Letter: Coleman is not living in substandard conditions

8 Jul 2008 // I saw Norm Coleman on television practicing his “Humble is my Middle Name” spin. He modestly bragged that he is saving money by living in an inexpensive little basement rather then blowing a wad on posh digs like all the other high-rolling, spendthrift senators. You got the impression Coleman is a self-sacrificing, average Joe, living in some unbearably dark, dingy little hole-in-the-wall.

Reality; Coleman rents a huge English basement in a million-dollar town house on Capitol Hill for $600 a month. Similar market-value rents are double or triple, according to a watchdog group. Coleman either does not pay rent or pays it in used furniture, which the “landlord” lets Coleman keep.

The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, who have a record of seeking charges against Democrats and Republicans for ethics violations, called on the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate Coleman’s little deal.

You have to rather admire the spin masters who have the guts to turn a violation of Senate ethics into a blurb on frugality and humility. Marketing moguls call this “Re-Framing.” Monty Python would refer to this as the “Dead Parrot Defense.” Little Johnnie Howard, ex-Prime Mister of Australia, would call it “noncore promises.” Those of us who were raised on old-fashioned ethics call it dishonesty.

Our economic situations might improve if we could reframe criminal acts and shady deals, but I’m betting that the real average Joe would never get away with it.

Coleman’s “landlord” is a powerful Republican operative in Washington.

According to reports, Coleman has done more than $1.5 million worth of business with this “landlord’s” St. Paul telemarketing firm. Coleman employs the wife of this “landlord,” under her maiden name. That’s a whole lot of cozy back scratching.