Minnesota, the [McCain] campaign is saturating the Minneapolis-St. Paul market; the data suggests that they’ve spent at least $150,000 dollars during the past two weeks.

My understanding is that this is not the full extent of the McCain buy in Minnesota, but $75k/week is a decent buy for the Twin Cities alone (though “saturating” seems to be an overstatement). I checked with a couple of people familiar with the cost of media buys in Minnesota and found that $75k gets you somewhere just under 700 gross rating points. That means that the average viewer should see the McCain ad 6 or 7 times in a given week.

TPaw VP Update

by
Zack Stephenson
Published on June 24, 2008 at 10:35 am
, filed in General
. 5 Comments

Marc Ambinder, who seems to have special insight into the McCain campaign, writes:

Some friends of McCain believe that he made up his mind about a vice presidential short list a long time ago and is simply going through the motions to satisfy the news media’s need to see the slow arc of a purposeful search. Indeed, before the campaign tamped down such talk, advisers and aides freely speculated that Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, an evangelical Christian, was the odds-on favorite. McCain likes and trusts Pawlenty and is said to think that the governor makes an effective surrogate for the campaign.

I’ve said it many times before, Tim Pawlenty would be a good, safe choice for McCain. He’s not going to change the dynamics of the race and he’s not going to win Minnesota for McCain, but he will be a loyal and effective surrogate. If McCain really wants to turn his VP selection into a political asset, he should pick a woman. Someone like Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Meanwhile the LA Times notes Timmy’s new favorite past-time: making fun of his wife.

The buzz surrounding Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has risen to bee-hive levels, with two recent articles offering in-depth looks at the positives and negatives he would offer as John McCain’s running mate. And if Pawlenty does end up the pick, it will be interesting to see if he continues his habit of cracking jokes about his wife.

Tim Pawlenty better be careful here. The beginnings of a media narrative are starting to appear.

Madia on FISA

by
Zack Stephenson
Published on June 24, 2008 at 9:46 am
, filed in CD3
. 9 Comments

Ashwin Madia is a former Marine Corps attorney and has focused on protecting civil liberties since the early days of his

campaign. Its not surprising, then, that Madia opposes the FISA compromise that passed the House.

I am troubled by the House passage of HR 6304, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. There is much we can do to prevent terrorism, but such measures do not require the sacrifice of fundamental constitutional freedoms which our country was founded upon. This legislation demonstrates the need for leaders in Congress who have experience in the military and in Iraq, and who value the rule of law as we fight the War on Terror.

Madia is very passionate about civil liberties, it was one of the very first issues he brought up the first time I talked to him some nine months ago. Just more evidence that he’ll be a rock star in Congress.

Norm’s Macaca Moment #2

by
Zack Stephenson
Published on June 23, 2008 at 12:46 pm
, filed in General
. 27 Comments

Norm Coleman was asked last week if, knowning what he knows now, he thought his support for the Iraq War in 2002 was wrong.

Norm said “No.”

Coleman’s refusal to acknowledge that the war in Iraq was a mistake of epic proportions will be a major issue this fall.  The DSCC just put out this web ad hitting Coleman for his continued support of the war.  This is a must-see.

Madia Event

by
Zack Stephenson
Published on June 23, 2008 at 9:46 am
, filed in CD3
. Closed

Last week, Joe Bodell reported that Ashwin Madia, the DFL endorsed candidate in the 3rd Congressional District, has hired a new Campaign Manager.  Stu Rosenberg, formerly with the Human Rights Campaign, is taking over this week.  If you want to meet Rosenberg (trust me, you do), join the Madia campaign at a reception this week welcoming him to the race.  Here are the details:

Tuesday, June 24, 6:30PM
Jimmy’s Food and Cocktails
11000 Red Circle Drive, Minnetonka, MN 55343

Suggested contribution: $50

“Starring Al Franken (as Himself)”

by
Matt Martin
Published on June 23, 2008 at 8:09 am
, filed in MN 2008: Senate
. 29 Comments


Well, I think it’s safe to say that Minnesota Monthly can now claim the best biographical article on Al Franken yet this cycle.  The article is thorough, fair, and a very good read.  I recommend it to anyone who’s been following this race.  Here are a couple excerpts to whet your appetite:

Sure, he cracks a few jokes at the U event  [a meeting with Grad students on fossil fuels] (“So what you’re saying is,” he asks in mock surprise, “don’t give billions in tax subsidies to oil companies, but put that money into research?”), but mostly he sounds like a junior professor—like he’s gunning for tenure, not office. As the meeting comes to a close, instead of offering some cutting remarks, instead of slicing up his ideological foes with satire the way he once did in the vituperative books and speeches that arguably catapulted him here—into the most remarkable Senate race in the nation—he asks, with apparently genuine interest, if he could be sent a copy of everyone’s PowerPoint presentations.

“I’m running for office,” Franken says by way of greeting these days, shaking hands and slapping backs on the campaign trail. “I used to be in show business.” It’s meant to clarify: That was then, this is now.

… [from later on in the article] …

Franken’s pitch is appealingly simple: get the bad guys out, get the good guy in, and things will inevitably improve. “It amazes me that a man can be in his fifties and have such idealism,” former Nixon speechwriter Ben Stein, whom Franken debated a few years back, once said. This almost child-like forthrightness, however, is driven by deeper desires, says Katherine Lanpher, Franken’s former radio co-host: “He really, truly burns with this fever to make the world a better place.”

That’s the Al Franken I’ve come to know over this cycle, and that’s the Al Franken that I would be proud to have represent me in the Senate.

Sunday Reads

by
Zack Stephenson
Published on June 22, 2008 at 11:44 am
, filed in General
. 8 Comments

Some good reads for a lazy Sunday afternoon:

Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post makes the case for why Tim Pawlenty should not be McCain’s VP nominee.  McCain might agree with you Chris, apparently he is not vetting T-Paw…at least, not yet.

NBC took my advice and made Tom Brokaw the moderator of Meet the Press through the election.  This move doesn’t make a lot of sense of NBC plans to make someone like David Gregory or Gwen Ifill the permanent moderator.  These seasoned TV reporters are ready to take over the show now and could have used the high profile of the election season to build a reputation.  Rather, I think this is a sign that NBC will go with someone who has loads of potential, but isn’t quite ready for the big show just yet.  Saddle up Chuck Todd, your hour is fast approaching.

A few things to check out in the battle for the Minnesota House: Aaron Brown has identified another candidate for Mike Jaros’ seat up in Duluth.  Meanwhile, MNCR diarist Max Page reports that Phyllis Kahn, the second-most senior member of the House, may have a primary challenger.  Finally, this site is pretty great.

The New York Times notes that Amtrak ridership has increased as fuel prices have soared.  Now would be a good time to build that high speed line from Minneapolis to Chicago.  Also, the Rush line.  Also, the Red Rock Line.

El the IP Endorsed Candidate In The 6th

by
Sean Broom
Published on June 21, 2008 at 7:00 pm
, filed in CD6
. 13 Comments

El Tinklenberg has just gained the Independence Party endorsement in the 6th Congressional District.

From Chris Truscott

Supporters include 2006 IP congressional candidate John Binkowski and 2006 gubernatorial candidate Peter Hutchinson.

This is a great position for El to be in. The 6th is a very strong district for the IP. Congrats to El on this great pickup.

And, my apologies to Chris if I was a little short with you, you called me when I was waiting in line for my rental car. I’m in Seattle for my honeymoon.

So, unless something really awesome comes along (like El getting endorsed by the Independence Party) so long until next week suckas.

Coleman Ad Situation Takes a Turn for the Bizarre (Updated)

by
Matt Martin
Published on June 20, 2008 at 5:10 pm
, filed in MN 2008: Senate
. 16 Comments

So, I’m not even sure what to say here. This is just… well, really weird. I don’t know what’s in the water coolers at the Coleman for Senate offices, but it must be something pretty potent.

In response to questions arising after Norm Coleman’s latest Senate TV ad (see below), the Coleman campaign put up a post on their blog that’s linked to on the frontpage of the Coleman for Senate website. The blog post is odd to begin with, taking a crack at what I can only imagine is supposed to be humor and failing miserably:

Amazingly, there seems to be a real conspiracy in the making based on a video that has been found from the Franken archives!

We have released a portion of an Al Franken web video that we find suspect. There is this guy we showed the Franken video to and he said it was “obviously faked.” Another man, who has seen several movies, told us that, “Franken’s mouth doesn’t even move throughout the entire production. This is totally fake. He should drop out now to save himself embarrassment.”

But the oddest part of the whole thing is this YouTube video they posted as a mockery of their own TV ad. Now, remember, this is posted by Norm Coleman’s official Senate campaign, on their official campaign website…

Let’s take a step back here. Forget the green-screening, forget the ad, just think about this: this guy is a sitting United States Senator. Say all you will about Al Franken’s past, but neither he nor his campaign has even approached this level of absurdity. Also, to all the people who have donated to the Coleman for Senate campaign, take note of what your money is paying for.

Honestly, I just feel bad for them; they’re really embarrassing themselves over there… But also, this is just hilariously bizarre. I really hope they keep up the good work over there, it’ll make blogging easy.

UPDATE: This is even more weird considering that this would have all been water under the bridge considering the campaign responded very responsibly by providing outtakes to the commercial. Why then would they reopen the whole thing with this absurdly weird video?

Coleman Campaign Responds With Outtakes–Questions Answered, Thank You!

by
Matt Martin
Published on June 20, 2008 at 5:05 pm
, filed in MN 2008: Senate
. 17 Comments

Perfect.  Earlier today I made a simple request to put an end to all these questions about Norm Coleman’s campaign:

Look, this is easy, let’s see some outtakes.  I think it would be fun in general, maybe even endearing.  A nice shot of Laurie and Norm laughing with each other when she flubs her line

And, to their immense credit, the Coleman campaign, or at least someone with access to their campaign materials, has made available outtakes from the commercial (available here; I’d post them directly, but they’re not YouTube).

As I said in my earlier post: “Odds are that this is all just some funky camera work, but it just looks too awkward not to take note and ask some questions.”  And in another: “as I said yesterday, this is probably all the result of some odd camera angle and fancy lighting.  Still, questions, I think, were to be expected.”  Are people going to give us flak for asking questions about this ad, absolutely.  But everyone I talked to who saw the ad, Republican and Democrat alike, thought at best the ad looked off.  So, we asked our questions and the Coleman campaign responded.  For that I give them the most sincere credit.

McCain: Who’s Bachmann?

by
Zack Stephenson
Published on June 20, 2008 at 1:58 pm
, filed in CD6
. 1 Comment

Looks like Michele Bachmann won’t have the same relationship with John McCain that she had with George Bush.

Swanson was one of those who got the microphone last night and asked McCain, a fellow former naval officer, what he thought about U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann’s plan to reduce gas prices to $2 per gallon.

McCain raised his eyebrows in surprise and said, “I eagerly look forward to seeing that. I’ll try to read it tonight.”

It wasn’t entirely clear that he knew who Bachmann was, although he expressed his admiration for her. McCain is opposed to drilling in Alaska, one of the tenets of the Bachmann proposal. He said that in the end, the only way we can force down prices is to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Norm’s Macaca Moment

by
Zack Stephenson
Published on June 20, 2008 at 12:14 pm
, filed in MN 2008: Senate
. 48 Comments

In politics, if you are going to say something stupid, you better make sure its not caught on tape. You can ask George Allen about that.

Just days ago, Norm Coleman was asked if, knowing what he knows today, he thought he support of the Iraq War was a mistake.

Norm said no.

Norm’s refusal to admit that the Iraq War was a mistake of epic proportions will be a major issue in this race.