Worth the Wait
It seemed like forever and a day before Al Franken put the election behind him and took his seat as the Senator from Minnesota. He was worth the wait. Who was that other guy? Norm….something…
Sen. Al Franken introduced a bill aimed at curtailing foreign influence in U.S. elections, a measure prompted by a Supreme Court ruling last week his office said overturned not just federal campaign finance laws but also a 20-year-old Minnesota law prohibiting corporate spending on elections.
The ruling referenced is Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. If you have a strong stomach, you can read it HERE. Let’s just say if I’m ever interviewe by Katie Couric at some point in the future, and she asks me if there are any Supreme Court decisions I disagree with, I’ll mention this one. And Baker v. Exxon.
Franken’s bill would ban election spending and contributions by corporations primarily financed by foreign nationals, whose boards of directors or stock ownership are controlled by a majority foreign nationals. Companies that allow foreign nationals to participate in political activities like political action committees would also be barred.
All other companies would be required to disclose exactly how much of their firm is controlled by foreign nationals or, if they can’t, how much of their financing comes from foreign nationals.
Between this, voting against the reappointment of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke (as did my own Senator Mark Begich), and introducing the “anti-rape” amendment last fall, he is quickly becoming one of my favorite senators.
You can become Al Franken’s fan on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter.
This guy moves fast.
Love Senator Franken! He and Congressman Grayson are true heroes.
If you haven’t signed Grayson’s petition yet, here’s the link:
http://salsa.mydccc.org/o/30019/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4&tag=redirect
Power to the people.
Yes. We. Can.
breaking trail for Jon Stewart, me hopes..
i’m pretty impressed him too
Silly AKM, the answer is “all of them.”
Franken is great, he’s making his mark early in the game. Maybe by 2016 he’ll be ready for the big house?
I read up on Senator Franken’s background during his senatorial campaign. Before his campaign, I only knew him as a comedian. I have been so impressed with this man. He is an asset to the Democratic Party.
PS Enjoyed the handshow, too. Nice way to wake up on a Sunday.
Fanned with pleasure!
I ♥ Al Franken.
fanned and followed!
Excellent! I always knew Al Franken would not just play the “game” but he would ultimately change it. This is a step in the right direction. Slightly off topic but did you see the grilling Geitner got? Alaska needs to be right in there; take a few pointers from those guys. When GW was in town here who was he “calling”? Ostensibly “our” governmint officials; what did they talk about, it’s our public right to know. The ones who cared enough to put our ssns, bank account numbers, and names out to those who “wanted” them for some future political/economic/citizenship damage? Then, foreclosed our opportunities to sue? We should march down to the bureau and each file an affidavit about this. No. You don’t get to settle (for us before we even hear about this give away). You, get to answer a few questions yourselves.
I ♥ Al Franken too. And I had the supreme pleasure of voting for him.
I have read all of the Senator’s books, so I already knew how brilliant he was. Now everyone knows. He is a bright and shining star and one of the few that I hope will stay there forever.
I totally believe that Franken is a Senator because he actually wants to do good things for the people. He doesn’t need power or fame, he has fame.
And he sat with the Joint Chiefs at the SOTU because he does USO shows for the troops and visits them at Walter Reede.
GOOD man.
I’m not on Facebook or Twitter, but he’s a favorite of mine too.
I’ve been really impressed. I hope the people of Minnesota are equally impressed and remember all that he’s done for them when it comes time for his re-election. Because you know there is going to be a lot of corporate money being spent to defeat him.
He really does Minnesota proud. (Something Norm whatshisname could never pull off.)
Franken’s book Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot was a revelation to me – wow! someone could criticise the entrenchened right and actually get a book published? Then The Truth…and my favorite, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right.
These were so encouraging. In fact, I may re-read them right now.
Franken for 2016!
Well the suggestion over at FDL is that Franken and others showed an interesting lack of resistance to Bernanke by voting for cloture first, before voting no:
Bernanke Approved 70-30 for Second Term as Fed Chair; Seven Senators Hope to Hide Behind Flipped Cloture Vote
http://firedoglake.com/2010/01/28/bernanke-approved-70-30-for-second-term-as-fed-chair-seven-senators-hope-to-hide-behind-flipped-cloture-vote/
I really like and respect Al Franken (always think of his map skill too) so thank-you but….AKM…1rst the ‘mail bag’, now this title….trying to be patient but
The envelope please?
Soon! AKM
If money can buy votes, and it does. Then money votes.
Forget about the bi-racial U.S. melting pot of people for the people, and strap on the new bi-alien voter in America. Somehow I feel a little less human today. I wonder if there participation in elections could be lost for criminal activity?
In many States a convicted felon losses the right to vote. The 14th Amendment permits states to deny the vote “for participation in rebellion, or other crime.” And a number of States do just that. Other crimes?
Alabama Republican Party Chairman, Marty Connors stated: “As frank as I can be,” “we’re opposed to [restoring voting rights] because felons don’t tend to vote Republican.”
I wonder what Marty thinks about denying the participation in election for all corporate felons?
A study from, “University of Minnesota at Minneapolis, George W. Bush would have lost Florida by about 60,000 votes in 2000 had ex-felons been allowed to vote.”
@Bea #2 – Thanks, I signed the petition. Al Franken is a favorite of mine along with Barney Frank and also to Anthony Weiner and Grayson. These people are working for the people.
Mo – thanks for the book titles (o:
Curious why voting against Bernanke is a good thing, since he is credited with keeping country from going over a cliff. Was he in the driver’s seat (making decisions) leading us toward the cliff? Why is he responsible for the direction we were going?
I really like Al Franken, and I absolutely adore that photograph.
For a freshman Franken has been very engaged and very active. That is probably why the RepoTaliban put so much time and money into their efforts to keep him out of the Senate. They has researched the man and knew what he was made of.
I am thrilled to see that both he and Begich voted against Bernanke. If Bernanke had any dignity, or shame or even just a little bit of class, he would have resigned. He has no dignity, he’s actually proud of what he has done and that is enough reason, in and of itself, for him to have never been renominated or voted out by every spineless dim on the committee.
Oh, Sorry. Never mind. It WAS the spineless dims voting.
I was confused there for a second.
18 michigander Says:
January 31st, 2010 at 12:52 PM
I really like and respect Al Franken (always think of his map skill too) so thank-you but….AKM…1rst the ‘mail bag’, now this title….trying to be patient but
The envelope please?
I think Buf ate it.
A dear older couple, good friends of mine, visited Washington D.C. during the time Al Franken was waiting for results of the struggle between him and Coleman, which seemed to go on forever. They were touring through the Senate office building, each senator’s name in gold on each door as they walked along. They noticed a door in line with all the others but it had no name on it. They took a big Post-It and a marking pen out of her purse and wrote
“Senator Al Franken” on it and stuck it to the door, stood back, grinned, and then walked on. Everything helps.
Power to the People!
pvazwindy, okay that was too funny! Waah! Buf please, say it isn’t so!
Back on topic, I need to do some thinking before comment re: Bernanke. I want to trust our President on that one….
iwish we could clone this wonderful man. i knew he wouldn’t disappoint.
I wrote: Al Franken was waiting for results of the struggle between him and Coleman.
I believe that it would be more correct to say ‘between he and Coleman.’ My bad!
pvazwindy Says:
January 31st, 2010 at 2:51 PM
18 michigander Says:
January 31st, 2010 at 12:52 PM
I really like and respect Al Franken (always think of his map skill too) so thank-you but….AKM…1rst the ‘mail bag’, now this title….trying to be patient but
The envelope please?
I think Buf ate it.
________________________________________
ROFL
chuckle,,, I find it ironic,,,one of his skits on SNL had him sitting and saying something or other and then saying, “Vote for me, Al Franken”,,,,another phrase,and then “Vote for me, Al Franken”…and here we sit 2 decades+ later,,,,,
2010′s are maybe going to be the Al Franken Decade.
Al Franken is whip-shot smart! Brilliant. Because he’s been a comedian, he’s been derided and belittled, but behind all the comedy you just knew this man has a brain!
I wouldn’t mind supporting him for a Presidential bid a few years down the road – say 2016 after President Obama’s second term.
Country Girl, you had it right the first time – “…between *him* and Coleman.”
Prepositions -words like to, from, over, under, and between – take the objective case, which means me, you, him, her, them.
Generally if it sounds right to you, if you are a native English speaker and above the age of ten or so, it is going to be correct. And that includes saying “It’s me” which is perfectly fine 99.9% of the time in colloquial English, even though in proper *formal* English it should be “It is I.” Most other verbs take the objective case, just like propositions do. Overcompensating for that “error” (which really isn’t an error most of the time, outside of English class) is what gets many folks in trouble with the I/me, he/him, she/her, they/them confusion.
Methinks those so eager to learn about AKM’s mystery envelope are going to find it rather anti-climatic.
I have liked Franken too, first became familiar with him as a regular guest on Daily Show. But I agree with laurie (22), and would like to hear his rationale for voting against Bernanke. Big Ben is brilliant, savvy, and one banker who is satisified with public service instead of reaping multi-million-dollar bonuses. He is the right person for his job at this crucial time.
OK and now I have read Franken’s rationale for voting against Bernanke (AKM provided a link, duh). Says Ben didn’t do enuf to protect consumers. No, that’s Congress’ role. Good luck with that, tho, especially now that the corps have a political “voice”.
OT but there’s lots of interesting information people are digging up over at Palingates now that SarahPAC’s filings have finally come out.
As a Minnesotan, I’m very proud of Al. He and Amy Klobuchar, our other senator, are fine examples of the best of Minnesota. Please ignore the wicked witch of the midwest, i.e., M. Bachmann.
and…don’t forget…Bush v. Gore
Thanks for this post, AKM! Very encouraging!
#33 LiladyNY – re Franken run for the Presidency: I can’t think of any others who show as much promise.
Kimosabe 35/36- I too missed the link. I’ve read it now. It’s still not clear to me how he could have protected consumers. Someone certainly should have, but I didn’t think that was the job of the federal reserve chairman. I do know that it was the republican controlled congress that helped to weaken some credit card consumer protections during the last administration.
Greenspan had been keeping interest rates low when Bernanke took over. If interest rates where not already at practically zero, we would have had that additional tool to stimulate our economy now. Seems like that was a big mistake, but not sure who is at fault on that.
OT–
Over at Palingates Sarah’s ghostwriters have been officially outed!
Rebecca Mansour (I think everyone knew this) and Joe Russo. Now
the urination crowd are doing damage control saying that they knew
it all the time. Funny . . . . .
I know that AKM got an envelope – and was going to post something about it….. but seems most everyone knows what the envelope was regarding…..
Just call me ‘shroom cuz I am in the dark
I am in the dark also too.
GhostbusterTX Says:
January 31st, 2010 at 4:49 PM
Country Girl, you had it right the first time – “…between *him* and Coleman.”
…………………………………
((((((Thanks Ghostbuster TX )))))))
Self doubt is a killer! Where have you been all my life?
Greatly OT, but if you’ll, please, indulge me…
I’m hunting for a word and/or term …well, not just any one, a specific one ~ one that means: The argument fails because the ‘support’ you give for it [your argument] can be *equally* applied to *refute* it; what you are arguing against, is *equally* valid when the same [standards /examples/cites of] ‘support’ is applied [as you’ve applied them to your side/‘for’ argument].
The word “irony” came to mind, but that’s not it (at least in its pure form/actual meaning); I don’t know what the word/term I’m looking for is, but I know there is one…it’s been many years since philosophy and English classes, though – the ol’ brain just ain’t finding it amongst all the year’s worth of stored junk and clutter.
Anyway, the reason I ask to tap into the collective mudpuppy wisdom is that a local newspaper ran an editorial about the “Tebow ad”. Oddly enough, because of the ‘support’ it gives its argument(s), I feel compelled to write a wee letter to the editor to point out –politely, ala AKM, of course– the “__[whatever the word/term I can’t recall is]__” contained within said editorial. To say I’m having “difficulty” with the ‘presentation’ (support) of both its premise and conclusion, would be an understatement.
Any assistance would be GREATLY appreciated. beth.
The Editorial: “Controversial ad is freedom of speech issue” ~ http://www.unionrecorder.com/editorials/local_story_029225802.html
Yes, worth waiting. so good luck to him.
@ 17 CalifDream
WRT the FDL article:
“Seven senators—six of them Democrats—voted “aye” on cloture, allowing the final vote to proceed, before voting “nay” on the Fed Chairman’s final confirmation. While those seven votes wouldn’t have been enough to sustain a filibuster, a little more courage on the part of the Majority, and a little more political savvy on the part of the White House, could have easily stopped Ben in his tracks”
- – -
I can see how/why they would have voted “Aye” on cloture. Franken and many of the freshmen newcomers to Senate/House are busy instigating new laws & policies. It would make no sense to circumvent or antagonize the process, while needing cosponsors and support for new bills they will each continue trying to implement.
I believe the previous unspoken rules were that freshmen should be seen & never heard – while Franken, Grayson, Weiner are making some serious ‘waves’. Each are incredibly intelligent men!!
Here’s a Youtube of Rep. Alan Grayson grilling Bernanke which gives a chilling insight as to why Bernanke has lost the trust of some:
Alan Grayson Which Foreigners Got the Feds $500_000_000_000__ Bernanke answer is “I Don’t Know”
(5.11 mins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSrNAC-5IX0
beth Says: I’m hunting for a word and/or term
Perhaps the word you’re looking for is “specious.” But I bet there’s better ones out there. “specious |ˈspē sh əs|
adjective
superficially plausible, but actually wrong : a specious argument.
• misleading in appearance, esp. misleadingly attractive :”
Synonyms:specious reasoning: misleading, deceptive, false, fallacious, unsound, spurious, casuistic, sophistic.
I like sophistic, myself.
Then there’s specious-ation, spurious-ation, and sophistic-ation, as well. Which all mean “another form to slavery to memorizing unsound sermons. Making up words or editorial “facts” to make oneself sound smart.”
@ 18 Michigander
“The envelope please?”
@ 25 Pvazwinder
“I think Buf ate it.”
Loved the response Pvaz! AKM’s Mudflats blog is a “hobby”, not her primary occupation. The month of January is one of the most busy times of the year for any business owner/operator – getting out tax info before 1/31 deadlines.
AKM has never failed to deliver what she promises. I would rather relax and let her give a well written story – when she is able to do so. I don’t think daily pestering is conducive to the process. JMO.
@beth — I’m not sure exactly what situation you are trying to describe, but one possible word is “self-contradictory”. This is more like Republicans opposing government intervention in health care because the government is so darn inefficient compared to private insurance; and in the same breath opposing a public option because the government is likely to drive private insurers out of business.
This is not quite what I think you were describing; it is more like advancing an argument and its opposite and asserting they are both true.
In the case where an argument, or evidence, can be used equally well to support contradictory conclusions, I suppose you might call the argument / evidence “ambiguous”, but I’d prefer “irrelevant”.
AKM, I wonder if you regret making mention of “the envelope”?
In good time, people….in good time. Let AKM do her thing.
Chill.
((((AKM)))) thanks for responding and for seeing the humor. Not sure if the 2 titles were an intentional tease but I found them amusing (o:
sudsy@11,
are you talking about the AIG hearings on wed? i watched part of it. yes, it was a grilling.
now that i know, thanks to chris matthews, what a putz that freshman rep from utah is (chaffetz), i perked up and listened when it was his turn. maybe chaffetz should worry less about who is calling rahm than what’s needed to protect us from terrorists…
and to all those freshman congress critters who like to claim (as does chaffetz) that they didn’t start the mess, but are there to clean it up: tell me who you voted your adult life and we’ll reexamine your culpability.
PS – friended and am following Senator Franken!
trisha@49… every time i read a gentle prod, i think, ruh row, you’re gonna get mommy mad!
call me boring, but i get a thrill when commenters express concern over the improper use of language or put forth a determined hunt for the singularly perfect word!
now, if we could only win the War on the Apostrophe….
Senator Al said he wanted to continue the wprk of his friend and ours, Senator Paul Wellstone,
He isn’t going to be corrupted by Washington.
We worked long days to help elect him and will do it a again ..
@ 58 GiGi
“Senator Al said he wanted to continue the wprk of his friend and ours, Senator Paul Wellstone,”
THANK YOU! I had read that fact a long time ago but had totally forgotten. It seemed like someone/something was inspiring Senator Franken, now I know why.