2009.06.30
That's Senator Franken
Well, it should be all over except the shouting, or the whimpering from Republicans.
The Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously declared Al Franken the winner in last November's Senate race and said he was entitled to the certificate of election that will allow him to be sworn in as Senator.
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The court's decision is available online.
I wonder if Franken will pack his spare spine for the Senate Ds. Now that they have 60, they have no more excuses not to pass the progressive legislation they were elected to pass.
Comment by C. Trejbal — June 30, 2009 @ 3:27 pm
Ah the clown prince of the Senate is arriving. This will be very entertaining. Franken is a loose cannon. We need that in the Senate now. Someone who can grate on the nerves of people like Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.
Comment by Henry — June 30, 2009 @ 3:44 pm
Why do their nerves need grating Henry? They are the only two R's with a backbone right now. I think you guys need to worry more about "little Bo-Peep" finding you than our "clown prince".
Comment by Sandi Saunders — June 30, 2009 @ 4:07 pm
Sounds as if Al has already grated on someone's nerves. Don't let it get to you Henry. Senate terms are only six years. You have had plenty of practice. Surely you can whine that much longer.
Welcome inside the Beltway Al. Now, it is time to put the teeth back in the Labor Code and do away with these rediculous trade policies that have bankrupted us. If it hadn't been for all the deregulation Reagan started, we wouldn't be clinging to this capsized boat anyway.
Comment by allen bunch — June 30, 2009 @ 4:09 pm
Oh and "Selected not Elected". Just thought I would throw that in. How many dead people voted in the MN election?
Franken is the Democrat's Rush Limbaugh and he is a Senator now. We are going to get six years of commercials from Franken.
Comment by Henry — June 30, 2009 @ 4:21 pm
I guess it is a miracle you guys EVER win an election, huh Henry? Franken is by no means our Limbaugh so stop with the insults. Considering what we get from some in Congress, 6 years of commercials would be a treat.
Comment by Sandi Saunders — June 30, 2009 @ 4:35 pm
My objection to Franken is the same as my objection to Caroline Kennedy Shlossberg, and even Barack Obama to an extent. Although I will agree with most of Franken's positions, he is woefully unqualified to be Senator. The Senate, for all the serious issues confronting our nation, does not need a comedian, one who more than likely ran as a gag. This is like Pat Paulson, the deadpan comedian from who ran in the 1968 election as a joke, actually winning.
Comment by The Professor — June 30, 2009 @ 4:51 pm
Every time I see one of Allen's comments in some way it is mentioning
Union or labor.
Hey Allen, did you see Mack pulled out of Pulaski.
I hope the Dems do step up the labor code and trade policies.
Then we will see more of your union buddies on the bread line.
The union's got what they deserve. A pink slip and I hope it stay's
that way.
Close the plants and lay all of them off. Then where will they be.
Comment by herb krebs — June 30, 2009 @ 6:54 pm
Al Franken as a US Senator? Wow...that's something to be proud of.
I am truly ashamed that we've stooped to such low levels when picking our statesmen. We've finally hit rock bottom.
Comment by Patrick — June 30, 2009 @ 7:12 pm
Patrick, what do you base your "that we've stooped to such low levels" opinion on?
Comment by Sandi Saunders — June 30, 2009 @ 7:35 pm
Sandi, at one time our representatives were noblemen. Now we're picking has-been comedians.
Wow.
Comment by Patrick — June 30, 2009 @ 7:49 pm
Don't it irk you no end that the simple-minded, dope smoking, hippy, unwashed, so kewl, totally uninformed, stupid idiots that elected Franken have the same vote that you do?
Comment by wayne p. — June 30, 2009 @ 8:08 pm
Like I have always said Herb, without a well paid work force, business owners can not thrive. That is where we stand right now Herb and business owners are laying workers off every day. I sure am glad that I am not consumed by the desire to see more Americans on bread lines.
Mack is not gone yet Herb, but I read that they are going to transfer that production back to 'Allen'town where it belongs. That is a good UNION town with a good name. In case you are not familiar with this type of thing, Mack in Allentown operates under the same UAW contract as Volvo in Dublin. I hate to burst your bubble, but there will be just as many well paid workers after the relocation as there were before the move.
Patrick, at least comedians write their own material. I'm sure this will be several steps up from electing a second rate actor who had trouble reading his lines.
Oh, by the way, there must have been a whole lot on your side Henry. I did not have time to read the decision, but I would not be surprised if that is why the Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously reached a decision. Whatever it was, it must have been pretty conclusive to prompt a unanimous decision. Don't you just like the sound of that word? It just makes you feel good doesn't it, like there is no doubt they reached the right decision. One more time, UNANIMOUS!
Comment by allen bunch — June 30, 2009 @ 8:18 pm
I have no doubt that we have had some noble public servants in the Congress and the White House. I maintain that we still in fact do. Time will tell what kind of Statesman Senator Elect Franken will be, but I cannot fathom that he could in any way "tarnish" the chamber. He graduated cum laude in 1973 (I believe) from Harvard with a bachelor of arts degree in political science. He appears to have charted his own course since then and his resume is not shabby by any stretch. Truth be told, he is the type of politician we need more of as opposed to the career pols. We are not allowed to pick the Congressmen and Congresswomen from anywhere except our state, C'est la Vie.
Comment by Sandi Saunders — June 30, 2009 @ 8:23 pm
"Sandi, at one time our representatives were noblemen."
Sandi, that is just as I have always said too. I am so ecstatic I am having trouble typing this. To have Patrick confirm it for us is better than I would have ever hoped. They believe in a 'ruling class' and a 'working class'. For them, there is not doubt which class they are 'supposed' to be in. There also is no doubt that we are to be subservient to them. Apparently, we have done nothing but go downhill since our representatives were NOBLEMEN.
Comment by allen bunch — June 30, 2009 @ 8:35 pm
Sandi, you're right...C'est la vie.
allen..."I'm sure this will be several steps up from electing a second rate actor who had trouble reading his lines". Are you comparing Al Franken to Ronald Reagan?
You can't be serious.
Comment by Patrick — June 30, 2009 @ 9:01 pm
Sandi,
I certainly hopes it works out, but I just can't think of any possible qualification Franken has for being a senator. Certainly, I can't point to any experience that might have prepared him for the job. His credentials to date are inventing characters on a late night show where he appeared in a diaper. When I heard he was running, I honestly thought it was a joke. Certainly there were progressive far more qualified than he.
Comment by The Professor — June 30, 2009 @ 9:32 pm
Sorry Patrick, but there's a real world out here.
Comment by Ed H — June 30, 2009 @ 9:44 pm
The Professor,
So if you ever need an artificial heart, you'll refuse it just because it was invented by Paul Winchell?
Comment by Ed H — June 30, 2009 @ 10:21 pm
Oh yes, he was a master at working the ruling class working class mantra. I'm not the least bit surprised that his minions would be taken aghast at the very possibility of being less than an upstart has-been commoner.
Comment by allen bunch — July 1, 2009 @ 12:54 am
You're right, Ed, there is a real world out there...laughing at us.
Comment by Patrick — July 1, 2009 @ 1:31 am
You know, the arguments against Al Franken are so ridiculous, I don't even know where to begin.
Some argue he isn't fit to be a senator because he's a writer/tv personality. What about Ronald Reagan? What was his background before he took a foray into politics? Bedtime for Bonzo.
I hear people calling him a clown prince, possibly for some of his comedic writing. Somehow I think intellectually it takes a bit more stuff to write with wit than it does than say some of the sport stars we've had in Congress.
Ultimately, this is just sour grapes again. "Selected, not Elected" works just as well for Franken as it does for George W. Bush.
Don't judge until you've seen his actual work in Congress. If he screws up badly, I'll be there ragging on him just like anyone else, but until then, nobody has any quantifiable reason to believe he will do any worse than anyone else.
The shame is, he'll get 6 less months to get things done because some people just can't let go and are scared of change.
Comment by scott — July 1, 2009 @ 1:36 am
So Minnesota has elected Al Franken and Jesse "the body " Ventura. Got to be a house seat for Prince coming soon.
Comment by BUD — July 1, 2009 @ 7:00 am
The funniest thing about that, Bud? Norm Coleman lost to both of them, plus a dead guy.
Talk about a winner.
Comment by Dan Radmacher — July 1, 2009 @ 7:04 am
"Sandi, at one time our representatives were noblemen"
Patrick you sound nostalgic for pre-Revolutionary....everywhere. Our representatives have never been "nobleman". We have blessedly been spared that entire class in the United States. Ask the Russians and French how well their 'noblemen' did by them.
Vive la revolution!
Comment by Kristen — July 1, 2009 @ 7:43 am
I think it's funny that the same people who rail against professional politicians gripe about Franken's "lack of experience". All "lack of experience" means in today's political realm is ....lack of experience in selling out.
As for all those apocryphal "dead people" who voted...I just want to know what they were doing when we got stuck with Bush twice. Why didn't they vote then? I guess you're never too old - or dead- to learn something new.
Comment by Kristen — July 1, 2009 @ 7:45 am
Five minutes on stage at a comedy club, and the naysayers might look at Al Franken in a different light.
Comment by Blue John — July 1, 2009 @ 7:55 am
Yeah Dan....Norm's on a roll.
Comment by BUD — July 1, 2009 @ 7:57 am
Dan, you'd think after a while Norm might find another line of work, you know? That's an awesome track record in politics, especially for a 'professional' politician. He lost to a professional dead guy, a professional wrestler, and a professional comedian. Give it up Norm, I don't think this is working out too well for you. You still have time for a career change, maybe you might want to explore that.
Comment by Other John — July 1, 2009 @ 8:12 am
Interesting read in the WSJ about Frankens victory: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124640687950076679.html
Oh, and my comment about nobelmen? It was a typo. It should have been "noble men"...I missed the spacebar. Oops.
Comment by Patrick — July 1, 2009 @ 8:31 am
Hey, off topic, but question arises...Is Bob McDonnell from Minnesota originally? He and Norm have a similar way of pronouncing words, I noticed. Have you seen McDonnell's commercial. he pronounces home as hom and one other word I forget, strangely. Does he have a speech impediment (like Franken) or is he from another region? Thanks!
Comment by Sandi Saunders — July 1, 2009 @ 8:31 am
Franken is by no means our Limbaugh so stop with the insults.
you first..
Comment by pammala — July 1, 2009 @ 8:37 am
Bob is from PA, if I remember right.
Comment by Other John — July 1, 2009 @ 8:44 am
From Patrick's WSJ link: "The Democrat's strategy from the start was to manipulate the recount in a way that would discover votes that could add to his total."
This is hilarious. Does the author of this article believe Coleman's strategy was any different, or that Coleman didn't go to the same, or greater, lengths to ensure that all votes for him counted?
Comment by Dan Radmacher — July 1, 2009 @ 8:45 am
@ Dan #24:
"The funniest thing about that, Bud? Norm Coleman lost to both of them, plus a dead guy.
Talk about a winner."
What is it with MN politicians? I know Dan knows very few embarassing facts about Democrats, but there is one politician who could be considered a bigger political "loser" than Coleman: Fritz Mondale, who is the only politician to ever lose a statewide election in 50 states (including an election to Dan's loser, Norm Coleman). In 1984 Mondale lost to Ronald Reagan in every state except MN. In 2002, Fritz completed the circuit by finally losing his home state to Coleman.
Comment by Mike W. — July 1, 2009 @ 8:58 am
Good thing that "article" was on the OPINION page, because that was some shoddy journalism. Franken "ginned up" absentee ballots? Gee, where have we heard that counties not using a uniform system is a problem? Gee, where did the precedent for the courts deciding elections come from? Gee, how do you indict a whole state's electoral system and then everyone just forgets about it? It may well stink, but something else stunk first. What goes around. comes around. How about people pay some attention BEFORE they lose an election?
Comment by Sandi Saunders — July 1, 2009 @ 8:58 am
Both Franken and Limbaugh (or so I'm told) are "entertainers". The difference is only that Franken is occasionally entertaining, deliberately. Limbaugh's entertainment value is completely unintentional.
Comment by Kristen — July 1, 2009 @ 9:00 am
@ Sandi # 31:
"Hey, off topic, but question arises...Is Bob McDonnell from Minnesota originally? He and Norm have a similar way of pronouncing words, I noticed. Have you seen McDonnell's commercial. he pronounces home as hom and one other word I forget, strangely. Does he have a speech impediment (like Franken) or is he from another region? Thanks!"
Sandi, I think you have confused Bob McDonnell and Mark Warner. McDonnell was born to a serviceman in PA and moved to VA as a small child. He graduated from BI in 1972. Sen. Warner lived in CT and DC until moving to VA as an adult.
Several news sites have McDonnell and Warner's respective biographies and they are easy to look up. While the RT depends on AP and other news sources, there is a lot of information on Wikipedia or news sites that could answer questins like this.
Comment by Mike W. — July 1, 2009 @ 9:11 am
Many years ago, Limbaugh actually was entertaining when he would do parody bits, his football picks for the week, and things like that. They were funny, original, and it made the show worth listening to (even though I disagreed with a lot of his political views). In recent years, he's mostly gone away from those things and focused more on issues, which has driven up the dull factor. Add in his very self-righteous opinion of himself and his increasingly more frequent negativity, and his show today is unbearable.
Comment by Other John — July 1, 2009 @ 9:15 am
You know...it's kinda funny when you read all the posts about being "qualified" to be a United States Senator. I think this is taken from the Constitution: Be at least 30 years of age, a U.S. citizen for nine years, and a resident of the state that the candidate wishes to represent. U.S. Const., Art. I, ยง3.
Doesn't say anything about being a lawyer, doctor or Indian Chief. What it actually says is that anyone who wants to run with those three qualifications can. More importantly, it says that an ORDINARY citizen can in fact run for Senate (notwithstanding the fact that both political parties buy elections these days). I might add, editorially, that some degree of common sense is highly desirable as well.
If what we've had in Congress for the past 20 years is a shining example of the best (on both sides of the aisle), perhaps it is time to do a "Congress Refresh".
At the end of the day, Al will probably do no worse and perhaps no better than any other candidate that sought the office...and the good news is that after 6 years, the voters of MN get to decide like they did this time. (Quite unlike 2000 in another hotly contested election)
Comment by Will — July 1, 2009 @ 9:21 am
Thanks Mike W, do you know where in Virginia? I am a bit of an accent/speech impediment freak. I mean no disrespect by my question, he just pronounced some words funny by Virginia dialect and I was wondering. Mark Warner speaks so fast he is hard to understand, which might qualify as a speech impediment, otherwise I do not get his entry into the conversation. Creigh Deeds has a remarkably good sound for SW Va. Virgil Goode has a very distinctive twang. I dislike listening to a pol, newscaster or weatherman with an impediment. I seldom ever listened to Franken's radio show because his impediment is noticeable although more so on camera. Charlie Rangel is a slug AND has an awful voice. It is unfair and maybe even unkind of me (although I do not mean it to be and realize people cannot help an accent or impediment), I have a lisp as well so maybe that tunes me in. These are just my own observances, they have no bearing and there is no political agenda, I swear.
Comment by Sandi Saunders — July 1, 2009 @ 9:35 am
All we want is a little experience running something or some time at the local or state level before entering the national scene, just a little history that shows you can do the job before you play with the varsity on the national stage. Obama was a little thin on experience for my taste (I was a Hillary supporter) but at least he had some experience at the local level. Granted, the House would be a little more forgiving as a first step (Fred Grandy, Mary Bono, Steve Largent). But the Senate is a lot more critical. All the knocks we heard about Caroline Kennedy were valid. She just wasn't ready for prime time, and Franken isn't even close to her. Admittedly his brand of comedy was lost on me. I watched SNL during those years, and he was the one player who, to me, just plain wasn't funny. I worry Franken will be an embarrassment.
I know I should feel very happy that we finally have a supermajority in the Senate, but I just have a feeling of uneasiness. It's something like James Carville was cautioning about. He says it feels like 1993-94 all over again, and I well remember what happened in November of '94.
Comment by The Professor — July 1, 2009 @ 10:35 am
Sandi...McDonnell is from Alexandria, I believe. Like you, I could listen to Deeds for hours.
Frankin's show was interesting. I loved his comedy with SNL and, while I disagreed with him on many points, it was interesting to hear his show evolve. It became clear early on how a different skill set was required for success on radio vs. TV. As he gained more experience, Frankin was clearly developing that skill set.
I'm with you on this one, Sandi...I find it very interesting to listen to the accents and dialects used on the House and Senate floor, as speakers who hail from all different corners of the country speak.
OJ...I am with you on Limbaugh too. His politically correct NFL picks were a comedic highlight every Friday (as a 'Skins fan, my team was never picked). Nowadays, he's stopped those sort of skits and just speaks politically. I do wonder if it has to do with his hearing loss, which seemed to happen at about the same time.
Comment by Mike W. — July 1, 2009 @ 10:41 am
Mike, I don't know if the hearing loss was related or not. I do know that when he went away from satire, he got boring and shrill. That's the same reason I can't stand Hannity or most other talk shows, but why I will always listen to Boortz when I can. Talking about issues is fine, but it's got to be a lively discussion of mixed with humor to make it something worth listening to. I think that's why I listen to sports talk mostly now, because at least on ESPN, the talk is not all sports, but it's almost always entertaining because of the personalities of the hosts.
Comment by Other John — July 1, 2009 @ 10:55 am
Thanks Mike W. I love listening to Haley Barbour speak as well. British, Scottish, Indian, Northern versus Southern, I find them all fascinating.
Comment by Sandi Saunders — July 1, 2009 @ 11:00 am
Not for nothing, as I don't like or listen to them, but Boortz has, by far the better voice, modulation, timing etc. of the three. A good voice is just easier to listen to in general, although I detest Garrison Keillor's voice and many think he has a great one.
Comment by Sandi Saunders — July 1, 2009 @ 11:05 am
Sandi, I agree. It's amazing that Boortz has had trouble getting stations in the north, just because he's based in Atlanta (doesn't much sound like it though), seeing as how he's a PA native. I will have to agree with the other about Keillor, because I enjoy listening to APHC...though I can understand why you might not find his voice too listenable with some of his pronunciations and his general dialect. I think I tolerate the northern great lakes accents better since half of my family is from Michigan, and I'm ok with the deep southern drawls since the other half is from Georgia. In general, I don't like a New York/New Jersey accent, and Bostonians just drive me nuts.
Comment by Other John — July 1, 2009 @ 11:30 am
@ Scott #22
"Some argue he isn't fit to be a senator because he's a writer/tv personality. What about Ronald Reagan? What was his background before he took a foray into politics? Bedtime for Bonzo."
You may not know too much about Ronald Reagan. He started off his political career as President of the Screen Actor's Guild, a huge union at the time. He presented policy papers for years and hosted a radio program on politics for over a decade. His 'Time for Choosing' speech was nationally known long before the dawn of today's mass media. He helped present Barry Goldwater in 1964 and was elected Governor of California for two terms before his first presidential run in 1976, where he lost the primary to an incumbant Gerald Ford.
With the exception of Bush 41, Reagan's VEEP, few presidents had more experience than RR before becoming president. No matter what one thinks of his policies, only the most partisan among us would say he was inexperienced.
Comment by Mike W. — July 1, 2009 @ 4:01 pm
That's right Mike, RR had plenty of experience selling his people out before he became president. He went on to be the greatest blight of all time on American society. Even George W. could not out do him.
Comment by allen bunch — July 1, 2009 @ 9:48 pm
Wow, Allen. I am not sure how you could draw that conclusion from the very basic (and simple) biographical facts I laid out. You may not have seen the comment that "no matter what one thinks about his policies...".
Perhaps you are someone who disagrees with RR's policies, and that's perfectly fine. Millions of people voted against him even at the zenith of his popularity.
What strikes me as odd is that even the most basic biographical sketch, about a dead man no less, could touch of sarcasm and anger.
Comment by Mike W. — July 2, 2009 @ 9:56 am
Wow, Mike W., I did not draw that conclusion from the facts you laid out. I drew that conclusion from living through his presidency.
Comment by allen bunch — July 3, 2009 @ 12:55 pm
Sorry, Allen; I misunderstood.
Your clearly thought-out, well documented, and perfectly reasoned post threw me off. I simply assumed that you were responding with unexplainable anger to my posting of RR's bio and didn't realize you were doing so in response to Reagan's presidency which ended over 20 years ago.
Comment by Mike W. — July 7, 2009 @ 4:05 pm