A Day At The Congressional Races
New GOP Ad: Al Franken "Writes Pornography," "Laughs At The Disabled"
The NRSC, facing more poll data showing Al Franken taking the lead in Minnesota, is pulling out all the stops with their new ad against Franken's dirty humor:
Both the NRSC and the Coleman campaign have been attacking Franken's toilet-humor for months now, but Franken has nevertheless managed to take the lead in most of the recent polls. This increase in the intensity of the attack does come off as desperate, if it's meant to be a real closing argument against Franken and the Democrats.
Coleman Ad: I Work Really Hard For You!
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), who is trying to keep it positive in his own new ads, has this new one-minute ad in which the incumbent seems to be begging Minnesotans to realize how hard he works for them:
"In times as thought as this, it's really easy to kind of be on the sidelines and cast stones, and say, you know 'This is the problem and that's the problem," Coleman says. "I think people know we've got problems, but I think what they're looking for is solutions."
Dole And GOP Mailer: Hagan = Gay And Atheist Agenda
Check out this mailer from the North Carolina GOP and Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R), who is trailing in the polls against Democrat Kay Hagan. The mailer warns that voting for Hagan is a vote for a radical homosexual and Godless agenda, and will bring gay marriage to North Carolina:
Elizabeth Dole used to have a reputation as a kinder and gentler conservative, but with the polls looking bad she's now retreated to a strategy of turning out the GOP base and scaring swing voters on wedge issues like gay marriage.
Poll: Dem Mark Udall Putting Away Colorado Senate Race
The new Rocky Mountain News poll gives Senate candidate Mark Udall (D) a 51%-38% lead over GOPer Bob Schaffer. The NRSC recently pulled out of this race, essentially raising the white flag on a seat they've held since 1978.
Poll: Dem Ahead In Deep-Red California District
A new Research 2000 poll shows House candidate Charlie Brown (D-CA) leading Republican Tom McClintock in this deep-red open House open seat: Brown 48%, McClintock 42%. Brown came close to winning this seat in 2006, and has been helped this year by McClintock's reputation for frequent statewide campaigns and the fact that McClintock does not live in the district.
Polls: Diaz-Balart Bros. In Danger
A new pair of Research 2000 polls show the Diaz-Balart brothers, two right-wing GOP Congressmen from Florida, in tight races for re-election. Lincoln Diaz-Balart has a 45%-44% edge over Democrat Raul Martinez, and Mario Diaz-Balart leads Democrat Joe Garcia 46%-43%, with a ±5% margin of error on both polls.
Dem Ad Against Don Young: He's Fighting For Florida
This new DCCC ad against Don Young goes after the incumbent for using his pork-writing super-powers on behalf of other states, which are homes to big donors of his, when he should be focused on bringing home the bacon for Alaska:
"Don Young is right -- Alaska only gets one Congressman. Unfortunately, Don Young's been one of the best Congressmen Florida and Wisconsin ever had."
I thought Coleman said he was going to stop with the negative ads?
October 27, 2008 11:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
The FrankenSlime ad was by the NRSC, not Norm Coleman. Though, yeah, I'm skeptical about how much or how little coordination there is between the two.
Re the Coleman ad: Doesn't he sound very plaintive and whiny? Kinda like he's asking a judge to not throw the book at him?
October 27, 2008 11:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
I leave in MN, and since Coleman said that he would stop negative adds, we are getting a mountain of really nasty anti-Franken adds from NRSC, NRA, and a bunch of others. Cleary, a coincidence
October 27, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's important, ya know, as Coleman says, to be "tested" by the office in order to be qualified for the office.
I wonder how one gets beyond that catch-22. I don't think Coleman can tell us.
October 27, 2008 2:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Putting these ads out where kids can see them is child abuse.
October 27, 2008 11:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's terrorism.
October 27, 2008 2:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
... which is why I, Norm Coleman, am sitting on the sidelines casting stones.
October 27, 2008 11:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Norm Coleman thinks that before you sit on the sidelines and cast stones at people with problems, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, before you sit on the sidelines and cast stones, you're a mile away, and you have their shoes.
October 27, 2008 11:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
:-)
October 27, 2008 11:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
LOL!!!!!!!1
October 27, 2008 11:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
Not only that, but he thinks he should walk a mile in their shoes listening to David Byrne in his Ipod before casting those stones:
October 27, 2008 11:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Do those people with problems live in glass houses?
October 27, 2008 11:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Eeek, I used to respect E. Dole a little bit. I even thought at first that McCain would have been better served choosing Dole over Palin. But that is just disgusting.
October 27, 2008 11:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
Respecting Liddy Dole? That was your first mistake.
October 27, 2008 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's tantamount to the God-insulting heresy of saying the Republicans used to be decent and credible.
October 27, 2008 2:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm looking forward to seeing Norm Coleman break down strategy for the 2010 congressional races on MSNBC.
http://pufferfish.typepad.com/
October 27, 2008 11:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
Snoopy must be campaigning for Charlie Brown pretty hard.
October 27, 2008 11:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
Where did I see the story yesterday that Franken has gone from being a comedian to being a serious contender?
God I hope he wins.
October 27, 2008 11:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well the undersigned wants Coleman -
OUTTA THERE!
Live, from Minnesota,
IT'S TUESDAY NIGHT!!
October 27, 2008 11:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Have y'all looked at the video on the front page? What is Carville doing to himself? He looks exactly like Gollum now - identical except for the teeth and glasses. If Carville filed his teeth - you wouldn't be able to tell them apart.
October 27, 2008 11:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Every time I see Carville I'm reminded of the Family Guy episode where he appears and Peter is frightened every time he looks at Carville's face.
And while we're commenting on appearances - is it just me, or does it look like Norm Coleman's teeth are like five times too big for his mouth?
It actually looks like he's having a hard time speaking because his teeth are in the way.
October 27, 2008 12:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
God yes - Coleman's teeth are huge.
Ok, let's get real - over the last years I've seen more Repug ops and Repug office holders on TV and you can always tell the Repugs - they look like the wackjobs they are.
And they act like it, too. The Repugs are not normal people any more.
October 27, 2008 12:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
His teeth are just be another campaign issue. He didn't pay for cosmetic surgery until the press started looking into it.
http://www.rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/norm_coleman_featured_smile_124.htm
Much like his rent, his utilities and expensive suits bought by a very wealthy campaign donor. I like this last one, because the guy he "rents" from is the same person who "forced" Sarah Palin to take his credit card into Neiman Marcus and max it out. We don't know who bought the suits but we can speculate.
October 27, 2008 1:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
How's Al Tinklenberg doing in MN? I've got money on the guy! (just my donation, not a bet... but still)
October 27, 2008 11:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ya, me too! I wanna see a return on that ten-spot I laid out!
October 27, 2008 11:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Alright, and I will say this about that: His once humble site looks like, uh,
a million bucks! ;-)
And Minnesota Public Radio has him up 45-43!
(4.7% error)
October 27, 2008 12:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Big MOE, but still!
October 27, 2008 12:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ha-hah!
His site is replete with endorsementshttp://www.michelebachmann.com/, while hers has none and opens with a tinny appeal to gasoline prices now "rising" ($135 barrel down to 65$, Michele?).
We got a shot in this red, red district, and we did it together!
October 27, 2008 12:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
About as well as El Franken. Both ahead by a head.
October 27, 2008 12:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, one of the endorsement's on Mr. T.'s site says Rep. Cong. Cmgn C'ee just pulled out of their, leaving her to die her own ugly death.
October 27, 2008 12:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sigghhhhhh...why is shit like this still happening???
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-tucker/confusing-north-carolina_b_138073.html
October 27, 2008 12:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
So, you are saying that Coleman is the "Mouth of Sauron"?
(LOTR, Return of the King, might be the extended edition only (don't know: scary guy with the big mouth near the end of the movie that scares the beJesus out of me)
October 27, 2008 12:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
sorry, supposed to be on the Carville looking like Gollum thread.
October 27, 2008 12:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Looking for Gollum... er, Smeagol? I think Steve ConeHead StupidSchmidt fits the bill more than James Carville.
But don't mind him. He's from France.
October 27, 2008 12:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
It must only be the extended version, which I've asked Mr. Tena to get me for Christmas twice now and he hasn't done it and I think I know why - he doesn't want to sit through the entire trilogy again.
I will have that director's cut! I'll get it for myself.
October 27, 2008 12:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
It makes more sense than the "shorter" version. That said, yeah it's an epic-and-a-half.
October 27, 2008 12:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
At one point in our married life, when I was rereading the trilogy for the 80th time, Mr. Tena got annoyed about it and said: Lord of the Rings again?
I really want that extended version. I'm a LOTR geek. Total.
October 27, 2008 12:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
You can always get it for him as a stocking stuffer! That's worked for me in the past. :-)
October 27, 2008 12:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Speaking of Congress, many will have seen today's The Fix in WaPo, observing Dems inching somewhere towards 60-vote majority. If that ain't enough stimuation for ya, they also for the first time have come up with figures that provoked them to exclaim, "landslide."
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/10/updated_fix_picks_obama_domina.html
October 27, 2008 12:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just plain silliness. I guess I have to stand outside my polling station giving people the heads up to not rely on a straight party dem vote.
October 27, 2008 1:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Are people noticing that several of the "quotes" in the Franken ad are from 1999 and, in one case, 1989 (!!!). Kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel here.
October 27, 2008 12:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, maybe they're figgering what he said during the Al Franken Decade is what really counts?
October 27, 2008 2:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think internals in just about every Republican's polls must be showing how fed up voters are with Republican policy. Judy Biggert my lame congresswoman has been talking just like Coleman, "now's no time to point fingers", "the blame game is always fun", "I can work with the other side of the aisle".
Well actually it is time to point fingers. Mrs. Biggert like every other good lil Republican has been telling us for decades if we just get the government off the backs of business the economy will flourish and we'll all prosper.
Well we've seen what happens when you take the cop off the beat on Wall St. Republicans looked the other way while their fatcat contributors in the financial sector wrote $62 trillion dollars worth of credit default swaps. They not only didn't have $62 trillion to back them up there isn't $62 trillion in the world.
Send Scott Harper some cash so he can keep this ad on the air:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00B61p47ruU
And if you want to see just how out of touch Biggert is watch this two minute snippet from the
end of a PBS mini debate from the local Chicago station:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuMkju_90Lo
http://www.scottharperforcongress.com/
October 27, 2008 12:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good Lord! The woman's an idiot.
October 27, 2008 5:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm getting a severe case of schadenfreude about the Schaffer race - considering that both he and his son condone slavery.
October 27, 2008 12:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does Norm Coleman always sound as if he's stoned?
October 27, 2008 1:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sounded like a Republican to me. You're trying to give stoners a bad name.
October 27, 2008 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Republicans acting like cornered animals! Surely a sign of desperation!
October 27, 2008 1:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
New press release today:
referring to this:
http://www.americablog.com/2008/10/norm-coleman-mails-rape-comic-book-to.html
-------------------
Colleen Murray
colleen@alfranken.com
952-818-8780 / 571-236-1203
Jess McIntosh
jess@alfranken.com
952-548-6052 / 651-357-5115
Media Advisory - For Immediate Release
NEW OFFENSIVE DIRECT MAIL PIECE ON BEHALF OF COLEMAN CROSSES THE LINE BY TARGETING MINNESOTA CHILDREN, SAYS EDINA MOTHER
Coleman's "Positive Campaign" Hypocrisy Continues As Coleman Stays Mum On Obscene Smears In Sleazy New Republican Mailer
Mailer Generating National Attention For Vile Tactics - Coleman Wants To Lead The Group Responsible For It
____________________________________________________________
SAINT PAUL [10/27/08] - Vice President Walter Mondale, Congressman Keith Ellison, and State Auditor Rebecca Otto, joined by a mother from Edina outraged by the mailer, will speak at a news conference on Monday to condemn the offensive new NRSC direct mail piece on behalf of Norm Coleman, targeting Minnesota children.
WHO: Vice President Walter Mondale, Congressman Keith Ellison, State Auditor Rebecca Otto and a mother from Edina
WHAT: News Conference to Call Out Norm Coleman For "Positive Campaign" Hypocrisy
WHEN: 12:30 pm, Monday, October 27
WHERE: Room 125, Minnesota State Capitol
St. Paul
Click here to read a national blog post on the new NRSC mailer on behalf of Coleman. http://www.americablog.com/2008/10/norm-coleman-mails-rape-comic-book-to.html
###
Paid for by Al Franken for Senate
October 27, 2008 2:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
What's hilarious is that the Republican Franken attack ad is almost exactly the same as the "Al Franken hates puppies" parody ad that Franken himself put out a month ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5Xls4B-lps
October 27, 2008 2:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Reading the Dole mailer on Hagan...
Why the fear tactics constantly...
Not only that, Republicans always harp about respecting authority and our institutions and yet the destroy confidence in them with almost every statement they make...
The insanity!
October 27, 2008 7:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Dole mailer seems particularly misguided to me given that Hagan had a pretty strong primary challenge from Jim Neal, an openly gay candidate. Several of NC's strongest Dem regions are also extremely gay-friendly, and this is the only state in the South to vote down a "marriage protection" amendment. It's just not a particularly good wedge here. We have elected openly gay public officials in NC, so I don't really see how the thought of electing a gay-friendly pol is all that threatening. And the people who would be moved by this flyer weren't ever going to vote for a Democrat.
I know there have been some nasty incidents in NC over the last few weeks. There have also been some nasty incidents in "blue states" and other swing states. And gay-baiting is not the sole property of any region, as some of the nastier Prop 8 propaganda has reminded us recently. But I do hope that people outside NC won't judge the state unfairly based only on its worst elements. You would have a very different impression if you saw "the real North Carolina." ;>
Also, Obama and Hagan are both going to win here. Crazy haters are no match for the right message and the better ground game.
October 28, 2008 12:28 AM | Reply | Permalink