SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Senator Al Franken: The Party of 'No' vs. The Party of '60'
Jun 30, 2009
The last barrier to Al Franken's election as U.S. Senator from Minnesota crumbled Tuesday, as Republican incumbent Norm Coleman finally conceded the contest.
Coleman's concession came after the Minnesota Supreme Court confirmed what everyone pretty much knew: The voters chose Franken, the Democratic Farmer Labor Party candidate over Coleman in last fall's U.S. Senate election.
While the election result was close, the court's decision was not.
The justices ruled 5-0 that: "Al Franken received the highest number of
votes legally cast and is entitled [under Minnesota law] to receive the
certificate of election as United States Senator from the State of
Minnesota."
Under Minnesota law, the court's decision gave Franken the right to
occupy the seat that a series of recounts and official reviews
confirmed was won by the satirist with a narrow but steady margin that
ultimately expanded to 312 votes.
The unanimous ruling left little wiggle room for Coleman, whose
dead-ender appeals have been funded by Republican donors from around
the country as well as stipends from the campaign funds of sitting GOP
senators.
And Coleman threw in the towel with a relatively gracious statement less than an hour after the court made its decision known.
Minnesota Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty, who has delayed signing the
certification of election that Franken needed to become the 60th
Democratic member of the current Senate, has said he will certify
Franken as the winner.
So it is that, by the time the Senate returns from its July 4
recess, Democrats will have a caucus that includes 58 party members and
two independents (Vermont's Bernie Sanders and Connecticut's Joe
Lieberman) who sit with the majority.
That's the "magic" 60 that allows a majority party to avert filibusters and schedule votes on legislation and nominations.
With Republicans sticking to their "party of no" strategy -- and
maintaining remarkable unity in their negativity -- the seating of
Franken will have significance. It won't mean that the majority party
can have its way with the Senate, as there will continue to be cases
where individual Democrats break ranks. But it does mean that the will
of the American electorate -- which voted overwhelmingly in the last
two election cycles for a Democratic Congress -- will be more difficult
for Rush Limbaugh's rejectionists to thwart.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 The Nation
John Nichols
John Nichols is Washington correspondent for The Nation and associate editor of The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin. His books co-authored with Robert W. McChesney are: "Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America" (2014), "The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again" (2011), and "Tragedy & Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy" (2006). Nichols' other books include: "The "S" Word: A Short History of an American Tradition...Socialism" (2015), "Dick: The Man Who is President (2004) and "The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders' Cure for Royalism" (2006).
The last barrier to Al Franken's election as U.S. Senator from Minnesota crumbled Tuesday, as Republican incumbent Norm Coleman finally conceded the contest.
Coleman's concession came after the Minnesota Supreme Court confirmed what everyone pretty much knew: The voters chose Franken, the Democratic Farmer Labor Party candidate over Coleman in last fall's U.S. Senate election.
While the election result was close, the court's decision was not.
The justices ruled 5-0 that: "Al Franken received the highest number of
votes legally cast and is entitled [under Minnesota law] to receive the
certificate of election as United States Senator from the State of
Minnesota."
Under Minnesota law, the court's decision gave Franken the right to
occupy the seat that a series of recounts and official reviews
confirmed was won by the satirist with a narrow but steady margin that
ultimately expanded to 312 votes.
The unanimous ruling left little wiggle room for Coleman, whose
dead-ender appeals have been funded by Republican donors from around
the country as well as stipends from the campaign funds of sitting GOP
senators.
And Coleman threw in the towel with a relatively gracious statement less than an hour after the court made its decision known.
Minnesota Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty, who has delayed signing the
certification of election that Franken needed to become the 60th
Democratic member of the current Senate, has said he will certify
Franken as the winner.
So it is that, by the time the Senate returns from its July 4
recess, Democrats will have a caucus that includes 58 party members and
two independents (Vermont's Bernie Sanders and Connecticut's Joe
Lieberman) who sit with the majority.
That's the "magic" 60 that allows a majority party to avert filibusters and schedule votes on legislation and nominations.
With Republicans sticking to their "party of no" strategy -- and
maintaining remarkable unity in their negativity -- the seating of
Franken will have significance. It won't mean that the majority party
can have its way with the Senate, as there will continue to be cases
where individual Democrats break ranks. But it does mean that the will
of the American electorate -- which voted overwhelmingly in the last
two election cycles for a Democratic Congress -- will be more difficult
for Rush Limbaugh's rejectionists to thwart.
John Nichols
John Nichols is Washington correspondent for The Nation and associate editor of The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin. His books co-authored with Robert W. McChesney are: "Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America" (2014), "The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again" (2011), and "Tragedy & Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy" (2006). Nichols' other books include: "The "S" Word: A Short History of an American Tradition...Socialism" (2015), "Dick: The Man Who is President (2004) and "The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders' Cure for Royalism" (2006).
The last barrier to Al Franken's election as U.S. Senator from Minnesota crumbled Tuesday, as Republican incumbent Norm Coleman finally conceded the contest.
Coleman's concession came after the Minnesota Supreme Court confirmed what everyone pretty much knew: The voters chose Franken, the Democratic Farmer Labor Party candidate over Coleman in last fall's U.S. Senate election.
While the election result was close, the court's decision was not.
The justices ruled 5-0 that: "Al Franken received the highest number of
votes legally cast and is entitled [under Minnesota law] to receive the
certificate of election as United States Senator from the State of
Minnesota."
Under Minnesota law, the court's decision gave Franken the right to
occupy the seat that a series of recounts and official reviews
confirmed was won by the satirist with a narrow but steady margin that
ultimately expanded to 312 votes.
The unanimous ruling left little wiggle room for Coleman, whose
dead-ender appeals have been funded by Republican donors from around
the country as well as stipends from the campaign funds of sitting GOP
senators.
And Coleman threw in the towel with a relatively gracious statement less than an hour after the court made its decision known.
Minnesota Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty, who has delayed signing the
certification of election that Franken needed to become the 60th
Democratic member of the current Senate, has said he will certify
Franken as the winner.
So it is that, by the time the Senate returns from its July 4
recess, Democrats will have a caucus that includes 58 party members and
two independents (Vermont's Bernie Sanders and Connecticut's Joe
Lieberman) who sit with the majority.
That's the "magic" 60 that allows a majority party to avert filibusters and schedule votes on legislation and nominations.
With Republicans sticking to their "party of no" strategy -- and
maintaining remarkable unity in their negativity -- the seating of
Franken will have significance. It won't mean that the majority party
can have its way with the Senate, as there will continue to be cases
where individual Democrats break ranks. But it does mean that the will
of the American electorate -- which voted overwhelmingly in the last
two election cycles for a Democratic Congress -- will be more difficult
for Rush Limbaugh's rejectionists to thwart.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.