Congratulations, Senator Franken

Submitted by uh_clem on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 3:38pm.

The inevitable has finally come to be, nearly eight months after the election.

The 32-page unanimous decision by the state’s highest court was released after a seven-months long battle over the seat formerly held by Norm Coleman. On every ground, the judicial panel rejected Mr. Coleman’s claims of trial errors or constitutional violations, and decided that Mr. Franken’s election should be certified by the state as valid.

- http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/court-rules-franken-has-won-senate-seat/?hp

Pretty much a slam dunk, and somewhat surprisingly Coleman has conceded.

Smally fans everywhere rejoice!
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They're almost there! (#172367)

by stillnotking on Thu, 07/02/2009 - 3:39pm

The Presidency, 60 seats in the Senate, and 256 seats in the House is almost enough to pass all the wonderful legislation the Democrats have been promising. But not quite! Please, won't you give generously?

The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.

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They could have every seat in Congress (#172538)

by Username on Fri, 07/03/2009 - 4:53pm

and would still sing the same tune.

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What is it with Minnesota? (#172074)

by vinteuil on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 7:45pm

First it was Jesse "The Body" Ventura. Now it's Al "even-duller-than-Bill-Maher" Franken.

Are they in some sort of bizarre competition with California to elect dimwitted semi-celebrities to major office?

Not that I'll miss the thoroughly useless Norm Coleman. Good riddance.

God help the while, a bad world I say.

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Minnesota is almost Canada. (#172188)

by tomsyl on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 3:04pm

QED.

Sincerity is the first casualty of capitalism. John Burdett

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Hmm. Then than must make Alaska... (#172294)

by Zelig on Thu, 07/02/2009 - 3:50am

...Canada on meth.

Me: We! -- Ali

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Heh (#172369)

by Harley on Thu, 07/02/2009 - 3:47pm

It's really more like Texas on even more meth than they're already on. With snow.

“Two clichés make us laugh but a hundred clichés move us, because we sense dimly that the clichés are talking among themselves, celebrating a reunion." - Umberto Eco

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Crazy comment. (#172095)

by Zelig on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 10:09pm

Al Franken highlights:
-- Harvard graduate, cum laude, while washing dishes as a work-study student
-- Harvard Fellow '03
-- 6 time best-selling author
-- USO Merit Award recipient - 10 years service.

Agree about your California comment though. Ronnie Raygun, George Murphy and Arnold S. do qualify as "dimwitted semi-celebrities" elected to office. Shame on California.

Me: We! -- Ali

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I credit him for his USO service. (#172187)

by tomsyl on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 3:03pm

Details here. The rest of it is no biggie imo. There are plenty of Harvard grads doing time in various states' grey-bar motels. I heard even George Bush went there. (Meaning the school.)

Sincerity is the first casualty of capitalism. John Burdett

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Hey, Zelig, shame on you. (#172097)

by Pranky on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 10:14pm

gotta leave something for dumbass conservatives to knee-jerk at. And otherwise jerk to.

Congrats, Al.

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Disagree, totally. (#172098)

by Zelig on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 10:22pm

Not really. Substitute "smartass" for "dumbass" and you got something. The "jerk" reference is apt.

Me: We! -- Ali

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Heh. Of course, (#172099)

by Pranky on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 10:29pm

there's always room for those who claim that they're above it all by dismissing the whole lot!

Good times.

Keep up the purging, republicans, and hope you all implode in a white hot and unprecedented immolation!

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800 Math SAT (#172088)

by callmeishmael on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 9:35pm

is now dimwit material? Man, I'm an idiot.

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Hey, I was only 30 points short... (#172210)

by vinteuil on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 6:34pm

...of a perfect 1600 on the SAT (800 V, 770 M) - and that was way back before they dumbed it down.

And then I was only *10* points short of a perfect 2400 on the GRE. (Screwed up on the verbal, that time around. Didn't know what "stipple" meant).

But surely you'd agree that I'm a dimwit, wouldn't you? (Or, as Harley prefers to say, a "thinwit.")

God help the while, a bad world I say.

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wow, you must have an enormous cranium. nt (#172275)

by nilsey on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 10:38pm

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i was thinking the same thing, and... (#172298)

by Zelig on Thu, 07/02/2009 - 6:53am

...was thinking of Tomsyl's account of his recent, successful medical procedure. Trenpanation, when performed by a skilled medical team, is a very safe procedure and might release a significant amount of steam, which would cause the cranium to return to a somewhat, if not perfectly normal shape. Just an idea.

Me: We! -- Ali

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The cranium is a solid box. Doesn't change in size after (#172325)

by mmghosh on Thu, 07/02/2009 - 11:27am

trepanation. Unless you have a metal skull...

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Have you seen this.... (#172339)

by eeyn524 on Thu, 07/02/2009 - 12:44pm

Do it yourself trepanation

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See vint, 120 years ago, those numbers would have, (#172218)

by mmghosh on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 6:48pm

in another country, got you the job of a senior administrator in Africa or Asia. You might have ended up as a George Orwell.

Count your blessings, man.

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More likely Orwell's father, counting opium chests (#172233)

by BlaiseP on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 7:19pm

for export to God Knoweth Where.

The sun never sets on the Brrritish Empire. Cue the Elgar march.

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Whatever you are, you ain't no thinwit. (#172211)

by BlaiseP on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 6:38pm

Just saying. You're far too insightful to ever be judged as such.

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no one is duller than bill maher - nt (#172075)

by nilsey on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 8:06pm

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Maher used to be pretty funny (#172102)

by stillnotking on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 12:05am

And his show wasn't bad when it was on Comedy Central. I think getting canned over a 9/11 remark made him start taking himself too seriously.

The other day I heard that ignorance and apathy are sweeping the country. I didn't know that, but I don't really care.

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He Started Going Downhill Before That (#172106)

by M Scott Eiland on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 12:46am

Waxing poetic about how it was a great privilege for Monica Lewinsky to service Bubba wasn't exactly brilliant comedy--and it was just another thing that liberal feminists politely ignored while playing defense in 1998.

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This must be one of those thought exercises. (#172126)

by Zelig on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 10:25am

It's like Larry Craig is opining on the Lewinsky affair while channeling Ursula Le Guin.

Bravo, sir.

Me: We! -- Ali

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No. . . (#172197)

by M Scott Eiland on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 4:35pm

. . .it's an accurate reflection of what Maher said, and of the "enlightened" feminist crowd deciding that they didn't want to react to it. Except for the ones that were actually going so far as to say that they thought Ol' Bubba *did* deserve BJs for his noble efforts in defending abortion rights. Gotta love that nuance.

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Dennis Miller. (#172084)

by Zelig on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 9:20pm

•

Me: We! -- Ali

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the competition... (#172094)

by vinteuil on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 9:58pm

...is stiff.

God help the while, a bad world I say.

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Dead heat. (#172096)

by Zelig on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 10:11pm

•

Me: We! -- Ali

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I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, (#172044)

by Jordan on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 4:15pm

the Republicans have done enough damage for twenty years or so.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
–Voltaire

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Mission Accomplished (#172041)

by Zelig on Tue, 06/30/2009 - 3:52pm

Me: We! -- Ali

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Perfect! that one picture says it all about the guy, why he was (#172186)

by tomsyl on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 2:57pm

voted in, and what can be expected from him now. Frnken's humor was always of the hamfisted, idiot-imitating-a-dolt variety, so why would anyone expect anything more now that he's an insider?

Everyone gets the government they deserve. I just made that up right now, btw.

Sincerity is the first casualty of capitalism. John Burdett

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I chose the one picture in the gallery... (#172279)

by Zelig on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 11:57pm

...that I thought would cause humor-impaired right-wingers such as yourself to experience minor photopsia and thus see stars. Parody can be deep and cutting, when practiced by an expert.

I believe you are unaware of the work Franken put into his campaign, that he is now amongst a small handful of people who have an actual grasp of the economy of his home state of MN, and that he will put some real time and effort into serving his state. What I believe you are actually expressing is a deep fear that Franken's "Wellstone-style politics", left-populist in breed, will become successful and will grow. http://www.wellstone.org/

Me: We! -- Ali

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