Finally, Something Michael Steele And I Can Agree On

God bless Michael Steele. The comedy of errors RNC Chairman is always ready to give a few words for the media to broadcast. With Al Franken officially becoming Senator-Elect this week, he didn't disappoint his fans (from both parties) on this subject.

The Seemingly Endless Drama In Minnesota Shows Signs Of Closure

It has been almost eight months since the 2008 elections, yet Minnesota still does not have one of their state's senators over in Washington. After a recount of a closely contested race, Al Franken held a narrow but definite lead over incumbent Norm Coleman. Fall, winter and now spring have passed us by and Norm is still challenging the results in the state's Supreme Court, despite not wanting any legal challenges soon after voters cast their ballots (of course he was winning by a small margin at the time). Well despite Mr. Coleman's feet-dragging, fellow Republican and Governor Tim Pawlenty is making it clear that with the Court's ruling, he is ready to let his state have the representation they deserve.

From Politico:

Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) said Sunday he has no plans for further delay in certifying the results of the state's disputed U.S. Senate election so that Republican Norm Coleman can pursue a federal court challenge.

Pawlenty told CNN that he would abide by whatever ruling the Minnesota Supreme Court makes in the contest, where Democrat Al Franken appears to have an upper hand.

"I'm prepared to sign [the certification] as soon as they give the green light," Pawlenty said. “I’m not going to defy an order of the Minnesota Supreme Court. That would be a dereliction of my duty."

Well I'm glad that this governor is ready to serve his state, unlike a certain southern GoOPer. It is far past the time to challenge the results of this race. Minnesota should have their fair share of representation in the Senate and despite the split results, Franken still won the most votes and therefore should be allowed to do the job he was elected to do.

About Specter's Coleman "Joke"

Yesterday it was reported that in a New York Times interview with Senator Arlen Specter that he made a comment endorsing Norm Coleman's efforts at delaying Al Franken's ascendancy to the U.S. Senate. Basically he was wishing and hoping that Norm Coleman would prevail in his never-ending litigious quest against the victor of the Minnesota Senatorial election. Then when the story got out, I heard that it was just a joke, and that Specter misspoke. The whole thing was confusing, but apparently the joke wasn't funny with the rest of the Democratic caucus, so much so that they stripped him of seniority in all his committees. Losing seniority in the Senate is a big deal, so naturally people wonder if Specter was really telling a joke. Surely if it was in jest, the rest of his new-found party might consider some sympathy.

Well why not ask the woman who interviewed him:

So was Arlen Specter joking, when he seemed to say he wanted Norm Coleman to win in Minnesota? That’s what some people have been wondering after Specter said this: “There’s still time for the Minnesota courts to do justice and declare Norm Coleman the winner.”

So I asked New York Times reporter Deborah Solomon, who conducted the interview, what her impression was of Specter’s actual tone of voice and overall expression.

“I trust he meant what he said,” Solomon wrote to me. “If he had been joking, surely he could have come up with a wittier line.”

Perhaps he has bad sense of humor but I sincerely doubt it. If I had to choose who I thought was more credible, a reporter from the New York Times or a life-long politician, I wouldn't even give my decision a second thought, unless of course that reporter was Judith Miller. Specter got what he deserved when the Democratic party pulled his seniority. Perhaps now he'll be more mindful of what he says, and as Markos said earlier, it looks like he's making progress today.

Franken Expands Lead, Another Ridiculous Coleman Argument Shattered

Today was another positive moment for the future Senator Franken from Minnesota. The loser in the race, incumbent Norm Coleman had been dragging out the race in the courts once the recount had finished and put Franken in the lead. Since then, Franken has continued to hold a slim but steady advantage of a couple hundred votes. Now that Coleman had his "wrongly rejected" ballots counted, his chances became even slimmer.

From The Star-Tribune:

Minutes after the ballots were opened for the first time, state elections director Gary Poser counted them, reading off the votes one by one to a hushed courtroom. When he was done, Franken's lead had grown from 225 to 312 votes.

Coleman's case during the trial has rested mostly on counting absentee ballots that he contends had been wrongly rejected. Barring an unexpected court ruling, he now lacks the ballots needed for a trial victory, and his lawyers repeated vows to appeal an adverse final verdict.

Franken's side hailed the day's developments. "The result confirms what we knew going in, which is that more Minnesotans voted for Al Franken than Norm Coleman," said lawyer Marc Elias. "That was the case when we recounted the ballots the first time, and it's now the case after the election contest."

Whether or not Coleman will call it quits after this is still up in the air. He could go completely haywire and protest the state Supreme Court, but I don't know if they accept cases solely because a candidate for office ended up losing.

Meanwhile, millions of Minnesotans are without a Senator representing them in Washington while a few Republicans surrounding Coleman continue to help drag this out for the sake of cheap political games. Franken has been a financial boon to the leaders of the GOP, as they hold fundraisers that paint him as their new official boogeyman of the Democratic party in that they claim he is stealing an election that he had won.

With The End In Sight, Senator-Elect Franken Lets Loose

Norm Coleman has taken a job with someone other than the U.S. Senate, Al Franken is still certified by the Secretary of State and as the legal challenges dwindle, the soon-to-be Senator was finally ready to make some jokes.

Coleman Continues His Senatorial Charade

Ex-Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota is still firmly in denial following his narrow loss to challenger Al Franken. Franken was certified the winner by 225 votes, but that isn't stopping the tainted Mr. Coleman from going repeatedly into court for legal action he swore off immediately following the election. Today he acted as if and went to meet with former colleagues in the Senate's GOP caucus.

From The Huffington Post:

Former Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota is on Capitol Hill today meeting with his erstwhile colleagues.

"I'm hopeful I'll be back here," said Coleman as he entered the Senate's LBJ room for a lunch meeting with the Republican conference.[...]

Coleman will be spending the day, he said, doing one-on-one interviews with Washington-based reporters to update them on the situation in Minnesota.

Coleman wouldn't say how much longer the court battle will continue. "We'll see how that plays out," he said. "I hope it's quick."

It could be much quicker if Coleman drops this futile bid and makes a concession to soon-to-be Senator Franken. The permissable absentee ballots were counted and he lost. Whether it is by 225 or 225,000, we do have a winner here, and it is not Norm.

Battling Lizard People And Spaghetti Monsters In Minnesota

Al Franken is now the projected winner in the recount of Minnesota's highly contested Senate race.
The win is probably going to be by around one hundred votes or less, so let's see just how a couple of some of the contested ballots were determined to go the way of Coleman, Franken or, well, just take a look at how the odd ones were counted:

Norm Coleman Pulled A "Ted Stevens"

Ex-Senator Ted Stevens is out of a job and a convicted felon, all thanks to being caught taking bribes such as having his home renovated. Now it looks like Ted isn't the only politician that thinks having someone re-do your kitchen for special access and legislation is legit. Although the recount isn't going so well for Norm in his bid to beat challenger Al Franken, the election is the least of his problems.

From MyFox TwinCities:

The FBI is now reportedly investigating the allegations that Nasser Kazeminy tried to funnel $75,000 in campaign contributions through the Senator's wife. By why would a U.S. Senator, who makes about $180,000 a year, need the money?

Hmm, perhaps it was greed?

Two lawsuits allege that in spring of 2007, Edina businessman Nasser Kazeminy began a series of $25,000 payments to Coleman from Deep Marine Technology, a company he controlled in Texas, to Hays Companies, the Minnesota Insurance company where Laurie Coleman works.

So what does this have to do with home remodeling?

While Coleman didn't agree to sit down for a interview, his campaign did agree to share billing records of the remodeling project. Original projections in 2006 estimated a cost of $328,000, but four months later, the construction cost was estimated at $414,000, over-budget by $86,000.

During that time is when, the lawsuit alleges, Kazeminy was trying to get money to Coleman.

According to the lawsuits, in March of 2007, Kazeminy said that "U.S. Senators don't make s---" and he was going to try to find a way to get money to Coleman.

"On the one level it could just be a coincidence, on the other level this could be one of the reasons he's getting that money from elsewhere, to try to make up for his, to be able to pay off a loan, pay off a line of credit," says Schultz.

If/when this turns into a criminal complaint and/or indictment, Coleman is going to wish he was far, far away from Minnesota or Washington.

Missing Ballots And Other Drama Of The Great Minnesota Recount

The race between Norm Coleman and Al Franken is extraordinarily close three weeks after the polls closed in Minnesota. The count difference is somewhere between 84 and 211, depending on who you ask. So with a wire-thin margin like that, things like found ballots that were missing, thousands of challenges to known ballots and many more ballots that have gone missing are all a part of the game we like to call democracy here in the United States.

From RawStory:

With the recount in the razor-thin Minnesota U.S. Senate race continuing into its second week, Democratic candidate Al Franken's campaign says it has uncovered 6,400 rejected absentee ballots and will ask a state board to count at least some of those votes.

Campaign attorney Marc Elias said Tuesday that the campaign received the rejected ballots from 66 of the state's 87 counties, according to the Associated Press. In some instances, clerical errors or oversight caused the ballot to be improperly rejected.[...]

Each campaign is challenging more than 1,500 votes each, not counting any of the just-discovered absentee ballots Franken plans to ask to have included.

Franken's campaign also says several dozen ballots have gone missing.

Already we can tell this is going to be one hell of a finish. Nate Silver predicts that Franken will win by 27 votes, but really, with all these ballots moving around, it is hard to say who'll win this thing whenever it finally gets done. One thing that is for sure, the rest of the recount will be very interesting.

Bachmann Still A Terrible Liar

Minnesota can lay claim to one of the worst pathological liars in the Congress. Michelle Bachmann's district sent her back for another term despite a tough challenge from El Tinklenburg. Perhaps over the next two years enough people up there will realize what a nut she is and replace Bachmann with someone that at least knows what the truth is and doesn't live in a land of self-delusion.

Common Cause Gears Up To Babysit MN Recounters

Many of the people who are about to undertake a recount of Minnesota's ballots for U.S. Senate are not very acquainted with the laws concerning their task. That is why Common Cause is on the scene to observe and ensure the process is sound, regardless of whether Coleman or Franken comes out on top.

Norm Coleman Talks Nervously About A Recount

On the day after, there are plenty of races still unsettled. One is up in Minnesota between Senator Norm Coleman and his challenger Al Franken. The vote at the moment is within 0.04 percent. Norm says he thinks a recount prevents the healing process from starting, but if I were a betting man, I'd stake a lot of chips on the fact that Norm would be whining his ass off for a recount if the margin was ten times the amount it is now.

Obama V. McCain, It Isn't Even Close

Here is McCain's speech from last night and here are the reviews comparing that to this:



Hope and inspiration next to a lime green catastrophe.

Not. Even. Close.

Al Franken For Senate, Because His Teacher Says So!

Cute commercial:

Bachmann Delivers Two Smacks In The Faces Of Workers

Sometimes Republicans say the darnedest things. Whether its something covertly racist, hypocritical or out of plain ol' greed, their comments always seem to amuse me, in a sad/funny/ WTF kind of way. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota did not disappoint us today when she helped unveil the Republican bill to help the middle class (with tax breaks for corporations of course) by talking about how she views the hardworking citizens in her home state.

From ThinkProgress:

At a press conference today unveiling the stimulus proposal, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) justified the conservative plan to give tax breaks to corporations — instead of working Americans — by arguing that people actually like working long hours:

I am so proud to be from the state of Minnesota. We’re the workingest state in the country, and the reason why we are, we have more people that are working longer hours, we have people that are working two jobs.

Bachmann’s version of the American Dream is apparently working two full-time jobs and struggling to get by.

Gee, when I was growing up I always wanted to have two jobs and no time for my family. Isn't that what everyone wan......oh wait, thats what rich and greedy bastards like Bachmann want for the rest of us. Not for her to worry her pretty head about actually working hard for a change. Then again, maybe it is just hard work to get a hug (and other stuff) from the President.

We Still Miss You Paul

As a friend and I were lamenting the state of the Senate the other night, the only name we could think of in recent memory of a hero in that chamber was Paul Wellstone. Today is the fifth anniversary of when his plane went down in a storm, killing him, his wife and one of their three children.

His incredible life was cut short at the age of 58. The man that eventually replaced him was Norm Coleman, a petulant little scumbag that has done nothing for Minnesota and the honor of our country. Thankfully he should be on the way out next year care of Al Franken, but Paul was someone that brought an unheard of quality to the Senate, a desire for change and the perseverance to fight for it once he trudged in filth that is there now.

Today David Sirota reminds us to beware of the Santa Clausification of Paul's memory. Men like Paul are diamonds in the rough field of politicians and that coalfield of American politics generally shapes people like Paul and Bobby Kennedy into cartoon figures, as Sirota states. So if you remember Senator Wellstone or even as a professor beforehand, do not just lament the passing of great man, remember what he fought for and find that light inside of you, as it shines somewhere within us all.

MN-Sen, Franken Outraises Coleman

Not only did comedian turned politician Al Franken double the fundraising numbers of his Democratic competition, he beat incumbent Norm Coleman by $300,000. However, the overall numbers are only half the story. Sen. Coleman has not surprisingly turned to big money interests such as industry PACs. Franken only claims one percent of his contributions from PACs. The rest is all from the grassroots. It isn't hard to see who is running a campaign for the people.

From The Politico:

The Al Franken for Senate campaign announced today that it expects to report having raised over $1.9 million in the second quarter of 2007 when it files its quarterly report with the FEC on July 15.

The money was raised from nearly 28,000 donors. So far in 2007, over 36,000 donors have contributed a grand total of over $3.2 million. The campaign is particularly pleased to note that over 95 percent of contributions in the second quarter were $100 or less.

The $1.9 million figure would mean that Al has likely out-raised incumbent Senator Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) in the second quarter, an unusual feat for a challenger. Sen. Coleman's campaign reported raising "over $1.5 million" in the quarter. The Franken campaign will report nearly $2 million cash on hand.

The average Franken supporter gave just $65 dollars. The majority of that PAC money came from Dick Durbin. Coleman took over $450,000 or a third of his contributions in PAC money last quarter. There aren't any numbers for his 2nd quarter of that detail yet. CW says incumbents win the money race but there is no conventionality when it comes to Al Franken going after freshman Norm Coleman.

Al Franken Knows We Need Publicly Financed Elections

People who are sick of how much money is involved in politics know we need a drastic change to the way campaigns operate. Except for field operations and dealing with the media, the great majority of "time" resources is dedicated to calling for money, meeting people for money and doing whatever it takes to finance the campaign. Al Franken lamented on this process today at the Huffington Post. Who would know more about it than a candidate running for office?

From The Huffington Post:

As a candidate for the U.S. Senate here in Minnesota, I've become painfully aware of the role money plays in politics.

For instance, according to my staff, I'm not supposed to write anything without mentioning that our grassroots campaign needs the support of great progressives like YOU and asking you to click here and chip in a few bucks so I can take on the Republican attack machine.

See? That kind of thing totally distracts the reader from my point, which is this: If you ever wonder whether we really need public financing of elections in this country, try running for office. You might think I spend most of my time kissing babies or shaking hands or having serious policy debates in which my sparkling wit and superior knowledge of the issues combine to sweep audiences off their feet.

Read the rest of the diary to get more of Al's wit and wisdom, including another link to send him a few bucks in his race against Coleman. Who knows, if we get enough people like Franken elected to the Senate we might have a chance to enact real change when it comes to money and politics.

From Air America To The Senate

Al Franken was a star on Saturday Night Live and an icon for the progressive talk radio industry when he signed up for Air America Radio. Throughout, he has been a great source of comedic relief and helping those with comedy in far off lands by joining the USO. Now Al is leaving the Air America network and help his home state of Minnesota by becoming the next Senator from the state with ten thousand lakes.