Web Letters: Dispatch from Minnesota: Al Franken v. Norm Coleman

This piece is nonsense. First, the facts. Colman is way ahead in the polls--as much as fifteen points. And the gap is getting wider. Both sides have a ton of money, the most for any Senate campaign in the country. Now for the subjective part. Colman's TV ads have been better than Franken's. He has had two ads with a bunch of guys who look like stereotypical rural Minnesotans at a bowling ally. The main guy says, "Norm Colman [fill in the blank, for example: "fought to get better loans for students"]. Then a male chorus in the background says, "And he brought hockey back to Minnesota." This Greek chorus goes through six or seven reps. A brilliant ad for MN. Colman also has had a negative ad attacking Franken for his pornographic fantasy piece. Franken, by contrast, has had a couple of hokey ads starring a woman who says she was his grade school teacher. They don't play nearly as well. Then he has had an ad in which he inveighs against the evils of former Congressmen lobbying and says he will sponsor legislation to ban them from lobbying forever. Only one ad that attacks Colman is on point--one that portrays Colman as a Bush acolyte who takes money from big oil. Franken needs a lot more ads attacking Colman's record and less fluff. Currently Colman is winning the TV battle hands down. Franken can't transition from being a comedian to being a serious candidate. If the election were held today, Colman would wipe out Franken. He may even carry the state for McCain. The author of this Nation piece must be doing his research from a bar in Paris. I'm merely in Brooklyn now.

R.H. Weber

Brooklyn, NY