Republican blogger knocks al franken off his game

"What happened is our accountant made a mistake, and all of these are repercussions of that same mistake," ... "His mistake was not understanding the law, the obligation to pay these state taxes."

So says comedian and former talk host  Al Franken whose campaign is in full damage control over a blogger's exposure of bookkeeping problems in New York and California that caused Franken to pay about $70,000 in back taxes to 17 states this week.

Franken is the frontrunner in the Democratic (known in Minnesota as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party) primary to run against Sen. Norm Norm Coleman, who is seen as vulnerable in November. 

Franken told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that errors by his New York accountant led him to overpay $49,253 taxes to New York state and Minnesota where he lived between 2003 and 2006, while not paying $53,404 in taxes to 17 states where he earned money for appearances and speeches. The $70,000 is an estimation of what he owes, Franken said.

The money owed is from income tax states whose Directors of Revenue watch the papers for deep-pocketed, high-profile, out-of-state national stars and aggressively impose income taxes on entertainers, athletes and tour speakers who spend as little as a day in their states.

Professional athletes are particularly vulnerable and way before Franken's problems controversy over the fairness of these taxes has been debated. Their supersized paychecks make them irresistible to local taxmen.   

Is this a big deal politically for Franken? Probably not, since it's come so early in this season, but Franken is seen as behind in this race, and though his major DFL opponent has quit, he still must get the party nomination in July. This is seen as renewing doubts about him among his party cohorts.

Republican Party chairman Ron Carey told reporters, "He's going to have to answer this question all the way through November."

Brodkorb denies he's a Republican operative, saying he's "never been paid to blog." The site has been long suspected of being an outlet for Republican op research. He won't say where he got the idea to check up on Franken's business in New York and California.

Once the problems started coming forward, Franken said, "we went into action. We hired an accountant in New York to oversee our books, we hired one in Minnesota to oversee it. We worked all weekend. There was a lot of material to go through."

Comments

[sparky]

Wasn't there discussion of having this "tax" for athletes who come to Seattle? How do they keep track? Are accountants held liable when they screw up?

[Andy]

Franken is a meanspirited elitist who will lose just like Obama. These cityfied intellectual liberals can win the coasts but can't prove to heartland Americans that they caan understand or represent their interests. Kind of amazing to read such an unbiased post on this blog. Maybe Hood gets Franken like other voters do.

[PugetSound]

Sparky
I can attest that CPA's -I hope Al wasn't stupid enough to go to someone who holds himself out as an Accountant without the appropriate credentials- are held accountable. You can lose your license, be suspended, or combination of both. Moreover, for they are suppose to have professional liability insurance so as to cover the costs that Franken will incur.
Of course for Al, the real cost isn't the late fees. Rather it is the political costs.
If you read RadioEqualizer he has been all over this for a week.

[PugetSound]

Looks like Joanie washed out of Shick Shadel...too bad. Better luck next time.

Howard Dean on Fox News.

DEAN

Watch the cartoon Roadrunner Cloud as the Dem Party runs away from Daily Kos, et al.
Looks like they learned the lesson of 'Senator' Ned Lamont.
The Dem Party will use 'em again at the next primary.

Big question, will the Kos types fall for it again.

[joanie hussein for obama]

All over what? My god, another tempest in a teapot. But all the right-wing crazies need to keep the warmongering Keating-Five McCriminal and his cronies like Coleman alive.

It would be funny if it weren't so sad.

cityfied intellectual liberals

well, I guess we could all become "backwoods ignorant rubes" like you so-called conservatives that gave us the current "Harvard-and-Yale legacy grad-u-ate from Crawford." You know, the one who declared mission accomplished umm . . . how many years ago was it?

[joanie hussein for obama]

My only experience with CPAs is Arthur Andersen. Were they liable? How much did the people of California recoup? I really don't know.

[sparky]

PutS you need to actually read Daily Kos, in depth, instead of relying on what Brian Baloney tells you.
If you did, you would find thousands and thousands of posts saying how important it is to get the message out to everyone, even those who watch Faux News. The media is in the business of using the big brush because it is easier than to actually do some investigating. No, not everyone likes the idea of sitting down with the very people who find millions of ways to twist words every night, but there are those who take a more centrist approach and say to at least give it a try. There are no Road Runner clouds.

[Freakin']

The Winter book is out and Dori Monson wins again! #1 in his daypart for all of Seattle!

[Tommy008]

i'd like to see Monson and Burbank lose teir jobs in a gay sex scandal at the station, and be reduced to wearing paper hats on their new jobs at the Holman Road and Queen Anne Dick's.

[PugetSound]

Sparks
Actually I do pretty much read the articles on Kos and Dem Underground to get a different perspective.
Posts are something I usually steer away from as a waste of time. ANYONE can post, hell look at the crap Joanie throws against the wall.
Not sure why you are so deadset against the Radio Equilizer given his high percentage of accuracy about radio matters in general.
If he was someone who was a ranter/blowhard why would B'lam link to him and cite the blog as an authoritative source?

[Duffman]

Puts: methinks you've gained significant added respect now that you're being deduced as a CPA. Careful...you might soon be welcomed into 'the club'...ha.
In that regard, can you explain why Hillary's gas tax plan would not be a good idea? I'm a bit 'skeptical' of it myself.

[sparky]

Duffman, why does Hillary tell people she is going to get the gas tax removed this summer??? She has no power or authority to do so..that lies with Congress and they have already said they will not bring the issue to the table, and Bush has said he will veto anything like it. Does she really think the gas companies will not just raise the prices to match whatever tax is lost? And since this was originally McCain's idea, why is she pushing a Republican talking point?

[Duffman]

Political posturing sparks, has to be. I'm as confused as you are why she would tout this idea - that's why I kind of wanted Puts slant on it. For a short term 'feel-good' it might 'sound' okay but it just doesn't seem to have legs to me. I'm surprised that she is pushing for this and I can only surmise that this is an 11th hour tactic to try to draw in the 'uninformed'. We'll see how it plays out tomorrow. I'm hoping she will win Indiana and be withing a single digit in NC...then the super dels have their work cut out for them.

[PugetSound]

The big worry is that the money that would normally be accrued as part of the tax to pay for road improvements, etc. would leave a funding gap that may cause some traffic projects to be delayed. Moreover, another issue is that some of the gas companies would keep the price artificially high and not allow it to drop consistent with the removal of the tax. So any reduction would be little at best.

The people I feel for are the Truckers. For them that reduction in the gas price is a big deal. They vote and they'll remember who was backing them and who wasn't. That would explain why McCain and Clinton are behind it.

Hey Duff, thought you would appreciate that nice pic of Joanie on her way for 'the cure.'

[mercifurious]

In that regard, can you explain why Hillary's gas tax plan would not be a good idea?

Quite simply, it's the most short-sighted, idiotic, & stupid "political" solution to a complex problem that I've ever seen. It will perfectly fulfill the criteria for the law of unintended consequences.

Among others, here's three of the major reasons why it's just plain dumb:

A.) It will actually encourage Americans to drive more, thus raising demand (with falling supplies), thus raising the overall price of gasoline. (DUH!)

B.) Related to "A", oil co's will simply see the tax break coming toward them - along with increasing demand, and will accordingly raise their prices to adjust.

C.) It does absolutely nothing to solve the overall US addiction to oil. In fact, it will make it worse.

Put simply, Hillary is just trying to score cheap points with a "mana from heaven" solution that will only make matters worse. Put simply, no one should ever vote for someone espousing such stupidity.

Hopefully the American public will be smart enough not to fall for it, but you'll never see me betting on it.

[Duffman]

Puts: on this one I feel you and merci are correct. Tomorrow is a big day and we'll see what happens; I think both candidates are getting tired to the point that they are pandering for votes big time. I think Bill is doing well in NC in the smaller towns where folks have never beeen visited by a president or ex-president.
Indeed the truck drivers are taking it...expecially the independents. We have many complaints from our employees and we're trying to come up with a viable transportation-assistance program?

[nevets]

Duff, like Dave Ross and his idea of getting unlicensed drivers off the road by making them show a valid D.L. at the pump.

Sounds like good common sense, but...

First, why didn't Dave take into account that both alcohol and tobacco require an ID to purchase. And still we have underage kids drinking and smoking.

Second, at the loss of revenue from such a law, what makes Dave think the Oil Companies wouldn't buy the rights to the equipment needed for such a plan like they did the electric car.

It wont work. Hillary needs to work on it more.

[Duffman]

Oh, on the pic/link of jho I'm surprised it didn't get a rise out of her?..lol. You are getting as good with those links as merci. ha

[Duffman]

Yeah steven heard DR today and that topic. While sounding interesting I too felt it 'unworkable'!

[PugetSound]

"Oh, on the pic/link of jho I'm surprised it didn't get a rise out of her?..lol. You are getting as good with those links as merci. ha

Posted by: Duffman | May 05, 2008 at 07:34 PM"

Duff
I am but a mere Grasshopper next to Zen-Link Master Merci.
But yeah, you know she wants to reply but was probably too busy dodging Mr. O'Day...

[KS]

There will likely be an opening on SNL for a writer after Stuart Smalley - the tax evader who blamed it ala Wesley Snipes on his accountant gets beaten by the incumbent in the great state of Minnesota.

[joanie hussein]

A rise of out of me? You ass-ume I look at your links. Rarely.

Easy way to get a virus. Also, putsie hasn't posted much that interests me in a very long time. I skim rather than read his (or yours Duff)posts on this blog.

There is little new in anything you've posted above. The ideas are stale and I'm surprised that intelligent people need to be informed of anything posted. Are any of you really that dense?

It is sad to me.

A parent and I were talking this morning. She and her husband are from NY and she's the progeny of great wealth and her family is all republican. She and her husband both have very good jobs but they, too, are talking about the future and hardships that they see coming.

We discussed the possibility of actually moving out of the US. She and I agree that the "S" factor is becoming more prevalent. She commented that she and her husband would actually be just as close to their families in Europe as the west coast. About five hours either way.

You know, while the rich have gotten much, much richer, the middle class will be tapped to an ever-increasing degree to pay for all the infrastructure and social needs that have been left behind since Reagan. I think chucks may be in for a surprise one day. I don't care if puts withstands it. He thinks because he can read and remember words, he understands and emotionally empathizes with people. It is obvious he does not have that capacity.

I wonder what chucks is going to do when sales no longer pay the bills. Oh yeah, he's got a wife who works for the gumment. I forgot.

The middle class will be decimated when the piper demands to be paid.

Duffman, you want the health care to get it off your back. Oh, you'll do fine. You are already one who benefits from the labor of others. For you, the greed is good motto encompasses living. You may be lonely because you have nothing better to do than post inane comments.

All this talk about the pros and cons of the gas tax? It happened once before - according to what I heard today on the radio - and, yes, big oil just raised their prices. I have no source for that, however.

Why are you even discussing this proposal as if there is any merit at all to this pandering of Clinton? I think I understand more and more why you, Duff, want Clinton. You're a Republican through and through and so is Clinton really.

And putsies little CPA memo above? No answer to the Andersen puzzle? I dropped that to see if you would have a reasonable response. Of course not.

No, supercilious and vacuous thinking. It's not even fun to call you names anymore. You are so ignorant that you're dangerous.

BTW, putsie, nobody picks up on your shadle comments because they are puerile, have no clever connection to anything I post or do, and are getting very, very stale. So far, your best is (ph)ony joanie. But, I realize that one took more effort to type each time than you wish to spend.

Put those few brain cells you have left that are not obligated to memorization and try to find something that is at least funny or clever.

Poor, merci. Even he's finally had to drop the level of discourse to engage you guys. Shakespeare has become Harold Robbins to appease the "S" factor-indulgents above.

[joanie hussein]

And Steven, you and your one-tour-in-Nam armchair patriots finally got the ultimate prize:
Sgt. 1st Class David L. McDowell, 30, of Ramona, California died Tuesday in Afghanistan of “wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked using small arms fires.” The San Diego Tribune reports, “He had been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq seven times and was a recipient of two Bronze stars and a Purple Heart.”

Everyone now knows this war was and is for oil. You have so much killing in your gut that you will send back your toy soldiers until they all die, die, or come back like Tomas Young, an alert mind in a dead body.

All for oil.

You are despicable.

Have you said sorry to a vet yet?

[joanie hussein]

Funniest thing I heard today:

The much-vaunted-on-the-right must-have-patriot-lapel-pins are actually made in China.

A country of propagandized dimwits.

[nevets]

Joanie, you should read those articles you link. Isn't the Afghanistan War one that you support? And are you now saying that war there is about oil? Make up your mind. Oh, I forget, you are a woman.