Latest FOX "News" Fabrication: New Black Panthers

When a story is running on an endless loop on FOX "News"--and nowhere else outside of right-wing talk radio and right-wing blogs--you can be pretty sure they're jacking something up or at least leaving something out.  Such is the story of the "New Black Panthers," being hyped even here in Las Vegas from a local afternoon back-bencher on KXNT.  The initial "incident" that started the righties frothing about this happened in 2008, so why it is suddenly huge again is anybody's guess.  But of course, the allegation: that Eric Holder and Barack Obama are behind it is false, it happened during George Bush's reign.

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Finally Franken! Al Franken Sworn in to Standing Ovation

It's only appropriate the announcement of (OMG, finally) Senator Al Franken be made here by former colleague, Rachel Maddow. I found Air America Radio in 2004, shortly after it began airing. I was looking for The O'Franken Factor (aka The Al Franken Show). Instead, I found The Randi Rhodes Show, and later, Unfiltered starring one Rachel Maddow. I became a fan of all of the shows, and was already a Franken fan.

Five years later, the "failed" (though still on the air, despite what you've heard) Air America Radio has produced an MSNBC host and a Senator! Which is pretty cool. And after the stupidly long arbitration and recount process in Minnesota--where the "in power" Democrats were curiously silent--Minnesota finally has two senators.

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Franken Defeats Coleman Finally!

Image from source, MSNBC

Election 2008 is finally over. And while everybody is talking about the "60-seat super majority" now in the Democrats' hands, I'm not so sure it's going to matter. There is the infamous problem of Democrats lacking spines. There's the unwillingness to give the Republicans at least a little of their own medicine. And there is the fact that Al Franken's victory did not come with any pressure, or any chastisement to speak of.

Still, I've been a Franken fan for a very long time, and I'll be happy to see him in the Senate. Let the Al Franken Decade (or 5-1/2 years) begin at last!

[Excerpt]

Franken: 'So thrilled' at Minn. Senate race win

Al Franken ascended Tuesday from the hallowed ranks of former "Saturday Night Live" comedians to an even more exclusive club, outlasting Republican Norm Coleman in an eight-month recount and courtroom saga to win a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Read more (with video) at: MSNBC

Al Franken/Norm Coleman Battle Wages On

Photo from source, Star-Ledger

Every time I see a new story about Al Franken and Norm Coleman, and their protracted battle to be Senator from Minnesota, I can't believe it's still going on. Moreover, I can't believe that Harry Reid and other Senate Democrats haven't made more of a stink about it. If the situation were reversed, Sean Hannity would be jabbing his chubby fingers at the camera, whining about it every night. In fact, if the situation were reversed, I can't imagine that it wouldn't have ended by now.

[Excerpt]

Al Franken-Norm Coleman Minnesota Senate race: It ain't over 'til . . . when?

What in the world is taking so long?

We're talking about deciding who won last fall's Minnesota U.S. Senate race and putting someone in that seat in Washington. It's been empty some six months now while the nation installed a new president, took on billions of dollars in new debt to rescue Wall Street's big banks and the auto companies, and began the monumental task of reshaping the country's costly health care system and fashioning new regulations for the stricken financial industry. It's more serious work than Washington normally witnesses in a decade. But Minnesota has had only one Senate voice in the process, not two. . .

Read more at: The Star-Ledger

Norm Coleman/Al Franken Fight Drags On

Photo from source, Minnesota Public Radio

Oh, brother. When will this thing finally be over?

[Excerpt]

Coleman appeal heads to state's highest court

Minnesota's long-running U.S. Senate battle reaches another milestone Monday.

The state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the election contest, which currently has Republican Norm Coleman trailing Democrat Al Franken by 312 votes. Coleman's attorneys will argue a special three-judge panel didn't adhere to the constitution in coming up with that tally. . .

Read more at: Minnesota Public Radio

Al Franken is Tired of Waiting

Images from source, Politico

And who wouldn't be? While a Senator's term is six years, those are broken into three sessions. Before long, a full quarter of Franken's first session will be gone, and he hasn't even been seated yet. Norm Coleman--the guy what used to be Senator--has no chance of winning, by all accounts, and is just dragging this out to be a pill. With the GOP's enthusiastic support of course. Republicans, in or out of power, would never sit quietly for this. They'd be making noises worthy of a metaphor I can't think up right now.

Al Franken looks to finally be making a little noise. Good for him, it is long past time.

[Excerpt]

Franken Asks Court To Give Minnesota Governor A Direct Order

Al Franken asked the Minnesota Supreme Court on Monday to affirm his victory in the 2008 Senate race and hand down a ruling that would direct Gov. Tim Pawlenty to certify him the winner.

“We think the law is clear,” said Franken's lead attorney, Marc Elias, pointing to a state Supreme Court ruling on the matter in February that he said indicated “that the certification would issue after the state court process ended. . .”

Read more at: CQPolitics

Democrats Dodging a Bullet: John Edwards

Photo from source, AOL News

In a previous post, I talked about the temptation to gloat over the tailspin that the Republican Party is in, and how we Democrats/liberals/progressives need to be careful not to get too cocky. Just imagine if the Democratic primaries had worked out differently. What if Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton flung a bit too much mud in each others' eyes, and cancelled each other out? What if John Edwards had emerged as the victor?

I was a supporter of Edwards early on, even caucusing for him in Nevada before realigning with Obama when Edwards wasn't viable. But truth be told, I liked all three of the front-runners. The Other Half and I basically flipped a coin on Obama vs. Clinton in our realignment. Then, as you know by now, we found out that there was truth behind the National Enquirer reports of Edwards having an affair (possibly even a "love child"). By then, he was already out of the race. But it really pissed me off.

I'd backed Edwards because of his seeming genuineness. And I liked his wife. They had weathered adversity (death of a child, Elizabeth Edwards' cancer), and come through it as a loving couple. We thought. When that veneer of wholesomeness was blasted off, I could no longer even see what I liked about him anymore. I guess it is sort of like being on a jury, and being briefly won over by a sleazy attorney. Plus, he's handsome, there's that too.

But, man, we Democrats should be and remain mightily pissed at Edwards. Many politicians have committed as grievous sins, and lived on politically (Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani), but Edwards deserves his political epitaph. Our best chance at recapturing the White House was nearly in his grasp, and if he had caught that brass ring, it would have blown up in his and our faces. Badly mangled metaphors aside, we are very lucky that Obama seemingly knew how to play it. That "Chill the f**k out, I got this!" Internet meme seems to be a pretty accurate message so far.

[Excerpt]

Feds Examining Finances, Edwards Says

Failed presidential candidate John Edwards, whose political action committee paid more than $100,000 to his mistress' company, acknowledged Sunday that federal investigators were looking into how he handled his campaign funds.

But the former North Carolina senator said he was confident no money was used improperly. . .

Read more at: AOL News

Al Franken Wins! But wait. . .

Images from source, Politico

I'm back from my trip to Ohio, and late to get back to the blog. We have a party for a friend to plan for, which is cutting into the ol' blogging schedule. Still, I'm hoping to get several new blog posts up tonight and into the wee hours to freshen this place up a little.

First up, the Al Franken/Norm Coleman Senatorial battle in Minnesota. The 2008 election is still not over up there, and the reason for that seems to be. . .well. . .Norm Coleman and the Republican Party do not want it to be over. Repeatedly, Al Franken has been handed victory after victory, lending little doubt to the fact that he did indeed win the election. By a squeaker, sure, but he won.

Coleman--egged on by his party, and by the die-hard supporters--keeps pledging to battle on anyway. It has become a stalling game, irrespective of the fact that Coleman has little chance of actually winning. I decided to link to a right-wing blog for a change on this issue for a couple of reasons. First is that there is a poll up, asking what Coleman should do next. I thought you might like that. And second, it will give you an opportunity to read the comments, and see not only dissent (just a little), the bizarre rationalizations and rank hypocrisy involved when it is the Republicans who are on the short end of the stick. Enjoy.

[Excerpt]

Minnesota Recount: Panel gives election to Franken

As expected based on its initial rulings on absentee ballots, the Minnesota election contest panel reviewing the Senate race has awarded the election to Al Franken over Norm Coleman. The additional ballots allowed by the panel actually increased Franken’s lead, and the panel ruled that Coleman did not prove any systemic failure in the election or recount process. It called the evidence for Franken “overwhelming. . .”

Read more at (the aptly named): HotAir

Al Franken Widens Lead; Norm Coleman Still Won't Concede

Images from source, Politico

It is long past time for Democrats to start making a real issue out of Norm Coleman's refusal to concede to Al Franken in Minnesota. If the situation were reversed, the Republican noise machine would be at full volume, demanding that Franken concede. If you doubt that, you haven't been paying attention.

[Excerpt]

Franken Lawyer: Al Won; Coleman Legal Spokesman: We'll Appeal

At post-court press conference, lead Franken attorney Marc Elias commented that the election contest is essentially over, with Al Franken the winner after the court had 351 previously-rejected ballots counted, which boosted Franken's lead from 225 votes to 312.

"Today is a very important step, as we now know the outcome of the election contest," said Elias, "and that is the same outcome as the recount, which is that Al Franken has more votes than Norm Coleman. . ."

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

Norm Coleman is the Energizer Bunny

But not in a good way. Hypocrisy is extremely common in politics, with positions doing a 180-degree turn, depending which shoe is on which foot. One side will scream "up or down vote!" when they are in the majority, and the minority is jabbing them with a stick. And then, once out of power they've got the stick, and that up or down thing doesn't have the allure it once did.

Well, this Norm Coleman/Al Franken battle is a little like that. When it looked like Coleman had won, and the state-mandated recount was activated, Coleman wanted Franken to concede anyway. Once the situation was reversed, Coleman is dragging it out endlessly. There have even been rumors that this could go to the US Supreme Court, using Bush v. Gore as a precedent! If you'll remember, B v. G had the Republicans with the shoe on the other foot, and then counting every vote wasn't so important. . .

Sarah Palin Wants Alaska Senator to Step Down

Photo from source, Think Progress

This is ridiculous, but that is to be expected of Sarah Palin, and the rest of the current GOP crop of cartoon characters. Former Sen. Ted Stephens lost his re-election bid because he was tried and found guilty on various charges. That guilty verdict has been set aside, because of basically a technicality. Most would not argue that he's automatically innocent.

Sen. Mark Begich, the Democrat, was elected. As far as I know, he's a bad Senator. But they expect him to step down because of the Attorney General's decision? That's just nuts. And it ain't gonna happen.

[Excerpt]

Palin echoes Alaska GOP: Sen. Begich should step down to allow new election

Today, the Alaska Republican Party called for Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) to step down and allow for a new election, in the wake of Attorney General Holder voiding former senator Ted Stevens’s guilty verdict, due to prosecutorial misconduct. This afternoon, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) echoed those calls and pressed for a new election. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

The Nitty Gritty on the Al Franken/Norm Coleman Fight

I realize that you have to be a real political nut (like me) to want to watch this 16-minute video of the Norm Coleman/Al Franken Senate election battle. But I'm pretty sure that most who land here are in that category. So, if you want to understand the nitty gritty of this oddly under the radar battle, here's a video that explains it all.

Victory for Franken; More Challenges from Coleman?

Image from source, Raw Story

Even though Minnesota's courts have continued to support Al Franken's victory for Senator, Norm Coleman is still douching it up, and everyone still seems to believe that Coleman will drag this out even more. If something like this happened during a Republican majority (even a slim one), there is no way it would have gone this far. Shoot, if the positions were reversed right now, the Republican Noise Machine would be cranked full-volume, and this thing would be over. Still believe the media is controlled by liberals?

[Excerpt]

Minnesota court ruling supports Franken; Coleman appeal likely

It could very well be the beginning of the end for Norm Coleman. Or the harbinger of a whole new legal battle for his tireless lawyers. As much as Al Franken's lawyers celebrated it Tuesday, the long-awaited Minnesota state court ruling on Norm Coleman's appeal of the Senate race recount has – you guessed it – not quite put an end to the post-election showdown, now more than four months long. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Coleman/Franken Battle to Go On for Years?

Image from source, TPM

OK, now that it is crystal clear that Norm Coleman and his pals in the Republican Party intend to drag the 2008 Election into 2010 and beyond, isn't it time for somebody to shut them down? They're not even pretending they have a chance to win. They just want to prevent the Senate from seating an elected Democratic senator. If the shoe was on the other foot, the Republican Noise Machine would be deafening. Anybody doubt that?

[Excerpt]

Cornyn: Minnesota Senate Seat Could Take "Years" To Resolve

The Minnesota election dispute has now lasted for almost five months, with the seat vacant for the last three of them -- but that might just be the beginning, with NRSC chairman John Cornyn telling the Politico that it could take "years" to resolve. . .

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

Franken/Coleman Fight Coming to an End?

Photo from source, Talking Points Memo

Could we finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in the Al Franken/Norm Coleman 2008 (!) Senate race? It looks that way. Coleman could of course just get out of the way now, but is assisting the GOP in their effort to stall as long as possible. Typical.

[Excerpt]

Legal Expert: Minnesota Court Likely To Rule By End of Month -- For Franken

Professor David Schultz, a teacher of election law at Hamline University, was previously predicting that a ruling would take until mid-April at the earliest. But that assumed Team Franken would take 2-3 weeks to make its case, as opposed to the week and two days they'll have actually used. "I would say we could anticipate -- we should anticipate at this point -- definitely before the end of the month," said Schultz. "It very well might be in a couple of weeks. . ."

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

Norm Coleman Withholds Evidence?

Image from Talking Points Memo

Can we just end this thing already? Al Franken won, Norm Coleman is cheating. . . FIX IT!

[Excerpt]

BUSTED ... Again!

Just when the election court in Minnesota had given Norm Coleman's legal team a break by reversing itself on a decision to strike a witness' testimony because Norm's lawyers withheld evidence from the Franken team, it turns out there's more evidence related to Coleman's lawyers' contact with this same witness that they still hadn't divulged until Franken's lawyer brought it out this morning on cross examination of the witness. . .

Read more at: TPM

GOP Helping Drag out Franken/Coleman Battle

Photo from source, Politico

Minnesota has now gone over three months with only one Senator, due to the protracted battle over a handful of votes. Al Franken has apparently (but just barely) won the thing, but incumbent Norm Coleman is still hanging on tenaciously. And that is just the way the GOP likes it. Which is odd, because when it was Coleman who looked to be the winner, they were singing a completely different tune.

[Excerpt]

GOP dead set against 59th Dem

Having just seen what President Barack Obama can do with 58 Democrats in the Senate, Republicans are more determined than ever to keep him from getting a 59th.

Especially if the 59th is Al Franken. . .

Read more at: Politico

Coleman and Franken Both Declare Victory Over Ballot Issue

Photo from MediaBistro.com

Can you believe that the 2008 November election is still going on? It is in Minnesota, where Al Franken and incumbent Senator Norm Coleman are still locked in a battle over a few hundred votes. The thing has gone back and forth, with Franken seemingly the victor, but for a lawsuit by Coleman over some rejected absentee ballots.

Now, it seems some of those ballots have been disqualified, which the Franken side sees as a victory. But not all of them have been, which the Coleman side sees as a victory. There are 3,500 ballots to be gone over now, out of which, Coleman needs 511 to flip his way in order to win. That's 1 out of 7 flipping for Coleman, if none flipped for Franken. Doesn't sound likely, does it?

[Excerpt]

Recount trial: Coleman dealt blow, but no knockout

Dealing a blow but not a knockout to Republican Norm Coleman's hopes, the judges in the U.S. Senate election trial on Friday tossed out most of the 19 categories of rejected absentee ballots they were considering for a second look, making it clear that they won't open and count any ballots that don't comply with state law. . .

Read more at: StarTribune.com

Senate to Seat Al Franken?

Photo from source, Raw Story

I'm not sure about this one. I like Al Franken a lot, and am thrilled that he has apparently won a Senate seat for Minnesota. But incumbent Norm Coleman, who is a little less than pleased with the result, still has legal challenges pending. It looks like they will come to naught, but they're still pending. So if the Senate goes ahead and seats Franken, we will never hear the end of it from right-wingers. It won't matter if Franken belongs there.

[Excerpt]

US Senate leader sees comic becoming senator

US Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid said Wednesday that he would move to give a noted comic actor and writer a seat in the chamber despite an elections lawsuit by his Republican foe. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Al Franken Widens Lead in Minnesota Senate Race

Image from MinnPost

Go, Al!

[Excerpt]

Democrat Al Franken now leads by 225 votes after adding 176 votes when absentee ballots were counted today in Minnesota

This wasn't such a slow political news day after all.Via the very cool site, TheUptake.org, I just watched the count of 933 absentee ballots in the Minnesota Senate race. Al Franken did much better than what most observers expected, picking up 176 votes. His lead over Republican Norm Coleman jumped from 49 votes to 225 votes. . .

Read more at: AmericaBlog