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The Al Franken Decade

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Supreme Court
Posted on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:01:20 PM EST
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Senate Al Franken (D-MN) will be making an opening statement today in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States. In other words, the Al Franken Decade is about to begin.

Franken up now.

This is an Open Thread.

< Sen. Whitehouse's Opening Statement On Sotomayor Nomination | Action Alert for Weds. Hearing on Pass I.D. Act >

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    The Al Franken Decade | 58 comments (58 topical)

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    Oh Stop (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:04:03 PM EST
    This borders on almost a sexual event for me and you aren't helping.

    On no--time for another intervention. (none / 0) (#7)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:10:26 PM EST


    Parent
    Probably! (none / 0) (#43)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 05:21:29 PM EST
    I'll probably never be completely off of and cured of huffing politician's hot air :)

    Parent
    That woke me up this morn :) (5.00 / 0) (#57)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 08:34:37 AM EST


    Parent
    Dear Lord (none / 0) (#59)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 08:51:19 AM EST
    I just ran across something that I wrote about Edwards during the primaries....something about having a rock solid candidate who wasn't part of the big money machine :)  He was solid as a rock back then too :)

    Parent
    Our Senators (5.00 / 2) (#4)
    by lilburro on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:05:38 PM EST
    seem to enjoy hearings.  Why not have some about the Bush torture regime and keep the good times going ...

    With Al Franken in them? (none / 0) (#5)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:07:28 PM EST
    gives me the chills.

    Parent
    You are setting yourself up for disappointment. (5.00 / 2) (#12)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:17:18 PM EST


    Parent
    It was good. (none / 0) (#47)
    by coigue on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 05:25:39 PM EST
    I was not disappointed.

    Parent
    I thought maybe he would say something (none / 0) (#49)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 05:29:39 PM EST
    amusing after the protestors were removed.  But, no.  

    Parent
    He will probably bite his (5.00 / 1) (#51)
    by coigue on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 05:33:13 PM EST
    tongue off more than a few times before his Senate seat is through.

    Good thing he has health care.

    Parent

    I'm pretty sure he is going (5.00 / 2) (#55)
    by indy in sc on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 06:55:02 PM EST
    to go out of his way to not say anything remotely funny in his first few major outings as senator.  Once he gets a reputation of some kind on substantive matters, then he may feel comfortable being funny.  Agree with Coigue that there will be a lot of tongue biting in the interim.

    Parent
    Oh how the mighty have fallen (5.00 / 3) (#11)
    by andgarden on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:13:26 PM EST
    Arlen Specter has to wait for all but Franken.

    But he asks a great question (5.00 / 0) (#15)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:22:34 PM EST
    the size of the SCOTUS docket and the issue of circuit splits.

    Parent
    What's up with Arlen? (none / 0) (#16)
    by jbindc on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:23:46 PM EST
    Has he alwasy talked like this?  He sounds like he has cotton balls in his mouth...

    Parent
    Yup, sounds exactly like he always did (none / 0) (#18)
    by andgarden on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:24:25 PM EST
    But he does seem frail.

    Parent
    Great question (none / 0) (#22)
    by jbindc on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:30:28 PM EST
    about TVs in federal courts

    Parent
    Yup (none / 0) (#17)
    by andgarden on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:24:02 PM EST
    Too many persisting circuit splits make life hard!

    Parent
    So, Judge Sotomayor, will you follow the (none / 0) (#20)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:27:54 PM EST
    SCOTUS majority opinions if you make it to SCOTUS?  

    Parent
    Franken nails "judicial activism." (5.00 / 0) (#26)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:37:49 PM EST
    Did you write his remarks, BTD?

    Yeah, Sen. Franken. A call out re (5.00 / 0) (#28)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:39:43 PM EST
    SCOTUS as court of last resort re protecting a woman's reproductive rights.  

    Parent
    Al made a solid (5.00 / 3) (#32)
    by brodie on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:47:04 PM EST
    presentation, especially for a first-weeker and a non-lawyer.

    I liked how he seconded the remarks of Whitehouse about the other side seeing "judicial activism" only when a justice decides in a way they disagree with.  That's an argument our side has been too meek in making over the years, while the largely unopposed hardline Rs have done major damage in redefining the judicial "mainstream" further and further to the Right.

    Gillibrand (5.00 / 1) (#34)
    by jbindc on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:53:40 PM EST
    Quoting all the conservative justices who said their backgrounds made them the judges they are.

    Nice.

    Dahlia Lithwick (5.00 / 0) (#35)
    by lilburro on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:55:27 PM EST
    has some interesting comments on Ricci's history of litigating.

    Is America's conservative movement really ready for an anti-affirmative action hero who has repeatedly relied on the government to intervene on his behalf to win him--and help him keep--a government job?
    Oops! (none / 0) (#36)
    by lilburro on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:55:48 PM EST
    Link.

    Parent
    All Dems from here on in (none / 0) (#2)
    by jbindc on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:05:19 PM EST
    Klobuchar, Kaufman, Specter,and Franken.

    Specter will be interesting to watch.

    Giant dazed squid in La Jolla after an (none / 0) (#3)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:05:31 PM EST
    earthquake of which I was entirely unaware.  Oh, the horror.

    I'm going to have to go find photos (none / 0) (#6)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:08:53 PM EST
    if there are any yet.  Joshua's fave entity in the animal kingdom.

    Parent
    Video on Huff Post. (none / 0) (#10)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:10:54 PM EST


    Parent
    We watched it (none / 0) (#44)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 05:24:41 PM EST
    I hope they get some good information for future generations.  Wouldn't it be cool if they could keep one alive in an aquarium setting?  Josh informed me if they did it we were going to see it, even if it was in Asia.  I told him to calm down, it's California at the moment.

    Parent
    Maybe Birch Aquarium or Sea World. (5.00 / 1) (#48)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 05:28:59 PM EST
    see, Josh is ready to travel.

    Parent
    I have to run at 2:30 (none / 0) (#8)
    by andgarden on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:10:34 PM EST
    So if he doesn't get to go before then, I'll have to catch it later.

    Klobuchar's questions (none / 0) (#9)
    by jbindc on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:10:38 PM EST
    should please the criminal defense attorneys on the site.  She wants to question Sotomayor on criminal law issues - especially the 4th Amendment

    Decade? (none / 0) (#13)
    by kdog on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:18:25 PM EST
    Thats a lot longer than 15 minutes....this cat better deliver better than he did his lines in "Trading Places".

    Pat Buchanan apparently advocates (none / 0) (#14)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:21:42 PM EST
    holding Levi Johnston under water until he stops talking.  Would that be torture?

    Parent
    Whats Al going to say about (none / 0) (#19)
    by SOS on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:27:19 PM EST
    Goldman Sachs announcing impressive second-quarter profits, and setting aside $18 billion or so for employee bonuses averaging $600,000 per head?

    After last fall's $13 billion  bailout gift from the US treasury no less?

    Hopefully (5.00 / 0) (#24)
    by CST on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:34:56 PM EST
    he says "give the tax payers our money back first"

    Parent
    Didn't they already do that? (none / 0) (#29)
    by gyrfalcon on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:41:53 PM EST


    Parent
    In that case (none / 0) (#38)
    by CST on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 03:34:09 PM EST
    "please spend bonuses as soon as possible" :)

    Parent
    Now there's an idea for (none / 0) (#40)
    by gyrfalcon on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 05:00:17 PM EST
    the "pay czar"-- let 'em all give out as many bonuses as they want, as long as the recipients either spend it within 60 days or invest it in a small business.

    Parent
    Glenn Greenwald has plenty to say. (none / 0) (#21)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:28:32 PM EST


    Parent
    Sen. Franken is mouthing bipartisanship (none / 0) (#23)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:32:23 PM EST
    and "reaching across the aisle."

    He addressed (none / 0) (#25)
    by jbindc on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:36:04 PM EST
    that he's not a lawyer, but neither are the majority of Americans...

    Parent
    I'd prefer that he was a lawyer (none / 0) (#45)
    by shoephone on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 05:24:58 PM EST
    I really believe all the members of the judiciary committee should be lawyers. It puts them on an level playing field with the nominee and the other committee members, intellectually speaking. They have to understand case law and the way the judicial system works from the inside in order to question and analyze the nominee's judicial background and written decisions.

    I didn't always feel this way. But as a non-lawyer, I have realized over the last twenty years of hearings (Thomas, Roberts and Alito, in particular) that these nominations are so crucial to the balance of governmental powers that the questioners need to be as steeped in legal experience as possible. As a non-lawyer, I now view the hearings as an opportunity for me to learn.

    I just don't imagine Franken being able to ask the questions and follow-ups that will fully flesh out Sotomayor's decision-making process.

    Parent

    I think Sen. Franken may be the (none / 0) (#50)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 05:31:15 PM EST
    one Senator who asks Judge Sotomayor her views on Roe v. Wade.  

    Parent
    I'm willing to see how he does (none / 0) (#53)
    by Inspector Gadget on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 05:44:50 PM EST
    though, I think I would prefer he was not a comedian...we've got enough jokers in the mix.


    Parent
    Didn't Sessions say something (none / 0) (#33)
    by slr51 on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:50:04 PM EST
    really rude about Franken right around when Coleman finally gave it up?

    I took Franken's remarks as a demonstration that he is more adult and serious about working for the American people than Sessions is.

    In other words a thinly veiled swipe at Sessions.

    Parent

    From the other open thread (none / 0) (#27)
    by CST on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:38:16 PM EST
    Surgean general announced.  Sure looks good on paper, although nothing said about her general philosophy re. abortion rights.

    I swear Schumer looked like he was tearing up (none / 0) (#30)
    by byteb on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:45:59 PM EST
    during his remarks about Judge Sotomayor.

    Did anyone else see it?

    Yup (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by Tony on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:46:51 PM EST
    He definitely was.

    Parent
    Thanx for the confirmation (none / 0) (#37)
    by byteb on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 01:56:58 PM EST
    I thought I was imagining it.

    btw, I loved what Schumer said about Judge Sotomoyor reading Nancy Drew novels as a little girl...so did I. :)

    Parent

    I give up.... (none / 0) (#41)
    by Inspector Gadget on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 05:02:24 PM EST
    who are you talking to, and what is that quote from?
    I'm guessing a quote from Family Guy (none / 0) (#46)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 05:25:31 PM EST
    but can't prove it.  These are pretty funny though:  family guy quotes

    Parent
    Jeb Bush is lead author of this (none / 0) (#42)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 05:07:33 PM EST
    LAT op ed on immigration reform:  link

    Bleh (none / 0) (#58)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 08:45:09 AM EST
    Many leaders in allied nations were educated in the United States, a diplomatic asset that no other country can match.

    The school of coup; the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, Fort Benning GA.  

    Parent

    Not wrong though (5.00 / 1) (#60)
    by CST on Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 08:52:41 AM EST
    My mom went to college with Benazir "Pinky" Bhutto, and she was decidedly more pro-west than a lot of other leaders in that part of the world.

    Plus, I get to know random anecdotes like the fact that she used to eat in her pajamas.

    Parent

    I never paid a whole lot of attention (none / 0) (#62)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 09:11:42 AM EST
    to that school until lately.  In prior years I think I was really too young to appreciate just exactly what that school is about.  I brought it up at lunch in GA a few days ago, some of the people there were military retired and they like their little school at Fort Benning.....it's just a school.  Chaps me how little detail some people really want to know, but they have fabulously spotless car interiors because they can prioritize I suppose :)

    Parent
    Feinstein was impressive. (none / 0) (#52)
    by coigue on Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 05:33:34 PM EST


    The Al Franken Decade | 58 comments (58 topical)

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