Tower Timberjay: “Obama will need a supportive Congress to achieve meaningful reform”
Posted in Blog, News Clips on November 2nd, 2008
This week, the Timberjay called for electing a Senator who will work with Barack Obama to bring change to Washington Al Franken.
From their editorial:
Barack Obama promises change from an administration that has left the country reeling from an economic crisis, squandered thousands of lives and billions of dollars on an ill-conceived war in Iraq, and shredded Constitutional protections.
But if elected, Obama will need a supportive Congress to achieve meaningful reform. That means voters should not only replace Bush, but also remove those who enabled his administration.
Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman should be among those sent packing. Throughout his term, Coleman rarely broke ranks with his Republican Party or President Bush. Coleman voted with Bush and Republicans over 90 percent of the time during his first four years in office, according to ratings by the Congressional Quarterly.
The numbers fell below 70 percent during the last two years, but some question whether that reveals Coleman’s independence or his survival instincts. With Bush’s approval rating tanking, Coleman has tried his best to put some distance between himself and the president during this election season.
Still the fact remains that on the big issues - the war in Iraq and tax cuts that unfairly benefit corporations and the wealthy - Coleman has fallen right in step with Bush.
Coleman’s close ties to lobbyists - including the oil industry cronies of convicted Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska - should also trouble Minnesotans. Coleman has taken more than $2 million from financial interests during the 2008 cycle - more than any member of Congress not running for president - and received hundreds of thousands of dollars from insurance and drug companies. No doubt they expect something in return.
It’s little wonder that Coleman talked sparingly about his own record and relied heavily on mean-spirited and often misleading ads against Democratic rival Al Franken. When the tactic backfired, Coleman retreated and announced he was pulling his negative ads but couldn’t be responsible for the content of other ads aired on his behalf.
That’s deceptive. If he wished, Coleman could intervene more forcefully to get his party to stop negative campaign tactics. If he can’t convince his own supporters to follow his lead, how can he be an effective advocate for Minnesotans on a national scale?
