Reality Check on Norm Coleman: “Loyal to the President”
Posted in News Clips on August 7th, 2008
Last night, WCCO’s Reality Check investigated just how “independent” Norm Coleman really is. From the story:
“Al Franken says George Bush has been wrong on Iraq and wrong on the economy,” said an announcer in a Franken for Senate ad. “Norm Coleman supports Bush almost 90 percent of the time.”
That’s roughly ACCURATE.
Franken averages all of Coleman’s U.S. Senate voting scores for the last five years.
Coleman was once very loyal to the President, 98 percent of the time in 2003, but only 68 percent of the time in 2007.
Even so, Coleman’s own television ads describe him as independent.
“In a political race, people will say a lot of things,” said Laurie Coleman in a Coleman for Senate ad. “They’ll say Norm is a rubber stamp for the president. But he’s been ranked as one of the most independent senators.”
But that’s only PARTLY TRUE.
The Coleman ad uses vote totals only for 2007, the year he ranks as one of the Republicans least supportive of the president.
… Coleman is attempting a precarious political balance: Loyal to the President, but not too loyal.
