Capitol View: July 10, 2007 Archive

Another DFLer to enter Senate race

Posted at 6:21 AM on July 10, 2007 by Mike Mulcahy

Jim Cohen has scheduled an announcement for Wednesday in Minneapolis. But there's not a whole lot of suspense about what he's going to say. Here's a release he sent:

Over the past several weeks, I have been exploring the possibility of seeking the DFL nomination for U.S. Senate in 2008. I have attended and spoken at many Congressional and Senate District meetings; participated in a diverse group of local Party events and fundraisers; and listened carefully to the thoughts and ideas of DFL officers and Party members, activists and other labor and community leaders in different parts of the state. In addition, my exploratory efforts have included conversations with many persons who describe themselves as uncommitted voters, Independents or simply as citizens of moderate political views.

As a result of my preliminary listening sessions and discussions, I have decided to seek the DFL nomination.

Was it good for you? Hello? Anybody there?

Posted at 8:23 AM on July 10, 2007 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)

Washington politicians, infected with "inner beltway mentality" are pretty sure the free world revolves around them. Sen. David Vitter, R-Louisiana, no doubt figured his admission that he committed "serious sin" with a hooker (as opposed to the much-less-serious sin with a hooker, you know, building a Habitat for Humanity house with one or something) would rock the political universe.

Wondering if it was Vitter's ego that took the big hit when famed "hooker to the pols" Deborah Jeane Palfrey told CNN she doesn't remember the guy at all?

Here's his voting record. Presumably, folks will go on a "hypocrisy hunt" today.

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Targeting opponents the Google way

Posted at 12:43 PM on July 10, 2007 by Bob Collins

This morning, there was a really interesting tidbit on The Caucus blog on the New York Times Web site about how candidates are using Google's Ad Words to target specific search terms. For example, search universal health care and you get an ad for Dennis Kucinich. Search "Iraq" and get Chris Dodd.

With AdWords, you can "bid" on specific keywords and -- if you bid high enough -- your ad comes up in the adbox accompanying the search results. Basically, it's the latest way candidates are using all of the resources of the Internet to try to get an edge, and it's a shade to the more ethical side of just buying up all the URLs of your opponent and redirecting the audience to your site.

So I tried it on some Minnesota searches today:

A search for Norm Coleman turns up an ad for Mike Ciresi, but a search for Al Franken turns up nothing, which is interesting given that -- for the moment -- Ciresi is running against Al Franken, not Norm Coleman.

I tried searching for specific issues, but didn't get much. A search for "Minnesota politics" turned up an ad... for MPR.

If you stumble across any keyword searches with ads for a Minnesota candidate, drop a line.

I suppose the next "dirty trick" will be opponents clicking on the opposition Google ad to bankrupt the candidate, since it's a pay-per-click program.

Anti-Coleman ad buy in the Twin Cities.

Posted at 1:52 PM on July 10, 2007 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)

The public file at KSTP-TV says the ad buy for Americans United for Change is $11,675 at that station. The paperwork also said the group (which is running this ad criticizing GOP Sen. Norm Coleman) is spending $11,675 at WCCO, KARE and KMSP. That's a total of $46,700 in the Twin Cities market. UPDATE: The folks at Americans United detail the ad buy in the comments section. Apologize for the mistake. The ad contract at KSTP said the buys were equal at each station.

The public file did not include any purchases from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee who says they're running this ad targeting Coleman. So here's the question -- Are the groups generating more air time from earned media than paid media for these ads?

Update: It appears that the ad buy did generate a large media reaction. Jeremy Funk (who corrected me on the ad buy in the comments section) sent out an e-mail to "interested parties" entitled "All eyes on Norm Coleman" touting the number of stories done on the ad. 15 stories in total ranging from MPR to Roll Call to MSNBC.

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Coleman vs. Coleman

Posted at 3:35 PM on July 10, 2007 by Bob Collins

I'm not a political insider in Minnesota so I wouldn't know a good rumor from a bad one... but I did have to chuckle today when Minnesota Democrats Exposed wrote that DFLers are trying to get St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman to run for Senate against Norm Coleman.

Tim Nelson at City Hall Scoop then wrote a blurb that Minnesota Democrats Exposed was writing that DFLers are trying to get St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman to run for Senate against Norm Coleman. Tim, however, actually talked to Coleman's spokesman who knocked the story down. End of story, right?

Wrong. MDE added to its posting that "Tim Nelson of the Pioneer Press/City Hall Scoop has a post up about a Coleman vs. Coleman battle for the U.S. Senate."

That certainly sounded like a second source, right?

I guess this will now be the third source.

Proposed constitutional amendment: No mayor of St. Paul is allowed to run for anything until he can get a fast food restaurant in the downtown to stay open after 2 p.m.