Fifteen years ago, Norm Coleman, Chameleon-Minnesota, was one of 20 million government lawyers with political ambitions. Norm wanted in particular to be mayor of St. Paul, which requires that one be a DFLer, and in 1993 he achieved his goal. Once in the mayor's office, however, his eye lit upon the governorship, and within the DFL party his way was blocked by the ambitious offspring of men named Freeman, Humphrey, and Mondale. The satisfaction of his own ambition required a new political affiliation and--voila!--he achieved one. It's easy as calling a press conference. In his new party, the only thing between Norm and the endorsement for governor was a lunatic named Quist--scoffers referred to his supporters as "Quistians"--and even a lot of Republicans comprehended that Quist was crazy. But Norm lost the general election to Jesse Ventura.
Probably Norm would have run for governor again, but Cheneybush intervened to grease the track leading to US Senate. Paul Wellstone, the incumbent Democrat, was killed in a plane crash ten days before the election, and, after the electorally disastrous memorial service, Norm slipped past Walter Mondale and into the Senate. It was 2002, the Bush administration was laying plans to make war in Iraq, and Norm stressed that he would do his part to enable the administration's recklessness. And he did, until the war went bad, and his own re-election loomed. He is now an "independent voice for Minnesota."
His opponent in his re-election bid is Al Franken, and so far Norm seems to be ahead. Franken has been dogged by the circulation of a few of his less funny satiric compositions, and also by his accountant's confusion about tax laws governing income earned in different states. Norm has been running some TV spots that have attracted attention. In the ads, white guys at the bowling alley praise Norm and grouse about Franken's deficiencies. They do not mention the Iraq war, but give Norm credit for bringing professional hockey to St. Paul back when he was mayor. Franken's brand of humor is not for them. It doesn't seem to be the sort of men's bowling league that I know about.
I've heard that membership in bowling leagues is down, and the bowlers I know don't have to be persuaded to vote Republican, but the ads are sociologically suggestive. There are no women in them, and to me there is at least a whiff of resentment. The bowlers agree that they are as qualified to be a senator as Al Franken. Maybe their wives would set them straight. But the idea seems to be that put-upon white guys who bowl and hunt and like hockey are a happy hunting ground for Norm. I think it's an odd fit. Everything Norm's ever done in the public part of his life can be explained by just two concepts: personal ambition and political calculation. The guys in the men's bowling league are on the receiving end of the latest calculations.
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