"We had no idea": Coleman campaign snubs farm group in favor of dentists
Coleman4 Early yesterday morning, we were searching for the meeting room where an MFU committee would gather. On the Four Points by Sheraton schedule, we didn't see a room listed for that committee, but we were surprised to see "Coleman for Senate" listed. This seemed like good news; the MFU had sought to schedule the senator to talk to members at the convention, having phoned, emailed and faxed requests.
We mentioned the hotel schedule to Thom Petersen, who was genuinely surprised, since he had heard nothing back from Coleman's people. As the day went on, the fact of the "Coleman for Senate" room reservation became a punch line as Ciresi and Franken were introduced to the convention.
Curiosity killed the cat; satisfaction brought her back. We were curious about the details of the "Coleman for Senate" event. We left the MNFARMPAC reception on the other side of the Four Points by Sheraton's meeting room and ballroom complex to check out the Coleman party.
We peeked into the room, where a lovely and archetypal hotel food service spread of fruit and other goodies waited. A sweet-looking and upbeat young woman staffed the table.
"What's happening here?" we asked, feeling a little sneaky in asking the pleasant and professional campaign staffer/volunteer our question.
"It's a fundraiser for Coleman for Senate," she said. "The senator will be here any minute."
"Oh, we're with the Minnesota Farmers Union," we said," We're having our convention here."
"We had no idea," she said. She was so cheerful that we could no longer play semi-secret agent and so strolled back to our own event.
A friend there told us who Coleman was meeting with in that room.
Suddenly, it all made sense. What Minnesota politician owes more to dentistry than Norm Coleman? The information brought back a flood of old reading.
In January of 2005, the Washington Post's Reliable Source posted When Dental Floss Is Not Enough, following the Star Tribune's lead:
How does a politician get a perfect smile? Now we know -- at least in the case of Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.). Photos of his cosmetic dental work were gleefully forwarded around Washington offices by e-mail yesterday.
Coleman's pearly whites became the topic of political chatter when the Star Tribune in Minneapolis reported that a dentist was using before-and-after pictures on his Web site to promote his business. The dentist extracted the pictures of Coleman at the senator's request, evidently to avoid any grief from the Senate Ethics Committee.
Longtime Coleman watchers will remember that Taegan Goddard's Political Wire asked in February 2005 Will Coleman's Teeth Be a Campaign Issue?:
"If comedian and liberal talk-show host Al Franken decides to run against U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman in 2008, his campaign might feature the Minnesota Republican's teeth," the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
"He said he envisions television ads featuring before and after photos of Coleman's teeth that St. Paul dentist Frank J. Milnar had posted on a promotional Web site to show how he fixed a gap in the senator's front teeth in 1999. The photos were widely circulated on political Web sites."
The next year, the City Pages Blotter wrote in Oh, the irony: Smilin' Norm thanks dentists for giving away smiles:
The senator best known for his dental and Wikipedia work has cosponsored a resolution congratulating the American Dental Association. Last year, when a cosmetic dentist displayed photos on his website of Coleman's before-and-after work in an effort to drum up new business, questions arose as to whether Coleman ever paid the dentist for his mouth makeover and if taking the free or discounted smile was a violation of Senate ethics rules.
Coleman's dentist, Dr. Frank J. Milnar, told the press the then-St. Paul Mayor received a 20 percent discount for his seemingly permanent and disingenuous grin. Coleman's Wikipedia-rewriting staff attempted to squash the teeth chatter, but it didn't help matters much when Coleman's spokesperson told the press, "The closest Senator Coleman has come to drilling [in ANWR] was in the dentist's chair."
Now Norm Coleman is giving back to dentists by cosponsoring a resolution that congratulates the American Dental Association for sponsoring the fourth annual 'Give Kids a Smile' program and thanks dentists for volunteering their time to help provide needed dental care. The resolution passed in Senate on February 7. Coleman's before-teeth could not be reached for comment.
Wonkette weighed in Norm Coleman, Big Smile!:
Senator Norm Coleman's plastic surgeon is really proud of his work, and has featured the Minnesota congressional newbie on his website, "StPaulSmiles.com." You can judge results for yourself, but we have to admit, the guy on the right looks much less like a ghoulish, grave-dancing opportunist.
Further inquiry brought us the information that the hotel fundraiser was arranged by a dental association and the suggested contribution was $300.00. About 40 people attended and Coleman talked about how members of the Senate from both parties were spending wildly in Washington. We will read Coleman's next FEC report with an eye for spotting the take from his dental fundraiser.
A knowledgeable source also has it that Coleman was invited on the spot to speak to the MFU banquet, but he said that he had to go meet his wife and left.
As we noted in an earlier post, Coleman didn't snub all farm groups this weekend, as he spoke at a lunch at the Minnesota Farm Bureau's annual convention in Bloomington. His pick-and-chose contrasts with other members of the Senate and House ag committees. Senator Klobuchar and Congressman Walz, who serve on the Senate and House ag committees respectively, spoke to both conventions. Rep. Peterson, chair of the House Ag committee, was not on the agenda of either group. According to Thom Petersen, Congressman Peterson is in Washington this weekend, working on the Farm Bill.
Had Coleman, who also serves on the Senate Agriculture Commitee--confirmed to speak to the MFU convention, it's likely delegates--like Senator Klobuchar--would have applauded his break with his party to vote to move the Farm Bill forward. As it is, we've heard some hard feelings instead.
