-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Dorn
I think it should be perfectly clear that if Norm Coleman is elected to
the senate, he will vote for whomever Bush/Cheney tells him to. The
views of ordinary "nobody" Minnesotans like you and I have absolutely
nothing to do with it.
[TB] I suppose one of the options to having one of the dozen or so
Senators who will follow the administrations instructions, is having a
Senator who will consistently vote with the dozen of so Senators on the
far left of any issue. Both groups are far to marginalized to have
much effectiveness.
Living is this state since 1980 and for most of the time that I've been
following politics and elections, this is the most offensive campaigns
I've watched. Offensive by both the Wellstone and Coleman campaigns
and their supporters.
I say "and their supporters" because you have to look rather closely to
see who is actually running the ad. I guess that's how you keep a
straight face when you say you aren't running negative ads, someone
else does it on your behalf. This campaign is such that even if one
were inclined to vote for one over the other, they might change their
mind.
Web surfing, I found the web site of a guy by the name of Jim Moore
http://www.mooreforsenate.com
Moore on his issues page talks about campaigns, he says: "Independent
issue ads should be banned. If the courts overturn this provision in
the recently passed McCain Feingold legislation, I would advocate
aggressive regulation of these ads. Groups should be required to run
ads evenly between election and non election periods. If their ads are
truly an effort to change public policy, they should be willing to do
so."
He says it even better on his opening page, he says; "Moneyed special
interests have stolen our voice, I want to steal it back"
Sunday's Strib had a long feature about groups putting big money into
politics. The 2 biggest in Minnesota being The Freedom Club and the
teachers union. They've got something in common, they are both in it
to get the most for themselves, the public be damned. Same with the
groups that are pouring big bucks into the Coleman and Wellstone
campaigns.
So these 2 guys spend somewhere near $15 million each, that's nearly 7
times what a candidate for Governor can spend. If I donate 50 bucks to
a candidate for Governor, the state will give me my 50 bucks back if I
send in a short form. 50 bucks from a million and a half voters would
give these guys nearly 10 times what they can legally spend. Interest
isn't real high on the Governor's race. People I'm talking with are
getting turned off on the Senate race.
I think I know who the "winner" is. It's the television stations that
have sold all of their ad time from now until November 5th. I think we
deserve better.
Terrell Brown
Minneapolis
terrell at terrellbrown dot org
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