Big Business Blocks Working Family Bills by Keeping Franken’s Senate Seat Vacant

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2009/04/17/big-business-blocks-working-family-bills-by-keeping-frankens-senate-seat-vacant/

by Seth Michaels, Apr 17, 2009

It’s April 2009 and we’re still checking back in to see who won in Minnesota’s hard-fought 2008 Senate race between incumbent Norm Coleman and AFL-CIO-endorsed challenger Al Franken—because corporate front groups are dumping money into delaying and dragging out the process.

When last we visited Minnesota, the state was just beginning to recount the votes in the excruciatingly close race. The recount was an exhaustive, transparent process, with every step open to the public and examined closely by Minnesota’s judiciary. And this week, a three-judge panel—in a 68-page decision issued after extensive consideration—ruled that Franken “received the highest number of votes legally cast” and is “entitled to receive a certificate of election.”

Yet Franken can’t be seated, because ex-Sen. Coleman is planning to appeal to the Minnesota state Supreme Court. Although election-law experts suggest that Coleman’s arguments are unlikely to have any more effect on the state Supreme Court than they did in front of judges from around the state who have heard them throughout this long process, Coleman is still keeping his team of lawyers busy and well-paid. And who’s paying for those mounting legal bills? The same corporate front groups bankrolling the fight against the Employee Free Choice Act.


The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent reports that Coleman’s cronies—a coalition of deep-pocketed corporate lobbying groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Restaurant Association and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW)—are willing to “raise as much as necessary” to keep Coleman’s lawyers going and bankroll his attempts to overturn the judges’ ruling that Franken is the winner.

It’s clear what’s underlying this: Franken ran—and won—as a friend to working families and a supporter of the Employee Free Choice Act. Franken, a former member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), the Screen Actors (SAG) and the Writers Guild of America, campaigned alongside union members throughout his campaign, and their energetic mobilization made the critical difference in one of the closest Senate races in U.S. history.

Now, after their failure to defeat pro-worker Franken at the ballot box, corporate front groups are hoping to keep him out of the Senate seat that’s rightfully his, to prevent him from voting to break minority filibusters and pass critical legislation to make the economy work for everyone. Because of the rules of the Senate, having a vacant seat is just as effective in squelching pro-worker bills as having someone there to vote against them. Even Dirk Van Dongen, NAW president, acknowledges that keeping the seat empty is a feature that Coleman’s backers are happy about.

FULL story at link.

[jwirr]

1. I wish there was a way that we the citizens of MN could take Pawlenty

and Coleman to court for depriving us of our constitutional right to 2 votes in the senate.

[AndyTiedye]

4. The Courts are the Problem. They are Packed with Republicans

And since this is working so well for the Repiggies in Minnesota, we can expect to see a lot more of it in upcoming elections.
They are able to leverage their control of the courts to their great advantaqe in elections now.

This won't work if we try to do it, because the courts are against us.

[bluestateguy]

2. Coleman has 10 days to appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court

and naturally it looks like he will take the full 10 days before filing, for no other reason than to kick the can a little longer.

[leftstreet]

3. K&R

[dcsmart]

5. K & R i can't wait until they seat him and he starts

voting against the Republicans. now if we can only get a few more elected officials like Sen. Bernie Sanders we would be in business. keep up the fight.

[FreakinDJ]

6. What kind of Back-Wards shit hole is that place any way

Geez Fucking A Christ

Just how many Fucking Recounts does Frankin have to win before the State tells Coleman to sit down and Shut the Fuck Up