Word: coleman
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...most likely answer, plus a growing grass-roots resentment of elitist politicians who govern by focus groups rather than personal convictions. Says Steven Schier, chairman of the political-science department at Minnesota's Carleton College, of Ventura: "He's charismatic, he's warm, he's colorful. Coleman and Humphrey were much more conventional politicians and provided a nice gray backdrop. Every act needs a straight man, and he had two of them." Ventura's campaign manager, Doug Friedline, says, "He's very straightforward and honest. You may not like his answers, but you're gonna get them anyway...
...this were a normal election year, Norm Coleman probably wouldn't have much trouble winning a second term representing Minnesota in the U.S. Senate. Granted, Coleman is a Republican, and Minnesota tends to be a Democratic state. But both classifications are deceptive...
...former popular mayor of St. Paul, Coleman was a Democrat before he switched parties in 1996, and he remains a fairly moderate Republican today. And for all its history as a bastion of liberalism, Minnesota morphed into a quirky swing state in the mid-1990s, bestowing statewide office to politicians of every stripe, from doctrinaire conservatives (Rod Grams) and old-school liberals (Paul Wellstone) to a flaky, funky former professional wrestler (Jessie Ventura). Al Gore and John Kerry both beat George W. Bush in Minnesota, but by surprisingly slim margins. And in the 2006 midterms, when Democrats were knocking...
...Even in this annus horribilis for the GOP, Coleman until a month ago looked like he might coast to victory over his unlikely Democratic challenger, comedian turned author turned liberal radio host turned politician Al Franken. In the most expensive Senate race in the country, Coleman portrayed himself as ordinary, wholesome and dull - which he not unreasonably assumed would go over well in a state culture known, with both affection and derision, as Minnesota Nice. For Coleman's purposes, being safe and boring seemed especially wise when contrasted with the loud, funny, inexperienced and sometimes offensive Saturday Night Live alumnus...
...unapologetic liberal, Franken has devoted much of the campaign to attacking Coleman as a Bush lapdog, especially on Iraq and the economy - not a bad strategy against any Republican, given the President's woeful job approval numbers. But Franken and his team spent the summer in a defensive crouch, explaining how, in contemporary comedy, a rape joke is really just a joke, and how swear words are part of the basic vocabulary. As if that weren't enough, the Democrat became embroiled in a "scandal" over having not paid all of his state taxes from his days as an itinerant...