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    • « Well That Is a Fine Mess You Got Us Into
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    A Word of Advice

    Posted by Andy on September 25th, 2007

    Al Franken is not going to get Norm Coleman reelected.

    Norm Coleman needs to get Norm Coleman elected.

    This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 25th, 2007 at 6:27 am and is filed under 2008, Coleman vs Franken, MN US Senate, MNGOP Reform, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

    7 Responses to “A Word of Advice”

    1. J. Ewing Says:
      September 26th, 2007 at 9:03 am

      I understand the sentiment, but I hope you recover from the temporary insanity. To not work to get Coleman elected is to work diligently to elect Franken. To not choose is to choose badly. You may not like Coleman because he’s only an 80% Republican, but surely that’s better than Franken, a 100% wacko Democrat?

    2. Andy Says:
      September 26th, 2007 at 9:51 am

      Whoa!!!!

      I never said I don’t like Coleman. I am more than willing to admit that the 20%+ of the stuff he does that I disagree with pisses me off. And most of them are big enough issues that I just can’t sit quietly while he does try to champion leftist causes like envionutters stuff, etc. I still have to say I am probably going to keep my word and not help him put up lawnsigns because of his CAFE vote. They need to learn their votes have consequences.

      But my point is that the MNGOP, Coleman’s paid punditry, and activists alike cannot simply rely on “you don’t want Franken to win” as the game plan. Coleman has to work on defining himself and not get bogged down too much with making it all about Franken as do those trying to help him. As you saw with his Editorial in the Strib, Franken will simply say I am a satirist, so he can say whatever he wants. He’ll always play the ‘kidding’ card when the heat gets too high for what he has said in the past.

      Coleman and the Republican Party had soon better figure out that we have single issue sects with in our party, and unless some one of the party leaders start to represent all of the sects, certain ones will stay home.

      case in point is the border security branch of the GOP. They will not work for an Amnesty supporting candidate. And I would fully support them to make that decision. Sure, I will also point out they have to live with the repercussions, but to blame them for standing up for their principles is a joke.

      When it is an educated and well thought out decision, I fully support it. If they weigh the options, you cannot blame them. When they think staying home so some good conservative in whatever District loses just to send a message to Bush of Tom Delay, r Mark Foley…. that is stupid. But the Republican leaders and party are to blame somewhat for this. It is this exact thing so many use as a defense, well you don’t want a Democrat to win do you…. nevermind we’re doing the same thing….. I, and many like me, believe the Republican party must be better than this.

      A win for win’s sake is sometimes a lost when the one thing you care about loses either way.

      I don’t think that you or others would be using the guilt complex of staying home if it was over a matter of “Life”. There are Republicans who are dead wrong on issues that are incredibly important to portions of the GOP. Many of them are members or ID as Republicans because they were led to believe that one issue is what the party stood for.

      Burying your opponent in mud only leads to a really big mess that a lot of voters will ignore all together. You have to provide a positive vision and clear alternative for voters to choose. You have to be prepared that when you diverge from your party on an issue many in the party support, there will be consequences.

      We cannot be blind cattle following officials where ever they go, because sooner or later you’ll find yourself tumbling down a cliff, the whole time wondering what went wrong.

      And no looking back up the hill to the people smart enough not to go off the cliff and blaming them is not going to save you at that point.

    3. montanaliberal Says:
      September 26th, 2007 at 1:30 pm

      just curious what you guys thought of Norm when he was in the DFL?

      i didn’t live in MN at the time…

    4. Andy Says:
      September 26th, 2007 at 6:02 pm

      Before my time f involvement, but I always do remind those who defend him at all costs in the GOP that he was thrown out of the DFL.

    5. montanaliberal Says:
      September 26th, 2007 at 7:39 pm

      nope… he wasn’t actually

      he left the DFL on his own

      “In 1996, Mayor Coleman made a major change. Frustrated that the Democratic party he had been a part of from his youth had assumed the role of defenders of the status quo, he switched to the Republican party because he felt it held the best opportunity to bring about job growth, quality education and greater public safety. In 1997, he was reelected mayor as a Republican, with 59 percent of the vote.”

      He also brought up his views on homosexuals and abortion as reasons for leaving the DFL.

    6. Andy Says:
      September 26th, 2007 at 8:03 pm

      Point taken.

      But would the DFL had allowed him to stay and be re-endorsed (i think it was around then) given his new found divisions with the DFL on their major core issues?

    7. J. Ewing Says:
      September 27th, 2007 at 8:03 am

      Andy, you seem to be arguing both sides of the proposition. On the one hand, you don’t want to work for Coleman because he disagrees with you part of the time (with most of us, in fact), but you don’t want to see Franken elected because you know that would be far worse. I understand that, it’s something all of us Republican activists have to come to grips with. I hope it is soon, and that you can help get our heads around it.

      The problem here is that you don’t have a choice. You either work for the candidate you have or the wacko Democrat wins. Just that simple. While we sit on our hands because the candidate isn’t ideologically pure on our favorite issue, I assure you the Democrats have no such compunction. Their one goal is to get a Democrat elected, and worry about issues later.

      Our choices are limited to finding a “better” candidate to seek endorsement, and to “strongly advising” our elected officials as they make decisions. The first is difficult because of the power of incumbency, and the latter is, unfortunately, limited by the very thing we demand of our candidates, a firm adherence to principle, even if you or I disagree with that principle or its particular application. For example, Norm Coleman believes that ANWR should be protected– that is a “conservative” principle– and the fact that you and I might disagree strongly doesn’t change that. Probably it shouldn’t. Again, Democrats have no such compunction about abandoning principle for political gain, and I don’t think you really want that, either.

      Any talk of “punishing” an incumbent by denying them the resources to win re-election is stupid. Sorry, but that is the best word I can find. If you “win” this game you lose, because the wacko Democrat will take office and work against EVERYTHING you hold dear, rather than just the few issues on which you disagreed with the Republican. And of course the Republican, having “learned a lesson,” is in absolutely zero position to do anything with the newfound “knowldege.” Now, let’s pound some rebar.

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    He’s Nucking Futs About Tax and Spending Increases »