Empty victory for a hollow man How Norm Coleman sold his soul for a Senate seat.

Salon.com ^ | Nov. 7, 2002 | By Garrison Keillor

[laurav]

Ah, Garrison.

The man is funny, and I love his radio voice. But he doesn't seem to understand that the folks who like to listen to Prairie Home Companion are the types who identify with the down-home values he mocks. On the radio program it comes out as good-humored mocking. But when Garrison opens his mouth to spout his political opinions, the truth appears.

[UB355]

Gee Garrison, if there had been anything about his homelife that would have damaged his rep the dims would have announced it, not left it to innuendo you snake.

[Nick Danger]

Oh look, a bitter liberal with a nasty streak! He lost, and he's so mad.

So Valium finally comes to Lake Wobegon, and they lived bitterly ever after.

Fuggem.

[MoralSense]

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.

It's called growing up, Garrison.

[tpaine]

"The guy is a Brooklyn boy who became a left-wing student radical, organized antiwar marches, said vile things about Richard Nixon, etc. Then he came west, was elected mayor of St. Paul as a moderate Democrat, ---"


Sounds like norm is your kinda guy, CJ.

-- But at least he was right about nixon.

[ambrose]

Norm switched parties as you'd change sport coats.

How would this scumbag liberal know what is inside Coleman's heart or what motivates him?

In truth, Norm Coleman said that he decided to become a Republican on Yom Kippur of 1996. For you non-Jews, Yom Kippur is the day that Jews are supposed to atone for their sins.

[gore_sux_2000]

What a jerk. Never listened to him, never will! Lots of Dems are acting like sore losers here. Too bad!

[FreedomPoster]

Salon? Salon who?

Oh yeah, THOSE guys:

[abclily]

These liberals really are out of touch with reality!

[prognostigaator]

your small print carries a big stick.....right on!

[AlwaysLurking]

I hear ya...being raised Lutheran myself! His early tapes are sometimes so funny that I have peed in my pants....but he hasn't been funny for at least 10 years now, so I gave up on him! It is nice to have dry pants now!

I always wonder how a small town midwestern Lutheran boy could grow up to be a communist! Must be all that ther higher education!

[Paul Atreides]

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.

That description sounds more like Bubba, in my opinion.

[Post Toasties]

The Democrats stood up in raw grief and yelled and shook their fists and offended people.

This, to Garrison Keillor, is 'raw grief'. His swipes at Coleman are about as far off base.

[L.N. Smithee]

"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."

Maybe Minnesotans remember how that "steak" they ate twenty-two years ago was tainted with E. coli.

[jwfiv]

Embarassin' Garrison quit makin' me puke 15 years ago when I gave a the last minute of time I'll ever give him...whatta silly person he is...just an old maid in britches and suspenders.

[zook]

You'd feel sour too, if you had to wake up with that guy's face every morning.

[Tribune7]

Dang, I tried to listen to his about a decade ago. I couldn't.

[L.N. Smithee]

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.

Do you mean, Garry, like the past two years have not been kind to Clinton?

[tonyinv]

Coleman switches and runs for office under a new party label and gets elected, thats a bad thing. Jeffords switches AFTER the election and he's a hero. (A<>A)

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.

How exactly does this guy expect his party to win these voters back next time, when they've spent the past few days blaming them and calling them names? It shows their true nature, which is a total lack of respect for the voter.

I dont recall any conservative voices blaming the people after 1992 & 1996. I could be wrong about that, but it seems to me conservatives are alot more introspective after losing.

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.

There is only passion in being a Democrat, there is only joy in being a socialist, and apparently there is only heroism in losing an election when your Socialist Democrat opponent tragically dies in a plane crash.

By the way, that's Senator-Elect Coleman to you buddy!

I occasionally listened to A.P.H.C., and enjoyed it at times. I never knew this was the guy doing that show, oh well, its back to Rush reruns on the weekends.

[Tribune7]

If Keillor is upset, Coleman must be very, very good.