Coleman and Franken joust in front of GOP-friendly farm crowd

U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman and challenger Al Franken squared off for the first time this morning at Farm Fest in southwestern Minnesota. They were joined by Independence Party candidates Steven Williams and Dean Barkley.

The setting meant that there were more questions about livestock and crops subsidies than the Iraq war and immigration. It also meant that the audience was treated to lines that you don’t hear every day on the campaign trail. “Manure is not hazardous waste,” Coleman declared at one point to applause. “We need to make that very, very, very clear.”

Not surprisingly, Franken repeatedly associated Coleman with George W. Bush. “People are hurting because of the Bush-Coleman economy,” he said. Franken also accused Coleman of failing to support farmers, in particular criticizing his support for the Central America Free Trade Agreement. “I will vote for trade bills that will help our farmers and I will not vote for trade bills that put our farmers at risk,” he said.

The Democrat used humor to try to ingratiate himself with the rural crowd, relating an anecdote about going pheasant hunting with Rep. Colin Peterson. Franken noted that it was his first time toting a rifle into the woods and that his staff needed to give him a tutorial in order to make sure he didn‘t accidentally shoot the powerful chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.

But this was clearly a Coleman-friendly crowd, with the Republican frequently drawing applause. He focused repeatedly on energy costs. “You’re not going to solve the energy crisis with a tire gauge,” he said, mimicking Republican talking points of recent days. “You’ve got to put it all on the table.” He also accused Franken of wanting to raise gas taxes, even though the challenger has come out against any increase in the federal levy. 

The Independence Party challengers largely stayed away from attacking the incumbent. Barkley repeatedly focused on the national deficit, which is approaching $10 trillion. “What we have right now is financial child abuse,” he said, noting that the debt will eventually have to be paid off. “We should be ashamed.”

Williams was the most laconic of the bunch, regularly invoking his experience as a sweet corn farmer in southeastern Minnesota. “As a farmer you work hard, you eat well and you sleep great,” he said in his closing statement. “I will work to make sure that family farming is as rewarding for you as it has been for me.”