Senator Al Franken? What will he bring to the Party?

[TheBigotBasher]

Votes on issues such as Employee Free Choice Act, credit card reforms, banking and financial re-regulation, single payer health care.

All important and he sits firmly with the Progressive wing of the Party on this. Where however does this place Republican voting Democratic Senators? Will Senator Franken weaken the grip of the likes of Reid and Bayh on the Senate?

Will Al Franken make it easier to get 60 without having to water down legislation for "blue dawgs"and Republicans?

One thing for sure he is better than Norm Coleman and it is important that he is SEATED NOW.

[stray cat]

1. A democratic senator from MN -

[valerief]

2. A puppy in that position would be better for the country than Coleman.

That's no diss to Franken, however!!!! I can't wait until this nonsense ends.

[TheBigotBasher]

4. I like to remind you of the time that Coleman was made to look like a stupid puppy.

By a pretty much hated proper Socialist MP from England, who although I do not like, he gave Coleman a proper whipping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyyGoPerzWc

[knowbody0]

3. Stewart!

[ddeclue]

5. He's going to be a terrific Senator today!

He's going to be a terrific Senator today! And he's gonna help people! Because he's good enough, he's smart enough, and, doggonit, people like him!

[TheBigotBasher]

6. Would still like to know

whether he will be a true Democratic or be got at and become a Republican voting Democrat like Bayh.

[Omaha Steve]

7. Ever read his stuff?

Or watched caught his shows? He will be a welcome addition to the US Senate!

[ddeclue]

8. Al Franken? Are you kidding? Way to the left...

I mean so far left he's gonna have to run for President in 2016 because apparently we Democrats only allow the most liberal Senator in the Senate to run for President if you believe what the right wing is selling.

:rofl:

[TheBigotBasher]

10. :-)

Could he help shift the balance from those Democrats that seem to enjoy voting with Republicans?

Could this by why Reid has not done anything?

[leftofthedial]

9. he has a sense of humor

and, darn it, he likes himself.

[upyourstruly]

11. I hope he

brings more to the party then he did to saturday night live.

[TheBigotBasher]

12. If he is a proper Democrat voting Democrat

I hope he gets some choice Committees. Health for example. I also hope that we can use him to encourage more Democrats away from the DINOs.

[upyourstruly]

13. you bring up a good question

Why don't dino's become republicans and rino's become democrats.Do they just get off on bucking what ever system they are in.

[Occam Bandage]

14. Because what we refer to as a "DINO" is usually

a politician who votes with the Democratic party something like 70% of the time.

[upyourstruly]

15. is it the sme with the rinos

[Occam Bandage]

16. Yes. The most RINOish of the RINOs,

Specter, Collins, and Snowe, have in this session voted with the Republican party in 63.1, 58.5, and 52.8 percent of contested votes. Last session, the figures for those three were 70, 67, and 64.

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/111/senate/party-voters/

[TheBigotBasher]

What is galling is what the Republican voting Democrats actually lobby to cut

The Republican voting Democratic Senators have cut back on the Presidents' spending plans, and will expire his signature tax cuts of $400 for individuals and $800 for couples would expire in 2011. These tax cuts as part of the make work pay programme were already cut by Republican voting Democrats (from $500 to $400). The $13 a week may be condemned by the millionaire talking heads on Fox News as well as Republican Democratic Senators as small, but $13 is a real boost to those on low incomes where every $ counts in the daily battle to make ends meet.

Note that this promise was key to getting the Democratic Party the House, the Senate and the Presidency. Their stupidity could cost it all.

These Republican Supporting Democrats enabled a massive tax cut for the rich, by supporting the Kyl/Lincoln estate tax amendment which raised the estate tax exemption to $5 million for individuals and $10 million for couples and lowers the tax rate from 45% to 35%.

These Republican voting Democrats in the Senate also cut from the House Recovery Bill the following programmes :-

Partially cut:

• $3.5 billion for energy-efficient federal buildings (original bill $7 billion)

• $75 million from Smithsonian (original bill $150 million)

• $200 million from Environmental Protection Agency Superfund (original bill $800 million)

• $100 million from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (original bill $427 million)

• $100 million from law enforcement wireless (original bill $200 million)

• $300 million from federal fleet of hybrid vehicles (original bill $600 million)

• $100 million from FBI construction (original bill $400 million)

Fully eliminated

• $55 million for historic preservation

• $122 million for Coast Guard polar icebreaker/cutters

• $100 million for Farm Service Agency modernization

• $50 million for Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service

• $65 million for watershed rehabilitation

• $100 million for distance learning

• $98 million for school nutrition

• $50 million for aquaculture

• $2 billion for broadband

• $100 million for National Institute of Standards and Technology

• $50 million for detention trustee

• $25 million for Marshalls Construction

• $300 million for federal prisons

• $300 million for BYRNE Formula grant program

• $140 million for BYRNE Competitive grant program

• $10 million state and local law enforcement

• $50 million for NASA

• $50 million for aeronautics

• $50 million for exploration

• $50 million for Cross Agency Support

• $200 million for National Science Foundation

• $100 million for science

• $1 billion for Energy Loan Guarantees

• $4.5 billion for General Services Administration

• $89 million General Services Administration operations

• $50 million from Department of Homeland Security

• $200 million Transportation Security Administration

• $122 million for Coast Guard Cutters, modifies use

• $25 million for Fish and Wildlife

• $55 million for historic preservation

• $20 million for working capital fund

• $165 million for Forest Service capital improvement

• $90 million for State and Private Wildlife Fire Management

• $1 billion for Head Start/Early Start

• $5.8 billion for Health Prevention Activity

• $2 billion for Health Information Technology Grants

• $600 million for Title I (No Child Left Behind)

• $16 billion for school construction

• $3.5 billion for higher education construction

• $1.25 billion for project based rental

• $2.25 billion for Neighborhood Stabilization

• $1.2 billion for retrofitting Project 8 housing

• $40 billion for state fiscal stabilization (includes $7.5 billion of state incentive grants)

What good are Republican voting Democrats if the programmes they cut are the ones designed to help the poorest in America?

[upyourstruly]

18. It would be good for the poor

if someone would have voted to remove the unfair tobacco tax.It was promised no tax increase under 250000. i quit smoking 21 years ago but this makes me so mad I'd like to start again out of spite.This will hurt the poor.Recession is a stressfully time and most will not quit. The rich educated class smoke far less and could care less about paying more for smoking their drug.

[PBS Poll-435]

17. A true heir to Wellstone's seat

A real progressive.