Al Franken: Another Senate seating ruckus?
Franken
WASHINGTON — Roland Burris isn’t the only would-be U.S. senator whose arrival in Washington will be scrutinized.
Al Franken, a Democrat who left the wacky world of comedy for the wacky world of politics, is preparing to take his seat as the junior senator from Minnesota now that the Canvassing Board in his state this afternoon certified his 225-vote recount victory over incumbent Republican Norm Coleman.
Speaking in Minnesota a few minutes ago after the seven-week recount, Franken said: “After 62 days of careful, paintstaking hand inspections, I am proud to stand before you as the next senator from Minnesota. This victory is incredibly humbling, not just because it was so narrow but because of the tremendous responsibility it gives me on behalf of the people of Minnesota …
“I know that this isn’t an easy day for Norm Coleman and his family … Norm Coleman has worked hard for this state and this country and I hope to ask for his help.”
Franken might not want to ask for that help just yet considering that Coleman hasn’t given up. Coleman lost a round in the Minnesota Supreme Court today when the court refused his bid to have hundreds of rejected absentee ballots included in the recount.
But a spokesman said that Coleman will persist with a lawsuit that asks the Minnesota Supreme Court to review the certification. He has seven days to file the suit.
Coleman is contending that hundreds of absentee ballots were not properly counted and that other ballots were counted twice. He would first have to persuade a three-judge panel that more counting should be done and then make up the 225-vote difference when those disputed ballots are re-examined.
Roll Call newspaper reported this afternoon that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., would try to seat Coleman tomorrow — the same day that Burris is promising to seek entry to the Senate chamber after his disputed nomination by scandal-plagued Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Franken did not say when he’s headed to D.C., but given Coleman’s remaining legal avenues, it is likely that Minnesota’s Senate controversy — like Illinois’ — will continue.
National Republican chairman Mike Duncan — who is fighting to hang on to his own job — issued a statement just now showing that the the GOP intends to be aggressive.
“The efforts of Al Franken, Harry Reid and (NY Sen.) Chuck Schumer to steal this election and seat Al Franken despite not having an election certificate are unprecedented,” Duncan said.
If Franken’s election is upheld and Illinois gets a junior senator that Democrats can agree on, Democrats would have 59 Senate seats — one short of a filibuster-proof chamber.
The “Magic 60″ is meaningless, not because Senate rules don’t matter, but because no matter what the partisan lines, once the total number of votes on a bill approaches 60, conservatives will either be able to peel off a moderate Dem to keep a filibuster or Democrats will be able to peel off a moderate Republican to break the filibuster. Obviously, the more Democrats there are, the easier for them to break a filibuster, but failing to get 60 Dems doesn’t mean they can’t do it.