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Senator Al Franken (D–Minn.)
Norm Coleman has finally conceded the 2008 Minnesota Senate race. Al Franken will be sworn in soon (probably next week) and Democrats will finally have a majority of 60 in the Senate.
Which will, of course, make approximately no difference at all. The corruption of the filibuster into a routine requirement for 60 votes in the Senate (an arguably unconstitutional evolution, IMHO) combined with the continuing presence of half a dozen non-liberals in the Democratic caucus combined with an almost iron self-discipline within the Republican caucus — well, all that combined means that liberals now have the illusion of control of Congress but not the reality. In a way, it's almost the worst of all possible worlds. Dem vs. Dem is now practically the only narrative that anyone will pay attention to, and since unanimous agreement is the only way for that narrative to play out well, this means it's almost always going to play out badly.
Still, that's a glass-half-empty point of view. So let's be more positive: one more vote is one more vote. And unless events are massively unfavorable, the ground still looks favorable to pick up two or three more seats in 2010. And Franken will probably be a pretty good senator, someone who knows how to talk in plain language and get himself on the talk shows. As long as he keeps his sense of humor and shows it to us once in a while, I'm looking forward to seeing more of him.
Wow NY snark
I guess you picked up the art of snark while in NY city, eh Kevin?
Any Democratic Senator who
Any Democratic Senator who votes against cloture should a) be stripped of committee assignments immediately. b) be assured personally by the President that they will have a primary opponent who will be supported and assisted in their fund raising by the President.
Not that this will happen, but it'd work.
Glass half full?
I think Kevin picked up something other than snark in the Big Apple. It seems more like dyspepsia to me. Hey, I understand, I hate flying and it often puts me in a bad mood too. Yes, you're right that the senate is a dysfunctional CF of a legislative body, but that was true before and would be true regardless of the outcome in MN. And yes, the poo flingers will get to point to a 60 seat majority to lay all the blame at the feet of the Dems (some of which might well be deserved) but is that really so different from the poo that they would have flung if Norm had actually been reelected and the dems had stayed at 59? I doubt it.
So the bottom line is we get Al instead of Norm. Seems like a pretty darn full glass to me.
Reality Sucks
Unfortunately, I have to agree with everything in Kevin's post. We'll see if the much-touted grassroots network developed during the campaign can help Obama bring the wayward Dems into the fold.
what Anonymous said
Seriously, it's really that simple, isn't it? Democrats don't get to filibuster Democratic legislation. They can vote against it, if they oppose it. They can campaign against it. They can hold press conferences with Republicans. Whatever. But if they filibuster, they're out of the caucus, they get primaried, they lose all the committee assignments, their state loses all discretionary funding and earmarks in the budget process, etc.
Simply establish that now that the Democrats have 60 votes, they are going to hold the Senate to a strict principle of majority rule.
Oh c'mon, Kevin
Are we supposed to pretend this just happened? Substitute a few words here and there and you're describing the experience Repubs had when they were in the majority in the Senate.
Senator Franken will be a
Senator Franken will be a great recruiting tool for the Republicans in the upcoming mid-terms. Welcome to the Senate, Franken.
I agree with Kevin that Al
I agree with Kevin that Al will be a good senator. I am hopeful that his comfort in front of a microphone or TV camera will allow him to be a force in setting the narrative, or at least framing issues in a progressive way. While Republicans will raise money off of him, he may benefit from their caricature - the same way Hillary did - when people get to see and hear the real Al.
Is this the first clown from
Is this the first clown from Minnesota? We've had a bunch of them from Illinois.
Republicans reduced to baseless cheap shots
I suppose since the GOP base is essentially willfully ignorant and incapable of reasoning, the cheap shot sound bite attacks against Franken might work, at least a little.
But really, that 'base' is only about 20% of the population, and they were already willing to believe that Obama is a Muslim terrorist, so I doubt Franken will create any new problems.
In the meantime, for the rest of us, I think Franken will show that he is a competent and capable senator and I am much happier with him than with the lightweight phony baloney closeted sellout Coleman, who faces lawsuits for corruption and further estrangement from his 'wife.'
Tripp
What we have
being ignorant and a distrustful person,I think the american people get what they ask for and vote for ; theey in turn gave us G. W. Bush, Cheney, and entourage. Now what they have given us I hope is better, but doubtful as the whole of our elected officials are bought and paid for and well visited by the well paid lobbyist. We have some who call themselves democrats, but act like republicans; they just have not come out of the closet yet and so their true species remains hidden in the closure. In actuallity they are true republicans. I hope the GAY community does not take offense at my conjecture of these politicians. And so our insurance bill will not be passed unless it is so watered don it is useless, and the enviormental bill will be the same,watered down to useless. And so the closeted dems/republicans will stay closeted iand safe in their darkness.
What we have
being ignorant and a distrustful person,I think the american people get what they ask for and vote for ; theey in turn gave us G. W. Bush, Cheney, and entourage. Now what they have given us I hope is better, but doubtful as the whole of our elected officials are bought and paid for and well visited by the well paid lobbyist. We have some who call themselves democrats, but act like republicans; they just have not come out of the closet yet and so their true species remains hidden in the closure. In actuallity they are true republicans. I hope the GAY community does not take offense at my conjecture of these politicians. And so our insurance bill will not be passed unless it is so watered don it is useless, and the enviormental bill will be the same,watered down to useless. And so the closeted dems/republicans will stay closeted iand safe in their darkness.
While I agree with the basic
While I agree with the basic take you have on Franken finally gaining the seat he won, I do have a slight problem with your insinuation that the filibuster is unconstitutional. Unless you can point to a specific clause to the contrary, Section I Article 5 allows that each House may determine the rules of its proceedings. Outside of a few mentions in Article I of the necessity of a 2/3 majority (veto override, etc), there is nothing specifically within the Constitution that requires only a majority vote in each House to conduct business (bring things to a vote for instance). While requiring 60 to allow a vote may be ill-advised, it is not unconstitutional.
Franken
What does Randi Rhodes know about her former Air Liberty colleague and when did she know it?
On another matter -- why all the commotion about EOLA (end of life alternatives_.
They starved Terri Schiavo didn't they?