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Oct 23, 2008 10:50 pm US/Central
Coleman: No Bad Robocalls; What About Guiliani?
(WCCO)
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On Thursday, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Minnesota voters should reelect Norm Coleman to the U.S. Senate because serious times call for someone with experience and a government record. (File)
CBS
There were more big endorsements in Minnesota on Thursday with former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani in town touting Sen. Norm Coleman's experience. But a little bit of a twist; Coleman renounced negative campaigning two weeks ago, including robocalls for Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain. But Giuliani is featured on McCain's latest automated robocall just now hitting Minnesota.
Last week Coleman asked the McCain campaign to stop running negative automated calls in Minnesota. But the latest recorded messages showing up on Minnesota telephones feature the voice of Giuliani.
"Hi, this is Rudy Giuliani, and I'm calling for John McCain and the Republican National Committee because you need to know that Barack Obama opposes mandatory prison sentences for sex offenders, drug dealers and murderers. It's true," Giuliani said on the robocall.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's campaign in Minnesota says it's not true. Obama supports mandatory prison sentences for serious crimes and he opposes mandatory minimum sentences.
Giuliani defends his and McCain's interpretation as accurate, and says it's neither a personal attack, nor negative campaigning.
"If you can't raise the man's record, the questionnaires that he filled out, the positions that he takes on criminal justice, then what you're basically saying is that you would like to see him crowned president without any questions being asked," Guiliani said.
And Coleman, who campaigns with Giuliani again on Friday, said the calls are "fair game."
"Its one thing to say here's the record and then let people make a choice. It's another thing to distort a record," Coleman said.
Obama's campaign is running automated robocalls in Wisconsin accusing McCain of running a dishonorable campaign, and telling voters McCain will continue President Bush's policies.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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