How the Republicans will defend Norm Coleman

In today's Mankato Free Press we see how the Republicans will defend Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) as he faces a very difficult and tricky reelection campaign. Dwight Grabitske of Arlington, MN writes in the Your View feature of the paper. Since he won't be able to defend Norm's voting record, Grabitske points to things he doesn't like that Democrats have done. This is standard Republicans strategy. Don't attempt to defend the indefensible, just raise negatives about your opponents.

In the response by Brian Melendez attacking Rep. Norm Coleman he uses some rather interesting combinations of examples. Melendez says that Coleman says one thing in front of cameras and votes for whatever the president wants in Washington. How is that different from his predecessor, who shed crocodile tears before Minnesota farmers and then voted his left-wing economic views when he returned to Washington?
(Mankato Free Press)

Grabitske is referring to Paul Wellstone tearing up when he got emotional about issues like family farmers losing their farms. I find it funny that these same farmers reelected Wellstone to a second term and were about to send him back for a third term before the tragic plane crash which allowed Norm to weasel in as our Senator.

Melendez says "Minnesotans need real leadership in Washington." How about the example that Betty McCollum set in her comments before and after visiting Iraq; did she open her eyes while she was there? How about the leadership demonstrated by Jim Oberstar when he calls a press conference criticizing the Minnesota Department of Transportation people regarding the bridge collapse before lifting a finger to help Minnesotans?
(Mankato Free Press)

What about Rep. McCollum's visits to Iraq? She also just visited Syria to check on the condition of the 1.5 million Iraqi refugees who've fled Bush's disastrous occupation of their country. She is not as obediently hopeful as Norm. Norm will look for absolutely any sign that victory is just around the corner in Iraq and beg for another six months before evaluating where we're at. McCollum opposes this war and agrees with the majority of Minnesotans that Bush's Iraq policy is wrong.

Then Grabitske goes after Rep. Oberstar, chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Oberstar is correct to place the blame Gov. Pawlenty and the Republicans.

Reps. Jim Oberstar, Collin Peterson, Betty McCollum, Tim Walz, and Keith Ellison criticized the Pawlenty administration's slow response in applying for several streams of funding for disaster relief, reimbursements for the Metropolitan Council, and the rebuilding of the bridge.

Oberstar was very critical of the lack of action by the administration. "The legislature gave him a bill that would have made sound investments in our transportation system; he vetoed it. When the I-35W bridge collapsed, he could have called a special session to deal with the crisis and look to our transportation needs, but he didn't," Oberstar said in a press release Monday. "Now he is failing to ask for money that the state is entitled to; this is incompetence and an abrogation of his responsibility to the people of Minnesota."
(Minnesota Monitor)

Here's a choice question and answer from Oberstar on this topic:

Q In Minnesota, the governor has twice vetoed legislation that would have raised more federal matching money for transportation. Do you consider Minnesota a good partner?

A Our lieutenant governor [Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau] told me in October 2005, "We can't match all that money you want to give us." I said, "Then raise the user fee [gas tax]." As a policymaker, you cannot be stuck in an ideological time block. If it were left up to these people, we'd still be riding ox carts in Minnesota.
(Chisago County is GOP repost of Star Tribune article)

He has done plenty in the past and will continue to do plenty to improve our infrastructure. Republicans are penny-stupid and pound-foolish when it comes to transportation and our infrastructure -- they are chained to their disastrous No New Taxes pledge. Back to Mr. Grabitske.

I would have thought that Melendez would have stayed away from the word "leadership" after Senator Dean Johnson's performance last year (remember his call for leadership from Governor Pawlenty when his own leadership skills in the senate were totally lacking?) and Senator Pogemiller's inept handling of Senator Murphy's "politics first" bridge collapse investigation, which appeared to be aimed more at Carol Molnau than anything else. There was no way Minnesotans figured in Murphy's Top 10 list.
(Mankato Free Press)

I actually have no idea what Grabitske is talking about. Either he assumes that everyone reading his counterpoint will know what he's talking about our figures that vague accusations are best when you're arguments are weak. I'm leaning toward the latter.

We Democrats will continue to investigate Molnau as there is likely criminal negligence involved in her running of MNDOT, lack of preparation in her Department and inept response to the bridge fall. Where was the woman in charge of disaster response? Out of the state perhaps?

The highly partisan Melendez should also start displaying his "leadership" within the party attempting to build it up before attempting to tear others down. At the rate he, Pogemiller, Murphy and others are going, Minnesotans might start associating their local Democrats with the "politics first — Minnesotans last" attitude displayed by the DFL leaders and vote them out of office.
(Mankato Free Press)

Grabitske uses partisan as a pejorative. Huh? Like Ron Carey isn't also partisan? Like Grebitske isn't himself? Furthermore, Grebitske grammar let's him down. Maybe he's trying to criticize Melendez in that he should be building up Minnesota before tearing down the Republicans.

First off, Melendez is displaying leadership in building up the Democratic Farmer Labor Party. He's done a fabulous job rebuilding the DFL after the disastrous leadership of Mike Erlandson.

Secondly, the reason he and the DFL are going after Republicans generally and Norm, Pawlenty, Molnau and etc. specifically is their divisiveness. The Republicans are the one's who have for far too long led Minnesota and the United States. They have refused to negotiate even slightly with Democrats. They've maintained a "my way or the highway" attitude.

Nationally, they have led us into a quagmire in Iraq, 47 million uninsured, disastrous deregulation of our economy, squandering a Clinton surplus and giving us the largest debt in the history of our country. Locally, their no new taxes pledge have starved our cities and our schools. They have forced local units of government to raise property taxes to pay for essential services the state no longer provides. This has disproportionally fallen on those least able to pay like seniors and the disabled. They have dragged this state away from our communal concept of helping one another and instituted policies of greed and me-first.

If anyone will be voted out office in 2008, its going to be Norm and another load of Republican state legislators. The tide is turning and the Republicans are losing ... despite the efforts of Grebitske.