Star Tribune gave Sen. Coleman “soft money” - refunds Franken $12,000
It will end, will it? I thought Franken’s excellent editorial published today might be enough but no - the madness continues:
The Star Tribune of Minneapolis will be refunding about $12,000 spent on a full-page ad to Al Franken’s Senate campaign, a Franken campaign spokesman says.
This week, Sen. Norm Coleman’s campaign took out a full-page ad in the newspaper criticizing Franken for not condemning a New York Times ad by MoveOn.org, which had attacked General David Petraeus.
Coleman’s campaign says it paid a little over $23,000 on the ad - far less than the $37,000 that Franken’s campaign says it paid for a full-page ad two months ago.
In other words…
The Star Tribune is refunding Franken for giving Sen. Coleman a discount on an ad criticizing criticism (Franken’s) of criticism (Congress’) of an ad (Move On’s) criticizing (General Petraeus’) criticism of the Iraq War on the same day they publish an editorial (George F. Will’s) which criticizes the lack of criticism that can result in a discount on an ad criticizing criticism of…
While it would be fun to continue to expose the hilarity that arise from this Moebius Strip we call life I will instead leave it to others to plumb the comedic angles.
Succinctly:
- Congress, as an institution, should not condemn any instance of non-violent free speech. To do otherwise is both embarrassing and dangerous.
- A quick back of the envelope shows that it cost U.S. taxpayers at least $917,528 for the Senate to condemn the Move On ad.*
This is worse that a do nothing Congress.
*Equation: {Average Congress member makes $165,000/Congress meets an average of 93 days per year} x {517 members in the Congress who voted either way on resolution}. (Subtracted members who refused to vote since measure was farce, i.e. Obama).
UPDATE: The Strib is currently not reporting this on their site - instead some sort of bathroom incident is taking top billing. Strib story is here.
September 26th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
Contrast that with the NY Times getting called out and then sticking MoveOn with a big extra bill. Even the Wall Street Journal is defending variable pricing now!
September 27th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
To quote Buzzflash: “The Best Mainstream Media Takedown of a GOP Hypocritical Bushevik That We Have Seen Concerning the Faux MoveOn Controversy. A Must Watch.”
http://www.hoffmania.com/blog/2007/09/schuster-destro.html
October 6th, 2007 at 6:27 am
“…cost U.S. taxpayers at least $917,528…” Are you asserting the value of anything done or undone, accomplished or not accomplished in the Congress is a function of the cost in dollars? A thing can cost nothing in dollars yet be without price. Loafing in the sun, for instance. But as Congress loafing in the sun costs as much as Congress loafing on the legislative floor; what each moment costs neither validates nor invalidates what is accomplished. Here, the Congress replied to a scurrilous political attack on a four star general with a Ph.D., whose testimony they required, and who, himself, by the status in the United States of civilian control over the military, cannot reply to such attacks. It should resound to the character of politicians of any stripe to abjure such an attack on a man’s character. Disagreement with particular policies, office holders or partisian points of view should not include cheering on the hurling of rotten fruit at one’s political adversaries. Debate ought not have any odor, nor traffic in slander.