As the recount between Al Franken and Norm Coleman in the MN-SEN race moved along, Franken's lead attorney Marc Elias claimed that his candidate was winning and that the numbers would eventually prove him right. The pundits and talking heads laughed at him initially; I hoped that he wasn't just bluffing and they really had gotten as organized as I'd heard. As the numbers began to swing towards Franken taking the lead, it became apparent that the Franken campaign had done a brilliant job preparing for the recount.
This weekend, Netroots MN had a panel entitled Clicks to Votes: Integration on the Franken for Senate Campaign. I attended to learn anything more I could about what I think was an extraordinarily tech-savvy campaign. I wasn't disappointed because in addition I learned more details about how well-organized the campaign was.
The panelists were Dan Cramer of Grassroots Solutions and JD Schlough. JD was in charge of all online activities (he's now a principal at Well & Lighthouse LLC). Dan came on board the campaign as a consultant in September.
The following YouTube demonstrates why Senator Franken introduced that amendment, that thirty - THIRTY - Republicans opposed. Let's look:
The above YouTube and the thirty - THIRTY - Republican Senators that voted against Senator Franken's admendment demonstrates, once again, that GOP now stands for GreedOverPrinciples.
It still burns the Republicans that they lost to Barack Obama in a landslide in 2008. It really hurts that this was the second repudiation of what they stand for -- they lost heavily in the 2006 elections as well. It also still chafes horribly that Al Franken beat Norm Coleman in the MN Senate race.
It simply does not fit that a black man would usurp the party destined by God to rule. It couldn't be the disastrous 8 years under George Bush to blame and the horrible campaign of Palin/McCain McCain/Palin. So their racist side comes out. They've called him a Fascist, a Marxist, a Muslim and a Kenyan among many, many things.
And Al Franken just couldn't have won the MN Senate race fair and square in their view. So they've been smearing Al. Here's the latest:
"We still haven't unpacked," Franni Franken said. Of course, that was my first question. Franni and I talked every Friday about the campaign during the campaign and I'd write it up at mnblue, my old blog. I hoped on doing some sort of similar thing after her husband, Al Franken, won. Neither of us knew it would take 8 months.
"I found an awesome apartment on Capitol Hill," she exclaimed. "I found it on Craig's List." What a contrast from the previous occupant of this seat and his sweetheart deal.
"Thomasin and many of the staffers use it so I figured, why can't I," she explained. "So I found a place, great location, great price. There were four pictures of it so I rented it site unseen."
"Actually, Jess [Communications Director Jess McIntosh] scoped it for us," she replied when I exclaimed my amazement. "She said Oh, it's so you and Al."
I asked what it's been like so far.
"It's been a whirlwind," she replied. "We're heading back early Friday afternoon. We've got a health care forum and a funeral for a soldier."
"This is just such a privilege," she said. I had prompted for that response. "I never imagined this, what a privilege."
I asked about her new neighborhood.
"I provide a tremendous amount of amusement for my new neighbors," she told me. "The streets are so narrow, the neighborhood is really old, you know. My first thought was what do they do about snow removal?"
"Anyway, my alley and my garage or so narrow, so thin, I can barely get the car (Ford Escape hybrid) in. The garage is about 10 feet from the alley wall. The neighbors come out and watch me try. Andrew (one of the neighbors) asked 'backing in couldn't be worse, could it?' He didn't said wouldn't that be better. It's really a difficult spot."
She eventually figured out the angles to parking the car.
For so long, our Supreme Court has failed to protect the civil rights of our constitution, has overridden the laws of the land and given every advantage to corporations over people. And finally, I have a Senator who speaks for me, who defends civil rights and and defends the constitution. Cheers for Senator Franken!
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) made signing on as a co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act one of his one of his first official acts as MN's junior senator. The EFCA will penalize employers who harass and intimidate union organizing and allow employees to choose the manner by which they vote to unionize.
Hours after he was seated, Sen. Al Franken, D-MN, let it be known that he would be sign on as a co-sponsor to the Employee Free Choice Act, the labor-backed provision that would allow unions to more easily organize, as his first legislative activity.
"I just became a cosponsor of my first bill in the Senate, the Employee Free Choice Act," the Minnesota Democrat declared at a gathering at the AFL-CIO on Tuesday evening.
Despite taking a backseat in terms of media attention, EFCA remains very much a hotly-debated measure within the halls of Congress. And while Franken's vote will likely boost Democratic efforts on health care and judicial nominations (he is poised to sit on the HELP and Judiciary Committees) it could be on labor matters where his voice is most felt. Certainly the union community, which is pushing for a vote on EFCA sometime this year, feels relieved that it is one senator closer to preventing a Republican filibuster on the measure.
Franken, who was officially sworn into office on Tuesday after an eight-month recount, told the AFL-CIO crowd that he shared common interests with them. According to Eddie Vale, a spokesman for the union group, Franken described the long tradition that exist in Minnesota of "having two Senators who are very pro workers and working families." "He said it was an honor to be sworn in today and walk through the aisles with Mondale and to be sworn in on Paul Wellstone's Bible," Vale recounted. "He stressed that both men were champions of the labor movement."
(Huffington Post)
Fresh soup tonight. I won't forget to serve it to you hot. Woo.
Dave Mindeman reads Miss Hairdo so you don't have to.
Liberal in the Land of Conservative: Marty Seifert answers questions about the Laura Brod smears.
Aaron Brown has some news about the company trying to build the biggest boondoggle on the Iron Range. They're changing their name. Aaron also has some not helpful news about Tom Bakk helping promote this boondoggle.
(Great diary. Thanks D Wreck for documenting this. - promoted by The Big E)
Vice President Mondale introducing Senators Klobuchar and Franken. All photos by D Wreck
After a long day at work yesterday and after getting abnormally cranky kids tucked into bed, I was ready to call it an early night and go to bed myself. Before retiring for the night though, I decided to check my email one last time. Imagine my surprise when I opened my inbox and saw an email titled, "Personal invite to Al Franken Senate Swearing in Viewing & Reception, Tuesday July 7th." In what I can only surmise is the confluence of early support for Franken and proximity to DC, I had scored an invitation to this reception. So, against all my wallflower instincts, I decided to take a day off from work and make the hour drive to DC for the reception. I thought I'd share with you my photos and observations from the event.
Congratulations to Senator Franken and the huge numbers of volunteers. With 312 votes, every single effort counted! It has been a long road. The Big E and I have worked years now on documenting Norm Coleman to try to fill the gap in mainstream news coverage. We covered the senate endorsement race. Many people doorknocked, called and then covered the recount. The effort that went into this election of Senator Franken is huge.
Here is the best summary of the story done by the Uptake:
The Avista Capital Partners-owned Star Tribune still cannot abide the thought of former senator Norm Coleman out of politics. After all, they invested significant time, effort and copy inches pushing his campaign and then propping it up after it was clear he was going to lose. Mike Kaszuba, seeming to follow company orders, ignored several key facts in writing his analysis of Norm's political future.
The biggest mystery, now that Democrat Al Franken is heading to the U.S. Senate, is how soon Republican Norm Coleman will let Minnesotans know whether he wants to be their governor.
Kaszuba glosses over Norm's legal troubles, ignoring three of the four problems Norm faces. He doesn't even note what Norm is in trouble for:
But Coleman would face potential roadblocks. The FBI is still investigating his relationship with Nasser Kazeminy, a major political donor accused in lawsuits of funneling payments to Coleman through a business where Coleman's wife worked.
Maybe the Strib is too short-handed right now to assign someone who knows the political history of Norm. Maybe they're on vacation. At any rate, Kaszuba ignores three other probable corruption investigations:
Kazeminy bought tens of thousands of dollars worth of designer clothing for Norm.
Norm got a below market rate for his apartment in Washington, DC from a political ally and the guy who received millions in business from Coleman's campaign and senatorial office.
Norm's landlord's company may have paid Norm's utility bills.
In all four cases, Kaszuba fails to mention Norm's legal problem ... he didn't report these gifts. If Norm is indicted, if Norm spends time in prison, it will be for not reporting these gifts.
And there's one more problem with Kaszuba's analysis ...
Al Franken spoke on the steps of the State Capitol to around 500 to 600 supporters today. Despite the overcast sky, U2's "Beautiful Day" blared over the speakers and perfectly summarized what today is like for DFLers across the state.
Norm Coleman is vanquished and we finally have a Democrat back in the seat that Paul Wellstone held.
Rep. Betty McCollum, Rep. Keith Ellison and DFL Party Chair Brian Melendez warmed up the crowd. Franni Franken introduced Sen. Amy Klobuchar who introduced Al.
More pictures after the break. Plus I hope to get my hands on the transcript of Al's speech.
Al Franken stood in front of his house in Minneapolis alongside his wife Franni and declared victory for a second time.
"I'm thrilled and honored and humbled by the enormity of this responsibility," said Senator-Elect Franken. "Earlier today I received a very gracious call from former Senator Norm Coleman. We talked about how it's been a very hard fought race. I said that it couldn't have been closer. He told me this will be the best job that I've ever had."
Al speculated that he'd be flying to Washington, DC early next week to be sworn in. This will probably actually happen as MN Governor Tim Pawlenty stated between the Norm and Al press conferences that he will sign the election certificate later tonight.
Incredible. At the same time Norm Coleman played the "gracious concession" act, the State Republican Party showed their true colors with their official press release:
St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman-elect Tony Sutton today issued the following statement regarding the Minnesota Supreme Court's ruling in the U.S. Senate race.
"Today's ruling wrongly disenfranchised thousands of Minnesotans who deserve to have their votes counted. Alongside Senator Coleman, the Republican Party of Minnesota has fought to make sure every vote counts and all voters are treated fairly and uniformly. As we move forward, our deeply flawed election system must be dramatically improved to ensure our state's elections are fair, accurate and reliable." (Republican Party of Minnesota)
In other words, "Norm wuz robbed."
Classless.
That's the way the state GOP Party was under former Chairman Ron Carey; that's the way it will remain under new Chairman Tony Sutton.
Minnesota's lame-duck Governor and 2012 Presidential candidate wannabe Tim Pawlenty had a big weekend. He spent the weekend making appearances to further his presidential ambitions. First up was a fundraiser in Little Rock, Arkansas. Next was a CNN interview.
We can pull two important points from the interview. First he claims he'll sign the election certificate if the MN Supreme Court issues it. Second, he criticized the climate change bill that just passed the House. This criticism is a bit of a flip-flop.
I'll begin with Arkansas. If only he would work this hard to accomplish anything for MN ... it all began during the flight down:
"We still haven't unpacked," Franni Franken said. Of course, that was my first question. Franni and I talked every Friday about the campaign during the campaign and I'd write it up at mnblue, my old blog. I hoped on doing some sort of similar thing after her husband, Al Franken, won. Neither of us knew it would take 8 months.
