Posted on 11/08/2002 5:13:50 PM PST by AlwaysLurking
Empty victory for a hollow man How Norm Coleman sold his soul for a Senate seat.
http://www.salon.com/politics/feature/2002/11/07/minnesota/index_np.html By Garrison Keillor
Nov. 7, 2002 | Norm Coleman won Minnesota because he was well-financed and well-packaged. Norm is a slick retail campaigner, the grabbiest and touchingest and feelingest politician in Minnesota history, a hugger and baby-kisser, and he's a genuine boomer candidate who reinvents himself at will. The guy is a Brooklyn boy who became a left-wing student radical at Hofstra University with hair down to his shoulders, organized antiwar marches, said vile things about Richard Nixon, etc. Then he came west, went to law school, changed his look, went to work in the attorney general's office in Minnesota. Was elected mayor of St. Paul as a moderate Democrat, then swung comfortably over to the Republican side. There was no dazzling light on the road to Damascus, no soul-searching: Norm switched parties as you'd change sport coats.
Norm is glib. I once organized a dinner at the Minnesota Club to celebrate F. Scott Fitzgerald's birthday and Norm came, at the suggestion of his office, and spoke, at some length and with quite some fervor, about how much Fitzgerald means to all of us in St. Paul, and it was soon clear to anyone who has ever graded 9th grade book reports that the mayor had never read Fitzgerald. Nonetheless, he spoke at great length, with great feeling. Last month, when Bush came to sprinkle water on his campaign, Norm introduced him by saying, "God bless America is a prayer, and I believe that this man is God's answer to that prayer." Same guy.
(Jesse Ventura, of course, wouldn't have been caught dead blathering at an F. Scott Fitzgerald dinner about how proud we are of the Great Whoever-He-Was and his vision and his dream blah-blah-blah, and that was the refreshing thing about Jesse. The sort of unctuous hooey that comes naturally and easily to Norm Coleman Jesse would be ashamed to utter in public. Give the man his due. He spoke English. He didn't open his mouth and emit soap bubbles. He was no suck up. He had more dignity than to kiss the president's shoe.)
Norm got a free ride from the press. St. Paul is a small town and anybody who hangs around the St. Paul Grill knows about Norm's habits. Everyone knows that his family situation is, shall we say, very interesting, but nobody bothered to ask about it, least of all the religious people in the Republican Party. They made their peace with hypocrisy long ago. So this false knight made his way as an all-purpose feel-good candidate, standing for vaguely Republican values, supporting the president.
He was 9 points down to Wellstone when the senator's plane went down. But the tide was swinging toward the president in those last 10 days. And Norm rode the tide. Mondale took a little while to get a campaign going. And Norm finessed Wellstone's death beautifully. The Democrats stood up in raw grief and yelled and shook their fists and offended people. Norm played his violin. He sorrowed well in public, he was expertly nuanced. The mostly negative campaign he ran against Wellstone was forgotten immediately. He backpedalled in the one debate, cruised home a victor. It was a dreadful low moment for the Minnesota voters. To choose Coleman over Walter Mondale is one of those dumb low-rent mistakes, like going to a great steakhouse and ordering the tuna sandwich. But I don't envy someone who's sold his soul. He's condemned to a life of small arrangements. There will be no passion, no joy, no heroism, for him. He is a hollow man. The next six years are not going to be kind to Norm.
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About the writer Garrison Keillor is the creator and host of the nationally syndicated radio show "A Prairie Home Companion," broadcast on more than 500 public radio stations nationwide. For more columns by Keillor, visit his column archive.
I think the answer was posted early in the thread. The sour grapes of a bitter loser. And probably a lot of jealousy, too. It's no more complicated than that.
I never realized he was so... leftish.
Its funny because a lot of us that listen to him are conservative at heart and he still does not get it. Its like he is in a time-warp with EVIL BANKERS coming to take his homestead and the Dems must unite.
Well, I guess I will write him off my list. Goodbye, Lake Wobegon!
Wow, no kidding. I knew the man was liberal, but I'll never be able to listen to his program again. Such poor judgement on his part. Kinda like Tommy Lee Jones. I've not been able to enjoy one of his movies since he gave that nominating speech for AlBore.
Wasn't it Churchill who said, (paraphrasing a bit here) "Show me a man younger than 25 who is not a liberal, and I'll show you a man with no heart. Show me a man that is older that 35 that is not a Conservative, and I'll show you a man with no brains".
Norm, you are forgiven. We are glad yo came to your senses!
My sentiments exactly. I was also lost but now I am found. For awhile there I thought he was talking about me. hehehehe Hey, been there done that, you know. But believe me having children, buying a home, paying taxes, insurance, electricity and water bills, etc.. certainly WAKE YOU UP. So this guy needs to GROW UP!!!
Writes for a loser website and broadcasts for a radio network that exists via a taxpayer subsidy.
Interesting that those qualities he derides in Norm, were some of Clinton's best.
How did Lautenberg get into this discussion?
Divorced and remarried, but a devoted and adoring husband to Nancy was he; family problems with his children, for years, but loving them still, did he; sports announcer turned movie actor turned politician; wow, what a sell out! (at the movies, I mean). After switching from Democrat to Republican - - an excellent California Governor (no Gray-out) became he. (This I well remember and proudly can say because, back then, my Govna was he.) "A Republican of Republicans," many can say of he.
How lucky was Nancy, California, America, and I, to have known this man, in each of our individual ways. And how lucky the entire world--to whom it owes, we all owe, a debt of gratitude for so many things about this man who dared to learn from his youthful transgressions and adult mistakes; who pressed onward and upward, toward a most noble cause. Perhaps, for some, gratitude is most especially owed because he "tore down those walls." All of us, each one, have benefitted richly from this wonderful man, Ronald Reagan, one of our greatest Presidents.
May Norm Coleman's path ahead be less rocky than what he has thus far had to travel. Godspeed to you, Mr. Coleman.
After over two years of diversion and obstruction there was finally enough evidence to bring Clinton up on charges.
During this long time of stonewalling by the Clinton's, another matter sprung up. The selling of state secrets for campaign cash.
The evidence was being gathered while the nation was watching the "Monika" proceedings. At the time the "Monika" affair was drawing to a close the final bits of evidence had been established for the prosecution of Clinton for treason. The long drawn out affair, thanks to stonewalling by the Clinton's and the cover of the press, had the American public sick of the whole mess. The repeated mantra of 40 mil for the cost of the panel was a very good talking point to the uninformed. Never mind that one Clinton trip to India & Paki cost 100 mil in one week.
It was determined that at the time the evidence had been gathered for the treason charges the public would never tollerate another prosecution of Bill Clinton. They had lost focus.
The ultimate responsibillity for this should rest with all those members of the Senate that never bothered to review the assembled evidence for the "Monika" trial. They voted to acquit a person without reviewing the evidence. They should be ashamed.
I wonder what was in those 900 FBI files Hillary has? How much can we trust those people in DC?
LOL to that!
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