Franken's Absence Proving A Win-Win For The GOP

The foot-dragging on the part of officials in Minnesota when it comes to certifying the state's Senate election winner is having serious ramifications for Barack Obama.

This past week, as Senate Democrats scrounged to secure 60 votes to overcome a filibuster of the stimulus package, the absence of Al Franken in that chamber loomed large.

Having finished the recount process ahead of Norm Coleman by a scant 225 votes, the entertainer-turned-politician could have been seated while the remaining legal challenges were resolved. There was a precedent for making the interim appointment. The Senate did the same with Louisiana's Mary Landrieu in 1996. But leadership, spurred in part by criticism from Senate Republicans, refused to do the same with Franken without a signed certification from Minnesota's Secretary of State, Mark Ritchie.

Now that move is coming back to haunt them. Democrats in Washington are lamenting Franken's absence. Needing two Republican Senators to cross the aisle in support of any moderately controversial legislation, Majority Leader Harry Reid and Whip Dick Durbin have been largely rebuffed. Of the 18 measures that have been brought to a vote in the Senate only four Republicans -- Sens. Collins, Snowe, Specter and Voinovich -- have voted with the opposition more than five times, according to a study by National Journal.

Stating the obvious, former DSCC head Chuck Schumer said the burden Democrats faced in passing a stimulus would be "a little lighter" with Franken in Congress.

Sen. Tom Harkin, meanwhile, declared that the labor community's main legislative priority, the Employee Free Choice Act, would be brought to the floor only after his Minnesota colleague was seated.

As soon as "we swear Franken in," said the Iowa Democrat, "this will be one of the first things we take up.'"

And so, it seems, Republicans find themselves in a win-win scenario by challenging the Minnesota Senate election results in court as long as legally possible. State election court rulings mandating that a new pool of roughly 4,800 rejected absentee ballots be sifted through individually for possible legitimate votes not only keeps Coleman's hopes alive, but keeps Democrats from getting their 59th caucusing member.

And just how much time are we looking at before the race is resolved? The Minnesota Solicitor General insisted that no certificate for the election winner would be issued "until the legal contest is over."

The declaration has prompted observers like Hamline University School of Law professor David Schultz to predict that Minnesota will be without a second U.S. Senator for four or five months.

Comments

[LDnearthesea]

Some on this post correctly state that Reid had to pull in Snowe, Collins and Specter to compromise on this Stimulus Package. Reid will have to do this time and time again as long as the people of Minnesota are unConstitutionally deprived of another representative in the Senate. Collins, Snowe, and perhaps Specter are the true members of the Republican Party in the sense of Lowell Weiker, John Chaffey, and former California Congressman Pete McCloskey, or the former Senator Brooke of Massachusetts. These other clowns are not Republicans. Other than the three senators mentioned, the rest are Repugnantcans. This is another political party! This is a party that Joseph McCarthy would have loved!
They're all about war, tax cuts, borrowing and spending, enriching the already rich, and accusing Democrats of being unpatriotic and socialist, and they have a media network catapulting their propaganda for them: Fixed Noise, CNN, and CNBC, as well as 9 of 10 AM radio talk show hosts.

[Mover]

There is nothing unconstitutional about it.

[LDnearthesea]

I hate Repugnantcans! They hated Clinton. We need some payback on these unAmarican a** h****!
Reid: grow a pair and make them fillibuster!

[kylie]

"Repugnantcans! They hated Clinton".
Funny, they don't hate the Clinton's now!

[RickCoMatic]

Knowing, as I am sure they do, that the 225 vote lead Franken has over Coleman in not likely to be reversed by any further scrutiny of rejected ballots; it seems outrageous to me that the Minn. Governor does not act to at least seat Franken provisionally.
The GOP has got Gov. Pawlenty right in their hip pocket. Leaving the seat vacant has deprived the Democrats of the additional power to impose the plans President Obama envisioned. There is NO second voice from Minnesota to vote for the President's policy.
Leaving the seat vacant seems Unconstitutional; seeing that the Senate called for all its Members to be seated and sworn the first week in January.
Pawlenty is playing ball for the GOP and indirectly giving credibility to the ridiculous election contest that Norm Coleman has brought to trial.

[lunchlady]

Four or five months? Minnesota prefers to be missing a Senator for that long rather than seat Franken now? The GOP reveling in keeping Franken waiting seems really petty to me. I guess some of them still think Coleman has a chance to get the election results reversed.
How do we prevent this sort of thing happening in the future? Effective ballot and election reform is so overdue in this country. Election procedures are locally determined, which i think is part of the problem.

[2008CaliforniaFan]

Email or call MoveOn . org

After reading about the Coleman TV ads on the other thread I just emailed Moveon . org.
I asked why they didn't link the most recent scandal with Steele and Coleman together with the same style of ads that Coleman is using against Franken

MoveOn and the DNC need to take out Coleman so the GOP Governor would have to vette Franken.
President Obama needs Franken's vote'.... Now.

[Mover]

"President Obama needs Franken's vote'.... Now."

Unbelievable. You want the Obama Lobbyist and Democrat Payoff/ Wish-list Act of 2009 to become law? Do you understand that it will do nothing for you, your family or your community? The only people this transfer of wealth will help are the politicians, their lobbyists and their rich supporters.

If you think I'm wrong, just look at the $700 Billion TARP spending. This Congress, including Obama, are the same people who put that monstrosity together. It handed over all that money, money we don't have, to the people that caused this recession, with no control over its use. Then stand back and complain about it. Obama's bill is the same kind of payola.

This monster will only worsen the recession It will not "create" jobs, but it will devalue the dollar further and cause your grocery and gas bill to skyrocket. Obama has no clue about any of this; he can only do as his advisers tell him. His advisers are all lobbyists.

How do you think they can up with a trillion dollars in new spending in a few short weeks?

These spending plans have been lying around, some for decades, waiting for the right moment to put them into play.

So here you have it: Popular president (for now), majority in both houses and several mush-brains in the US Senate, throw in a recession and let the games begin. The perfect storm.

[marchamlin]

His advisers are not all lobbyists. Get a clue. It's going to cost us money to fix the problem that Curious George created.

[sueinmn]

Isnt there something in the constitution of representation and time limits to be with out the proper amount? just cant understand why Reid doesnt use his status of power and seat Franken as a temporary until final results because coleman will drag this to the very last minute possible by law. the gop plan all along. I wonder if there are limits in the GOP spending on these types of finances??

[LDnearthesea]

Reid needs to grow a pair and do just that, and if the Repgnantcans complain, t**** S***! they aren't in charge, and the Dems have to start acting like they are in charge!

[darthmaul]

You can forget about Reid ever showing any backbone. Christopher Dodd would make a good leader, he is articulate and forceful. Reid is "mealy mouthed" and a whiner that always caves. He is really useless.

[Mover]

Reid cannot.

There is nothing in US Constitution that would allow Reid to pick someone out of a crowd and give them a senate seat. This country is still a representative republic, even if the representatives only represent lobbyists, special interests and themselves.

[proudem]

More Rovian style dirty tricks.

[andyg]

What about Ted Kennedy he to sick to attend.

[backinstolaf]

Frankly, I don't agree with this article. I think NOT having Franken made the Dems to pull Collins, Snowe and Specter in as a unified geographical (Northeast) Republican unit and further regionalizes the GOP. Doing this is only going to make it even harder for the GOP to make any inroads in the Northeast whatsoever in 2010. Specter is the one republican who can win in PA, so of the right comes out in force and he gets defeated in a primary due to the stimulus vote, the Dems will win the seat for sure. I think this is more of a win/win for the Dems than the GOP

[backinstolaf]

Oh and by the Obama administration and the dems utilizing Collins, Snowe and Specter, it puts the GOP Senate in an even worse position because of their current makeup - five women (Hutchison, Murkowski, Collins, Snowe and soon to be Newman), one Jewish American (Specter), One Hispanic (Martinez) and the rest are white (mostly older) christian (mostly evangelical) men. Notice the GOP Senate is not criticizing Collins, Snowe or Specter - basically they know if they do, they may be perceived as sexist or anti-semetic, but rather are saying "they" were left out. They want to take the party right, and you know they perceive the three of them to be undermining this message.

Now onto 2010, Newman is only going to sit to fill out Judd Gregg's term. Hutchison will resign to run for Texas governor, Martinez is retiring, Specter and Murkowski are up for Re-election. Murkowski will probably have a dog fight with Sarah Palin in the primary and let's say Sarah Palin win's. Let's say Ed Rendell wins, Specter will lose that election. What do you have after the 2010 election cycle then - The Snowe and Collins, about 30 old white guys and Sarah Palin (if she runs, she wins). If this happens, the Obama administration and democrats will have succeeded in truly making the GOP a regional party and impossible for them to win in 2012 no matter who they run.

[RickCoMatic]

Let's lay the cards on the table "Face-Up"! Shall we?

1. With this Country welcoming-in a new Administration and the state of the Union in critical condition; deliberately leaving a Senate seat vacant when the President needs that voice and vote is so obscenely irresponsible, grossly negligent and derelict of duty to Minnesota and this Nation, those who have done nothing when options and remedies are available seem guilty of violating their oaths to the people.

2. The recount is over. A winner of the election was declared.

3. Vengeance and Hate are the motivation for the Election Contest. Nothing real.

4. It's beginning to smell a lot like a GOP Conspiracy. It sure looks like a duck. It's waddling and quacking; too! How long before we begin the investigation?

[sueinmn]

todays rulung in MN court, they will now individually present and rule on 4800 more votes. this is going to be a long fight! Just a ploy to stall but a grand fight. I dont know whats taking so long on Colemans FBI case, I wish they would ht him from all sides and knock some wind and money out of him.

[RickCoMatic]

This is the Governors fault! Instead of doing anything to have the VACANT Senate seat filled; Pawlenty behaves like a hostage with a gun to his head and does absolutely nothing to support the incoming Administration with a VOTE instead of a vacancy!
While Pawlenty screws-around leaving the Senate Seat VACANT; the GOP is making it difficult for the Obama changes to get through the Senate.
The resolution of the matter regarding the EMPTY Senate seat is SIMPLE.
Send Senator Elect Franken to be seated. Contest the decision in the Senate. The Senate will review all pertinent issues relevant to the election contest and revoke Franken's Election Certificate should there be just cause to do so.
Leaving the Seat VACANT during this MOST CRITICAL TIME in modern history is a flagrant, grossly negligent, incomprehensible inaction, demonstrating not just the highest degree of political irresponsibility but also tacit contempt of Legislation in place which was made Law to address precisely what's being contested.
The GOP's reasons for denying Senator-Elect Al Franken his seat in the Senate are scurrilously illegitimate. Sadly, a few bigots, with their most flimsy of excuses, contesting the vote, are undeniably motivated by only vengeance and hate. Of this, the everyone is well aware and should not tolerate nor allow to continue.

[sueinmn]

Palenty HAS thrown his hat in the race for Presidential candidates. He will do nothing to help Obama.

[RickCoMatic]

The Governor, according to Minnesota's Constitution shall: " Take an oath or affirmation to support the constitution of the United States and of this state and to discharge faithfully the duties of his office to the best of his judgment and ability."

Personally, readers, ladies and gentlemen, ... I doubt it could be said that Minn Governor Pawlenty is: "Supporting the Constitution" -or- "Discharging FAITHFULLY the duties" -or- "Rendering the BEST judgment." He's NOT doing ANYTHING about SEATING a SENATOR-DESIGNATE until the curtain comes down on The Norm Coleman Show.

He took an OATH. Make him abide by it!

[Marie62866]

Minnesota: Contact your governor and tell him to seat Frankin now! I used to respect Pawlenty but he is proving to be just another self absorbed repuklican!

[Ozarks]

Win win my but.tt. GOP obstruction policies are going to blow up in their face a lot like it did after 1932. After 1932 the repug party became a minority/fringe party for the next 40 years.

[hrholmes]

hhhmmm 1932 thru 1972.... look up Gen Dwight Eishenhower... since there must not have been any history books where you maybe went to school. lol

[billw8017]

Eisenhower was a moderate Republican and actually boo d at the 1964 convention. It is arguable that his wins in 1952 and '56 were personal victories for the leader of the allied armies of WWII, brackeded as they were by Democrats Truman and Kennedy. For most of his term, Democrats controlled Congress.

[dst1]

Oh, you mean Eishenhower the 'Golf President'??

[RenoSage]

And just like from 1929 to 1933 all the Republicans would think of was TAX CUTS. Failed then,
won't do any good now.

[mimigrammy]

Win-Win for GOP is a stretch here. Franken will be around for many an important legislative fights. We are only in week three and look what the Dem's are accomplishing without Minnesota. This delay is no Win-Win for the GOP, it is MORE a big loss for the good people of Minnesota. MAN UP COLEMAN AND WAVE THE WHITE FLAG!

[camipco]

Yeah, this is a win for the GOP in the same way that a 5 year old stamping their foot and refusing to eat their vegetables is a win for the 5 year old.

[VikingQuest]

"The foot-dragging on the part of officials in Minnesota when it comes to certifying the state's Senate election winner"

Hey Sam, are you aware that it is against Minnesota election law to certify anyone until after the legal challenge?

There is no foot dragging . . . it's the law.

[BritishColumbian]

Do you think the law should be changed?? The "election" took place over three months ago!