In response to the Jack Nelson Pallmeyer attack

Came across this yesterday. Apparently, the AP story passes as a "fluff piece" for some.

How many Franken "fluff pieces" has the AP and other "mainstream media" sources pushed forth over the past 18 months?

I have never drank the "Al Franken Kool-Aid" and his recent tax problems, paid or not, make him virtually unelectable now. This revelation is not unique to Blueman. Party insiders and others more politically astute than myself have shared this opinion.

It would be easy for Jack Nelson Pallmeyer to pounce in Franken's tax problem and throw a little mud in this race. I wonder why many didn't call this Strib piece a "fluff piece"?

It's not that Nelson-Pallmeyer is speaking out about his rival's troubles. Far from it. He refuses to comment about Franken, or even say much by way of contrasting himself with the former "Saturday Night Live" entertainer.

Nelson-Pallmeyer sticks religiously to describing his reasons for backing a single-payer health-care system, an immediate withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, and a full-bore strategy for cutting the nation's consumption of oil.

In fact, JNP's effort to stay on message has solidified his campaign. While Franken trades barbs with Coleman and MN GOP Chair Ron Carey, JNP is talking about the issues that matter most to Minnesotans.

The Wellstone angle

Old pols have been wrong about a professor's chances before, this campaign likes to observe. Two photos of Paul Wellstone hang prominently on the campaign office wall, in silent testimony to that earlier professor's success. It's likely no coincidence that Nelson-Pallmeyer's campaign signs are an evocative green and white.

The latter-day professor-politician lacks Wellstone's oratorical firepower, but not his hopeful spirit or passion for grassroots politics.

There's another parallel, too. Nelson-Pallmeyer also often hears something Wellstone heard in 1990: "You're too liberal" to be elected.

Indeed. JNP is playing the Wellstone card in a much better fashion than Franken. Both evoke Wellstone's aura in their speeches. JNP delivers beyond the rhetoric.

Wellstone's brand of politics was a tough, door to door, issue based approach. Wellstone didn't need to call Rudy Boschwitz a "butt boy". He disagreed with colleagues and those across the political aisle, but worked with them to get things done. He was above the name calling. JNP is much closer to Wellstone than Franken.

Too liberal to be elected? I'm not so sure about that...he may be just liberal enough!