Photo: KARE 11

“This is not judicial fast food.” That’s a line that former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman has been using all month to defend himself against charges that his legal maneuvers are only delaying his elected successor, Democrat Al Franken, from gaining his old Senate seat. It’s an odd analogy coming from Coleman, who gets super-sized campaign donations from the nation’s fast-food industry.

Coleman is a Whopper, for example, when it comes to political contributions from the National Franchisee Association, a trade association of 1,200 Burger King owners. His $12,500 is the biggest helping they served to any member of Congress in the last election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.org.

Less than a quarter of the Senate got money from Taco PAC, the political organization for people who run Taco Bells, but the group’s $2,500 donation to Coleman’s 2008 campaign put him in a tie for ninth in line among office-seekers.

Taco PAC didn’t forget Coleman after last fall’s election. The group is on a list of donors to the Coleman Minnesota Recount Committee that was just released today.

The list also includes $500 from McDonald’s franchise owner Anderson Haughey, who hails from the town of  Hurricane, W.Va.

Looking beyond fast food, the broader food and beverage industry has been a special friend to Coleman as well. He ranked third in industry donations among all politicians not running for president last year (and eighth overall).

Coleman campaigned against the Employee Free Choice Act. The bill, which Franken backs, would remove barriers to union organizing that many employers, including those in the food industry, would rather leave in place.

Here’s the latest example of Coleman using the “judicial fast food” line, yesterday on KARE-11 (it’s at the 1:20 mark):

“I’ve got news for you,” Vang wrote. “It has now been confirmed that those individuals in your commercial spot are in fact quite familiar with Burger King as well as McDonalds, two fast food chains that are quite popular right in the heart of Chiangmai, Thailand! In fact, a couple of Hmong Thai students are employees at both places as I write!”

Burger King responded with a letter (pdf) of its own, stating that the company “always strive to be sensitive to cultural concerns” and that it is their “practice to associate our brand with campaigns that are within the bounds of good taste, executed appropriately, and not offensive to any substantial population group.”

But the answer wasn’t satisfactory to Vang, who wrote a follow-up:

The Hmong of the world, especially those in Thailand and in the U.S. are NOT satisfied by your explanations.

Let’s look at the your ad, again, word for word, line for line.

BK claims in it’s ad: “What happens if you take remote Chiang Mai villagers who have never seen a burger?”

This is obviously a false, as the specific people in the ads (who are our relatives) HAVE seen burgers before, lots of it. Almost every Hmong Thai villages in Thailand have a TV. Thailand has how many BK franchises? How many commercials in Thai have these franchises run in the past several decades? Even the most remote Hmong villages in Thailand, like the ones in your ad, drive Toyota Tundras, talk to their relatives in St. Paul on their cell phones, and watch CNN and BBC on their satellite TVs. Never seen a burger? Pure fiction. Hmong villagers in Thailand aren’t as backward or primitive as you want Americans or the world to think. This type of stereotype needs to stop! BK eating Hmong Americans demands it.

BK ad claims: “[Hmong] Who don’t even have a word for burger?

In Thai, burgers are called, “Ber-Gerh”. Hmong Thais may not pronounce “burger” you and I would, but they know what a burger is. It’s not like lutefisk or something. Please.

BK ad claims: “And ask them to compare a Whopper versus Big Mac in the world’s purest taste test.”

They have had burgers before. They have had Whoppers before. They have had Big Macs before.

BK ad claims: “The Whopper is America’s favorite.”

I’m sure millions of Thai people, including the Hmong of Thailand likes the Whopper too. They also like the Big Mac just as well. If they can afford it.

BK ad claims: “But what will these people choose?”

“These people?” Those primitives in remote places of the world? As if they exist in a time warp and isolated from the rest of the world. Last I checked, there was a Hmong Super Delegate for Barack Obama. Get your heads out of the sand. We all live in a very tight knit global society.

Finally, your BK ad claims: “The Whopper Virgins will decide.”

Obviously, BK and their ad agency, CONTRARY to their claim that they “carefully constructed the campaign to respect the cultures of the people who participated in the test,” yet have by calling remote Hmong villagers in Thailand “virgins”, BK has committed a grave and unspeakable cultural gaffe, especially with images of Hmong men chumping on “burgers.” Need a little Hmong cultural and diversity orientation, BK?

Let the apologies come forth, and hopefully soon. Some of these Hmong people know how to run viral campaigns on Youtube too, you know.