Today, Al Franken goes to Washington. And we helped.
Now, it is time to kick his ass.
This is the difference between the dittoheads who will follow the anointed head of the Republican Party into a big pile of dogshit if he so orders them and us. They follow their sens less leaders, they stomp their feet and whinge and threaten, but it takes forever for even the most thoughtful Republicans to even begin to question their leaders. But we in the Liberal Blogosphere do not do this. We watch and we evaluate and we comment and we do not give anyone a pass just becasue we voted for them.
So how is Al Franken doing so far?
Senator-elect Al Franken made his first official appearance on Capitol Hill moments ago, appearing briefly (and quite sedately) with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to make a statement to reporters.
Speaking before a bank of microphones in the ornate hallway just off the Senate floor, Franken gave no hint of his former incarnation as a comedian and political jokesmith. Wearing a dark suit with a conservative navy-and-white striped tie, Franken spoke seriously as he delivered a shortened version of his stump speech.
“A lot has been made about this number ’60,’ but the number I’m focused on is the number two,” Franken said. “I see myself as the second senator from the state of Minnesota.”
OK, Al. So far so good. Keep up the good work.
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Gee. He makes it seem so easy!
That’s because he’s Good Enough, he’s Smart Enough and Doggone It, People Like Him!”
When does he get sworn in?
Tuesday.
He’ll be using Paul Wellstone’s Bible for the swearing in.
link
I suspect that as a matter of practicality or inspiration Franken will follow the same general course as Obama. He will spend the first year or two patiently avoiding the spotlight, carrying water, learning the ropes, and collecting markers for doing the leg work that allows others to push their agenda.
Then, at some later date, with a pocket full of IOUs and a well polished reputation as a skilled legislative craftsman who is willing to do the hard work and let others get the glory, he will slowly allow his personality to emerge. He might eventually allow the full force of his acerbic wit out for tactical gain once he has grown into the job.
It might not go that way but that is my guess.
No matter how he chooses to handle it I wish him well.
You wrote “Today, Al Franken goes to Washington. And we helped.” Uhhh, by hiring better lawyers for the court cases? This is 2000 all over again, but this time the stakes were smaller. And this time the guys who played by the rules won, just like last time. The problem is, the rules are written by lawyers, not statisticians, so somehow we have people who think that a higher variance measurement with a smaller delta is better than a lower variance measurement with a larger delta. Go figure (literally).
I hear a lot of talk about how smart Franken is. Maybe he’ll see through all his parties Ponzi-scheming and actually stand up for the people who have to pay for all this largess, the future taxpayers. Growth based economies (like the one Obama is trying to kick-start) are simply Ponzi schemes on a scale that makes Maddoff and GM and Social Security look like church bake sales.
Psst, StatMan. If you’re going to rant about what a phrase means, you might want to read the post it links to. It might even make people overlook the fact that you’re ignoring the stats on what generally happens to debts and deficits under Democratic and Republican administrations.
Or maybe not. People are generally a bit sharper than that around here.