Dear Al Franken,
You wouldn't remember this Al, because you out gallivanting with fancy celebrities in New York, but the City of Saint Paul, not that long ago, was in dire straits. Businesses were closing up shop, crime was up, vandalism was rampant, and there was a generally accepted notion that Saint Paul was not long from the same fate as Gary, IN: a once proud city that had become trapped in a vortex of accelerated decrepitude.
It was bad. I know because I saw it.
Saint Paul was not unlike a boxer bleeding on the mat in a championship fight with a referee leaning over it counting to ten; beat up, down & out, not much time left. Lots of folks had given up on her.
But a determined young man, a local boy with house on Osceola, came along and said the Proud Lady--the City of Saint Paul had better days ahead.
He was persuasive enough to get elected Mayor.
That young man was Norm Coleman.
While others had given up on Saint Paul, Norm went to work. He revitalized a city many thought was dead. He brought back the lights, he brought back the businesses and he brought back hockey.
Now you, Al, might think that bringing back hockey to Minnesota is something to denigrate, something to laugh at. But to Saint Paul and to the Great State of Minnesota bringing back hockey was a monumental accomplishment. Hockey fills the Excel Arena with 15-16,000 cheering fans 41 nights a year. It packs the restaurants, cafes, pubs and parking lots and brings economic vitality to a downtown that was on life-support prior to the Norm Coleman Administration. The positive economic impact of hockey in Saint Paul is enormous.
It also helped put Saint Paul back on the map as a leading national city--any city that can attract a major sports franchise is doing something right. The competition for pro sports is serious business.
And bringing back Minnesota's state sport contributed to a general rise in optimism among the people. I know because I was thrilled that hockey came back and so was just about everybody I knew.
Why you think that is funny and something to dismiss is beyond me, and certainly beyond the vast majority of Minnesotans. But we are learning, thankfully so, that how you think and how you approach issues is contrary to how Minnesotans think, and how Minnesotans view important issues like economic development.
So Al, it ain't just hockey. It's Minnesota/Saint Paul Pride! It's economic development! It's jobs in the Capital City!
You might think that things like that don't matter, but Minnesota does.
Thank goodness they mattered to Norm.
Thanks goodness he did something about it.
_________________
Mike Campbell
mikecampbellwork@yahoo.com
Friday, August 1, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Franken Wants To Raise the Gas Tax
Take a quick look at:
Quite frankly, Mr. Franken, it's a bad idea to raise the gas tax when hard working Minnesotans are paying record prices for gas as it is. Bad judgment is no qualification for a United States Senator. But really, what does one expect from a Hollywood liberal with no policy experience or clear understanding of the impact on people working hard to pay the bills.
___________
Mike Campbell
July 27, 2008
mikecampbellwork@yahoo.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGDBuo2IrGY
Quite frankly, Mr. Franken, it's a bad idea to raise the gas tax when hard working Minnesotans are paying record prices for gas as it is. Bad judgment is no qualification for a United States Senator. But really, what does one expect from a Hollywood liberal with no policy experience or clear understanding of the impact on people working hard to pay the bills.
___________
Mike Campbell
July 27, 2008
mikecampbellwork@yahoo.com
Coleman 15 Points Up On Franken
In Minnesota, Sen. Norm Coleman has built a 53 percent to 38 percent edge over entertainer Al Franken; thanks in no small part to a series of gaffes by the former "Saturday Night Live" star.
Dead Heat:
In Colorado, former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R) has pulled into a dead heat with Rep. Mark Udall (D), an affirmation of Republicans' insistence that the contest will be among the closest in the country.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/07/24/ST2008072401398.html?hpid=topnews
____________
Mike Campbell
July 27, 2008
mikecampbellwork@yahoo.com
Thursday, July 24, 2008
See Norm's New TV AD
Norm has a new TV ad out. It delivers an important message, but very funny. Take a look.
http://www.youtube.com/ColemanForSenate
Also, there is a solid article on "Frankly Franken" (http://www.franklyfranken.com) that details Al Franken's drop in polls. Good information.
More to come...
Mike Campbell
mikecampbellwork@yahoo.com
http://www.youtube.com/ColemanForSenate
Also, there is a solid article on "Frankly Franken" (http://www.franklyfranken.com) that details Al Franken's drop in polls. Good information.
More to come...
Mike Campbell
mikecampbellwork@yahoo.com
Monday, July 21, 2008
Al Franken’s use of offensive “N” word humor shows the comedian is willing to offend African Americans for laughs and profit
Some things just aren't funny.
Al Franken has rarely let good taste dictate his comedy act over the years. And, even though he has tried his best to avoid taking responsibility for a lot of things, he’s starting to learn that his record is going to haunt him for a long time to come.
The fact is, some things just aren't funny.
Things like little kids getting sick. Things like rape. Things like jokes about race.
Things like using the "N" word. Those things are never funny.
Unless you're Al Franken, and you think you can get away with it because it’s “satire."
Franken’s willingness to use racial stereotypes in his writings and books, and his comedy, are becoming increasingly exposed as the campaign moves forward.
In 2000, on CNN, he attempted to make a point about what types of words could no longer be used in comedy by using the “N” word repeatedly, and then laughing!
Not funny.
I am sure Al Franken will do his best to say, “Hey, that was satire, I was merely attempting to make a point.”
Oh, really, Al?
How about we fast forward to the year 2004, when in your book "Liars and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them" you wrote this following passage on Page 157 (of the paperback):
“Florida. November. A forty-three-year-old woman named Katherine Harris paced back and forth on a colorless carpet in an office that smelled of sweaty seersucker and day-old perfume. Nearby, a trim, goateed man was fanning himself lazily with a Panama hat while laying on the couch. ‘I swear, Katherine, I’m sweating like a nigger on Election Day. Can’t we crank up the AC in here?’”
Gee, Al, was that satire, or were you merely attempting to make a buck?
Look, I’m going to be upfront about this. I am the husband of a woman of Asian descent. I also happen to be the father of three of girls.
So, when Al Franken mocks my wife’s culture in order to sell his books by playing off of negative cultural stereotypes, I generally think he’s a creep.
When he makes jokes about drugging and raping women, or goes on his “public policy” radio show on “Air America” and imitates a guy bragging about having sex with a vomiting woman, I personally think he’s a freak.
But, when he decides to try to hide behind satire to defend his use of one of the most offensive words in the United States, then he is just simply an intolerant and abusive man who makes money off of degrading other people, cultures and gender.
Franken and his defenders are going to wring their hands and say, “Enough, it’s time to talk about the real issues!”
And, they are absolutely right. But Al Franken doesn’t possess the seriousness, respectability or the character to even be at the table with adults to be a part of this important debate about our nation’s future.
When all is said and done, Al Franken has nobody to blame for his freefall in the polls than Al Franken. The good people of Minnesota who are disgusted and put off by a man who not only offends people of different races for cold hard cash, but who attempts to laugh it off as satire.
___________
Mike Campbell
mikecampbellwork@yahoo.com
July 21, 2008
Al Franken has rarely let good taste dictate his comedy act over the years. And, even though he has tried his best to avoid taking responsibility for a lot of things, he’s starting to learn that his record is going to haunt him for a long time to come.
The fact is, some things just aren't funny.
Things like little kids getting sick. Things like rape. Things like jokes about race.
Things like using the "N" word. Those things are never funny.
Unless you're Al Franken, and you think you can get away with it because it’s “satire."
Franken’s willingness to use racial stereotypes in his writings and books, and his comedy, are becoming increasingly exposed as the campaign moves forward.
In 2000, on CNN, he attempted to make a point about what types of words could no longer be used in comedy by using the “N” word repeatedly, and then laughing!
Not funny.
I am sure Al Franken will do his best to say, “Hey, that was satire, I was merely attempting to make a point.”
Oh, really, Al?
How about we fast forward to the year 2004, when in your book "Liars and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them" you wrote this following passage on Page 157 (of the paperback):
“Florida. November. A forty-three-year-old woman named Katherine Harris paced back and forth on a colorless carpet in an office that smelled of sweaty seersucker and day-old perfume. Nearby, a trim, goateed man was fanning himself lazily with a Panama hat while laying on the couch. ‘I swear, Katherine, I’m sweating like a nigger on Election Day. Can’t we crank up the AC in here?’”
Gee, Al, was that satire, or were you merely attempting to make a buck?
Look, I’m going to be upfront about this. I am the husband of a woman of Asian descent. I also happen to be the father of three of girls.
So, when Al Franken mocks my wife’s culture in order to sell his books by playing off of negative cultural stereotypes, I generally think he’s a creep.
When he makes jokes about drugging and raping women, or goes on his “public policy” radio show on “Air America” and imitates a guy bragging about having sex with a vomiting woman, I personally think he’s a freak.
But, when he decides to try to hide behind satire to defend his use of one of the most offensive words in the United States, then he is just simply an intolerant and abusive man who makes money off of degrading other people, cultures and gender.
Franken and his defenders are going to wring their hands and say, “Enough, it’s time to talk about the real issues!”
And, they are absolutely right. But Al Franken doesn’t possess the seriousness, respectability or the character to even be at the table with adults to be a part of this important debate about our nation’s future.
When all is said and done, Al Franken has nobody to blame for his freefall in the polls than Al Franken. The good people of Minnesota who are disgusted and put off by a man who not only offends people of different races for cold hard cash, but who attempts to laugh it off as satire.
___________
Mike Campbell
mikecampbellwork@yahoo.com
July 21, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Welcome to Facts Are Stubborn Things
Hello and welcome to "Facts Are Stubborn Things." Our blog is dedicated to siphoning out spin to get to the core of an issue; what really matters. Since this is the heat of the 2008 election cycle we intend to focus on, not surprisingly, politics with special attention on the Minnesota U.S. Senate Race between all-around good guy Senator Norm Coleman and that not so funny comedian Al Franken.
I think you get the drift.
Stay tuned and speaking on behalf of all of us at "FAST" we look forward to an engaging dialogue!
I think you get the drift.
Stay tuned and speaking on behalf of all of us at "FAST" we look forward to an engaging dialogue!
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