Author Topic: Al Franken (Read 4291 times)

Robert · « **on:** July 01, 2009, 12:47:15 am »

finally.....the election is over.

the senator from Minnisota has been selected, 7 months after the vote. Al Franken's 300+ votes was deemed by the State Supreme Court enough to make his the winner.

for those of you a little younger or from across the water, you might not know that Franken is an alum from Saturday Night Live," (during the Belushi era) known as Stuart Smalley and his several 12-step programs.

This is not just a political thing. It's a milestone cultural event. I mean Franken is not only the author of
Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot but he does a mean Mick Jagger.

Another nail in the repub coffin....

AndyArrow · « **Reply #1 on:** July 01, 2009, 02:39:07 am »

Norm Coleman is seeking the support of the Iranian Guardian Council to get a recount.

Congrats Sen. Franken!

mecch · « **Reply #2 on:** July 01, 2009, 06:47:25 am »

Yep important and happy event. Bravo Minnisota.

J.R.E. · « **Reply #3 on:** July 01, 2009, 07:28:22 am »

It's about time !!

Ray

Luke · « **Reply #4 on:** July 01, 2009, 08:40:49 am »

Because the shades of politics available to us are so different on this side of the pond, it is quite amusing to observe stuff like this. Communist and socialist just don’t have the same stigmatising rings to them over here – in fact it can be quite a badge of honour - so from my perspective there is the breath of a cigarette paper between the Republicans and Democrats. It is like arguing over which particular flavour of quite impressively right-wing politics should hold the balance of (world) power

AndyArrow · « **Reply #5 on:** July 01, 2009, 08:00:55 pm »

Quote from: Luke on July 01, 2009, 08:40:49 am

Because the shades of politics available to us are so different on this side of the pond, it is quite amusing to observe stuff like this. Communist and socialist just don’t have the same stigmatising rings to them over here – in fact it can be quite a badge of honour - so from my perspective there is the breath of a cigarette paper between the Republicans and Democrats. It is like arguing over which particular flavour of quite impressively right-wing politics should hold the balance of (world) power

I guess I'll put down your naivete to your age. Presidents Carter (D) & Reagan (R) were about as far apart as you could get on almost every subject. Some politicians are centrists it's true ... but that is also true in the UK. Many NEW Labour positions weren't exactly far removed from Conservative politics. Tony Blair's very close relationship with Geo. Bush being a good example.

Also, if somenone called Baroness Thatcher a Communist I think she'd probably have a stroke. Maybe your coverage of the US political landscape is limited -- I follow UK polotics closely and watching Labour MPs defending Micheal Martin receiving a peerage is amusing & scandalous!

Jody · « **Reply #6 on:** July 01, 2009, 08:18:00 pm »

The Iranian Guardian Council isn't that much different from the (at least) 5 conservative members of the U.S, Supreme Court.

Jody

Luke · « **Reply #7 on:** July 02, 2009, 02:23:05 am »

Quote from: AndyArrow on July 01, 2009, 08:00:55 pm

I guess I'll put down your naivete to your age. Presidents Carter (D) & Reagan (R) were about as far apart as you could get on almost every subject. Some politicians are centrists it's true ... but that is also true in the UK. Many NEW Labour positions weren't exactly far removed from Conservative politics. Tony Blair's very close relationship with Geo. Bush being a good example.

Also, if somenone called Baroness Thatcher a Communist I think she'd probably have a stroke. Maybe your coverage of the US political landscape is limited -- I follow UK polotics closely and watching Labour MPs defending Micheal Martin receiving a peerage is amusing & scandalous!

Andy,

Well thanks for unintentionally reinforcing my point so eloquently in your haste to patronise on the basis of age.

The very fact that you see Reagan and Carter as being such polar opposites shows just how insular your own view of the world is and how staggeringly narrow a spectrum of political views is available to the electorate in the United States. I guess I will put your inability to grasp that very simple concept down to both naivete and being of an age where you were brought up to believe in irrational propaganda and witch-hunts.

As for why you suddenly get so defensive about something that wasn't even a criticism - let alone what that evil old hag Thatcher has to do with any of this, when no-one even said she was a communist - I won't even bother trying to understand. Perhaps you just couldn't grasp the point that it was a light-hearted comment about the fact that whereas a 'communist' in Europe is a factual and inoffensive statement about someone having a particular, and fairly narrow, range of leftist views - in the US there is a tendency for it to be used as general epithet for anyone whose politics aren't somewhere off to the right of Attila the Hun.

Cliff · « **Reply #8 on:** July 02, 2009, 05:38:22 am »

The age bit was unfair....but, I think American politics does have a wide spectrum of political views, they are just captured within the two major parties. As far as I can tell (as a casual observer of UK politics), parties here tends to be more powerful and a more cohesive group as compared to the American political parties.

Within the Democratic party I see similarities with the Liberal Democrats, New Labour and Greens. And likewise within the Republican party there are New Labour, Tories and BNP. US politicians seem to have the ability to move across party lines (more often than they do here in the UK) based on their own political views. So a conservative, southern Democrat, who say is Pro-Life, wouldn't adhere to the Democratic pro-choice party platform when it comes to voting. But here in the UK there seems to be this rule that you must toe the party line or face disciplinary actions.

Luke · « **Reply #9 on:** July 02, 2009, 05:49:35 am »

That is my whole point, Cliff. It short-changes the electorate when people with as many views as the colours of the rainbow are expected to shoehorn their votes into two small and restrictive boxes. It doesn't really give the electorate an opportunity to vote on what see as matters of conscience.

And why this continued assumption that I am comparing the US system to the UK system? There is a whole continent on this side of the pond. I wouldn't defend the UK system - because I think it is far too restrictive and would rather see it fragmented further so we had coalition governments - but your analysis of where the Tories compare with Republican and Democrat is way off the mark. That is broadly how they align on foreign policy, but not the sort of domestic policies they stand for. Most Tories would feel more comfortable with Democrats as bedfellows on domestic issues. And you only have to look at Hansard to see how often politicians will vote against the party line.

But, there again, something like the abortion platform would never come down to party lines in the UK. In fact, a woman's right to an abortion is a given and it wouldn't even come down to for or against - it would be: how late is too late? and on a free vote.

David_CA · « **Reply #10 on:** July 02, 2009, 11:36:09 am »

And all this as to with Al Franken?

Ann · « **Reply #11 on:** July 02, 2009, 11:49:29 am »

Quote from: David_NC on July 02, 2009, 11:36:09 am

And all this as to with Al Franken?

Well, Al Franken is a funny guy, and this is a funny thread. Ok, so Franken is funny ha-ha and this thread is just... funny.

AndyArrow · « **Reply #12 on:** July 02, 2009, 02:31:08 pm »

Luke --

Since you don't like the fact that I put your naivete down to your age -- I'm sorry. You are just simply naive in your world view irregardless of your age.

If you say you find someone in the US happy about the outcome of an important election amusing and then say it isn't a criticism. I'm not sure how you meant it then?

The very fact that you don't see Carter & Reagan as opposites show a lack of knowledge on your part of US history. Reagan was against every major Carter position especially in regards to foreign policy and dealing with countries with human rights abuses.

The reason I mentioned Thatcher was quiet clear. You said that being a Communist was a badge of honor. I point to her as someone from your own country who would disagree. If you prefer substitute HM for the Baroness. A Communist in western Europe is very different from a Communist in North or South America and Asia.

Norm Coleman & Al Franken have very different world views maybe you didn't read any of their positions so you don't know how they differed. I did follow this election and again say a big Congrats to Sen. Al Franken.

Luke · « **Reply #13 on:** July 02, 2009, 02:34:52 pm »

Quote from: AndyArrow on July 02, 2009, 02:31:08 pm

Luke --
....................................................

RFLMAO

I shall leave you to stew in your tragic ignorance.

AndyArrow · « **Reply #14 on:** July 02, 2009, 02:50:23 pm »

Quote from: Luke on July 02, 2009, 02:34:52 pm

RFLMAO

I shall leave you to stew in your tragic ignorance.

You comment on a US Senatorial race that you knew nothing about the issues and the fact that there were 5 candidates running and you think I'm ignorant.

Irony is alway funny!!

Luke · « **Reply #15 on:** July 02, 2009, 02:51:43 pm »

randym431 · « **Reply #16 on:** July 03, 2009, 11:12:51 pm »

I listened to AL on Air America radio daily, for the years he was on.
Cutting edge politics.
I love it when others under-estimate old AL.
AL is a genius of a politician, who just happens to have a sense of humor.
It will be nice to have a genius on our side, in the senate.

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Author Topic: Al Franken (Read 4291 times)