Franken-Lies-And-the-Lying-Liars-Who-Tell

This chapter is a case study of how the right lies and viciously distorts. It is the story
of how the right-wing media repeats its fabrications until they echo into the mainstream
press. It is a story of pure cynicism in the pursuit of power. It is the story of how the lying
liars took the death of my friends and invented a myth that changed the 2002 elections.
book.
And the best part is, it's hilarious! No, it's not. But read it anyway. You paid for the
The Wellstone-Coleman campaign had been considered one of the most negative in recent
memory. Coleman had called Wellstone a "joke." He told KSTP radio on July 7, "I run
against a guy who I quite often think is just the lowest common denominator, the lowest
common denominator." Coleman said that Wellstone "opposed any program that promised to
move people from public assistance to private payrolls." Of course, that was a scurrilous lie.
Paul's work in the Senate created jobs all over Minnesota.
But mainly it was Coleman's proxies who played it dirty. The National Republican
Senatorial Committee (NRSC) ran an ad called "Pork" that hit the hypocrisy jackpot. It savaged
Wellstone for voting "to spend thousands of dollars to control seaweed in Maui," claiming
that he prioritized seaweed control over national defense. In fact, Wellstone did vote for
5.1216, as did Strom Thurmond, Trent Lott, and eighty-four other senators. That bill did appropriate
the seaweed control spending—but it also provided $21 billion for veterans' health
care, $27 billion for veterans' compensation and pensions, and block grants to assist New
York City's recovery from 9/11. The NRSC was chaired that year by Bill Frist, who later replaced
Lott as Senate majority leader. Before the memorial, Frist spoke with the Wellstones'
older son, David, who later recounted the conversation to me.
"I'm sorry about your parents and your sister," Frist told David.
"Did you authorize the seaweed ad against my dad?" David asked.
"Yes," said Frist.
"And did you vote for the seaweed bill?"
There was a pause. They both knew that the answer was yes. Finally, Frist said, "It
wasn't personal."
"My dad took it personal," David said. "Thanks for coming to my family's memorial."