Credit Crisis Roundtable

Yesterday Al sat down with four Minnesotans facing deep credit card debt for a roundtable about the credit crisis. They shared several stories of predatory practices from credit card companies, including a woman who was given a credit card at her dentist’s office to pay for a procedure she could not afford and ended up with hidden fees and high interest rates that left her further in debt than she started after a year of working to pay it off. A young woman who had just graduated from college had paid for her living expenses on credit cards during her college years ­ despite working part-time through school, the combined balances on several credit cards with high interest rates meant that she graduated with several thousand dollars of credit card debt on top of her student loans, and could not join AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps as she’d hoped.

Al proposed major reforms to address the growing personal credit crisis, including a Credit Card Bill of Rights that would crack down on predatory lenders.

Read full entry for more, including the media coverage of the event.

(more…)

A few weeks ago, a Time magazine reporter followed Al for a day on the campaign trail. From his account of his day with Al Franken:

After the Rogers parade, Franken rides an hour to the Chisago County Democratic- Farmer-Labor Party BBQ, where he asks the jazz band of elderly men to play him in. In front of 50 people, he delivers his stump speech about how kids he meets in high schools cannot remember an America that is respected in the world. Then he jogs off to serve hot dogs. Standing nearby is Jim Oberstar, a Democrat in the House since 1975, who marvels at how hard Franken has worked the state.

Read the full article…

(more…)

Al talked to veterans in Rochester and St. Cloud this week about their experiences after coming home, and announced proposals to support our vets during a rally in Owatonna.

In Rochester, Al and Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes (herself a veteran) met with veterans at the American Legion Post No. 92. The Rochester Post-Bulletin wrote that Al’s plan would reduce the complexity of the VA eligibility system.

Al Franken told a roundtable of Rochester military veterans on Thursday that he wants to simplify how health care is provided through the Veterans Administration system.

His solution: If you’ve served in active duty or been activated through the National Guard or reserves, then you should be guaranteed health care — for life.

…

Currently, the VA eligibility system is a patchwork of many levels of possible medical coverage. Eligibility is determined by a complex formula that factors in level of disability and income, and whether injuries were service-connected. Franken’s proposal would reduce the complexity.

More clips from the trail after the jump…

(more…)

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.

(more…)

Al spent this past weekend campaigning with Congressman Keith Ellison around Minneapolis. Their weekend included the Urban League Family Day parade, visits to local shopping malls to talk to members of the Somali community and a news conference where Al unveiled proposals to address the housing crisis.

The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder covered the news conference, where Veronica Ezeka of North Minneapolis told her story of falling behind in mortgage payments as she struggled to balance mortgage payments with raising five kids and caring for her elderly father. After living in her North Minnepolis home for almost 15 years, her home was set for foreclosure this week.

Read excerpts after the jump…

(more…)

Yesterday was a HUGE day for us on the campaign: Al debated Norm Coleman for the first time at Farmfest near Redwood Falls, and it was a great success! Al laid out his vision for revitalizing rural communities, and focused on the issues that matter to people – the economy, energy prices, health care – just like he has along the campaign trail. He also used the debate as an opportunity to hold Norm Coleman accountable for his record of backing George W. Bush and selling out middle class Minnesotans to the special interests.

Watch Video from the Debate…

Al’s message is dominating the media coverage of the debate – check out these clips from around Minnesota after the jump…

(more…)

Wondering what Norm Coleman has been up to this week while Al was talking about lowering energy costs and making prescription drugs affordable? He’s been trying to figure out what to do about his ties to indicted Republican Senator Ted Stevens. Here’s a sampling of what the media has been saying.

Associated Press:

Comedian-turned-Democratic candidate Al Franken called on Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., to return campaign donations from Stevens. In a statement, Franken’s spokesman said, “(N)ow that (Coleman’s) political patron has been indicted for breaking the law, he needs to return those contributions immediately and explain his role in this scandal.”

Read more from the Wall Street Journal, Pioneer Press, Star Tribune, Talking Points Memo, and The Hill after the jump…

(more…)

Al Announces His Plan to Lower Prescription Drug Prices

Yesterday, Al stood with Minnesota seniors and former nurse Rep. Erin Murphy from St. Paul to announce new proposals to take Medicare back from the big pharmaceutical companies and lower the cost of prescription drugs.

The Star Tribune, Pioneer Press and MPR all wrote about Al’s proposals to allow Medicare to negotiate drug costs with drug makers, to ban drug companies from advertising directly to consumers, and to allow safe re-importation of drugs from Canada.

Read excerpts from the coverage after the jump…

(more…)

This week, David Strand from the Aitkin Independent Age used his column to ask why Norm Coleman doesn’t seem quite as proud of being a Republican as Al Franken is of being a Democrat.

At the DFL state convention in Rochester, candidates for the U.S. Senate nomination were asked questions prior to delegate balloting. The first question asked of Al Franken and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer was “Why are you a Democrat?”

Al and Jack gave thoughtful answers, both supporting a government that works for average citizens, instead of one catering to wealthy people and large corporations. Those groups already have too many supporters on K Street and in Congress.

Which brings me to a curious observation. Why don’t Norm Coleman’s campaign commercials mention that he’s a Republican? It’s an interesting oversight, but perhaps Norm’s re-election website reveals his party affiliation. Nope. His home page makes no mention of his political party. He does admit to changing parties in 1996, but you have to comb through pages to find it.

…

The biggest reason not to vote for Norm Coleman is he is a loyal Republican. Give him credit. He knows the Republican brand is in the tank. The more people don’t know he is a Republican the better his chances that they might mark his box on Nov. 4.

Read the rest of the column.

(more…)

Today, Al held a press conference to outline a three point plan to address energy costs. You can read write-ups from MPR or the AP.

Read the full entry for excerpts…

(more…)