Vote 2008 U.S. Senate / 2nd debate breaks no new ground

In front of a riled-up crowd of 500, the Minnesota U.S. Senate candidates met Saturday night in their first televised debate at a volatile moment in the swift-concluding race.

[andy]

Change is good, VOTE Franken. End the no regulation candidate Norm Colemans tenure in office. Coleman helped create the mess we are in and should be voted out.

[E Nelson]

You are voting against your economic interests if you vote Republican this year. Plain and simple!

We have gotten decades of "trickle down economics" and it has been a complete failure of an economic policy. No sorry a collosal economic failure.

Remember Bush's tax cuts and economic stimulus rebate that he gave all of us? Remember his rationale for giving money back to us that the government could not afford? He said it would stimulate the economy and create jobs. Guess what Guess what the economy is in the crapper and 5.4 million jobs have been LOST since Bush has been in office. The most in decades. Minnesota's unemployement is now 6.2% which is HIGHER than the national average.

This is what is called voting against your economic interests.

* The Nasdaq is 65% lower now than its peak under Clinton 8 years ago.
* The Dow has lost 27% of its value in the past month thanks to Bush.
* You pay triple now for a gallon of gas thanks to Bush.
* You health care premiums have increased 80% thanks to Bush.
* You home is quickly on its way to be devalued thanks to Bush.
* And now food prices across the board are accelerating upwards.
*$700 billion of our money has gone to Iraq to pay for a war that was a mistake
*$700 billion of our money has gone to bailout Wall Street

Oh but thank goodness for that $300.00 rebate check. Yippee

[coleman facts]

On December 21, 2005, Senator Coleman voted to end debate on a defense appropriations bill that included oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) after having pledged in 2002 to oppose such drilling

In December 2005, Coleman voted for a budget bill that cut funding from a number of programs, but kept funding for sugar beet farmers in Minnesota after Karl Rove advocated the change

On January 30, 2006, it was reported that Norm Coleman's staff had been actively editing his entry on Wikipedia, removing critical references to his voting record and revising the description of his former political leanings

Setting aside Coleman's position in an election month, look at how he handled torture, rumsfeld's depravity, and criticisms of Bush in 2004, when the next election was far away:
"Coleman echoed GOP talking points by blaming the torture at Abu Ghraib on a "small group of soldiers." He called Donald Rumsfeld's Senate testimony "contrite, candid and thorough," and trusted Bush would properly hold high-ranking officers accountable.(Bush hasn't dismissed anyone over the scandal to date.) "This is not a time for critics," Coleman said"

[Mike]

did Norm Coleman really say he wants young people to be able to take their social security money out and put it in private investment accounts? Norm, who do you think is paying for todays seniors? The rest of us. Who do you think will pay for the baby boomers? The young people. There is no account for each person. It exists only on paper. And if the baby boomers live longer, which is likely, not only will young people have to pay for us, but they'll have to pay more. There is no private account. The current generation always has paid for the ones receiving social security money. And the fact we can't get control of health care only makes it worse. And the reason we can't do that is because health cares' lobbyists spend all day over at congress telling them we can't do that, and lining legislators pockets.

[DallasNE]

Fact checking the fact checker. The GAO places the Iraqi budget surplus at $70 billion, exactly the amount Franken said. Other sources place it a little higher at $79 billion. The fact checker is using out of date data.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/06/wor...

[Pershingwarrior]

Just like to say I'd like to put it in Deborah Wasserman. GIGADEEEEEEE

[furysmom]

Thanks for the great coverage. I really hope Al Franken is the next senator from Minnesota. I was never really a fan during the SNL days but listened to his radio show as soon as a station in SF picked it up. He was so well informed, so passionate about things that matter to the middle class. I can't wait to watch him on CSPAN in the Senate. Please, MN---vote for your best interests (and MINE!) and vote for Al Franken.

[Nathaniel Hong]

Born and raised in Minnesota (Washingtonian for the last 20 years), I truly hope my home people of Minnesota vote Franken into office. I am so tired of the rightwing Republican grip on American life, economic and social. Turn the page on this disaster.

[Pragmatist]

E Nelson wrote:

You are voting against your economic interests if you vote Republican this year. Plain and simple!
We have gotten decades of "trickle down economics" and it has been a complete failure of an economic policy. No sorry a collosal economic failure.
Remember Bush's tax cuts and economic stimulus rebate that he gave all of us? Remember his rationale for giving money back to us that the government could not afford? He said it would stimulate the economy and create jobs. Guess what Guess what the economy is in the crapper and 5.4 million jobs have been LOST since Bush has been in office. The most in decades. Minnesota's unemployement is now 6.2% which is HIGHER than the national average.
This is what is called voting against your economic interests.
* The Nasdaq is 65% lower now than its peak under Clinton 8 years ago.
* The Dow has lost 27% of its value in the past month thanks to Bush.
* You pay triple now for a gallon of gas thanks to Bush.
* You health care premiums have increased 80% thanks to Bush.
* You home is quickly on its way to be devalued thanks to Bush.
* And now food prices across the board are accelerating upwards.
*$700 billion of our money has gone to Iraq to pay for a war that was a mistake
*$700 billion of our money has gone to bailout Wall Street
Oh but thank goodness for that $300.00 rebate check. Yippee

I posted this reply to you on another thread, but seeing as how you cut and pasted it, here it is again for your viewing pleasure.....

Nasdaq is 65% lower, can you say Dot com bust?

Dow has lost 27% of its value in the last month....both parties to blame.......Clinton and Bawney Fwank loosened housing loan restrictions.....Republicans put the deregulation on Clinton's desk to sign.

Triple for a gallon of gas is partially due to devaluation of the dollar, partially to instability in the Middle East, and partly due to tight supplies. Both parties to blame here again. When was the last refinery built in this country? Dems keep on putting the kibosh on them. Where is our energy policy? Can blame Republicans and Dems on that one again.

Health care premiums up 80% because of Bush? Show me the proof it was Bush and not both party's incompetence. The only way premiums don't go up at the rate that they are would be to nationalize the system, something the pharmaceutical and medical industry pay big bucks to politicians from both parties to avoid. It probably went up at the same rate during the Clinton years....

Food prices across the board are increasing as the inputs increase. Two years ago, corn cost less per bushel to buy than it did in 1960. Oil and natural gas are used to make pesticides and fertilizer. Kind of like the fertilizer you are spouting in this post.

[bush coleman]

On December 21, 2005, Senator Coleman voted to end debate on a defense appropriations bill that included oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) after having pledged in 2002 to oppose such drilling

On January 30, 2006, it was reported that Norm Coleman's staff had been actively editing his entry on Wikipedia, removing critical references to his voting record and revising the description of his former political leanings

Setting aside Coleman's position in an election month, look at how he handled torture, rumsfeld's depravity, and criticisms of Bush in 2004, when the next election was far away:
"Coleman echoed GOP talking points by blaming the torture at Abu Ghraib on a "small group of soldiers." He called Donald Rumsfeld's Senate testimony "contrite, candid and thorough," and trusted Bush would properly hold high-ranking officers accountable.(Bush hasn't dismissed anyone over the scandal to date.) "This is not a time for critics," Coleman said"

[Carol]

The Iraqi surplus is somewhere south of $60 billion. This has been fact checked at factcheck.org . So Franken wasn't that far off--and the higher number of over $70 B has been stated in the national debates, so Franken may have been going off those quotes. At any rate, nitpicking. Franken did a GREAT job. Coleman looked angry and tired and just plain defensive. Barkley was underwhelming.

[Cheapersmokes]

We need Dean Barkley in the Senate! He will do what all of the others are afraid to do simply because it is right and needed! And as an Independent he could dictate to the other sides just how they could earn his vote!

Norm has a lot of guts just to file and Franken has raised so much money he is already bought and paid for by the big lobbyist firms so he will just go along with business as usual!

[anangryamerican]

We need Franken in office, we have too many suk azzes there now! Time for some HONESTY!!!!

[Robert]

"Breaks no new ground?" What kind of nonsense is this. Talk about brainless a**holes, who cannot find a credible subject to talk about, like a solution to the worst crisis in the countries' history. And the people of Minnesota are going to send one of these lame brains to Washington? To do what?

P.S.: How about Treason in the Executive, that might be a good subject that will "break-new-ground."

[Bannorhill]

anangryamerican wrote:

We need Franken in office, we have too many suk **** there now! Time for some HONESTY!!!!

Honesty? Dan Barkley says we need to fix Social Seciurity. Al Frankin says let's deal with that later.

We need leaders in Washington who will face our problems not sweep them under the rug. If we don't we will have the same problems with social security that we have had with the mortgage crisis.

Who is really being honest on Social Security?

Al Frankin should stick with writing comedy. We already have too much funny business going on in Washington

[Robert]

The last time Social Security was "Fixed", in 1983, it caused the current recipients two-thirds of their monthly payments.

I think the word "fix" here is a catchy word for theft, as it was in 1983.

[Frank Church]

Go Al, go.
Franken has the right ideas. Coleman is Bush2.

[Frank Church]

Why the hell are you in China? lol

[Pragmatist]

Frank Church wrote:

Go Al, go.
Franken has the right ideas. Coleman is Bush2.

Franken has the left of left ideas. Coleman? Vote for Barkley.

[Frank Church]

I was born in St. Paul by the way.

Al is not on the left, no matter what that means. Barkley looks like a boring right libertarian. Don't forget what a nut Jessie Ventura became.