What's really going on in Minn. with Coleman replacing Wellstone and Franken struggling to win?

[bigtree]

I just don't get it. Anyone from Minn. (or not) willing to put an explanation to why there it's even a contest to reject a republican for Wellstone's seat? It's pretty much an abomination to have had to endure Coleman as Paul's replacement. Now Minnesotans are threatening to keep their finger in our party's eye. I just don't understand why (probably because I'm from Md., but, c'mon).

[BlueManDude]

1. I asked this question a week ago. It's hard to understand, especially with

MN being completely uncompetitive on the prez level.

Was Franken unable to shake the perception that he's just a "comedian"?

[Strelnikov_]

2. "pretty much an abomination" sums it up for me n/t

[SharonAnn]

3. Coleman only got in because of Wellstone's death and the fact that ballots for Wellstone

weren't counted.

That's right. Absentee ballots that indicted a vote for Wellstone weren't counted because of his death before the election and the fact that Mondale replaced him on the ballot. Mondale had less than 2 weeks to campaign before the election.

Coleman would not have won if the Wellstone ballots had been combined with the Mondale ballots, but apparently that couldn't be done.

Since Coleman's the incumbent (and it's hard to knock off an incumbent)and Franken's the challenger without any previous elected experience, it was always an uphill climb for Franken.

I hope he wins. There's something about Coleman that I don't like, besides being a Republican.

[Merlot]

4. I tend to be skeptical about these races that come within a few hundred

votes, but always in the repubs favor. It think it's more of the strategy we saw on a larger scale in 2004.

[Sal Minella]

5. Maybe the outspoken talk-show host is a more flamboyant personality than many Minn natives are

comfortable with. The naturally reserved Minnesota populace may feel that hosting a radio talk show is not the best preparation for a person being given the responsibilities of a Senator, even though his beliefs correspond closely with their own.

Slimy Normie brought up some earlier bad language on Franken's part, and Minnesota Lutherans might be turned off by that, regardless of any stance on issues.

Coleman ran an effective smear campaign (all the while whining about how he was being smeared of course -- I mean, the guy is a Republican).

Bradley (Independent) got a big chunk of the vote (20 percent or so iirc).

Coleman no doubt had a lot of money behind him --
(from 2002 Minnesota Public Radio story):
============================
Cheney called Pawlenty last year and encouraged him to stay out of the Senate race and run for governor. The White House backs former St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman for Senate.
============================
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200208/12_mccalluml_cheney/index.shtml

Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Sen. Norm Coleman were co-chairs of Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign.
http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/bush/bushorgmn.html

Dick Cheney favored Norm Coleman for the Senate race (instead of pitting Pawlenty against the popular incumbent Paul Wellstone). Quote from Pawlenty:
===================================
"Vice President Dick Cheney called me and said that he had been in touch with the President. And that on behalf of the president and the vice president of the United States, they asked that I not go forward with this effort and not engage in the battle against Norm Coleman and eventually against Paul Wellstone. For the good of the party, I am going to not pursue exploring the United States Senate in the 2002 election," Pawlenty said.
===================================
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200104/18_khoom_pawlenty/

Pawlenty actually seems to me to be a halfway decent human being.
Normie has no such encumbrance, far as I can see.

These are tidbits garnered from living near the Iowa-Minnesota border, and
listening to Minnesota Public Radio news primarily (having no TV).

Cheney held a fundraiser (about four years ago iirc) in Wayzata, MN*, a dark red cell festering in the heart of Brave Blue Minnesota -- I think the Rethugs have made massive efforts to break the back of the DFL (Democratic Farmer-Labor) party in Minn. (the state that gave rise to Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale and Paul Wellstone...something in the water maybe......)
- - - - - - -

*I laughed out loud when I saw a new black Lexus in a parking lot the other day -- it had black dealer plates reading "Wayzata Lexus!" I have never keyed a car and until that moment I never even had the thought.....(I didn't do it. Just wished someone else would. But I'm sure nobody did. Northern Iowa is just as Minnesota Nice as southern Minn.)

[bigtree]

6. I did think of Garrison Keillor

. . . and the way he described his fellow Minnesotans. Maybe Al looked like he wanted it too much :)

[Sal Minella]

8. Yes. Garrison says a Lake Wobegonian never says yes to something until it's been offered at least

three times. Franken is good at putting himself forward, which is probably perceived as unseemly behavior among a population that includes so many Norwegian bachelor farmers and unprepossessing townsfolk.

[ogneopasno]

7. Al Franken was not a very good candidate in rural areas, esp. rural areas that go blue, such as

the Iron Range and NE MN. Franken was seen as a suburban, metro-oriented candidate among rural and blue-color voters. The DFL does a pretty good job coming up with weird candidates for senate and finding ways to piss off certain parts of its demographic.

Sometimes a race is just close. This is one of those cases. I'm kind of tired of the conspiracy.