Norm Coleman for RNC Chair?

First (0.00 / 0)

about Norm's legal troubles. How would Norm even know his wife got $75,000 funneled to her? And just how does Funneling any money to her relate to Norm at all?

I mean really she is just a campaign commercial prop. How does anything that happens to her relate to Norm?

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by: Judeling @ Mon Mar 16, 2009 at 20:32:38 PM CDT

Reporting to the Senate (0.00 / 0)

Norm's crime was not reporting the gift to the Senate.

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by: The Big E @ Mon Mar 16, 2009 at 21:05:50 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Bad Fit (0.00 / 0)

For all his chameleon skills, I suspect Norm would have a problem with the regional party the Republicans have become.  Something about New York City Jew via Minnesota, does not seem a good match for Southern White Country Club Republicans, where at least some of the issues seem rooted in the politics of the early 1860's.  And that is the base Republicans apparently prefer to privilege.  

While it may seem a mite treasonous, as a good DFL Progressive, I'd actually like to see a Republican Party restored to reasonable health -- not so healthy that they take back power -- but reasonable, just reasonable.  The basic Republican problem is that in recent years most of the younger candidates they've supported and moved to positions where they might take leadership, have been narrow minded, follow the leader sorts with a base that cannot compromise in policy processes because of ideology, and very real threats from the right -- Club for Growth, and the like.  

Younger readers may not appreciate this, but many of these "types" were once the leadership base of the Democratic Party, and had to be serviced and tolerated by the party as a whole.  I am in the midst of reading William Leuchtenburg's recent book, "The White House Looks South" -- a book that follows the Democratic Party and three Democratic Presidents' struggles to shed our Southern Racist Cousins, and refashion our national democratic coalition.  Leuchtenburg studied these issues through FDR's four administrations, (Leuchtenburg has been a New Deal/FDR Historian for 50 years) and Truman's and Johnson's presidencies.  While on one hand I am eternally grateful that we shed our solid racist south, I have great pity for Republicans who probably have to sort it out on their terms if they ever want to be nationally electable.  Revisiting all the issues around which Democrats fought these battles has been instructive.    

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by: Sara @ Mon Mar 16, 2009 at 23:07:45 PM CDT

Shouldn't the real question be : Who planted this idea in Mike Allen's ear ? (0.00 / 0)

It is not a surprise that people are sniping at Steele, but who is pushing Coleman ?  Steele outlasted Blackwell and a group of southern state operatives which just shows the ideological disorganization of the GOP.  Would Coleman get big-time support from the Club For Growth which had him rated in the 40%s last year ?  How about the good folks at CPAC ?  During the Moderate years of Coleman's term, he was one of the defecting Senators and that did not help him with the hardcore conservatives.  His acceptance speech at the MN-GOP was met with stunning silence when he discussed immigration and climate change.  Add to that his stance on ANWR and fuel efficiency.  

Yes, Coleman has been a good fundraiser for the GOP going back to his first year in the Senate.  But how would RNC Chairman Coleman respond to Candidate Coleman's request to terminate negative ads during the closing of a campaign ?  And that Coleman never appeared with McCain or Palin in Minnesota.

Besides, the RNC Chairman must have a defined salary ... but a "Consultant" could make as much money as he wants ... just ask Daschle or Lott and the other members of the Revolving Door that Franken spoke about in his June commercial.  Coleman will never run for office again as there is too much money to be made on the out/inside.

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by: Minnesota Central @ Tue Mar 17, 2009 at 12:06:08 PM CDT