We know Norm “Smokescreen” Coleman is the Court-Certified “4th Most Corrupt Senator in Congress”. We also know that someone was paying ol’ Smokescreen’s electric bill while he was the “Court-Certified 4th Most Corrupt Senator In Congress” – we just don’t know who was pickin’ up Norm’s tab.
So if ol’ Smokescreen won’t even disclose who was pickin’ up his electric bill, what are the odds of finding out who’s contributing to the shadowy group Norm’s leading in the attack on Congressman Tim Walz?
Just who are these denizens of the dark that Norm Coleman is acting as the front-man for?
Perhaps, maybe, these guys? THEY don’t seem to believe in sunlight, either…. Let’s look!
(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject.com; please comment there)
Incredible. At the same time Norm Coleman played the “gracious concession” act, the State Republican Party showed their true colors with their official press release:
St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman-elect Tony Sutton today issued the following statement regarding the Minnesota Supreme Court’s ruling in the U.S. Senate race.
“Today’s ruling wrongly disenfranchised thousands of Minnesotans who deserve to have their votes counted. Alongside Senator Coleman, the Republican Party of Minnesota has fought to make sure every vote counts and all voters are treated fairly and uniformly. As we move forward, our deeply flawed election system must be dramatically improved to ensure our state’s elections are fair, accurate and reliable.” (Republican Party of Minnesota)
In other words, “Norm wuz robbed.”
Classless.
That’s the way the state GOP Party was under former Chairman Ron Carey; that’s the way it will remain under new Chairman Tony Sutton.
(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)
Mockery. Ridicule. Scorn. They’re used all of the time; they’re actually tools of the trade. Matter o’ fact, take them three, add “satire” and some professional writers, and viola! You got a potential “Daily Show”, or “Colbert Report”! Sometimes, mockery, ridicule and scorn are the best ways to make points about folk like Little Miss Hiding In The Bushes, the unthinking unsinkable Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive. And to make a point about ol’ Smokescreen himself, Norm “If I were Al, I’d concede” Coleman. Not to mention, but I will, George aWol Bush. Of course, there’s his misAdministration – you know, Boy Blunder And The Plunderers? And even though he won’t be around to mock, ridicule, and scorn anymore, who can forget about republiCon Ron Carey, outgoing Chair of Minnesota’s GreedOverPrinciples party? As noted a little over a year ago, by the ol’ TwoPutter:
One reason republiCon Ron still has his job, is he’s good at asking AND he’s good at ducking. It’s the GreedOverPrinciples Party’s Golden Rule: “Do Unto Others But Don’t Let Them Do Unto You.”
I bring this up, because so many of us on the left side o’ the aisle have a tendency to enjoy – if not laugh uproariously – when some brain-dead bootlicker in the “Family Values” party (they’re called the “Family Values” party because they have so many of them; for instance, in the last presidential election the only candidate that had only been married once was the Mormon – go figure) does something incredibly hypocritical – such as David Vitter replacing the disgraced Bob Livingston in Congress, and Vitter later getting caught in figuratively if not literally the exact same (cheney)in’ kind of scandal.
Well, since morckery, ridicule and scorn are heaped upon those on the right for the old-fashioned reason – they’ve EARNED it, it only seems fair to rip those on the left side of the aisle when they’ve done something incredibly hypocritical. It seems that they too should be roasted and toasted with the same types of mockery,ridicule, and scorn. And I was going to do just that, today, to an organization known as Parkwatch – but, I’m tracking down more information on them that’s recently come in — so that’s going to have to wait for another day.
In the meantime, and to whet the whistle o’ the Regular Readers, I’ll end with a couple of thoughts. First, let’s review what it says on the “About Us” page at ParkWatch:
Minneapolis Park Watch is not affiliated with any candidate or candidate’s committee.
Yeah, “right.”
Right there, on ParkWatch homepage, is this:
Posted by Liz Wielinski on Thu, 06/18/2009
Well, I guess technically that might be true, depending on what your definition of “is” is, because they could argue that “ParkWatch isn’t ‘affiliated’ with Park Board Candidate Liz Wielinski; it IS Park Board Candidate Liz Wielinski, along with a bunch of her pals.
And, it also says this on that ParkWatch “About Us” page:
Openness and Accountability
We are advocates for openness and accountability in all of the Park Board’s fiscal and administrative activities.
So, they advocate for openness and accountability of others? Where’s the disclosure and openness from them; the acknowledgement that Liz is a candidate for the very organization their website likes to trash?
This one, on that same page, made me ROFLMAO!
Observing Meetings
As a watch dog organization, members of Park Watch attend Park Board meetings on a regular basis to observe first-hand official Park Board business being conducted. Park Watch also reviews various Park Board documents. (emphasis added)
“…various documents.“??!?
How’ bout dam near EVERY piece of paper that the Park Board generates?
As noted here:
Seems like these days, a lot of people are taking shots at the Park Board. In the course of investigating the Crown Hydro Project, one group that seems to especially get in the Park Board’s face*, is a group called ParkWatch.org, who’s whole schtick seems to be “the Park and Rec Board is filled with incompetents, liars, and thieves and you can’t trust them or believe anything they say – EXCEPT when it comes to Crown Hydro.”
And I couldn’t believe the amount of paperwork ParkWatch.org demands. I asked for information regarding data requests from the Park Board; I simply couldn’t believe what ParkWatch.org wanted. Let’s look!
Well, you can go here and look, but if you don’t want to, I’ll leave it at this: ParkWatch wants copies of so much stuff, that it’s fair to say the Park Board had to add a full-time staffer just to keep up with their demands.
Which is why ParkWatch reminds me of republiCon Ron – it seems the things they accuse others of are the exact same things they do themselves.
Stay tuned!
Oh – and keep those tips coming in!!!
(crossposted from
Tagged with: Arlene Fried • Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive • Boy Blunder • Liz Wielinski • Minneapolis Park Board Elections • MN-06 • MN-Sen • MPRB • Norm Coleman • Parkwatch • Ron Carey • smokescreen
ThinkProgress.org got the recording of Princess SparklePony on The Moonie Times’ radio “show”:
What Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive said, BEFORE she said she was gonna break the law, is worth repeating. Here’s the transcript:
(0:25) I come from Minnesota. We’re still in a recount with our Senate race between Senator Norm Coleman and the challenger, Al Franken. Senator Coleman won the race on Election Day but that was challenged repeatedly over and over with what we feel may be fraudulent votes and very concerned about what goes forward.
“fradulent votes”, eh? That’s what you “think”, Michele?
Why, just the other day (June 1st, to be exact) Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Christopher Dietzen said he saw “no evidence or fraud or misconduct.” And Justice Dietzen said that in court.
That same day, in that same court, another Minnesota Supreme Court Justice asked Norm Coleman’s attorney, Joe Friedberg, very pointedly if their were any instances of fraud. Norm Coleman’s attorney – NORM COLEMAN’S ATTORNEY – answered emphatically “absolutely not” and added that there was no fraud of any kind; election, voter or otherwise.
But, hey – today’s GOP playbook is ignore the debunking and repeat, Repeat, and REPEAT the debunked stuff over and Over and OVER, as Bachmann just did: the “fraudulent vote (debunked) theory.”
In the rightwingworld, Norm “Smokescreen” Coleman “wuz robbed.” That’s their story, and they’re stickin’ to it.
(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)
On August 4th, at a press conference, Team Smokescreen’s Spokestool, Mark Drake, promised the assembled media he’d check with “the campaign” about providing an actual utility bill for Norm’s sweetheart deal for an apartment in a pal’s Washington, D.C. “shack” (it’s a million dollar townhouse), and get back to said media. Needless to say, Spokestool Drake never got back to ‘em. Hence, the “T Plus” in the title, above.
I bring this up, because it seems Minnesota’s Most Ethically-Challenged Politician, ol’ Smokescreen himself, Norm Coleman, now has a little problemo with his St. Paul “shack”, which Norm apparently refinanced for around 3/4 of a million smackers ($775,000.00, apparently), in early 2007.
Investigative Reporter Tom Lyden, of the local Fox TV affiliate, has the story, and it’s a good one!
More on this developing story, later – stay tuned!!!
(originally published at MnProgressiveProject.com)
Ladies and Gentlemen, the listing on the property is clear: Norm Coleman’s D.C. digs is a legally seperate rental unit, and licensed as such by the D.C. authorities. This has been verified. But the biggest verification just came from PepCo, the electric utility provider – and provider of electricity for the place Norm Coleman (allegedly) stays while in D.C. And that verification is a big one: there are two electrical meters. Yes, TWO. Therefore, somebody is paying for the electricity that goes to Norm’s digs, and only Norm’s digs.
What the utility will NOT verify, is who’s name those two meters are in.
So, who is pickin’ up the tab, for Norm’s electric?
I called Team Coleman, to ask just exactly that. But, Mark Drake wouldn’t take my call was unavailable, so the question was asked via Mark’s voicemail.
Why is this important? Sam Stein at HuffPost explains:
“This is a legitimate question to be asking in light of the fact that he is apparently renting from someone with an interest in his official actions as a senator,” said Mary Boyle of the good government group Common Cause. “It would be one thing if he was paying above market value and they could argue that it is included in his rent. But he is paying below market for this apartment. At a minimum [not paying utilities] would be a violation of the congressional gift ban. Certainly under no way is it okay for a member of Congress to be taking free or subsidized rent or benefits from anyone, particularly from someone you are working with.”(emphasis added)
Reaction from Coleman suggests that he too finds the utilities issue troubling. The Huffington Post placed more than two-dozen calls to his campaign spokesperson and Senate office over the course of several weeks. Despite leaving more than ten voice and email messages including the basic request to discuss the utilities bill, not one aide ever returned a request for comment. (Huffington Post)
Gee – now I don’t feel so bad; HuffPost is gettin’ ignored by the mighty Team Smokescreen, too.
But I digress. There really are two questions that are very important:
1 – In what name is the billing account for Norm’s rental unit in; and
2 – who is paying the tab.
So now it’s ‘fess up time, for Norm. And not only does he need to show a bill in his name, he needs to show a cancelled check, too.
(originally published at MnBlue.com)
So, there I am, blogging on the DFL Presser, when the guy from The UpTake wants to interview me. Why? It seems that republiCon Leadership STILL doesn’t answer questions, from bloggers. Let me back up – let’s look back to republiCon Ron’s presser last April, where republiCon Ron wouldn’t answer this blogger’s question, which was along the lines of: “Mr. Chairman, given your “stewardship” of the State GOP finances first as Treasurer and now as chair, and given the fines and amended and then re-amended financial reports, aren’t you and the republiCons trying to hold Mr. Franken to a standard you and the party have not been able to meet, yourself?”
So, at yesterday’s presser, after republiCon Spokesman Mark Drake commandeered the podium and then (lamely) ripped Franken’s “four letter language”, I asked Mark: “Mark, isn’t the GOP’s criticism of Franken’s language trying to hold him to a standard that Vice-President Cheney, in the Senate, didn’t manage to meet?”
Well, tried to. Watch for yourself, ol’ Smokescreen’s Spokesman, Mark Drake, refuse to answer my question.
The republiCon Party Of Minnesota LOVES to demand others answer questions; the fact that they – including Team Smokescreen – won’t answer questions only serves to demonstrate, once again:
“Hypocrisy, Thy Party is GOP (GreedOverPrinciples).”
Oh, and if someone has Mark’s e-mail address, please forward this to him. I’d like to let Mark know, now and for certain, that the reason Franken called republiCons “Shameless D*cks”, is, as you, yourself proved, once again yesterday, YOU ARE “Shameless D*cks.”
The DFL schedules a presser, then you, Mark Drake, official spokesman for Team Smokescreen, commandeer the podium, and then refuse to answer questions at a room booked by someone else?
Shameless, Mark – simply shameless. You should go (cheney) yourself.
Oh, and in the immortal words of D*ck (cheney)in’ Cheney, to Neil Cavuto, on Fox TV, when Cheney was asked about telling someone to “Go (cheney) yourself”, what I just said is
Hey – if it works for Cheney, without a peep of reproach from the republiCons, then it works for me. Unless, of course, the republiCons demonstrate their usual hypocrisy…….
(originally published at MnBlue.com)
If you don’t agree with Norm Coleman on an issue today, don’t worry – sooner or later you will. Not because you’ve changed, but because ol’ Smokescreen has changed colors, once again.
And at his campaign announcement yesterday, ol’ Smokescreen threw the assembled crowd a curve ball – at times he sounded like a democrat! Norm’s got spending plans for actual people; Norm says public work is honorable and Minnesotans respect public service – what kind of republican is that??? Lucky for Norm he’s not getting challenged for endorsment; that’s talk the base simply don’t abide.
Claiming to be a voice of optimism in a cynical time, he claimed that labels don’t matter, results do. Even more outlandish was ol’ Smokescreen’s pronouncement that “We need uniters, not dividers.”
Amazing. Simply amazing, coming from the guy that was Bush’s attack chihuahua in 2004, a proud member of the GOP “Truth Squad.” Of course, that was then and this is now.
Now, he’s claiming he’s bi-partisan. His press kit contained a whole page of “bi-partisan examples.” Let’s look:
* I-35 bridge; after GOPers became the minority party.
* “Veterans Benefit Outreach Act” – Coleman co-authored it in May 2007
*Flood Relief, SE Minnesota – again, 2007
* Extending Oversight In Iraq, when Boy Blunder wanted to end it. Again, 2007
Now, let’s look at the Low Income Heating Assistance Program, where ol’ Smokescreen, just yesterday, tried to claim his work was “bi-partisan.” Here’s what his press release said, back in January, 2006:
Last month, Coleman, along with Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), and Susan Collins (R-ME) obtained a commitment from Senate leadership for a separate vote on an emergency supplemental bill to provide $2 billion in additional funding for LIHEAP, early this year.
Doesn’t sound real “bi-partisan” to me…of course, back in January 2006, republiCons were still planning on a “Permanent Republican Majority” – and when you’re permanently the majority, contemporary republiCon thought went, who needs bi-partisanship?
And let’s look at that claim Coleman made about Iraqi oversight. Back when ol’ Smokescreen was in the majority, and the Chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the LAST place Coleman looked was Iraq. Actually, that’s not accurate, while ol’ Smokescreen wouldn’t look at corruption in Iraq by, say, Halliburton, he did look at Iraq with regards to the Oil For Food scandal. You know, French companies? Russian companies? Oh, and specifically, Norm looked at a British Member of Parliament, George Galloway, who proceeded to humiliate Norm (hence, the “ol’ Smokescreen” nickname), and who was never convicted of anything. That was when ol’ Smokescreen was in the majority. Now, that Norms in the minority, he’s in favor of oversight of Iraq?
The point I’m trying to make here, is that ol’ Smokescreen sure has changed his colors – several times.
In 2002, The Accidental Senator said: “I’m up for re-election in six years, judge me on what I did.”
And anyone looking objectively at Coleman’s record will see a smilin’ guy with all the best intentions of Elizabeth Taylor at the wedding altar. And as many trips there, too.
I’m not a big fan of cut ‘n paste; personally, I think that doin’ that is prima facie that the ol’ liquor cabinet is gettin’ a little low.
But, that’s just me!
Because, on the other hand, there are other times that ya gotta go with what they say, and what they say is best said by what they said with no commentary required!!!
So, without any more ado, here’s what Team Smokescreen sent out to the True misBelievers, in an e-mail blast:
In recognition of Al Franken’s second appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman” since relocating to Minnesota to run for the Senate, we here at Team Coleman thought we’d borrow a favorite from Dave. Without further ado…
From our home office in St. Paul, Minnesota here are the “Top Ten Reasons To Donate To Senator Norm Coleman’s Campaign:”
10) Because Norm Coleman spent 30 years getting things done for Minnesota.
9) You want to help us add to our double-digit lead over comedian Al Franken (KSTP-TV Poll, March 16, 2008).
8) Unlike Al, you DO think people would notice a 5-10 cent increase in the gas tax.
7) We don’t have friends in the media like David Letterman to give us a free, 30 minute commercial
on national television.
6) You want Norm to keep fighting the Democrats’ efforts to pass the largest tax hike in American
history.
5) You actually know your own views on Iraq and can express them clearly and consistently, unlike
Al Franken.
4) We pay our workers’ compensation insurance.
3) What’s a ‘satirist’ doing on a ‘comedy’ show anyway?
2) We need your help to send Norm Coleman back to Washington so he can fight for quality,
affordable health care that the government doesn’t manage.
1) Norm Coleman brings people together to get things done!
Seriously though. We need your help, and unfortunately we don’t have friends in Big Entertainment to help us out. Whether it’s $10 or $1,000, please consider giving to our campaign, and help Team Coleman spread Senator Coleman’s positive vision for Minnesota throughout our great state!
Best,
Team Coleman
“Seriously though.”
Seriously, Norm “Smokescreen” Coleman, R=Lapdog, needs some new writers….and Norm “Smokescreen” Coleman, R=Lapdog, needs to be retired.
While he thinks makin’ fun of Al Franken’s appearance on Letterman is funny, what is not funny is ol’ Smokescreen’s complete abdication of congressional oversight while chair of the permanent subcommittee on investigations.
Seriously.
