How did Norm Coleman win last year's senate race?

[fujiyama]

I was just sitting around wondering why it is Coleman won that senate race... Was it because Mondale didn't run a good campaign? I thought he was well liked and respected in Minnessotta. Also were many turned off by the memorial service, which they may have felt were too partisan?

Also do many people think this will have a big impact on next year's presidential campaign?

I know that Minn. was very close in '00 and that state, as were Wisconsin, and Iowa and those three (as well as all others Gore won) will have to be kept blue next year to beat Bush*.

Also, are these any indications of any trends in Minnessotta? I understand they have a republican governor, and I may be wrong here, but isn't their legislature as well dominated by them?

This is a region that is very important for the dems, being that the south will still be extremely difficult to crack next year...

What are your thoughts on this and the trend of politics in the Midwest/ Great Lakes region?

[MrsMatt]

1. Coleman capitalized on the spin

generated by the right that the Wellstone memorial service turned into a political rally following Rick Kahn's eulogy. Coleman had suspended campaigning following the the plane crash (he learned from Ashcroft's mistakes directly after the Carnahan crash), but the fall-out from the memorial and it's perceived message gave him leave to attack Mondale. Mondale indeed is highly respected and was the only logical choice for the ballot to fill in for Paul Wellstone.

It's interesting to note that Coleman failed to carry the city of Saint Paul for the 2002 election - the city he had been mayor of previously.

on edit: I have to confess that Minnesota, which witnessed the birth of unions, is becoming increasingly conservative and corporate. There are still pockets of the true democratic ideals, but they are becoming more rare.

[dflprincess]

5. True, that weasel Coleman did not official campaigning

but he managed to get his face platered all over the media, looking properly morose. He even managed an interview with one of the morning news shows while he stood in front of a small plane.

edited because I neglected to precede Coleman's name with the words "that weasel"

[MrsMatt]

7. that's right

what a smarmy faker.

[Love Bug]

79. I remember that interview!

In front of a small plane! No one will ever convince me that wasn't intentional---what an asshole!

[GAspnes]

86. it's all one word to me

Norm"TheWeasel"Coleman. I never refer to him any other way.

[mzmolly]

87. Exactly right...

And, the Minnesota DFL 'apologized' for the matter instead of saying that this was a memorial and we had a right to mourn however we saw fit.

I don't blame anyone, but it sure was tough to lose Paul Wellstone (and family) and then lose the senate seat to Coleman as well.

[Skittles]

2. THE GOP SMEARED THE WELLSTONE MEMORIAL

read all the sordid details in Al Franken's book, LIES AND THE LYING LIARS WHO TELL THEM. Nothing is beneath the thieving GOP bastards - it's all "just business" to them.

[Lizz612]

8. I was there and Franken is right

He's got it down. The only thing I learned when I read that chapter was how much the nation was watching us. I didn't have cable at home, and didn't realize that the nation was watching Minnesota at all.

Norm campaigned that he wasn't campaigning. And I don't know what happened to Mondale, I'm not good at analyzing our guys. But Norm the Weasel, he was milking it. Pissed me off...

[MrsMatt]

16. I was home, watching the memorial

and I knew when Rick Kahn began calling to Republican leaders (by name) that Mondale's campaign would suffer. I was feeling rather emotional during the service, but when I heard "win this election for Paul Wellstone", my first thought was "oh s***, that was a mistake". I just knew it would be an opportunity for the opposition to twist to their advantage.

[MoonRiver]

22. I had the exact same feeling during the memorial. I knew what they said

was right on, but, it went too far. Remember how crapola Lott staged an 'emergency' landing during his flight to MN for the memorial? He 'was forced to land because of engine problems'. These people were operating in high gear to finish off the Democratic Party, I mean the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party, in MN, come hell or high water. We have a hard right fascist stronghold on our country. It is terribly frightening.

[WENSTJDON]

27. I thought the same thing when Rick Kahn

said "win this election for Paul Wellstone, and I was thinking
If Reagan dies right before the '04 election, what would happen
if the republics tell the 'nation' to "win this election for
the gipper" or some such drivel? Who would dare say anything!!!
The republics are such hypocrites, and I can't stand it.

[no name no slogan]

83. I saw it too, but didn't think that

Maybe it's because I first got involved in DFL politics because of Wellstone, but I didn't see the Khan speech that way.

What I saw was a very distraught, emotionally drained man giving a eulogy about his best friend in the world, who was also the best friend many of us had in our government.

Yes, I thought it was a little cheesy for him to "call out" the republicans like he did, and expected he might get a little ribbing from Jim Ramstad and the like-- nothing major, just words spoken out of heartbreak and sadness.

However, I DID NOT expect to see Jesse the Jackass Ventura spouting off in the media about how he walked out because of how "political" the memorial was. Nor did I expect such unredeamable human dungheaps like Limbaugh and O'Reilly and Faux to exploit this poor man's grief for such naked political gain. They replayed that damn ten-second clip so many times that people assumed that that was all that went on during the 4+ hours of the memorial.

Also, I'm sorry, but Mondale is no Wellstone. Mondale has a long history of standing with the moneyed and powerful wing of the DFL. These fine folk are the ones who originally dismissed Paul's 1990 campaign in favor of Tom Berg, a nondescript suburban lawyer, who was seen as more "electable" than Paul. Of course, after Paul won, they were more than happy to jump on the bandwagon and claim Paul as "theirs".

Mondale does not "inspire" people. The last time he'd campaigned for anything was eighteen years previously-- enough for a whole generation of Minnesotans to say "Fritz Who?" when his name was mentioned.

That and Norman the Weasel Coleman was hand-picked by Dick Cheney and the BFEE as their candidate to run in the race....

[Nobody]

84. Spin spin spin, rev up the cyclotron

It doesn't matter who would have said what. The Republicans would find something to gnash their teeth about and spin to death.
And the press would once again give the extremely negative Coleman campaign a pass. But Coleman now couldn't bash Wellstone, instead he'd bash Wellstone's supporters.

He needed a target and anything would do.

The sad thing is, there wasn't enough of a DFL "How DARE you..." response.

[dflprincess]

3. Mondale had less than a week to run a campaign

Wellstone died on Oct 25th. His funeral was the following Monday and the memorial was Tuesday. Mondale was endorsed the following Wednesday, Oct 30 by the DFL Central Committee. While it was given he would be candidate he did not do any campaigning prior to Wednesday.

Read Al Franken's chapter on the memorial to see how the Republicans used it.

Absentee ballots filed for Wellstone could not be counted; absentee ballots filed for Coleman were. This was per an opinion issued by the Minnesota Secretary of State's office. An opinion that some people who know more than I do think was probably written by the White House. Karl Rove was on the phone with our Secretary of State's office by 1 pm the day Wellstone died telling her how to interpret state law (I had this from someone in a position to know, but I don't believe s/he meant it for publication.) There were some strange goings on with absentee ballots - specifically the Republicans (an not identifying themselves as such but one person I know *69'd the call she got and it was answered by Republican headquarters) calling people during the day and telling them they could still file absentee (true) and if the wanted to vote for Mondale they should cross out Wellstone's name and write Mondale's in its place (false, this would invalidate the ballot, Mondale's name should have been written in the space for write ins. There were also tales of polling places running out of ballots and some trying to close early. These were never verified and a desire by both DFL and Republican officials not wanting "another Florida" pretty much squelched any more invesitgation into this.

Pawlenty won in a three way race with about 44% of the vote.

The state House of Representatives is controlled by Republican, the DFL has a narrow majority in the Senate.

I honestly don't know what it means. As people figure out what the budget cuts and "no new taxes" are doing to the state, they may wake up.

[fujiyama]

35. Ah some of that comes back to me now...

I now remember reading some of what you have mentioned, especially the part about absentee ballots. I find it strange though, that Coleman should be allowed to keep his seat for an entire six year term, while Carnahan's widow had that special election two years after...Now I'm assuming that Coleman doesn't face a special election next year right?

Either way, Wellstone's presence in the senate is sorely missed, and I remember I was quite upset over his death.

I'm definetely not a conspiracy theorist, but considering if Wellstone had died a day later, his name would have remained on the ballot, it does seem very fishy...That and given the way this administration acts (the Valerie Plame leak confirms my belief that this admin. will do anything to keep power), really is very scary. Just goes to show how important next year's election (I hope it will resemble that at least) really is.

[dflprincess]

65. Coleman gets the seat for 6 years

because he won in the regularly scheduled election. Carnahan only had the seat for two years because her husband technically won the election and she was appointed to fill the vacancy. This happened in Minnesota when Hubert Humphrey died during his term and his wife was appointed to fill his seat until the next scheduled statewide election - even though his seat would not have been up then. I think the current Missouri senator will only have 4 years before his seat comes up again because the senate is set up so about 1/3 of it comes up for election every 2 years.

[indigo32]

4. It also should be noted that Mondale had very little time

to actually campaign. He's a different man than Paul Wellstone was... and had been out of the spotlight for some time. I know there are some here who believe the state can be turned this time around... and yes we do have a Repuke Governor. But I think people are slowly experiencing buyers remorse.... and especially if we choose a candidate who doesn't appear to be too much of an insider (I know, I know it's all in the eye of the beholder).... we will win here... as we have for decades.

[Junkdrawer]

6. Did you know that Wellstone died on the exact day that gave...

Mondale the least amount of time to run. One day later and Wellstone could have stayed on the ballot. Funny how that happened....

[Jackpine Radical]

10. Yeah--that was anothewr thing the Repugs learned

from the Ashcroft/Carnahan fiasco.

[dflprincess]

13. That and

the wife was on the plane this time too.

[MoonRiver]

12. Yeah, funny....

I would put on this :tinfoilhat: but I don't believe I need to. Wellstone's death was 'arranged', just like Carnahan's. :scared:

[Lizz612]

14. I tip my tin hat to you!

I did not know that.
:tinfoilhat:

[Tigerlily]

46. Now, now, Junkdrawer

That is just a coincidence and you know it!

[BlueJazz]

9. Norm Coleman partially influenced my leaving........

Minnesota. I was born in Australia, came to Florida when 7 (with parents) ....
...moved to Minnesota after college and loved the state.

The past few years though, I saw the state slowly starting to lean more right and was rather worried that it would wind up being another
Dumb-Ass Republican stronghold.

When the people of Minnesota elected this Piece-of-shit-phony-lying-goofball Coleman, I started packing for Florida.

I said to my friends: "If I have to live in a Republican State I can at least be warm doing it! "

[0007]

48. Norm Coleman was cheerleading -

for junior on the Senate floor a few days ago. Coleman ranted on for twenty some minutes, saying how great bush is and how well the country is doing. After the junior was finished with his speech, Harry Reid from Nevada slapped Coleman down fairly hard, for his unnecessary cheer leading

[BlueJazz]

76. Geez...it figures! .....I was SO disappointed in the fine folks...

...in Minnesota when they elected this sleeze-shit-ass. I
thought they had more sense than that.

[kwolf68]

11. Wellstones Death

Tested my faith in this being a just world. To this day I have very little hope.

While hate mongers and bigots like Strom and Helms live longer than the freaking Dinosaurs, Senator Wellstone was taken from his nation he loved, his work that gave him passion, and those of us who took inspiration from his dedication and just maybe...JUST MAYBE there is one of 100 up there who actually give a shit about something other than themselves.

Wellstone is gone...And now the epitome of a political whore sits in his seat, long before Wellstone's work was done and long before his vision had a chance to find its way BACK Into the hearts and minds of Americans.

If God did orchestrate this, then send me to f***** hell.

[Carolina]

17. my faith has been completely undermined

too. The good do indeed die young. There seems to be no justice on earth and worse, no divine justice (retribution) either. Geraldine Ferraro battles multiple myeloma, while the real evil *itch Barbara Bush babbles on. Bigots, warmongers, corporate thieves and selfish bastards in general survive and thrive like f***ing cockroaches. I hear your pain, kwolf68, and I feel it as well.

[kwolf68]

18. Senator Wellstone

Was without a doubt my favorite politician (and I can't really even say he was a politician, he was so much more).

There are absolutely no Senators in his league. There are those I like (such as Durbin, Schumer, Kerry, Fiengold, Edwards, Boxer and few others), but Paul was special.

I guess I know what it felt like when they killed Bobby Kennedy in 1968. Before that it was JFK, Lincoln gets a bullet, King, hell...even Bob Marley for crying out loud.

It seems those who try to do what is right in this world get killed or something bad happens. Meanwhile, I expect Dick Cheyney to live to be 203.

[burythehatchet]

78. Wellstone's death ... one year later....

has restored my faith. The fact that there are so many of us talking about this tragedy a year after it occurred is testament to the lasting and deep impact he had on us as a community.

[kwolf68]

81. Nice perspective

And we shall continue to keep talking about it...Senator Wellstone will never die as long as people keep fighting for what he fought for. Wellstone was one of a kind...I miss flipping over to CSPAN and knowing I'll never see him again...

[demrebel]

21. Wellstone's lie hurt many of us

You should not lie. He said he would not run again and should have been a man of his word. He could have been the Dean this time.

[MoonRiver]

29. Are you implying that Wellstone deserved to die because he changed

his mind? And exactly HOW did he hurt YOU? Guess you didn't plan to vote for him, he, he, if you were so "hurt".

Then, please tell me what you think about * lying about his reasons for attacking Iraq, which resulted in the death of thousands. Personally, I think that ethically speaking that's a lot worse than the issue of term limits!!!!!!!

IMO, YOU, dem'rebel' are highly suspect.

[demrebel]

32. Paul was special, that is why him lying hurt

I thought you could count on his word. Look if he had kept his word he would be here and maybe be the dean of the party this time and I would say he would be at the top of the polls.

We need bright young and honest people leading us. Paul was one until that lie. We need to understand what lying does. If he kept his word, he would not have been on that plane. A fact.

[MoonRiver]

37. You just said:

"If he kept his word, he would not have been on that plane. A fact."

What the hell does that mean?

[ShavedBeard]

51. It means

It means that if he kept his promise to only serve two terms, he would not have been on that plane, and thus alive today continuing the fight.

[Nobody]

85. He would still have been on that plane

He was on his way to the funeral of a family friend.

[NoMoreRedInk]

90. I think demrebel is right about Wellstone's "lie". While...

I have no problem with him changing his mind to run for a third term, I doubt he would have been on that plane had he not been campaigning.

I'd be interested in seeing who paid for the charter. Most college professors I know don't personally charter flights for what would be a 3 1/2 hour drive. However, politicians who are in the final days of a Senate campaign, have no choice due to the time constraints.

[Ficus]

58. Dean this time?

He ran in 2000, and pulled out for health reasons. Unfortunatley, he couldn't have been dean this time.

:dem: :dem:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

15. By the RW media spitting on the grave of Wellstone

after he wasn't killed by the BFEE :evilgrin:

[indigo32]

19. I heard a playback of a reading Al Franken did in town for his book

he didn't do much readin from his book though LOL...
He cries, literally, to this day thinking about the loss and what the media did to that memorial.

[demrebel]

20. Mondale's ideas seemed old

We need to stop picking these past has beens. It is like baseball keeps hiring the same failed managers. Cubs finally got it right and went out and got a winner and won there division.

We need to pick winners. It is why I am leaning towards Dean. Let us give the people a real choice between the repubs and dems.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

23. Uh..he didn't do too badly for a ONE WEEK LONG campaign

[demrebel]

24. He did not win - that is the bottom line

Again, we pick has beens and the party is full of smart people that understand the now, not the past.

[Name removed]

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[demrebel]

28. we need to pick winners not has been's

Wellstone was super but he lied and said he would not run again and did. If he had not done that he would be alive and maybe the dean of this campaign. That would be great.

We need to stand up to bring the old people in with old ideas like Mondale, gore, Hillary and get new blood.

Pick men and women that are not lawyers in their 40's that are sharp and this party will win.

[Name removed]

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[demrebel]

34. Hillary, mondale and Gore are in late 50's and up

I want people like JFK in their 40's.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

45. WTF...George Bush is 56 and he won

Frankly, your arguments are a bit sketchy here and the fact remains that Mondale did quite well for a ONE WEEK campaign. As far as your accusation that Wellstone lied...he didn't...he changed his mind..something EVERY HUMAN has the right to do...and you know what else??? He WOULD HAVE WON but for his life being cut short a week prior to the home stretch.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

38. I told a co-worker what I'm going to tell you right now RE:

"If he had not done that he would be alive..."
BULL
That statement is total, complete bull.
Wellstone was going to a friend's funeral in Duluth, and would have been flying there in that weather anyway.

Another thing: I don't care if he lied. Neither did a majority of Minnesotans. Wellstone was leading, albeit narrowly, the polls by that day, and had been the entire campaign. I live in Minnesota. I voted for Wellstone. Twice. I would vote for him as many times as he ran, no matter what kind of promise he made about term limits. Considering the promises that Coleman has made, (and reneged on,) Wellstone's promise about serving only two terms is minor
The country needed Paul Wellstone at that time. It still does, becuase there is an emptiness in the Senate, that no Democratic senator seems willing to fill.

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

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[Hong Kong Cavalier]

55. No, Bull

No, I believe he would have been in the cities, campaigning for whomever would have run if he chose not to...
Lemme track down the article I read that from, and I'll get back to you.

[Classical_Liberal]

70. Welstone would have won if he had lived

I don't think he lied. I think he changed his mind, because he and finegold were the last true progressives in the Senate. I don't think he realized that was going to happen. Mondale lost the race on his own. Nothing to do with Wellstone.

[indigo32]

33. It's not like they had a bunch of time to pick someone

Mondale was known and available... it was a unique situation.

[Yupster]

43. Mondale probably the best choice available

There sure wasn't time to build anyone's name ID.

[preciousdove]

44. Mondale would have come in with 16 years seniority...

Minnesota has become brain damaged.

[dflprincess]

66. Thank you Yupster,

That is exactly right. There was no one else we could pick for a week long campaign who had the name recognition and history with Minnesota. From all accounts Mondale has been content in retirement and he should be thanked again and again for being willing to step up and take this on. Mondale did not come forward himself, Wellstone's sons and the party went to him.

[MoonRiver]

25. The oh so timely, for Repukes, 'accidental' death of Wellstone made debate

about who would be his successor impossible. With no time to spare the Democratic Party picked its only truly viable candidate. The Pukes knew enough to kill Wellstone's wife along with him, so Dems wouldn't have an instant candidate, whose name was associated with the beloved deceased. Pukes don't make the same mistake twice (i.e. Carnahan's plane 'accident', which also occurred right before a senatorial election, but resulted in the nomination and election of his wife). No way, Jose, the BFEE got it just right this time. And then cometh Bush*s Trifecta. :mad:

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Catherine Vincent]

39. Yes, he is. Can smell them a mile away.

[MoonRiver]

40. Yep.

:argh:

[thebigidea]

47. we need fresh blood

get hip young go-getters like Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld, really shake things up.

We need to pick winners.

[MaidinVermont]

41. He cheated

Unlike dems he lied and fooled the people.

[ShavedBeard]

57. Ha!

Ya, dems never lie and fool people.

[pstokely]

42. could he have won against a dead guy?

Ashcroft couldn't

[KayLaw]

49. So, is he popular?

Do you all believe most voters are happy with the choice they made?

[suegeo]

50. Don't forget Vin!

Don't forget the creepy ex-congressthing from Minnesota, Vin Weber. Weber signed one of the "Now let us crush everything" PNAC statements.

He also took a lead role in generating the disgusting, disgusting spin on the memorial service.

In addition to being in charge of Chimpolini's election campaign in the upper midwest for the next, so-called election (auction?), Weber also leads some CIA-front group called NED (National Endowment for democracy?) From what I recall, NED was heavily involved in Reagan/Bush/North slaughters in central america in the dirty 80s.

More recently, NED and Weber were rumored to be behind the attempted (botched) US-led coup in Venezuela.

If you look at the City Pages (www.citypages.com), and search on "Viva Vin Weber", you can find the article that explains a little bit about this filthy man who darkens every room he enters.

Thank you. I now need a shower.

[ShavedBeard]

52. Even Wellstone's son

now admits that it was a partisan rally, and not a memorial.

[tom_paine]

60. Got a link, Mr. Fair and Balanced?

Busted...

I know you'll LOVE my sig line, Hans.

[ShavedBeard]

61. Busted my ass

I saw it with my own eyes. He was on TV talking about it, and also stated his strong dislike for Terry McCaulife (sp?) in the same interview.

[tom_paine]

63. Proof? Link?

I wouldn't believe Rush Limbaugh if he said he saw something with his own eyes.

And I'll believe you, Mr. Fair and Balanced?

I think not.

[tom_paine]

53. Lies, lying liars, the lies they told unchalleneged, and vote fraud

Of course, the Minnesota Democrats apologized to the Busheviks.

We always apologize to Nazis, even the German Social Democrats of 1933.

You can't win a fight by apologizing every time your opponent shakes a fist at you!

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

59. No kidding.

And of course, Wellstone' son "admits" that it was a partisan rally, not a memorial. Even he believes the spin.
Hell, I almost believed it myself, until I read that chapter in Franken's book.
Then I got mad, and I will keep getting mad at those who perpetuate this LIE that "This was NOT a memorial to Paul Wellstone"

[ShavedBeard]

62. Franken?

So you believe Franken over Wellstone's son on the matter of Wellstone's memorial service? Talk about ignoring the obvious the see only what you believe.

[tom_paine]

64. All talk, no proof.

Yawn.

[dflprincess]

67. I was at the memorial and Franken's take on it is the same as

mine.

[GAspnes]

89. Ditto

I was there. It was a touching, painful memorial service. Not a rally.

[Bridget Burke]

69. He believes Franken over YOU.

You're the one who claims to have seen this on TV.

[Ficus]

56. Fritz

looked WAY too old. I think that's what really surprised everyone. Many people hadn't even seen this guy sine 1984, and he just didn't look so good.

I still think that Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, and many of the other midwestern states that go blue will continue to do so.

:dem: :dem:

[Classical_Liberal]

68. Wellstone died. Mondale looked old

and didn't have much time to build a campaign.

[Yavin4]

71. Right After Wellstone's Death, Bartcop Ran A Photo

of a woman crying while holding a picture of Paul Wellstone. That image is the main reason why I'm politically active today. I'm fighting for that woman.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

72. wasn'tt there something about all the absentee ballots being tossed

not counted ....or wouldn't allow mondale to add wellstones absentee votes to his total but coleman could add absentee ballots to his total?

[dflprincess]

75. The ruling was

that absentee vote for Wellstone would not be counted, absentees for Coleman were. The rational for this was it couldn't be assumed that a vote for Wellstone would have translated to a vote for Mondale. No one ever explained why it should be assumed that a vote for Coleman instead of Wellstone would translate into a vote for Coleman instead of Mondale.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

80. Yes, personal experience with that

My mother and stepfather were scheduled to come visit me in Portland on October 26, and they made the trip despite being upset about Wellstone. They had sent their absentee ballots, marked for Wellstone, to the county office before leaving.

We watched the memorial on TV at my apartment. I found it inspiring, especially at the end when Tom Harkin got 10,000 people to stand up and declare that they were proud DFL liberals. (I think it's THAT moment that really prompted the the Repiggies to start spinning, because according to their Official Story, Paul Wellstone was the last liberal. Poor Rick Kahn was blamed, when it was obvious to me that he--like Mark Wellstone-- started shouting so as not to break down sobbing.)

Anyway, when we heard that the absentee ballots for Wellstone were not going to be counted, we called my brother (the Democratic one) to get the full story. This was the Saturday before the election. He found out that my elders would have to call the Hennepin County elections office in person, reserve two new absentee ballots, and THEN send someone to the office in person with a prepaid FedEx envelope by 5PM Central. In addition, the deadline for FedEx on Saturday is 5PM.

Once the ballot arrived in Portland, my elders would have to fill it out immediately and FedEx it right back to arrive by 8PM Tuesday.

By the time we learned this, it was already 2PM Pacific, i.e. 4PM Central. There was no way my brother could get a prepaid FedEx, go to downtown Minneapolis from 30 minutes away, possibly stand in line at the office, and then make it to FedEx to send the ballots.

My elders were extremely frustrated by this. My stepfather was particularly unhappy, because he was proud of having voted in every election since 1944.

I wonder how many other absentees were similarly frustrated or were out of the country or in the wilderness and didn't even know that their ballots wouldn't be counted.

My Dem brother brought up another factor in Mondale's loss. He said that since Mondale had been out of politics for 17 years, most people under 30 had only childhood memories of him. He thought that younger voters who had been attracted specifically to Wellstone decided that it wasn't worth voting if Wellstone wasn't in the race.

But Mondale did the best he could, and I was impressed that he sent a thank you note to all contributors--including me, who sent him a mere $20.

[goobergunch]

73. One thing I worry about for the future is the "Ventura Belt"

This is the suburban Twin Cities area that voted heavily for Ventura in 1998 and for the Repukes in 2002.

Other posters with far more knowledge about it than I do have adressed the other questions.

[Deja Q]

74. Americans are forgetful, forgiving, and fickle!

As Americans will NOT remember all of what Bush has done over the last 4 years, they'll elect him in a landslide if even one RECENT event goes his way.

Coleman spun things too and I hate his guts and all that because he used the partisan memorial to his advantage - who wouldn't? Of course, Dems will get attacked regardless... :-(

Sad. :-(

[PATRICK]

77. California, Bush 2004

Mondale by fate was given a very small window and he was the only one with some stature to make up for it.

The GOP smeared the window, spun the fate, shattered the window and added possibly some significant cheating to be sure.

They learned from Delaware to immediately trash the window no matter how egregious the tactics.

Bush plans to do this to the Dems and much more.

[maggrwaggr]

82. What about the obvious question -- BBV?

A lot of people seemed pretty surprised Coleman won.

What about the BBV issues?

Has anybody looked into that? How much electronic voting was there?

Minnesota's a weird place, it's traditionally fairly liberal but an awful lot of fundie types are there as well. My Dad lives there.

[madfloridian]

88. There was a poll near election time.......

?

Like there was in Florida last year? Like there was in CA this year?

Heck, I don't know, I just believe the polls will be used against us.