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After hearing the wit and wisdom of Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., one has to wonder how modern media corporations could stay in business without the expertise and guidance of those elected to the U.S. Senate. Sarcasm aside, Franken did admit during a Feb. 4 hearing he didn't necessarily have legal expertise to address the Comcast-NBC Universal merger, but he could more than make up for that shortcoming through his experience in show business. Franken, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Antitrust Subcommittee, explained he was bothered by the merger. "As some of you may know, I'm on the Judiciary...

States' Secretaries of State Are Tipping Balance of Power By Ed Barnes - FOXNews.com In every major election since 2000 Secretaries of State have emerged as key, often decisive, and partisan figures in the outcomes of those ballot battles. print email share recommend (6) Katherine Harris, Florida's secretary of state in 2000, helped seal George W. Bush's presidential election. In 2000 it was Katherine Harris, the secretary of state of Florida, who made critical decisions that helped swing the state Republican. In 2004 it was Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's Secretary of State, who earned democratic wrath for ensuring a close Republican...

Scott Brown on the hustings: Will Ted Kennedy's government health care dream die at the hands of his successor? APPolitics: Democrats seated two senators under shady conditions and rewrote a state election law to keep their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Now they plan to deny Scott Brown entry if he wins Ted Kennedy's seat. The fate of health care reform may very well hinge on the Jan. 19 special election in Massachusetts to fill the seat of Kennedy, for whom passage has been touted as a sort of final tribute to this champion of the nanny state. As Democratic...

When Sen. Al Franken, Minnesota Democrat, was a comedian, he was never that funny. Take the title of his book "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot" - that's some high-quality humor there. Clever, daring and yet so second grade. But when Minnesotans elected him to the Senate, Mr. Franken promised that those days were behind him and that he would work hard to win over his colleagues. So far, his presence in the Senate is making it a less civil place. If the old Mr. Franken were to write a book about it, the title might be "Al Franken...

Twice recently, Mr. Franken's obnoxiousness was on public display. On Dec. 14, after having missed most of a talk by Sen. John Thune, Mr. Franken tore into him, time after time accusing the South Dakota Republican of being dishonest by claiming that the Senate bill would hike taxes immediately while delaying the "spending benefits."

Much has been said about last weeks exchange between Senators Al Franken and Joe Lieberman. Franken's refusal to give Lieberman a few moments to finish his thought was a breach of Senate etiquette, where being polite on the chamber's floor is more important than party differences. Throughout his Senate Campaign, Franken was portrayed as a bit of a jerk, short tempered, scathing tongue and someone who went around looking for an argument. After some good behavior during his first few months, Franken is proving that his reputation of being a real a**hole is entirely accurate.

Al Franken, the Democrat from Minnesota who won election to the Senate after a successful career as a comic and author, has begun to show the sharp-tongued side of his personality by ripping into GOP staffers behind the scenes. Franken has worked diligently to keep a low public profile in Congress while focusing on wonky policy debates. But he has been unable to completely repress the fiery passion that made him a hero of the Democratic Party’s liberal base. Franken has teamed up with GOP colleagues to introduce a variety of legislation, something that may surprise fans who read his...

Here is video of Bill O'Reilly talking to Sen. Jim DeMint tonight, where they focused on Sen. Al Franken's insult against Sen. Joe Lieberman in the U.S. Senate yesterday. During the segment, O'Reilly played audio of Franken defending himself today, where he claimed he had no choice to shut down Lieberman because he had been given marching orders from Sen. Harry Reid. In a sense, he threw Harry Reid under the bus here! DeMint said Franken - a junior Senator - was "way out of line," and was not telling the truth in his defense of his actions. DeMint said...

Democratic Sen. Al Franken took the unusual step Thursday of shutting down Sen. Joe Lieberman on the Senate floor. Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, currently is the target of liberal wrath over his opposition to a government-run insurance plan in the health care bill. Franken was presiding over the Senate Thursday afternoon as Lieberman spoke about amendments he planned to offer to the bill. Lieberman asked for an additional moment to finish — a routine request — but Franken refused to grant the time. "In my capacity as the senator from Minnesota, I object," Franken said. "Really?" said Lieberman. "OK."

Lieberman Criticized For Health Care Reform Opposition HARTFORD, Conn. -- Filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore threatened to boycott Connecticut if Sen. Joe Lieberman is not recalled. Moore made the threat on Twitter Wednesday. In his Tweet, Moore said, "People of Connecticut: What have u done 2 this country? We hold u responsible. Start recall of Lieberman 2day or we'll boycott your state." Politico reported Tuesday that Rep. Rosa DeLauro called for the recall of Lieberman. DeLauro said, "No one should hold health care hostage, including Joe Lieberman, and I'll say it flat out, I think he ought to be...

With a mere investment of $780,000 Soros and his allies were able to suborn free elections in the states of Montana, West Virginia, Missouri, Oregon, in 2008, and in Minnesota, Ohio, New Mexico, Nevada and Iowa, in 2006. How did he achieve so much with so little? He founded a 527 group which funded candidates in one kind of race in which the victor has the most influence over election integrity, and in which there is so little political competition: the Secretaries of State. In each State the SoS job is entrusted with overseeing the protection of free and fair...

Here is video of Minnesota Democrat Sen. Al Franken slamming GOP Sen. John Thune from the Senate Floor over remarks Thune had made about the Democrats' Government Health Care Bill. Thune and Franken went back and forth over whether any benefits from the bill would begin as soon as it is passed, or whether nothing really begins flowing until 2014. Franken comes across as a total jerk in the video, as he rants and raves. . . . (VIDEO)

"The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything." Joseph Stalin It was reminiscent of one of those Halloween or Freddie Kruger Movies. Just when a victim thinks are safe behind a closed door the find out they they have locked themselves in a room with the monster. And that's just what happened to Norm Coleman and the GOP in Minnesota this past election. The "Monster" is Minneapolis Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. Like most Secretary of States, one of Richie's responsibilities is counting a confirming the votes. Richie a former Community Organizer,...

KSTP investigated absentee ballot inconsistencies and reported their findings last night, and you can watch the video here. Many cities put up roadblocks to their investigation request -- and Bloomington threatened felony charges against KSTP if they reported on their findings. The most damning part is Sec. of State Mark Ritchie's denial of problems and response when asked to look at ballot envelopes and comment. "Ritchie first told us he could not read our examples, then said he wouldn't look at photocopies of absentee ballot envelopes." A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigation has found that mistakes made with absentee ballots in...

Al Franken used to write books slamming his foes for allegedly manipulating statistics. And as one witness before the Judiciary Committee learned on Wednesday, old habits die hard. Franken's target was Mark de Bernardo, executive director of the Council for Employment Law Equity, who clashed with the senator on his top issue this week: arbitration. It is a technique to keep legal disputes out of court and the topic of Franken's recent amendment, which passed the Senate on Tuesday night. His bill bars funding from defense contractors who prevent employees from suing over sexual assault and other charges. Despite the...

Sen. Al Franken finally has a piece of legislation under his belt, signed by the U.S. Senate. His amendment passed through a roll call vote Tuesday night. We're all for getting things done in a Congress that appears to be stalling on anything and everything possible. Franken's amendment stops defense contractors from receiving federal funding if they use mandatory arbitration clauses that prevent victims of assault from going to court. Nine Republicans voted with Democrats on the legislation for a final vote of 68-30. The amendment was part of the 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill.... "The story came to my attention...

Homeland Security: Provisions of the law that spared New York another 9/11 are set to expire Dec. 31. So why do Democrats want to gut this law and remove the immunity telecom companies have for helping protect America? To borrow a British expression from World War II, it was a very near thing. The capture, arrest and indictment of 24-year-old Afghan immigrant Najubullah Zazi before he could set off bombs made from store-bought chemicals prevented a tragedy of potentially devastating proportions. It wouldn't have happened if the critics of Patriot Act had their way. The capture of Zazi was made...

MINNEAPOLIS—Members of Minnesota's pagan community are celebrating their pride with a weekend's worth of activity. "Twin Cities Pagan Pride 2009" is being held Saturday and Sunday at the Sabathani Community Center in south Minneapolis. Events include an opening ritual, a keynote discussion on "Pagans in the World," a workshop on charms and spells, an "Introduction to Slavic Heathenry," a discussion of Wiccan ethics, and children's [snip] Pagans generally honor or worship a deity or deities from pre-Christian or tribal mythology, practice religion that focuses on earth-based spirituality or focus spiritual attention primarily on the Divine Feminine.

Now that most people are recognizing that ACORN is basically a criminal enterprise, its activities are being examined closely all over the country. In Minnesota, the reason why a near-psychotic like Al Franken was elected to the US Senate is now becoming more clear. If only 1% of the 43,000 new voters (all Democratic) registered by ACORN in Minnesota were fraudulent (investigations in other areas indicate nearly 50% of ACORN registrations prove fraudulent), Franken is in office illegally.

EVEN the Democrats in Minnesota now realize their new US Sen. Al Franken was elected with the help of ACORN chicanery. The disgraced, pimp-friendly community organizing group claims it registered 43,000 new Minnesota voters. If just 1 percent were fraudulent but survived the recount process, that's 430 votes, almost all cast for Franken, who won by just 312 votes.

A conservative group and several gubernatorial candidates are asking Democratic Attorney General Lori Swanson to investigate ACORN over voter registrations and other activities in Minnesota. Minnesota Majority president Jeff Davis says a felon convicted of registering illegally in Ramsey County claimed an ACORN canvasser helped her. He was joined at a news conference on Wednesday by a handful of GOP candidates and one Democrat.

Did ACORN Elect Al Franken? Remember Franken won his seat by a little more than 300 votes and ACORN might have helped Franken to get his "landslide" margin in one of two ways,in the actual counting of the votes, or the new voters registered by ACORN... Minneapolis Secretary of State Mark Ritchie was the guy in charge of counting the votes. Richie a former Community Organizer, was elected two years ago with help from former self-described Nazi Collaborator George Soros and ACORN. In 2006, the Minnesota ACORN Political Action Committee endorsed Ritchie and donated to his campaign. According to the...

The courts should vindicate the First Amendment rights of the reporters and media outlets involved in breaking the ACORN scandal wide open. And they should strike down the oppressive and absurd Maryland law that makes it a crime to record someone’s conversation without their knowledge. -snip- Maryland has a shockingly-broad law that makes it a crime—a felony, if fact—to record someone’s conversation without their knowledge. It then makes it a separate crime to disclose that conversation to a third party if the person disclosing knew or had reason to know that the conversation was illegally recorded. Although the Baltimore prosecutor...

Here's a shocker. ACORN may have helped Al Franken steal the US senate seat from Minnesota. The Minnesot Star-Tribune reported: But ACORN does have a special place in its heart for at least one prominent Minnesota politician. Last year, it showered praise on Al Franken, endorsing his run for the U.S. Senate. Franken returned the esteem: "I'm thrilled and honored to receive this endorsement," he gushed in a press release. He added that he was "more motivated than ever to work with ACORN."

Minnesota's Democratic U.S. senators and the Obama administration enlisted University of Minnesota basketball coach Tubby Smith today to push for overhaul of the nation's health care system. Smith appeared at a midday rally in Washington, D.C., with Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Al Franken and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. According to one of the sponsors, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the rally was intended "to emphasize that comprehensive health care reform giving all Americans access to adequate, affordable health care must be passed NOW, not later." Smith was one of five NCAA Division I basketball coaches...

Tony Trimble couldn't catch a break. As one of the lead attorneys for Sen. Norm Coleman following Election Day, he hadn't stopped working in months. And as he watched the Republican's lead over Democrat Al Franken slip steadily and then finally vanish in the largest recount in American history, he marveled at how everything seemed to be breaking Franken's way. Clerical corrections, countless one- and two-vote shifts from sloppily filled-out ballots, major judicial rulings. They all added to Franken's vote quarry. In the closing days of the recount, Trimble watched, dumbstruck, as 933 rejected absentee ballots — once the domain...

I'm not an Al Franken fan, and disagree with him on most issues, but here is interesting video of him drawing a map of all 50 states during an appearance at the Minnesota State Fair. It looks like he did it freehand with no outline behind the paper. NOTE: If he had checked with President Obama, he could have drawn all 57 states (see video below of Obama's 57 states remark). (VIDEOS)

Thanks to Twila Brase of Citizen's Council on Health Care, who found out the time and place of Franken's health care meeting this afternoon: 3:00 PM Minnesota Women's Building 550 Rice Street, St. Paul, MN (near Minnesota State Capitol)Sorry about the late announcement, but we just heard. Received this morning (via email) from a reader trying to find where Franken's last-minute health care meetings were today: I couldn't find it on the internet but called their office. Announced at 8am a roundtable at 10am and 3pm. I barely have time to send an email let alone time to get off...

Politics: The mantra from 2000's presidential recount doesn't seem to apply to the 2008 Minnesota Senate race. As the GOP incumbent pursues his court challenge, Democrats want the game called due to leading.This week in St. Paul, Minn., Republican Sen. Norm Coleman got to present his case of a stolen election before a three-judge panel, the last step in a very long and winding contest. The Democrats get to conduct an exercise in hypocrisy in this "election contest," as it's called, that may last three to four weeks. "Let every vote count" was the rallying cry after Al Gore lost...

Politics: Should the election law in Massachusetts be changed to keep Ted Kennedy's seat filled and get ObamaCare passed? As in Minnesota and Illinois, the voters might lose again.Recognizing his own mortality and waging a valiant battle against brain cancer, Kennedy has written a letter to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, state Senate President Theresa Murray and state House Speaker Robert DeLeo asking them to change the law so his seat might be filled immediately until a special election could be held. His letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Boston Globe, does not specially mention his illness or...

Tuesday night’s Red Eye led off with a story that is very unpopular here in Wisconsin. I’m talking, of course, about NFL living legend Brett Favre’s return to football as a Minnesota Viking!! As many of you may know, most hard-core football fans in Wisconsin have such thick hatred for the Vikings that they decide to despise everyone and everything in Minnesota. It is as if the home football team defines each state as a whole. I am not a big football fan and have always found this kind of shallowness hilarious. Growing up around this attitude towards football turned...

When politicians first take office, they usually ride on a bubble of good will among their constituents. Consider it the triumph of hope over experience; after an election, most people hope they will do well even if they didn’t support the winner in the election. With that in mind, Eric Ostermeier looks at Al Franken’s initial job-approval ratings after a month in office, and finds that bubble missing entirely: A newly released SurveyUSA poll conducted only two weeks into Franken’s tenure finds Minnesotans unsurprisingly divided about how he is conducting himself as their Senator in Washington. The poll finds 43...

Here is video of Sonia Sotomayor being confirmed by the U.S. Senate as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Her confirmation was announced by Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota as he presided in the Senate Session. Sotomayor was confirmed by a 68-31 vote, and becomes the 111th person to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. Sotomayor is the first Hispanic to sit on the high court. She replaces Justice David Souter, who was always a reliable liberal vote on the court. . . . . . . . (Watch Video)

A collage depicting some of the new czars, such as Al Franken, Minister of Voter Creationism; William Ayers, Minister of Presidential Autobiographies; and Jack Kevorkian, Minister of Senior Health Counseling.

Five years after he put his money behind the Swift Boat ads that helped tanked John Kerry’s presidential campaign, Senate Democrats gave T. Boone Pickens a warm welcome at their weekly policy lunch Thursday. Or at least most of them did. Kerry skipped the regularly scheduled lunch; his staff said the Massachusetts Democrat “was unable to attend because he had a long scheduled lunch with his interns and pages.” Sen. Al Franken managed to make time for the lunch – but then let Pickens have it afterward. According to a source, the wealthy oil and gas magnate and author of...

Stimulus: The group that pushed banks into the risky loans that brought the economy down is now eligible for a huge chunk of stimulus cash. The stimulus plan does create jobs — for community activists.As in any agreement, contract or piece of legislation, the devil is in the details. So it is with the stimulus package percolating in Congress. Analysts are beginning to figure out that only a small percentage of the money will actually trickle down into the economy in the first two years, not enough to do much stimulating. Yet in this package is a $4 billion pot...

We've never had an Official U.S. Senate Pornographer before, though pornographic behavior is frequently the entertainment provided to the public by the world's oldest deliberative body. So Al Franken, the answer to Harry Reid's prayer, should fit right in. Some of the Democrats can't wait to see what mischief they can do. "With the Minnesota recount complete," Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said after the Minnesota robbery was completed, "it is now clear that Al Franken won the election." (Keep reading, it gets better)

Priceless editorial cartoon.

Here is video of Minnesota Sen. Al Franken making his opening statement at the confirmation hearing today for Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. Franken said this was his "first major responsibility as a senator, and he lauded Sen. Ted Kennedy for his long service on the Judiciary Committee. He said Sotomayor is the most qualified candidate for the Supreme Court in "100 years." . . . . . (Watch Video)

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) delivers his opening statement at the confirmation hearing of Judge Sonia Sotomayor. He was interrupted once by a protester. Franken told Sotomayor that she was "the most experienced Supreme Court nominee in 100 years." He said her story is inspirational and one in which "all Americans should take great pride in."

Less than six hours after he was sworn in as MN's junior senator and two hours after casting his first vote (against an amendment sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to the Homeland Security Appropriations Act), Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) announced that he has already co-sponsored his first bill. "As of about a half an hour ago, I became the co-sponsor of my first piece of legislation in the Senate," Franken told a gathering at the AFL-CIO headquarters this evening. "And it's something called the Employee Free Choice Act." The fight over EFCA is highly-charged, and the battle is taking...

....Peel away that thin layer of overt partisan spin, however, and it becomes clear that unease related to Franken's legendary personal baggage remains as strong as ever. Worse, his recent words and actions have generated new anger, this time from the left. Leading the charge on that front is MSNBC / syndicated radio libtalker Ed Schultz, who has been outspoken this week in airing grievances against a politician whose candidacy he strongly supported. Schultz believes Franken has already sold out his beliefs in exchange for Beltway-style good 'ol boys acceptance. From Tuesday's radio program, here's the exclusive audio and transcript:...

It looks like we might finally have to put a picture of Randi Rhodes on milk cartons. Last April, your humble correspondent declared that such milk carton photos of Randi would be unnecessary because, despite being MIA since February when she left Nova M Radio, Premiere Radio Networks would begin broadcasting her show again in May. Well, a couple of months have gone by and, oddly, Randi seems to be even more hidden from public view than when she wasn't on the air. Even Google searches have proved fruitless. Yes, I know Randi is on the air (or so it...

Al Franken -- the former comedian who won a bruising, eight-month vote recount and court battle in Minnesota -- arrived on Capitol Hill on Monday, a day before he was to be sworn in as a new Democratic member of the Senate. But Franken immediately downplayed the importance of his vote in the Senate. "A lot has been made of this number 60," Franken said. "The number I'm focused on is the number two.

Politics: The former Stuart Smalley becomes the 60th Democrat in the U.S. Senate, thanks to the community organizers at Acorn and the little-known Secretary of State Project. Is the system being rigged? Incumbent Republican Norm Coleman conceded defeat in the mother of all recounts in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race after the state's Supreme Court unanimously rejected his lawsuit. Arguably, his seat may have been lost the day in 2006 when Democrat Mark Ritchie defeated two-term incumbent Republican Mary Kiffmeyer to become Minnesota secretary of state. It was Ritchie who orchestrated the recount that gave Democratic challenger Franken a lead some...

After Al Franken is sworn in to the U.S. Senate this week, the nation will be watching to see how the former entertainer performs in a theater where cooperation trumps controversy and wise politicians survive wiseguys. Preparing for his new role, one of the first people Franken sought out was Tamara Luzzatto, chief of staff for Hillary Clinton when she was in the Senate. "A number of people have told me to study the Hillary model of being a senator," Franken said after they met last February. "Put your head down and do the work." Franken appears determined to establish...

Al Franken (Reuters)Al Franken, the Democratic comedian-turned-politician who has a long history of anti-Catholic diatribes, was today declared the winner of the disputed 2008 U.S. Senate race in Minnesota by the state’s Supreme Court. Following the decision, incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman conceded defeat, CNN reported. Franken’s victory leaves the Democrats poised to assume a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate.

Politics: The former Stuart Smalley becomes the 60th Democrat in the U.S. Senate, thanks to the community organizers at Acorn and the little-known Secretary of State Project. Is the system being rigged?Politics: The former Stuart Smalley becomes the 60th Democrat in the U.S. Senate, thanks to the community organizers at Acorn and the little-known Secretary of State Project. Is the system being rigged? Incumbent Republican Norm Coleman conceded defeat in the mother of all recounts in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race after the state's Supreme Court unanimously rejected his lawsuit. Arguably, his seat may have been lost the day in 2006...

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Al Franken was approved Tuesday to join the US Senate. The Democratic Party will now involve him in their secret plans. The Minnesota Supreme Court ratified Al Franken yesterday as having won the Senatorial election seven months ago. Incumbent Norm Coleman, having exhausted all legal channels except for the Minnesota Thunderdome, finally conceded the race, saying only, “Next time Franken. Next time.” The Democrats welcomed Franken into their upper echelons of power with a decoder ring and other perks. In a private ceremony involving robes and jasmine scented aromatherapy candles, Franken was sworn in as a Democrat...

Senator-elect Al Franken (D-MN) on Sen. Inhofe calling him a clown: "I don't know how Sen. Inhofe regards clowns, but it might be an incredible compliment."Franken calls Judge Sotomayor a "mainstream" candidate for the Supreme Court.Franken also says he will support the Employee Free Choice Act. Franken is a strong union supporter. The Senator-elect also hints he will support Obama's plan for health reform.