2008 MN Senate Debates: on Budget & Economy


Al Franken: Opposed $700B rescue package; it only helps Wall Street

Franken repeatedly returned to his theme of wanting to be a middle-class champion in Washington. He repeated that he would have voted against the $700 billion economic rescue package because he thinks it will hurt average taxpayers to help Wall Street. He said he likes Barack Obama’s proposal to place moratoriums on home foreclosures.
Source: 2008 MN Senate Debate reported in Star Tribune Oct 17, 2008

Dean Barkley: Greatest malfeasance in economic history on GOP’s watch

The candidates sparred over who’s to blame for the country’s serious troubles and who has the courage, stamina and independence to fix them.

Barkley, in particular, went bare-knuckled at his better-financed, big-party rivals, saying their campaigns have been corrupted by special interest money and negativity. He reserved some of his sharpest criticism for incumbent Coleman for, among other things, not doing more to stop the economic meltdown affecting the nation and world. “Norm, on your watch we had the greatest malfeasance in economic history. If you were in Enron, right now you’d probably be under indictment, not running for reelection.“

Coleman responded that ”It’s easy from the cheap seats to throw shots,“ and said that Barkley and Franken lack his experience and his understanding of what it takes to forge deals in the hard-ball partisan atmosphere of Washington.

Source: 2008 MN Senate Debate reported in Star Tribune Oct 17, 2008

  • The above quotations are from 2008 Minnesota Senate Debates: Coleman, Franken, & Barkley.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Budget & Economy.
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  • Click here for more quotes by Norm Coleman on Budget & Economy.
  • Click here for more quotes by Al Franken on Budget & Economy.
Candidates and political leaders on Budget & Economy:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Dec 01, 2018