Posted on 11/08/2002 5:13:50 PM PST by AlwaysLurking
Empty victory for a hollow man How Norm Coleman sold his soul for a Senate seat.
http://www.salon.com/politics/feature/2002/11/07/minnesota/index_np.html By Garrison Keillor
Nov. 7, 2002 | Norm Coleman won Minnesota because he was well-financed and well-packaged. Norm is a slick retail campaigner, the grabbiest and touchingest and feelingest politician in Minnesota history, a hugger and baby-kisser, and he's a genuine boomer candidate who reinvents himself at will. The guy is a Brooklyn boy who became a left-wing student radical at Hofstra University with hair down to his shoulders, organized antiwar marches, said vile things about Richard Nixon, etc. Then he came west, went to law school, changed his look, went to work in the attorney general's office in Minnesota. Was elected mayor of St. Paul as a moderate Democrat, then swung comfortably over to the Republican side. There was no dazzling light on the road to Damascus, no soul-searching: Norm switched parties as you'd change sport coats.
Norm is glib. I once organized a dinner at the Minnesota Club to celebrate F. Scott Fitzgerald's birthday and Norm came, at the suggestion of his office, and spoke, at some length and with quite some fervor, about how much Fitzgerald means to all of us in St. Paul, and it was soon clear to anyone who has ever graded 9th grade book reports that the mayor had never read Fitzgerald. Nonetheless, he spoke at great length, with great feeling. Last month, when Bush came to sprinkle water on his campaign, Norm introduced him by saying, "God bless America is a prayer, and I believe that this man is God's answer to that prayer." Same guy.
(Jesse Ventura, of course, wouldn't have been caught dead blathering at an F. Scott Fitzgerald dinner about how proud we are of the Great Whoever-He-Was and his vision and his dream blah-blah-blah, and that was the refreshing thing about Jesse. The sort of unctuous hooey that comes naturally and easily to Norm Coleman Jesse would be ashamed to utter in public. Give the man his due. He spoke English. He didn't open his mouth and emit soap bubbles. He was no suck up. He had more dignity than to kiss the president's shoe.)
Norm got a free ride from the press. St. Paul is a small town and anybody who hangs around the St. Paul Grill knows about Norm's habits. Everyone knows that his family situation is, shall we say, very interesting, but nobody bothered to ask about it, least of all the religious people in the Republican Party. They made their peace with hypocrisy long ago. So this false knight made his way as an all-purpose feel-good candidate, standing for vaguely Republican values, supporting the president.
He was 9 points down to Wellstone when the senator's plane went down. But the tide was swinging toward the president in those last 10 days. And Norm rode the tide. Mondale took a little while to get a campaign going. And Norm finessed Wellstone's death beautifully. The Democrats stood up in raw grief and yelled and shook their fists and offended people. Norm played his violin. He sorrowed well in public, he was expertly nuanced. The mostly negative campaign he ran against Wellstone was forgotten immediately. He backpedalled in the one debate, cruised home a victor. It was a dreadful low moment for the Minnesota voters. To choose Coleman over Walter Mondale is one of those dumb low-rent mistakes, like going to a great steakhouse and ordering the tuna sandwich. But I don't envy someone who's sold his soul. He's condemned to a life of small arrangements. There will be no passion, no joy, no heroism, for him. He is a hollow man. The next six years are not going to be kind to Norm.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
About the writer Garrison Keillor is the creator and host of the nationally syndicated radio show "A Prairie Home Companion," broadcast on more than 500 public radio stations nationwide. For more columns by Keillor, visit his column archive.
What I cannot understand is why a man who is quite perceptive about ordinary people, one at a time, becomes so blind and thick-headed when confronted with issues about millions of people in a state, or hundreds of millions in a nation. It must be that like most NPR types that his established politics come first, and all else is seen through that lens.
If he had gone to an ordinary funeral and seen behavior like that at the Wellstone orgy, I am certain he would have recognized it as an affront to decency -- like most of the nation did including many Democrats. He can see and speak the truth in ordinary circumstances -- his words are like Andrew Wyeth paintings.
But when looking at the Wellstone orgy, he could not see what was in front of his eyes, because this was political, these were the "right" people. Therefore, he must not notice that their behavior was "wrong," that they were simply and grossly inhumane.
Because he is incapable of honesty or perception on the subject of politics, he should stay away from that subject. But if he had the self-understanding to see that, he would not have written this article.
Sad.
Congressman Billybob
Sounds to me like some "tolerant" liberal being a bit intolerant????
Hey, Mr. Keillor, I'm a member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and I'll take Andrew Sullivan over Garrison Keillor any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
If I remember correctly, there have been several Mrs. Keillors, none of whom have stuck around for long.
Regards, Ivan
It must be bitter for him that a fellow named "Coleman" won the election. Apparently a former best friend of his was named "Coleman", and they had a falling out - if you look carefully, all mentions of any characters named "Coleman" in Keillor's books are entirely negative.
Regards, Ivan
If he would stick to what he knows and does best, we could respect him for his craft, and that would be that. Robert Frost, I understand, was lousy with his own family, but his work stands the test of time. e.e. cummings was even worst with his family. Woodie Guthrie was an abomination as a man, but his music survives (and his politics were to the left of Keillor).
I do not excuse the behavior of artists. Many of them are failures as men, or women, but still produce good work. I don't know and am not interested in finding out the story behind Keiller's swipe at Coleman's personal life.
Coleman was elected to be a Senator. Let's see if he's a good one, a bad one, or something in between. I don't expect radio show hosts to make good political decisions. I don't expect my Senators to tell interesting stories and sing occasional songs. Seems like a fair division of labor to me.
Congressman Billybob
Be sure to have a footstool with you!
<>-<)B^)
But of course he does. Count the number religious metaphors in this piece. He knows exactly what he is doing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.