Tomorrow morning the Minnesota DFL will nominate who they think is best suited to defeat Norm Coleman for the Minnesota senate seat race this fall. The GOP’s frenzied attacks on Al and their continual feigned outrage about some of Al’s writings from over a decade ago is a good indication of who the GOP does not want to face in the fall.
While staunch DFL activists are all in agreement that Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer would make a good candidate, there is a big difference between being a good candidate and a viable candidate that could actually beat the Bushie incumbent Norm Coleman.
Al Franken’s most recent trouble has occurred over a satirical piece about virtual sex that he wrote for Playboy magazine eight years ago. It is probably safe to say that Al Franken, who at that time had not decided to go into politics, would now probably like to be able to go back into time and take that article back.
It is not unexpected that the GOP would jump all over this and run their patented feigned outrage media blitz. What is somewhat disappointing is how easily the Minnesota DFL’ers like Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Congressman Tim Walz, Congressman Keith Ellison, and Congressman Jim Oberstar caved into the feigned outrage. Tim Walz especially should have shown a little more loyalty to Al Franken who almost single-handedly helped Tim win one of the biggest upset races in Minnesota in a Republican stronghold two years ago. Keith Ellison was given a very visible platform and was strongly supported by Al Franken and Air America Radio. The bottom line is Al Franken has raised more money for Minnesota DFL’ers and worked harder than any other Minnesota DFL activist in recent memory.
Even recently the effort that Al Franken poured into the candidacy of Kevin Dahle helped win another upset seat for the DFL in a special election in Northfield Minnesota.
Kevin Dahle said of Al Franken’s efforts, "He helped me every way possible. He'd have an event where there'd be a lot of people and he'd turn the stage over to me for a few minutes.” Kevin also said that Al helped go door to door, sometimes in sub-zero weather. He'd go door knocking with me, “He was the most dogged door knocker I've ever seen”, said Kevin.
And speaking of feigned outrage where is the GOP’s outrage over Laurie Coleman’s lingerie modeling, the wife of Norm Coleman? Or how about Anorld Schwarzenegger's racy movies that he starred in a decade ago? Or even more appalling is the feigned outrage that the GOP displays even though the majority of them, including Norm Coleman voted AGAINST funding for the Violence Against Women Act, which has proved to be an effective tool in the elimination of gender violence. Al on the other hand would fund the Violence Against Women Act. Who really is the misogynist here?
Are the DFL’ers really going to roll over on Al because of some of his past satire? Does none of the activism that he has so passionately worked for over the past decade count for anything? Or how about his seven USO trips overseas to entertain our US service men and women? Or his support of women candidates like Hillary Clinton, Amy Klobuchar, or Patty Wetterling.
