Al Franken Heads to Washington

[Aramike]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090630/ap_on_el_se/us_minnesota_senate

Republican Norm Coleman conceded to Democrat Al Franken in Minnesota's contested Senate race on Tuesday, hours after a unanimous state Supreme Court ruled the former "Saturday Night Live" comedian should be certified the winner.
This is certainly no surprise to anyone, but I must admit to feeling a tad put-off by the fact that votes were counted using standards clearly favorable to one candidate. I can't help but think that, if it isn't already, our system is almost irrepairably broken.

[Platapus]

Now we will see if Coleman kicks in with that $94K to Franken.

Bet he tries to weasel out of that also. :nope:

[CastleBravo]

Now the Obama agenda is free from filibuster. The decline of the US is set in stone. The rest of the world is on its own as Mr. Obama attacks his own countrymen for your benefit. Enjoy!

[Platapus]

The Democrats are only "free" of filibuster if all 60 Democratic Senators always vote the same way. Events show this is not a given.

Filibusters could have been stopped before this if some of the republicans or the independents voted along with the Democrats. Events show that this is not uncommon.

[Onkel Neal]

Now the Obama agenda is free from filibuster. The decline of the US is set in stone. The rest of the world is on its own as Mr. Obama attacks his own countrymen for your benefit. Enjoy!


Uhhh... ok :hmmm: Since we are all d00med, can I skip my house payments?

Anyway, I think the real problem is the closeness of the election. Just like the Bush/Gore election, when it happens to be that close, it's reeeeelly hard to say with 100% accuracy who won. I don't blame both candidates for trying to push it over the goal. Solution: come on, people, let's have a few more landslides, ok? :ping:

[SteamWake]

The funny thing about this 'election' is that Franken's opponent won outright.

Then on the demanded recounts Franken got more and more votes.

Very curious indeed.

Seeing as how Franke is a but... uhhh... unstable I think he will self destruct.

Already polling data is beginning to show that americans feel that the feds have become 'too liberal'. Wait untill some of these agendas really start to hit home to the average clueless dork then the stuff will really hit the fan.

Oh and the mortgage payments.. wasent Obama supposed to help with that?

[Buddahaid]

At least this government joker has qualifications.

Buddahaid

[Aramike]

The funny thing about this 'election' is that Franken's opponent won outright.

Then on the demanded recounts Franken got more and more votes.

Very curious indeed.

Seeing as how Franke is a but... uhhh... unstable I think he will self destruct.

Already polling data is beginning to show that americans feel that the feds have become 'too liberal'. Wait untill some of these agendas really start to hit home to the average clueless dork then the stuff will really hit the fan.

Oh and the mortgage payments.. wasent Obama supposed to help with that?This smells like the ghost of George Parr has his hands all over this...

[Aramike]

At least this government joker has qualifications.

Buddahaid:haha:

That got a laugh out of me.

[Platapus]

The funny thing about this 'election' is that Franken's opponent won outright.

Then on the demanded recounts Franken got more and more votes.

Very curious indeed.



Not curious at all. The entire purpose of a recount is to re-do the count for the purpose of checking accuracy. The fact that the vote count changed is indicative that the decision for a recount was appropriate.

My major concern, and this is not limited to the MN election is the election officials attempting to determine voter intent. This is wrong!

A ballot is either valid or invalid. If a citizen is too stupid to to mark a ballot correctly then their vote should not count.

Putting election officials in the position of trying to determine voter intent is inappropriate. Voter intent is demonstrated by the ballot, not an interpretation of what the ballot may or may not indicate.

The various states have been setting a, in my opinion, very bad precedent with "voter intent" evaluations.

I am an election official in my state. In our elections at any time before the vote is scanned, the citizen can request a new ballot and we will void the old ballot. This is explained to every voter in person when they vote.

Mistakes are understandable. Especially in ballots using markers. If any citizen mistakenly makes any stray marks on their ballot, all they have to do is tell an election official and a new ballot will be issued. no embarrassment; no problems. There is a procedure for this.

In order to make our elections as fair as possible, we simply can't be putting election officials in the position of having to determine voter intent with mismarked ballots.

I may be a bit harsh but I feel that if a citizen is too stupid to operate a paper ballot they probably are too stupid to have their votes counted. :nope:

[SteamWake]

Have you seen some of those mismarked ballots?

I have and I agree that they should have been thrown out. But it seems that if there was any doubt it was given to Franken.. Im just saying.

[mookiemookie]

Now the Obama agenda is free from filibuster. The decline of the US is set in stone. The rest of the world is on its own as Mr. Obama attacks his own countrymen for your benefit. Enjoy!

http://www.smv-design.com/smv_images/smv_illustrations/end_is_nigh.jpg

[Platapus]

. Im just saying.

No you are spreading rumours. If you have evidence of election fraud then you needed to have sent it to the state election board.

Election officials are ordinary people working hard to make the democratic process work. Our elections are not perfect and there are ways of improving it. However to spread rumours that the election officials somehow violated their oaths is inappropriate unless you have evidence.

I have not met a single election official who did not take their oath seriously. I only wished the citizens realized that.

[SteamWake]

No you are spreading rumours. If you have evidence of election fraud then you needed to have sent it to the state election board.

Election officials are ordinary people working hard to make the democratic process work. Our elections are not perfect and there are ways of improving it. However to spread rumours that the election officials somehow violated their oaths is inappropriate unless you have evidence.

I have not met a single election official who did not take their oath seriously. I only wished the citizens realized that.

Im just an ordinary citizen whom keeps up with the news. Unlike 90% of the rest of the citizens of this country.

We both know that even if I had proof positive of election fraud it would be laughed at and dismissed.

Im not saying anything about the election officials there job was long finished before this circus began.

[Aramike]

No you are spreading rumours. If you have evidence of election fraud then you needed to have sent it to the state election board.

Election officials are ordinary people working hard to make the democratic process work. Our elections are not perfect and there are ways of improving it. However to spread rumours that the election officials somehow violated their oaths is inappropriate unless you have evidence.

I have not met a single election official who did not take their oath seriously. I only wished the citizens realized that.Have you seen the ballots in question, and the comparisons on what was accepted for Franken but rejected for Coleman? The reason I ask is because I think you'd be shocked at some of the comparisons.

[Tchocky]

I liked Franken's radio show (seems like nobody else did, mind), and he does seem to take this fairly seriously. I wonder how he'll do as a Senator

[Skybird]

Filibustering means that an elected minority is given a power as if it were no minority but equal in strength to the elected majority. But democratic elections are meant to create majorities and minorities, while the filibusters tries to reject and/or distort that. In other words it is an abuse of or a distortion of democratic basic principles. In europe, several nations have had pendants to the filibuster in their past (and some until today), in Germany'S Weimarer Republic they knew it under the name of "Obstruktion". In the reforming of Germany after WWII, it was wisely decided not to make this mistake again, and Bundestag and Bundesrat-speeches are limited in time therefore. Both houses should come to decisons by arguments, not by playing tricks and cheats and rethoric trench warfare (under ideal terms at least, of course party interests dominate their behavior anyway, and the filibister in the senate is used for party interests, too, and the interests of single senators regarding their voter potential at home).

If the US Senate now has a constellation where filibusters are not possible, this is a good thing, preventing the distortition of power structures that had been democratically voted for natuonwide by the people. While that small lead by that comedian in one state is an unlucky mishap, nevertheless it is a lead and by the rules of democratic elections it makes him the winner nevertheless. He just would be wise to avoid claiming that he represents a clear majority of people in his state. In fact he only won by the breadth of one hair. That is perfectly legal, but no reason to boast.

[Platapus]

Or another way of looking at it is that a filibuster is one way to ensure that the majority consider the minority when making decisions.

Filibusters are not intrinsically good or bad. It is a tool that is available to both sides. How that tool is used may be good or bad, but that is usually based on whether you agree or disagree with the motion. :D

As long as we have reasonable rules for cloture, I see nothing wrong with the filibuster rules in the Senate.

[Skybird]

It means that the minority is given the possibility to prevent legislation by the majority for a theoretically unlimited ammount of time - which makes ridicule of voting elections.

You must not vote then, therefore. Just send an equal ammount of senators from all parties into the house, and let them filibuster away, since a majority's lead does not mean anything anymore, and the minority is given the same power to prevent legislation like the majority has powers to establish legislation. why letting the people vote for minorities and majorities, then?

Where does it lead to? Senators training at home their tongue and mouth muscles to form longer speaking endurance. Politicians training the ability to sit with open eyes while sleeping anyhow. Brain degeneration, since argument and understanding of matters do not matter anymore. :D

Just keep your mouth brabbling - no matter if you have an argument or not. you could as well juggle balls while standing at the lectern, that has as much to do with it like filibustering.

[AVGWarhawk]

Who is Al Franken?

:88)

[SteamWake]

All I know is when it takes nearly 6 months to determine the results of a freakin election something is wrong.

[AVGWarhawk]

All I know is when it takes nearly 6 months to determine the results of a freakin election something is wrong.


:yep:

Shall we say the fix was in? :03:

[SteamWake]

Ending one of the longest Senate races ever, the Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously rejected each of Republican Norm Coleman's five legal arguments that an earlier recount of the November 4 vote had been unfair. Coleman quickly conceded.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090630/pl_nm/us_usa_senate_minnesota_7

Looks to me like Coleman just got tired of the farce and gave in.

So you might say that Franken dident actually win outright rather his opponent conceeded.

Whatever the case the deed is done now and we now have to bear with a democratic (liberal I might add) supermajority and its consiquences.

[Tchocky]

Well, the initial recount was automatic, the next two challenges to District and Supreme court (which lasted from January until now) were initiated by Coleman.

[Frame57]

Who is Al Franken?

:88) (Stuart Smalley voice) "He's good enough...smart enough...and dog gone it people like him..." :woot:

[SteamWake]

Time to drag out the bunny pic again.

This is Al Franken

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh312/UlteriorModem/al_franken_bunny_web.jpg

[Aramike]

Time to drag out the bunny pic again.

This is Al Franken

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh312/UlteriorModem/al_franken_bunny_web.jpgGotta love Minnesota. That's your newest Senator, folks.

[Max2147]

Time to drag out the bunny pic again.

This is Al Franken

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh312/UlteriorModem/al_franken_bunny_web.jpg
What's worse than having somebody like that in your political party?

Being part of a political party that LOST to somebody like that!