Empty victory for a hollow man How Norm Coleman sold his soul for a Senate seat.

Salon.com ^ | Nov. 7, 2002 | By Garrison Keillor

[HapaxLegamenon]

What wasn't said is that Coleman was more or less forced out of the DFL (Minnesota Democratic Party) because he was pro-life. He was constantly fighting with Welstone because he considered him to radical. He also support Welfare reform which made Welstone furious and brought it to a head.

Those of us who live in Minnesota would disagree with the assertion that the press gave him a pass.

Norm is no Jim Talent, but he is certaintly better than MonDull, or Welstone or even Trent Lott for that matter.

[jlogajan]

"...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.

The religious faction in the Republican party here are generally Christians. Norm is Jewish, just like Wellstone (as was Rudy Boschwitz.)

Coleman's wife, Laurie, is an actress and as I understand it, lives part time in California. They've been married 21 years.

[billhilly]

He certainly is woebegone, isn't he?

[gusopol3]

LBJ to Humphrey to McGovern, and you wouldn't be sitting here typing in anything like a FreeRepublic

[weikel]

I guess getting the commies at their own throats doesn't count for anything...

[HapaxLegamenon]

OH, I missed that this was written by Garrison Keillor. I guess that means we can just disregard the entire thread.

[shhrubbery!]

Phewwwwwwwww. Clinton-lover-Keillor is one stinking pile of leftist hatred and hypocrisy.

Check your own mirror, Garrison, for a look at an ...'interesting family situation.'

[wordweaver]

The terrible thought is that Garrison Keeler is Minnesota's idea of a man.

I disagree with your statement. While I will admit that I don't KNOW that many people, the fact is - those that I do know put no credence in what Keillor pontificates.

If you look at Keillor's fan base, you will find that he's much more popular on the Coasts than in "fly-over country". Thankfully, Minnesotans realized long ago that Keillor is a self-serving blowhard.

[SarahW]

Yeah, why doesn't someone show pics of some of that "raw grief", with all it's sniggering and glee?

I love APHC, and his voice, both literal and figuarative, on that show. Always have.

But Keiller is unrecognizable to me when he does these big-city-boy sour rants, which can be about politics, or can be about women. He can't write when it's time to take the tongue out of the cheek. His serious works are *always* unbearable, with a nasty bitter tang in them.

The comment about the "home life" was really beneath him; unbecoming. Also deliberate, he means for our imaginations to run away with the possibilities, that's how he writes.

The truth is, the terror war is the first priority, and Mondale would be in the way of winning it. That's why he lost; otherwise Mondale would have won there.

[ActionNewsBill]

If Garrison is this bitter, I can't wait to see what Michael Moore has to spew!

Moore is a Michigander, sorry to say. He's probably happier thatn a dog with 2 peters that Granholm was elected Governor here.

The upside of her win is that Ted Nugent announced earlier that if she won, he would run agaiinst her in 2004.

[section9]

This really pisses me off.

Here's Garrison Keillor, whose objection to Norm Coleman is supposed to be that he sold his soul. To whom, Garrison? National Public Radio, perhaps?

What errant bullshit. A man runs and wins as a Republican and this guy starts going on about a man's soul. As if he has a pipeline to God.

Liberals: Arrogant as hell. Dumb as dirt.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[fent1968]

Does this mean that the right is done with rummaging through everyone's sex life? I vaguely remember some discussion a couple of years ago concerning some politician's sex life. Seemed like some people couldn't let go of it....

[wordweaver]

Liberals: Arrogant as hell. Dumb as dirt.

You have a way with words.

Keep it up!

[AmericanVictory]

There is nothing like that old folksy, public money supported, down home Marxism for real bitterness. Quick, send out the word assassins with their hatchets, get those traitors like Norman who change into Pubbies instead of "seeing the light" like Jeffers.

[jlogajan]

Norm switched parties as you'd change sport coats.

Actually, he was booed at the DFL convention. He was always fighting the more extreme leftists in the DFL. In essense, he burned his bridges by not falling in line with group-think of the DFL. The Republican Party was the only viable career path at that point. He ran as Republican for his second term as mayor of St. Paul, and won as a Republican.

Philosophically he fit better in the Republican party, as the DFL pretty much indicated they didn't want to hear his views.

[Steve Eisenberg]

"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."

Dumb me. I had thought that when he makes jokes on his show about what people eat in St. Paul restaurants, he was, well, joking.

[OldCorps]

Isn't it better to pledge money to the liberal media beg-a-thons....and then never send it in? I've always wanted to do that.

[gusopol3]

put up or shut up

[2nd Amendment]

you have to be left of Lenin to get on NPR

[July 4th]

Norm Coleman won Minnesota because he was well-financed and well-packaged.

And well-qualified, well-educated, well-prepared...and not Well-stone.