Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) prepared for the kick-off to his reelection campaign by both taking Teh High Road and going negative on his probable DFL challenger Al Franken at the same time. If Norm is going to make this campaign about character and his opponent's past, he'd better not have any skeletons in his closet. He's got plenty of bad votes.

Coleman, in a brief appearance before the Minnesota Capitol press corps, said in one breath that the Senate race will be about issues and his "very, very positive vision" and in the next that Franken lacks the experience and temperament to be in the Senate.

"Mr. Franken can't show a single day in the last 30 years that he has done anything to help any Minnesotan solve any problem," said Coleman, a first-term senator who will begin a re-election campaign tour a week from today. "The reality is I'll be running against someone whose temperament is such, who style is such, of being incredibly divisive, incredibly angry."
(Pioneer Press)

We are supposed to be impressed by Norm's constituent services in a time in which the Bush Administration has run rampant over our civil liberties, nearly bankrupted the nation occupying Iraq, lying us into attacking Iraq? What has Norm accomplished that matters?

The problem Norm faces is that for every minor accomplishment that Norm can point to, he's failed in a much larger way.

Coleman said matters of character will be major issues in the race if Al Franken grabs the Democratic nomination.
...
"The reality is I'll run against somebody whose temperament has been such, whose style has been such of being incredibly divisive and incredibly angry," Coleman told reporters Wednesday. "How do you expect to work with somebody when you have called every Republican the most vile and negative thing that one can imagine? Values, experience and temperament are issues."
(MPR)

Character, Norm? What about a man who has flip-flopped as often as you? What about wafting whichever way the polling breezes push you? What about rarely giving a straight answer? What about cheerleading the Republican partisan agenda that has led America into the myriad problems we now face? What about being bought and paid for by Big Tobacco, Big Coal, Big Oil, the health insurance industry, nuclear industry, pharmaceutical industry? What about placing their needs above those of regular Minnesotans? These things say a lot about your character.

All of these pics are from Norm's campaign website.

Norm touts his ability to create jobs. When Minnesota was in a boom, St. Paul under his leadership underperformed the rest of the state. In the Senate he has presided over a running the economy into the ground. His colleague and fellow Republican Michele Bachmann called Minnesota the "workingest" state because so many people hold second and third jobs. Minnesota and the US is in a recession. All he can talk about is tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and other failed Republican economic policies.

Norm claims the mantle of watchdog. This is purest Norm-speak^TM. As Chair of the PSI Norm has failed to investigate:

• Intel reports on WMD's
• Dispersal of the Iraqi Army
• NSA's secret wiretapping program
• Cronyism in appointments in Provisional Govt
• Torture at Abu Ghraib
• No bid contracts
• Billions of dollars of State Department cash disappearing in Iraq
• Corruption among contracting companies in Iraq
• Poorly constructed facilities built by contractors
• Contaminated water drunk and used by troops
• Abuses committed by contracting companies in Iraq
• Production problems for MRAP vehicles
• Wrong or not enough armor for troops and their vehicles
• Death of Pat Tillman
• Lies surrounding abduction and rescue of Jessica Lynch
• Overcharges among contracting companies in Iraq
• Allegations of torture at Guantanamo Bay

All Norm has done is hold forums. He voted for Medicare Part D which gets a D from seniors. He voted to prevent Medicare from negotiating the lowest prices for drugs. He also opposed the importation of Canadian drugs which are cheaper. His stance on drugs correspond to the large campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical industry.

Norm has opposed more stringent port security. He went along with the Bush Administration and his fellow Republicans as they failed to implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations.

"Support the troops!" Republicans like Norm crow. Supporting the troops for a Senator is more than repeating Republican talking points and putting a bumper sticker on your SUV. While the troop reintegration is definitely a good thing, Norm has failed on so many other levels.

He failed to speak up when troops were sent into combat without adequate armor. He failed to speak up when reports of shoddy facilities constructed by contractors. He said nothing when allegations of troops using contaminated water surfaced. He raised no alarm when there were production problems with properly armored vehicles. Despite visiting Walter Reed Medical Army Medical Center several times, he failed to note or complain about the horrid conditions and the horrific care.

Norm is quite proud to have jumped onto the bandwagon of one of the greenest states in the country. His conversion to green-ness corresponds to his worries about this reelection prospects. He's not all that green, actually. He still thinks clean coal and nuclear power are alternative energy. He still receives large contributions from Big Coal and the nuclear lobby.