So, Norm Coleman won’t rule out a run for Minnesota Governor. Well, let’s see, what has Norm been doing to ingratiate himself with Minnesota voters since he lost to Al Franken in 2008? He:
1) Moved out of Minnesota at the first opportunity.
2) Became a Super PAC (Congressional Leadership Fund) political hit man doing the dirty work for a group of Tea Party-controlled House members sporting a 9% approval rating, an all-time historic low.
3) Promoted Michele Bachman, Minnesota’s most irresponsible Tea Partier and McCarthyite, to serve a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
Over the last four years, Norm bought into the Tea Party scene lock, stock and Bushmaster barrel.
So, how is Coleman’s Tea Party cheerleading role selling back in moderate Minnesota, a blue state which recently gave Democratic President Obama a relatively easy 8-point victory? Not well. In 2008, Norm Coleman only lost to Senator Al Franken by a small fraction of one percent. But after watching Coleman go all Tea Party the last few years, Minnesotans now choose Al over Norm by a comfortable 7% margin.
Norm Coleman would be a better gubernatorial candidate for Republicans than, say, Kurt Bills or Michele Bachmann. But that isn’t saying much. Norm in 2013 is a much weaker candidate than he was when he lost in 2008 to a highly flawed DFL challenger. His Super PAC adventures have further besmirched his image in recent years. Minnesotan Republicans could do much better with a fresh face.
Thanks Joe….what are your thoughts about “Nahm” for Governor as that is where he could do the most damage.
Hey Tom. (Readers, Tom is Wry Wing’s Senior Serbian Correspondent, and Head of our Belgrade Bureau.)
Norm is a very talented politician, one of the best of our era. Beyond talent, he works his butt off and can raise boatloads of cash. So, I certainly don’t take him lightly as a guber candidate. He is a threat to win any office he chases.
What always concerns me about Norm Coleman is that he is treated as a moderate by many in the news media, because he has been to charm school and uses a moderate tone in public. But he doesn’t lead like a moderate. He takes extreme positions, but isn’t held accountable by the media for being an extremist the way a Michele Bachmann, Allen Quist or Kurt Bills is.
Norm isn’t a moderate. He isn’t naturally inclined to moderate policies like an Arne Carlson, Jim Ramstad or Dave Durenberger. Moderates don’t express support for Michele Bachman being elevated to the second highest office in the nation. Moderates don’t form Super PACs to fund attack ads to maintain Tea Party control of the most extremist Congress of our lifetime. Can you ever imagine Carlson, Ramstad or Durenberger doing those things?
Norm’s gravitational pull is always toward whoever can help him win his next office. Right now, that is the Tea Party extremists. They hold the keys to power in Norm’s party, so he has sold out to them. But still, some in the media call him a “moderate.” That makes him a threat to win some swing votes.
So a Tea Partier Governor – even one who has been to charm school — worries me a lot. But I do think Norm’s move to the extreme right has made him a weaker candidate than he was in his prime.
Let us remember that Coleman became the MNGOP candidate when Dick Cheney told Tim Pawlenty to “back-off” on thinking about running for US Senate.
And do you hear Coleman’s acceptance speech at the MN-GOP convention in 2008 ? Actually, you could hear a pin drop as there was total silence as Senator Coleman explained his opposition to ANWR drilling, his support for immigration reform, SCHIP, and fuel standards … not to mention climate change.
Norm was rejected by too many Conservatives and my impression of the current MN-GOP is that he better stay in Washington.
How dare you imply that Norm Coleman is a loser !
OK, so he lost a Minnesota gubernatorial contest to a boa-wearing wrestler … but let’s admit it, there was a considerable size mismatch.
OK, so he lost a Senate race … but he was just a early casualty in the RINO war as explained on this June 2008 commentary advocating that a “one-term Franken” stint would set the tone for a long-term Conservative agenda — “It’s high time we Conservatives started a “we’re as mad as hell and we aren’t going to take it anymore” campaign against the RINOcracy, and the Coleman campaign is an ideal place to start it. Looking at the results, they “won” as Norm Coleman underperformed John McCain by over 63,000 votes … meaning that he did not lose by a “couple hundred fraudulent votes” but was instead truly thrown under the bus by the Conservatives.
OK, so Norm Coleman may have picked a few losers in his role as CEO of The American Action Network … but heck, when you only have $11,660,232 to spend, they all can’t be winners. Norm Coleman’s American Action Network “invested” (mostly betting against but also expending a few dollars in support of a few Republican candidates) in 36 candidates. For example, a contest that many Minnesotans know, Coleman’s group spent $16,930 in favorable advertising for Chip Cravaack (R-MN-08) but also spent $1,668,529 in negative advertising referencing Rick Nolan. Congressman Nolan won 54.5% to 45.5% … not a good investment but that sets the grassroots for a possible “Coleman for Governor” campaign.
Actually, the donors to American Action Network saw quite a few losers as their dollars did not help Judy Biggert (IL), Brian Bilbray (CA), Ann Marie Buerkle (NY), Robert Dold (IL), Nan Hayworth (NY), Dan Lungren (CA) and Bobby Schilling (IL) earn another term.
That said, Coleman’s group probably earned the eternal appreciation of a few Members. Jeff Denham (CA) victory against Jose Hernandez (D) must have been impacted by the negative advertisements. The big spenders opposing Hernandez include the American Action Network Inc., which has spent $2.62 million … hmmm … heck, the country could not afford a Big Government spender like Jose Hernandez after all he was the first to “tweet” in Spanish from outer space … outrageous … America certainly doesn’t need any astronauts in Congress who might bring their questionable scientific theories when they already have “competent” Members like Paul Broun (R-GA) who has determined that man-made global warming is a “hoax” and that evolution as a lie “straight from the pit of hell.”
No … Norm Coleman is a winner … he is no longer saddled with the low-paying Senate salary … he instead has many jobs including with Hogan Lovells as a senior government adviser. Funny, thing is that wireless startup LightSquared has laid off nearly half of its workforce and filed for bankruptcy, but isn’t parting with its extensive network of Washington lobbyists including Norm Coleman … so Norm Coleman is a winner … its that fools that give him money and the displaced workers that are the losers.