Republican blogger has Al Franken's Senate campaign reeling

[ckramer]

Source: yn

EAGAN, Minn. - Senate candidate Al Franken wants to talk about jobs, health care and global warming. Republican blogger Michael Brodkorb wants to talk about Franken's failure to pay all his income taxes on time.

Guess what everyone is talking about?

From the kitchen table in his tranquil suburban neighborhood, Brodkorb for the last year has used his blog "Minnesota Democrats Exposed" to launch a furious political assault on Franken. He's labeled the former comedian and liberal commentator a "mean-spirited and un-Minnesotan" candidate who's running a "desperate and ridiculous" campaign.

That's routine stuff in the world of political blogging, but in the last two months Brodkorb has scored two direct hits that have the Franken campaign reeling. Brodkorb scooped the traditional media by detailing extensive bookkeeping problems in New York and California that ultimately prompted Franken, this week, to pay about $70,000 in back taxes to 17 states.

The stories have knocked Franken off balance as he prepares to take on Sen. Norm Coleman, in what's expected to be one of the most expensive and toughest-fought U.S. Senate races this year.

Democrats have tried to downplay Brodkorb by portraying him as part of coordinated Republican attacks.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080502/ap_on_el_se/franken_s_foe

[Tempest]

1. Reeling? Hardly

Franken overpaid the state of MN and is receiving a refund from them.

Franken's accountant paid all his taxes to MN, when he really owed the taxes to other states.

This is a non-issue that will go away quickly.

[Ashy Larry]

2. Exactly.

Franken loves MN so much he gave them too much money.

[tsdraegeth]

3. Quiet, you fools!

The TV has spoken, and it says he is reeling! Therefore, he reels!

[wryter2000]

15. Reeling before thee, Oh Mighty Teevee! n/t

n/t

[AlinPA]

19. Media is like a baseball umpire: "Some pitches are balls, and some pitches are strikes-

they ain't nothing until I call them".

[SavageDem]

6. What s/he said.

An accountant error. Big whoop.

The critical thing is to let all Minnesotans know what a slimy, double-talking, amoral fish-oil salesman Norm Coleman is. He'd kill his own mother to keep his seat.

[lojasmo]

22. Actually, he paid all his state taxes to New York

and didn't pay in all the other states he earned in (CA,MN and others)

He'll end up paying about $4K in fines.

[krispos42]

4. So... one of Franken's people screwed up

And Franken PROMPTLY fired him, hired a competent replacement, and fixed the problem.


Now, here's the really important part...

What Republican politician has had a similar track record????

How long did it take for Rumsfeld, Rove, Libby, Ashcroft, Gonzales, Bolton, Brown, etc., to get the axe???

[Tempest]

5. More to the point

Who in your list of Repugs has tried to fix the problem?

[Plucketeer]

7. Full speed ahead, Al!

Just do like Barak and brush off the dirt. Stay focused - we've got them writhing in desperation! :kick:

[Tempest]

8. This Brodkorb guy is a real asshat

http://insideminnesotapolitics.blogspot.com/2007/10/republicans-apparently-worried-about.html

http://www.startribune.com/politics/11758461.html

http://powerliberal.blogspot.com/2006/09/where-blogger-ends-and-paid-consultant.html

http://thecuckingstool.blogspot.com/2008/01/wherein-michael-brodkorb-again-reveals.html

http://dumpmarkolson.blogspot.com/2007/08/michael-brodkorb-exposes-himself.html

[anokaflash]

10. Puffy

Several of us on the Left were interviewed for this piece and not a single word of our concern and frustration for this Thune style blogger made it into the story. Liberal Media bias my ass!!

Job Description
http://centrisity.blogspot.com/2008/04/job-description.html

The re-virgining of Michael Brodkorb
http://thecuckingstool.blogspot.com/2008/04/re-virgining-of-michael-brodkorb.html

BREAKING: Centrisity Forces MDE to Update Disclosure Page
http://centrisity.blogspot.com/2008/03/breaking-centrisity-forces-mde-to.html

His blog began while he was on the payroll of the MN GOP as a paid Oppo Researcher and staffer until he inadvertently remote posted and left his sig line in the post. He scrubbed it within 15 minutes or so, but several peoples RSS FEEDS picked up him name. That is what allowed Blois Olson to file the defamation siut and out him officially.

Mike has NEVER disclosed proactively, every time it was AFTER he got busted or an FEC report found his name. We can only assume now they will be more careful and compensate him through multiple consulting firms allowing him to remain Teflon from the campaigns. Very slimy!

Flash
http://centrisity.com

[Tempest]

17. Thanks for your post

A lot of ammunition there.

[Plucketeer]

11. Another rethug....

....that's good at making something out of nothing. Kinda like the concocted threat from Iraq. Sad thing is, such concotions aren't cheaply funded. That's why Bush's veto pen stayed idle for all those years they had the congress in their clutches - and why we're so disgustingly deep in debt. :grr:

[sakabatou]

9. Go blow it out of your ass, Brodkorb

[kskiska]

12. What's funny is Faux drags out Dick Morris

to talk about Franken's taxes when Morris is a huge tax scofflaw in Connecticut, where he lives.

(snip)

Then there is high-profile individuals like political consultant and Fox News contributor Dick Morris. Morris owes over $280,000 and has been on the state's list of tax delinquents for years.

http://rawstory.com/showoutarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wtnh.com%2FGlobal%2Fstory.asp%3FS%3D6134720

----------

Dick Morris —The former political adviser to Bill Clinton is a Fox News analyst. The IRS filed a $1.5 million tax lien against him in 2003. The state of Connecticut reports Morris owes $452,367 in back taxes and penalties.

Morris says he's reached an agreement with Connecticut and his name will be removed from the next delinquency list. He says he is committed to paying his taxes: "Following a difficult period in my life, I fell into arrears. But since then, I have paid almost $3 million in state and federal taxes."

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/taxes/2008-04-13-Taxcover_N.htm

[xxqqqzme]

14. Well, we all know fux has no research staff.

Otherwise the visual of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates would not have featured a picture of Frederick Douglas! .I can understand not paying attention in US history class, but don't then take a job which requires you to know something about the history of your country.

[katandmoon]

13. Did Al Franken really NOT think the repugs would exploit this?

If he didn't, he's a moron. His taxes, his responsibility to pay them. $70,000 is a whopping amount. I have no sympathy for him. I'd like to smack him upside the head for being such an idiot and jeopardizing his campaign by so carelessly giving the repugs this ammunition to use against him. There's no excuse.

[Tempest]

16. Franken did nothing wrong

Franken hired an accountant, who is licensed by the state, to perform work for him.

Franken should be able to have all confidence the accountant would know how to do his job. The accountant overpaid the state of MN and underpaid the other states. Franken's accountant paid all his outstanding tax debt, it just didn't get to the right states.

To pin this on Franken is asinine and off the mark.

[nilram]

18. Yeah, this was covered in my H&R block tax class ...

The instructor did taxes for a pro basketball player who had to file in 17 different states. If this gets covered in a beginning tax class, I don't get why a genuine accountant isn't aware of it.

[tomhayes]

20. Well bully for you

because you taking a class at H&R exposed what a CROOK and TAX FRAUD AL FRANKEN IS!!!!!

There could *never ever ever ever ever* be an accountant who files taxes in the wrong jursidiction *never ever ever ever ever ever ever!!!!!!!!!!*

I believe Franken paid all his taxes to Minnesota as a BRIBE to Minesota, and he obviously needs to be PROSECTUED, and quickly EXECUTED!!!!!!!!!!!!


WHAT AN IDIOYT, CROOK and Shill HE IS.

Thank GOD for the honest, integrity filled Republican blogger who exposed this CRIME of paying taxes to the wrong state.

[lojasmo]

23. I hope this post was sarcasm.

[lojasmo]

21. Broadkorb didn't scoop that.

Franken's campaign disclosed it themselves.

Broadkorb is a know-nothing tool.