Coleman Campaign Caught Astro-Turfing
By Nicole Belle Tuesday Feb 26, 2008 9:11pm
On January 25th the Minnesota Daily published a letter to the editor from Abul-Rahman Magba-Kamara, chairman of the UMN College Republicans. The letter's a bit too long to post in the body here, but you can find the whole text below the fold or on the paper's site here. [..]
A week later on February 7th, The Winona Daily News published a letter to the editor from Samantha Gronlund, a Winona State University student. Again, the letter's a bit too long but the text is below the fold and can be found on the paper's site here.[..]
I think the sum total difference between the two paragraphs amounts to three insignificant changes... The startling thing is that they are virtually identical the whole way through and the thing's 10 paragraphs long! Seriously, I've included both below the fold, it's startling, but let me restate where we're at: Two papers published identical letters to the editor attacking Al Franken within a 2 week span but attributed to two entirely different individuals. The academic integrity of these two students is of serious question, but that's not my concern right now.
It's not surprising that someone else found this weird.
Apparently tipped off to this disturbing occurrence, The Winona Daily News published the following correction on Saturday the 9th[..]
According to Ms. Gronlund, the letter came from Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign and was a form letter.
Ooops! All the more reason to support Al Franken.
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Franken would make a helluva lot better Senator than any of those clowns.The guy knows what's going on.
Go Al!
I'm surprised they haven't claimed he has ties to a Jewish conspiracy to take over America,and that he has ties to the Bin Ladens.(yeah,I know)
Norm Coleman is a bonafide moron.
Totally.
Go Al Franken!
___
Religiarchy.com
Norm Coleman is a phony and Bush "yes" man. I hope he loses in November. Al Franken would be a refreshing addition to the U.S. Senate!
Well, what do you know? Manufacturing bullshi-opinion.
How he got elected, even for mayor, is unfathomable.
picture this,The debate between Franken and Coleman.
Who do you think would come out on top(no,no,don't even go there)
The Reaganite's and its “obscene pursuit of wealth and happiness.”
OK I gave. I'm challenging everyone to help Al. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Send Norm home.
this Samantha Gronlund?
If this form letter came out of this guy's office he needs to learn him some good grammar.
This astroturf letter-to-the-editor routine has been going on for years and the Democratic party strategists have yet to catch on to it. I worked for years for a press-clipping agency as a reader and read every newspaper in two states over an extended period through several elections cycles. Format "I used to be a Democrat" letters appear during every election cycle. They repeat the same right wing talking points and are published without hesitation or question by the more often than not, Conservative owned local newspapers in both large and small cities. These letters are intended to build a critical mass by giving the impression that there are massive desertions of disaffected Democrats.
Was Norm high when he thought of this? Oh yeah, he probably was.
alpuz3 @ 12:
If so she is learning how to be a real good broadcaster for the Corporate media.
Gee a CON spreading lies when did that start?
And chance of digging up George Galloway taking Coleman out to the woodshed on the Senate floor over the Iraq invasion.
Can't stand Norm Coleman and loved that clip. And I think it'd help Al Franken.
alpuz3 @ 12:
That beast looks like the cure to the common erection.
Tarro @ 19:
That's cruel. But, just between you and I, it's funny as hell.
Astro turfing? At first glance, i thought it was another republican perv like in the previous story. I was expecting to read about this guy getting caught with a giant pineapple up his butt.
Go Al!!
Snowball @ 14:
hmmm seems kinda like what is going on now. With the dems outvoting the repugs 2 or 3 to 1, they reported today that a new poll says that McCain will beat HRC and BO in the election. How is that mathematically possible?
Earl @ 20:
Don't worry. Nobody saw that.
alpuz3 @ 12:
Yikes, why do people allow photos of themselves to be posted on the web then do dumbass things like that...sheesh.
jharp @ 18:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=g3VHAco8y18 .
Is this any help?
got to meet al a few months ago(labor day). he was campaigning up in my area. he was really nice -- got an interesting story about it but it's not really on topic. made a really great speech, appealing to the labor unions. NOT ONE republican showed up to this labor day event.
lol...they lose my county (st. louis) every election.
xoites defends Constitution @ 23:
Whew!!! Slipped that by everyone.
Maybe when he gets booted Lyle Lovett can get his hair back.
Al Franken had better watch his back up there in Minnesota and stay away from any King Air's. Liberal Senators from MN who vocally oppose the Cheney machine seem not to have fared well in recent years.
Tarro @ 19:
What would happen if someone was cornered and dosed with Viagra?
George Galloway/Norm Coleman.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lINNad6Njs
Verdillac @ 30:
Earl @ 27:
I tried to look, but had one a mah blind spells. Did I miss MMMUUUCCCHHH?
I don't know. Al Franken represents Minnesota and the midwest more than Norm by a landslide. Good on ya Al, keep on keepin' on.
mudshark @ 25:
Thank you.
Janet @ 22:
The polls I've seen have Obama beating McCain and Clinton, well, not so much so. But I have little doubt that polls are used to produce the same effect as form letters: To build an appearance of critical mass. Trust no poll that does not reveal the exact wording of the question and what the preceding questions were. How a question is worded and the questions posed before it effect the answer. Many poll questions are designed to lead the response or leave it open to misinterpretation.
Tarro @ 19:
Back away from the pizza! Now!
Norman is a real assbackwards-sideways Ma-ronn.
jharp @ 35:
No,Thank You.Great Idea.
and thanks for part 2.....I missed this whole thing(i must've been out of the country when this went down)
donate ten bucks to franken's campaign.
watch bill o'reilly's head explode when al wins.
as always, i rest my case,
the repugs are just too ignorant and stupid
joe cantwell @ 40:
ten dollars to anyone who pisses on billo's head to put the fire out ! lol lol
David Hawes @ 37:
Friggin amateurs. The right has an army of paid bashers and pumpers that deluge message boards, chat rooms, and editorial pages with cut and paste propaganda. Easy to spot. It's just too carefully crafted to be sincere opinion from someone sitting at their breakfast table writing a quick letter to the editor.
Any time I've bothered to contact Colemans office to express my a progressive view on a subject, I've invariably gotten back a letter that begins: "Dear [Miro]: Thank you for [email/letter] expressing your concerns about [this/that/whatever]."
And then comes the line that's there every time: "I respectfully disagree"
It's always there: "I disagree."
He doesn't step back and give some context and then suggest a little different stance--you know: the soft sell. No, it's like a junior high school debate team captain jumping up and exclaiming: "I disagree!"
I used to think Coleman at least was honest when he "got a hard on" for George Galloway and hauled Galloway up before his committee on banking and finance or whatever it was--whatever he thought it was, "This weird alien British man is guilty of stealing food out of the mouths of Children!!!" (Meanwhile, if you know some of the nitty-gritty, the far bigger spoilers of the Oil for Food program were right here in the US. But I digress.)
Coleman responds with, "I disagree..." so often that now I'm not even sure that when he's "gitten a law enforcement hard-on" for Galloway or anything else that THAT's even honest. It's like Rove slipped him some viagra and a few paragraphs to plagarize.
So, my suspicion is that those kids who "wrote" those letters aren't really geting it from Coleman's campaign but rather getting it from Rove's campaign through his puppet Coleman.
You can go ahead stand up and scream, "I disagree!" It's become an impotent phrase.
"This astroturf letter-to-the-editor routine has been going on for years and the Democratic party strategists have yet to catch on to it."
Dead on.
This is what DEMs should be pounding home. These Republicans are seriously immoral. Asking people to commit Plagiarism in order to defame someone is disgusting.
How can you claim to be the decent, moral party when you act like this? Is this what I'm supposed to teach my daughter?
I've been to broadcasting school. In MHO the chance of any of those grinning hyenas ever getting camera time is less than zero.
dadams @ 42:
I value my piss too much to waste it on a flaming billo
heres a Coleman ad for Senate about Franken. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQndmimgueY&feature=related
miss_kitty @ 48:
I'd be too scared to pull down my zipper.
David Hawes @ 50:
You think that's going to cause his head to explode wait till either Hillary or Obama is elected President.
I predict Billo's going to kill himself on tv the moment he gets the news.
mudshark @ 49:
"Deeply shallow."
Xoites for the Muslim Science Monitor
"Humorless."
Xoites for Slime Magazine
"Shaby."
Xoites for Hollywood Overbite
CD @ 51:
Need at least a coupla 40's ta put out that melon.
CD @ 51:
Naw. Then He gets fodder for more Hate spewing.
jharp @ 31:
I have a feeling Norm thought he could push Galloway around .This proves otherwise.a little short though.The one above has more substance to it.
Proud2bHumble @ 53:
What are you going to do? Beat the flames out with a pair of breasts?
xoites defends Constitution @ 52:
"Fiscal Responsibility"
Xoites for Treasurer
xoites defends Constitution @ 56:
ZIINNGG X
Catcha on the OT later.
Hittin’ the road, Jack,”and I ain’t comin’ back no more no more no more no more”…
“Last word, freak.” - Melvin Udall
;-} out
David Hawes @ 58:
Zing!? No way! I'm no breast beater. Meat, sure, but breasts never... lol ;-}
P.S. Didn't mean ta make ya cry, DH - go back; I left somethin else for ya.
jharp @ 31:
Thanks for that.
I don't know much about Franken -Except- Anyone who could get in bed with Ari Huff before she came to the Light Side must have sumptin woikin rite. I ain't sayin.I'm jest sayin.
Proud2bHumble @ 59:
This time I reallllly mean it. ;}
Proud2bHumble @ 60:
Stroke?
This article was in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. I didn't think it spoke well for Franken, if true. Minnesota has another excellent candidate for the US Senate - Mike Ceresi. He's running neck and neck with Franken. I think Ceresi would be the ideal candidate to take Paul Wellstone's former seat.
Snowball @ 14:
Actually, I just saw a form letter available to protest that AP "news" story on Obama that push-polled Repug smears. Don't remember where I saw it. Maybe here? I didn't send it on the grounds that it attacked right-wing smearing, when I felt the problem stemmed from journalistic lack of ethics.
Proud2bHumble @ 61:
Thanx 2 Later.
Every time I try to imagine how Billo is going to react to Obama getting elected all I can think of are quotes from Blazing Saddle. :lol:
xoites defends Constitution @ 65:
Gotta agree. Breasts are much too valuable to be beaten.
MN USA @ 66:
and who is this Mr Ceresi.please share with us this new found candidate.you see.......not living in Minnesota,I don't get all the info on that Senate race.
MN USA @ 66:
Article?
It sounds like a good old fashioned smear campaign to me.
CD @ 69:
'Now don't that beat all! We spend all this time killin all them Injuns and hear they go electin a n***er sherrif!' 'hey boss how's about We kill them.Would That cheer ya up sum?' 'By golly that jest might!"
David Hawes @ 73:
OR 'hey boys! Lookie what i got!' 'hey were's all the white wemmen at?'
jharp @ 18:
Heck, Coleman got his butt handed to him by Michael 'heck of a job' Brown. I couldn't find a video clip but I did find this:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/007654.php
Coleman conceded his questioning time two minutes early because he got pwned so badly by Brownie. It was a thing of be-yoo-ty.
I had to put up with his shtick when he was mayor (and a 'Democrat') (I never voted for him). I can't wait to end his career next year.
David Hawes @ 74:
It's not just Billo though I see him as the guy reading from the script in this clip and foxnews the rest of the townspeople.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcZ9ku_wInw&feature=related
CD @ 76:
One of my top ten movies of all time. I laugh out loud every time I see it. There are countless priceless quotes.
debg @ 67:
What's the difference?
CD @ 76:
Yeah.But wait'll They feed em to Mongo.
I'm a Democrat and no fan of Coleman. I've watched Al Franken over the years and he does have a problem with his temper---not always but sometimes he has a problem disagreeing without being disagreeable. You can see it in his body language. Sometimes he tries to mask the belligerence with humor, but it comes through often enough to make him a target of this kind of attack. He needs to polish up his act and find his Stuart Smalley happy place as he goes out on the campaign trail and confronts those who aren't good enough, aren't smart enough, and who, doggone it, he just doesn't like.
J Grant @ 80:
You..You mean ...a political savvy grinning baby kisser?!!
Mike Cerisi is a MN lawyer who lead a suit against the tobacco companies. He prosecuted them fairly brilliantly and won the case and a bazillion dollars in settlement money, which was eventually squandered by Jesse Ventura and our current Republican golden boy Governor, Tim Pawlenty (remember that name, he's worse than Coleman).
Cerisi doesn't have the name-gloss that Franken has, but he's a good guy and, if he's given the nod over Franken, will be as good a senator if not as good a quote.
Politically savvy and slow to offend, suffering fools gladly---these are all virtues on the campaign trail, sure. As for babies, too many germs. And excrement.
David Hawes @ 77:
"You use your mouth better'n a twenty-dollar whore!"
David Hawes @ 79:
I don't know if we can tame Mongo/Limbaugh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28khv-BydeY
Proud2bHumble @ 28:
LOL good one. I was thinking he looked kind of like a Vulcan who got his ears clipped.
David Hawes (or anybody who knows the answer):
The morning after Sheriff Bart has sex with Lily von Shtupp, she whispers something into his ear as he's leaving, and he replies, "Baby, I am NOT from Havana!"
I've always wondered what in the heck that meant. Any clue?
Let's not mock the physical appearance of Samantha Gronlund, when we can instead mock the physical appearance of Norman Coleman himself.
Note, for instance, how in the pic above his hair closely resembles the eraser of a #2 pencil, and the rest of his head resembles the little metal thing clamping the eraser onto the pencil itself.
Norm Coleman is Minnesota's Chuck Grassley. I'd like to see both of them go.
Mike Ciresi is an attorney who has taken on some of the largest corporations in the world. The tobacco settlement was huge for Minnesota and pays for anti-smoking and quit smoking campaigns and medical research. Minnesota gets close to $200 million every year from this lawsuit forever. In addition Minnesota received about $1 billion in several payments - the money our governor spent for other than the intended purposes mentioned above. He also won lawsuits in the Dalkon Shield and Copper 7 IUD lawsuits from the A. H. Robins Company and won $470 million for the victims of the Bhopal gas leak from Union Carbide. He is no friend of big business. For more information check out his law firm, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi and his campaign web site. He's Minnesota's John Edwards - a self-made man who's represented people hurt by big corporations.
dadams @ 42:
sorry dude, I really hate to miss out on 10 bucks
but there are some things I won't piss on ...
Norm Coleman looks more like Stuart Smalley than Al Franken does.
Funny how even though he's got a mouth full of horse's teeth, he still looks more like its ass.
Franken's sharp and quick enough to make mincemeat out of the stooge Coleman and his cheesy tactics, and of crooked newspapers that participate in crooked behavior and claim innocence when caught. John Kerry would have bent over and asked please-sir-may-I-have-another.
mudshark @ 25:
Galloway: "WHACK !!!"
Coleman: "Thank you sir, may I have another ?"
Galloway: "WHACK !!!"
Coleman: "Thank you sir, may I have another ?"
Galloway: "WHACK !!!"
Coleman: "Thank you sir, may I have another ?"
Galloway: "WHACK !!!"
Coleman: "Thank you sir, may I have another ?"
Galloway: "WHACK !!!"
Coleman: "Thank you sir, may I have another ?"
Galloway: "WHACK !!!"
Coleman: "Thank you sir, may I have another ?"
Galloway: "WHACK !!!"
Coleman: "Thank you sir, may I have another ?"
Galloway: "WHACK !!!"
Coleman: "Thank you sir, may I have another ?"
Galloway: "WHACK !!!"
Coleman: "Thank you sir, may I have another ?"
Scooter @ 92:
The green bad guy from Spiderman movies.
In Al Franken's book "Lying Liars..." See chapter titled "Operation Ignore". It's about the Bush administration's gargantuan effort to NOT DO ANYTHING about terrorism prior to 9-11. Going so widely out of their way to prevent any anti-terrorism effort from get ting off the ground, that you have to wonder what their motives were.
Coleman is a complete tool. When he ran for mayor of St. Paul he ran as a Dem, because a repug could not get elected. Day's after winning he jumped ship to the repug party. He is a shollow little man, who will say or do anything to stay in power. Hopefully we in MN won't be fooled again by this fraud.
Al's going to make a great senator.
Vote for Al Franken, probably the only candidate to score a perfect 800 on the math section of his SAT.
To #87 Matt - that quote in Blazing Saddles ("Baby, I am NOT from Havana") has Lily asking for it one more time ("More Schnizen-gruben?" - "No thanks, 15 is my limit of schnitzen-gruben") The Sherriff is saying he's not a Latin lover, always ready, willing and able - he's just tired after 15 times! I think.
Coleman is a total joke, his approval is waving in the wind around the 40s (%) and is in lockstep on every issue with Bush....
Minnesota voters....its really simple. If you want a change of direction, you don't vote for GWBush's water carrier
Al will be a great Senator for Minnesota
Paul @ 99:
Al has a tuff run for the DFL slot here in MN. Mike Ciresi who is also running is very popular up here. Ciresi has been active in grassroots politics for years, and is well respected. Either one of them should be able to beat Coleman in the general.
Astro-turfing sounds like gangbanging in outer space.
And not the way we meant in back in the 70's.
Another vote for Cerisi here.
Franken is like Hillary: ton of money, a "Democratic Leadership Council insider type" with his national connections, and celebrity.
Cerisi is like John Edwards: a bright lawyer who has already done tangible things for the people of Minnesota with his proven track record fighting big corporations.
My bias is obvious.
On the other hand, as a Minnesotan, I have always especially enjoyed the way Norm Coleman always tries to make his voice sound as much like a Kennedy as he can.
Another Minnesotan for Ciresi here. I'll happily vote for Franken if he's the Dem candidate, though. Just like I'm Edwards guy who would happily pull the lever for either Obama or Clinton. Anything to get Norm out of there.
J Grant is right. This is Minnesota. A Minnesotan should not show temper. Being passive-aggressive is how we show disapproval. Garrison Keillor's Minnesota stereotype isn't a joke, it's how we are.
free patriot @ 91:
Good call. The evil could swim up your piss stream and infect you!
Good news, Norm Coleman will be looking for work in November. A disgusting fraud, he snuck into office on a smear campaign, and will leave office as a most forgettable bush lackey.
Remember Prescott Bush and Avril Harriman were both Nazi Supporters and bothe helped found the CIA.
The goal of a White-Christian dominated world is a CIA goal. Not really a debate either.
But just like Coulter, O'Reilly , Chris Matthews, Hannity and others, they are paid propogandists. Just like Bohner, Liberman and others are CIA plants in your government.
You can see they never break step, they are %100 behind every talking point and %100 ahead of the talking points. Never caught off guard and always on the attack. Thats a plant.
This story, this "Letter to the Editor" probably came from some CIA fraud farm in some building where they write the letters for the Iraqi Faux News there too.
It's a 'Psy-Op' and I have been seeing No end of them. They keep coming more and more frequently, and now they are making mistakes.
Then I get to the end and find out it's just a campaign slander... But my warning stands, be aware of these "faux commenaries" made to look genuine.
And Fucking Smack Bohner next time he sheds his crocodile tears.
Why don't we all write Senator Sparkle teeth and tell him what a scumbag looser he is!!
Lindy
Tarro @ 19:
You know. That is a pretty harsh thing to say about someone you have never met. Personal attacks are not the answer
David Hawes @ 37:
You know. That is a pretty harsh thing to say about someone you have never met. Personal attacks are not the answer. There is a lot of causes of being overweight and over eating is just one of them. Don't make ignorant assumptions before you know the person.
miss skeptic @ 101:
If anyone out there even sees this (hell, it's 10:04 pm here in TX) but thanks miss skeptic. I thought it was something specific to Havana.
Yeah Nicole good job endorsing the smarmy TeeVee star over the local candidate of substance - Ciresi. We've come to expect this shooting in the dark from you and C&L.
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