From The Hotline for Thursday, June 19, 2008

MINNESOTA

The Trashiest Campaign Ad Ever

Thu. Jun 19, 2008


Sen. Norm Coleman (R) is up with a new TV ad by Scott Howell & Co., featuring his wife Laurie. Full script "Got It":

L. COLEMAN: "In a political race, people will say a lot of things. They'll say Norm is a rubber stamp for the president. But he's been ranked as one of the most independent senators. They'll say he's in the pocket of big oil. But he voted to take away their special tax breaks. Actually, there is a special interest that Norm will answer to. Hey Norm, will you take out the trash?" N. COLEMAN: "I got it, honey. I'm Norm Coleman. I approve this message" (Hotline sources, 6/19).

Evidentiary, My Dear Watson

GOP chair Ron Carey accused entertainer Al Franken (D) of "hypocrisy for bashing oil and pharmaceutical companies" at a 6/18 presser, claiming that Franken holds interests in such companies "in some mutual funds he owns." Carey: "It's past time for Al Franken to put his money where his mouth is and divest his holdings." Carey "produced no evidence that Franken has purchased stock directly in oil and pharmaceuticals."

The Franken camp responded with a document "showing that many of the stocks cited either are not listed in his mutual funds or make up a tiny fraction of the holdings." Franken spokesperson Andy Barr: "This shoddily researched accusation is wholly without merit, much like Norm Coleman's record of selling out to special interests, which nobody seems able to defend."

The Franken campaign "separately released" a statement 6/18 saying Sen. Coleman had "failed to hold hearings on waste and abuse in the reconstruction of Iraq when he was chairman of the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations" (Duchschere, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 6/18).

Surf's Up

Ex-Sen. Dean Barkley (I), appointed in '02 by then-Gov. Jesse Ventura (I) "to complete" the late Sen. Paul Wellstone's (D) term, said 6/18 "he thinks Ventura will enter the U.S. Senate race as a third-party candidate next month." But Barkley cautioned Ventura "probably won't make a decision until right before the deadline," 7/15.

Barkley, who "had said he would run if Ventura doesn't," has since "ruled out joining the race," but says recent polls showing Ventura "with the support of a quarter" of MN voters "reinforced their hunch that this could be a good year for a famous third-party candidate" (Duchschere, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 6/18). Barkley: "My read on Jesse is that he is torn; he doesn't like Coleman or Franken; he hates this war that's going on in Iraq; he's livid about the federal debt" (CongressDaily, 6/19).

Barkley says Ventura is "struggling between wanting to hang on to his comfortable lifestyle in Minnesota and Mexico, where he's become a surf hound, and his desire to shake up Congress." One of the polls that "showed support for Ventura" also found 60% of voters "said he shouldn't run for Senate" (Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 6/18).

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