Author Topic: Minnesota senate win for Franken (Read 13887 times)

MicroBalrog · « **on:** June 30, 2009, 05:44:14 PM »

Minnesota senate win for Franken

Democrat Al Franken has won the disputed 2008 Minnesota Senate race, after his Republican opponent Norm Coleman conceded victory.

On election night last November, voting machines gave Mr Coleman a narrow 215-vote lead, triggering a recount.

Mr Franken won the recount, prompting an appeal from Mr Coleman. Earlier on Tuesday, however, Minnesota's Supreme Court rejected Mr Coleman's arguments.

Mr Franken will now become the Democrats' 60th vote in the US Senate.

Sixty votes are needed to overturn attempts by the Senate minority to block legislation using a technique known as a filibuster.

Comedian

Mr Coleman fought a long legal battle to overturn the results of the recount.

His legal team argued that a number of absentee ballots had been unfairly rejected by local officials.

But the Minnesota Supreme Court rejected Mr Coleman's arguments.

"The Supreme Court has made its decision and I will abide by the results," Mr Coleman told reporters.

Mr Franken first came to prominence as a comedian, appearing on Saturday Night Live.

He later became a best-selling author and a host on the liberal Air America radio station.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid issued a statement to "congratulate Senator-elect Al Franken, the next senator from the state of Minnesota".

He added: "The people of Minnesota will now finally get the brilliant and hardworking new senator they elected in November and the full representation they deserve."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/8127589.stm

Published: 2009/06/30 20:44:00 GMT

Â© BBC MMIX

Micro Sez: So... we have a 60-40 Democrat majority now. It can only get uphill from here.

Headless Thompson Gunner · « **Reply #1 on:** June 30, 2009, 05:49:48 PM »

Saw that coming. Let a Democrat count the votes enough times and eventually he'll come up with a tally that wins for him.

Fly320s · « **Reply #2 on:** June 30, 2009, 06:41:22 PM »

Quote from: Headless Thompson Gunner on June 30, 2009, 05:49:48 PM

Saw that coming. Let a Democrat count the votes enough times and eventually he'll come up with a tally that wins for him.

Just like every other politician.

makattak · « **Reply #3 on:** June 30, 2009, 06:48:38 PM »

I won't be defeatist, I won't be defeatist, I won't be defeatist...

<Anyone know where I can get a good sailboat capable of travel to and living in the Bahamas?>

HankB · « **Reply #4 on:** June 30, 2009, 07:35:54 PM »

And let me guess . . . in Franken's "win" they counted the votes from those couple of dozen precincts that turned in totals that exceeded the number of voters, correct?

So stuffing ballot boxes is now an acceptable way to carry an election in Minnesota. (GOP take note.)

AmbulanceDriver · « **Reply #5 on:** June 30, 2009, 08:17:30 PM »

$)@#

that's all. just $)@#.

so we've got a leftist majority in the house, a supermajority in the senate, and a socialist nutjob in the white house....

These next couple of years are gonna be rough..........

Nitrogen · « **Reply #6 on:** June 30, 2009, 08:23:30 PM »

#include <bush_did_it_first.h>

MechAg94 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 30, 2009, 08:25:52 PM »

Quote from: Nitrogen on June 30, 2009, 08:23:30 PM

#include <bush_did_it_first.h>

BS. If you haven't gotten over that after 8 years you need to get help.

lupinus · « **Reply #8 on:** June 30, 2009, 08:38:57 PM »

Heh, with the RINO's they had it in everything but paper anyhow

Headless Thompson Gunner · « **Reply #9 on:** June 30, 2009, 08:40:49 PM »

Quote from: Nitrogen on June 30, 2009, 08:23:30 PM

#include <bush_did_it_first.h>

The Florida 2000 thing is a prime example. If Gore had gotten his way, he would have demanded selective, arbitrary recounts until one showed him as the victor.

Standing Wolf · « **Reply #10 on:** June 30, 2009, 08:57:13 PM »

I'm surprised it took the DFL this long to steal that election during fake "recounts."

longeyes · « **Reply #11 on:** June 30, 2009, 09:33:25 PM »

It's not going to change the future, just hasten it.

Matthew Carberry · « **Reply #12 on:** July 01, 2009, 04:26:09 AM »

They have 60 Dems, not 60 votes on any given issue.

That has already been demonstrated.

longeyes · « **Reply #13 on:** July 01, 2009, 10:52:16 AM »

That's true, but how many "Republicans" can be counted on?

The real issue is how many conservatives are there, of either party, on any issue.

Headless Thompson Gunner · « **Reply #14 on:** July 01, 2009, 12:26:50 PM »

Quote from: carebear on July 01, 2009, 04:26:09 AM

They have 60 Dems, not 60 votes on any given issue.

That has already been demonstrated.

Until Democrats start crossing party lines as often as Republicans do, the Dems will have 60+ votes.

longeyes · « **Reply #15 on:** July 02, 2009, 09:56:05 AM »

In the land of the Unserious the unfunny comic is king.

Franken represents the ascendancy of a culture that can't think straight and prefers easy entertainments to reason and sober truths, the fundaments of a sound republic.

We've had clowns in office for a long time; now we have a professional, admitted one. When Stuart Smalley and Air America converge and actually reach political power we have reached the edge of the precipice in America's political history.

Maybe, just maybe, we are reaching the nadir, though. I'd like to believe that.

Balog · « **Reply #16 on:** July 02, 2009, 11:16:26 AM »

Quote from: Headless Thompson Gunner on July 01, 2009, 12:26:50 PM

Until Democrats start crossing party lines as often as Republicans do, the Dems will have 60+ votes.

Exactly. While it's true Dems are not a monolithic voting block all the time, neither are the 'pubbies. I'm looking at you Maine.

Matthew Carberry · « **Reply #17 on:** July 02, 2009, 08:07:26 PM »

We're not talking about RINO's here, we are talking about Dems. They are not a monolith, they do not automatically have 60 Democrat votes on any given issue.

Repubs crossing the line is a different problem and is an issue for their constituents and party.

Headless Thompson Gunner · « **Reply #18 on:** July 02, 2009, 08:51:41 PM »

I dunno. The last instance of a serious split between a Democrat and his party was Lieberman, and they ran him out of the party for it. Democrats are remarkably monolithic. Maybe that'll change in the future, but I'm not willing to depend upon it.

Matthew Carberry · « **Reply #19 on:** July 02, 2009, 08:59:36 PM »

Um, Sen. Begich (D-AK) will not vote for gun control.

There are a dozen or more others.

I'd call that a pretty serious split on an issue by issue basis.

Headless Thompson Gunner · « **Reply #20 on:** July 02, 2009, 09:35:07 PM »

Sorry, carebear, I just don't see it the way you do. There are lots of RINOs, but there never seems to be any DINOs.

Matthew Carberry · « **Reply #21 on:** July 02, 2009, 10:11:49 PM »

I think I get your take.

But, why would you want an automaton who votes the party line 100%?

I want my representatives to reflect me on individual issues, not support something simply because it has an "R" or "D" sponsoring it.

There are too many statist idiots in both parties to trust the party line of either.

I'll take a pro-development, pro-gun Dem, like Begich, over an authoritarian Repub. like Snowe every day. Our system wasn't intended to be a power struggle between two teams.

Headless Thompson Gunner · « **Reply #22 on:** July 03, 2009, 12:43:13 PM »

The Democrat party line is abysmal. There's value in having our party not cross party lines to support that. Just take a look at what's happening now.

The Republican party line is generally tolerable. Our country can survive that, and even thrive under it in most ways. We could certainly do a lot worse.

And besides, history shows that it is possible to pull the Republican party to the right and use it as a vehicle to implement strong conservative policies. If we can achieve that then we'd all benefit from Republicans holding to the party line.

Quote from: carebear on July 02, 2009, 10:11:49 PM

Our system wasn't intended to be a power struggle between two teams.

Maybe that wasn't what they intended, but that is the system that they built for us. Best to make peace with that fact and start working with it.

longeyes · « **Reply #23 on:** July 04, 2009, 11:31:51 AM »

Tell me why the GOP is honoring this "victory."

Nice to know they are good sports. What time's the next cricket match in the gulag?

Gewehr98 · « **Reply #24 on:** July 04, 2009, 01:44:57 PM »

What gulag are you referring to, Longeyes?

Seriously. I want to know.

When is this revolution and/or cataclysmic social event you've been blathering about gonna happen?

I need to mark my calendar, and let the rest of the APS staff know you've really got the lowdown info and the trauma plates w/ duct tape all squared away.

News:

Author Topic: Minnesota senate win for Franken (Read 13887 times)