Coleman’s future rosy, says RNC chair, as Politico chews over his financial past

New Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele sees rosy prospects for a re-elected Norm Coleman in a statement the RNC released today. But Coleman’s past haunts him when it comes to money matters, says Politico in an extended rehash of the former U.S. senator’s finances that’s lightly spiced with sympathetic ruminations from former U.S. Rep. Vin Weber. (Most notable is Weber’s surprisingly less-than-resolute statement on possible Coleman wrongdoing.) The story comes three days after The New Republic scolded the mainstream media for ignoring Blago-level allegations that Coleman got unreported cash from a donor, but Politico buries that latest wrinkle within an impressive balance sheet of other financial kerfuffles.
Here’s the full statement from RNC Chair Michael Steele, courtesy of Aaron Weiner at Minnesota Independent’s sister site The Washington Independent:

I proudly stand in support of Senator Norm Coleman’s pursuit to see that Minnesota’s voters are enfranchised by having their ballots counted. If voters do not have confidence in elections, then they will not have confidence in their elected leaders. That is why the judges’ review of thousands of additional ballots in Minnesota is critical to the democratic process. The Republican National Committee remains committed to Norm Coleman’s campaign and confident that when the recount contest is complete, he will be re-elected to the U.S. Senate.

And here are some excerpts from Politico’s report on Coleman’s finances:

Coleman’s efforts to make ends meet on a public servant’s salary were a persistent theme throughout his 2008 reelection campaign — and burned him politically time and again. …

Under the right circumstances, that argument might have provided Coleman with a populist edge and, indeed, during his reelection campaign last year, Coleman argued he was more in tune with working Minnesotans than his highly polarizing Democratic opponent, former comedian Al Franken. …

But the steady drip of stories about Coleman’s own finances, many of them appearing at the most inopportune times, may have had a more lasting impact on the race than the short burst of negative publicity that accompanied Franken’s admission [of failure to properly pay taxes]. …

“I’m not quite sure why, but there’s been a lot more scrutiny of Norm’s finances than any other politician I can think of in Minnesota. At least more than any other politician who hasn’t done anything wrong — or at least, we don’t think he’s done anything wrong,” said Coleman friend Vin Weber, himself a former Minnesota congressman. …

According to an analysis of members’ personal financial statements by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, at least 26 members of the Senate were less wealthy than Coleman in 2007.