Is Al Franken Done Before He’s Started?
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Elections, Polls
No, but that’s what the polls currently suggest…
U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman would win easily if he ends up facing comedian Al Franken in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race in 2008, according to an exclusive 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS/SURVEY USA poll.The poll shows Coleman getting 57 percent of the vote and Franken getting 35 percent.
The poll also looked at a possible matchup between Coleman and attorney Mike Ciresi, who is also expected to seek the DFL nomination. Coleman also wins that match by a margin of 57 to 34.
Coleman is a popular Senator. That’s the reality. But this is far from over. Al’s star status will be a big factor, and when he wants to he can make his points succinctly and eloquently, regardless of any partisan hackery he’s engaged in over the past few years.
Like, you know, this…
Franken has had little good to say about his potential opponent. In his latest book, “The Truth (with jokes),” he criticized Coleman in not-so-flattering terms for his former chairmanship of the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.“The subcommittee’s chairman, Minnesota Republican Norman Coleman, is one of the administration’s leading butt boys,” Franken wrote. “He hasn’t held a single hearing on postwar corruption.”
Butt boys…I wonder if that’s going to come up in the debates?
So yes, Air America will hurt him. His books will hurt him. And I don’t know that he’ll be able to overcome that record. And since I’m fairly sure he won’t apologize for many of the things he’s said on air and in print, the cards are stacked against him.
Again, it’s far from over…
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February 16th, 2007 at 6:24 am
Al Franken announces Senate Run: a Transcript
Hi, IÂ’m Al Franken. I’m running for the United States Senate here in Minnesota…
February 16th, 2007 at 8:46 am
“…Coleman ranked among the Senate’s most vulnerable GOP incumbents next year.” - Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Vulnerable Sens. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) spent much of the 110th Congress’s first month burnishing their centrist credentials, while other 2008 targets largely have stuck by their parties thus far, according to a review of Senate roll call votes by The Hill.” - The Hill
“Coleman, who has admitted he might be the most vulnerable Republican senator up for re-election, touted a record of working with Democrats on issues…” - In-Forum
Norm Coleman ranked third most vulnerable GOP Senator in ‘08 - Congressional Quarterly
And what do you have? A poll taken 21 months before the election.
Wow. How unimpressive.
JMJ
February 16th, 2007 at 9:15 am
Why has Franken not been called out for this rather obvious homophobic slur? If a Republican had referred to anyone as a “butt boy”…well..
February 16th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Good point, except we know that Franken isn’t homophobic and supports gay right across the board. I know, slippery slope…and Franken could very well fall down it fast.
Jersey…my point was that he’s got a record as being hacky on a highly partisan talk show. Can he overcome it? Yep, and I said as much in the post. But he’s got some serious liabilities too.
February 16th, 2007 at 10:25 am
Gotta be tough to be the first comedian running for the Senate - make that intentional comedian. Sonny did it in California with the worse rap of being a wife beater, so who knows. It is way too early to be writing obits about his campaign. Everyone panned Jesse Ventura ,too. Look what happened - one of the only winning candidates who ever kept the promise of resigning from politics after his term was over.
Jesse kept his foot in his mouth,. I have a feeling Minnesotans appreciated his candor, something rare in these PC Political times. Give it a shot, Al.
February 16th, 2007 at 10:49 am
I’m glad you seperated these two things; I am not homophobic, nor do I support the panoply of rights the gay agenda wants to push forward. I don’t think Franken is homophobic, but I don’t think the majority of Republicans are homophobic either. Some certain are, but not most and the litmus test should certainly not be whether one supports gay marriage.
The double standard just amuses me. And by the way, this is not the only weird homosexual innuendo Franken has used to derail those that disagree with him. He’s really quit a macho man.
February 16th, 2007 at 11:24 am
I think its for the same reason that black people can use the “N” word.
February 18th, 2007 at 2:20 am
The reason I do believe that most Republicans are homophobic and in fact most Americans are. If the constitutional amendments that passed in most places just stuck to denying them the right to marry it would be one thing but most of them go farther.
February 20th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
Norm has credibility problems here in Minnesota. He’s seen as a pure political opportunist — he switched from the Democratic to the Republican party to help his Senate run, then he was Bush’s lap dog for the first few years of his term — until the looming election, and Bush’s sagging popularity, led him to start putting some distance between him and the prez.
He’s also got an ego the size of a house. He famously said, 100 days into his term, that he was a “99 percent improvement over Paul Wellstone” – largely because he was a Bush lapdog. Whether or not you agree with him, it was a stupid thing to say about a very popular politician who had just died.
That said, I don’t know if Al Franken — or Ciresi, for that matter — is a strong enough candidate to beat him.
But considering the statewide races tend to trend blue — Minnesota even went for Kerry in 2004 — Coleman’s got an uphill fight.
March 11th, 2007 at 4:39 am
“Why has Franken not been called out for this rather obvious homophobic slur? If a Republican had referred to anyone as a “butt boyâ€Â?…well.. ”
Gee… could it be because he doesn’t belong to the party that has nothing but contempt for homosexuals? Why… yes… yes I belive that COULD be the answer!
Next.