Blogging Blue » Norm Coleman

Taking a look back at my 2009 predictions

Zach W — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:02:05 +0000

I think it’s safe to say I don’t have much of a future as a psychic, based on how poorly I performed in my predictions for 2009:

Scott Walker will announce he’s running for Governor. (I know, this is an easy one, but I need a gimme or two on this list)

Well, I was right on this one, but as I mentioned when I made the prediction, it was a gimme. Scott Walker’s been running for governor since the 2006 campaign ended.

Sometime in 2009, Rep. Paul Ryan will announce he’s going to challenge Sen. Russ Feingold for Feingold’s U.S. Senate seat, which is up for election in 2010.

Sen. Feingold has not one, but two challengers, but neither is Rep. Paul Ryan.

We won’t see lines for food or other basic necessities once Barack Obama takes office, as predicted by one conservative blogger.

The blogger referenced in my prediction had said that if Barack Obama were elected president, we’d see lines for food and basic necessities not unlike lines in the Communist-era Soviet Union due to rationing and severe economic distress. Clearly that isn’t the case, so I was right about this one.

The economy will be in significantly better shape before the end of the summer.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say the economy is in significantly better shape than it was before the summer.

At least one more blogger will win an elected office. (There are at least three that I know of that are running for elections in April 2009)

Janet Evans won a seat on the Franklin School Board, so I was right on the money. (But it sure would have been nice to see all three bloggers who ran for office win their elections)

Soon to be former Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota will be implicated and convicted of public misconduct before Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Neither has been convicted of anything yet, so the jury’s still out on this one.

Brett Favre will finally hang up his cleats rather than play another season for a mediocre Jets team.

Brett Favre is like a bad rash that just won’t go away. Not only did he not hang up his cleats, but he got his release from the Jets so he could join the Minnesota Vikings, ostensibly so he could “stick it to the Packers” for dumping him in favor of Aaron Rodgers.

The Brewers will surprise a lot of people and win 90 games in the 2009 season.

I was ten games short on this one, in large part because I didn’t think the Brewers pitching would be as atrocious as it ended up being. However, I do think the 2010 team will improve on its 80 win performance in 2009.

Fred Thompson’s new radio show will last just about as long as his presidential campaign, and it’ll be about as successful.

Fred Thompson’s still on the air, so clearly he’s been more successful as a radio host than he was as a presidential candidate.

State Rep. Jeff Wood will refuse to resign his seat in the Assembly and will promptly be booted out in a recall effort by his constituents.

Clearly, I was wrong about this one.

Say hello to Senator Franken!

Zach W — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:49:02 +0000

The AP is reporting the Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled 5-0 that Democrat Al Franken be certified as the winner of the state’s long-running Senate race. The high court rejected a legal challenge from Republican Norm Coleman, who conceded the race to Franken earlier this afternoon. Coleman’s concession clears the way for Democrats to hold a 60-seat majority in the Senate, effectively negating the only real leverage Senate Republicans had in the form of the filibuster. Then again, keeping Senate Democrats united might be akin to herding cats, so the filibuster may still be a weapon for Republicans.

As for Coleman’s future outside of politics, he’ll no doubt be busy with the next phase of his life – defending himself from federal corruption charges.

GOP gives Coleman a bailout, threatens “years long” fight

Zach W — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:07:58 +0000

The national Republican Party has given former Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman his own personal bailout, to the tune of $750,000. The money will cover Coleman’s legal bills as he continues to fight to retain the Minnesota Senate seat he lost to Al Franken way back in November 2008. Despite a three-judge panel ruling Franken should be declared the winner, Coleman has continued to sue to win back his seat, and National Republican Senate Committee Chairman John Cornyn has said Coleman’s challenge could go through federal courts and take “years” to resolve.

Frankly, I’m glad to see the national GOP tying themselves to Norm Coleman, because it’ll make for a much more interesting situation if and when Coleman gets charged for misconduct in office.

Feds expanding investigation into Norm Coleman

Zach W — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:58:51 +0000

At the end of last year, I predicted former Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman would be implicated and convicted of public misconduct before Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. At the time, that prediction seemed like a stretch, considering federal authorities had only begun investigating some shady financial dealings involving a close Coleman associate, but given the news the FBI has expanded its inquiry into Norm Coleman’s finances, I may not have been that far off base:

FBI agents in Minnesota have begun asking questions about the relationship between former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman and a close friend and donor, according to a Minnesota source to whom the agents talked.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the “main topic” of the two agents’ questions surrounded an allegation that Bloomington financier Nasser Kazeminy paid for suits and other items Coleman and his wife shopped for at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis.

This expanded investigation and any criminal behavior that might be uncovered as a result of the investigation will only serve to be yet another black eye for the Republican Party, given how closely Norm Coleman and the Republican Party have worked to to prevent Al Franken from being seated as Minnesota’s next United States Senator. If the GOP were smart, the revelation of an expanded FBI investigation would result in the GOP putting some distance between themselves and Norm Coleman, because I’ve got a feeling that Norm Coleman’s going to end up a convicted felon before the year is over. After all, where there’s smoke there’s usually fire.

You Can Call Him…….Senator AL

AL — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:52:59 +0000

Franken

“A Minnesota court ruled Monday night that Democrat Al Franken has defeated Republican Norm Coleman and should be granted the election certificate that will allow him to take his seat in the U.S. Senate.

The Coleman camp immediately vowed to appeal. ”
Big Shock There!!!

Read It All @ The Politico

Minnesota’s next United States Senator…

Zach W — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:06:59 +0000

Earlier today the Minnesota State Canvassing Board certified the results of the recount in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race, with challenger Al Franken emerging with a 225 vote lead over incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman. After the results of the recount were certified, Franken issued a statement:

“I am proud to stand before you as the next senator from Minnesota,” Franken told reporters Monday night. “It’s clear that we have a lot of important work to do … I’m ready to go to Washington and get to work as soon as possible.”

While Franken has been certified as the winner of the U.S. Senate race in Minnesota, the race isn’t over yet, as Sen. Coleman’s campaign and legal team have already indicated they plan on challenging the certification by the canvassing board. Just as the Illinois Senate seat is far from being filled, it appears Minnesota’s second seat in the U.S. Senate won’t be officially filled for weeks – if not longer.

My predictions for 2009

Zach W — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 02:14:51 +0000

Here’s a few predictions I’m going to make for 2009:

Scott Walker will announce he’s running for Governor. (I know, this is an easy one, but I need a gimme or two on this list)
Sometime in 2009, Rep. Paul Ryan will announce he’s going to challenge Sen. Russ Feingold for Feingold’s U.S. Senate seat, which is up for election in 2010.
We won’t see lines for food or other basic necessities once Barack Obama takes office, as predicted by one conservative blogger.
The economy will be in significantly better shape before the end of the summer.
At least one more blogger will win an elected office. (There are at least three that I know of that are running for elections in April 2009)
Soon to be former Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota will be implicated and convicted of public misconduct before Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Brett Favre will finally hang up his cleats rather than play another season for a mediocre Jets team.
The Brewers will surprise a lot of people and win 90 games in the 2009 season.
Fred Thompson’s new radio show will last just about as long as his presidential campaign, and it’ll be about as successful.
State Rep. Jeff Wood will refuse to resign his seat in the Assembly and will promptly be booted out in a recall effort by his constituents.

I’m willing to bet I’ll be wrong on these predictions more than I’m right, but let’s see how 2009 unfolds!

Shivering Sunday tidbits

Zach W — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:27:02 +0000

It’s hard to believe it’s December 21st and the 2008 election is still not over. Al Franken now leads incumbent Norm Coleman by 35-50 votes in the Minnesota U.S. Senate recount, but things aren’t over yet. Officials still have to sort and count approximately 1,600 absentee ballots that were mistakenly rejected before the vote is certified, so it could be a bit longer before any winner is formally announced.
The inauguration of president-elect Barack Obama, which is expected to draw over 2 million people to our nation’s capital, is also expected to have a big price tag. Officials in Washington D.C. have requested an additional $15 million from Congress to help the city cover costs. That would double the $15 million Congress has already allocated to pay for all national events and demonstrations in Washington during 2009, making the Obama an inauguration a truly pricey affair.
Sherry Johnston, the mother of Levi Johnston, was arrested Thursday in Wasilla, Alaska on six felony counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance. You’ll remember Levi Johnston as the young man having a baby with the daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. The undercover investigation that resulted in Sherry Johnston’s arrest “had been going on for a while,” according to Alaska State Police, and it seems a little far-fetched to believe no one in the Johnston family knew anything about what was going on.
Thanks to the latest snowfall we received, this December has been the second snowiest on record in Milwaukee. With three storms expected to dump 7-15 inches of snow on the Milwaukee area during the coming week, the record of 49.5 inches that fell in December 2000 could be in jeopardy.

Thursday tidbits

Zach W — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:55:15 +0000

Democrat Al Franken has pulled to within 2 votes of incumbent Norm Coleman in the U.S. Senate recount in Minnesota. I’ve heard a lot of screaming from some conservatives about how Franken and his people are trying to steal the election, but after what happened in the 2000 presidential election in Florida, I’m all for making sure each and every vote is counted.
The Milwaukee School Board voted 7 to 2 Thursday night to investigate whether board member Charlene Hardin violated the board’s code of ethics in connection with a trip she took to Philadelphia in July. Hardin was among the two board members voting against the investigation, and in a statement, she accused the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel of “a high tech lynching” of her. You’ll remember Dan Bice of the Journal Sentinel first broke the story about Hardin’s attendance – or lack thereof – at a conference in Philadelphia, a trip that was paid for by taxpayers.
I know there’s been somewhat of a furor over president-elect Obama’s decision to have Rick Warren deliver the invocation at Obama’s inaugural ceremony, but I think this is just much ado about nothing. I know Rick Warren has some positions that many liberals don’t agree with – his stance on same-sex marriage being one I can think of off the top of my head – but I see this as a principled decision by a man who’s always held Rick Warren in high regard. President-elect Obama had this to say in defense of his decision:

“And I would note that a couple of years ago, I was invited to Rick Warren’s church to speak, despite his awareness that I held views that were entirely contrary to his when it came to gay and lesbian rights, when it came to issues like abortion. …

“And that dialogue, I think, is part of what my campaign’s been all about: That we’re not going to agree on every single issue, but what we have to do is to be able to create an atmosphere … where we can disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans.”

President-elect Obama had to know his choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation at the inauguration would raise eyebrows and elicit criticism from many on the left, and the fact that he chose Warren knowing the likely repercussions speaks volumes about president-elect Obama’s willingness to stand on principle rather than doing what’s most politically opportune.

FBI investigating Coleman benefactor

Zach W — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 01:42:54 +0000

The Pioneer Press is reporting the FBI has started investigating allegations that a longtime friend and benefactor of U.S. Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota tried to steer money to Sen. Norm Coleman:

Houston is where the first of two lawsuits was filed alleging Nasser Kazeminy, a Bloomington financier, tried to steer $100,000 to Coleman via his wife’s Minneapolis employer. The second suit, filed in Delaware, alleges Kazeminy initially tried to get money directly to the senator.

Both Coleman and Kazeminy have denied any wrongdoing, and Coleman last month said he welcomes an investigation.

Strangely, Sen. Coleman’s comment that he welcomes an investigation sounds strangely familiar, as if I’ve heard it before…

Yeah, it’s always a good idea to tempt fate; ask Gov. Blagojevich about that.

I hope for Sen. Coleman’s sake he’s as clean as a whistle, but I’m willing to bet Nasser Kazeminy didn’t act alone in trying to steer significant amounts of money to Sen. Coleman, and I’ll be interested to see just how much Sen. Coleman knew about Kazeminy’s efforts on his behalf.

And for what it’s worth, I’m still waiting for Fred Dooley from Real Debate to post about the Norm Coleman investigation, because it’s a situation that certainly merits “real debate.”