Cafe Talk | Talking Points Memo | That Coleman Anti-Franken Ad May Backfire

That Coleman Anti-Franken Ad May Backfire

By Oregon Activist - July 25, 2008, 2:52AM

Having listened to the Norm Coleman ad going after Franken for "juicy porn" , I have to wonder how well it would work.
Minnesotans are a bit touchy about having their accent mocked - and particularly when it's done poorly. You have no idea how many people were pissed off by Fargo and refused to even see it.
Coming from Minnesota, I am familiar with the accents of the different regions from the North Woods where I am from to the Range to the Cities and nowhere have I heard that accent anywhere in the state. The person speaking sounds like an ignorant buffoon.
I think this is a case of a New Yorker (Coleman) not getting Minnesota and perhaps looking down on the state as provincial and backwards. I cannot see it being effective with anyone who is not already disposed to vote Republican.

Comments (10)

Those guys are all charter members of "Carpetbagging Republican Wife-beaters for Quimby". Didn't you get the memo?

Posted by The Old Grouch
July 25, 2008 9:18 AM | Reply | Permalink

do you have a link the ad?

Posted by tpmgary
July 25, 2008 10:02 AM | Reply | Permalink

Here is the first place I saw it.

Posted by BalRog
July 25, 2008 10:47 AM | Reply | Permalink

I live in the Twin Cities. A close friend is lifelong Minnesotan, a Republican, an avid bowler, and a MN Wild season ticket holder since their inaugural season.

He is so pissed about the "bowling alley" ads that he is just about ready to sit out the election altogether. He said to me, "With real estate falling through the floor and gas going through the roof, 'He brought back hockey' is the stupidest reason to vote for a US Senator I have ever heard in my life."

I asked if he could get behind Franken, but, no, he couldn't. He thinks Franken is "way too liberal" and "too much of a punch line" besides that: "I used to wonder how even the fruits-and-nuts in California could have voted Sonny Bono into Congress. Then we voted Jesse Ventura into the Governor's mansion. What a joke. If we get Franken for Senator we get to be the national laughingstocks again. Hey maybe if Jesse gets into the race [as he has threatened more than once --BalRog] we could just call the whole race 'The Biggest Loser'."

I would argue the first point (Al is way too liberal) if it were not for the second point (he is a joke), which is pretty hard to refute. I am a strong Franken supporter. I believe he has a great grasp of policy and a will to do good. But even I have to admit that -- just because of who Al is and who he has been -- electing him will be a field day for Letterman and Leno.

So I guess I will have to be happy with half a victory, another Republican staying home on election day.

Posted by BalRog
July 25, 2008 10:45 AM | Reply | Permalink

Watching that ad made me cringe - the bad accent, the faux folksiness. It was made by people who have never set foot on a prairie.

Out of curiosity, have you ever heard anyone successfully deliver a Minnesota accent - who was not from MN? I think Frances McDormand in Fargo was the best, but she was still off by a lot. Lacking the rhythm and lilt of the real accent, she sounded flat.

Kirstie Alley deserves incarceration for her MN accent in some stupid beauty pageant movie - forget the name.

Posted by Oregon Activist
July 25, 2008 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink

And aren't those "bowlers" sitting a little too close together?

Posted by Ellen
July 25, 2008 10:28 PM | Reply | Permalink

I think Al's problem is that the young people who might have been attracted to him at one time see him as an old somewhat has been boomer. The boomers figure he's been away from Minnesota for 30 years and wonder why he's running. I think he underestimated how much he needed to give Minnesotans a reason to believe he wants to represent Minnesota. I don't think the liberal thing has to be a problem. Few people are more liberal than Wellstone, but Wellstone could really connect with people. You just believed the guy was authentic even if you didn't agree with the guy on policy.

I give him credit if he doesn't want to exploit his family, but he's really a great family guy and it would help him counter Norm's porn smears if people could connect with him as a family guy.

Posted by bluebell
July 25, 2008 9:22 PM | Reply | Permalink