The Radio Equalizer: Brian Maloney

25 September 2007

Al Franken Campaign, Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN), MoveOn.org

MOVEON-DOT-AL

At Home, Franken Attacked For Extremist Sympathies







Will Al Franken's outspoken support for extremist anti- troops organization MoveOn.org come back to haunt him on election day? Incumbent Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN), Stuart's likely opponent next year, sure seems to think so.

After Coleman was attacked for voting with the president in an ad paid for by Al Franken, Norm's campaign decided to fight back, slamming the alleged funnyman for his outspoken approval of MoveOn.org's now- infamous "General Betray Us" full page New York Times purchase.

And, in a weird parallel, the same cost- per- page flap that haunted the New York Times and MoveOn.org has emerged in this round of dueling Minneapolis Star- Tribune purchases. More on that below.

From KARE-11 TV's coverage of the controversy:

Sen. Norm Coleman's re-election campaign is taking out a full-page ad to call attention to another one - MoveOn.org's New York Times advertisement attacking Gen. David Petraeus - in hopes of tying Democratic challenger Al Franken to the group.

"Ridiculous," says the ad slated to run Tuesday in the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, which was obtained by The Associated Press on Monday. "That's what Al Franken said he thought when 72 Republican and Democrat senators -- including Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar -- joined together to condemn MoveOn.org's attack on an active duty military commander."

What's "really ridiculous," the ad continues, is Franken helping to raise money for the liberal anti-war group. The MoveOn.org ad is featured in the background, behind a pointing Franken.

Last week, the Senate voted 72-25 to condemn the MoveOn.org ad, headlined, "General Petraeus or General Betray Us? Cooking the books for the White House." That ad ran as Petraeus, the top military commander in Iraq, testified on Capitol Hill.

On the day of the Senate vote, Coleman, R-Minn., called on DFL challengers Franken and Mike Ciresi to condemn the ad as well. Ciresi's campaign responded that Coleman should be focused on ending the war, not on advertisements.

Franken campaign spokesman Andy Barr said that Franken "thought the resolution was ridiculous and a waste of the Senate's valuable time -- which could have been better spent voting to bring the troops home."

The Coleman ad urges people to tell Franken to "stand up to MoveOn.org instead of standing with them." It includes a link to Coleman's campaign Web site, where people can fill in a message to send to Franken.


And sure enough, over at the Huffington Post, key defenders are hopping mad. Because Arianna and the former Air America Radio host are said to be good friends, her site can be counted on to support Stuart through thick and thin.

From the site's Peter Smith:


The ad makes no mention of the fact that Coleman was not outraged in the least when Republicans and their surrogate groups attacked veterans Max Cleland and John Kerry. Nor does the ad report any concern with the way George W. Bush and Karl Rove carved up former prisoner of war John McCain in South Carolina in 2000. Nor can you find any anger directed at the Bush administration for decimating the corps of "active duty" general officers who did not agree with some facet or aspect of the war in Iraq.

There are only crocodile tears over Franken calling the bipartisan-yet-ridiculous vote on MoveOn's ad "ridiculous."

You could predict Norm Coleman for Senate would posture and wring their hands. Given Coleman's record, they've got nothing else to talk about -- and besides, it is impossible to enunciate Coleman's positions on the issues clearly with your lips locked so firmly on George W. Bush's buttocks.

What is galling in all this is the way Norm Coleman for Senate was able to use Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar's vote on this matter. In voting to condemn MoveOn, she handed Norm Coleman for Senate the club with which they tried to hit Franken this morning. They whiffed, but she handed them the club, nonetheless.

This is the second time the newly-elected Klobuchar has appeared in the role of "Democratic Chicken" on the Washington stage. In July, she voted to loosen FISA constraints on the White House -- deeding away hard-won civil rights in the process.


Hey, nice way to change the subject, isn't it?


On a side note, in a strange repeat of an earlier controversy, the differing prices paid by the Franken and Coleman campaigns has raised eyebrows, with some wondering if the Republican received an unfair discount:


The Coleman campaign said it paid just over $23,000 for its ad, while Franken's campaign said it paid $37,000 for its ad. The Star Tribune advertising office couldn't immediately be reached Monday night to explain the different rates.

Coleman campaign manager Cullen Sheehan said that Tuesday's ad is the first major one the campaign has done.


Given the Star- Tribune's notoriously left- wing slant, it seems highly unlikely they did the GOP any special favors. But that probably won't satisfy the moonbat conspiracy crowd.

What's the dollar value of Al Franken's new Op-Ed, carried on Wednesday's editorial page, however? In it, Stuart claims to be a satirist:


I'm a satirist by trade. And as a satirist, my job was to point out the absurd, the hypocritical, the ridiculous in life.

It's been a banner week for ridiculous.

Case in point: On Tuesday, Sen. Norm Coleman took out an ad in this paper criticizing me for criticizing a Senate resolution that criticized MoveOn.org for taking out an ad in the New York Times criticizing Gen. David Petraeus.

It is, of course, ridiculous that the United States Senate spent a day debating and voting on a resolution condemning an advertisement while our troops remained in Iraq, fighting a war with no end. And it's doubly ridiculous that Coleman, of all people, is still playing politics with this issue.


After all is said
and done, here's a reality check for the HuffPo gang and Al's other apologists: the real issue is that Franken and some others in his party are beholden to extremist groups like MoveOn.org.


MoveOn.Al, Franken For Senate: David A Lunde

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4 Comments:

  • The poor repukes reciting the move on talking point, I love it

    Good strategy, keep running a campaign based on an ad in the Times! An ad questioning a General in an unpopular war by a hated president. America gets it, the Generals who questioned Bush were fired, nobody is buying the "progress", the approval for the wart and "Stayin there as long as it takes" DROPPED EVEN LOWER.

    Keep running on this insane platform. Franken is right, this is INSANE, but good for the Democrats. Campaigning on and on and whining on and on about this ad, shows the American people the GOP are not interested in solving the issues, but would rather play little games.

    I hope the GOP stays with this to the debate, the entire country is laughing at you . Move on, made valid points, and all they did was use a bad pun. The progress report was based on flawed counting, as a freedom of information act, revealed how the GENERAL got his numbers.

    Shriek about it till next November. Only 25% of the country buys it. Saw the new Gallop poll? The GOP in WHOLE, have a 35% approval rating, and the Democrats are now the party of National security. You spun yourselves into America rejecting you
    http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=28780

    By Blogger Minister of Propaganda, at 25 September, 2007 23:29  

  • MOP tried to be sarcastic when he said: "Good strategy, keep running a campaign based on an ad in the Times!An ad questioning a General in an unpopular war..."

    But his sarcasm is remarkably insightful.

    America DOES GET IT!

    Americans will not accept the wacko left fodder that calls a life-long 4-star military man a liar. And Americans can see the positive results of the surge. They don't want to surrender.

    Cry me another river MOP, but the Americans are not going to give up like you have.

    And Minnesotans will shoot down Franken's Folly of a Senate Race.

    By Blogger The Benson Report, at 26 September, 2007 08:33  

  • Benson

    In your parallel universe Americans want to stay in Iraq and believe we are making "progress", in reality Americans did not buy the "progress report", and Americans want the troops home within 2 years instead of "until the job is done". Face it Benson, your views of staying in Iraq is the minority view, and it gets smaller every day.

    America did not object to the message in the move on ad.... Americans did not buy what the General had to say. Everybody (except crack pots like Benson) understand in order to have a position in the administraton or a high military position than answer to the president, you have to agree with the president, General Abazid, Casey, Shincheki all fired because they did not agree with Bush.

    See this strategy of attacking move on all day, will only make Americans realize how desperate the GOP is to stay in the Middle East, and hurt you asshole freaks furthur in 2008.

    Keep it up. 20% of the country is with you. If you only listen to RNC talk radio, (which only less that 1% of the nation does) you will still think, America is with you, just like in 2006, when cocky RNC hosts oblivious to reality, were shrieking in victory (laura Ingrham) as you LOST. RNC radio can stand on their heads and shout "Dems hate the troops, move on move on move on", it's irrelevant. nobody is listening except fellow assholes like Benson, who agree already.


    please keep on talking about the ad, please........ The Dems are talking about issues, you talk about an ad, I love it. Im sure the American people care more about an ad than say healthcare etc etc.

    I would love to see the debate with Rudy " I charge $9.11 for an event" Guiliani and any Dem candidate, the debate would be "bu bu bu move on ad do you denounce it"? with a response about the actual issues. I hope you stick to this failed strategy. Essentially, the move on talking point is STAY THE COURSe. Good job hacks. Again, just like 2006, cons are spinning themselves into irrelevancy.

    By Blogger Minister of Propaganda, at 26 September, 2007 10:13  

  • "Americans did not buy what the General had to say"

    MOP lied AGAIN what a surprise

    65% of Americans polled agreed with the Generals report

    Thats all the Dem's do is talk about issues but what have they done.

    Minimum wage increase. High school students and high school drop outs get a raise. You can flip hamburgers and make more than minimum wage. If you can’t make more than minimum wage you really are a loser, but I guess that describes the liberals base.

    By Blogger pf1, at 27 September, 2007 01:22  

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