(Sen. Al) Franken names chief of staff

[sabra]

Source: Star Tribune

For the second time this month, Al Franken has announced a staff member for a U.S. Senate office that still isn't quite his.

Franken's campaign said today he plans to hire Drew Littman, a longtime Capitol Hill staffer, as his chief of staff.

According to the campaign, Littman served as head of Franken's informal transition team, a job he has performed for a half-dozen other newly-elected Senators.

Last week, Franken said he plans to hire longtime DFL activist Alana Peterson to serve as his state director, a move clearly intended to position him as the likely winner of the still-unresolved contest with Republican Norm Coleman.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/local/43993962.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUI

[w4rma]

1. There needs to be a law preventing this from happening again to another U.S. Senator. (nt)

[jberryhill]

10. Well, what would you like the law to say?

If you'd like it to say that whomever is projected the winner on election night gets the seat, then Coleman would be senator.

Minnesota seems to be capable of sorting this out correctly, and Franken will be seated.

You can look at this thing as having kept Franken from being seated, but it has also kept Coleman from being seated.

Half-full / Half-empty sort of thing...

[Doremus]

12. One improvement that comes to mind is a law requiring faster court scheduling.

Having to wait almost two months is crazy.

[winyanstaz]

2. so why isnt he seated already? this is crazy

heads should roll or something...the man won already!

[bdamomma]

3. His constituents need to kick up about this, the repigs are just

hoping that people won't notice all the appeals and thus no representation.

[Ozymanithrax]

4. Not sure that you would or could pass a law.

Elections are held in each of the 50 states. The Constitution gives them that power. Each state would have to come up with a law or the Constitution would have to be changed. The reason why Coleman wasn't elected was that the close election triggered a recount. Remember, Coleman won the original count. Franken won in both recount rounds.

Imagine if there were no recount provision. It would be Senator Coleman all the way. I don't see a remedy.

[MasonJar]

5. Minn.has a law which says that the winner cannot be seated until all

appeals are over. Obviously they need a new law which insists on expediting the procedure. This is clearly an unfair extension by the GOPers, but a legal one. A law could facilitate the speed of the process.

[liberal N proud]

6. He needs to start acting like he is the Senator

Make the public see him as Senator to push the matter just a little.

[BlueIdaho]

7. No - we need a riot.

The good people of MN need to raise a big stink over the republican party's actions limiting their representation in congress. This thing will end quickly if and when it becomes a net negative for the local, state and national republican party. Fuck the stupid tea bags - how about attacking a political party that is actively taking away the constitutionally guaranteed representation of an electorate. This is not about protecting Norm Coleman, this a conscious effort to deny the rights of citizens.

[jberryhill]

11. "the constitutionally guaranteed representation of an electorate"

The Constitution guarantees the states the right to determine the process for choosing their senators.

The people of Minnesota exercise that right by having a law which requires judicial challenges to be settled before a senator is seated.

Which right do you want Minnesotans to have, and which right do you want them not to have?

[rocktivity]

8. And what about his old pal Katherine Lanpher?

Isn't she a Minnesotan? Last I heard she was writing a book about being single in New York City.

http://www.katherinelanpher.com/mainpage.html

:headbang:
rocktivity

[coyotespaw]

9. Actually, she's a fellow Quad-Citian...

from Moline IL