Minnesota Independent

As state party protests, SD56 GOP webmaster earns ‘Worst Person in the World’ designation

By Paul Schmelzer | 08.20.10 | 6:00 am

As Randy Brown, the webmaster who posted a sexist video on the GOP’s District 56 website, is dubbed “Worst Person in the World” by MSNBC host Keith Olbermann, the Republican Party of Minnesota demands changes to reports on the incident by the Minnesota Independent, Gawker and Mothers Jones — changes that put distance between the state GOP and the local SD 56 party unit.

SD56 GOP on Dem women: ‘Who let the dogs out?’

By Paul Schmelzer | 08.17.10 | 8:41 am

Here’s the kind of discourse that Republicans in state Senate District 56 are interested in: The party website is now running a video about how “hot” Republican women are compared to “Democrat [sic] women.” To the strains of Tom Jones’ “She’s a Lady,” the video runs through a series of photos of GOP women in bikinis, evening gowns and, in Sarah Palin’s case, Spandex. Then the Dems: women like Rosie O’Donnell, Janet Reno (pictured), Nancy Pelosi and Madeleine Albright — set to the song, “Who Let The Dogs Out?”

‘Pretending to be senator’: Coleman is still attending GOP caucus meetings

By Paul Schmelzer | 02.24.09 | 1:10 pm

When Al Franken started putting “Sen.-elect,” before his name, former Sen. Norm Coleman’s spokesman Mark Drake responded by calling it a “joke,” and staffer Luke Friedrich followed it up by claiming Franken was merely “pretending to…

Coleman campaign files lawsuit claiming Franken deliberately distorted record

By Paul Demko | 10.30.08 | 1:24 pm

Sen. Norm Coleman is filing a lawsuit today with the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings charging Al Franken’s campaign with deliberately lying about his record and residence in Washington. “Sen. Coleman is being falsely attacked,” spokesman Mark Drake said at a press conference this morning. “These are flat out falsehoods. This goes beyond the typical tit for tat you see in campaigns.”

Franken bashes bailout package

By Paul Demko | 10.02.08 | 4:34 pm

Al Franken stated today that he would have voted against the $700 billion bailout package passed by the Senate last night and harshly criticized the legislation. “I hope nobody in Washington felt any pride or sense of accomplishment,” the Democratic Senate candidate said at a press conference at the Capitol. “Because this bill didn’t fix an economy that isn’t working for middle-class families.”