Crooked and Incompetent is the New Black

February 27th, 2008 by TRex @ 11:10 pm| Posted in 2008 Race, GOP Cargo Cult, hippies |

My favorite Beltway hair farmer, Norm Coleman, has gone and gotten himself into a spot of trouble back home.

MNPublius:

On January 25th the Minnesota Daily published a letter to the editor from Abul-Rahman Magba-Kamara, chairman of the UMN College Republicans. The letter’s a bit too long to post in the body here, but you can find the whole text below the fold or on the paper’s site here. But, just to give you a taste, here’s the first paragraph:

Al Franken’s traveled around the state to college campuses trying to get the votes of young people. He has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on television commercials trying to portray himself as a nice guy. He even enlisted his fourth-grade teacher to give a testimonial about what a nice boy he was in elementary school.

Yeah, okay, fair enough. What’s the big deal?

A week later on February 7th, The Winona Daily News published a letter to the editor from Samantha Gronlund, a Winona State University student. Again, the letter’s a bit too long but the text is below the fold and can be found on the paper’s site here. And, again, here’s the first paragraph:

Al Franken’s travels around the state to college campuses trying to get the votes of young people are well documented. He has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on television commercials trying to portray himself as a nice guy. He has even enlisted his fourth grade teacher to give a testimonial about what a nice boy he was in elementary school.

*Rubs eyes*

Well, that reads like just like the first paragraph of that other letter, maw. You suppose them two college students know each other? Maybe they was copyin’ off each other’s homework.

Apparently tipped off to this disturbing occurrence, The Winona Daily News published the following correction on Saturday the 9th (emphasis mine):

Page: 4A A letter published by the Daily News on Feb. 7 and written by Samantha Gronlund, a Winona State University student, appears to have been written by someone else. The letter also appeared at the same time in another student publication in Minnesota by a different author.

According to Ms. Gronlund, the letter came from Sen. Norm Coleman’s campaign and was a form letter. While the Daily News’ mission is to encourage a robust, community-centered forum, it also prohibits form letters or any plagiarized letters. If any letters submitted and published are verified as form letters or plagiarized, we will inform our readers as soon as possible. -Darrell Ehrlick, editor

Wait, wait, wait… “the letter came from Sen. Norm Coleman’s campaign”!? So, in other words, Senator Coleman’s campaign distributed form letters to supporters which then just found their way into local papers but attributed to the submitters? Hmm… something smells fishy here.

Nah, don’t be silly. These College Republicans are merely ascribing to the Ben “Caught Stealing” Domenech ideal of authorship, by which one takes something someone else wrote, signs their name at the bottom, and calls it theirs. It’s a tradition as old as John McCain (well, maybe not THAT old) and it’s what happens when you give a bunch of Not Very Bright people marching orders without being very, very explicit, as in, “Maybe you should make some changes to this letter before you submit it as your own work.”

The letter was obviously formatted as a pre-fab letter to the editor by the Coleman campaign and both of these supporters must have felt that the campaign was content with as-is submission of the letters… Why is the Coleman campaign encouraging college students to defraud papers? Why is the Coleman campaign distributing pre-fab letters to the editor and why would they not, at the very least, make it clear that these are not to be copied? These supporters have defrauded these two papers by submitting campaign produced materials under their own names.

This is absurd and disgusting behavior. I certainly hope that the Coleman campaign can explain how this happened under their watch. And even assuming the best case scenario, it’s just really pathetic that all they can muster is generic, pre-fab attacks on Al. I mean, apparently there just aren’t any Coleman supporters out there with some genuine rage of their own to express…

HA HAAA HAAA HAAA!!

Oh, MNPublius, that’s a knee-slapper. Republicans having thoughts of their own! Hee heeeeee. What will they think of next?

We’ve been over this before. People on the Right do not have original thoughts. It is not part of their nature. If they did, they’d be Democrats. Instead, they just passively take orders and, when called upon to do so, they react. It is the secret to the success of all the Talk Radio screamers, Bill O’Reilly, Pox News and the whole GOP propaganda factory.

With Republicans, the flow of information only goes one way, from the top down. Pox News should really make their slogan, “Fox News Network: When We Want Your Opinions, We’ll Give Them to You”.

Coleman’s campaign has apologized that they got caught, but of course, they’ll just find some new way to cheat the system, then get caught, and we’ll all get to watch them blather, rinse, and repeat. Yay, Republicans, you pathetic pinheads. And y’all wonder why just about everyone in the country hates you now.

Sigh.

  1. 46 Responses to “Crooked and Incompetent is the New Black”

  2. By Betsy on Feb 27, 2008 11:17 pm |

    new generation of college repubs just as stupid as the last one!

  3. By TRex on Feb 27, 2008 11:18 pm |

    Betsy said

    new generation of college repubs just as stupid as the last one!

    I think we can count on them for that from now until the end of time.

  4. By Betsy on Feb 27, 2008 11:20 pm |

    TRex said

    Betsy said

    new generation of college repubs just as stupid as the last one!

    I think we can count on them for that from now until the end of time.

    I was kinda hoping the breed might die out before the end of time.

  5. By LoudounLib on Feb 27, 2008 11:25 pm |

    My Kansas and Missouri born grandparents were rock-ribbed, Harry S Truman-hating Republicans, and I know they’d be appalled at the state of their party these days.

    And they’d plotz if they knew I voted for a black man in the VA primary!

  6. By madmommy on Feb 27, 2008 11:27 pm |

    Betsy said

    new generation of college repubs just as stupid as the last one!

    Just wait till these pampered little pukes have to go out into the real world and get a job, and buy groceries, and pay for healthcare, and try to buy a house. Like the percentage of people who play sports who are good enough to do it professionally, there’s just not enough wingnut welfare to support all these clowns in the manner to which they think they are entitled.

  7. By LoudounLib on Feb 27, 2008 11:30 pm |

    T — may I pleeze, pleeze go OT for just a second? I have some breaking news!

  8. By Betsy on Feb 27, 2008 11:31 pm |

    news? do tell!

  9. By TRex on Feb 27, 2008 11:31 pm |

    LoudounLib said

    T — may I pleeze, pleeze go OT for just a second? I have some breaking news!

    Go for it!

  10. By preznit giv me turkee on Feb 27, 2008 11:31 pm |

    mebbe the papers can get the attention of the Norm “Nice Teeth” Coleman by sensing him an invoice for the amount of ad space on the op-ed page

  11. By LoudounLib on Feb 27, 2008 11:34 pm |

    http://yeswecanhas.com/2008/02/27/calicos-4-obama/

    Callie got posted at Yeswecanhas.com!

  12. By TRex on Feb 27, 2008 11:36 pm |

    I thought that kitteh looked familiar.

    Hooray for Callie!

  13. By madmommy on Feb 27, 2008 11:38 pm |

    LoudounLib said

    http://yeswecanhas.com/2008/02/27/calicos-4-obama/

    Callie got posted at Yeswecanhas.com!

    w00t! Now she’ll be famous! As soon as I saw this today I knew it was Callie, but I got distracted and didn’t send congrats. Sorry :)

  14. By LoudounLib on Feb 27, 2008 11:39 pm |

    Somewhere in kitteh heaven, she is smiling. Thanks T and MM!

  15. By Betsy on Feb 27, 2008 11:39 pm |

    yay callie!

  16. By DrDick on Feb 27, 2008 11:48 pm |

    Evening all. You are correct, T, modern Rethugs do not have original ideas and the source of the ones they are recycling just died.

    LL - We can haz immortality!

  17. By Betsy on Feb 27, 2008 11:49 pm |

    McCain’s birthplace prompts queries about whether that rules him out
    from Amer - Herald Trib

    John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone. So is he still a “natural-born citizen” and therefore eligible to be president?

  18. By LoudounLib on Feb 27, 2008 11:50 pm |

    lol DrD :-) How are ya? Long time, no see. Hope all is well.

  19. By DrDick on Feb 27, 2008 11:50 pm |

    Betsy said

    McCain’s birthplace prompts queries about whether that rules him out
    from Amer - Herald Trib

    John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone. So is he still a “natural-born citizen” and therefore eligible to be president?

    Unfortunately, as long as one of his parents is an American citizen, he is under the law.

  20. By LoudounLib on Feb 27, 2008 11:52 pm |

    Betsy, I remember reading something about that not long ago (McCain being born in Panama). Wish I could remember what the article said, or what the conclusion was. Pretty sure that the way has been smoothed out for him though.

  21. By DrDick on Feb 27, 2008 11:54 pm |

    LoudounLib said

    lol DrD :-) How are ya? Long time, no see. Hope all is well.

    Doing well, but have been pretty busy at work (I have a new class this semester and am reworking another). As a result I have been going to bed pretty early.

  22. By madmommy on Feb 27, 2008 11:54 pm |

    Betsy said

    McCain’s birthplace prompts queries about whether that rules him out
    from Amer - Herald Trib

    John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone. So is he still a “natural-born citizen” and therefore eligible to be president?

    That’s a non-starter. Does no one at the Herald Trib have any access to the internets? Any child of an American citizen born anywhere is automatically a citizen.

  23. By TRex on Feb 27, 2008 11:54 pm |

    Hey, Dr. (pause) Dick! How ya been? Welcome back!

  24. By Betsy on Feb 27, 2008 11:56 pm |

    natural born??

    “No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States.”

  25. By DrDick on Feb 27, 2008 11:58 pm |

    Hey T. I am well, but busy (in a good way). I peek in once in a while at work, but haven’t really been up very late for a while.

  26. By madmommy on Feb 27, 2008 11:58 pm |

    Hey Dr. Dick! You beat me to it on the citizenship thing. As I recall, McCain got a lot of mileage about being called a carpetbagger when he ran for Senate in AZ. The gist of it was he was a military brat, and his response was that after thinking on it, the longest he lived anywhere in his life was in Hanoi. His answer got a great response, as I recall.

  27. By DrDick on Feb 27, 2008 11:59 pm |

    Hey, MM. How’s life in the Big Muddy?

  28. By madmommy on Feb 28, 2008 12:02 am |

    DrDick said

    Hey, MM. How’s life in the Big Muddy?

    It’s hot, then it’s cold, then it’s hot again. Right now we are in a cold zone, but it will be back into the mid 70’s by the weekend. Could these wild fluctuations in temp have anything to do with my sinus misery? Inquiring minds want to know!

  29. By TRex on Feb 28, 2008 12:04 am |

    Heading home. See you guys in a bit.

  30. By Betsy on Feb 28, 2008 12:05 am |

    see you soon T.

  31. By LoudounLib on Feb 28, 2008 12:06 am |

    I’ve got to make tracks myself; need to be up early and meet my BFF for breakfast in the morning. Great to see you, DrD, and good night friends!

  32. By DrDick on Feb 28, 2008 12:07 am |

    Night LL.

  33. By newdealfarmgrrrlll on Feb 28, 2008 12:07 am |

    arriving just in time to say g’night LL, love Callie’s Obama pic!

  34. By madmommy on Feb 28, 2008 12:09 am |

    Time for bed here too. I have to go to a class tomorrow morning to get a liquor license. The state requires it for all persons who sell alcohol. Major PITA, because I have to go across the lake for the class, so have to cancel the little guys speech therapy as there is no way I will get back in time to make the session. I shall be traveling with all the 9 to 5 drones who commute across Lake Ponchartrain daily, which means major traffic and delay.
    *pleh* Do. Not. Want.

  35. By LoudounLib on Feb 28, 2008 12:10 am |

    …peeking around the corner just in time to say thanks, ndfg! ;-)

    See you all tomorrow.

  36. By Betsy on Feb 28, 2008 12:10 am |

    skeep well LL and MM

  37. By DrDick on Feb 28, 2008 12:12 am |

    Night MM. Will send soothing thought tomorrow morning.

  38. By DrDick on Feb 28, 2008 12:17 am |

    Time for me to head out as well. Have a stack of midterms to grade tomorrow. Take care and enjoy the snark.

  39. By darkblack on Feb 28, 2008 12:19 am |

    ‘Oh hai…We’re running low on toner again’

    ;>)

  40. By Betsy on Feb 28, 2008 12:20 am |

    sleep well dr d

  41. By Betsy on Feb 28, 2008 12:21 am |

    DB, you are disgusting!

    ;)

  42. By darkblack on Feb 28, 2008 12:25 am |

    Betsy said

    DB, you are disgusting!

    ;)

    I’ve been called worse.

    ;>)

  43. By Betsy on Feb 28, 2008 12:28 am |

    darkblack said

    Betsy said

    DB, you are disgusting!

    ;)

    I’ve been called worse.

    ;>)

    and enjoyed every word!

  44. By Betsy on Feb 28, 2008 12:34 am |

    ack!

    Shooting at LA bus stop leaves 7 wounded
    CNN - 1 hour ago
    LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — A gunman fired into a crowd of people at a Los Angeles bus stop Wednesday, wounding seven, including children, authorities said.

  45. By Betsy on Feb 28, 2008 12:45 am |

    did i kill the thread?

  46. By TRex on Feb 28, 2008 12:46 am |

    Fresh thread!

    http://www.iamtrex.com/?p=428

  47. By bluetoof on May 16, 2008 8:27 am |

    Heyy people!
    Hows it going?
    Well…I’m new here at http://www.iamtrex.com so thought I would introduce myself.
    You guys can call me franky or bluetoot or jigga ringtone (haha dont ask).
    I like paintballing and umm I am a electrician.
    Umm not sure what else to say so.. nice to meet you guys!
    I will see you guys around.
    peace
    bluetoof

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