Senate Dems May Try To Seat Franken

UPDATE: Coleman's Senate office has been ordered closed, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports:

With the recount battle still underway, the doors to Norm Coleman's Senate offices were locked this morning at the direction of Senate rules committee officials who declared his term expired.

"They can't carry on Senate business," said Howard Gantman, staff director for the Senate Rules and Administration Committee.

Coleman, in a statement issued at mid-day, said "without question this is a unique situation in the history of the Senate, and specifics are still being determined as to the future of the Senate office."

CQ reports Senate Democrats may attempt to seat Al Franken as Minnesota's new Senator Tuesday, despite the objections of Sen. Norm Coleman and other Republicans.

Senate Republicans are gearing up to block any attempt to seat the Democrat until Coleman's continuing legal challenges are resolved. That could spark the first filibuster of the 111th Congress.

Jim Manley, the spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., said Monday that there "likely will be an attempt to seat [Franken] this week."

A senior Democratic aide confirmed that Senate Democrats hoped to swear Franken in Tuesday, along with the rest of the freshman senators.

New York Sen. Charles Schumer seemed to endorse this move Sunday, saying the race was settled and that Franken had won the election.

"While there are still possible legal issues that will run their course, there is no longer any doubt who will be the next Senator from Minnesota," Schumer said. "With the Senate set to begin meeting on Tuesday to address the important issues facing the nation, it is crucial that Minnesota's seat not remain empty, and I hope this process will resolve itself as soon as possible."

Senate Republican leaders have said the chamber shouldn't seat Franken until all legal matters are settled, which could take months.

On Monday, the Minnesota Supreme Court rejected Coleman's request to count an additional 654 rejected absentee ballots.

Comments

[heal57]

Go, Big Al. Down with another thugpublican!

[Doofus]

I can almost hardly not wait to see what the Supremes
will have to say about this. We haven't really got the true
measure of *any* election until Tony Scalia has had a say.

And Minnesota - thanks for showing us that democracy is
indeed the worst form of government except for all the others!

First, we count til Coleman wins. Then, we count til Franken wins.
Next, finally, we count til someone decides a re-vote has to happen.

Maybe Jesse Ventura can just declare that *he* is the next senator.

[milo h minderbinder]

Alarmist, aren't we?

The process worked as it's supposed to.

There was a count election night. It was too close so there was a recount. It just so happened that the result changed, which isn't uncommon in recounts this close.

Now we're done. Other than Coleman trying to sue to change things, which should be thrown out quickly.

[Doofus]

It shouldn't take two months to count votes that are cast on one day.

It's a pathetic government that lets the process drag on as it has.

And I say that as one who is extremely tired of Repo politicians,
and the almost inevitable Supreme Court involvement.

[SwingingFromCenter]

"Coleman, in a statement issued at mid-day, said "without question this is a unique situation in the history of the Senate, and specifics are still being determined as to the future of the Senate office.""

It's only unique because he's making it unique. At no time in history was a candidate such a sore loser and incapable of accepting defeat that he went to such extreme measures to try and prevent it, basically trying to circumvent the will of the voters and be seated via the courts.

And yes, I get the obvious W references that are sure to come, but that was a different scenario: Mainly that Al didn't put up a sad-to-watch fight.

The ultimate irony here is that this was the guy who originally claimed that this was supposed to be a time to heal and not drag out the election via litigation, and that it was no time for the people of Minnesota and the country to have to put up with a long, drawn-out process...you know, when he was ahead.

[antaeus]

Minnesota isn't Florida. The recount there has been good enough to pass muster. Franken won by the narrowest margin, but he won. Seat him, and when Republicans start to whine, just stare back at them with incredulity.

[BlackYowe]

Minnesota, needs to have a senator NOW. It's madness to drag this out. Al won so seat him.

[milo h minderbinder]

MN law requires a seven day waiting period and for any lawsuits to be resolved.

[GingerB]

Pack your bags and get out, Norm. Minnesota voters have spoken.

[cariintexas]

Al, Don't back down.

[zigzag1]

Trial lawyers, frivolous lawsuits, the bane of Republicans....unless they think they can win.

[zoozey]

Ah yes, they are always first to send out the Lawyers, aren't they? Then get votes from their constituents by claiming they are against all those frivolous lawsuits.

The sue-happiest people I know pull the lever everytime for Repubs.

Just like the way they all brag about state's rights and the big, bad Feds, but then go running to the U.S. Supreme Ct. when the Fl. Supreme Ct. decision didn't go their way.

[marsglow]

Yeah. I want to throw their words back in their faces - "He lost, get over it!"

[XFilesTheTruthIsOutThere]

Senator Al Fraken!!!

[boogygran]

That's "Senator Al Franken" not Fraken.

[Davwbaird]

The repugs are nasty creatures. And they expect respect? They desire nothing less than tar and features and a rail.

[plzchuteme]

My inclination who be to follow the rules to the letter. If it takes seven days for the official certificate, then wait seven days to seat Franken. Then let the Republicans filibuster 'til their tongues fall off. Won't they look stupid and petty to the rest of the country, and the world, while our country is mired in two wars, a depression, and coming out of an eight year environmental and personal rights nightmare, and they waste critical time and money by refusing to seat a lawfully elected senator. Franken IS the junior senator from Minnesota and WILL be seated, and we must remind the world on a daily basis what the priority of the Republican Party is. "America first?" Yeah, right Senator McConnell!!

[plzchuteme]

Oooops! "My inclination WOULD be...."

[gb slacker]

That is all well and good; however, the 7 day waiting period is for campaigns to file legal challenges. With the Coleman camps' lawyers just itching to file lawsuits and Franken's lawyers itching to counter them, the legal challenges could take months.

Now, a reminder... The day after the election, when Coleman was up by ~200 (I remember it as 204 but reports I've seen today say 215) votes, he really thought that Franken should concede, even though state election law required that the state pay for an automatic hand recount in the event of such a close race. Now that he's losing by over 200 votes he's going to fight like hell to hang onto his seat. Even if that means wasting his, Franken's, the court's and the state's time and money only to eventually lose. I'm not saying that he doesn't have the right, I just love pointing out when Coleman is being a hypocrite. After 5 years living in Minnesota, I got to be REALLY good at that game!

[cornagainstsorcery]

For now on pre-emptively "locking the office" as an impotent gesture to prevent a legitimate replacement to take one's seat in the Senate is to be called a "Barnstorm Norman".

[jolebo]

So, Billo, Sean, Rush, Anne, and Babs, can you all say, Senator Franken

[zigzag1]

watch them barf in their mouth....hehehehe

[Chris Savage - Huffpost Blogger]

As much as I am for peace and tranquility in Congress (yeah, right, like *that's* going to happen), I firmly believe that the time for Democrats to start exercising their power is NOW! There's no point in having power if it goes unused and, frankly, Reid and Pelosi have left it sitting dusty & unused on a shelf for far too long.

I say call their bluff. Force Senator John Cornyn and his cronies to filibuster and show the nation what a bunch of obstructionist sore losers the Republican party has become. If the Republicans are seen doing this while the Democrats, led by their new influential, powerful, and POPULAR president, are going to work on solving the country's problems, it only helps the Democrats' cause down the road and shows that they aren't afraid to use their newly-gained power now or later.

If, on the other hand, they choose to acquiesce (again), they'll keep sporting unnecessary Republican tread marks on their back just like they have for the two years. *cough* Joe Lieberman *cough*

[milo h minderbinder]

Absolutely.

If they want to filibuster, force them to actually do it, and make your case to the public that these guys are being obstructionist and stopping things from getting done. No more "procedural filibusters".

[mredder4]

Don't all states deserve to have two Senators at the start of a term? If it were a red state and they were trying to get a Republican in the door but the Democrats were trying to limit that state to one representative in the Senate, the howls would be deafening.

[PallinAround]

So you're all for seating Burris and not Franken? Or you want them both seated??? Or you want Burris seated because the Dems don't and Franken not seated because the Dems do? What exactly are you saying?

[StellaRay]

Absofrickinglutely, Chris. This is a 5 star opportunity to call the Republicans bluff and let the media shine a klieg light on them as they fiddle while Rome burns. I hope the smart, tough new senator from Minnesota can put some pounds on the other side of the teeter totter from Reid and Pelosi....what lightweights.

[AndThenOneDay]

I agree, this is the right moment. Force the republicans to waste their extremely limited and suspect capital on trying to keep Franken out.

[mitsie]

Thanks Chris, I agree.

[JJ30]

Man I need to go to the store and buy some more popcorn! It is going to be extremely entertaining to see how this and the IL debacle will play out. Politics at its best! :-)

[jlarue]

LOL...more popcorn! It really is absurd this year isnt it?