The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 49, said it wants the ad pulled immediately. One of the union's members was killed when the bridge collapsed. Twelve other people also died.
Local 49's political director Adam Duininck said it's wrong to use the tragedy in a campaign ad.
"It doesn't sit real well with us because of how personal I think it is for some of our members, and some of the people that were working on that bridge," Duininck said. "It was really a tragic event for a lot of us, and we just don't like to see it used as an issue ad -- used for political purposes."
The union has endorsed DFLer Al Franken's campaign against Coleman.
Coleman's campaign said it will not demand that American Future Fund pull its ad.
Mike Ciresi has left the DFL nomination process for Senator from Minnesota, leaving only Al Franken and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer seeking the DFL nomination. From his announcement yesterday:
I am announcing today my withdrawal from the contest for the DFL endorsement and the conclusion of my candidacy for the U.S. Senate. In my judgment, continuing the endorsement race would only lead to an unnecessary floor fight. It is time to step aside... We encourage all to remain committed to changing the direction of our nation and to support candidates of their choice.
No one's heard of JNP, in effect leaving only Stuart Smalley. This is actually good news for Minnesota, because Norm Coleman is going to have a much easier time running against him than Ciresi, someone who had lower negatives.
There is, however, one way that Al Fraken could win: bring in a team of former Soviet Union archivists who'll work night and day to remove all of the questionable things Franken has said and done over the past few decades from the public record. Airbrushes to the ready!
OK, we've already answered that Janeane Garofalo is as straight as many types of arrows. Now, let's move on to that other question that many people younger than 35 ask: "she's so vile, bitter, cynical, and just plain depressing nowadays, but was Janine Garroffalo ever funny?"
At that point, I rush to remind our younger visitors that JFo is a professional comedienne/stand up comic/D-movie actress who has been, at certain distinct moments in time, occasionally somewhat funny. As proof, I reviewed all of her past work in D- and E- movies, all of her past standup performances, all of her radio shows, and I came up with the following clip from 1992 as somewhat partial proof. I didn't watch the whole thing, so there's a great possibility that she says something stupid somewhere in there.
While many consider standup to be the lowest form of comedy, some might find it entertaining, but only as long as they understand her topical references. For instance, "Nirvana" was a band that was popular at the time, and "Amy Grant" is a singer of some kind. It's also interesting to note that she presents herself as a "Gen X" comic, when in fact she was born in 1964 and thus might be considered a Baby Boomer. Surprisingly, she also references the possibility of having children.
However, I'm having trouble understanding exactly what she's wearing. The jeans shorts aren't exactly such a good choice, in that they make her look a little dumpy. Frankly, short and a little wide isn't such a bad combination, but some might disagree. But, I don't seem to recall that as being a style, and I'm having trouble finding anyone who dresses like that now, except perhaps for certain people who walk along Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood at 3am.
