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You are here: Home / Politics / What’s the end game here?

What’s the end game here?

by DougJ|  May 4, 20099:29 pm| 139 Comments

This post is in: Politics, Assholes

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One thing I haven’t read much about is how the Specter switch impacts the Franken-Coleman thing:

“This makes it pretty darn important,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, of the race following Specter’s switch. “I expect they will pursue the appeals until they are exhausted, whenever that may be. … I would assume if they were unsuccessful in the Minnesota Supreme Court, there may very well be an appeal to the United States Supreme Court.”

Democrats, meanwhile, are planning a full-scale public pressure campaign to force Coleman to concede should the court affirm a three-judge panel’s ruling that Al Franken is the winner. Democrats have already begun using the race’s elevated importance to raise money, and they’re mounting a fresh campaign to pressure Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, to sign an election certificate once the state Supreme Court rules.

“Pawlenty’s signature is very, very important,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic chairman of the Rules and Administration Committee, which oversees election disputes. “We expect it to happen after the Supreme Court of Minnesota rules. …. If he refuses to sign, we’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.”

I will not be at all surprised if Scalia-Kennedy-Roberts-Thomas-Kennedy-Alito find a way to reverse the results and seat Coleman. I just hope that Franken has the dignity to deal with this in a bipartisan way.

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Reader Interactions

139Comments

  1. 1.

    WereBear

    May 4, 2009 at 9:31 pm

    If the justices seated by the party of “state’s rights” trample on it the way they did with Bush V. Gore, that will be stupid.

    So it’s likely.

  2. 2.

    TenguPhule

    May 4, 2009 at 9:32 pm

    I will not be at all surprised if Scalia-Kennedy-Roberts-Thomas-Kennedy find a way to reverse the results and seat Coleman.

    And then placed under arrest,

  3. 3.

    amorphous

    May 4, 2009 at 9:33 pm

    Kennedy gets two votes? No wonder he’s the most important.

  4. 4.

    DougJ

    May 4, 2009 at 9:34 pm

    Kennedy gets two votes? No wonder he’s the most important.

    You didn’t know about this?

  5. 5.

    used to be disgusted

    May 4, 2009 at 9:36 pm

    With every passing year, the memory of 2000 gets more painful. We really ought to declare a moratorium on thinking about it.

  6. 6.

    Short Bus Bully

    May 4, 2009 at 9:37 pm

    I hope the Dems would at least have half a sack and continue fighting this for Franken thing (yes, he’s a douche but he’s OUR douche) even though the sailing may get a little rough. We can’t have another towel toss like we did with Bush v. Gore.

  7. 7.

    Thankovsky

    May 4, 2009 at 9:38 pm

    I will not be at all surprised if Scalia-Kennedy-Roberts-Thomas-Kennedy find a way to reverse the results and seat Coleman.

    Ugh…that would be a major mistake on their part. It would effectively give Obama free license to appoint the most liberal justices that he could eke through the confirmation process. Not that that will necessarily stop them, but yeah. It would be a misstep.

  8. 8.

    Davis X. Machina

    May 4, 2009 at 9:40 pm

    With every passing year, the memory of 2000 gets more painful. We really ought to declare a moratorium on thinking about it.

    Rather, if you wish, treat it as Leon Gambetta used to call for the French to treat the loss of Alsace and Lorraine: “Think of it always, speak of it never”.

  9. 9.

    MikeJ

    May 4, 2009 at 9:46 pm

    I don’t see how anything changes with Specter’s switch. coleman was gonna go scorched earth before, he’s gonna go scorched earth now. Elections don’t count if they don’t reflect the will of the *right* people.

  10. 10.

    dmsilev

    May 4, 2009 at 9:48 pm

    This doesn’t really change anything, unless you happen to believe that Coleman wasn’t already dragging out the process as best he and the RNC can manage.

    -dms

  11. 11.

    Martin

    May 4, 2009 at 9:51 pm

    Ugh…that would be a major mistake on their part. It would effectively give Obama free license to appoint the most liberal justices that he could eke through the confirmation process. Not that that will necessarily stop them, but yeah. It would be a misstep.

    Not to mention that if the Dems get 61+ seats in 2010, they could expand the court by 2 or 4 seats if they felt the court overstepped. The Supreme Court can only fuck with the Senate so much.

  12. 12.

    Xenos

    May 4, 2009 at 9:52 pm

    If Scalia, Roberts and Kennedy reverse this one, impeach them. Congress has the power, tie their asses up for months in proceedings, let them try to justify it to the public.

    Even if they prevail and are not convicted, they will be chastened.

    And if that does not work, Obama can note that the productivity of the court is way down, so it is about time to add a few more justices to help carry the load.

    It is about time the Federalist Party Society got a swift kick in the teeth.

  13. 13.

    JK

    May 4, 2009 at 9:53 pm

    I will not be at all surprised if Scalia-Kennedy-Roberts-Thomas -Alito find a way to reverse the results and seat Coleman

    All the chatter I’ve heard about this case on cable news and the blogs suggests that the likelihood of the Minnesota Supreme Court ruling in Al Franken’s favor is about 99%.

    If the Minnesota Supreme Court rules in Franken’s favor, SCOTUS is going to have draw upon case law from Narnia or Middle Earth to justify a ruling in Norm Coleman’s favor.

    Generally speaking, I’m a fairly skeptical person but I can’t see SCOTUS having the balls to overturn a ruling of the Minnesota Supreme Court on this Senate race.

  14. 14.

    Thankovsky

    May 4, 2009 at 9:54 pm

    @Martin:

    From your lips to God’s ears.

    On a tangentially-related-but-interesting-topic, Rachel Maddow is discussing Jeff Sessions leading the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee. She’s tearing him a new one. It’s really a thing of beauty. I knew Sessions was an old vitriolic racist, but I hadn’t quite realized how OPEN of an old vitriolic racist he is.

  15. 15.

    The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge

    May 4, 2009 at 9:55 pm

    If this case goes to the SCOTUS, Coleman will be seated. This is just an objective fact, on which there can be no debate. The Senate Republicans will then want each vote in this session recalculated, with Coleman’s vote added.

    The only question is whether the Democrats will simply bend over and present themselves to be mounted, like they did after Bush vs. Gore.

  16. 16.

    mvr

    May 4, 2009 at 10:01 pm

    I believe the Senate gets to control its own membership. I also believe that the original organizing resolution controls memberships on committees until it is readjusted to reflect Spector’s switch meaning the Ds have an extra seat on many important committees until that’s done. Seating Franken should be part of any deal to reorganize the committees. The SCOTUS would be very foolish to give a victory to Coleman and I think they know that. I doubt they’d grant review.

  17. 17.

    Anne Laurie

    May 4, 2009 at 10:02 pm

    I will not be at all surprised if Scalia-Kennedy-Roberts-Thomas-Kennedy-Alito find a way to reverse the results and seat Coleman. I just hope that Franken has the dignity to deal with this in a bipartisan way.

    Sure, if you define “bipartisan” as “making very personal jokes about the Supremes that will be repeated every time their name is mentioned, including their obituaries.” Which is why I don’t think John “Teh Gaydar Pings Like Fine Crystal” Roberts, Sam “I Snivel, My Wife Weeps” Alito, or Clarence “What Fat Nino Said” Thomas are going to risk drawing Franken’s attention, just to make the Rump Twenty-One-Percenters happy slightly less angry & embittered. Of course Fat Nino himself would LOVE to vaffacul’ Franken & the Democrat Party, but he’s going to be very busy already preparing to defend the sanctity of the Supremes against Anita Hill, Bill Ayres, or whatever other lie-brul bogeymonster President Obama is preparing to assault Scalia’s brutish instincts beautiful mind…

  18. 18.

    JK

    May 4, 2009 at 10:03 pm

    OT – Bad News For Specter

    Ridge Trails Pennsylvania’s Specter By 3 Fricking Points, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds
    http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1293

  19. 19.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 4, 2009 at 10:03 pm

    @Martin:
    Roosevelt was on track to expand the Supreme Court in 1937. The court had struck down key parts of the New Deal so Roosevelt instructed his Attorney General to come up with a statute that would allow him to appoint more justices. The statute that was written proposed adding one justice for every existing justice over the age of seventy. Despite a lot of opposition, Roosevelt had the votes to get the statute passed. Interest died out when the court upheld a minimum wage law similar to one they’d struck down, affirmed the constitutionality of the NLRB and one justice announced his resignation. Obama would have a very tough time passing such legislation.

  20. 20.

    Xenos

    May 4, 2009 at 10:05 pm

    @mvr: Indeed. If the Congress were divided then the USSC might feel like throwing its weight around. Right now I doubt the judges feel like picking a fight with the branch that funds them and oversees them.

  21. 21.

    douglasfactors

    May 4, 2009 at 10:08 pm

    For fuck’s sake, people, the U.S. Supreme Court is not going to seat Coleman just because he’s a Republican.

    Bush at least had a colorable claim. Coleman lost the election and everyone but Cornyn knows it.

  22. 22.

    JK

    May 4, 2009 at 10:08 pm

    @Anne Laurie:

    John “Teh Gaydar Pings Like Fine Crystal” Roberts, Sam “I Snivel, My Wife Weeps” Alito, or Clarence “What Fat Nino Said” Thomas

    Love those nicknames

  23. 23.

    Thankovsky

    May 4, 2009 at 10:09 pm

    @The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge:

    I don’t think it’s an objective fact that SCOTUS will do that at all. I think it’s a possibility, but not a likelihood and certainly not a certainty. The Supremes like to say that they exist outside of the political realm, but that’s pure nonsense. The conservatives on the court know they’ll be jeopardizing their monopoly if they do something as blatantly anti-democratic as overturning Minnesota’s recount results – which is different from what they did in Bush v. Gore (not that I approve of those results either, obviously). It would be an immensely stupid move for Scalia et all to do that, and while Scalia is evil, he’s certainly not stupid.

  24. 24.

    Thankovsky

    May 4, 2009 at 10:10 pm

    @JK:

    Good! Dean and Carville both made it clear earlier today that if Specter doesn’t get his act together as a Democrat, they’ll replace him in the primary. This will hopefully FURTHER put the screws to him.

  25. 25.

    gbear

    May 4, 2009 at 10:13 pm

    I just hope that Franken has the dignity to deal with this in a bipartisan way.

    Franken knows how to play it as cool as Obama. He’s hiring staff and getting set up for the day when the certificate is signed. He can ‘ratchet up the cool.’

    If the Supremes actually do intervene and seat Coleman, his term will be a living hell – the political equivalent of being dragged behind a car for 5 1/2 years. The republicans will destroy Coleman just by being what currently passes as republican.

    Franken will either have his victory or his revenge and all he has to do is wait and watch.

  26. 26.

    Incertus

    May 4, 2009 at 10:14 pm

    @douglasfactors:

    Bush at least had a colorable claim. Coleman lost the election and everyone but Cornyn knows it.

    He didn’t really, but that was a while ago and nothing that’s happened in the last eight years is gonna change no matter how bullshit a claim it was.

    And Cornyn knows Coleman’s lost also. He’s just keeping the fire alive because he’s a restaurant quality asshole. My only question is which one of the many conservative “think tanks” has a spot with Coleman’s name on it once this is all over.

  27. 27.

    TenguPhule

    May 4, 2009 at 10:16 pm

    SCOTUS is going to have draw upon case law from Narnia or Middle Earth Mordor to justify a ruling in Norm Coleman’s favor.

    Fixed, Sauron’s bitch!

  28. 28.

    The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge

    May 4, 2009 at 10:22 pm

    @JK:

    They couldn’t possibly rule that adherence to arbitrary deadlines invented for the occasion (while letting the opposition run the clock down with delaying tactic after delaying tactic) takes precedence over counting the votes of the people.

    But they DID!

  29. 29.

    gbear

    May 4, 2009 at 10:22 pm

    Oh, and if Tim Pawlenty signs any kind of certificate that declares Coleman the winner, he’s going to have to move to Alaska if he ever hopes to get elected to anything ever again. He’ll be roadkill in MN.

  30. 30.

    JK

    May 4, 2009 at 10:24 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    Thanks, nice revision.

  31. 31.

    Brick Oven Bill

    May 4, 2009 at 10:27 pm

    I have previously disclosed this, but it bears repeating. As an engineering student at a large Midwestern university, I never thought this could happen to me.

    Lunch at the cafeteria was always a pleasant break from the rigor of our academic class work, a standard fare of math, science, and engineering laboratory work. Most of my fellow engineering students were males, and the females in our classes were not the type that aroused my interest. But, at the student union, we joined with the larger student body for a meal.

    As I grabbed my plastic trapezoidal lunch tray, and moved down the line from the silverware, to the entrees, my eye caught that of a young coed. She looked at me and quickly looked away, but I thought I noticed her hips sway from side to side. And then she looked again, and smiled. My feet shuffled a little, and I could not help but smile back. I hoped that this did not belie my nervousness about the situation I now found myself in.

    It was just then when this goofy guy started bouncing through the lunch line, touching everybody. He moved very much like a monkey and I thought that he was surely retarded. He touched the student two behind me, then one behind me.

    I tried to avoid contact, but to no avail. This person grabbed my hand and slobbered, hey, how ya doin? I’m Al Frankin. I later learned that he was a comedian from New York.

  32. 32.

    gbear

    May 4, 2009 at 10:32 pm

    Via the Mpls Strib.

    His recently-hired staffers, a state director and a chief of staff, are actually working for free, because Franken has no office budget. When Franken has travelled to Washington, he’s either paid out of his own pocket or from the campaign’s legal fund — which itself has been the focus of a lot of fundraising activity. And he really does wish he could be involved in the important decisions being made in Washington.

    Franken had a funny take on it, saying it was odd but not the worst personal crisis that can happen. “And every once in a while I’ll find myself, I’ll get grumpy,” he said. “And I’ll go, why am I grumpy? Oh, I know why — waiting for five and a half months to see what happens! (laughing) That’s why.”

    BOB, I’m glad to see that none of Franken’s comedy germs infected you when you were forced to shake his hand.

  33. 33.

    calipygian

    May 4, 2009 at 10:33 pm

    It was just then when this goofy guy started bouncing through the lunch line, touching everybody.

    Just point to the place on this doll where, how and for how long Jesus touched you, BOB.

  34. 34.

    The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge

    May 4, 2009 at 10:35 pm

    @Thankovsky:

    Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II put these justices on the court to do their job, which is to rule the way the Republican party wants them to rule. They will do it.

  35. 35.

    JK

    May 4, 2009 at 10:37 pm

    @The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge:

    I hear where you’re coming from and I certainly don’t hold Scalia, Roberts, Thomas, and Alito in very high regard.

    I think this country is screwed up beyond repair in many areas, but I can’t buy into the scenario of SCOTUS ruling in Coleman’s favor.

    If you’re right and I’m wrong, I’ll need to borrow your battleaxe to work off the rage I’ll be feeling.

  36. 36.

    tc125231

    May 4, 2009 at 10:37 pm

    I will not be at all surprised if Scalia-Kennedy-Roberts-Thomas-Kennedy-Alito find a way to reverse the results and seat Coleman. I just hope that Franken has the dignity to deal with this in a bipartisan way.

    If they do, it will be the end of the current Supreme Court’s legitimacy. There will be widespread support for increasing the size of the court, which is a matter of legislation, not Constitution.

  37. 37.

    El Cid

    May 4, 2009 at 10:38 pm

    What about Spam-Eggs-Sausage-Bacon & Spam? That hasn’t got much Spam in it?

  38. 38.

    tc125231

    May 4, 2009 at 10:40 pm

    @Brick Oven Bill:

    have previously disclosed this, but it bears repeating.

    Why? Do you think your obvious dislike for Franken should overrule the election?

  39. 39.

    Thankovsky

    May 4, 2009 at 10:40 pm

    @The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge:
    They usually rule along party lines, but not always. I’m pretty sure this is a situation where at least some of their survival instincts will kick in and they’ll break away from the usual orthodoxy.

  40. 40.

    Martin

    May 4, 2009 at 10:42 pm

    Obama would have a very tough time passing such legislation.

    Today he would. But you make the case yourself – the support for it would come in response to some act on the part of the court. If the court supported a new election, I think you might see the case be made.

  41. 41.

    Laura W

    May 4, 2009 at 10:42 pm

    @Brick Oven Bill:

    As I grabbed my plastic trapezoidal lunch tray, and moved down the line from the silverware, to the entrees, my eye caught that of a young coed. She looked at me and quickly looked away, but I thought I noticed her hips sway from side to side. And then she looked again, and smiled. My feet shuffled a little, and I could not help but smile back. I hoped that this did not belie my nervousness about the situation I now found myself in.

    Bill, you have a bright and shiny future in front of you with Harlequin romance novels.
    That was by far the steamiest thing I’ve read on this site for days months all year.

  42. 42.

    Robertdsc-iphone

    May 4, 2009 at 10:43 pm

    I think what Cornyn is worried about is the idea that Franken represents not just the 60th Dem vote, but a solid vote for the President’s agenda. Franken, given the trouble he’s gone through, won’t rock the boat much, or so that’s what I think.

    Of course, after the cramdown massacre, the 60 vote thing is a load of hooey anyway. GG, centrist pig Dems.

  43. 43.

    JK

    May 4, 2009 at 10:44 pm

    @El Cid:

    If and when the MN Sup Ct rules in Al Franken’s favor, Norm Coleman will be pining for the fjords.

    Monty Python Rules!

  44. 44.

    thefncrow

    May 4, 2009 at 10:45 pm

    @mvr: Yes, Specter is still holding Republican seats on his 5 committees.

    On Appropriations, the Democrats now hold a 18-12 advantage. This won’t change with a new organizing resolution post-Franken, because the new ratio will still be 18-12.

    On the other 4 committees, 3 of them are 19 member committees which are currently 12-7 and one is a 15 member committee which is currently 10-5. Those numbers, even with Franken, should be 11-8 and 9-6, respectively.

    Additionally, I believe the organizing resolution still has Specter set as a Republican. This could be important with the Judiciary committee, if the Democrats really wanted to push it. Judiciary has a rule that to report anything out of the committee, it must have the support of one minority member. Technically, Specter can be that minority member until a new organizing resolution comes through.

  45. 45.

    Comrade Kevin

    May 4, 2009 at 10:47 pm

    @thefncrow:

    Technically, Specter can be that minority member until a new organizing resolution comes through.

    Perhaps, but can you see Harry Reid actually trying something like that?

  46. 46.

    bayville

    May 4, 2009 at 10:48 pm

    I can see Scalia writing the “Rock, Paper, Scissors” decision.
    Best 2 out of 3 wins.

  47. 47.

    JK

    May 4, 2009 at 10:48 pm

    @Laura W:

    I had the same reaction. Thanks for saving me the trouble of writing that post.

  48. 48.

    Shygetz

    May 4, 2009 at 10:48 pm

    @Brick Oven Bill: Which is less believable–that the Supreme Court will seat Coleman, or that a woman flirted with BOB?

  49. 49.

    Cris

    May 4, 2009 at 10:50 pm

    “Rock, scissors, paper, lizard, Spock” is far superior.

  50. 50.

    gbear

    May 4, 2009 at 10:52 pm

    @Shygetz: Keep in mind that BOB hadn’t opened his mouth yet. He may have still had some appeal.

  51. 51.

    JK

    May 4, 2009 at 10:54 pm

    @gbear:

    If Tim Pawlenty signs any kind of certificate that declares Coleman the winner, he’s going to have to move to Alaska

    Pawlenty can’t do that because Sarah “The Hunter Gatherer” Palin will track him down and field dress him.

  52. 52.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 4, 2009 at 11:00 pm

    Plastic trapezoidal lunch tray? Wasn’t that the title of one of Velvet Underground’s albums back in the 70’s?

  53. 53.

    Leo v.2.0

    May 4, 2009 at 11:04 pm

    Obama would have a very tough time passing such legislation.

    And I don’t really see that he’ll need to. As ugly as it would be if Franken were denied his seat by the Court, it wouldn’t be anything like the impediment that the Lochner-era Court was to FDR. The current Court almost certainly isn’t going to stand in the way of major portions of a president’s legislative agenda the way that Court did.

  54. 54.

    Michael

    May 4, 2009 at 11:07 pm

    It is about time the Federalist Society got a swift kick in the teeth.

    Again and again and again. And when those are down to pulsing, bloody nubs, start kicking at the flanks…..

  55. 55.

    Mary

    May 4, 2009 at 11:09 pm

    Note that the Supreme Court will be in recess until the first of October by the time the Minnesota decision comes down. That was why it was so important for Coleman to get his delayed schedule at the Minnesota Supreme Court. Unfortunately, I do expect to see the GOP/Pawlenty delay until then. No wonder Franken is getting a little grumpy.

  56. 56.

    Beauzeaux

    May 4, 2009 at 11:23 pm

    @Short Bus Bully:

    I hope the Dems would at least have half a sack and continue fighting this for Franken thing (yes, he’s a douche but he’s OUR douche)…

    Franken is a douche?

    I don’t think he’s particularly funny, and I never did. But I have seen not the slightest bit of evidence that he’s a douche. In fact, what I know of the man indicates that he’s about as far from being a douche as can be.

  57. 57.

    tc125231

    May 4, 2009 at 11:27 pm

    if Tim Pawlenty signs any kind of certificate that declares Coleman the winner, he’s going to have to move to Alaska if he ever hopes to get elected to anything ever again. He’ll be roadkill in MN.

    I don’t know that I agree. Outside MN he might be roadkill if he signs….but in MN, if he screws with their well thought out electoral process, I think he runs a serious risk of PO’ing the electorate.

    I don’t think Minnesotans feel a strong need to have their elections decided by the US Supreme Court.

  58. 58.

    tripletee (formerly tBone)

    May 4, 2009 at 11:31 pm

    As I grabbed my plastic trapezoidal lunch tray, and moved down the line from the silverware, to the entrees, my eye caught that of a young coed. She looked at me and quickly looked away, but I thought I noticed her hips sway from side to side. And then she looked again, and smiled. My feet shuffled a little, and I could not help but smile back. I hoped that this did not belie my nervousness about the situation I now found myself in.

    This is the first time I’ve ever read a letter to Penthouse Forum that ended with being touched by Al Franken.

  59. 59.

    Mike S

    May 4, 2009 at 11:31 pm

    Billmon had a great post a while back on the great orange satan where he made a pretty good point about why the Supremes are praying that Coleman doesn’t bring this to them.

    Maybe I’m wrong, maybe it was the electroshock therapy. But I’ve suspected for some time that conservatives would eventually have serious reservations about where Norm and his mouthpieces are trying to take them. Maybe it’s finally dawning on some of them that making a federal case out this election contest risks a long-term disaster for the GOP — one that would completely outweigh the short-term benefits of depriving the Democrats of their 59th vote.
    After all, what Norm is threatening to do — if he can’t get his way in state court — is to demand that the US Supremes go storming through the equal protection door they opened just a crack, and then promptly tried to close again, in Bush v. Gore.
    But if we’re really going to start vigorously applying the 14th Amendment to how votes are cast and counted in this country, then a whole bunch of GOP-friendly election realities are going to be open to constitutional challenge. How, for example, is it “equal” for poor and urban precincts to have 1/5th the number of voting machines per capita as wealthy surburban ones? Is it “equal” for election officials to routinely deny elderly, undereducated or inexperienced voters the assistance they need to understand complex, confusing and/or poorly constructed ballots? Is it “equal” for prosecutors to aggressively pursue registration fraud cases against ACORN, while generally ignoring those against GOP-leaning groups?
    Can you say “disparate impact”? How about “protected class”?
    You really can go on and on with this — which is precisely why Scalia and company tried so very hard to make their power grab a “good for one use only” ticket. But now Norm is putting their handwork at risk. And who knows? By the time his case reaches the US Supremes, maybe there will be a few new faces on the bench, liberal faces, faces that wouldn’t mind at all taking Scalia’s legal legerdemain and shoving it right back up his runty ass.

  60. 60.

    JK

    May 4, 2009 at 11:42 pm

    OT

    Michele Bachmann: Obama Led Spending “Orgy,” Government “Spent Its Wad”
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/04/michele-bachmann-obama-le_n_195949.html

    Can someone apply some duct tape to the mouth of this raving lunatic congresswoman?

  61. 61.

    Corner Stone

    May 4, 2009 at 11:44 pm

    @tripletee (formerly tBone):

    This is the first time I’ve ever read a letter to Penthouse Forum that ended with being touched by Al Franken.

    November 1978.

  62. 62.

    tripletee (formerly tBone)

    May 4, 2009 at 11:45 pm

    Can someone apply some duct tape to the mouth of this raving lunatic congresswoman?

    Fuck no! Get her a bullhorn, a Twitter account, a daily talkshow on Fox News…anything to spread her insanity as widely as possible. She ‘s comedy gold.

  63. 63.

    Comrade Jake

    May 4, 2009 at 11:45 pm

    I don’t think Franken’s so much a douche as an easy target. The attack ads practically write themselves. “The Democratic Party is such a joke they have a comedian for a Senator!”

    Of course, Franken’s comeback would likely be: “The Republican Party is such a joke they lost to a comedian!”

  64. 64.

    AnotherBruce

    May 4, 2009 at 11:52 pm

    yes, he’s a douche but he’s OUR douche

    I’ve never really understood the Franken hate from the left or even the moderate side. It wasn’t very long ago that the right had a chokehold on the media, let’s leave the blogs aside for a moment. Franken basically founded Air America, which even with it’s financial troubles is still around today. When he did that he basically cleared the way for somewhat like Maddow to have a chance at a network. Whether or not you think this is a good thing you can’t deny that Franken has already had a profound effect on the political landscape. He also had the sack to challenge O’Reilly face to face and Limbaugh head on before any other media figure dared to do it.

    Throughout this process he has shown a politically astute combination of being willing to fight for this election and yet step to the side while the court situation plays itself out. I don’t have anything to back this up, but I think if Minnesota had to do this again, Franken would win in a landslide, and not just because they’re sick of Coleman.

    I think he’s going to be a hell of a good Senator.

  65. 65.

    demimondian

    May 4, 2009 at 11:57 pm

    @Shygetz: Um — all we know is that BOB reported believing that a woman flirted with him. There are so many probable counterfactuals in that situation that the core improbability is fundamentally irrelevant.

  66. 66.

    MikeJ

    May 4, 2009 at 11:58 pm

    I’ve never really understood the Franken hate from the left or even the moderate side.

    Liking people is for losers.

    I personally think Franken is great. His was the only show on AA I could ever stomach.

  67. 67.

    AhabTRuler

    May 4, 2009 at 11:59 pm

    I’ve never really understood the Franken hate from the left or even the moderate side.

    Well, Stuart Smalley really annoyed the fuck outta me, but I ain’t got nothing against him. If the Republicans can elect Reagan President, can’t we let Franken have one lousy senate seat?

  68. 68.

    jenniebee

    May 5, 2009 at 12:00 am

    @Brick Oven Bill:

    Weakest Penthouse Letter opening EVAR.

  69. 69.

    Thankovsky

    May 5, 2009 at 12:00 am

    @tripletee (formerly tBone):

    Not just comedy gold; political gold as well. She’s the perfect lightning rod – the ultimate reminder of why Americans gave the GOP the boot in November.

  70. 70.

    demimondian

    May 5, 2009 at 12:03 am

    @jenniebee: Oh, I dunno — I kind of liked the evocation of a high-school cafeteria tray as a sex toy.

    Not to mention the complete applicability of Rule 34 to any relationship between mystery meat and sex.

  71. 71.

    r€nato

    May 5, 2009 at 12:03 am

    @AnotherBruce:

    I think the left-wing rap against Franken is that he’s too pro-Israel and a DLC Democrat (not necessarily in that order). On his radio show he regularly threw cold water on the idea of impeaching Bush.

  72. 72.

    burnspbesq

    May 5, 2009 at 12:04 am

    @JK:

    All due respect, that’s not bad news for Specter. It’s irrelevant. Ridge can’t win the Republican primary.

  73. 73.

    jenniebee

    May 5, 2009 at 12:05 am

    @tripletee (formerly tBone): she does have a twitter account, but it looks like everything on it is coming from whomever keeps her schedule.

  74. 74.

    demimondian

    May 5, 2009 at 12:06 am

    @burnspbesq: More than that, Ridge is more vulnerable than people think. His stint as Director of DHS didn’t exactly cover him with glory, you know.

  75. 75.

    Comrade Kevin

    May 5, 2009 at 12:07 am

    @AnotherBruce: I think there is an element of resentment from some of the “serious” political types that he is an interloper, just a “comedian”.

  76. 76.

    r€nato

    May 5, 2009 at 12:11 am

    I think The Very Reverend is being entirely too cynical about the prospects of SCOTUS even considering a suit from Coleman.

    On the other hand, in 2000 the conventional wisdom from all corners was that the Supremes would never hear a Bush v. Gore suit; the Florida Supreme Court was supposed to be the last word because the Constitution clearly leaves the process of selecting electors up to each individual state, and the Court was under control of the conservative wing, who of course were staunch, oh-so-principled believers in states’ rights and a strict constructionist view of the Constitution.

  77. 77.

    burnspbesq

    May 5, 2009 at 12:14 am

    @demimondian:

    Point taken.

  78. 78.

    conumbdrum

    May 5, 2009 at 12:14 am

    Can someone apply some duct tape to the mouth of this raving lunatic congresswoman?

    Fuck no! Get her a bullhorn, a Twitter account, a daily talkshow on Fox News…anything to spread her insanity as widely as possible. She ’s comedy gold.

    I’ll second that emotion… I was so pissed off by her “disloyal Democrats” nonsense that I immediately fired off forty bucks to her opponent, but now I consider her a huge boon for the Dems. Bachmann makes the GOP look so foolish that she might as well be wearing a clown suit and lugging a seltzer bottle for her television appearances.

  79. 79.

    jenniebee

    May 5, 2009 at 12:15 am

    @demimondian:

    Not to mention the complete applicability of Rule 34 to any relationship between mystery meat and sex.

    Heh. Mystery Meat. (NSFW!)

    Let’s see, we’ve gotten Mal and Wash, that leaves Jayne, Simon and Shepherd Book still to come (sp?)…

  80. 80.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 5, 2009 at 12:19 am

    @burnspbesq:
    Is it to be hoped that a few more Republicans get bumped off in primaries by otherwise unelectable loonies? Twenty one states have closed, or semi-closed, primaries. It may be too early to stock up on popcorn but the GOP’s purity movement could have some unintended consequences.

  81. 81.

    burnspbesq

    May 5, 2009 at 12:26 am

    @Dennis-SGMM:

    I’m not sure it’s ever too early to stock up on popcorn. Even if the Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary fizzles, we are likely to be treated to seeing Pelosi and Harman challenged from the left, which could be a real crack-up. Not to mention a potential Democratic Gubernatorial primary in California featuring the return of Jerry Brown, which I know we are all waiting for with bated breath.

    And on a totally unrelated subject, Jeffrey Rosen has proven to be an even bigger dickhead than I thought he was, which takes some doing. In an attempted assassination of Sonia Sotomayor, he writes:

    I haven’t read enough of Sotomayor’s opinions to have a confident sense of them, nor have I talked to enough of Sotomayor’s detractors and supporters, to get a fully balanced picture of her strengths.

    No, I’m not making it up, he really did write that. See for yourselves.

    http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=45d56e6f-f497-4b19-9c63-04e10199a085

  82. 82.

    AnotherBruce

    May 5, 2009 at 12:27 am

    think the left-wing rap against Franken is that he’s too pro-Israel and a DLC Democrat (not necessarily in that order). On his radio show he regularly threw cold water on the idea of impeaching Bush

    I don’t know if those are fair criticisms, (although he was against impeachment) but what I like about our side right now is that we’ve been wandering in the political wilderness for so long that we’re willing (so far) not to sacrifice the good for the perfect. Al Franken isn’t perfect, but he is someone I want on my side, because he’s willing to fight for most of the things that liberals think are worth fighting for.

    I think there is an element of resentment from some of the “serious” political types that he is an interloper, just a “comedian”.

    This is dead on, one of the obstacles he faces if it comes to a floor fight is resistance within “the club”, especially members of his own party because he was a comedian. There is a certain inbred Senatorial culture in which dignified idiocy is seen as better than comedy. But for those of us with normal sized egos, comedy, not dignity makes life bearable.

  83. 83.

    burnspbesq

    May 5, 2009 at 12:31 am

    @jenniebee:

    I’m sorry to be so dense, but what does production of documents in discovery under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure have to do with meat or sex?

    Oh, is there some other rule 34?

  84. 84.

    AhabTRuler

    May 5, 2009 at 12:32 am

    a potential Democratic Gubernatorial primary in California featuring the return of Jerry Brown, which I know we are all waiting for with bated breath.

    Awesome! That means we can break out the DK version of “California Über Alles“.

    If we can get Pete Wilson involved, we can throw in the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy version.

  85. 85.

    Ron

    May 5, 2009 at 12:41 am

    @JK:
    If Arlen Specter was dead meat against Toomey, how does Ridge (who is also a pro-choice moderate republican) beat Toomey in the primary?

  86. 86.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 5, 2009 at 12:42 am

    @burnspbesq:

    No, I’m not making it up, he really did write that.

    Rosen is one hell of a legal affairs editor. You might think that he’d want to read some of Sotomayor’s actual opinions rather than quoting anonymous people who supposedly feel that she’s not up to snuff. He also wrote this gem:

    (During one argument, an elderly judicial colleague is said to have leaned over and said, “Will you please stop talking and let them talk?”) Second Circuit judge Jose Cabranes, who would later become her colleague, put this point more charitably in a 1995 interview with The New York Times: “She is not intimidated or overwhelmed by the eminence or power or prestige of any party, or indeed of the media.”

    Pure sophistry.

  87. 87.

    The Main Gauche of Mild Reason

    May 5, 2009 at 12:56 am

    @burnspbesq:

    Pelosi and Harman challenged from the left.

    There is no credible leftist challenger for Nancy Pelosi. Sheehan, who has practically a cult following here in SF, lost in a landslide.

  88. 88.

    asiangrrlMN

    May 5, 2009 at 1:00 am

    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I want my second senator NOW! I like Al. He is not a douche. He turned too politician-y for me during the campaign, but he is thoughtful and intelligent. Fuck Norm Coleman and double-fuck Ratface Pawlenty.

    As for Jeffrey Rosen, he’s a lousy piece of shit for writing that article.

    Oh, oh, oh! Michele Bachmann? BITE ME, BITCH!

    That is all.

  89. 89.

    Brick Oven Bill

    May 5, 2009 at 1:20 am

    Frankin is a douche. He touched me. I was trying to take a draw of chocolate milk from the big stainless cooler when he decided to touch me.

    “Hi, how ya doin’? I’m Al Frankin.”

    Douche. There is something wrong with Al Frankin.

  90. 90.

    Thankovsky

    May 5, 2009 at 1:21 am

    @asiangrrlMN:
    I don’t envy you guys right now; Klobuchar seems like a nice lady, but not an intellectual giant capable of balancing the entire job of representing Minnesota.

  91. 91.

    The Populist

    May 5, 2009 at 1:29 am

    Okay, back to my hate mode.

    Fuck Cornyn. Since when did this moron become the crusader to ignore the Constitution and block a Senator from being seated?

    Coleman is a loser, he’s lost and better concede. One day these asshats will face a Dem who will play the same game and they will go apeshit insane YET I will be there to laugh and cite the PRECEDENTS these dumbfuck dimwit hicks have unleashed into the system.

    Yep. Good work righties. You claim to love democracy but really you only love power and party.

  92. 92.

    The Populist

    May 5, 2009 at 1:30 am

    Douche. There is something wrong with Al Frankin.

    Douche? I see. So Coleman perverts the legal process and the will of the voters and Franken (learn to spell dimwit) is the douche?

    Wow, twisted logic – troll.

  93. 93.

    burnspbesq

    May 5, 2009 at 1:31 am

    @The Main Gauche of Mild Reason:

    I may have a slightly jaundiced view because I live in the 40th and have the truly craptastic Ed Royce as my Congressputz, but I didn’t think credibility was a requirement. Signatures on a petition and some $ seems to be all that is necessary, and if you have either one, you can get the other.

  94. 94.

    The Populist

    May 5, 2009 at 1:32 am

    I think there is an element of resentment from some of the “serious” political types that he is an interloper, just a “comedian”.

    And Ronald Reagan was a bad, B-Movie actor. So what? They seem to love Dennis Miller who used to be funny some ions ago.

    Idiots these righties be.

  95. 95.

    The Populist

    May 5, 2009 at 1:33 am

    I personally think Franken is great. His was the only show on AA I could ever stomach.

    I found his show boring as heck. Personally, Thom Hartmann is much more interesting.

  96. 96.

    Brick Oven Bill

    May 5, 2009 at 1:34 am

    I have met several Senators. One on a Southwest flight, and later at a City meeting (Republican), one at a government-sponsored shipping company bru-ha-ha with shrimp as big as your fist (Democrat), one at Panera Bread (Republican), and one who molested me as I was trying to pour a glass of milk (Democrat).

    In my experience, I would stay away from Republican Senators who go to Panera Bread, and Democratic Senators who like touching strangers. I would also stay away from Tim Geithner and Peter Orszag.

  97. 97.

    The Populist

    May 5, 2009 at 1:36 am

    I don’t think Minnesotans feel a strong need to have their elections decided by the US Supreme Court.

    Yet weren’t the righties commenting that Obama better not pick a leftie for the supreme court as Liberals are “activist judges?”

    So these fuckheads on the right hate “activist judges” and when the courts get involved in state matters YET they have no problem skirting the constitution by dragging out the will of the people of MN?

    Wow.

  98. 98.

    The Populist

    May 5, 2009 at 1:37 am

    I have met several Senators. One on a Southwest flight, and later at a City meeting (Republican), one at a government-sponsored shipping company bru-ha-ha with shrimp as big as your fist (Democrat), one at Panera Bread (Republican), and one who molested me as I was trying to pour a glass of milk (Democrat).

    You are mistaken…Larry Craig is a Republican and likes touching men (allegedly).

    Oh yes, and David Vitter likes sex in diapers, Rick Santorum likes crying over dead foetuses and Newtie Gingrich likes cheating on his wives while they get sick and are forced into the hospital.

  99. 99.

    asiangrrlMN

    May 5, 2009 at 1:41 am

    @Thankovsky: Klobuchar is doing her best, but we need our fucking second senator. I am so fucking pissed at Coleman and Pawlenty. I don’t think Franken is a douche, but even if I did, I would want him to be seated right fucking now. Pissed off? No, why the fuck would you think that?

    The Populist, Newt Gingrich also likes to serve said wife with divorce papers whilst she’s in the hospital recovering from chemo. Class act, that.

  100. 100.

    Thankovsky

    May 5, 2009 at 2:10 am

    @asiangrrlMN:

    I can sympathize with needing a second senator. California’s already in dire straits; I can’t imagine us being represented solely by Feinstein or Boxer.

  101. 101.

    asiangrrlMN

    May 5, 2009 at 2:19 am

    @Thankovsky: Yeah, no doubt. One is definitely not enough. Fucking Norm Coleman and Ratface Pawlenty.

    Boy, am I a potty mouth tonight. Local politics bring out the worst in me. Where in CA are you? I was in the Bay Area for a bit getting my MA in Writing and Consciousness at New College.

  102. 102.

    Incertus

    May 5, 2009 at 2:40 am

    @The Populist: Did they get along with Gopher? He was a Republican House member from Indiana, and if there was a dumber character on tv, I don’t know who it might have been.

  103. 103.

    Anne Laurie

    May 5, 2009 at 3:00 am

    Franken basically founded Air America, which even with it’s financial troubles is still around today. When he did that he basically cleared the way for somewhat like Maddow to have a chance at a network. Whether or not you think this is a good thing you can’t deny that Franken has already had a profound effect on the political landscape. He also had the sack to challenge O’Reilly face to face and Limbaugh head on before any other media figure dared to do it.

    There is still a portion of the Putatively-Leftwing Commentariat, and a much larger portion of the Rabidly Reichtard ditto, who believe that a Democrat who succeeds — especially one who dares to openly challenge Republicans
    on “their” turf — is somehow a perversion of the natural order. The Media Village Idiots will always regard Franken with deep suspicion. All the better for Senator Franken, I say!

  104. 104.

    Thankovsky

    May 5, 2009 at 3:02 am

    @asiangrrlMN:
    I’m in Napa for the next couple months, but I’m going to be moving out to DC to get my Ph.D at GW.

    …
    …
    …lol omgwtfbbq

    There, how’s THAT for alphabet soup? :p

  105. 105.

    asiangrrlMN

    May 5, 2009 at 3:09 am

    @Thankovsky: If I have it right, it’s laugh out loud oh my god what the fuck barbecue. Am I even close?

  106. 106.

    Thankovsky

    May 5, 2009 at 3:20 am

    @asiangrrlMN:
    Dead-nuts on, baby. ;) Yeah, it’s a silly little catchphrase that I think originated on somethingawful.com, although don’t quote me on that.

  107. 107.

    Chuck Butcher

    May 5, 2009 at 3:29 am

    heh, asiangrrl have you been following me around? I lived in N SF Bay area, Napa and San Rafael and worked the entire nothern arc of the Bay. (well before your time, I’m sure) That was my scooter tramp era.

    I don’t think SCOTUS will hear the MN Senate case, they’ll call it decided by MN SC.

  108. 108.

    Thankovsky

    May 5, 2009 at 3:31 am

    @Chuck Butcher:
    Ha, no kidding – small world! Napa’s nice for the 2-3 months it’s not raining like Seattle, isn’t it? :p

  109. 109.

    Chuck Butcher

    May 5, 2009 at 3:37 am

    I don’t know what about Seattle since it’s 350 miles NW of me. I’m in NE OR. It’s been raining here for a week with a few breaks for awhile. We get all of 17 inches of precipitation per year… Mostly dry – just not now.

  110. 110.

    Chuck Butcher

    May 5, 2009 at 3:39 am

    Just to be fair, I also lived 2yrs in Tacoma…urgh in the winter.

    I’ve been in Baker City for 21 years this month.

    I’ve been around the block a couple times.

  111. 111.

    Thankovsky

    May 5, 2009 at 3:41 am

    @Chuck Butcher:

    Good tiiiiiiimes.

    Aight, y’all, I’m gonna head to sleepy-bye land. Night, Balloon Juice!

  112. 112.

    MikeJ

    May 5, 2009 at 3:46 am

    Hey, we go months at a time with no rain in Seattle. Not this month, mind you. July and Aug.

    I always say, if you don’t like the weather around here, just wait six months.

  113. 113.

    The Populist

    May 5, 2009 at 3:52 am

    @The Populist: Did they get along with Gopher? He was a Republican House member from Indiana, and if there was a dumber character on tv, I don’t know who it might have been.

    Fred Grandy right? Wow. Yep, he’s sure a dupe and was well loved if I remember right.

    Let’s also not forget the GOP has had many a celeb in their past (and currently):

    Jim Bunning (KY) – Baseball pitcher
    Jack Kemp (NY) – Football QB
    JC Watts (OK) – Football player (RB?)
    Steve Largent (OK) – Football WR
    Lynn Swann (PA) – Football WR
    Roy Acuff (ran for gov – TN) – Singer
    Rex Bell (Lt Gov, NV) – Actor
    Sonny Bono (CA) – Actor/Singer
    George Murphy (CA) – Actor
    Arnold Schwarzenegger (Gov) – Actor (if you want to call what he did acting)
    Richard Petty (ran for Sec of State – NC) – Race Driver
    Fred Thompson (TN) – Actor
    John McCain (AZ) – Wannabe Celeb gadfly
    Orren Hatch (UT) – Songwriter

    GOP Supporters who happen/happened to be famous:

    Chuck Norris (“Actor”)
    Mary Pickford (Actress)
    Ted Williams (Baseball OF)
    Rush Fatbaugh (Annoying blob and wannabe sports know it all)
    Daddy Yankee (bad rap singer dude)
    Ted Nugent (bad rock artist)
    Robert Downey Jr (Huh? True!)
    Ben Stein (Talentless one trick pony)
    Jon Voight (Actor)
    John Rich (Singer)
    Robert Duvall (Actor)
    Elisabeth Hasselbeck (Talk Show idiot)
    Heidi Montag (Sleaze)
    Spencer Pratt (Scumbag)
    Janine Turner (“Actress”)
    Dennis Miller (“Comedian”)
    Lee Greenwood (One Hit Wonder)
    Eazy E (Rapper)
    50 Cent (Rapper)
    Adam Carolla (Annoyingly unfunny comic)

  114. 114.

    Xenos

    May 5, 2009 at 4:02 am

    @Brick Oven Bill:

    Frankin is a douche. He touched me. I was trying to take a draw of chocolate milk from the big stainless cooler when he decided to touch me.

    A cute girl was flirting with you and you went and poured yourself a chocolate milk? And you blame Franken for messing with your game?

    Weak.

  115. 115.

    Martin

    May 5, 2009 at 4:17 am

    So, just to put how fucked up this is in context – if this goes to the Supreme Court, it’ll probably be the first case heard by Souters replacement, whose confirmation Franken would have voted on. If Souter doesn’t get a replacement by a single vote, Souter won’t have been able to retire due to this case being unresolved. I can’t imagine that’ll make him happy to hear it.

  116. 116.

    Recall

    May 5, 2009 at 4:57 am

    1996. Franken’s been fighting the good fight for a long time. If that makes him a douche, the GOP is a yeast infection, and the Senate is a bunch of …. well, you get the point.

  117. 117.

    Recall

    May 5, 2009 at 5:01 am

    Gah. Meant to link this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Limbaugh_is_a_Big_Fat_Idiot

  118. 118.

    Michael D.

    May 5, 2009 at 6:46 am

    @Thankovsky:

    Ugh…that would be a major mistake on their part. It would effectively give Obama free license to appoint the most liberal justices that he could eke through the confirmation process.

    Yep. That’s what I was thinking. If they did this, then all “bi-partisan” and “moderate” bets would be, understandably, off if Obama wanted to go down that road.

  119. 119.

    harlana pepper

    May 5, 2009 at 6:47 am

    iwasupat4:00amcleaning

    heaven help the rest of the world, i am officially manic

    :^p

  120. 120.

    cosanostradamus

    May 5, 2009 at 7:43 am

    .
    SCOTUS did such a bang-up job of picking a POTUS, why not let them pick all of our Senators? The Bush family is quite large. And then there’s the Walkers, for ethnic diversity (Presbyterians).

    Well, I’ll just continue to celebrate May Day, with music videos of a woman in labor singin’ about Jebus, and an anime character singing “The Internationale.” Arise, fan-boys!

    (I finally fixed VISTA! Sorta.)
    .

  121. 121.

    MikeJ

    May 5, 2009 at 7:48 am

    I finally fixed VISTA!

    You mean it can’t reproduce now? Yippee!

  122. 122.

    J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford

    May 5, 2009 at 7:53 am

    @Brick Oven Bill:

    I have previously disclosed this, but it bears repeating. As an engineering student at a large Midwestern university, I never thought this could happen to me.
    Lunch at the cafeteria was always a pleasant break from the rigor of our academic class work, a standard fare of math, science, and engineering laboratory work. Most of my fellow engineering students were males, and the females in our classes were not the type that aroused my interest. But, at the student union, we joined with the larger student body for a meal.
    As I grabbed my plastic trapezoidal lunch tray, and moved down the line from the silverware, to the entrees, my eye caught that of a young coed. She looked at me and quickly looked away, but I thought I noticed her hips sway from side to side. And then she looked again, and smiled. My feet shuffled a little, and I could not help but smile back. I hoped that this did not belie my nervousness about the situation I now found myself in…

    For a moment there I thought I was reading Penthouse Forum.

  123. 123.

    kay

    May 5, 2009 at 8:05 am

    I just hope that Franken has the dignity to deal with this in a bipartisan way.

    This is very funny.

  124. 124.

    demimondian

    May 5, 2009 at 8:10 am

    @MikeJ: Or, as we sing in November: “The sun’ll come out // In April! // Just you wait; in April // There’ll be sun!”

  125. 125.

    bob h

    May 5, 2009 at 8:16 am

    To reopen the wounds of Bush v. Gore, to have the airways filled with law professors discussing the mediocrity and mendacity of that decision, to contemplate how badly it would reflect on the Court and their Party, would not be something any sane Justice would want.

    But I am not sure the Justices we are dealing with are sane.

  126. 126.

    DBrown

    May 5, 2009 at 8:18 am

    I do not understand the issue here – the Senate decides who is seated not the courts. They do not have to follow any States rules. If the dems decide to seat Franken their is nothing anyone can do to stop them. What gives?

  127. 127.

    Hunter Gathers

    May 5, 2009 at 8:23 am

    I highly doubt SCOTUS gets anywhere near this thing. They caught major shit over Gore V. Bush, and Rehnquist is currently pushing up daisies. But I have been wrong before.

  128. 128.

    Hunter Gathers

    May 5, 2009 at 8:47 am

    Daily Affirmations With Sam The Wurzlebacher

    People don’t understand the dictionary—it’s called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It’s not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we’re supposed to do—what man and woman are for. Now, at the same time, we’re supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I’ve had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn’t have them anywhere near my children. But at the same time, they’re people, and they’re going to do their thing.

    Words. Fail. Brain. Hurts.

  129. 129.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 5, 2009 at 8:47 am

    It’s doubtful that the Minnesota state Supreme Court will reverse the unanimous decision by the Election Court that it appointed. It’s even more doubtful that the USSC will reverse the Minnesota court or that it will even take the case. Upholding Coleman’s contention that the election laws of Minnesota were irregularly applied and enforced is a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment would necessitate involving the federal government in oversight of elections to a degree that would make all elections federally run.

  130. 130.

    Hunter Gathers

    May 5, 2009 at 8:51 am

    @Dennis-SGMM:

    Upholding Coleman’s contention that the election laws of Minnesota were irregularly applied and enforced is a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment would necessitate involving the federal government in oversight of elections to a degree that would make all elections federally run.

    If SCOTUS does that, the right will have a stroke. To put it mildly.

  131. 131.

    Hunter Gathers

    May 5, 2009 at 8:57 am

    Toomey jumps into the way back machine:

    “Reagan carried this state twice. I don’t think this state has changed.”

    Via Benen

  132. 132.

    Michael D.

    May 5, 2009 at 8:58 am

    @Hunter Gathers:

    I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn’t have them anywhere near my children.

    Such great friends they must be. And if they truly are his friends (I highly doubt JTP has ANY gay friends), then they are the problem – not our friend, Joe.

  133. 133.

    GregB

    May 5, 2009 at 9:01 am

    It seems kind of elitist to claim that people don’t understand the dictionary.

    I hate elitist plumbers who think that way.

    -G

  134. 134.

    Hunter Gathers

    May 5, 2009 at 9:05 am

    @Michael D.: “I have gay friends” is code for “I know some people whom I’m pretty sure are light in the loafers. They are liberals, you know”.

    The only friends this looser has are the idiots who continue to write him checks.

  135. 135.

    jwb

    May 5, 2009 at 9:06 am

    SCOTUS won’t touch this. At best, the only remedy they could come up with is a revote, and since the MN election law does not have a provision for a revote (it mandates a coin flip in the case of a tie), even that would be far more suspect than Bush v. Gore.

  136. 136.

    cosanostradamus

    May 5, 2009 at 9:15 am

    @MikeJ:

    ‘ I finally fixed VISTA!
    You mean it can’t reproduce now? Yippee! ‘

    Yup. Kicked it right in the nuts. Works on my old Bronco, too.

    Gotta watch he don’t kick ya back, tho.
    .

  137. 137.

    Krista

    May 5, 2009 at 9:34 am

    I’ve had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn’t have them anywhere near my children.

    Sigh. And the frustrating part is that you could point out a man who molested little girls, and say to JTP, “Well, what do you expect — he’s straight!” And he’d probably reply, “Well, what does THAT have to do with it?” Would he connect the dots? No, my friends, he would not.

    Besides, this cretin is lecturing people about the dictionary, when he doesn’t know the correct usage of “who” vs. “that”.

  138. 138.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 5, 2009 at 9:39 am

    @Hunter Gathers:

    Toomey jumps into the way back machine:

    Without realizing it, Toomey has summarized one of the GOP’s major problems. They really do believe that the technique of bullshitting their way to power will still work just as it worked for Reagan. They just haven’t found the right strain of bs but, once they do they’ll be first in line at the trough just like the good ol’ days.

  139. 139.

    John PM

    May 5, 2009 at 10:02 am

    This has been a fascinating discussion about whether the USSC would take an appeal by Coleman should he lose in the Minnesota Supreme Court. However, I have to agree with those who say that the USSC accepting cert is unlikely. If memory serves, only four Justices are necessary for the Court to accept a case. In 2000 for Bush v. Gore, I believe the four justices who decided to accept the case were Scalia, Thomas, Rehnquist and O’Connor; I am not certain if Kennedy also voted to accept cert. Instead of Rehnquist and O’Connor, we now have Roberts and Alito. I do not think Roberts will want to pick this fight, and I think Kennedy will want to be more careful this time around. So even if Alito votes with Scalia and Thomas to accept cert, there would not be enough votes to take the case. If a Republican were in the White House, I would be less certain. However, Roberts strikes me as being a political animal as much as a judicial animal, and I think he would conclude pretty quickly that there would be no upside for the “conservatives” on the Court in taking the case.

    On a separate matter, the case could proceed even if Souter has not been replaced. It just means that 8 justices would hear the case. If there were a 4-4 tie, then the win would go to the prevailing party from the Minnesota Supreme Court (presumably Franken), although the Court could wait until Souter’s replacement is seated to decide the case.

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