It has been covered here before: Norm Coleman’s ad on Medicare is basically a bunch of lies. This weekend, Pat Doyle with the Star Tribune adds:
Coleman’s ad misleads when it claims Franken opposed outright prescription drugs for seniors.
Regarding the law Coleman voted for:
…the 2003 law also prohibited Medicare from negotiating with drug companies for lower prices, a decision Franken and Democrats say cost consumers and taxpayers millions.
Actually, it was the United States House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that says that, and it’s not millions: it’s $3.7 billion.
Coleman’s ad credits him for bucking his Republican Party in 2007 to let Medicare negotiate. He didn’t vote directly to authorize negotiations, but to take up a bill to do so by ending a Senate filibuster.
Coleman was among six Republicans to join Democrats voting to take up the bill. The effort failed.
Franken on Friday accused Coleman of gamesmanship on the procedural vote, arguing that Republicans knew the vote would fail and that Coleman could safely break from his party and cast a politically useful vote.
Franken’s assertation is absolutely true. Coleman has said in 2007 that he “would continue to oppose government involvement in Medicare drug prices “because negotiation would “add another layer of bureaucracy.” He reiterated this even as late as April of this year. Coleman only voted for it because he knew it would become a campaign issue, not because he was actually for it. It’s a campaign issue because unlike Coleman and his friends in the pharmaceuticals, 87% of people support negotiation.
It’s not just one vote either: In 2005, Coleman also voted against an amendment and voted to kill another amendment that would have allowed negotiation.
The most absurd claim, though, is that Franken ”opposed prescription drugs for seniors.” It is a vile, dishonest and ridiculous claim. The Star Tribune explains:
Franken’s insistence on a drug benefit bill more to his liking doesn’t make him an opponent of the benefit.
So why is Coleman even bothering running ads about these topics? He knows his record is not in favor of Minnesotans and he’s playing defensive — even if it means lying.
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Lying? You might know something about lying. Your Prez. candidate does it quite frequently: http://www.newsweek.com/id/160179
Sean — have you given any consideration to how childish that sounds?
Sean Broom
@ Sean2
It might be difficult for somebody who thinks there is a “Z” in the word president, but you should probably read the text contained in the article you link. There is not one portion of Obama’s statement which is factually incorrect.
How sad a life a person leads when they think one party, person, or idea of political thought is the answer to everything.
Aaron: Do you have a source for your claim that the Star Tribune wrote “Coleman Misleads”…I’ve searched the article, but I can’t find it. Please provide a source.
Micheal B. Brodkorb I agree 100%,
As Aaron posts a link to, the Star Tribune reads.
“Senate race: Which candidate supports seniors’ drug benefit?
Coleman misleads when he says Franken opposed subsidized drugs, but Coleman did vote to consider price negotiations.
By PAT DOYLE, Star Tribune”
“Coleman misleads” is a part of the subheader. Everybody knows a subheader is not part of an article, and anyone who believes otherwise is a stupid, lazy Liberal whos only election strategy is to exagerrate and ridicule the positions of people who disagree with them.
Some might say this is a pretty childish thing for you to comment, Michael B. Brodkorb. They are just people who disagree with us on issues, so their opinions, as we Minnesota Republican bloggers keep proving, do not matter.
Are you really childish….or using a proven strategy? I’m sure you would agree, we only exagerrate and ridicule Liberals because we are smarter than they are, and we know how to win.
Great Job Minnesota Republican blogger Michael B. Brodkorb
Every time Franken says “I fight for MN this or I have fought for that…” its a lie. Franken has never fought for ANYTHING or for ANY person in MN. He hasn’t even lived here for how long? Also, he has never caste a single vote in anything…so there is no “I was for or against” record to review.
Coleman needs to concentrate his ads on the issues. He should quit with the silly ads and focus on the fact that Franken hasn’t done squat for MN….or its citizens….ever.
Broadkorb, you dissembling nut-job.
It is a Coleman advertisement. The disclaimer at the end states that Coleman approved the ad. If, as the article claims, “Coleman’s ad misleads” then because Coleman personally approved the ad, he also misleads.
Seriously…people pay you to provide such low quality work?
His propaganda techniques were totally cynical: “That propaganda is good which leads to success, and that is bad which fails to achieve the desired result,” he wrote. “It is not propaganda’s task to be intelligent, its task is to lead to success.”
For 10 points is this a quote from an article about AbNormal Coleman, Mikey Broadcarb, Kkarl Rove, or Joseph Gobbels?
Is there “all of the above”?
Kidding. I pick D. Final answer.
Not misleading!
Brodkorb — - so you would agree its clearly a Colemen LIE!!!!
Good for you.