Bye Bye Norm Coleman

I’ll just start off by saying a very well deserved goodbye to Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota. If there was a picture of the poorest political hack election looser then good old Norm would have his face posted on every search engine possible. I would be real curious to know which one of the candidates has been drawing a paycheck from the federal government as a Senator since the November election. Or maybe that both Mr. Franken and Mr. Coleman were collecting at the trough? If that is the case then somebody named Norm needs to write a huge check to the U.S. Treasury.

I have to admit that I was a listener of Al Franken on Air America and nine times out of ten I agreed with his talking points. Senator Franken has a learning curve to begin and find out that politics in DC is not always the place to make jokes. Can he survive in the belly of the beast, we shall see. He did volunteer for an election that would make him the equivalent of TUMS in politics in the Congress. I wish him luck. Talking Points Memo has this to say on the final decision of the Franken vs. Coleman election results …

The Minnesota Supreme Court has handed down its much-expected ruling in the heavily-litigated Minnesota Senate race from 2008 -- and it's a unanimous one -- deciding against Republican former Sen. Norm Coleman's appeal of his defeat in the election trial and affirming the lower court's verdict that Democratic comedian Al Franken is the legitimate winner of the race.

The courts finds that "Al Franken received the highest number of votes legally cast and is entitled under Minn. Stat. § 204C.40 (2008) to receive the certificate of election as United States Senator from the State of Minnesota." This means that when Franken is ultimately seated, the Democrats will have 60 seats and be able to beat any Republican filibuster if they stay completely united (though good luck with that, obviously.) TPMDC

Can we now get down to business and figure out how the hell to fix America? Grab a paddle Al, everyone is going to need to row on this lifeboat. I hope you brought some bright ideas to the table my friend.

Papamoka

Gun Toting Liberal has linked in with his Veteran opinion of Mr. Franken

By Not Conceding, Norm Coleman is a Sad, Sore Loser!

Good Morning Papamoka Readers! So, it's official, a Minnesota court unanimously ruled in Al Franken's favor late yesterday. He should now be Senator Al Franken! He is now the official victor in the November election.

Of course, that means that Norm Coleman should concede, right? Well, of course, it seems they don't plan to. They have decided to continue down their path of being the worst SORE LOSERS in modern history!

Every one on my side of the aisle knows that if the shoe were on the other foot so to speak, the Republicans - and the corporate media - would be screaming SORE LOSER from every media orifice. Everyone knows they would have been doing it pretty steadily since last November.

BUT, the shoe isn't on their foot, it's on ours. So, what do we have? How about DEAD SILENCE! The media hardly even covered the official state victory announcement yesterday. All they reported is how Norm Coleman's expects to appeal. They didn't say anything about the fact that HE LOST and is dragging the Minnesota Senate race out in such a way that seriously harms the Democrats and the citizens of Minnesota. The whole thing is disgusting!

How many more months will the Republicans be allowed to delay the inevitable before the corporate media begin to apply some pressure on Coleman? The man is getting away with murder. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the three judge panel claims Senator Franken "soundly defeated" the crybaby incumbent Coleman.

The panel completely discarded Coleman's claims that "the election and its aftermath were fraught with systemic errors that made the results invalid." They saw it as a close, but fair election. "The overwhelming weight of the evidence indicates that the Nov. 4, 2008, election was conducted fairly, impartially and accurately," the panel wrote in its unanimous decision, which can be read here.

So, COLEMAN, shut the hell up and get the FREAK out of the race. Be a man, an honorable man, and call up Senator Franken to congratulate him on his win. Stop acting like the most pathetic political figure to ever run for the Senate. You are looking like a SAD JOKE!

Senator Franken has emerged from the statewide recount, which Coleman asked for, ahead by a greater number of votes (312) than before the recount. He is the winner. I say again, if you Republicans were enduring the same thing you would be screaming BLOODY MURDER over the idea that we would hold your senate seat hostage to a set of absurd and outrageous legal claims.

Why don't they do the honorable, dignified thing, which Norm Coleman himself said just after the November election, and accept defeat? As usual, it appears that the Republicans have no intention of doing the honorable thing. They love to see themselves as the party of honor, dignity, and character. It's amazing how their actions never seem to meet the dignity of their words. In truth, they are the party of dishonor, lack of dignity, and very small character.

To me, Norm Coleman has no honor. If he did, he would have lived by his own words and left the race long ago. Like so many Republicans, he has nothing left but disgrace. Perhaps that's why he doesn't seem to care what he looks like?

The rest of us have grown accustomed to the pathetic behavior of many Republicans. We pretty much listen to them talk about honor and laugh these days. It's evident by the fact that we rarely see their behavior as surprising. To most of us, they go beyond bad sportsman-like conduct. They just seem pathetic. They're like the old drunk who won't leave the bar - nobody wants to confront the sad, messy, aweful scene.

I'm convinced they don't see their own bad behavior at all. They seem to live in a strange, ostrich-in-the-sand kind of world. Oh well, perhaps they'll figure it all out over time. It's unfortunate, because in the meantime we have to put up with their CRAP! Their very ugly, sad, pathetic CRAP!

Michael Boh

Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor

from Our Rants & Raves Blog

There is Much to Celebrate, Yet Still So Much to Do

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers - WHAT A FANTASTIC AND BEAUTIFUL MORNING! I'm sure most of you are just as happy as I am this morning. I hope this feeling can last a long time, despite all the work that needs to be done. Unfortunately, I need to write about both the good and the bad regarding the election this morning.

The good, of course, is Obama's victory along with significant majorities in the House and Senate. The bad, so far, is that the Republican - and Bush lackey - Norm Coleman of Minnesota might have won last night. The man is one of the worst Republican tools, so let us pray the recount goes our way and Al Franken becomes a senator.

Shockingly, I hate to report that one of the WORST REPUBLICANS WON - Michelle Bachman of Minnesota. All I can say is WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE IN MINNESOTA! They're both pretty horrible, but Bachman is VILE! Oh well, she's your problem now. Good luck with that.

I'm also DISGUSTED TO REPORT that Prop 8 might be a victory for the Mormons and the Catholics in my state of California. One of our state's newest civil rights, gay marriage, might be overturned. Discrimination might be written into our constitution for the first time in our history. It is very sad. All I can say is you guys will always BE MARRIED in my book. We'll fix it, but in the meantime try to be happy anyway - that's written into a much more IMPORTANT constitution.

It's also important to remember that some vote stealing did occur around the country yesterday, and it is important for all of us to be aware of it and to try and make sure it DOES NOT STAND! Incredibly, there are reports on different voter fraud websites that as many as six million votes went illegally to Republicans last night, and that the Democrats might have won more states, like Montana, Georgia, and North Dakota to name a few.

According to many sources, Republican operatives were hard at work in Georgia stealing ballots and threatening voters. They allegedly failed to replace broken voting machines in African-American districts, and forced people to vote provisionally when their names did not appear on the rolls.

Overall, despite our wonderful national success, it would appear that it was a bad night for Democracy in Georgia. Unfortunately, if we cannot overturn the results, the SCUMBAG SAXBY CHAMBLISS, who beat triple amputee and Vietnam vet Max Cleland in 2004 by calling him "a friend of Osama bin Laden," will remain a US Senator. Let us hope that we can prove the theft and defeat Chambliss before it's too late.

So, we MUST CELEBRATE TODAY, but we must also keep fighting. Max Chambliss MUST NOT GO TO THE US SENATE! We must all write our congressional offices and demand justice. Unfortunately, this cannot be over until we all demand the necessary recounts. Still, God bless America! We did it. We WON! Congratulations to us all!

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Al Franken Gas Price Plan

Although gas prices have backed away from the $4.00 per gallon bench mark gasoline still has a long way to go to be affordable again for most American’s. As of today’s date, the cost for a barrel of oil is at $115.10 according to FT.Com. That is still double what most American’s can comfortably afford and with the coming winter, with far too many homes heated by oil, it will be a budget buster for everyone in the middle and lower classes of America.

While the Republican’s in Congress are invading an empty House of Representatives on summer vacation and screaming about an energy plan now for America they are refusing to face the fact that the price of oil is market driven and not supply driven. Saudi Arabia is not having a problem meeting supply, Hugo Chavez is not having a problem meeting oil supply demand? The same thing goes for every oil producing nation in the world. The only people that are having a problem with the price of oil and the supply of it is the many people and big oil businesses that benefit with record prices for oil and profit reports never seen before in the oil markets. Canceling loop holes for greedy investors on Wall Street is what needs to be done and Al Franken who is running for the Senate in Minnesota is 100% correct in thinking that tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) is the beginning of the path needed to take to see gas prices drop dramatically!

Over at the Star Tribune based in Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota they have this on Al Franken and his realistic opinion on dropping gas prices at the pump…

To lower gas prices, Franken proposes selling oil from reserves

GOP Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign disputes that the move would do much to ease pain at the pump.

By PATRICIA LOPEZ, Star Tribune
Last update: July 28, 2008 - 7:44 PM


With Minnesotans squeezed at every turn by high fuel prices, DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken pumped his own energy proposals on Monday while taking another swipe at rival U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman.

Franken said the United States should sell 50 million barrels of crude oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve between now and Election Day -- a move that he said would lower gas prices, generate revenue and deflate the speculator bubble that has helped send oil prices skyward.

Coleman, he said, refused last week to back legislation that would have lowered speculation and instead supports offshore oil drilling that Franken said would take 20 years to affect gas prices.

"People are hurting now," Franken said Monday at a news conference outside a St. Paul gas station, accusing Coleman of setting a Minnesota senatorial record for the most donations from oil companies.

Coleman spokesman Mark Drake said that the reserves are for emergencies and that little would be gained from such a sell-off. The United States consumes oil at the rate of 20 million barrels daily. Tapping the reserves, Drake said, would make an "incremental difference" in gas prices.

Drake said that Coleman supports increases in offshore oil drilling and nuclear, wind and "clean coal" power, and voted against last week's speculator proposal because it lacked an offshore provision.

Franken said that he supports renewable energy but that oil prices have risen to a crisis level, warranting a release from the reserve. Previous sell-offs under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton lowered prices by as much as a third, he said. - Star Tribune

I’m all for Al Franken’s plan and if the prices don’t drop to $2.50 a gallon or lower we should release another 50 million barrels! The cost of oil is killing the American Plastic industry and in doing so killing millions of hard earned jobs that can be outsourced to China where the cost of oil is offset by a government that regulates pricing to make its industry almost impossible to compete with.

Investing in America’s future means investing in alternative energy sources Al Franken has that thought and more built into his plan which also includes funds to insulate northern states homes to help them save on the high cost of heating in the coming winter.

If you think Norm Coleman is going to save Minnesota from the oil busting business on Wall Street then you need to look at his voting record and his current campaign financing. Norm Coleman has been a Bush clone long before McCain even thought it was “Hip”. When push comes to shove, Coleman has pushed the interest of American’s to the curb and his reward for doing so was noticed by his latest campaign contributors.

If you want to save money on next winters heating bill or the bottomless pit of your checking account and the gas tank of your car then vote for Al Franken and someone that will actually do something to CHANGE our nations energy policies! Even if you don’t live in Minnesota, send the guy five dollars to help him kick Coleman’s butt come November.

Enough is enough of this family values crap! All of the crew following George Bush make Tony Soprano look like a freaking saint! Smile in your face as they screw you over just one more time. Enough is enough protecting millionaires and the idiotic thought that trickle down economics actually works.

Somebody call Myth Buster’s and have them do a show on it and maybe then people will actually see the screwing over they are getting!

My thanks go out to the Gun Toting Liberal once more for inspiring me to write this post based on his post on Al Franken talking to just one Veteran for over an hour at an event. A must read if you ask me.

Papamoka

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