Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Tom Horner has been picking off endorsements from former Republican legislators, from past Gov. Arne Carlson and former U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger to a slate of 13 former statehouse legislators who yesterday announced their support for his candidacy. That announcement drew the ire of state GOP Chair Tony Sutton, who responded by stating, “There’s a special place in hell for these quislings.” Two of those former legislators — veterans of the Korean War and World War II — responded to Sutton today in a letter, writing that they found it “demeaning” that their choice to support Horner drew comparisons to Nazi sympathizer and traitor Vidkun Quisling.

On Thursday, Sutton backed off the statement slightly, stating he only meant that the GOPers backing Horner are traitors, not Nazis.

On Thursday, Sutton told the AP he used the word as a common term for traitor.

“It would be like saying someone’s a Benedict Arnold,” Sutton said, explaining his use of the word the rarely used term “quisling.” “To make it out to be something other than that would be ridiculous.”

That didn’t stop Horner from responding Thursday afternoon.

“I was disappointed to see the chair of the Republican Party compare some of those veterans and former public servants to traitors of the worst degree simply due to their support of my candidacy for governor,” Horner said in a statement. “The comments were disrespectful and uncalled for.”

Horner’s campaign also sent out a letter from two of the legislators who decided to back Horner yesterday, former Sen. Bill Belanger, an Army veteran who served in Korea, and former Sen. George Pillsbury, a Marine who served during World War II. Needless to say, the duo was displeased at Sutton’s choice of words.

“Those of us who support Horner and his centrist view of governance have nothing in common with Norwegian politician Vidkun Quisling, a Nazi sympathizer who collaborated with the Germans to enslave millions of his countrymen during the Second World War,” they wrote. “We proudly wore the uniforms of our nation, one of us as a Marine Lieutenant in the Philippines during World War II, one of us a few years later in Korea as an Army Corporal. For you to besmirch that service is demeaning.”

The DFL pounced on the statement. Party chair Brian Melendez said, “I wonder what’s going on inside the Republican Party that Tony Sutton feels the need to send a message that you are going to hell and we liken you to Nazi sympathizers if you support Tom Horner.”

Here’s the full text of Belanger and Pillsbury’s letter:

October 7, 2010

Tony Sutton
Chairman, Republican Party of Minnesota
525 Park Street, Suite 250

St. Paul, MN 55103

Mr. Sutton:

As veterans of the United States military and former state legislators, we were highly offended to pick up our morning Star Tribune newspaper and read that you were accusing us of being traitors to our country for supporting Tom Horner for governor. (“There’s a special place in hell for these quislings.”)

Those of us who support Horner and his centrist view of governance have nothing in common with Norwegian politician Vidkun Quisling, a Nazi sympathizer who collaborated with the Germans to enslave millions of his countrymen during the Second World War. We proudly wore the uniforms of our nation, one of us as a Marine Lieutenant in the Philippines during World War II, one of us a few years later in Korea as an Army Corporal. For you to besmirch that service is demeaning.

We support Tom Horner for governor precisely because we care so much about our state and our nation. We sought elective office after our years of military service because we care about our country and its future. We did not believe our service ended when we were discharged. For decades, we have continued to volunteer in our communities to make our society stronger.

We are supporting Tom Horner for governor because we believe his moderate, centrist view of government is precisely what Minnesota needs right now. We are concerned that Sutton’s candidate, Tom Emmer, is too far to the right, and that Mark Dayton, the Democrat, is too far to the left. We believe it is best for all concerned to have a governor who can work with both political parties, to do what’s right and not worry about who gets the credit.

We went to war to defend the Constitution, which included fighting for your right of free speech, so you are free to say whatever you want. We would appreciate it if, in the future, you were more careful not to criticize American veterans just because you disagree with our choice of candidates.

Sincerely,

George Pillsbury
First Lieutenant, United States Marine Corp (ret)
Veteran of World War II
Former State Senator, Wayzata

Bill Belanger
Corporal, United States Army (ret)
Veteran of the Korean War
Former State Senator, Bloomington

In a new television ad released Friday, Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Tom Horner touts his experience running a small business. The campaign also says it has two new radio ads, including one that features former Republican Gov. Arne Carlson.

In one radio ad, Carlson says, “Right now, Minnesota is in a serious financial pickle, and we better elect our best and brightest if we want to succeed. Tom Horner is the right choice.”

Horner’s first round of ads featured former Republican Sen. Dave Durenberger.

The ads are running statewide, the campaign said in a press release on Friday.

Horner, a public-relations executive with long experience in Republican politics, tells the Minnesota Independent he’s parting ways with the GOP on good terms.

“I’m not leaving the Republican Party in protest or under a cloud,” Horner says, citing his membership in the party’s “more moderate” wing since he began work for U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger in the 1970s.

But gridlock has soured Horner on two-party politics in St. Paul. “Whichever party has the governor’s office, the other party isn’t going to let that governor succeed,” he says.

Ventura got around that by seeking good ideas and good people from across the political spectrum, Horner says, for a “pretty successful” first half of his term. Only when Ventura become disengaged partway through his term did the legislature ditch him.

That’s where Horner reckons he has something on Ventura: his 30 years of experience in public policy and party politics, along with an inclination to stay engaged with citizens.

As for his campaign, he says it will start low-key and won’t feature a pox-from-both-their-houses critique of the two other major parties, as is sometimes heard from IP candidates. Minnesotans who know him from his political commentary on Minnesota Public Radio wouldn’t buy it, he says.

“For me to come out and say all parties are bad would be ludicrous,” says Horner.

Growing field, coming battle

With the entrance of Horner and former Republican party activist Joe Repya this week, the Independence Party’s field of gubernatorial candidates grew to five, and Tim Penny figures it may keep growing. Penny, the party’s 2002 endorsee for governor, says at least two others are still in the wings.

“It may be that for the first time we have a real endorsement battle,” said Penny, who as a Democrat served six years in the state Senate and six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. ”There are more people of my stature that are beginning to conclude that the two parties have failed us.”

Those already vying to run as Independent Party candidate for governor include party chair Jack John Uldrich and lesser-known candidates Rob Hahn and Rahn Workcuff.

Horner had publicly floated the possibility of a run and party switch for weeks, while Repya had been talking behind the scenes about a possible IP run for months, said Penny.

But Penny said at least two other people (who he wouldn’t name) have talked to him about running for governor under the Independence Party banner.

Penny said he would probably endorse someone in the race before the party’s endorsing convention, which isn’t officially set yet but is likely to be May 8, according to an IP spokesperson. (The IP will hold an interactive online caucus throughout the month of February.)

Talking about Horner and Repya, Penny said, “I’m intrigued by a candidate with some roots in the Republican Party” — in part because he and Peter Hutchinson, the IP’s 2006 endorsed candidate for governor, both came from Democratic Party backgrounds. Hutchinson drew only 6 percent of the vote, less than Penny’s

Photo: Chris Steller, MnIndy

Has Dave Durenberger gone politically tone-deaf? The former Republican senator-turned-health-care blogger started off his scoop about another new gig for Norm Coleman with two scandal-tinged words that Coleman thought he’d put behind him: “Texas money.”

That phrase, for anyone who followed Coleman’s fortunes over the last year, carries seedy resonances thanks to allegations in a civil lawsuit that businessman Nasser Kazeminy funneled Coleman $75,000 via a company he controls in Texas.

Coleman denied it and wasn’t named in the suit; the plaintiffs claimed they weren’t even interested in whether he’d actually seen any of the cash. When a judge deep-sixed the suit this month, Coleman danced on its grave: “Now the suit goes away and I’m glad it has.”

This new “Texas money,” as Eric Black has fleshed out at MinnPost, comes by way of Bush I pal Fred Malek, the man putting together a new think tank called America’s Action Network, with Coleman at its helm. It’s separate from the Harvard University post CNN reported yesterday, and from the Republican Jewish Coalition gig Coleman took partway through his recount battle with now-Sen. Al Franken.

Here’s what Durenberger wrote on Wednesday:

Texas money is also funding a start-up non-profit called America’s Action Network, which is designed to give definition to a principled “role of government” approach to the Republican Party’s future. In the process, its founders hope to leave some of the “other issues” like those which firmed “the base” in the social values arena behind. New president of the right-of-center group will be former Minnesota Republican Senator Norm Coleman.

The think tank is so new, Google hasn’t heard of it, except for a flurry of Coleman-related news buzz:

Former Sen. Norm Coleman (WDCpix)

When Norm Coleman gathered the media at his St. Paul residence last week to announce that he was conceding the U.S. Senate contest after a nearly eight-month post-election battle, he hit all the appropriate notes for appearing gracious in defeat. The Republican repeatedly congratulated his Democratic challenger, praised the integrity of the Minnesota Supreme Court and hailed Minnesotans as the smartest, most decent folks on the planet. It was a relaxed, even folksy display of Coleman’s redoubtable political skills — a tone noticeably missing during the bitter fight with Al Franken.

At the close of the press conference, however, Coleman made perhaps his most illuminating comment. Pressed on his future political plans, he didn’t duck the question as inappropriate for a day on which he was conceding a previous political contest. Rather, the former senator promised prompt news on that front.

“Sometime next week I presume I’ll be talking a little bit about what the future is,” he said.

That teasing answer caught political observers off guard and has fueled speculation that Coleman may turn around and run for governor in 2010.

“I was shocked by it,” says Larry Jacobs, director of the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. “He was using the announcement almost as a boomerang into the next campaign.”

While some political prognosticators are highly skeptical that Coleman will wage a gubernatorial bid in 2010, the specter of another campaign raises an intriguing question: Is Norm Coleman still politically viable?

There’s little doubt that he comes out of the battle with Franken as somewhat damaged goods. As far back as January both candidates registered approval ratings south of 40 percent — and it’s doubtful the intervening six months have done anything to bolster public sentiment. Most Minnesotans would be happy not to see either of their mugs until ice-fishing season.

In addition, Coleman may have run out of chances to prove his political mettle in a statewide campaign. He’s now lost two of three such races, including a 1998 bid for governor. Even Coleman’s 2002 Senate victory carries an asterisk, owing to the death of Paul Wellstone just 11 days before the election.

But few political observers count Coleman out of the contest. He’s an unusually adroit politician who further endeared himself to the GOP base by taking the Senate contest all the way to the state’s top court despite repeated calls for him to concede. In addition, with Tim Pawlenty opting not to seek a third term, the GOP gubernatorial field looks to be a wide-open affair with no obvious favorite. Even so, Coleman can’t be considered a shoo-in for endorsement if he enters the fray.

“I think that he would be among the front-runners,” says Greg Peppin, a GOP political consultant who is advising former House Speaker Steve Sviggum on a potential gubernatorial bid. “I think he would be in the top tier.”

Peppin believes the taint from the ugly Senate fight will fade as the contest recedes from the headlines. “It was kind of a pox on both their houses, but I don’t see that lasting for either of them,” he says.

Coleman would easily have the widest name recognition among the current crop of contenders. He’d also bring a proven track record of raising revenue in what’s likely to be a very expensive race.

“The amount of money this guy raises is just stunning,” says Jacobs. “This is a guy who has been in the big fights and knows how to put together a plan for a campaign and then stick to it.”

Former Republican U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger agrees that the voting public won’t continue to punish Coleman for taking the contest to the state’s top court. But he believes Coleman will be hurt by a hallmark of his six years in Washington: fealty to the Bush administration.

“He will have to answer for appearing to be George Bush’s man from Minnesota,” says Durenberger, who supported Coleman in the 2008 campaign.

Coleman’s plans, however, will likely be driven by more than simple political calculus. The Senate campaign revealed numerous indications that the Republican’s vaunted fundraising ability doesn’t extend to his personal bank account.

In January it was revealed that Coleman had refinanced his St. Paul residence 12 times over the last 14 years, most recently in 2007 for $775,000. In addition, Harper’s Magazine reported that longtime Coleman patron Nasser Kazeminy had purchased suits for the then-senator at the Neiman Marcus store in Minneapolis. Finally a pair of lawsuits filed just days before the election alleged that Kazeminy attempted to funnel $100,000 to Coleman through a Minneapolis insurance firm. The businessman’s purported reason for this political philanthropy: “Senators don’t make shit.”

Eyeing age 60, with two kids currently in college, it seems likely that Coleman might be seeking a post more financially rewarding than the governor’s $180,000 salary.

“I’m not sure he can afford to be governor with his private debt load,” says David Schultz, a political science professor at Hamline University. “He may actually need at this point to say, ‘Gosh, I can’t run for governor.’ That could very well factor in to what he’s going to do down the line.”

Durenberger expresses similar misgivings about any future campaigns for Coleman. He believes the former senator would be better served by stepping away from public life.

“Does he have legs?” Durenberger asks of Coleman’s political future. “Yes. I’d rather he trotted off into civilian life, but that’s just a personal thing.”

Tom Horner, Minnesota Public Radio’s (MPR) Republican analyst and an adviser to Republicans including former Sens. Norm Coleman and Dave Durenberger, told “Midday” that Bachmann is sending the wrong message.

“She is an embarrassment to some republicans, myself included,” he said. “She is intentionally provocative, and does it in a way that is designed to exploit fears, to exploit mistrust in government, to do all of the kinds of things that America is not needing right now.”

He continued, “I don’t think that’s what the Republicans ought to be doing and I don’t think it’s how we need to be defined. We need leadership in this party that can stand up and say, ‘Michele Bachmann is not my kind of Republican.’”

Predictably, MPR’s Democratic analyst, Todd Rapp, welcomed Bachmann as a leading voice for the Republicans.

“In a state like Minnesota, if Michele Bachmann wants to be the voice of the Republican Party, I think most Democrats would say, ‘That’s great!’”

Coleman’s attorneys immediately announced, however, that he would be appealing the decision to the Minnesota Supreme Court. The former senator then jetted off to Washington to reassure supporters that he wasn’t giving up the fight.

But by continuing to drag out the election contest — therefore ensuring that Minnesota is represented by just one senator — Coleman might hurt his own future political prospects if he presses the case much farther.

Former Senator Dave Durenberger, a Republican and Coleman supporter, believes that the most serious damage to Coleman’s political future occurred during the nasty, extraordinarily expensive campaign, rather than the aftermath.

“The reason I think that people are patient is that a lot of people got to the point where they don’t give a damn,” he notes. “It was such a horrible campaign. That’s the challenge that Norm faces. It makes it difficult to get back to remembering how good Norm was at a lot of things, as a mayor and as a senator.”

John Cornyn, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has suggested that the senate contest could take “years,” a prospect that the Republican leadership seems perfectly happy to live with considering that it keeps the Democrats stalled at 58 seats. But Durenberger doesn’t think the Republican leadership has Coleman’s best interests in mind.

“They could care less about Norm Coleman,” he says. “They’ll talk about Norm: ‘We loved him. He was such a terrific blah blah blah.’ But — and it’s hard to says this — this is not the same Republican caucus that was there when I served. If Norm had to finance this recount on his own, he never could have gone through it. Norm couldn’t afford to put a nickel into this thing, but John Cornyn could.”

Dean Barkley, who attracted 15 percent of the vote as the Independence Party candidate in the U.S. Senate race, figures the public is willing to give Coleman the benefit of the doubt — for now.

“It’s his right to pursue this,” says Barkley. “I think if he pushes it beyond the state Supreme Court he might start getting some pretty serious damage.”

Hamline University political science professor David Schultz agrees that Coleman’s currently at a tipping point with the general public. “I get the sense in the last two to three weeks that the support has dramatically eroded,” he says.

Schultz believes Coleman would best preserve his own future political prospects by conceding defeat if the three-judge panel rules in Franken’s favor.

“I think at that point the public’s like, ‘Okay, you had your one shot at the court,’” he says. “As soon as he files the appeal, whatever remaining support I think he has is completely eroded.”

But Schultz argues that at this point Coleman is too beholden to the Republican leadership to act in his own best political interests.

“For the Republicans a vacant seat is just as good at this point as having Coleman in office,” he says. “The longer they can keep this seat vacant, the longer they can keep the Democrats from getting to number 59. I’m not even sure if Coleman is in complete control of his destiny at this point. I think they’re pretty much dictating the terms of the legal strategy at this point.”

Of course, given Coleman’s well-publicized financial troubles, the goal may no longer be political victory, but rather (as suggested by this story at Huffington Post) a plush job on K Street. If that’s indeed the case, then Coleman most certainly will explore every legal avenue imaginable.

In an item titled “Trouble’s Home Address,” The New York Times reviews notable (and alleged) scandals involving public figures and their homes. Except for former Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, all are from New York, the latest being Adolfo Carrion Jr., a former Bronx Borough president who landed the top job at the new White House urban affairs office that Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has gushed over. After the jump, the Minnesota edition of “Trouble’s Home Address.”

“What is it about home repairs and politicians that can lead to ethical trouble?” asks the Times. Partly it’s simply that, for pols as for ordinary mortals, homes are the biggest thing they own (or used to own). 

We knocked on this door last summer, when then-Sen. Norm Coleman’s low-rent tenancy in a GOP fundraiser’s basement apartment was raising eyebrows, in a post titled “Scandal sheets: Coleman not first Minnesota pol to make news in bed.”

Others on the list included state House candidate Sue Ek, St. Paul City Council candidate Kris Reiter, former St. Paul school board member Al Oertwig, former Gov. Jesse Ventura, former U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger and former Minneapolis City Councilor Lisa McDonald — several of whose scandals involved whether their homes were in the districts they represented.

Since then Coleman has earned a second and possibly third place on the Minnesota list. First came the revelation last December that a kitchen renovation at his St. Paul home went overbudget by $86,000 in 2007 — just as Nasser Kazeminy, a Coleman friend and benefactor is alleged to have been trying to funnel $100,000 to Coleman’s wife through a Texas company he owns and the insurance firm where she works.

Then in January came news that the Colemans had refinanced the house 12 times in 14 years. At that point shock over Coleman’s homes required raising a third eyebrow.