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Franken Eviscerates Axelrod

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Media
Posted on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 09:08:26 AM EST
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Politico:

Sen. Al Franken ripped into White House senior adviser David Axelrod this week during a tense, closed-door session with Senate Democrats. Five sources who were in the room tell POLITICO that Franken criticized Axelrod for the administration’s failure to provide clarity or direction on health care and the other big bills it wants Congress to enact.

Evisceration joke explained here.

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    Franken Eviscerates Axelrod | 32 comments (32 topical)

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    Did anyone listen? (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by mmc9431 on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 10:29:18 AM EST
    Telling them is one thing. Getting them to listen and believe is another.

    I don't think they've come down to Earth after their victory. (Emmanuel has always had his own way of interpreting reality). I'm not convinced that they can see, or would admit, that they've miscalculated the American people.

    It may take more than Franken to shake them up.

    BTD Flogs... (5.00 / 2) (#14)
    by squeaky on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 11:04:23 AM EST
    Good one BTD. Nice mirror.

    Your bait increased the irony almost to the level of satire. Although to be fair, it would be hard for most to resist such a tasty headlne, without following the links that is...

    Maybe Stewart will revisit this theme using Pavlov and his dogs.

    Good to see a comment from you (5.00 / 7) (#16)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 11:10:27 AM EST
    Seems like it has been a while.

    Parent
    Yeah (5.00 / 6) (#18)
    by squeaky on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 11:53:32 AM EST
    I read TL on a regular basis, and have been enjoying the great work from both you and Jeralyn.

    As far as commenting goes, I do not have the skills or temperament to stay in the ring, and be able to keep an intense focus on other things. IOW, I have shifted priorities to spending more time making art and music, my long time passions. Besides, if I kept up the banter here, I would, at worst, have been banned, lol, or at best caused Jeralyn to waste time dealing with complaints.    

    TL is still the best blog ever, imo, and I do enjoy reading comments from some of my pals, et al, who have managed to stick around.

     

    Parent

    What? (5.00 / 3) (#19)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 11:59:36 AM EST
    Your choosing productivity over useless blathering?

    Shame on you.

    Anyway, don't be a stranger.

    Parent

    lol (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by squeaky on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 12:20:03 PM EST
    I have to say, I learned quite a bit from TL about how to behave.. also the blathering sent me into all sorts of interesting places in order to back blather, and support suppositions...

    Yeah, all pretty useless in the end, but then again what isn't..

    Parent

    TL is good about not allowing (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by observed on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 12:38:46 PM EST
    feuds to dominate threads,  but there is something from 2 years ago I still need to call you out for. Just a minute, let me open my logs.

    Parent
    I sure as hell... (5.00 / 2) (#27)
    by kdog on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 01:25:06 PM EST
    noticed your abscence...good to hear from ya squeak.

    Parent
    I noticed too (none / 0) (#28)
    by jondee on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 02:15:21 PM EST
    It's not the ideal good conversation here always, but good conversation can be hard to come by sometimes.

    Hey, Squeaky!

    Parent

    "Extenze" lol (none / 0) (#29)
    by jondee on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 02:21:38 PM EST
    I can only imagine what that's about..

    Dont these people ever give up?

    Parent

    Time to go to work squeak (none / 0) (#30)
    by dead dancer on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 02:24:16 PM EST
    OMG Squeak!

    Just one comment and you're already being called out by Observed. Time to hammer, eviscerate, rip, ....

    Just consider it music and art to all TL readers.

    LOL

    Parent

    Can't say it wasn't well-earned (none / 0) (#1)
    by scribe on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 09:36:44 AM EST
    This has been a long time coming, and well-earned by the WH.

    I don't often agree with Deadeye Dick Cheney, but "dithering" is about the most polite term I can use for this WH.

    I'm glad someone is (none / 0) (#2)
    by cawaltz on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 09:36:51 AM EST
    brave enough to tell the WH like it is. He may not win any popularity contests with the Obama administration but it really needed to be said that the WH is supposed to be providing leadership and guidance on initiatives they want passed. They aren't supposed to be passing the ball to Baucus or Snowe or whoever the consider Senator of the week.

    Hey, guys (5.00 / 4) (#12)
    by gyrfalcon on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 10:38:36 AM EST
    You might want to click the link and watch the video clip before you congratulate Franken on "eviscerating" Axelrod based on the Politico characterization.

    Parent
    A lot of video for a small point (5.00 / 2) (#17)
    by Demi Moaned on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 11:22:30 AM EST
    For those of you in the home audience or who don't want to spend four or five minutes watching an embedded video, the point is: the blogs are sometimes hyperbolic in their language.

    Parent
    The link to the text (none / 0) (#21)
    by gyrfalcon on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 12:11:59 PM EST
    BTD provides above the video does make that explanation.  The video is just for fun.

    And it ain't just the blogs.  TV and print media do exactly the same thing.

    Parent

    Another balloon shattered (none / 0) (#13)
    by mmc9431 on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 10:48:48 AM EST
    We need any carrot we can find to follow this path! Obama doesn't own hope and change. I still have a share in it.

    Parent
    Me too (none / 0) (#3)
    by ruffian on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 09:41:02 AM EST
    What I always liked about the prospect and then the reality of Sen Franken is that he is smart enough to know the truth and has nothing to lose by telling it. I have a feeling that if he wants it, he can be in office long beyond this administration. He does not need the job of Senator. I think he will say and do what he thinks is right, regardless of the consequences. Happily for me, I usually agree with him.

    Parent
    I expected more noise... (none / 0) (#4)
    by kdog on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 09:49:58 AM EST
    from Al...hopefully he's just getting warmed up and is now done getting his congressional feet wet. He's a good test case to see if it is true that Congress will corrupt anybody and everybody...if its a lost cause or not.

    Not for nothing, Al can take the lead too, he's got a position of power and access to microphones...though its certainly better if the executive does it.

    Parent

    Al's doing all right (5.00 / 1) (#33)
    by Lora on Sat Feb 06, 2010 at 11:36:18 AM EST
    He's laid out a couple folks in lavender already.

    Here're two clips of Al Franken -- the first is when he denied Joe Lieberman an additional minute; the second is when he told off Thune: "We're not entitled to our own facts."

    Very satisfying.

    Parent

    I think a lot of people expected that. (none / 0) (#7)
    by ruffian on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 10:16:02 AM EST
    He is a lot more studious, and a more pointed communicator, than people expected. He can pass a camera or microphone right by, unlike many senators.

    Parent
    I guess its unrealistic... (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by kdog on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 10:22:14 AM EST
    to expect Air America Al...though it would be very cool!

    Parent
    plus he's paying his freshman dues first (none / 0) (#31)
    by DFLer on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 04:01:08 PM EST


    Parent
    Other senators spoke out (none / 0) (#5)
    by BackFromOhio on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 09:57:54 AM EST
    as well, according to Politico -- but sources would not name names, & seems as tho Al may have been the most vocal

    Parent
    I so wish (none / 0) (#6)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 10:02:54 AM EST
    the POLITICAL advisor wasn't the go-to guy to criticize for issues that effect my EVERY DAY LIFE.  Blogs hated that when Rove/Cheney/Bush were in power.

    Is there anyone (besides maybe Franken) who does what is right simply because it it's right?

    Okay, I guess I don't need an answer to that.

    Well yes Went to a house party for my congressman (none / 0) (#8)
    by DFLer on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 10:18:51 AM EST
    6 weeks ago, and he said, re a vote on a healthcare bill, that when it came to balancing the importance of voting for good healthcare reform versus the importance of his re-election (and how that vote would affect it) ... he said on a scale of importance, his re-election hardly registers. And I believed him.

    He's done what he's thought to be right before and caught sh**t for it from constituents, for example

    1. voting for appropriations for troops supplies, though questioning the Iraq war cause he thought it might hurt troops (he's a 23 year vet of the MN National Guard, Sgt. Major retired) He took a lot of grief from supporters who were anti-Iraq war.
    2, He voted against the TARP bill, because he thought it didn't smell right.

    I like Tim Walz 1st CD MN

    Parent

    oh yeah forgot to add, his day job was high school (none / 0) (#9)
    by DFLer on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 10:21:17 AM EST
    geography teacher before running for office in 2006 and defeating a 12-year Repug incumbent.

    Parent
    Axelrod instead of Rahm? (none / 0) (#15)
    by oldpro on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 11:08:27 AM EST
    Wonder why he's suddenly the one in the hot seat.  I thought Rahm was the liaison to congress...

    Axelrod is in charge of crafting the message (none / 0) (#26)
    by esmense on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 12:43:24 PM EST
    to the public. I think that is what was being faulted -- the lack of a coherent message, on any important issue from health care to energy to financial reform tojobs, etc., from the White House to the American people.

    Parent
    No doubt you're right...my message: (none / 0) (#32)
    by oldpro on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 06:38:27 PM EST
    Governing is so much harder than campaigning.

    Their message:  Time for another speech!

    Parent

    Well, Stewart's right about the blogs (none / 0) (#20)
    by shoephone on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 12:02:13 PM EST
    which is why I read so few of them anymore. Mischaracterization is easy, deep analysis is rare. Hyperbole rules.

    Unfortunately, Stewart's schtick is so far past its expiration date, I'm glad I don't have cable. Therefore, I'm never tempted to channel surf in his direction. I'm sure it puts me squarely in the minority, but his brand of obvious humor was never appealing to me.

    Then it was past its (5.00 / 2) (#22)
    by gyrfalcon on Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 12:15:37 PM EST
    expiration date for you from day one.  As for the rest of us, it isn't even in sight.

    Parent
    Franken Eviscerates Axelrod | 32 comments (32 topical)

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