Battle of the Bowlers

Senator Norm Coleman’s bubba bowlers are back, with a bite. This time, Norm has his acting troupe of faux Minnesontans scripted to slash his opponent, Al Franken.

With fresh news today that Franken still is tankin’, rapid response is required. Conventional political wisdom says Al Franken should change the subject back to the [...]

He Shoots, He…?

- Loveland

Puck Him

He brought hockey back. He brought hockey back. He brought hockey back.
I’m not the sharpest knife in the tree, but I think that might just be the key message being driven home by U.S. Senator Norm Coleman’s campy new campaign ad.

Oh and by the way, he brought hockey back.
Forget [...]

St. Paul’s Game of “Where’s Walker?”

Hoping to see a lot of President George Walker Bush in our fair city during the Republican National Convention? Well, he’ll be harder to find than the St. Paul Winter Carnival medallion. This Gallup poll shows why Bush largely will be kept in hiding, if the handlers of Senator John McCain and Senator [...]

Another Data Point…Or Four

Quinnipiac, along with the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, has today released head-to-head survey results from four battleground states:

COLORADO: Obama 49 - McCain 44
MICHIGAN: Obama 48 - McCain 42
MINNESOTA: Obama 54 - McCain 37
WISCONSIN: Obama 52 - McCain 39

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, President Bush’s approve/disapprove ratings in those states are abysmal:

31 [...]

Garbage In, Garbage Out

I recently expressed admiration for Senator Norm Coleman’s nifty use of symbolism in a campaign television ad about the good Senator dutifully taking out the garbage.
Of course, when symbolism presents itself, a satirist could always satirize the symbolism.
Is there a satirist in the house?
Imagine a television ad with the same goofy music as [...]

Trash Talkin’ Norm

I dispute the base policy claim, but this is a pretty darn good piece of political advertising.

Humanize the candidate by showing him interacting in a loving relationship. Check.
Insulate the candidate from criticism by deploying human shield. Check.
Appeal to women voters by spotlighting unquestioning spousal submission. Check.
Appeal to men voters by highlighting the [...]

Mutual Fund Muzzling

I’ve seen a lot of weak political attacks, but yesterday the Minnesota Republican Party’s head hatchet man, Ron Carey, got just plain goofy.
Mr. Carey attacked Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken for criticizing oil and pharmaceutical companies while holding stock in those industries via a mutual fund he owns. He said this exposed [...]

Extreme Makeover

Four years ago, Senator Norm Coleman led the Repbulican National Committee’s infamous “Truth Squad” that repeatedly attacked his colleague from across the aisle, John Kerry. At the time, Norm was admired by Republican partisans as one of the their fiercest attack dogs. Good boy, Normy.
But every dog has his day, and now [...]

What Happened In Rochester Better Not Stay In Rochester

Whatever magic Al Franken unleashed this morning in Rochester to secure the DFL endorsement with 62 percent of the votes ought to be vacuumed up off the floor of the Mayo Civic Center and bottled for the fall. According to MinnPost’s Doug Grow, today’s Al was sincere, articulate, persuasive and effective, qualities not much seen [...]